Chapter 33: Decisive Strike (Part 1)

*Barbarus, Northern Mountains, Xenos Lord Necare's Territory, Mountain Summit.*

*Now.*

Atop the highest peak of Barbarus, a silent miasma of poison loomed, swirling and lingering.

The sound of rushing wind echoed as a Primarch covered half a basketball court's distance in mere fractions of a second!

Mortarion's eyes blazed with silent fury. Propelled by his momentum, he raised his scythe—

*Clang!*

*Grunt!*

Mortarion's full-force strike was parried by Necare's massive scythe, "Silencer". Sparks flew from the point of impact, illuminating the anger in Mortarion's eyes.

Necare, with both hands on the shaft of his scythe, resisted Mortarion's blade.

For a moment, the two adversaries locked in a fierce contest of strength. Mortarion, with all his might, tried to force his scythe downward, his feet digging deep craters into the solid rock below.

In contrast to Mortarion's burning rage, Necare seemed to be mocking his adversary's fury.

The delicate balance of power between the two was suddenly broken. Mortarion swiftly adjusted his stance, attempting another strike, but Necare, anticipating this, leapt back, wielding his scythe with one hand while pointing at Mortarion with the other.

A sinister green-black psychic energy began to gather around Necare's fingertips.

"My pitiful son!"

The psychic energy surged, distorting the very space around it.

But Mortarion, no longer the frightened child of yesteryears, laughed in defiance.

"It seems you've truly neglected to see what your child has been up to down the mountain these past years!"

Before Necare could react, the space around him became oppressive, his connection to the warp weakened, and the laws of the physical realm began to bear down on him.

His psychic energy, not yet at its full potential, exploded prematurely.

Mortarion, seizing the opportunity, lunged forward, his scythe aimed straight for Necare's neck.

Necare, caught off guard, used his severed right arm to block the strike, sacrificing it to save himself from a fatal blow.

With the advantage on his side, Mortarion pressed on, his scythe moving like a storm, forcing Necare into a defensive stance, leaving him no chance to counter.

But wait! There was another on the battlefield!

An Untouchable!

Necare realized he'd been played. Mortarion's initial charge wasn't out of blind rage, but to cover for the second person's approach.

This person had to be a mere human, incapable of directly intervening in the duel between the two giants. So, Mortarion created an opening for him, catching Necare off guard when he tried to use his psychic powers.

Necare had been careless. He never thought a mere human could reach this summit.

As Necare fended off Mortarion, he searched for the Untouchable, a being capable of nullifying psychic abilities.

Finally, Necare sensed a nauseating presence to his right rear—

There!

Necare "saw" him!

"Stay focused!"

Mortarion's voice rang out as his scythe swung once more. But Necare, now aware of the Untouchable's presence, laughed mockingly. Using his severed right arm, he took the blow, then spun around, his scythe "Silencer" aimed straight at the Untouchable.

Too fast!

Hades, the Untouchable, tried to dodge, but Necare's speed was unmatched. The scythe struck his helmet.

With pinpoint accuracy and immense power, Necare delivered a devastating blow.

Hades was sent flying, his helmet falling away. Blood, mixed with fragments of bone, sprayed into the air, turning gray as it mixed with the poisonous miasma.

Hades felt like a ragdoll, thrown into the air and then gently landing on the ground.

The toxic miasma quickly enveloped Hades's exposed head. The left side of his face, slashed by Necare's mighty scythe "Silencer", was in tatters. His left eye shattered, and he could feel his skull cracking.

He shouldn't have been so close.

Necare's psychic might was far more potent than any Xenos Lord Hades had ever encountered. He could even feel his own nullifying aura being pushed back by the overwhelming psychic force.

To better suppress Necare's psychic energy, Hades took a calculated risk. He condensed his nullifying aura to a seven-meter radius, stealthily positioning himself in Necare's blind spot, especially after Necare's right arm was severed.

Hades knew it was only a matter of time before Necare would detect him, and he was always on guard.

But he hadn't expected Necare to be so reckless!

Completely abandoning his rear defense, Necare was swiftly gutted by an enraged Mortarion, his innards spilling out from the gaping wound.

Mortarion, seeing Hades lying in the distance on the brink of unconsciousness, was consumed by even greater fury.

Yet Necare seemed even more unhinged. The towering Xenos laughed maniacally, raising what remained of his right arm and slamming it down.

A massive psychic explosion erupted around Mortarion. His armor shattered, fragments scattering with the force of the blast.

The intensified miasma combined with the psychic onslaught caused Mortarion's vision to darken.

*Cough!*

He coughed up a mouthful of black blood mixed with flesh.

"Kneel!!!"

The psychic pressure intensified.

— The tide of battle shifted instantly —

Hades, lying on the ground, felt his vision blur. He saw Mortarion, now faltering under the immense psychic pressure.

Was he truly powerless to change anything?

Is this the grim reality of the Warhammer universe?

Hades could no longer hold on, his consciousness teetering on the edge of oblivion.