BOOOOM!
The cluster bomb went off, and the raging sea of fire instantly swallowed the Sergeant and Ku'gath.
When the flames finally died down, the Sergeant was torn to shreds. Ku'gath was still standing, but its already massive, fat body was now ragged and heavily scorched.
"The Corpse King's minions are such an absolute pain," Ku'gath muttered with clear displeasure.
Yuji and the other players looked at the Great Unclean One, a cold dread settling in their hearts.
"You're kidding me! That didn't even drop him! Do these warp things know nothing about hit points and science?!"
"Nurgle's health bar must be straight-up terrifying!"
"I take back every bad thing I ever said about the Empire. These monsters are too tough to put down."
Daniel scrambled back to his feet and used the skill Emperor's Light to restore himself to peak condition. He looked at the charred remains of the Leman Russ tank and knew the soldiers had died to buy them a few precious seconds.
"Your heroic spirits have earned a seat at the Golden Throne," he vowed. With a final word of praise for the dead, Daniel charged toward Ku'gath again.
Ku'gath swung its giant sword, intent on splitting Daniel in two. Daniel dodged to the side, letting the attack smash into the ground behind him, then closed the distance and drove the Holy Judgment Blade forward.
"How foolish! You'll never be a match for me!" Ku'gath swung the giant sword in a wide arc, forcing Daniel to backpedal.
~Boom!!
On the other side of the hive, another earth-shaking explosion ripped through the air.
"Target destroyed, mission accomplished," Blood Dove's voice crackled over the comms.
The second altar was destroyed, and the Warp Storm visibly shrank. Some daemons, unable to maintain their form, fizzled out and were forcibly dragged back to the Warp.
"Destroy the last altar at any cost! Without the altars as an anchor, these daemons won't be able to stick around in the real world!" Yuji yelled, directing the players and the Imperial soldiers to press the attack toward the final location.
Without the full support of the Warp, the daemons were weak as kittens. They began to explode under the fierce, concentrated firepower of the Imperial loyalists. The tide of battle was officially turning.
"We seem to run out of time, but I should still be able to take you with me." Ku'gath knew defeat was imminent, but it still hoped to capture Daniel and present him to his loving Magos.
Ku'gath renewed its attack on Daniel. The rusty greatsword was heavy and powerful, every blow thrown with everything the daemon had left. Daniel kept dodging, refusing to go toe-to-toe with the creature.
After baiting the Great Unclean One into another missed swing, Daniel seized the moment and unleashed the Emperor's Light. A sudden burst of brilliant golden light made Ku'gath scream and reel back.
Daniel exploited the opening, plunging the Holy Blade deep into Ku'gath's body and pouring all his strength into the strike. The Great Unclean One's fat, bloated form was instantly engulfed in brilliant golden flames.
"I'll be back."
After leaving those final words, Ku'gath's body turned to ash in the fire, its soul banished back to Nurgle's Plague Garden.
"If you come back for seconds, I won't let you cut and run like you did today," Daniel muttered to himself, looking at the remains.
At that moment, a golden light curtain appeared before him.
[Congratulations! Experience Gained. Level LV11 -> LV12]
[New Skill Acquired: Prophecy (Can perceive multiple potential futures)]
[New Skill Acquired: Psionic Shield (Can construct a shield of psychic energy to resist ranged attacks)]
[New Skill Acquired: Soul Travel (Can project soul into the Warp for meditation and travel)]
~Boom!
Moments after Ku'gath's fall, the last altar was destroyed by a saturation attack from the Imperial loyalists.
The Warp Storm died down and the real universe snapped back to normal. The distorted space and physical rules were corrected. The daemons could no longer hold their forms, exploding and returning to the Warp.
Seeing the writing on the wall after Nurgle's army was defeated, the remaining rebels and cultists in the Stonehive lost their nerve. They were hunted down by the surviving players and the Imperial Army and completely driven out of the Stonehive.
The Empire's double-headed eagle banner flew proudly over the ruined city. Survivors who had managed to escape corruption emerged from every corner, cheering and welcoming the Imperial army.
They were dressed in rags, their faces covered with plague wounds and pustules, but thankfully, they had made it.
The Battle of the Stonehive was declared a decisive victory.
When the news reached Tyrian Hive, the people who had been on pins and needles waiting for the final result erupted in cheers. Celebratory parades quickly flooded the streets.
Daniel's victory sent shockwaves through the Warp, forming a huge, unavoidable ripple that got the attention of the Chaos Gods.
A minion of the Corpse-Emperor capable of standing against a Greater Daemon? This sparked new hopes and sinister plans for the rotting corpse on the Golden Throne.
Nurgle, brewing his own plague soup, didn't blame Ku'gath for the failure. Instead, he began thinking about how to prepare a plague so tempting the enemy would surrender to it.
In his secret temple, close to the depths of the labyrinth, Tzeentch watched the threads of fate vibrate and fluctuate. Sensing the change, it smirked, pondering how to weave the new destiny and drive further change.
The Prince of Pleasure, who was indulging in an endless feast of souls, sent out its most loyal subordinates, tasking them to use every trick in the book to lure the Saint into depravity.
And in the Brass Fortress, the Blood God had already delivered his oracle: the greatest reward goes to whoever hunts down the minion of the cursed one and captures his skull.
The followers of the Dark Gods sprang into action. They would gather strength, plot conspiracies, and tug on the strings of fate—all to get their hands on this brand-new prize.
"I finally hit Level 10 and learned two new skills: 'Prophecy' and 'Telepathy.' You can hit me up for tarot readings in the future," Yuji exclaimed, excited by his upgrade notifications.
"I got the upgrade message too, but my skills are pretty vanilla," said WrongHammer. "The passive skill 'Tenacity' lets me soak up more damage and pain, and it also boosts my stamina."
"Sounds like you've got the potential to be a rotting space marine," The BaldCustodian teased, walking over.
WrongHammer shook his head violently. "A marine? No thanks. The thought of having to acknowledge that idiot Mortarion as my genetic dad makes my skin crawl."
"Why not? Next time you see Mortarion, you can tell him, 'Mortarion, send the real commander to see me!' It would be epic."
The BaldCustodian rolled his eyes. "Why didn't you try that line on Ku'gath and have him tell Mortarion? Put your money where your mouth is."
"Mortarion is petty and holds a grudge. If Ku'gath went back and told him that, he might just try to gank me next time he sees me. Way too risky."
WrongHammer widened his eyes and looked at Yuji in disbelief. "You want me to wipe again? You'd rather I die than you, right?!"
"What are you freaking out about?! If the Death Guard don't fight their own genetic daddy, can they even call themselves the Death Guard? They should take a page from Typhon's book."
"Forget it, let's drop it. Maybe I'm not cut out for the Death Guard!"
"No way! You're definitely Death Guard gene-seed."
"What?"
"My gut feeling says you're a good seed for the Death Guard. The skills you've acquired speak for themselves."
"..."
With the battle over, the players relaxed and started messing around. The rewards for defeating the rebels and Nurgle's forces were huge. Not only did many players level up, but they also gained a substantial amount of EXP.
"I've crunched the numbers on my Faith, and it looks like I've got enough. I'm going to promote as soon as I get back to the Imperial Glory. Please say a prayer I don't get the gene-seed adapted for the death guard." WrongHammer was generally chill, but after the BaldCustodian's teasing, he had a vague feeling of impending doom.
"If we're talking about adaptation, then wouldn't I be a Sengoku-era samurai?" Yuji scratched his head. "I'm just talking trash about you, but my own situation is not much better!"
"When I think of that Magnus, I'm worried that after getting implanted with the Thousand Sons' gene-seed, my IQ will drop like a rock."
"Maybe you'll get Grey Knight. They're also big-time psykers," The BaldCustodian offered, trying to be helpful.
"..."
While Yuji and the others were arguing over which Legion's gene-seeds they might get, the players who had been forced offline due to their sacrifice were already chatting up a storm in the Warhammer Discord group.