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Chapter 299: Blood Ravens: A Big Gift For You!
🕑 Added 2025-09-16 14:04:52 +0000 UTCChapter 299: Blood Ravens: A Big Gift For You!
"Malys... these humans have a clear objective. It seems they are after the Panacea STC template."
"Traxus, do we have enough time to move the template?!"
"It will be difficult. The STC is integrated into the entire production line. It's impossible to dismantle and move it in a short amount of time. And if we want to transport it out, our fighters and warships can't even get off the ground right now! We can escape through the secret passages, but are you willing to just hand this thing over to those Mon-keigh?"
Hearing Traxus's reply, Malys folded her fan and slowly drew the short sword from her waist. Traxus thought the same as she did. Although the enemy was numerous, she could not simply abandon the STC. Her Kabal had already suffered enormous losses. If she were to give up the STC and allow the humans to reclaim it, the prestige she had built up over so many years would completely collapse.
She had risen to the center of Commorragh's power structure precisely by stealing this important STC from the humans. The funding and slave supply of her Kabal now all depended on its output. The Dark Eldar were a society where only the strong survived. There was no room for losers. No matter how powerful you were in the past, it meant nothing.
Calculating the remaining Kabalite warriors she had on hand, Malys knew she was not strong enough to hold off the Blood Ravens' invasion.
She looked back at the STC, which was still running, and a vicious look appeared in her eyes. Even if I can't have it, I will absolutely not let the humans get it.
Seeing Traxus, who was completely unconcerned by the invasion, Malys knew that he did not fear death. She was the only one who had to worry. As long as a single cell of Traxus remained, he could be resurrected again. The abilities of the Haemonculi were truly absurd.
"Traxus, bring out your secret weapons," Malys hissed. "As long as we can survive this crisis, I will give you a sufficient reward. And you don't want to lose this template either, do you? It has been of great help to you!"
"The reward I require... you may not be able to afford."
"Anything!"
Hearing Malys's answer, Traxus smiled. Malys, seeing his smile, knew that the price she would have to pay would be incredibly heavy.
At Traxus's command, a group of his faithful thralls brought a large, four-sided, gate-like object into the control room. As the camouflage was removed, a surface covered in runes inscribed in blood was revealed. Malys could not understand the meaning of these inscriptions.
Traxus began to chant an incantation. The runes on the gate seemed to come to life, writhing continuously.
"Malys," he explained, "this creation, called the Dark Casket, can open a path into the Webway. However, it connects to a forbidden zone within the Webway, a place where countless evil and terrifying entities have made their nests. Even I cannot control the creatures within. We can release the entities from inside to deal with those humans."
Looking at the gate before her, Malys couldn't help but swallow... it was rumored that the threats in these forbidden zones were comparable to the warp itself. Almost no one who had ever gone there had returned alive.
"Traxus... will those entities attack us?"
"Of course. But I will guide them to attack the humans. There will always be a few that slip through the cracks. Don't worry, Malys. I will deal with the ones that come for us together."
The Dark Casket was moved to a position near the entrance of the control room. In that short time, a large number of Blood Ravens had already charged into this core area. Nearly ten thousand Widow Mines sped through the corridors at extreme speed. While serving as scouts, they also used their autonomous target-seeking systems to kill any and all enemies along the way. Using expendable equipment to trade for the enemy's lives was a habit the Blood Ravens had slowly developed after joining Lucan.
Along the path, the mangled corpses of modified creatures and Dark Eldar, blown apart by the Widow Mines, were scattered on the ground. Following the trail of mines, Gabriel and his Chapter members arrived before the gate of the core control area.
After a Techmarine failed to open the heavy alloy door, a group of Blood Ravens with Melta guns began a forced breach. Blasts of Melta energy melted the sturdy core gate.
Everything inside was revealed to them. The remaining Dark Eldar were hiding behind makeshift barricades. Several massive Talos Pain Engines stood beside the Haemonculus.
Seeing the number of enemies, Gabriel felt that victory was already in his grasp. This small number of people could not possibly stop him and his Chapter.
But just as he was about to order the assault, he noticed the strange Dark Casket. Gabriel saw that both the Dark Eldar and the Haemonculus were backing away from it. Some of the Dark Eldar even had expressions of clear fear. His combat instincts told him something was wrong.
"Concentrate fire on that gate!" Gabriel roared. "Jonah, lead the Librarians and use your psychic powers to destroy it!"
But the countless shots did not stop the gate from opening. Whatever material it was made of, it withstood the storm of attacks. And the psychic powers of the Librarians were nullified as they approached the gate. A special barrier had enveloped the nearby space. A short sword in Malys's hand was glowing; this weapon, a gift from the Laughing God, possessed a certain degree of sentience and could protect her and everything around her from psychic harm.
As the gate opened completely, countless twisted monsters poured out. They were amalgamations of countless lifeforms, waving their claws and tentacles. Most of the twisted flesh-monsters charged toward the more numerous Blood Ravens, while a smaller number pounced on the Dark Eldar and the Haemonculus. These monsters did not distinguish between friend and foe.
As soon as they engaged, the Blood Ravens discovered how powerful these enemies were. And most importantly, their numbers seemed to be endless. Not only were the Blood Ravens having a hard time, but so was Malys. Although they were facing fewer monsters, they also had fewer people. The Haemonculus was, for once, forced to join the battle himself.
"Chapter Master! We can't kill them all!" a Blood Raven yelled over the vox. One after another, his brothers were being pounced on and torn apart. Even a sacred Dreadnought was destroyed by these twisted monsters.
Gabriel smashed a writhing creature back through the gate with his warhammer and immediately turned to look for Jonah. "Jonah! Are you still alive?!"
"I am, Chapter Master!"
"Bring me that box! Rip the Marks of Purity off it!"
"Chapter Master! What are you doing?! It's too dangerous!"
"Dangerous?! Danger is what I want! If a Chaos God is dangerous to us, it's even more dangerous to those Eldar! Now give it to me!"
Jonah unleashed his full psychic power, blasting the surrounding monsters back, and then threw the box to Gabriel.
Gabriel gritted his teeth and unlocked the box's safety mechanism.
A torrent of power from Slaanesh erupted from within. Gabriel, being the closest, felt an unbearable assault on his consciousness. The evil power was influencing his mind; even the flesh beneath his power armor was beginning to mutate. He continuously chanted prayers to the Emperor in his mind, resisting the corrosion.
The moment the box was opened a crack, both Traxus and Malys began to tremble uncontrollably. "Sla... Slaanesh..."
"Filthy xenos!" Gabriel roared. "The Blood Ravens have a gift for you!"
With a final shout, he threw the box directly into the Dark Casket. As the box tumbled through the portal, a part of Slaanesh was finally freed from its prison.
