Carter raised his head, gazing at the towering humanoid abomination before him, and took a deep breath.
"Heh heh heh, feeling scared, little man?" The half-head of the cultist embedded in the chest of the abomination looked down at Carter, his tone becoming even more arrogant. He felt triumphant once again.
When the outer layer of flesh exploded, the cultist had gained control over the body.
Now wielding the abominable form, the cultist stretched his limbs as the crimson muscles rippled with terrifying power.
The raw strength was overwhelming, almost intoxicating.
From his lofty position, the cultist sneered at Carter and began spewing taunts:
"Die, you lapdogs of the False Emperor! I'll twist off your heads one by one and paint your blood all over that worthless statue!"
"Do you know how many I've killed? Over 200! And half of them were pregnant women and children. Their bodies made the perfect sacrifices!"
The cultist cackled maniacally, but the only response was the roar of Carter's chainsword.
Carter swung the Eviscerator toward the abomination, but the creature dodged and retreated to a safer distance. The cultist laughed harder, sensing Carter's growing fury.
"Yes, that's the face! You're angry, aren't you? But there's nothing you can do to me!"
The abomination picked up a jagged piece of metal and hurled it toward the Defense Force's position.
A sharp sound cut through the air, followed by screams of agony from afar. Several Defense Force soldiers were sliced in half, collapsing to the ground, wailing in pain.
The cultist reveled in the sight and mockingly cupped his ear as if listening.
"Do you hear that? Such beautiful cries. Look at them, spilling their guts. How tragic..."
"Heretic! Die!"
Just then, an injured Imperial Guard soldier rose and charged at the abomination, but his attack was effortlessly deflected, sending him flying.
The cultist, controlling the abomination, returned to Carter, glaring coldly at him:
"Watch closely! I'll kill even more people right before your eyes! You can't save them. You can't save anyone!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Before the cultist could continue, explosive bolts struck the abomination's back, causing the massive creature to stagger.
One of the Guards had fired a burst of explosive rounds from behind.
"You damn..."
The cultist's words were cut short when he saw a massive fist heading straight for his face. He hadn't expected such an attack and was caught off guard, panic crossing his features.
It was Carter's fist.
Seizing the moment of distraction, Carter had charged, putting all his strength into a punch aimed at the cultist's grotesque face, determined to smash it to pieces.
Thud!
But before the punch could land, the abomination's massive hand caught Carter's fist mid-air.
No matter how hard Carter tried, straining with all his might, the abomination slowly pried his fist away.
The cultist sneered:
"Surprised? Did you really think you could hit me? I was just toying with you earlier."
"I've ascended to a higher state of being. I am the child of the great All-Seeing Lord. You, on the other hand, are still a pitiful, mortal insect. How laughable, to think you could harm me!"
With that, the abomination's grip tightened around Carter's fist, gathering strength.
"Feel the fear, submit! You will experience the overwhelming power!"
The abomination's fist slammed into Carter's chest with a deafening boom.
The impact caused sparks to fly from Carter's chestplate, denting the armor. His chainsword flew out of his grasp, and his body was sent hurtling backward, smashing through several shanties before coming to a stop.
Cough!
Carter struggled to his feet, blood dripping from his mouth.
But before he could catch his breath, a sharp object came hurtling toward him. With a desperate lunge, Carter rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding his own chainsword, which had been thrown back at him by the abomination.
The sword embedded itself in the ground where Carter had been moments earlier, raising a cloud of dust.
Had Carter been a moment slower, he would have been crushed by his own weapon!
As a counterattack, Carter pulled out his bolt pistol and fired a volley at the abomination. The explosive rounds struck the cultist's head embedded in the abomination's chest.
"You're really starting to annoy me, little man!"
The cultist-controlled abomination began advancing toward Carter, step by heavy step. He was growing tired of the fight.
It was time to kill this stubborn Guard and feast upon the helpless citizens behind him!
"No one can stop me! I'll tear you apart, and begging for mercy won't save you!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, three assault ships swooped in, raining fire down on the abomination. Explosions rocked the creature's body, forcing it to halt its advance.
They were the Imperial Guard's assault ships!
More Guards jumped from the ships, surrounding the abomination.
The assault ships provided covering fire, but one of the abomination's thrown metal sheets struck the engine of one of the ships, causing it to crash nearby.
The remaining ships quickly ascended out of range.
Though the ships retreated, the Guards took over, their weapons unleashing a barrage on the abomination.
The battlefield echoed with the sounds of explosions and light artillery fire.
Reinforcements had arrived!
Carter sighed with relief. He had managed to hold out long enough, and now, the real fight could begin.
He picked up the Eviscerator chainsword from the ground.
Now, the true attack would commence.
And his secret weapon lay in his hands—the chainsword!
This was no ordinary chainsword, but a rare power weapon from the mighty Adeptus Astartes!
A treasure every warrior coveted, a weapon they would die to possess!
Power weapons, especially of this caliber, were incredibly rare, often with centuries or even millennia of history behind them.
Only the strongest and most influential in the Imperium were granted the honor of wielding such weapons, such as the Space Marines, Inquisitors, and high-ranking commanders.
And now, in his hands, Carter held such a weapon, gifted to him by the Governor—a relic of a powerful Space Marine!
What a blessing, what an honor!
Of course, such weapons were not easily wielded by mere mortals.
It required the gene-enhanced strength and rigorous training of the Adeptus Astartes to wield without harm.
Carter had only undergone light gene modification and wasn't fully capable of using it yet.
But he had something else—boundless courage!
Carter decided to unleash the full power of the weapon and end the life of this heretical monstrosity!
(End of Chapter)