vstars Chapter 294 Hunter and Prey
Chapter 294 Hunter and Prey
Inside the flagship command center of Malkarn, a holographic image of Raven Keep flickered on the projector screen. Black spires pierced the crimson sky like sharp blades, and the energy barrier rippled with eerie blue light amidst the warp storm.
“These rats hiding in the shadows have certainly built a sturdy nest.” Malkahn’s compound eyes swept across the projection, his tentacle-like fingers tapping the control panel. “A frontal assault? Ha, I don’t want to use my warriors to fill their cannons.”
Gorgraz emerged from the shadows, his rotting robes crawling with writhing, chaotic centipedes. His single eye gleamed cunningly: "My lord, since they prefer to hide in their shells, why not let them crawl out on their own?"
Malcolm's lips curled into a vicious grin: "Oh? Tell me, what new ideas have popped into your head, which's full of pus?"
Gorgrazh's staff traced a dark red arc in the air, and the holographic projection switched to the Word Bearers' underground stronghold. It was a fortress converted from ancient ruins, its walls crawling with blasphemous runes, and the air filled with a putrid psionic mist.
“We’ve hidden some ‘little gifts’ in the outpost,” the wizard’s voice was like a viper’s hiss, “enough to keep the commander of the Dark Raven Guard awake at night.”
A red glint flashed in Malcolm's compound eyes: "You mean... the Plague Engine that was stolen from Nurgle Garden?"
“Exactly.” Gorglasch’s one eye narrowed into a slit. “If they dare to come, we can turn these rats in the shadows into a breeding ground for plague.”
Malcolm's laughter echoed in the command room, causing the chaotic runes on the bulkhead to flake off: "Brilliant! They thought they had found our weakness, but little did they know they had stepped into a trap."
He stood up, the Chaos Mech's power claws clenching in mid-air: "Send the order down, all troops to retreat to the stronghold. We'll teach these Raven Guards a lesson in 'luring the enemy into a trap'!"
Gorgrazh's staff spewed out a cloud of dark red smoke, within which a three-dimensional model of the stronghold emerged: "I have already set up psionic traps around the stronghold. Anyone who dares to take a step inside will be plunged into an endless nightmare."
Malcolm's compound eyes gleamed with madness: "Then let's have a contest of strength with these people in the shadows!"
Meanwhile, in the command center of Raven Keep, Kyleon Shadowblade's electronic prosthetic eye scanned the holographic sand table. The Word Bearers' retreat route was analyzed frame by frame, the data stream rapidly scrolling across his retina.
“They’re trying to lure us into an attack.” Kyleon’s voice was cold and mechanical. “There are high concentrations of psionic energy around the stronghold; it’s clearly a trap.”
Casal held his White Tiger Blade across his knees: "Shall we remain still?"
“No.” A stream of data popped out from Kyleon’s raven shoulder armor. “We’re going to make them think we’ve taken the bait.”
Russell's golden arcs of electricity flickered beneath his skin, and the serrated edge of the Bloodthirsty entrenching tool gleamed coldly: "What do you need me to do?"
Kyleon's metal fingers traced across the holographic projection: "You're in charge of leading the feint attack to draw their attention. The real killing blow will come when they're most relaxed."
Malkarn stood atop the outpost, his Chaos Mech's powered claws gripping a goblet crafted from an enemy's skull. His compound eyes stared at the distant dust, a sinister smile playing on his lips: "Come, Ravenguard... let me see if your shadows can devour my Chaos Flame!"
Gorgrazh's staff drew a dark red arc in the air: "My lord, they have entered the trap's range."
Malcolm's laughter echoed through the stronghold: "Then let's begin this game!"
…………
The moment the alarm sounded at the Word Bearers' stronghold, the black power armor of the Raven Guards had already severed all power lines like ghosts. Kyleon Shadowblade's chainsword flashed a ghostly blue arc in the darkness, precisely cleaving open the core valve of the Plague Engine. Before the putrid pus could even splatter, twelve molten bombs detonated simultaneously, melting Nurgle's "gift" into a bubbling pile of scrap metal.
"Sir! They...they bypassed the outer defenses!" A Word Bearer officer's scream came through the communication channel, only to be replaced by the sound of flesh being torn apart.
Malkarn's compound eyes twitched, and the Chaos Mech's powered claws crushed the metal edge of the command console: "Gorgraz! Is this what you meant by 'luring the enemy into a trap'? They even smashed the trap!"
The dark wizard was hurled into the air by chaotic energy, his rotting skin peeling away piece by piece under the psionic chains. Malkarn's mech fingertips ignited with warp flames, slowly searing the wizard's spine: "You know what? I actually admire that mortal—at least he almost killed you."
"Wait! I have another plan!" Gorgrazh's one eye darted wildly in excruciating pain. "They were able to behead them because they were few in number! If we drown them in mountains of corpses and seas of blood..."
"Mountains of corpses and seas of blood?" Malkarn's laughter shook the ceiling, causing it to crumble. He suddenly slammed the wizard to the ground. "You think the Dark Raven Guards are like White Scar's bunch of barbarians riding horses around?" His power claws slammed into the wizard's chest, the sound of corrupted gears turning mingling with the cracking of bones. "But your screams did give me some inspiration."
Three hours later, Kylian stood on the ruins of the destroyed outpost, his electronic eye scanning the horizon—countless hunched mutants were surging in from behind the dunes. Their skin was covered in pustules blessed by Chaos, and their weapons ranged from rusty machetes to rocket launchers stitched with demonic teeth.
“Three hundred thousand refugees blessed by Chaos,” Arya’s psionic tentacles trembled in the air, “Malkahn has driven the entire planet’s slaves here.”
Russell's golden arcs of electricity danced on the Bloodthirsty shovel: "This is way more disgusting than the Demon Engine."
“Remember,” Kyleon’s chainsword whistled like a raven, “the Raven Guards do not kill civilians—but these people are no longer human.”
As the first wave of humans crashed into the Dark Raven Guard's lines, Casal's White Tiger Blade was cleaving through a Khorne mech that had managed to survive. He turned to see Russell transforming into a golden whirlwind amidst the horde of corpses, tearing apart limbs with every swing of his Bloodthirster shovel.
"The left side is yours!" Russell roared, kicking away a Nurgle cultist who was attempting to self-destruct. The bloated body exploded into green fireworks in mid-air. "There's a psyker controlling a horde of zombies on the right!"
Arya's psionic shriek pierced the battlefield. The Chaos Wizard in the distance had barely shown a look of astonishment when Kyleon's sniper bullet blew his skull off. The Raven Commander's voice was as cold and mechanical as it came through the communication channel: "Inefficient, Russell. You took 0.7 seconds too long to adjust your center of gravity when you killed the enemy."
Malkarn's flagship hovered above the battlefield, its compound eyes reflecting the blood-red earth: "Do you see it, Gorgrash? This is the true art of chaos!"
The wizard, suspended from the cabin ceiling by psionic chains, coughed up fragments of his internal organs: "But... they've almost wiped out their cannon fodder..."
"Foolish!" Malkarn's mech suddenly slammed its hand through the observation window, letting the warp storm flood the compartment. "These ants' lives aren't even worth fuel! The real killing move is—"
He pressed the crimson button on the control panel, and the ground suddenly collapsed. Countless slaughtered corpses began to writhe and merge, and a colossal flesh and blood statue, pieced together from three hundred thousand mutilated bodies, rose from the ground, its empty eye sockets burning with the soul fire of Gorgraz.
“Now,” Malcolm licked the blood mist off the porthole, “let the Ravenguards taste what despair is.”