"Flame—purifies—"
A towering figure strolled through the steel jungle as silver flames spread outward from beneath his feet.
The silver flames burned at an extraordinarily high temperature, easily incinerating the chitinous carapaces of the Shadow Spectres, while even Eldar power armor offered no protection.
Steel melted into liquid streams and the ground rapidly vitrified as Selene, like a walking natural disaster, swiftly cleansed the unclean xenos.
He chanted beneath his breath like a fanatical zealot, unleashing his raw hatred upon the filthy aliens.
A swing of his staff turned enemies into a bloody slurry, while his whistling iron fists wove an ironclad defensive perimeter.
Shadow Spectres sank into the inferno, dying as they writhed in agony; Eldar warriors endured searing pain to force their way through the fire, only to be smashed to pieces as his fists rained down upon them.
"Exhilarating! Exhilarating!"
Selene roared with delight, guiding the flames with his sheer will to incinerate the arriving Rangdan and xenos reinforcements.
"Those who submit to xenos are unfit to draw breath." His gaze hardened, hatred flashing in his eyes.
Raising his staff in his right hand high, the humans enslaved by the Rangdan collapsed to the ground in agony as flames erupted from their marrow through their skin.
In the blink of an eye, the human thralls were reduced to piles of calcified ash, their lives freed from servitude at last.
With a flick of his fingers, flames materialized out of thin air, crashing into a factory and triggering a massive chain explosion that obliterated an industrial zone in an instant.
He stamped his bare foot against the earth, sending a wave of fire sweeping across the terrain, taking tens of thousands of lives in the apocalyptic blaze.
He seemed like a god of fire descended upon the mortal realm, wielding pure silver flames to burn away the filthy corruption.
The flames proved to be the natural bane of the Shadow Spectres; the Eldar's ambush tactics were completely rendered useless. No one could halt his advance—just as moving dry hay could never stop the spread of a wildfire.
"Ha! Ha! Ugh—"
His unrestrained laughter cut off instantly. Selene lowered his skeletal staff and looked up toward the horizon.
He saw countless missiles and artillery shells raining down like a torrential deluge.
Smacking his lips, he realized the Rangdan command post—unable to cope with him directly—had resorted to carpet bombing, attempting to drown the industrial zone in an overwhelming barrage of fire.
Though crude, and bound to destroy even more of their own industrial facilities, it was undeniably effective.
This was no pyrrhic trade-off. If a blanket artillery barrage could destroy or severely injure a Primarch, any cost was worth paying.
Selene shook his head. The incoming bombardment was far too dense; remaining here no longer served a purpose.
Before the dense carpet of fire made landfall, his figure vanished without a trace.
On an industrial spire several kilometers away, Selene looked back from his high vantage point as the artillery fire detonated across the industrial zone, boiling like a raging cauldron.
Witnessing his handiwork, Selene let out a cold sneer, reflecting on his recent body count.
Over a hundred Shadow Spectres, thirty Eldar warriors, a considerable number of Rangdan Overlords and elite troops, and countless xenos thralls.
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, his form flickered once more as he teleported away to another sector.
Having tested the true strength of the Rangdan forces, he began executing his primary mission.
As his first battle since returning, Selene placed great importance on it; even though it was merely placing a teleportation beacon, he strived for absolute perfection. The Great Crusade would be a long journey, and he wanted to leave a deep impression on his brothers as they worked together to purge the xenos and reclaim humanity's Manifest Destiny.
Selene's figure flickered rapidly, crossing thousands of kilometers in a matter of breaths to reach the heart of the Rangdan continent.
Compared to the perimeter, the forces stationed in the deep interior were surprisingly sparse, with fewer patrol squads in sight.
Observing the measured, orderly marching of the patrol units, he knew the xenos had not yet realized he had penetrated their hinterlands.
Keeping his steps light, Selene exercised extreme caution, slipping past mechanical sensor scans.
The Rangdan command hall was now visible to the naked eye. At a crucial moment like this, meticulous precision was paramount.
Slipping into an obscure, hard-to-detect corner, Selene checked the time once more. One minute remained before Brother Vulkan's operation would draw away the fortress's defensive assets.
He sat cross-legged on the cold deck to rest his mind, cradling his skeletal staff and tapping his fingers rhythmically against his arm, awaiting his window of action.
Hummm—
A subtle vibration rippled through the floor, making Selene snap his eyes open.
The tremors grew increasingly violent. Fifty kilometers behind the command hall, a massive explosion erupted, blasting tons of rock and facility structures hundreds of meters into the air.
Invasion alarms blared instantly. Frantic footsteps echoed along the streets as patrols rushed toward the blast site.
Vulkan gave the silicon-based xenos no room to breathe, creating widespread chaos inside the Rangdan fortress.
Yet Selene did not rush, continuing to wait for the ideal moment.
Sure enough, after ten seconds, another explosion detonated in the opposite direction of the command hall, identical to the first.
The massive blast doors of the command hall slowly slid open, and the Rangdan Guard marched out to reinforce the blast sites.
The time had come!
A sharp light glinted in Selene's eyes as he activated his teleportation talent with a single thought!
Flash—
In the split second before the Rangdan Guard could detect anything, Selene appeared right at the threshold of the Rangdan command hall, assessing its interior layout at a glance.
In another fraction of a second, he had already materialized in a corner of the hall atop an elevated platform.
Inside the command hall, only Sorrow Overlord sensed that someone had entered, instantly turning around to behold a figure clad in animal pelts.
"You—"
As it called out, it focused its concentration and launched a psi-strike.
Selene did not hesitate. Glaring back at the Rangdan Overlord, he activated the teleportation beacon in his hand and slammed it straight into the steel deck.
He desperately wanted to pit his strength against the Rangdan Overlord, but the mission took absolute priority.
"You what?" Mocking aloud, his staff resonated in his grip, projecting a barrier of silver fire.
The silver flames swayed violently, dancing as if caught in a howling gale.
The fire barrier flickered as sparks of silver flame burst forth continuously, splashing onto the floor without needing to spread.
Under the shroud of fire, the psi-spike took physical form, quivering against the flame barrier in an attempt to pierce through and kill the intruder behind it.
"Ghh!" Selene let out a muffled groan as a sharp, piercing pain struck deep within his mind.
Formed in haste, the flame barrier was incomplete, allowing the Rangdan Overlord's psi-spike to pass through and inflict physical harm.
As his mind reeled, blood trickled from his nostrils, leaving a metallic, copper taste on his lips.
Sorrow Overlord was faring no better. The mysterious flames had wrapped around its psi-spike, sending a searing agony straight to its soul; its suffering at that moment was no less than that of the human Primarch.
"Destroy the human Primarch!" At last, the Rangdan Guard reacted, screaming as they launched their attack.
They sprinted forward at full speed, recklessly pushing their biomass armor past safe operational thresholds.
With their Overlord locked in a stalemate with the human Primarch, this was the ultimate window to slay the gene-sire.
The guards were consumed by grief and fury, eager to avenge their fallen Overlords.
Looking at the aliens charging with raised weapons, the corners of Selene's mouth curled into a faint smile—the teleportation beacon was fully engaged!
The ambient temperature plummeted instantly as psychical lightning materialized alongside absolute despair.
A blinding burst of white light exploded as dozens of black-armored warriors appeared inside the command hall, radiating an overwhelming aura of slaughter.
The Rangdan Guard felt their hearts shatter. The blood-red Mark of Doom was far too striking—a sight they knew all too well.
That monster!
The King of Human Warriors—the gene-sire of the Doom Marines—had descended!
"Kill them," Blazkowicz commanded calmly, leading his Primarch Guard out of the teleportation flash.
"Crush the xenos!" Astelan's warblade ignited as the Guard Captain charged first, wielding his blade against the Rangdan Guard.
Doom Marines and Rangdan Overlords collided. Power blades whirled and shoulder cannons fired in unison; the Rangdan Overlords lost all will to fight, completely overwhelmed without the strength to retaliate.
Blazkowicz extended an arm to pull his brother to his feet, his tone laced with deep concern: "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," feeling the warm concern beneath the cold armor, Selene shook his head and wiped the blood from beneath his nose. "The filthy will of xenos cannot shake my soul."
"Good work."
Blazkowicz stepped seamlessly in front of his brother, pointing his Super Shotgun straight at the Rangdan Overlord atop the command dais: "Sorrow Overlord."
"Blazkowicz Nowick," Sorrow Overlord spoke in an strangely serene tone. "The moment I laid eyes on you, I knew Death had arrived for the harvest."
Its tentacles wriggled aimlessly, entangling with one another: "You are an unstoppable entity. My species' extinction is inextricably linked to you."
Facing imminent death, Sorrow Overlord felt a wave of bittersweet reflection: "During the First Rangdan War, you repelled us at Mors."
"Then you scoured the galaxy for us, remaining eternally vigilant against our incursions."
"If not for you, the Imperium of Man could never have reacted so swiftly, halting our invasion force outside human space this time."
"My brothers—" Sorrow Overlord shook its head in agony, "most of them perished by your hand."
Listening to those helpless and mournful words, Selene's eyes widened behind his mask; he had not realized the brother standing before him possessed such terrifying strength.
Blazkowicz offered no reply, vanishing from their sight in a flash as he launched his strike against the Rangdan Overlord.
He had nothing to say to xenos.
BANG—!
A violent impact echoed through the hall accompanied by a deafening sonic boom, leaving a trail of motion blurs in Selene's vision.
By the time he could process the scene, the Rangdan Overlord was wailing in agony, pinned against the command hall wall by a brutal shoulder charge from his brother.
The dark-alloy wall caved in as spiderweb cracks spread outward, showering the surface in filthy blood.
Sorrow Overlord was embedded deep inside the wall, its lower body completely mangled as it let out ragged, agonizing gasps.
Its tentacles twitched limply, its face ruined as one eyeball popped out of its socket, dangling helplessly by a mass of optic nerve fibers.
"Devastating!"
Selene cheered, yet internally felt a chill run up his spine straight to his brain, clearing the lingering haze of his psychic duel.
He could not begin to imagine whether he could dodge if Blazkowicz charged at him like that, or if he would fare any better than the Rangdan Overlord.
His conclusion: the chances were painfully slim.
"That is how xenos should be dealt with!" Selene raised his staff high, cheering for his blood brother.
He had originally intended to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with his brother against the Rangdan, but he now saw it was completely unnecessary.
Hearing the cheer, Blazkowicz extended the retractable blade on his left arm, jamming it through the side of the Rangdan Overlord's face; the cold, lethal edge visible through the socket where the eyeball had burst out.
Sorrow Overlord's breathing grew even fainter as dark-green blood surged from its mouthparts, its brain twitching erratically.
In its dying moments, it tasted a strange, metallic sweetness.
Forcing its remaining eye open with everything it had left, it saw a double-barreled shotgun inscribed with holy runes jammed straight into its maw.
"Gurgle—gurgle—"
When death truly arrived, Sorrow Overlord could not accept the icy void, thrilling violently in a desperate attempt to break free from the scythe pressed against its throat.
Its tentacles coiled around Blazkowicz's arm, pulling frantically at the High Consul's armor in a futile bid to push it away.
Regrettably, the full strength it mustered on the brink of death could not budge an arm that stood firm as an anchor.
There was no mercy in Blazkowicz's eyes, nor a shred of hesitation in his mind. His fingers tore through the dark-green tentacles, and he resolutely pulled the Super Shotgun's trigger.
BANG—!
The gun blast proclaimed the arrival of death. The double barrels unleashed no golden light of the Emperor—just heavy, high-caliber physical ordnance that obliterated everything in its path.
Sorrow Overlord was no more.
Its tentacles slumped limply as the heavy rounds tore through its flesh, reducing its massive brain tissue to a hollow cavity.
Its face slid down the wall as a torrent of mangled flesh sloughed onto the floor.
Yet another arch-enemy of mankind had fallen by Blazkowicz's hand, meeting the most brutal end possible—dead in both body and soul!