The Multiverse Project: Warhammer 40,000

"We got our Pylons up! Give me a sound off yo!"

"The Pylons in the northern sector are running optimally, lord commissar," Arbites Jeremiah responded crisply to Tangmo's inquiry.

"Raine, Cain, how's it hanging in the east?" Tangmo now asked his fellow commissars.

"Our position is secure and the Black Pylons are running at maximum capacity," Raine told him.

"Damien, you got all that dude? How are things looking on your front?" Tangmo went on, sounding both eager and anxious. "Is everything still fucked up or is it getting better?"

"Dude…the Pylons are totally working."

Damien wasn't exaggerating. Only an hour ago, the frontline was lit up by ceaseless barrages of las, bolts, shurikens, missiles, rockets, meltas and plasma, every ordnance that can be used was unleashed upon the oncoming horde of nightmarish Chaos Spawns as the southern Pylons became the focal point of the daemon's counterattack. It wasn't until the other Pylons went up that the Chaos sickness upon the land started to fade and the daemon horde thinned, thank fucking God.

"Armor columns, form up at the front! Follow me!" Rumbling forward at the head of three formidable tank battalions, both Imperial and Aeldari, thundered the King Ghidorah, with the five Macharius, the Nynaeve, the Evangelion, the Undertaker, the Thorin and the Elsa taking their honor guard places on the Stormhammer's left and right. If Damien squinted hard enough he could see Henry atop the Baneblade. The rest of the mechanized phalanx were comprised of Leman Russes, with the Vanquisher variants leading the charge, Falcons, Fire Prisms and Scorpion super heavy tanks armed with Pulsar cannons, Bright lances and shuriken missiles. Behind the tanks were the foot soldiers and the light vehicles, ready to assault the Azrael Institute once the wall came down. And making their debut were the eldar's Wraithguards, two hundred of them sprinkled amongst the infantries. Although it's heretical to say otherwise, the Aeldari ghost powered mechs looked cool as fuck, a lot better than those retarded Sentinels the Imperium used.

"Vakon, ready all artilleries and missile batteries, wait for my command," Henry continued. "Rie, is the Megumin ready?"

"Eager and waiting, lord general!" The sixth Macharius rolled to the front of the phalanx, the violet barrel pulsing with barely restrained excitement.

"Lita, you sure that void shield over there is the normal kind and not some Warp fuckery?" Henry went on.

"Of course I'm sure," Lita huffed from beside Damien, not too happy that Henry dared to doubt her assessment. "If it's a sorcerous manifestation, I would've already sense it. I'm a hundred percent sure that void shield runs on power generators."

"Alright Lita, calm down, I just need to be sure," Henry chuckled and Lita pouted. "Vakon, give me a sustain barrage from the Charon guns. Let it rip dude!"

"As you command, lord general," Vakon said and the pounding roar of heavy guns shattered the sky, the ground rumble beneath their feet and the air shrieked as ordnances flew above them. The more excitable guardsmen were already cheering as the battle officially starts.

"See? It's just a normal void shield," Lita sniggered smugly as the calm pearly texture of the translucent dome started to bruise, dark orange blooms now pockmarked the once pristine surface, growing more numerous as the minutes ticked by, some of the pulsing contusions were already bleeding crimson.

"Garuda missiles, hammer those red spots please," at Henry's command, the cruise missiles soared across the open sky and struck the angry wounds, the explosive impact was so powerful that the void shield cracked open, but the energy barrier stubbornly reassert itself, slowly stitching the laceration back together.

"I think it's time we put that fucking shield out of its misery, don't you agree Rie?" Henry was totally smirking on the other end.

"About damn time!" Rie squealed with delight. "Open fire! I want to see some explosion!"

No matter how many times he witnessed it, the sight of the Macharius Megumin unleashing her destructive power never gets old. The incandescent purple black energy ball flying from the barrel, commander Rie's rapturous whooping, the blinding white flare of impact, the earth shattering boom, so loud that every molecule went into epilepsy, never failed to make Damien's blood stir. When the reverberation passed and the glaring afterimage disappeared, Damien found himself grinning at the empty spot where the void shield had stood. Accomplishing her mission the Megumin, now upgraded with emergency auxiliary power grid, rolled back to the rear.

"Destoroyah batteries, commence precision bombardment, maintain barrage for five minutes, open fire," resounding thunder of heavy artilleries rolled from the rear, the quake making Damien's teeth rattle. Across the battlefield a dozen mushroom clouds bloomed across the prison island, each looking like miniature atomic bombs, "tank battalions forward! Let's go kill some Chaos motherfuckers! We are the armored elite, born to compete, and we never retreat!"

Damien chuckled as the tank phalanx rolled forward, amused by how Henry quoted the Ghost Division lyrics instead of singing it out loud. Erik had set down an ironclad rule amongst the Eight stating that he alone can sing Sabaton's songs, on the merit that not only was he Swedish, but that he was also born in Falun, the band's hometown. Similar privilege has been applied to Tangmo, who held absolute monopoly on every Kamelot and Seventh Wonder's songs, his reason being that Roy Khan was half Thai and that no one came close to emulating Tommy Karevik godly vocal than him.

"You're playing with fire Henry," Erik warned ominously over the intercom.

"When are we moving out, Brother Astartes?" Mistress Lithia, as she now wanted to be called, took her place on Damien's left, power scythe braced easily on her shoulder.

"Fifteen minutes," Damien glanced slowly at the Avenging Knight's canoness. "Are you sticking to the plan this time? Because I'm gonna be very angry if you decide to pull something again."

"The time to indulge in such pleasantries had long pass, Brother Sergeant," Lithia scoffed at him.

"That's good to know," Damien shot back snidely as the tank battle commenced, cacophonic thunder erupted along the frontline, the metal machines roared and spewed fire, beasts of war unleashed in its most terrible splendor.

"Damien, that's enough," Lita hissed at the Canadian Space Marine, who slouched petulantly but complied with the Mexican Warseer nonetheless. The tank phalanx was completely enshrouded by dust and smoke now, only the flashes of firefights and pounding din remained a constant. Damien filtered through the intercom, hearing the various tank crews and commanders yelling orders and curses, judging from the tone things were progressing in their favor, albeit with clear difficulty.

"Fifteen minute mark! All personnel get into position, prepare to advance!" Damien announced, the bellowing command amplified by his awesome Space Marine helmet. A rousing 'yes sir!' answered him and the Chimeras, Myrmidons, Falcons and Vypers rolled to the front, forming a mobile cover for the infantries who, with startling speed and precision, got into the correct ranks and files behind the war machines.

"Make way!" Gallus and Antalok shouted down the line, prompting guardsmen and Guardians alike to create a wide avenue for the Wraithguards to stride forward, the eldar mechs taking their places beside the vehicles.

"Oi Damien! We're ready to roll, how much longer are we gonna wait?!" Glancing back, Damien's brow arched up in surprise when a fuck huge Sororitas Exorcist rolled to a stop behind him. About the size of the King Ghidorah, this Exorcist was converted into a stage on tank tracks. Organ pipes of mismatching shapes and sizes comprised the entirely of the rear, manned by four sisters in white habits. On the sides were choir stages you see in churches, solemn looking sisters occupied the metallic platform, deep in prayer. And standing in the middle of all this was Laura, wielding what looked like a microphone. Yep, this was the most 40k thing he had ever seen, big, epic and absolutely batshit crazy in grandeur.

"Henry, what's the situation at the front bro?" Damien tapped his awesome Space Marine helm. "Because I'm seeing a lot of explosions and it ain't stopping."

"We fucked the Chaos armored column, but damn it wasn't easy, those traitor PDFs aren't fucking push over, I'll tell you that much," Henry said. "The fight around the island is still on going, but the path to the bridge is clear. That's your que dude! Rock and roll!"

"You heard the general! Move out!" Damien held his bolter high and marched forward, the infantries and vehicles matching paces with him, slow, sure and indomitable, a show of power for the heretics, letting them savored the sight of their approaching demise. They were half way through the burning battlefield, dead tanks scattered in the hundreds around them, mostly Imperial but with a few Aeldari sprinkled here and there, when the Sleaghadhar bagpipers, two hundred strong and marching beside the Sororitas's moving stage, blared in unison. Damien laughed aloud when he recognized the epic opening note.

"Wait, if the lord commissar isn't here, then who is singing?" Lingxin voiced the question on everyone's mind.

"We don't need a singer, the hymning choir of the Adepta Sororitas is more than enough to stir fire in the hearts of the righteous," Miriya declared to the Sisters of Battle agreeing roar.

"Aww, don't be like that Miriya! This is my debut after all, so how about a little support?" Laura laughed into the microphone, her voice echoing across the battlefield.

"The inquisitor lass is singing?!" Colonel Bruce's surprised was repeated down the line, excitable exclamations and confused mutters clashing all over the intercom, even the Space Marines were exchanging glances.

"Yes I'm singing! Now shut the fuck up, my part is starting!" Laura yelled, then after a deep breath, belted out the first verse:

"Time after time, as we marched side by side, through the valleys of evil and the torturing souls. Night after night, for the glory we fight, in the kingdom of madness and the tales from the old!"

Laura melodic, bombastic voice silenced all doubters, her epic singing eclipsing the cadence of war. Like Tangmo and Erik, the designated female singers of the Eight were Laura and Yuki. The vocal range that Laura possessed encompassed the sublime operatic magnificent of Tarja Turunen, of Nightwish, the powerful vocalization of Brittney Slayes, of Unleash the Archers, and the melodious harshness of Noora Louhimo, of Battle Beast. While Yuki channeled the metallic prowess of Tenge Fuyuki, of Unlucky Morpheus, the angelic resonance of Sharon den Adel, of Within Temptation, and the crisp infinite energy of Elize Ryd, of Amaranthe. And right now, it was like listening to Brittney Slayes covering Dragonforce's Cry Thunder.

"Death by our hands, for the higher command, as the darkest surrounds us hear the cries as they fall! Fire burning steel and the tyrants will kneel, hearts burning stronger with the power of the sword!"

Some unseen, burning power of awesomeness was flowing through Damien's flesh and bones, his soul pulsing to the tempo of Laura's amazing singing, igniting and spurring his very being toward great, heroic deeds. Judging by the look of hard, radiant determination shinning from humans and eldars alike, the Dragonforce's song was affecting them all. The powerful music was further amplified by the roaring bagpipes and the Sororitas's organ and backing choirs.

"Set sail for the glory, pray for the master of war! Sunlight will fall by the wastelands, endless rise for the hero before!"

Las and bullets started flying at them. Despite Henry and the tanks laying waste to the heretic's war machines, many of the traitor foot soldiers had escaped the wrath of the King Ghidorah and his brethren via a big long ass trench network that covered the five hundred yards approach of the southern bridge, stretching for miles from east to west. Those that survived the bombardment, and there were a lot of them, now emerged along the sandbag walls, firing a steady volley at the approaching battlegroup. Poor bastards, their entire heavy gun emplacements were destroyed and all they got now were infantries. This is gonna be fun!

"Cry Thunder! Sword in his hand! Titans of justice, fearless we stand! Cry Thunder! Strong in command! Blessed by the union, freedom of man!"

Damien rushed forward, Ultramarines and Salamanders at his side, bolters firing from the hip as they effortlessly closed in on the heretic's position. The brutal salvo tore the earthworks apart, turning the men and women behind it into misty pieces of meat.

"Reckoning day, for the demon we slay, with the force of the dragon we will conquer them all! Chaos still reigns, devastation and flames, for the ultimate glory when the legacy calls!"

Damien reached the heretic's line with barely a scratch on him, the Astartes, the Wraithguards and the vehicles steamrolled over the foremost trench, now filled with squirming, dying people, and swiftly move on to the next battlements. The Krieg, the Kuronese and the Striking Scorpions prowled the first trench, chainswords, katanas and bayonets gleaming red as they, with murderous thoroughness, cleared the defenses of any survivors, the task done with brutal speed as the Myrmidon jeeps, unable to follow over the World War I terrain, went about establishing a beachhead and fields hospitals for the attacking force.

"Let's not waste time brothers! Purge the heretics!" Sergeant Antalok roared and led his Salamander toward the next line of defenses, flamers lit, the determined salvo of las and bullets did not slowed the sons of Nocturne down. The heretics managed only a short, but piercingly loud scream before the green Space Marines drowned them in burning promethium, igniting the entire trench network in the span of two seconds. When the blazes died down after about a minute, the Salamander rushed to the next set of fortifications, the defenders dropping any pretense of bravery and tried to flee. They were not quick enough.

"March on through the hellfire, blazing for the darkness beyond! Nightmare returns of the thousands giving rise to the heroes once more!"

"The heretics are running from the battlefield brothers! A most shameful display!" Antalok bellowed as the last trench went up in flame, the surviving traitors ran like mad across the twenty lanes bridge despite the fuck huge gate beyond remaining shut to them.

"Make them regret the first breath they ever took, for we shall usher in their last! Kill them all sisters! In His name let none survive!" Galatea announced piously and the Adepta Sororitas stormed after the fleeing heretics, body parts flew as merciless bolts sundered limbs from torsos, leaving behind unrecognizable gibs of meat.

"Cry Thunder! Sword in his hand! Titans of justice, fearless we stand! Cry Thunder! Sword in his hand! Warriors defending, one final stand! Cry Thunder! Strong in command! Blessed by the union, freedom of man! Cry Thunder! Yeah!"

"First wave form up! Rally to me! Move it people!" Damien and the Space Marines took their position around the foot of the bridge, weapons braced on massive fallen masonries as the troops gathered behind them. To the immediate left and right, Henry and the tanks were peppering the wall's defenses with continuous salvo of shells, the King Ghidorah bringing down a watchtower after three well placed shot to the building's structural pressure point, so to speak. Not fifty paces away from where he and the Astartes were hunkered down the Macharius Elsa was firing a sustained beam of freezing laser, called the Absolute Zero Cannon, at the closed gate.

"How did I do love?!" Laura appeared beside him, having vacated the stage, the music now becoming the more usual gothic Gregorian chant. Behind her humans and eldars were forming up into the correct squads and companies, with a few Leman Russes and Fire Prisms breaking away from the tank phalanx to join them.

"Freaking amazing my dude!" Damien, gently, high fived Laura and made way for the tanks that would spearhead the attack, comprising of three Sororitas Immolators, four Tallarn Leman Russ Vanquishers, led by Mavia herself, and four Biel-Tan Fire Prisms, the war machines making a wedge with the infantry positioned in the middle. "Sure you don't want to take a break?"

"I'm not even winded!" Laura braced her hellgun as Yuki joined them, the two sharing a smile before turning their attention to the prison's gate. The metallic barrier was now covered in thick sheen of ice and turning a bluish hue, "when are we getting a move on?!"

"Five more seconds!" Commander Idina responded as the Elsa powered down her ice laser, bringing the temperature around them back to the normal hot-as-hell range. "The gate is adequately brittle general Henry, commence the barrage!"

"With pleasure!" The King Ghidorah, the Nynaeve, the Thorin and the Undertaker all swung their barrels at the gate, now glittering gold in the morning sun. The super heavy tanks opened fire, unleashing a merciless volley on the sealed entrance, cracking webs skittered across the frozen metal, chips of super cooled adamantium and rockcrete falling off in thick slabs. After a moment the eldar Scorpions tanks added their firepower to the fray, the Pulsar cannons sending lances of super powerful lasers piercing into the already weakened infrastructure. After twenty minutes of unceasing barrage that left the barrels of both Imperial and Aeldari tanks glowing white hot, a sharp snap not that different from breaking bones resounded from the gate, followed by a massive fissure shooting down the center, and finally the goddamn thing came tumbling down to the roaring cheer of the battlegroup. The monstrous plumes rushing toward them carried with it shards of ice, spraying the battlegroup with a miniature blizzard.

"Destoroyah batteries, thirty second sustain bombardment on the destroyed gate, check coordinate with the drones and fire for effect!" The icy dust had barely settled when Damien gave his command and shrieking boom fell on the rubbles, the sheer kinetic impact of the Destoroyah's shells wiping it out of existence, sending plumes of dust skyward, the debris falling down like snows.

"Fuck yeah, that's our que! Everybody forward! Double time before those Chaos fuckers can regroup! Let's go!" Damien jogged after the spearhead of tanks, the eldar Wraithguards matching paces with their long, bony strides.

"We bring judgement and justice! In the name of the Emperor let none survive!" Lithia bellowed and shot skyward, jetpacks and rocket boots pluming blue white fire. Other Avenging Knights with the same equipment joined her, about three companies worth. They hovered for a moment before dashing at the prison complex like shooting stars, their afterburners leaving trails of shimmering celestial light. And holy sweet Jesus, they were passed the destroyed gate in less than five minutes, plummeting into a row of buildings and disappearing from view.

"God fucking damn it Lithia, I told you not to overextend the advance!" Damien bellowed into his awesome Space Marine helmet. "Fuck! All units, full throttle! We need to cross the bridge as fast as we can! Keep in fucking formation!"

"Oh, you don't need to worry Brother Sergeant," an Avenging Knight Sororitas wielding two heavy bolters showed up beside him and oh my God, she's tall! And if the armor didn't lie, which it doesn't, she had a smoking hot body too. "Lithia and the girls can take care of themselves. I would recommend that you slow your troops down though, it's not good arriving at a fight already winded."

"You're absolutely right! All units belayed the previous order and maintain normal pace," Damien said then glanced at the tall Avenging Knight, the red slit of his visor meeting her glowing green one. "So, what's your name?"

"Well, I went by Gaia when my secret identity was still intact, but you can call me Miranda, my real name," Miranda was about to extend her hand but flinched back with a squeak, when she spoke again it was timid, "hello Warseer Lita."

"Hi Miranda," Lita waved at her good-naturedly but the smile peeking through her luchador helm had an icy edge to it.

"I'm very sorry about the clothesline," Miranda apologized sheepishly, sounding genuinely sorry for her action, her honesty receiving snorts and jeers from the other Avenging Knights, more specifically Castrum and Lily, who had joined them at the front.

"That's okay Miranda, I'm a tough girl," Lita's smile softened into something warm and welcoming. "I don't hold grudges, I prefer making friends instead!"

"Likewise, lady Warseer!"

"We're nearing the destroyed gate! Make ready and prepare for contact, heavy firefight ahead!" The Battle Sister driving the Immolator at the very tip of the vanguard announced over their earbud, and not a minute later the Sororitas battle tanks opened fire with a blinding fusillade of blue white Multi-Melta. "Contact! Contact! Enemies dug out to the left and heretic reinforcements coming in from the right! Canoness Lithia and her Avenging Knights are in a domed building behind them!"

"We'll secure the breach, forward!" Mavia shouted then led the Leman Russes and Fire Prisms into the fray, adding shells, bolts, shurikens and lasers to the Sororitas's barrage of meltas. The long rows of penitentiary buildings, stacked together about six stories high, looking like shipping containers at a dock, were obliterated by the combined Imperial and Aeldari firepower as Damien and his Space Marines rushed forward to meet the oncoming heretics. A gaggle of frothing mad PDFs, gaggers and inmates, their bodies mutilated and desecrated by hellish iconography of Chaos, accompanied by daemons and skavens, bayed and howled in wrathful bloodlust as they charged the Astartes.

"Courage and honor Brothers! Kill them all!" Bolter braced to his shoulder, Damien and the Ultramarines went full auto on the heretics, tearing a bloody rent into the foremost ranks. But Chaos wouldn't be Chaos if they let something as trifle as death stopped them. So predictably, the tidal wave pressed onward, which was precisely why the Salamanders waited until the Ultramarines exhausted their ammo before opening fire.

"Into the fires of battle! Unto the avails of war! In His name let none survive!" Antalok roared, twin torrents of burning promethium accompanied the storm of bolts that crashed into the Chaos horde, the powerful incendiary attack managing to halt the advance. The traitors and daemons were just starting to realize how massively they fucked up when the Sororitas, guardsmen and eldars joined the Space Marines. A few minutes later nothing but shredded, burning corpses remained, clearing a path toward the dome ahead.

"Double time! Move!" Damien slammed a new magazine home and thundered off with the Astartes. He was just reaching the ring of dead bodies around the dome's entrance when it slid opened and out strode the Avenging Knights, looking totally unperturbed.

"All of the prison complex's defenses have been shut down, Brother Sergeant," Lithia told him. "And for added incentive, we have activated the End Day protocol. It will make our job substantially easier."

"What is the End Day protocol?" Brother Gallus asked.

"We flooded the six main prison blocks with powerful airborne neurotoxin," Damien was fucking disturbed by Lithia's snickering tone. "The Avenging Knights design it long ago as a kill switch if the prison were to be overrun. We didn't get a chance to trigger it when the invasion happened, but now…well, you'll see soon enough."

"That is inhumane," Antalok said reproachfully, the burning gaze he laid upon the Avenging Knight's canoness was not happy in the extreme.

"Did you just show the heretics remorse, Brother Sergeant?" Lithia's eyes narrowed on Antalok.

"Heretics are seldom the only soul found within their stronghold," Antalok was not doing a good job of reining in his temper. "There will be innocence amongst them, faithful servant of the Emperor locked up to be used as hostages or sacrifices. Men, women and children who pray to us for deliverance, instead we have brought ignominious death upon them."

"Collateral damage is a currency in war," Lithia shrugged then pointed at the Salamander sergeant's flamer. "You of all people should know, considering your firearms preference."

"Okay you two, break it up," Damien cut in before things escalated, because goddamn, they seriously don't have time for this bullshit! "Antalok, I feel you man, but what's done is done dude, just know that they didn't die in vain and that for every one of them lost, another thousand heretics are dead. Just be happy there's a silver lining."

"You are right, Brother Damien, I'm sorry my passion got the better of me," Antalok apologized and Damien tapped him friendlily on the pauldron before turning to glare at Lithia.

"And how about you give us a little warning next time before pulling some shit like that?!" Damien raised his voice, "because that was fucked up."

"If it wins war, I couldn't care less about your opinion," Lithia groaned, braced the power scythe on her shoulder and started off toward the fuck huge, dark lord looking cathedral about a kilometer to the north. "We've wasted enough time with this nonsense, follow me!"

"You heard the lady, leg it people!" Damien led the battlegroup after Lithia and the Avenging Knights. Miranda was at his side again. "Your boss is kinda mean, isn't she?"

"Lithia had a hard life," Miranda offered as they trekked down a narrow corridor flanked by sullen prison buildings, tormented echoes of death and battle completing the somber atmosphere.

"Rich girl living in a mansion and partying with the one percent got it rough, sure," Damien rolled his eyes beneath his awesome Space Marine helm.

"And you think those wealth doesn't come with burden and responsibility that will break lesser woman?" Miranda shot back. "Compound with having to keep up that silly façade, she is also a canoness of an outlawed Sororitas order who lead her sisters in arm against evil that none have the courage to face. And she have bled, suffered and lost many to this unending war. So yes, she is hard, and rightfully so, but she is also the finest woman to have ever live and breathe."

"You're right," Damien nodded, knowing how much he sounded like a jerk earlier. "I was being judgy without knowing the whole story. I'm sorry if I offended you."

"It's alright Damien, I know you didn't mean anything bad by it," Miranda nodded, and she was totally smiling under her helm. Damien smiled to, but was rudely interrupted by a bunch of metallic Chaos abominations barreling through a building in front of them, a bunch of fucked up looking flesh golems with heavy bolters and revolving vulcan miniguns for arms, trailing blood and oil on the ground, the usual daemonic stuff.

"How about I make it up to you after this?" Damien pressed himself flat against a rockcrete wall, Miranda, her Avenging Knight buddies and the Astartes joining him as the monsters opened fire, turning the prison complex around them into a storm of shredded stone and steel, the stupid bastards can't aim for shit. "Since you guys will be coming with us, I know a really good place to grab a bite on the Immortal Spirit. I'll even throw Brother Sidonius's wine into the mix. He's our best vintner by the way."

"That I am," Brother Sidonius added proudly as he poked his head above their quickly disintegrating cover.

"How about it?" Damien asked. The bellowing heavy weapons had gone silence, replaced by the clicking of reloading ammunition, "a night of nice food, drink and a pleasant company?"

"Really?! I mean, I would be honor, Brother Sergeant," Miranda did her best to keep her cool as she and Damien rose above cover, bolter and heavy bolters trained on the lumbering monstrosities.

"It's a date then," Damien took aim and held the trigger down, flesh and metal flew in fiery sparks as streams of bolt tore into a Chaos monster. It wasn't very effective though, because despite the nasty gashes and holes now adorning its grotesquely sculpted body, the Chaos cyborg swung it's spinning vulcan cannon at the reloading Damien, totally unperturbed by the attack. Damien opened fire again, and this time the roar of Miranda's heavy bolters joined the barrage, and together their combined salvo reduced the flesh golem to sizzling charcoaled meats and steel. They looked at each other, he grinned, and she probably grinned too as the Astartes and Avenging Knights lay down an epic volley on the remaining abominations. The stubborn bastards seem to be weathering the assault until the Wraithguards showed up and annihilated them with their wraithcannons, the super alien laser tearing the abominations to shit. After five minutes the Chaos cyborgs were dead, their backups and handlers hightailing it as the battlegroup pressed forward. Sprinting down a corridor of monotonous grey prison blocks, plowing through every haphazard barricade in their path with comical ease, the battlegroup soon reached the gothic, medieval courtyard of the Azrael institute's cathedral, decked out in fortified pillboxes, stout sandbag walls and barbwires. It might have been a formidable obstacle for the average soldiers, but Damien and his pals were Adeptus Astartes. So yeah, things went horrifically bad for the heretics.

"Holy freaking shit, this place is literally Arkham Asylum," Damien exclaimed as he and Miranda cleared an autocannon nest, the killing was swift and messy, he and the Battle Sister had a very nice chemistry together.

"Well duh, we're about to fight the final boss," Laura joined Damien, whistling appreciatively at the huge building in front of them and turned to Lithia, who was finishing off a PDF captain. "So the other eldar prisoner is in there, yeah?"

"Not inside, below," Lithia waved her bloody power scythe at the ground. "The most dangerous and valuable prisoners are kept within the Institute's deep sanctum, away from the main prison's population. And before you ask lady Warseer, no, I did not gas the place, so your kin could still be alive. If the heretics haven't killed him already, that is."

"Something tells me he isn't dead yet," Lita remained the perpetual optimist as she swiped her hand at the last pillbox, the armaments and men inside exploding in a mist of red conflagration.

"Who runs this fucking place now that Chaos made their hostile takeover?" Yuki asked.

"A World Eater warlord that goes by the name Dygral," Lithia told her, and thank God it wasn't a fucking plague sorcerer or some shit because that would totally suck, Damien hate fighting mages. "Our intelligence suggests that he is currently inside the fortress's throne room. The place will be heavily defended, but with every mechanized turret now disable, the path to the Chaos Lord should be clear."

"That sounds like a perfect job for the Emperor's Angels of Death!" Damien bellowed and the Marines roared with affirmative gusto. "Alright guys, listen up! Me, the Ultramarine and the Salamander will be going after the Chaos Lord, I want the Death Korps, the Fire Guard, the Praetorian, the Tallarn, the Dark Reaper and the Fire Dragons to come with us. Lita, you take the Sororitas, the Banshees, the Grey Watch, the Dawn Blade, the Dragon Blood, the Striking Scorpion and the Guardians down into the crypt and get that prisoner dude. You guys cool with that?"

"Sir yes sir!" Lita gave a mock salute, earning a smattering of laughter from humans and eldars alike before turning to Lithia. "Lead the way, mistress canoness."

"Follow me," Lithia flicked blood from her power scythe and took off down a cobblestone path on the left, black cape billowing, the battlegroup close at her heel.

"See you after the battle, Brother Sergeant," Miranda lingered by Damien for a few moments before following her Avenging Knight buddies, "may the Emperor watch over you."

"Likewise," Damien held up his hand and waved her goodbye. "And you can call me Damien!"

"Okay. See you Damien," Miranda shyly returned the gesture and Damien watched her until she rounded a corner.

"Heavy weapons teams and Wraithguards, remain outside and watch our approach," Damien braced his bolter and sprinted for the great arch door, the firefight having destroyed the locks and bars that fastened the two partitions closed. Shouldering the thick, splintered wooden door wide, Damien found himself inside a grand welcoming hall, with gilded columns carved into the likeness of Imperial heroes and saints of old, magnificent chandeliers swaying softly to the twinkling chime of crystals, iron vaulted ceiling etched with the mural of the God Emperor, and walls and floor of black marble laced with sparkling sliver. Oh, and the entire place was fucked over by super over the top Chaos desecration, the usual stuff like flayed bodies dangling upside down from the ceiling or crucified to walls, decapitated head on spikes, rotting skins covering the Kashmir carpet and unholy graffiti gracing every available surface in the hall. How in the hell did they managed to smear the ceiling? Damien wasn't even mad, just impressed.

"They have defiled this sanctum," Antalok growled as the Space Marines waited for the assault force to form up behind them.

"Eh, it's really nothing new," Damien shrugged. "I mean, I'll be a lot more concern if I walk into a heretic control zone and the place is fucking spotless. Now that would be spooky."

"I agree, Brother Sergeant," Gallus nodded then glanced at the bulletproof data-pad built into his right armguard. "According to the schematic given to us by mistress Lithia, the central control throne is a kilometer directly in front of us."

"Welp, that's pretty straight forward," Damien chuckled then turned to the guardsmen and eldars. "You guys and gals ready?"

A rousing 'yes sir!' answered Damien, who bobbed his head appreciatively and gazed down the ominously large corridor filled with macabre altars and butchered carcasses, the walls on both side were sheened in waterfalls of blood.

"Let's go kick some Chaos asses then! For the Emperor! And whatever you Aeldari pray to, for Them too!" Damien took off the down the corridor at a quick jog, the Space Marines forming the spearhead with the guardsmen and eldars thundering behind. "Keep your eyes peel, the heretics can come at us from every direction."

"Affirmative Brother Sergeant," Gallus responded, then was silent for a moment before saying, "permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Granted dude," Damien swept the barrel of his bolter over the cavernous confines, so far nothing was popping up to fuck with them. "What's up?"

"I found your fraternization with the Avenging Knight to be both extremely ill-timed and somewhat inappropriate," Gallus began his annoying lecture with firm sternness, but then his tone softened, much to Damien's surprise. "But personally Brother Sergeant, I found your performance in the courtship to be very satisfactory, or as you and your companions put it, very smooth."

"You really think so?" Damien smirked at Gallus. "I mean, I haven't hooked up with anyone in while because, well, I'm a nine foot tall Space Marine. A gaggle of daemons are gonna be bursting through that wall on the right, Kool Aid style."

"Thank you," the Astartes swung their bolters right and not a second later the wall exploded outward in a plume of blood and debris. The horde of Bloodletters had barely announced themselves before a hail of bolts tore them to shreds. "But yes, you did admirably. The Sororitas Miranda was smitten, if my reading on her body heat and heartrate are accurate."

"Four hostile columns are heading for our left and right flanks, prepare to repel," Manaus tapped his awesome Space Marine helm and cycled new bolts into the heavy bolter. "I would advise that you do not make use of Sidonius's vintage too much, Brother Sergeant, unless you want the Sororitas to fall in love with the liquor and its maker, like the many maidens abroad the Immortal Spirit who had succumbed to its wile."

"I can hardly dictate whose hearts were swayed by my masterful creation," Sidonius was snotty with pride. "Anti-personnel explosive charges dead ahead, lining the ceiling, floor and walls, remotely detonated, they're waiting for us to go deeper into the corridor. Elraleath, Olatien, bring your squad to the front along with the sonic grenades."

The Marines skidded to a stop and spread out around the corridor of ankle deep blood, bolters trained forward and to the sides, behind them the close quarter firefight was drawing to an end. Elraleath and Olatien, the Fire Dragon exarch, along with their men joined the Astartes about five seconds later.

"What are we dealing with?" Olatien and his squad settled down beside the Ultramarines and unhooked egg shaped grenades from their belts.

"The entire corridor is rigged with explosive," Gallus told him.

"Do you want it disabled or destroyed?" The Fire Dragon exarch asked, his thumb tapping the grenade's smooth surface.

"Better to be safe than sorry," Antalok said as the Marines went to one knee and turned their pauldrons forward. "Light them up."

"Fire in the hole!" Olatien and the Fire Dragons pulled the pin, chucked the grenades down the corridor and took cover behind the broad Astartes. The reverberating sonic discharge rattled every bone in Damien's body, penetrating through his ceramite plate and thick slab of muscles with ease. Hissing curses erupted over the intercom as guardsmen and eldars were forced flat to the ground by the concussive shockwave. The rolling explosion that came after wasn't nearly as bad, although the fire was still pretty damn hot.

"Enemies rushing forward, make – ahhh!" Galerius was aiming down the iron sight when bolt rounds struck his pauldron and helm in rapid succession, punching a scorching hole in the former and shattering the latter in a cascade of sparks. Roaring in fury, Galerius tore off his destroyed helmet and swung his bolter forward in time to see a laughing World Eater berserker rushing for him, revving chainaxe held high, his three equally demented brothers charging at the head of a mob of psychotic looking gangers. Two Black Legion Astartes carrying heavy bolters took up the flanks, but Manaus and Sektu, the Salamander heavy weapon specialist, open fire on them first, driving their Chaos cousins behind a pair of marble pillars.

"Mael Dannan!" Olatien stepped into the path of the World Eater berserker about to decapitate Galerius and blasted him with the full power of his Fire Pike, the fiery red laser lanced through the Chaos Astartes, severing his torso in two.

"Look out!" Galerius grabbed Olatien and hurled him back, the World Eater's screaming chainsword swooping at the empty spot where the Fire Dragon's legs had been but a heartbeat earlier. Snarling, Galerius fired two bursts, point blank, at the World Eater's face, turning everything above the shoulders into minced meat. It was only then that the berserker stopped moving. "Thank you, but remember, those tainted by Khorne seldom let something like mutilation stop them."

"I'll keep that in mind," Olatien nodded and together with the Space Marines, the Dark Reapers and his Fire Dragons, unleashed a hellish barrage on the three other berserkers. Damien was pretty fucking surprised when the feared World Eaters were cut down with ease, the combined Astartes and Aeldari weaponries pretty much vaporized the Chaos berserkers and the cultists behind them. That's what you fucking get for bringing a chainaxe to a bolter and laser fight, bitch!

"Reload and make ready! We're getting the fuck out of this goddamn corridor!" Damien slammed a new magazine home and drew his chainsword, thumbing the ignition button. Holy crap, he'll always get the shiver every time the iconic 40k weapon purred. "Forward brothers! Slay the traitors and heretics! For the Emperor!"

Damien held his roaring chainsword high and sprinted down the passageway, the Ultramarines and Salamanders at his side, shouting their own war cry as they leapt over the World Eaters' smoldering carcasses and ran full tilt at the two retreating Black Legionnaires. Shuriken missiles flew passed the Astartes's pauldrons, whistling through the air on starry white streamers. Few of the eldar projectiles slammed into the Traitor Astartes, rupturing their power pack and consuming them in fire, but more of the missiles flew into the hall beyond. The rolling staccatos were punctuated by howling screams as a tsunami of white inferno consumed the interior.

"For the Emperor!" Damien repeated the vanilla Space Marine war cry and leapt through the fire, his spinning chainsword coming down on a panicky, and quite singed, traitor PDFs, bisecting the woman from shoulder to hip. Digging his heels into ground, Damien swept his chainsword out in a three sixty spin, splattering himself in hot sheen of crimson as the screaming teeth eviscerated, mutilated and decapitated six traitors that were unfortunate enough to be in the killing arch. With the spinning done, Damien trained his bolter forward and sprayed the retreating traitors. Even with bionic enhancement, firing a bolter onehanded was not a good idea, the fucking recoil was unreal. Damien suppressing fire was joined by the other Marines and the eldars, the spectacular conflagration driving the Chaos forces deeper into the hall. It wasn't until the guardsmen and Guardians started taking position behind scattered remnant of makeshift barricades that Damien got a good look at his surroundings. And what do you know the place wasn't vaulted, but the blocky ceiling was still a couple of stories high, the top barely illuminated by the dangling neon lights that bathed the floor below in a warm, and strangely comforting, orange ambience. Judging by the towering rows of metal inlaid wooden shelves partitioned off into different sections, all of them filled to the brim with tomes, scrolls and data-slates, scorched and torn to shit by hellish fighting and wanton vandalism, the place appeared to be a library of some sort. Everything that can be moved or destroyed has been turned into fortified pickets, where the traitors and heretics were hunkered down, nice and snug. Welp, that's what flamers are for!

"Antalok! Torch them please!" Damien waved the Salamander forward while the Ultramarines provided covering fire. The heretic's dugouts were getting reinforced by the remaining Black Legion Astartes. "Xiphos! Al-Rahman! You guys hold down the entrance with the eldar weapon teams, give us a place to fall back to if things go south and watch our flanks for any sum bitches that tries to pincer us!"

"Yes sir, Brother Sergeant!" The two colonels and the Biel-Tan weapon commander said in unison as the troops went about setting up heavy weapons and dragging over debris to strengthen their position.

"Hildebrandt, Alistair, Elraleath, Olatien, get your men ready, you're coming with me and the Marines, we're gonna go end that Chaos Lord motherfucker!" Damien emptied his magazine on a weak looking portion on the heretic's barricade, killing a dozen grunts and clipping a Black Legion Marine's horn.

"At once, Brother Sergeant! Righty ho ladies and gentlemen! To the front! Quickly now!" Alistair waved his saber in the air, rallying the Praetorian to the front.

"Jawohl Brother Sergeant, forward!" Hildebrandt marched his Kriegs to the vanguard, silent and efficient, unperturbed by the raging battle around them, taking their place beside the Dark Reapers.

"Antalok, you're up!" Damien bellowed and sprayed the entire barricade with a suppressive barrage, driving the heretics behind cover, the three seconds opening was enough for the Salamanders to bathe the defenses in promethium fire. The dying scream of immolated heretics were short lived, the fire incinerating their tongues and vocal cords within heartbeats, but the Black Legion Astartes refused to go quietly into the night. Roaring long and loud, sounding mightily pissed, the black clad Chaos Marines burst through the burning cover, themselves wreathed in flame, and bulled straight for the Salamanders, their blazing chainswords were cool as fuck.

"Aim for the heads and legs! Cut them down!" Damien leapt from cover, magnetized the bolter to his thigh and charged a Black Legionnaire who'd just knocked Itka, the Salamander tactical marine, flat on his back. Turning his pauldron forward, Damien leapt off his feet and tackled the Traitor Marine with a spear so beautifully executed that Bill Goldberg would've wept with joy.

"OOH AHH!" Damien made the Roman Reign war cry, inverted the grip of his spinning chainsword, and thrust it down into the small gap between the Chaos Marine helm and his ceramite breastplate. Sparks flew as metal grated metal, but soon the hungry teeth found flesh and wet ruby fountained upward. With a powerful wrench, the Traitor Astartes's head flew from his shoulder, bonking a few feet across the ground before rolling to a stop, trailing dark stream of blood. Flicking red droplets from his chainsword, Damien reached down and helped Itka up. "You alright bro?"

"I am, thank you sergeant," Itka nodded and reloaded his bolter, not far away Antalok was braining the living shit out of another Black Legionnaire with his foot. "That was sloppy of me, I should've been more prepared."

"Hey, you couldn't have known the fucker was gonna jump out of the fire like that," Damien gave Itka's pauldron a friendly smack. "You're alive, that's all that matter, don't beat yourself up over it. Now chin up, we still have more heretics to kill."

"Yes sir!" Itka slammed his fist to his chest in a salute as the Ultramarines joined them.

"They way is clear, Brother Sergeant, the Traitor Marines have been taken care of," Gallus told Damien, beside a few scraps, dents and black soot, his right hand man was unharmed. "And the guardsmen and eldars are in position, awaiting your command."

"Let's fucking rock and roll then! For the Emperor! Let's go!" With the Ultramarines and Salamanders using their armored bodies to plow through the flaming barricades, clearing a path for the guardsmen and eldars, the battlegroup stormed after the heretics, firing from every cylinder. It wasn't until the central command unit came into view, rising almost twenty feet off the ground on a golden pedestal and topped off with a busted up mechanical throne, that something occurred to Damien. This shit was too fucking easy. There were strong resistances, sure, but they were lacking the trademark bountiful numerical superiority the Chaos horde was famous for. Adding to the fact that the four remaining Khornate Berserkers were nowhere to be seen, Damien can already hear admiral Ackbar's catchphrase going off in his head.

"Everybody hold this position!" Damien held up his fist, bringing the battlegroup to a stop, Astartes, guardsmen and eldars spreading out to take cover amongst the ruined furniture, "Xiphos, Al-Rahman, what's the situation at the rear? Any movements? What about the flanks?"

"The rear is secured, Brother Sergeant," Xiphos told him. "The only people coming toward us are the injured."

"Scouts report no enemy presence on our flanks sir," Al-Rahman added.

"Stay alert guys, things don't look right around here," Damien waved over the main characters. "Alistair, Hildebrandt, I want four companies to break off and swept around our two flanks, that's two companies for each flanks. Find out if there are any Chaos forces waiting to ambush us. Helvius, Aurius, you two go left, Itka, Matuk, go right. We'll converge around the throne."

"Yes sir!" The Astartes took off, the Ultramarines heading west with the Praetorians, while the Salamanders and Death Korps went east.

"I'll make sure none of the traitors get cheeky with us," Emily nodded with a smile before leading her Praetorians after the two Primaris Marines. Moltke said nothing as his Kriegs followed the Salamanders into an avenue of metallic shelves pockmarked with fire and bullet holes.

"The rest of you stay close and be ready," Damien started off again, Gallus and Antalok at his side. "We're about to reach the finish line, and I don't think there's a trophy waiting for us at the end."

In grim silence, the battlegroup stepped on to the clearing in front of the elevated throne, where the last remnant of traitors was settling in for a last stand.

"You fucking cowards!" Five armored silhouettes appeared behind the elevated throne, angry and convulsing with barely restrained bloodlust. His footsteps shaking the room, Dygral, a fuck huge World Eater who stood a couple of feet taller than the other berserkers, his battered red power armor decorated with ludicrous amount of spikes, carrying a man sized, bloody serrated cleaver, the tip bending backward into a wicked hook, skulls rattling on blackened chains dangling from the pommel, stomped down the pedestal and started battering aside his men and the barricades they set up. "Face them on the open field of battle! Quit your hiding and attack! Khorne demand blood and he must not be kept wanting! Onward you worthless scums, onward! Blood for the Blood God!"

"Stand your ground and open fire!" Damien bellowed and a blinding fusillade of las, bolts, shurikens and lasers crashed into the heretic defenses just as Dygral and his World Eaters barreled through the haphazard pickets. Damien held down the trigger, the recoil pounding his pauldron and bruising the flesh beneath. He ejected the clip, slammed in a new one and went full auto again, the barrel glowing white hot, the intensity of the battlegroup unceasing volley turning everything before them into clouds of roiling flame, the roar of discharging weapons drowning out all other sound.

"Cease fire! Cease fire!" Damien bellowed after five minute of continuous barrage passed and not a single returned fire came from the heretic's line, nor did Dygral and his cronies burst through the veil of smoke. "Reload and stay on maximum alert, this can't be it!"

Or can it? Only dying moans and muted firefights punctured the breathless silence. They waited until the dust settled, and Damien cracked a smile at the absolute destruction that was revealed. Body parts and shredded, bleeding corpses strewed the barricades like macabre Halloween decorations, those unfortunate enough to still be alive crawled aimlessly this way and that, their feeble cries drifting forlornly. Signaling with quick hand gestures, Damien moved forward into the parting curtain of dust, Gallus, Antalok, Elraleath and Olatien at his side while everybody else stayed behind, weapons at the ready. Bolter braced to his shoulder, Damien strode carefully toward the destroyed remains of the heretic's sad attempt at a last stand, bricks, woods, irons, blood and corpses littered their path, growing thicker and messier with every step. A guttural moan sounded to the right and all guns swung toward the source. Lying amidst the mutilated remains of his World Eaters was Dygral, the Chaos Lord who had led the invasion of Leenisium. Both his legs were gone, severed above the knees by scything bullets, his swordarm, the cleaver still clutched tight in a dead grip, twitched a few feet away amongst the fallen PDFs, and half his face was seared bloody to the bone, charred veins and muscles bubbling.

"D-Death! Death!" Dygral glared at them, red frothing spittle dripped down his mouth

"Well, you got that right at least," Damien took aim and turned the Chaos Lord's head into gibs of fragmented skulls and brain with four well placed shots. Footfall sounded around him, and Damien glanced up to see his flanking troops joining them, Emily and Moltke gave him the all clear thumbs up. "I guess that's it?"

"It would appear so," Gallus sounded as unconvinced as Damien. "The central command is secure."

"I'm not getting any enemy contact in the vicinity," Antalok added, his finger tapping the awesome Space Marine helm. "We've just dealt them a killing blow, apparently."

"What in the actual fuck?!" Damien whipped his gaze around the ruined library, unbelieving of how anti-climactic this was. "That's fucking it?! The fuck, shit can't be this easy!"

"Your orders, Brother Sergeant?" Gallus asked him.

"Secure the place and stay on maximum alert, I don't think this is it," the Marines and exarchs nodded and relayed Damien's command. He was silent for a moment before saying with cold realization. "Unless they reposition all of their troops to the sanctum below…"