The Death Korps of Krieg and their tank units mercilessly crushed the enemy's last line of defense. When the last Chaos Space Marine fell, the battlefield was left with only shattered ruins and a ground covered in corpses.
The singing gradually ceased, and the Krieg Soldiers stood in neat formation amidst a sea of blood and corpses. Their Commander slowly dismounted from his armored vehicle and walked towards the Imperial Commander of the remaining Imperial forces in the center of the mall.
"The enemies here have been eliminated," he said calmly, his voice cold and mechanical. "What is the next course of action?"
The Imperial Commander was silent for a moment, then nodded, stood at attention, and saluted crisply: "Thank you for your assistance. Next... we will sweep the entire area and completely eradicate the filth of Chaos and xenos."
The Krieg Commander gave a slight nod, said nothing more, and turned to walk back to his troops. The firelight in the mall illuminated his back, his cold gas mask seemingly silently proclaiming the true meaning of death and loyalty.
In the city ruled by the Drukhari / Dark Aeldari, although the civil war was still raging, the Malys Faction and the Victores Faction had no choice but to deal with a common threat in between battles: the entrance from the Warp to the Webway.
These two factions operated independently, yet both knew that if the Warp completely consumed this area, regardless of who won or lost, their fate would lead to destruction.
Within the Malys Faction's main control zone, Malys stood in her mansion. This was originally her command center for controlling the city's Core, but now it had become a temporary tactical stronghold.
[At this moment, several sneaky Blood Raven Space Marines passed by...]
In the mansion's main hall, twisted psychic barriers attempted to seal the entrance, but the Warp's erosion had already begun to destabilize these barriers.
"Report, Lady Malys!" a guard in ornate armor rushed forward, "Chaos Daemons units have launched an offensive on the perimeter, and our defenses won't hold much longer!"
"I don't want to hear excuses," Malys said coldly, her expression unchanging, but her tone as chilling as ice, "Tell the warlocks to accelerate the array's operation speed; the barrier must be sealed before the entrance fully opens."
The guard hesitated: "But, Lady, if we divert warlocks to support the barrier, the outer defenses—"
[At this moment, several sneaky Blood Raven Space Marines snuck into Malys's boudoir...]
"It doesn't matter if the defenses fall; what's important is that the entrance isn't completely torn open." A hint of indifference flashed in Malys's eyes. She waved her hand, dismissing the guard. "If sacrifice is necessary, then let those lowly Soldiers die for the glory of the family."
The technomages and psychic warlocks in the hall were frantically busy. They manipulated complex ritual runes and dark energy matrices, attempting to maintain the seal on the entrance. However, the Warp's pressure was gradually exceeding their limits.
"Lady Malys," a chief warlock shouted, beads of cold sweat on his forehead, "The energy fluctuations from the entrance are too strong; our array won't hold for much longer!"
[At this moment, several sneaky Blood Raven Space Marines, carrying various valuables and an STC, quietly slipped out of Malys's boudoir...]
Malys frowned, crossing her arms over her chest, and coldly watched the runic array: "Stabilize it at all costs. I want you to use all your strength, even if it means sacrificing your lives."
In stark contrast to Malys's calm demeanor, the Victores Faction's Core bunker was filled with a chaotic atmosphere.
Deep within the bunker, our "Bunker Boy" Victor stood before a massive psychic control console, his face grim. His staff behind him clamored to report the battlefield situation.
"Sir, our outer positions have been ambushed by the Malys Faction's army! Chaos Daemons have also infiltrated in the chaos!" a frantic adjutant shouted.
"Have the frontline units hold them off," Victor said coldly, simultaneously injecting psychic energy into the control console, "I don't care about the lives of those cannon fodder, as long as the work here can be completed."
The Warp rift in the center of the bunker was continuously expanding, its crimson glow reflecting on every tense face. The Victores Faction's warlocks desperately tried to close the rift but found that the energy fluctuations of the rift were growing stronger and stronger, even beginning to cause irreversible distortions to the surrounding reality.
"Lord Victor," a warlock's voice was filled with despair, "We need more energy! Otherwise, the array will be destroyed by the backlash from the entrance!"
Victor narrowed his eyes, looking at the gradually expanding rift, and was silent for a moment. Then, he raised his hand and said in an undeniable tone: "Withdraw all psychic elites and transfer them inside the bunker! As for the Soldiers fighting on the perimeter... let them buy us time."
"But the forces outside are not enough to hold on for much longer!" the adjutant said in horror, "If the Malys Faction rushes in, or the Chaos Daemons units break through, we will..."
Victor waved him off, sneering: "The Malys Faction and the Chaos Daemons are equally foolish. She will only think of monopolizing the entrance, and those Daemons are nothing but beasts. As long as we complete this ritual, their foolishness and greed will become our stepping stones to victory."
Inside the bunker, Victor personally ascended the ritual platform, using psychic energy to empower the runic matrix. His face was stern, and his eyes burned with a fierce dark glow. The entire ritual chamber was enveloped by massive psychic ripples, and the runes on the floor gradually emitted a purplish-black light.
Although Malys and Victor were each engaged in difficult resistance and ritual operations at different strongholds, both simultaneously realized one thing: they were both trying to close the Warp entrance.
"That woman Malys won't give up the chance to seize power, but she absolutely doesn't want Chaos to succeed," Victor muttered coldly to himself, watching the array operate, "It's more beneficial for us to let her live for now."
Meanwhile, in her mansion, Malys's thoughts were equally complex: "That madman Victor wouldn't just stand by and watch Chaos destroy this city, but his goal is definitely not simple. After closing the entrance, he will surely move against me immediately."
The flames of civil war had not yet extinguished, but the threat of the Warp rift was forcing both sides to accelerate their actions. Everyone knew that the scales of victory and defeat were about to tip, and this time, the outcome might determine not just their civil war, but the survival or destruction of the entire region.
Malys hurried back to her boudoir, pondering how to negotiate with the Imperium of Man using the panacea's STC. She knew that Victor would never give up his cooperation with the Chaos Daemons, and even if her faction's combat power surpassed his, they would not be able to completely escape the threat of the Warp rift. Human intervention was her only hope.
Malys now intended to use the panacea's STC to negotiate with Li Feng, offering exclusive supply rights to the panacea in exchange for the Imperium of Man's support against Victor and the Chaos Forces. The Malys Faction would "pay tribute" to the Imperium of Man, becoming allies of humanity.
The moment she pushed open the door, the sight before her left her stunned. Her boudoir, once a neat and artistic dwelling, was now a complete mess.
Luxurious furniture was overturned, delicate ornaments were scattered, and the maid and butler in the center of the room lay dead on the floor, their eyes vacant, their bodies covered in knife wounds.
Malys's gaze suddenly turned cold. She raised her hand and unleashed a psychic beam, completely igniting the lingering psychic traces in the room, so she could quickly ascertain the truth.
Soon, she noticed the most devastating fact: the safe in the wall cabinet, along with the embedded wall plaster, had vanished, and her most important bargaining chip... the panacea's STC, had obviously disappeared with it.
"Li Feng..." Malys almost gnashed her teeth as she spat out the name. She immediately understood who had done it; that cunning and disrespectful human had actually sent people to steal her last trump card at this critical moment!
"Li Feng!!! You scoundrel, you schemed against me!!!!"
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