The Dark Aeldari forces present were the elite of the elite, and every single one of them could sense the aura of extreme danger radiating from this new enemy.
In the distance, the single yellow eye of a Medusa pulsed with light. Accompanied by a unique, guttural roar—"AVAVAVAVA"—a psychic shockwave blasted directly toward the Queen of Blades.
However, the psychic energy was completely halted by an invisible shield a meter away from her. The Queen of Blades merely turned and glared at the Medusa; the creature's jellyfish-like head instantly imploded.
The gap between their psychic levels was simply too vast.
"Kill her!!!"
An anonymous Incubus roared the command, and several of his kin lunged toward her simultaneously. Their klaives were sharp enough to cleave through Terminator armor; even a Dreadnought wouldn't dare take a direct hit from such blades.
Yet the Queen of Blades effortlessly parried their strikes with her bone claws. Multiple heavy blades slammed into those slender skeletal appendages, but failed to leave even a scratch. Upon closer inspection, one could see a thin, shimmering film of psychic energy coating them.
"What?!"
"Incubi... impressive. But your strength is beneath contempt for me!!!"
Terrifying psychic energy erupted from the Queen of Blades, crushing the heads of the Incubi along with their reinforced helms into fine powder.
The precision and sheer volume of psychic power she commanded far exceeded that of a typical psyker. Even professionally trained psykers would struggle to match such effortless mastery. Against these Dark Aeldari, who didn't even dare to tap into the Warp, this was child's play.
A Pain Engine, larger than a Dreadnought, charged at her, raising a massive fist equipped with a power claw. The arm alone was larger than the Queen of Blades herself; a direct hit from such a weapon would likely send even a Primarch to the ICU.
But such a lumbering strike could never hope to land on her. With a light hop, she landed atop the Pain Engine's head. Her bone wings unfurled and slammed downward, piercing deep into the massive flesh-and-machine construct.
"AAAAHHH!"
Accompanied by a piercing shriek, she physically tore the towering monstrosity in half with her bare hands. The sheer brutality of the act sent a chill through the remaining Dark Aeldari. For the first time, no one dared to initiate another attack.
"What's wrong?"
Flicking the foul, mutated blood from her claws, the Queen of Blades scanned her enemies coldly. Though some of these people had once been her comrades, she now belonged to the Zerg Swarm. She was no longer Aeldari.
"Afraid already? I haven't even used my full strength. If you're afraid of approaching me, then I shall come to you."
The combative nature of the original Succubus remained unchanged. With a simple wave of her hand, the Swarm surged past her, charging the enemy. She personally sought out those she deemed strong—whether they were Incubi, Pain Engines, or her former sisters among the Wyches, she cut them down without a shred of hesitation. Her loyalty to the Swarm was beyond words.
Not a single soul from Archon Slacus's expeditionary force would return today. Even those with the will to flee would be hunted down mercilessly by the Queen.
On the other side of the battlefield, the Imperial forces realized something was horribly wrong. Due to the Queen's repeated psychic eruptions, the local concentration of Warp energy was rising. An entity capable of increasing Warp density on such a scale single-handedly was practically a Greater Daemon in its own right.
"Tyranids have no Warp shadow; where there are Tyranids, there is usually no high-density Warp energy. These creatures are not Tyranids."
"Captain, we've detected Daemons in the vicinity."
"What?!"
"It seems the previous psychic shockwaves tore a localized rift into the Warp."
"That explains it."
It was no secret that psykers attracted Daemons. With psychic fluctuations of that magnitude, it wouldn't be surprising if a Warp storm broke out. Daemons would naturally seize the chance to manifest. In truth, the Daemons hadn't planned on coming; the rift was simply so large that they were sucked out along with the overflowing energy. However, they were just disorganized stragglers—no threat to either the Imperium or the Swarm.
"Notify the Astropaths. Relay the situation on this planet to the other sectors. We have witnessed the birth of a thing that will be a grave threat to the Imperium."
"Captain Sicarius, do we engage?"
"No. On the contrary, we must retreat. Continued combat on this planet is meaningless. We need a more detailed plan to deal with this new Swarm threat. A Swarm capable of warping across the galaxy... I shudder to imagine the danger they pose."
"Was this landing a waste, then?"
"You saw that entity, didn't you?"
Sicarius's question silenced the questioning Ultramarine. After a moment, the marine nodded. "I understand."
That non-human entity—humanoid yet utterly alien—was the most powerful xenos that Space Marine had ever encountered. Intelligence on her was the greatest prize of this mission. Without it, the Imperium would suffer a catastrophic blow when facing such an unknown foe.
But leaving wouldn't be so easy.
"Since you've come, why be in such a hurry to leave?"
The Swarm, which had been maintaining a steady pressure, suddenly accelerated its tempo. The Queen of Blades landed not far behind Cato Sicarius, her body drenched in Aeldari blood, making her look even more terrifying. The Company Champion immediately stepped forward with his shield to protect his captain. Only Sicarius knew that their chances of survival were now slim.
†Wait, it's not the Second Company? Good, as long as it's not the Second. The Second Company of the Ultramarines has too many monsters—both Titus and Cato Sicarius have led it, and they're all absolute legends.†
We've already mentioned Titus; now let's talk about Cato Sicarius. He is the quintessential "overpowered" supporting character. Born into a noble family, he was a renowned master of the blade before even joining the Ultramarines.
Exceptional in administration and command, he rose to Captain of the Fifth in record time, would later lead the Second, and eventually become the Captain of the Victrix Guard beside the Primarch. Even a transmigrator who knows the lore might struggle to achieve such a meteoric rise.
Warhammer players even gave him a nickname: The Invincible Captain of the Second.
Of course, that's a meme. The Zerg Swarm had already closed in, cutting off their path back to the landing zone. Even for Cato Sicarius, without the Emperor's divine protection, there would be no escape today.
"Ultramarines, prepare for battle!" Sicarius gripped his power sword tightly, settling into a combat stance. "I, Cato Sicarius, shall make these xenos pay a price today, even if my soul must return to the Golden Throne!"
"FOR THE EMPEROR!!!"
The Ultramarines tightened their formation, preparing for a final, desperate stand.