The Plague Marine, swollen to an extreme degree, so much so that even his power armor seemed to bulge grotesquely, was now breaking free from his death-like stasis. His limbs twitched unnaturally, as if trying to rise.
Without hesitation, Hades acted decisively. He fired his incendiary weapon, its blazing beam piercing the air and slipping through the gaps in the psychic cage, expertly targeting and exploding the creature's left knee.
Flesh burst apart, bright yellow flames accompanied by shards of power armor scattered everywhere. The oozing pus was instantly evaporated, and the scent of charred flesh quickly overpowered the room's putrid stench.
The incendiary gun, a technological relic from the Age of Strife, surpassed most weapons of its size in power. It would faithfully ignite any organic matter it targeted.
And it would burn until nothing remained.
Yet, the creature's regeneration was evidently faster than the flames could consume. Its flesh surged back, the rotting muscle fibers intertwining, attempting to restore the burnt tissue.
Hades, having anticipated this, remained calm. He continued firing, the glow from the shots illuminating his helmet.
Simultaneously, he channeled the null field within him, slowly infusing it into his scythe, the Reaper of Fate.
"Disengage the psychic cage."
Upon seeing the corpse's sudden movement, Fernando had not turned off the psychic prison but had instead started pouring more psychic energy into it, trying to restrain and drain the creature.
At Hades' command, Fernando hesitated for a split second but then began to reverse the flow of psychic energy. The blinding white light in the room began to dim.
Hades fired several more incendiary shots, then readied his scythe, preparing to strike down the creature the moment the psychic cage vanished.
However, as the psychic cage weakened, the Plague Marine's flesh began to grow at an alarming rate. Recognizing that Hades wouldn't give it a chance to rise, the flesh began to coalesce, forming a mound on the Plague Marine's chest.
A slit opened atop the mound.
A daemon!
"Greetings."
"To those who displease the Benevolent Father—"
The daemon had barely begun to speak when the white psychic glow vanished completely, and a dark scythe wind aimed directly at the mound of flesh.
The daemon's words were cut short. Where the Reaper of Fate touched, the crimson flesh and yellowish fat quickly withered and turned to black sand, swirling in the air with the scythe.
The sensation was smooth, as if cutting through tofu.
Hades, having swung with all his might, was taken aback by how easily the tough-looking flesh yielded under the Reaper. He almost stumbled but quickly adjusted his footing, relying on his combat experience.
Fernando, following Hades' lead, raised his incendiary gun and fired at the half-sliced mound.
Flames erupted, and the areas touched by the Reaper didn't regenerate as before. The blackened flesh resembled charred coal.
But as Hades swung his scythe, the Plague Marine's intestines suddenly sprang up like ambushing snakes, spewing a black-yellow pus at Hades.
Fernando immediately cast a high-intensity psychic shield around Hades. At the same time, Hades dodged with his scythe at the ready, preparing to strike again.
The viscous black-yellow fluid missed its mark, splattering on the floor, teeming with wriggling black worms.
Without hesitation, realizing that the regenerating flesh, restored by psychic energy, was utterly defenseless against his Reaper, Hades swung his scythe wide, attempting to split the Plague Marine's corpse into pieces.
Fernando chanted spells, maintaining a maximum-strength psychic shield around them.
However, slits occasionally opened on the exposed flesh of the corpse.
"Cursed one—"
Hades swung, turning a chunk of flesh to black sand.
"The trap is set, waiting for—"
Fernando fired another incendiary shot at the opening.
"I've seen through—"
Hades swung his scythe again, this time hooking the opening and tearing it apart.
"Let me speak!"
Hades, expressionless, continued his onslaught.
Why would a Death Guard listen to the ramblings of a Greater Unclean One?
Would this creature really share anything useful? Most likely, it aimed to deceive or mock them.
In fact, from the daemon's initial words, Hades realized it was targeting him.
The Greater Unclean Ones of Nurgle wouldn't refer to other Death Guard as "cursed ones."
Never trust daemons.
This was a truth Hades, as a transmigrator, knew all too well.
Even if Tzeentch shared accurate information about Nurgle with Guilliman, that was Tzeentch's way. Nurgle wouldn't do the same.
Meanwhile, the Plaguebearer grew increasingly frustrated.
Why were these mortals so rude?
When it harvested and admired other fates, didn't these physical beings always love to exchange dramatic, fate-laden words during combat?
The kind Rain Father told it that the Benevolent Father also enjoyed these little treats. Though they couldn't satiate, they added flavor to the impending future.
The Benevolent Father loved drama!
It had carefully prepared seven words, seven-character words, seven pauses, seven mockeries. It had spent a long time preparing in the mire pool.
This was also a cycle of fate. Why wouldn't they let it speak?
Indeed, the one who displeased the Benevolent Father!
No matter. Its goal was achieved.
The fragment of its soul that had possessed the Twilight Raider had now come close to Hades in the physical world. The omnipresent stench of decay had tainted him, and the fog of fate was slowly lifting.
Ever since the False Emperor modified the Untouchable, his unique rift was concealed, making it impossible for them to find him directly. His nature also meant his fate was hidden in the turbulent flow, dim and unclear, unlike the clear and bright fates of others.
So, the Plaguebearer had to deduce Hades' general fate through those around him.
It was challenging, but it was diligent.
The Great Benevolent Father had given it a glorious mission. As the newest child in the family, it was born for this mission.
If successful, the Benevolent Father's love would make it one of His most favored servants.
There was an anchor in Hades' fate, and only when this anchor was located could it see everything before and after.
That was to confront Hades, still in his training phase, with the power of Nurgle on the Endurance.
This would change Hades' mindset and strategy.
Now, the anchor was in place.
All it needed was a small bait, and Hades would arrive on the planet where the Plaguebearer had prepared a gift for him.
With its goal achieved, there was no need to toy with them any longer.
The power that had been hidden in the Blessed One was about to fade. To avoid disturbing other fates, the Plaguebearer had merely kept the Blessed One in stasis, waiting for its prey.
Now, with its purpose fulfilled, there was no need to play with them any longer.
The Plague Marine's corpse, which had been split into several pieces, suddenly began to
swell, and the brittle power armor fell off.
Sensing something, Hades immediately ceased his attack, grabbing a large shield from the wall adorned with weapons.
He quickly positioned himself in front of Fernando.
He was an Untouchable; aside from physical attacks, Nurgle's tricks wouldn't affect him. But Fernando was different!
"Boom!"
Yellow-green pus filled the entire space, and chunks of flesh clung to the walls.
Hades, overwhelmed by the stench, fought back the bile rising in his throat.
Typical Nurgle.
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*Thanks to Bai Lu and Cang Yue for their support. I'll keep working hard.*
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*Is there a limit even for a dedicated writer like me?*