Chapter 11 Part 4

Chapter 11: Daemon's Bane

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Part 4

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Deimos Peninsula

Kronus

Crude mortal artillery and energy attacks flew above the battlefield and slammed into the closest nasty green Pylon. Sorcery and pure Warp attacks followed, concentrated on the single real danger Chaos faced on Kronus. Moments before U'zhul was about to trample his first target, a Pylon blew up, and the walls keeping the Warp at bay weakened.

Lighting thundered, and Khul'tyran suddenly stumbled, falling on his front paws just before they could smash through the Necrons. U'zhul felt a barrier fall, pushing the Warp away and draining his energy. As if that wasn't bad enough, the closest source of Warp he could grasp was anything but invigorating. It contained no fury and rage, no echoes of slaughter or screaming souls. It was like a poison to his very existence, and he recoiled at its very touch.

This was the reason why Khorne himself sent him here! He had to eradicate this unnatural phenomenon and take the skulls of those who brought something so despicable into existence!

The Necron Lord lashed at Khul'tyran again, and this time his two guards followed suit. They lowered their weapons at the great War-steed and unleashed emerald lighting to ravage the mighty Daemon.

U'zhul had no choice and vaulted out of his seat. Khul'tyran roared in pain and fury and got up to gore the despicable machines. Emerald beams, ugly things, not like the more bearable Nurgle poisons, cut its feet from under him. Daemon flesh yielded, and this time, Khul'tyran couldn't get enough Warp energy fast enough to heal, much less shrug off the wounds.

The Skulltaker came to the rescue, followed by hundreds of Bloodletters. They slammed into the Necron lines with a vengeance. Hellblade and claws met Warscythes, Hyperphase swords, and tough Necrodermis. Necrons fell, but so did Daemons. Massed artillery struck their rear ranks. Drones suicided among their numbers and the Imperials poured as much fire into the Daemons as they could from their elevated positions. Daemons vanished, banished, screaming back into the Warp much faster than it should have been possible.

It didn't matter! U'zhul could instinctively read the battlefield. There weren't enough Necrons to stop them, and Eliphas would be useful for once – the armored columns were on the way, and very soon, the enemy would have to shoot at them.

Besides, all that didn't matter right now. The Skulltaker had his target where he wanted it! U'zhul roared furiously and slammed into the Necron Lord, and pushed it back. The fury of the Warp clashed with Necron trickery. The world slowed down to a crawl while four warriors did their best to tear each other to pieces.

It was glorious!

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If Anteas was a lesser man, his blood would freeze in his veins as soon as the Daemon attack began. He could recognize the Warp-abomination leading the charge. It was U'zhul the Skulltaker. That thing was an Alpha class threat at best, one not to be engaged without a strong Grey Knight contingent, and powerful anti-Daemon counter-measures available.

There were no Grey Knights on Kronus. However, there were various anti-warp and Daemon options available. Anteas only hoped they would be enough.

"Brothers, with me!" The Librarian's voice rattled the Landraider. "Drive straight at that monster!"

Anteas spared a brief moment to check the tactical feed and grimaced. He could see the Inquisitor, his Blank ward, and Bodyguards heading into the fray. Anteas knew the plan, and this was precisely the wrong time and target to try it on! The Skulltaker was here, and it would be all they could do to survive the day.

"Raven Five to all elements on this net, designating priority target, Alpha Class Threat! Concentrate all available firepower on it. Do not approach without heavy anti-Warp protection!"

The Landraider's engine roared to life, and the assault transport plowed through its dug position to charge down the slope of the plateau. The Terminators inside chanted prayers and litanies of protection, while Anteas glared at the camera feed. He could see the Inquisitor and his security detail expose themselves and charge straight to where the Xenos fought and slowly lost against the Daemon horde.

This time, that fool was going to get himself killed for sure!

Lascannons and heavy bolters firing trice blessed rounds lashed at the Daemons. Numerous explosions shook the horde and scattered portion of it, giving a brief respite to the Xenos.

"Raven Actual to all Assault Squads, form on me. We're going in!" Captain Thule's voice came through the battle net.

There were about thirty Assault Marines available. Even with the Captain himself leading them, it wouldn't be enough. To make things worse, the Traitor's armor was on the move. They couldn't let the Daemons reach their hasty setup defense line! Doing so would invite disaster.

"Terminators and Dreadnoughts, advance." The Captain ordered.

The Assault Squads naturally reacted faster, and soon all of them jumped from the top of the plateau into the bloodbath below. Five venerable ancients advanced as a single unit, liberally dispensing blessed ammunition from their assault cannons. Behind them slowly advanced a Terminator squad outfitted for long-range engagement. The Inquisitor's party drove on after them, with the madman himself and the blank kid riding on top of a Command Chimera. A swarm of Necron Drones circled them, intercepting incoming enemy firepower. A group of Necron Destroyers left their positions to act as a flank guard. Their heavy weapons blasted apart incoming artillery heading their way.

It wasn't nearly enough. The odd Warp-blast sent by the Daemons went through, only to harmlessly dissipate when it went anywhere near the Inquisitor.

This was sheer madness, and it was working.

"Get us down there now!" Anteas demanded.

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Technically speaking, it has been a very long time since the Necron Lord of Kronus faced Warp-spawned abominations. However, after the long sleep, it didn't feel that way. He could recall bits and pieces of the final battles when reality itself shattered. That allowed monsters from another dimension to arrive, so they could devour everyone.

This was no different. However, this time, he might just have a way to vanquish them for good. Such an opportunity was worth risking everything.

The Necron Lord faced the strongest abomination on the battlefield. If he was alone, he would have lost. That much became certain almost immediately. Even with its connection to its dimension of origin weakened by the Pylons, that thing was impossibly fast and powerful. Its profane blade was extremely dangerous, and it wielded it with a skill that no living being should possess.

It took the efforts of three Necrons to barely keep it at bay. They only managed to do so by slowly falling back while under the effect of a Chronometron. That thing was so fast that only the artifact allowed them to keep up, if barely.

The Necron Lord didn't know the name of the abomination he faced. He didn't care to learn it. What mattered was it was extremely powerful. The Pylons and his Shadow Ankh weakened it, yet it still outclassed three of the best Warriors he had ever known.

This was better than anticipated, or would be as long as the plan worked.

The Necron line buckled, then briefly stabilized when artillery bombardment and Hunter Drones slammed into the Daemons buying a few precious moments. Human anti-abomination weaponry took its toll, and the Allied enhanced warriors joined the fray, using crude rocket packs to slam into the beasts.

The line didn't break. It held, if barely, however, it bent in the center, where the Necron Lord had to fall back. The frenzied abominations made another push, and the large beast, the one he fought rode to the battlefield on, staggered into the fray as well. It was slow, wounded, yet it came anyway.

There was a purpose behind the mad attack – the abominations did their best to separate him from support and make him an easier target. How predictable.

Another Pylon fell prey to concentrated attack from trans-dimensional energy and what appeared to be every single long-range weaponry the enemy had. The barriers holding reality itself together weakened, and the abominations attacked with redoubled vigor. The quadrupedal beast trampled a Lychguard and got gutted in the process, staggering with a Hyperphase sword sticking from its belly.

The Necron vanished, whiskered away to safety for repair, just like instead of dying for good, the abominations merely returned home. That was a significant advantage the Necron had tried to deny them since the last days of the War in Heaven. It was time to see if they would finally succeed.

For a third time that day, the Necron Lord drank deeply from the reserves of power gathered in his stronghold. A mental command had his companions break off to slow down the tide of lesser abominations while he fell back faster. This emboldened the monster facing him, and it swung even faster and harder at him. The Necron Lord could no longer stop all attacks coming his way, much less find the time and space to counter-attack. The burning blade struck him again and again, leaving rends into his tough platting. The damage was superficial, yet it grew with each successful strike.

A small scale Human counter-attack ensured that the line held for a bit longer, leaving the Necron Lord and his opponent fighting alone. The Inquisitor arrived then with the Pariah child at his side and numerous mortal guards on their heels.

Instead of feeling threatened, the abomination laughed in glee and screamed some nonsense in ugly language.