Chapter 20 - How to Kill an Overlord?

I know this was not the time, but I realized how fast I thought as I ran towards the Chaos Spawn. I think the human side is getting used to the supercomputer that is a Necron's mind.

A silly thought crossed my mind in less than a second as I stared at the monsters in front of me, something I could not do as a human since I would be panicking instead.

The thought was that none of these creatures had names, and it would be annoying to refer to them as monsters, things, or creatures. So I thought of a simple solution before finalizing my previous thought, working on two lines of reasoning simultaneously.

I will name the monsters according to their skin color, red will be called Red, and blue will be called Blue.

A third line of thought emerged as the other two finished, so I focused on the two figures standing in front of the Basilica as Blue's claws approached my chest.

A Battle Sister and a Grey Knight, both corrupted by Chaos, specifically Slaanesh. Something that should have been impossible watched me outside the makeshift arena.

I created a fourth line of thought when I finished the first two, got halfway through the third, and searched my mind for all my 40k knowledge, specifically about two such unusual figures.

The result came in less than a second, two more lines appeared as the third ended, giving me the name of the Sister and Astartes, Miriael Sabathiel, and the Silver Knight of Slaanesh.

The first was a former High Sister of Battle of the Order of Our Martyr Lady who became a Chaos Champion after being tortured and corrupted by a Daemon Prince of Slaanesh. She now serves Slaanesh as an Eldar hunter.

The second was a possible Grey Knight who invaded the Real of Slaanesh and overcame all the challenges of the levels to kill the Chaos God but was corrupted by hesitating to strike a blow when Slaanesh appeared in front of him in the form of a child.

Well, it seems that erasing a Greater Daemon from existence drew the unwanted attention of the Prince of Pleasure. A worse problem always appears for every victory I achieve. Just my luck, ladies and gentlemen!

I ended all my current lines of thought and started some new ones as I threw myself to the ground, dodging Blue's claws and sliding under his legs, delivering a heavy cut to his back.

Purple blood and tentacle bits fell towards the ground as the monster roared in pain, but I let out a surprised noise when instead of Blue turning around to fight, the tentacles on his back lashed towards me.

I jumped backward quickly, getting out of range of the lashes that cracked the ground, but raised my halberd horizontally, blocking the bite that Red sent in my direction.

I grunted in disgust as I saw the beast's face up close, saliva staining my weapon as his tongue and rotten teeth tried to chew through the metal. However, Red did not finish his attack and planted his feet on the ground, trying to push me back with heavy steps.

I returned the gesture in kind and stood my ground, using my strength to push the Chaos Spawn in the opposite direction. As I fought, I paid half attention to the new lines of thought I had created, mostly how to solve the current situation.

I could order one of my Death Marks to kill Sabathiel, but the probability of success was low thanks to many unknowns.

Sabathiel could possess a force field device or something similar, which would protect her from the shot and give her more than enough time to press the detonator.

Tired of Red's attempts to remove me from the arena, I energized my halberd, electrocuting the Chaos Spawn with green lightning that ran through his body, generating an agonizing roar.

Alternatively, the Silver Knight could erect a psychic barrier, or it could already be there, but invisible to everyone. Aiming for the detonator was not an option because of the chance of getting a result similar to trying to kill Sabathiel.

Red's roar made him release my halberd, so I spun the weapon above my head and slashed at his face, hitting his left eye with a spray of blood.

Then I lifted my foot and kicked the monster in the face with all my might, resulting in an audible crack and a few knocked-out teeth as Red staggered backward disoriented.

I could try to get close to Sabathiel and use my Ankh, or the Prism Null Field of one of my Spiders to nullify the knight's psychic powers and destroy any shield Sabathiel possessed with a concentrated attack, killing her in the end.

I raised my left arm, blocking the crushing punch that Blue sent in my direction after closing the distance quickly, and taking advantage of the opening of my attack.

A metallic clang echoed through the arena as my feet slid across the ground, drawing lines in the basilica's courtyard, and luminous cracks appeared where Blue hit me.

However, there was no guarantee that Sabathiel was not prepared for such an eventuality and she handed a spare detonator to one of her men.

I squeezed the trigger of my Heavy Flamer as I slid backward and swung my arm, sending an arc of scorching green flames toward the Chaos Spawn. Simultaneously, I slammed my halberd into the ground, stopping my movement a few centimeters from the edge of the arena.

"That was close!" Sabathiel laughed with sadistic glee, swinging her legs childishly on her living seat while a long tongue slid out of her mouth.

Fortunately, I did not use all my equipment on Hidrus Quintus, so there were still things Sabathiel did not know I could do.

I watched the two dark outlines screaming and moving erratically in the sea of green flames, preparing myself for who would be the first out of there. Blue was the first, with Red following close behind.

Blue approached at a furious run, which soon turned into a brisk walk. When he reached a certain distance from me, the Chaos Spawn shook his head in confusion, probably due to my Ankh interfering with his chaotic energy.

This did not spoil the Creature's attempts to kill me, but it did make his next blows sloppy. Blue raised both fists above his head and sent them toward me in a predictable trajectory. I sent a jet of flame towards him as I ran aside, dodging the blows.

I found myself face to face with Red, but I did not stop my attack, I skirted around the Chaos Spawn, moving away from the edge of the arena while keeping my flames burning.

Red, however, showed why the Chaos Spawns were feared and withstood my attack, using the claws on his back to try to strike me as I went around him.

The Mindshackle Scarabs were the first thing that came to mind. I could try to control one of the Chaos Spawns and send it towards Sabathiel, or make the Spawns fight each other, confusing Sabathiel and giving me time to act.

On the other hand, Sabathiel could realize that her pets were acting strangely and blame me for it, setting off the explosives.

Red's claws sliced through the air in a flurry of deadly blows, his bloodstained pincers reflecting the sunlight as his cuts tore up the arena floor, raising shrapnel and dust.

One of the blows grazed my left shoulder pad and the left side of my helmet, leaving two small luminous cracks, but my disguise remained visible.

I spun my halberd above my head, parrying the next blows with a snap, before lowering it towards Red's back, piercing the corrupted flesh and removing it with a pull, tearing the meat followed by a trail of blood in the air.

Red let out the familiar pained roars and grunts, the hostages murmured happily, but the Traitor Guard silenced them with butts, Sabathiel grimaced, and I had a plan in mind.

Sabathiel expected all sorts of tricks and attacks, except those originating from her men, so I returned to my original position when the battle began, keeping the Battle Sister and Astartes in my field of vision.

Blue returned to the fray soon after, rushing past Red and advancing towards me on all fours with his horns pointed at me like a bull.

Hm... The plan is a bit complicated, as I will have to do several things simultaneously, but that is what I am training for.

I grabbed my cape with my left hand and swung it in front of my body while holding my halberd like a spear. Simultaneously, I took control of the Mindshackle Scarabs in my body and ordered them to come out of my back.

The Scarabs, smaller than a fly, flew away unnoticed and alone, avoiding forming a cloud so as not to be detected. They advanced towards the buildings around the courtyard, where the Traitor Guard watched us.

I swung my cloak in front of Blue's face as I stepped to the side, shortly blinding the Chaos Spawn and slashing his side with my halberd.

I stepped backward, away from the monster as he turned around, his hands and feet sliding along the ground before he stopped and snorted. Blue punched the courtyard furiously before advancing again, and I wasted no time in swinging my cape in provocation.

I saw Red approaching from behind from the point of view of one of the Death Marks, his pincers clicking in the air to slice me to pieces. I stopped in the center of the arena, waiting for the two creatures to approach while resting my halberd on my shoulder.

I crouched slightly and jumped when the Spawns were a few meters away from me, spinning my weapon in the process and slashing both monsters. A spiral of blood formed in the air as both monsters received deep cuts to their sides and stumbled in mid-run.

My Scarabs reached their destination, flying inside the buildings and heading towards the Traitor Guards who watched us intently with lasguns ready to fire.

I controlled my Wraiths so that they entered and left reality, passing through the walls of the buildings and remaining outside reality near the guards, becoming invisible to everyone.

The Guard in the farthest window was the first to become part of my plan, the Wraith still out of reality passed through the wall behind the Guard with half its body, opening its legs and quickly returning to reality, enveloping the Guard before disappearing with the human.

The Wraith took the Guard into a room behind the corridor where he had previously been, covering the Guard's mouth so that no one heard his screams, partially removing the human's helmet, and allowing the Mindshackle Scarab to enter his ear.

The Guard struggled for a moment before his eyes glowed green for a second and then returned to normal.

The Wraith then put the Guard's helmet back in place, stepped out of reality, and threw him into the corridor, where the human assumed corporeal form as soon as he was out of the Wraith's grip.

The Guard stood still like a statue for a moment, before robotically walking over to the window and assuming a firing stance with an impassive face and blank stare.

Then the process repeated itself, the Wraiths would capture the Guards located in distant areas or blind spots of the basilica, dragging them away and allowing the Scarabs to enter their ears, putting them under my control.

The Guards who walked in groups, were too close to each other, or remained on the roof and first floor of the basilica remained untouched due to the risk of the plan being discovered and reported to Sabathiel.

With that done, I focused on the Chaos Spawns around me, time to put an end to these things.

Blue's tentacles shot towards me like spears made of flesh as I fell. I sent a jet of flame towards it, burning some of the tentacles, but others pierced me in the chest, leg, and waist.

I quickly cut them off with a blow from my halberd before they did any more damage, and grumbled angrily as I saw more cracks forming. Anymore and I will have my disguise ruined on the first day.

I did not have to turn around to notice Red approaching from behind. The Chaos Spawn swung both pincers towards me like a living guillotine, but I moved faster and raised my halberd horizontally above my head.

The strength of the blow sank my feet into the ground, but I successfully blocked the attack and powered up my weapon immediately afterward, electrocuting Red again, and thrusting my arms upwards, freeing myself from Red's grip and throwing his pincers back.

I crouched slightly and spun my body quickly, making an upward cut towards the arms on Red's back, hitting the joints and separating the pincers from his body. The flesh gave away easily and the severed limbs fell to the ground with a thud, staining it with purple blood.

Red roared in agony, his long tongue dangling out of his mouth. I grabbed the piece of corrupted flesh with my left hand, rolling it around in a circular motion before yanking it out.

Blood gushed out of Red's mouth like a waterfall as his tongue thrashed on the ground like a lizard's tail. I did not stop my attack; I grabbed Red by the back of his neck and pulled him towards me.

The Chaos Spawn drove his claws into the ground in pain, drawing cracks in the gray stone, but I applied more strength behind my action, grunting with the effort and dragging Red in a semicircle, sending him towards Blue who advanced in blind fury.

The Chaos Spawns collided in the middle of the arena, abruptly halting Blue's advance. I wasted no time and rushed forward with a burst of speed, shooting a sea of flame toward the creatures and energizing my halberd.

The monsters roared in a distorted cacophony as the flames engulfed their bodies, turning their flesh into a dark, burnt, and disfigured mess, adding more detail to their disturbing appearance.

However, I did not allow the Chaos Spawns to recover, I pierced Red's right side and increased the power of my weapon, sending out a wave of electricity that fried the nerves of both creatures.

Blue and Red squirmed violently, foaming at the mouth and spurting blood from their wounds.

I ended my attack after a few seconds and stepped back, watching as Red's ravaged form slid towards the ground and remained motionless, the life and hatred fading from his remaining eye.

I expected Sabathiel to scream with rage, or let out some insult at seeing the first of her animals slaughtered, but the Sister of Battle just frowned as she clucked her tongue.

There was something wrong here.

"Well, that was quicker than I expected, but my pets did you a fair bit of damage! Are you ready to accept your defeat?" Sabathiel asked, her frustration quickly changing to delight.

"Hump, as if that was enough to take me down! Why don't you step into the arena and face me? Are you afraid of breaking a nail?" I teased, feeling a certain joy in my chest at the idea of facing the enemy leader in an honorable duel.

"TISK! You are still rude. I like a strong man, but my patience has its limits. I'd teach you manners if I didn't have to kill you." Sabathiel replied, shaking her head in disappointment.

"Honestly, I would kill myself if it meant escaping from whatever is going through your corrupted mind. Unfortunately, I'm forced to listen to your fantasies, since I still haven't figured out how to turn off my hearing." I commented dryly, casually leaning on my halberd.

"I'll have you know that men and women line up and throw themselves at my feet to spend as much time as possible with me and admire my beauty!" Sabathiel exclaimed angrily.

"Are they blind or did you gouge out their eyes before that? Have you ever looked in the mirror? I do not think so, because they all shattered as soon as you stepped in front of them! Maybe wearing a paper bag on your head would help, but in your case, I'm not sure, maybe it'll catch fire with your ugliness!" I replied, wiping my nails on my chest.

Silence overtook the courtyard as everyone capable of such an action looked at me with wide eyes. Sabathiel flinched in surprise on the Silver Knight's shoulder, gritting her teeth in frustration, until one of the Guards next to her laughed.

"HAHAHA... AAAHHH!"

However, the Guard's joy did not last long, as Sabathiel snapped her fingers, and the Silver Knight's right index finger moved slightly before purple flames consumed the Guard, leaving only a pile of ashes behind.

"Would anyone else like to express their opinion?" Sabathiel asked impassively, nodding to her Guards who quickly shook their heads in denial.

"Good, then kill him!" Sabathiel demanded, and Blue roared, shaking his head to clear the pain and confusion before advancing again.

Well, well, well, my school insults are proving more effective now than when I was a child.

Although he was still willing to fight, Blue's blows were slow and inaccurate. The Chaos Spawn swung his arms as if they weighed tons, and staggered with each step.

In the end, it came down to Blue throwing punches left and right, while I stepped back, dodging and parrying the blows, and leaving a few cuts on the monster in return.

Suddenly, Blue hit the ground, raising a cloud of dust and shortly blinding me. I felt something enveloping me, and my feet leaving the ground.

I admit this surprised me for a moment, but I activated my Phase Shifter, blinking out of reality and escaping Blue's embrace, before returning to the material plane and launching my next attack.

I made a vertical slash with my halberd, severing both of Blue's arms in the forearm area before he realized what had happened. Blue stomped backward, roaring in pain as he struggled, but the tentacles on his back extended and advanced toward me in a desperate attack.

I aimed my Heavy Flamer at Blue and fired a jet of flame as I slowly advanced. A few tentacles scratched my helmet and shoulder pads, but I did not let it bother me and kept up my attack, forcing Blue to the opposite edge of the arena as his screams echoed through the basilica.

I ended my attack and watched as Blue fell to his knees, cracking the ground followed by a small tremor. The Chaos Spawn remained there, his curved form breathing heavily until his head rose towards me as I approached.

We did not exchange any roars or final words; I spun my halberd above my head, turning it into a metallic blur surrounded by lightning bolts that cut through the air, before striking Blue's neck, decapitating him with little resistance.

I stepped aside, allowing Blue's body to fall to the ground with a thud, and watched Sabathiel closely, although her reaction was unexpected, which worried me.

"Congratulations, you've killed my pets and given us quite a show. I'll miss them, but you remember the rules I set, don't you?" Sabathiel spoke with false sadness as she clapped her hands, much to the hostages' dismay.

"Yes, I haven't forgotten that." I replied, ready to send a command.

"Good! RUN, YOU PATHETIC FOOLS, RUN!" Sabathiel shouted with all her might, with a disturbing glint in her eye.

The Guards next to the hostages brought them to their feet with tugs and pushes before firing their lasguns on the ground next to their prisoners' feet, making them run towards me.

I mentally let out a string of insults as I realized what Sabathiel intended. The hostages did not serve as a distraction to allow the Chaos Spawns to kill me, but rather the opposite.

As a typical worshipper of Slaanesh, Sabathiel had to act as sadistically as possible, and in this case, my love for humanity got me into trouble again.

Sabathiel knew that, but I wondered if there was more to it. We lived in a galaxy where almost anything could die if you had enough offensive power, although simple explosives were not enough to kill me.

Did Sabathiel expect that to work? No, there must be something else! Did she intend to make me feel like a useless failure by being unable to save the lives of these humans, and break my mind and spirit?

Probably, yes, but it cannot be just that, this plan depends too much on luck, and although I feel bad, I will not let the death of a few people destroy me.

What if the explosives weren't normal? I spotted the details of the explosives attached to the hostages thanks to my improved vision before they got too close, and muttered angrily when I did not recognize them.

I created a line of thought and accessed the planet's data network, hacking into the restricted sections that talked about the arsenals of the Sisters of Battle, Arbites, and Planetary Defense Forces.

Two images appeared in my mind, one of the explosives attached to the hostages, and the other of the various types of explosives that Hidrus Quartus' forces possessed.

The images changed constantly until one finally matched the other. My breathing would have stopped and my eyes would have gone wide if I could still manage such an action.

Melta bombs, a type of explosive charge belonging to the melta design tree, with dimensions similar to those of a grenade, but can be larger.

When activated, they explode with intense thermal energy, "melting" the target. Like all melta weapons, melta bombs are especially useful for attacking vehicles, buildings, and other armored targets.

In other words, this is one of the perfect weapons to use against me, along with power and plasma weapons!

Necron Overlord or not, few things could survive an explosion of such size and power. If it hit me, I would become a puddle of molten metal on the ground.

I could activate my Phase Shifter and escape the initial explosion, but I risked the remaining blast hitting me. I could order my Wraiths to pull the hostages or me out of reality, but there was a risk that they would not arrive in time and one of us would end up dead.

Not to mention, of course, that there is no guarantee that Sabathiel will not have a way of revealing what happened here to the rest of the planet and galaxy.

I could run away and use my superior speed to get out of range of the explosion since using my units would end up with the hostages or me dead. However... However, I do not want them to perish...

I saw the looks of fear and desperation on the men, women, and children in front of me, begging me to save them.

There was one option left, and I just hoped it would work.

I teleported a Tesseract Labyrinth into the palm of my hand, pressed the button on top of the cube, and threw it towards the hostages as it glowed. Simultaneously, Sabathiel pressed the detonator button. A blinding light washed over the basilica, accompanied by the screams of Sabathiel and her Guards.

I prepared for the worst, expecting to become nothing or to find the melted remains of those I had failed to save, but I sighed relieved when I saw a green cube on the ground in front of me.

I quickly retrieved the Tesseract Labyrinth and teleported away, just in time to see Sabathiel regaining her sight and pressing the detonator again, but nothing happened.

"What did you..." Sabathiel exclaimed, pressing the detonator repeatedly, but I did not allow her to finish her sentence.

"FIRE!" I ordered, pointing at Sabathiel with my halberd.

In less than a second, all the Traitor Guards under my command bombarded the Battle Sister and the Silver Knight with a shower of lasfire.

"Have you fools lost your minds?!? What are you doing? Do you have any idea of the consequences of this betrayal?!?" Sabathiel exclaimed in surprise and fury, as a barrier around her blocked the shots, and the still loyal Guards returned fire.

Hm... Just as I thought, a personal force field or psychic barrier. Well, there is no reason to stay here any longer. I ordered the controlled Guards to fight to the last man, and then the buzzing and glowing red beams of Lasguns firing in an intense firefight took over the courtyard.

"I'd love to say it was a pleasure to meet you, but that would be a lie. I hope I do not meet you again, but I doubt I will be so lucky. May our next confrontation be on more honorable terms, preferably a battle between champions." I said to Sabathiel, bowing politely.

"Don't think it's over! You have angered powerful beings and people! You won't escape the consequences forever!" Sabathiel shouted wildly, drawing a Bolt Gun and aiming it in my direction.

"That's what we'll see! I'll see you at St. Alexia's Cathedral if you survive until then!" I replied, sending two commands.

A Wraith emerged from the ground beneath my feet, enveloping me with its tail and pulling me out of reality. Simultaneously, my Death Marks opened fire on Sabathiel and her men, taking them out with disturbingly accurate shots.

Soon the bright green shots mixed with the lasfire, while screams of battle and death echoed through the air. The barrier protecting Sabathiel cracking as the Death Marks fired was the last thing I saw before I sank to the ground.

Nevertheless, I glimpsed something golden and shiny in the corner of my vision, the ball of light from before. Hump! Now that I have solved all the problems, you have decided to show up!

Strangely, even though it had no face, I had the feeling that the ball of light smiled and rolled its eyes.

END OF CHAPTER