A.N.: Chapter 30! Big number that one. We're very close to the end, I estimate at most a couple more chapters. Thank you for sticking with me so far, and I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the ride!
"Brace yourselves!" The commissar screamed, pointing his sword at the approaching horde of tyranid creatures. "Hold the line!"
"HOLD THE LINE!" Shouted the thousands of guardsmen dispersed throughout the defensive line holding the boulevard, autocannons opening fire as the foe entered the range of fire; Hydra batteries crackling to life, unleashing a shower of metal onto the flock of gargoyles threatening to assault the guardsmen as they started opening fire with every weapon they had at their disposal onto the tyranids. They were a part of the Lucifer Black; The very best equipped of all guardsmen across the Imperium. Normally assigned to defend the Imperial Palace, many of them had been redeployed all around Terra to assist the many points of weakness that had appeared; Protecting critical logistics points and allowing the war machine to run as smoothly as possible in such dire circumstances. Power glaives held by a line of guardsmen in heavy armor whilst the rest of the battalion fired with hotshots and las-carbines.
The echoing roar of the tank barrels giving them support rang through the air as the shells surged forth, exploding into the hordes of tyranids rushing at the defenders. Despite the numerous casualties the xenos took, it soon came to melee. Power glaives cut and slashed with desperate rage; Hormagaunts they were well equipped to deal with even in melee.
The warriors on the other hand were a whole different beast. Crushing claws lived up to their name as they cracked bone and broke spines, boneswords cut through whole bodies if they were not just slammed to the side and stomped on. The guardsmen put up an admirable fight, even managing to take down some of the warriors in melee.
For now, this front held.
Thousands of such battles were raging throughout the planet sized hive city covering Terra, some of greater intensity than others. Raging carnifexes fired heavy venom cannons and slammed themselves into tanks as the latter fired back, tearing flesh and chitin away from the great beasts. Tyranofexes prowled the streets, towering over the swarms of hormagaunts, crushing vehicles and fortifications open like a metal can and allowing the lesser organisms to flood the insides and tear the now exposed defenders.
The usual tunneling organisms struggled at first, but soon generations capable of digging through rockcrete and metal began swimming into the thick jungle of the Terran underground, bursting from below into bunkers or ambushing defensive lines from below.
The skies of Terra themselves were one great battlefield where millions of aircraft dueled with harpies, crones and harridan titans. Clouds of spore mines prepared to punish any mistakes of trajectory as the anti-air batteries made the air one of the most unsafe areas on all of Terra; Filling the clouds with metal and shredding the bodies and wings of tyranid aerial creatures.
Each street corner was mined. Each house a defensive position. Each alley a killing zone. Even the tyranids found themselves grinded down by the sheer concentration of defensive emplacements that was Rogal Dorn's heritage. Chief among these were the Imperial Fists.
Wherever the guard regiments would start faltering, thunder hawks would swoop in the middle of raging aerial battles, bypassing them with contemptuous ease and expertise before dropping dozens of Imperial Fists and aides; Reinforcing the line until more guardsmen could be brought in, at which point they'd be brought to another part of the battlefield. There were few Imperial Fists left after the loss of the Phalanx for the sheer amount of battles they were required for, but wherever they came they showed why they were chosen for the defense of Terra. A stubborn, near unbreakable wall of sheer conviction and horrible firepower.
This was met by the unrelenting ferocity, adaptability and sheer numbers of the tyranids. No matter how unflinching the resolve, eventually ammo ran out. No matter how strong willed, no amount of will power could compensate for the sheer scale difference between a space marine and the hive tyrant striking at them. Even the mightiest weapons eventually grew quiet.
Occ marched through the corridors of the Imperial Palace. From his position on the wall he could see the masses of the unfortunate souls living in the Outer Palace following cohorts of guardsmen, desperate to get to safety as in the distance their world burned. Smoke and flame rose high in the horizon, flashes of light revealing colossal behemoths rampaging through the streets of mankind's homeworld. His steps did not falter. This was not the first time Terra had been under attack. It was however the first time he was alive to witness it. He had heard tales from some of the other custodes. Tales of seeing one's home aflame, assailed by foes bent on its destruction. How despite their intensive training, their mastery of emotion and their transhuman nature...some part of them still cried out in anger and pain.
A horn blared in the air as far away a titan unleashed their arsenal; Blasting away tyranids and hab-blocks alike. The air was thick with ashes, and only its silhouette could be visible as it fired its payload. Something rushed at it, its size equal to the titan, and both of the silhouettes fell. A moment later, a colossal explosion burned away the remains of the district.
Far closer the air defenses of the palace were working overtime; Whilst most tyranids seemed to be avoiding the Imperial Palace so far, its weapons had great range and did not have such hesitation towards the foe. He steadied his grip as he walked past one of the monstrous cannons of the palace right as it fired; Its projectile separating into a shower of deadly projectiles that tore a gaping hole into the swirling masses of gargoyles that filled the skies of Terra. The palace shield was thankfully powerful enough to keep such creatures at bay.
For now, the Palace remained an island of safety and organized calm within the chaos and war that surrounded them. He knew it was not meant to last. Eventually, the foe would come here themselves. They would come to strike down the Emperor himself. His hands clenched on his guardian spear. They would try.
Screams echoed from down below. He looked down from the walls, seeing the arbites struggling to contain the sudden hysteria that seemed to have gripped the masses of people. His eyes widened as he saw them start reaching out to the arbites, clawing, biting, screaming in fear and anguish. Madness seemed to have taken the crowd as they sought to tear the Arbites limb from limb. The sheer weight of the crowd was enough to drag more than a few under it where they were promptly massacred by the screaming horde of people. At that, the arbites immediately began firing into the crowd; Some of the weapons systems of the palace turning towards it and opening fire, explosions rocking the ground as they tore the people they were sworn to defend into burned chunks of meat. This wasn't normal. He'd dealt with the crows of the Imperial Palace before. They would never be so reckless for no reason; Their devotion and reverence would see them rather die than lash out in such a fashion.
This...this felt familiar.
Spreading chaos and infighting among the defenders. Making them focus on battling each other, the horror of turning against each other serving as a distraction. A way to draw away strength from where she would go.
She'd done this on Secundus. On Quintus. Wherever she had faced Imperials, she had turned them against each other. Using their paranoia, their zealotry. That hated faith that the custodes had never done the proper work to stamp out when they still had the chance. Using her powers to bring out the worse of violent tendencies out of people.
Anya.
This was her work.
He turned on his communicator, running towards the nearest vehicle bay.
"This is Occ. Hear me defenders of the Palace. Our foe is here. The tyranid leader Anya is unleashing a psychic attack; The sisters of Silence will do their best to prevent such attacks from succeeding but their numbers are not great enough to defend us all." He jumped down the thirty metres from the wall section into another corridor, sprinting at speeds that would have made a space marine blush. "Shield yourselves. Look for anomalies. Do not let her turn you against each other!" The doors to the vehicle bay opened with a soft chime, recognizing the biometric data of the armor he wore. He ran with all his strength towards the nearest jet-bike, ignoring the surprised gasps of the menials working around him. "She will use any weaknesses. Leave yourself no flaw! Do not let anything close to Eternity Gate!" He settled into the jet-bike's seat, activating its engines. Impatience coursed through him as the menials opened the gates of the vehicle bay before he whizzed out of them, rushing towards the depths of the Inner Palace.
Eternity Gate awaited.
Damien was trembling. He tried to stop it, but he couldn't. Being a part of the Lucifer Blacks meant you were part of the Elite; The best of the best. And yet here, standing on the colossal steps of the Imperial Palace, he felt incredibly small. There were thousands of his own dispersed in various defensive emplacements; the stairs to the entrance of the Palace having been turned into a well fortified diversion from the countless guns lining the walls behind and around them ready to light up any who would dare get close to this sacro-saint place. Ten custodes stood silently at the top of the stairs; A thin golden line that radiated power and strength. It gave Damien comfort. The vast majority of them, he'd been told by his superior, would be guarding the inner palace. They were the last line of defense of the Emperor himself. He was part of the first.
When he was given the order to prepare for an assault on the Imperial Palace, he'd expected hordes beyond counting, assailing the walls like an endless flood. He'd seen the holocasts, had studied the manuals. He'd listened well, and learned better. He'd been expecting vicious creatures of war guiding the teeming swarms of xenos; Behemoths the size of mountains hammering down at the doors of mankind. An endless rain of explosive spores and burning plasma.
He hadn't expected the silence. The quiet anticipation as they all waited for the enemy to arrive. The word silence was relative of course; The air was filled with the sound of distant artillery, screaming and alien roars. Of burning buildings and crashing aircrafts. But here, inside of the protective bubble of the Imperial Palace, there was a sense of quiet. Of waiting.
A message came through then. From one of the custodes. Occ. A warning on their foe. He felt his grip on his plasma gun grow sweaty. Psychic attacks. The one thing that no amount of preparation and training could ever truly save him from.
Then, it arrived.
He heard distantly his commander shout orders, the sound of gunfire begin and the shattering of the silence as the powerful batteries of the Imperial Palace began firing, but his eyes were fixed on the creature descending from the skies.
His first thought was that an Angel had come to aid them in the fight against the tyranids. After all, what else could this entity be? It appeared as a child with snow white hair, great feathery wings and had an aura of pure power that could be felt even from as far as he was. In its hand it held a halberd that seemed as if carved from the purest crystal, its body clad in dark purple armor. Through the scope of his gun he could see the melancholic smile it had on its face and he felt compelled to call out, to let his sorrows finally come out. The fear he'd felt when they'd taken him away from his parents. The anger he'd had learning that his mother had died whilst he was stuck in training, unable to console her in her final moments. The terror of the commissar's gaze, always looking for a reason to shoot him in the back of the head.
Then the first shell struck the creature's iridescent shield and he realized the foe had arrived. That the halberd was lined with veins and connected to the thing's hand by biological means. That its armor was of chitin similar to that of the tyranids rampaging through his world. That its eyes glowed with sickly yellow light, a familiar rage in them.
"Emperor." He saw the lips move and despite how far away she was it was as if she was speaking right next to him. He could hear what she was saying despite the explosions, the lasgun fire, the roaring of flame. "When I was young, I used to pray to you. I never did fully understand what you were, but they said you cared. That you were listening to us. Watching over us. And yet, when I was starving, praying for salvation, for a sign, for anything..." The barrage of firepower unleashed unto the false angel left her unbothered, her shield holding strong. He raised his gun with trembling hands, pressing the trigger. The plasma shot fizzled out as every other attack did. He waited for the gun to cool down as she continued speaking. "But no answer came. I came to realize either you weren't actually watching over us...or you didn't care." The child began glowing with light. He fired once more, the plasma shot disappearing into the pure light the child was emanating. His visor gave him some protection from the glare but even he had to squint his eyes. "And yet we were made to live in misery in your name. To die in your factories. To spill our blood for you. What did we ever get in return? We couldn't even get your attention." The glow grew so bright he had to use his hands to shield his eyes. "DO YOU HEAR ME NOW, EMPEROR?" A feeling of static entered the air. Deep instincts told him to run, to hide, to dig a hole and curl on himself. He ignored them, tried to aim his weapon. "DO YOU SEE ME NOW!"
A wave of pure power emerged from the false angel, surging at the speed of light and hitting the defenders with terrible might. The steps of the palace cracked and shattered, the walls shook and splintered. The cannons were melted into slag, their defenders turned to ash. What the pure energy of the attack didn't melt or burn, the shockwave annihilated. The front of the Palace broke under the impact, golden plated walls collapsing on themselves in an avalanche of debris of dust with an apocalyptic cacophony. The Lucifer blacks were vaporized; Their defensive emplacements turned to ash and scattered to the wind. The custodes' armor groaned under the effort, the energy shielding shattering with the sound of broken glass. Though the armor had saved their lives, they were flung into the great doors of the palace, the later of which were now covered in deep cracks and near torn off the walls they were connected to. Three of them did not get back up. The remaining seven struggled back to their feet, looking up to find the false angel now floating but a few metres above from them.
Without a moment of hesitation they opened fire on it. They knew the attempt was futile; If every weapon of the palace door hadn't been able to land even a glancing hit on this monster, their own weapons, while incredible advanced, would fail to do so as well. And yet still they fought. Still they struck out at the child, dutiful till the very end.
The false angel descended upon them with halberd in hand.
The crystal halberd clashed with the first guardian spear, pushing it away with a shove. The custodes stumbled, overwhelmed by the sheer power behind the strike. This wasn't strength born from the body like his was. This was psychically induced might. Rather than bring despair at the realization he was outmatched, hope bloomed within the custodes guard as the halberd moved faster than his companions could react, plunging through his helmet.
This meant that if they could just reduce her psychic powers...if they could just diminish her abilities...she would be vulnerable.
A deadly dance erupted between the remaining six custodes and the false angel. The child parried, struck, pierced. Outmatched in speed, in strength and in reflexes, they could only compensate with their numbers and experience. A discomforting situation for them, for the custodes were warriors without peer.
In under a minute, all six of them lay dead at the front of the great golden doors. The false angel did not pay the bodies a second more of attention, stepping over the rapidly cooling corpses as she walked through the front doors of the palace. A psychic shove forced the gates to slam open for her.
"FIRE!" The cry echoed in the great halls of the immense room she stepped into as thousands of guardsmen opened fire; Autocannons and lascannons in the hundreds blasting towards her. Five baneblades unleashed all their arsenal on her as a deluge of weaponry was released onto the False Angel.
She ran forth, her shield deflecting or absorbing all the attacks before jumping in the air, glowing power surging from her before she came crashing down onto the defenders, a shockwave of power blasting them apart. The guardsmen were simply crushed instantly from the impact whilst the baneblades were sent flying backwards, crashing into immense pillars of gold in a shower of sparks and parts. Those who somehow survived the attack felt a cold grip on their flickering souls gripping tight, ripping the life out of them as if plucking a hair. Soon the hall was filled with nothing but smoke, flames and corpses.
The False Angel continued on, a subtle flashing of her eyes as she casually walked. From behind her came the sound of heavy footsteps. Tall shadows were cast as creatures began streaming through the broken doors.
"Go forth and kill them all. I have an Emperor to greet." The horde of Hive Tyrants let out a low rumble as they charged forth, followed by their escorts of tens of thousands of warriors and hive guards, lumbering carnifexes trailing in their path.
As they dispersed throughout the palace, forcing many defenders to redeploy, she continued on her path alone. She walked into an immense corridor, tall enough to fit an Imperator titan in it and wide enough for an ordinatus to comfortably sit there. No one sought to stop her, and only the sound of her footsteps could be heard as she drew ever closer to her goal. She stopped halfway through the corridor, her eyes scanning her surroundings.
Her wings opened wide as she spread her arms.
A pulse of power traveled the room. Dozens of concealed assassins dropped to the floor clutching their heads in pain as the windows of the corridor exploded inwards, only to watch in horror as the broken pieces of glass gathered in razor sharp swarms before descending on them, ripping them to shreds.
The False Angel continued walking.
Room after room she traveled, finding defensive emplacements, turret nests, concealed assassins, tanks, artillery pieces...room after room she left desolate, annihilated. Defenders dead.
Eternity Gate drawing ever nearer.
When Occ arrived at Eternity Gate, he found it more heavily guarded than ever before; Save perhaps for when the Arch-Traitor's forces were trying to breach it and Sanguinius himself defended it from their rampage. But the Great Angel was no more, and no one could ever match their measure. They would have to do with what they had.
Two titans stood before the gigantic gates, colossus of steel and power, along with five thousand custodes. Half of their numbers. The rest dispersed through the rest of the Palace to prevent the frenzied tyranids from gaining a foothold, or far away among the stars defending mankind from its foes. He felt a pang of sorrow for those brothers far from home; Who would either learn of the attack too late to defend their Emperor, or would be unable to return in time. Knowing that they faced a threat so dire and being unable to help... He could not imagine worse torture.
Along with the custodes guard were a few hundred sisters of silence. Their secret weapon against Anya. Seeing what she was now capable of doing, he doubted it would be enough to snuff out her powers completely, but even Magnus the Red would not remain unaffected by the presence of so many blanks near them, let alone with them having trained and honed their arts. He felt the usual discomfort of standing near the null women, but as ever crushed it under duty and willpower. Their presence was far, far more important than his comfort.
"She is coming." One of the guards spoke.
"Yes. I doubt much will stop her on the way. But we must try."
"We will stop her."
"What other choice is there?" Occ muttered. "Regardless, I come to hold the gate."
"Then stand among us. We hold the line."
Harrison checked the magazine of his laspistol. Full. He'd considered taking a plasma pistol, but at this point...it made little difference. He didn't want the thing blowing up in his hand at an inopportune moment.
His eyes trailed around him to the large empty hall. He was alone. Occ had gone to Eternity Gate. Vela was busy trying to control the crowds outside, if she was even still alive. Ashley...he didn't want to think about Ashley.
He took a breath to steady himself. His nerves were getting to him.
Then, a groan of strained metal. He looked to the entrance door, the immense double doors that led into this hall. One of oh so many. He wondered how many could be housed in such a place whilst billions lived in homes barely large enough for them to stand. The doors creaked and cried out as an relentless force pushed on them before collapsing inwards. Then, from the now gaping hole, she appeared.
The False Angel.
The Tyranid Leader.
The Child.
Amica.
Anya.
He put his magazine back into the laspistol. The raw aura of power he felt from the winged child as they entered the hall was crushing; It burned his eyes to even look in her direction. And yet, look he did.
She noticed him. It must have confused her, a single regular human after so much resistance until then. He watched as she cautiously approached him. Perhaps she expected a trap. Were he so clever as to think of one he thought could work. Eventually, she stopped a few metres away from him. The aura of power had diminished, no longer making him feel like his lungs were going to get crushed or his spine snapped if she got just a little closer to him.
"You are either brave or suicidal to stand alone against me." She spoke softly. He took the time to examine her. She was so different from when he'd first seen her, all the way back on Secundus. How much had changed, both for her and himself. Except for her eyes. Those yellow glowing eyes full of power and hunger. "I've had a lot of both since arriving here."
"More resigned than anything really." He answered, pointing his lasgun at her. She didn't even blink at that. "And well, I thought that if I'm to die today, least I could is ask a few questions."
"You will have to remain unsatisfied then." She raised a hand towards him.
"Oh come now Anya." She stopped as he said her name. "You're clearly the chatty kind. Orks and eldar on your side? That's got to have taken some talking. And Occ told me you even exchanged words before trying to gut each other. Surely you can indulge a compatriot." She frowned, keeping her hand aimed at him.
"Compatriot?"
"You and I are nothing alike." She snorted at the obvious. "But we do share one thing in common. A homeworld." Her eyes narrowed, the air filling with crackling power.
"No one survived Secundus. I made sure of that. Except for..." Her eyes widened. "You're one of the people Occ was protecting. The one carried by the sororitas."
"Got it in one." He grinned. "The name's Harrison. I'm the one who's been in charge, Emperor only knows why, of trying to stop you."
"Haven't been very successful then, Harrison." He winced.
"Can't say I have." He paused. "So. Surely you can spare a few minutes to talk, right? I've been...I've been trying to figure things out, and I just..." He took a deep breath. "I would just like to ask a few questions before the inevitable." She stared him down.
"You are trying to distract me." She spoke. He shrugged.
"From what? Eternity Gate isn't going anywhere. A few more minutes isn't going to magically be enough to let enough troops suddenly join the battle to turn the tide. Either the custodes stop you at the gate or they don't. The rest is irrelevant at this point." He lowered his lasgun. "Indulge me, why don't you. You'll never get an opportunity to speak to someone who understands where you come from better. We're both from that hellhole. You owe us as much for killing the others."
"I owe you nothing." She snarled. Then, with a sigh. "But I suppose..." She looked around. "Fine. Ask your questions. But be quick about it." She shivered. "I can feel Him looking at me. I'd rip His eyes out if He had any left."
"Thank you." He thought for a moment. "I guess the biggest question is...how did this even happen? How did you become like this?" She chuckled softly.
"Ah. Of course. Occ asked the same question, but I suppose now I have a little more time to answer." She took a deep breath. Harrison was disturbed at how human her whole demeanor was. "I used to live in the undercity. The slums below level seven." He winced. He'd suspected as much. "You probably know this, but we were starving back then. The governor intentionally cut off the food supply and made sure we would all either kill each other or slowly die off one by one. Never have to worry about the scum causing issues ever again."
"Yeah. I heard about that. We all did." Her smile grew into a bitter grin.
"And you did nothing of course." He looked away.
"I...No. There is no excusing that." She seemed surprised at his admission. "What can I say? I was a coward. Afraid of what would happen to me if I were to speak up. To protest. We all were."
"...The Imperium has a way of making people like that." She softly said. "But regardless, I was a child back then. Starving. Hungry. There was no food for someone like me. What little was left was kept by the strong...and I was not strong enough. I was desperate. I wanted to live, no matter the price. I refused to die." She shivered. "So I crawled into the sewers where they dumped the corpses of the insurrection. I found the freshest one there...and ate from it." He looked sickly.
"Were you already..."
"No. I was human. Pure human." She giggled. "Just my luck he was a genestealer cultist. I should have died back then." He agreed, but for different reasons. "I started to change from there. By the time I realized what was happening, it was already too late." She shrugged. "I knew people wouldn't accept what I was. They'd try to kill me. So...I struck first. I grew, and grew, and multiplied, and took over Secundus. You know the rest of the story." Harrison stared at her, trembling in anger as she spoke.
"So...you're telling all of this." He clenched his fists so tight he drew blood. "The billions dead. Planets devoured! Terra aflame! All of this an escalation from...from a single hungry child?!"
"Then what should I have done? Sit down in the squalor, slowly dying, accepting of my fate? Hope things will change, knowing damn well they won't? Accept that some people were born lucky enough to have all they ever wanted, whilst the rest of us suffer for their luxury and just take it?! They keep telling us 'This isn't the solution, this isn't how you should change things!' but they never offer any solutions themselves! Or at least nothing that will actually change anything! We are told that this is the best way to do things, the only way that could work against the enemies of the Imperium but whenever someone so much as tries something different, the Imperium responds with overwhelming violence! Would you say a newborn's ideology was flawed because it was too weak to prevent its father from caving its skull in before it could grow strong enough to prevent it, or would you say the father is a violent maniac! The Imperium is the only solution because it made itself the only solution at the hands of a violent, genocidal tyrant who claims he wishes to see humanity succeed and yet has managed to plunge it in more suffering than ever before in its history! The chaos gods have existed for millions of years, the orks have existed for millions of years, but only since the Emperor has emerged has humanity known such suffering! ALL BECAUSE HE WAS TOO STUBBORN TO EVEN CONSIDER HE MIGHT BE WRONG! YOU THINK HIM SITTING ON THIS THRONE MAKES HIM RIGHT?! IT IS THE ULTIMATE PROOF OF HIS FAILURE! YOU CALL HIM A GOD?!"
"You think you're any better?!" Harrison snarled. "What have you done, besides kill billions upon billions of people out of sheer fucking spite?!" Her eyes glowed, and he could feel his mind being split apart. His thoughts an open book to the creature before him.
"Me being a selfish monster does not make my words any less true. Even should you defeat me here, you have already lost. You lost the day you were born in the Imperium and accepted it as a cruel necessity. You lost the moment a million million humans came to the same conclusion as you and chose to side with the monster that oppressed them as the lesser of two evils. You lost the day the first human ever gestured at this thing and acclaimed it Emperor." She glared at him as he felt her grip on his mind pull back, Harrison gasping for air as he was released, falling to his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "You were born a slave, and the day you saw your shackles you decided to embrace them out of fear of being alone to face the dark. I am selfish. I am a monster. In the eyes of any good person, I should be put down. And so should you." She leaned over him, looming over his coughing form. "You do the bidding of the Inquisition. You do the bidding of the Imperium. By your support you help them keep their power and their methods. You might be insignificant in your contribution and that may appease your conscience, but it is all of these insignificant contributions that make the Imperium and give it its power." Harrison barely managed to speak, pushing past the roiling emotions that coursed through him at her words.
"The irony of hearing a tyranid talk of small contributions making a greater monster..." He looked up at her. She had a pitiful look on her face.
"I am a Cog in the tyranid species. You are a Cog in the Imperium. I serve it because I want to. Because it makes me free. You serve it because you see no other option. And it keeps you enslaved. I am a monster, but you choose to pretend you aren't despite being the second worse type of monster there is: The kind that enables a bigger one. If more people had said no to the Emperor and chosen to try a different, better path, neither of us would be dealing with this shitty situation!" He stayed silent, stunned. "I do not understand why you care whether I win or lose against the Emperor. Regardless of the outcome, you have already lost." She rose back to her full height, her wings opening behind her making her seem far bigger than she really was. "I would offer you to join me, but we both know what you will say to that. Keep your delusion you are acting of your own free will, that you are working towards making the Imperium better."
"At least I tried to do something about it rather than destroy everything and everyone." He replied, getting back to his feet. "You're right. I'm a monster. But I joined the Inquisition to make things better damn it!" He opened his arms wide. "You think I don't realize the Imperium is a shitty place?! It's a nightmare that I can't wake up from! But it's either I give up and do nothing, or I try and do something about it!" She sighed, shaking her head at him.
"Working within a corrupt system to change it does not work. The only thing that does is to burn it to the ground and try again. Horus was right on that account."
"Do you even hear yourself?" He said with disbelief. "You would seriously argue Horus, fucking Horus, had a point?" She stayed silent. "Look, you and I both agree that the Imperium is broken. This whole system needs fixing. But destroying everything like some petulant child isn't the solution. It's an easy attempt to pretend like there aren't alternative means. I'm not saying it will be easy, but we can still change this. We can still fix Humanity." She closed her eyes, and there was a deep exhaustion in her voice as she spoke.
"I don't want to try again. I've already chosen my path. And it does not involve Humanity. Not as it is." He brandished his laspistol at her. There was a desperate look in his eyes, the horrified gaze of someone who finally understood.
"You'd erase it all? All our past, all that mankind is, all we have done for whatever fucked up version of reality you think would be best?!"
"See, that is the fundamental disagreement really here Harrison. You see Humanity as inhenrently valuable. Art. Music. Industry. The ability to admire the beauty of the universe. Love. But you fail to acknowledge something. None of these things require humanity to exist. None of these things have inherent value. There is no such thing as inherent value. You want to save humanity for you cannot comprehend that it might not be worth saving. You proclaim your existence as supreme and more valuable than any other, yet I cannot think of a single species that lives a more miserable existence for its average member as humanity."
"...I see there is no moving you from this course." He softly spoke.
"No." She simply answered. "Now, will you stand aside?" He aimed the lasgun at her head.
"You know I cannot." She nodded before, in the blink of an eye, she had thrust her halberd into his chest.
"I know." His eyes widened as his mind caught up with what had happened, blood pouring from the gaping hole in his thorax. He sputtered blood, falling to the ground. She watched as he tried to get back up, coughing more blood onto the ground before his arms gave out. A twinge of pity coursed through her at the sight. She kneeled before him, reaching out to him with her mind, intent on snuffing his mind without suffering, only for him to weakly slap her hand away.
"No!" He gasped. "No! You...you don't get to do that!" She could feel his life flickering, knew he was in horrible pain. "You don't get...don't get to kill, to hurt, to destroy, and then feel better about it with kindness!" He reached out, grabbing her wrist, forcing her to look at him. "You...you don't get to act the monster, and then the human the next moment. You don't have the right!"
"There's no such thing as right." She muttered, pulling her hand away.
"Morality is as real..." He hiccuped. "As rage...and sorrow...and anger...and love." He looked down. "I'm a monster. I...I lost myself. But that...that doesn't make me wrong." He echoed her own words, shivering. "Don't ever pretend...you didn't have a choice. We always have a choice." He closed his eyes. "Even...now..." His breath was raspy. Shuddering. Slowing down. "You still...have...a choice." His breath stilled. She stared at the body. He was dead.
Anya rose to her feet, still staring at Harrison's corpse. She looked at her blood soaked halberd.
"...Maybe so." She softly said. "But I made my choice a long time ago." Her eyes hardened as she looked ahead. "And so has He." She tried to ignore how her hands trembled as she cleaned the blood off her halberd.
As she reached the opposite side of the room, she glanced back to the body of Harrison cooling off the floor. Leaving him like this didn't feel right. She opened her hand, sending a blast of power towards him, incinerating the body. Her eyes turned back to the doors in front of her.
Eternity Gate awaited.
But first. She would need some reinforcements.
Occ felt the moment what the cultists had called Amica drew near. There was a change in the air; A tangible feeling of sheer, oppressive power. A weight that would not abate for even a moment. It took all of his training and strength not to show any signs of faltering. The sisters of silence seemed restless, their attention zeroed in on the end of the gargantuan corridor that led to Eternity Gate.
Finally, she appeared.
White wings fluttered in the air as she jumped in the air, floating a few dozen metres off the ground. She was so far away and yet his helmet allowed him to see her in perfect precision. There were five kilometres between her and them.
Then, more creatures began streaming from the open gates.
They seemed as humans; though grossly deformed and mutated into something that could only be recognized as a xenos. Strange creatures that walked on two legs but with many limbs and a frightening intensity to them. By the hundreds of thousands they followed behind the False Angel.
He'd heard of those from the reports of the fighting on Quintus. Hybrids. This was going to prove problematic.
The first attack came from the god-engines. Their powerful guns awakened with the sound of crashing thunder, the specialized flamethrower of the first titan roaring to life with a surge of hyper-heated liquid washing over the charging ranks of the hybrids. Immediately a powerful psychic shield snapped into place, the burning promethium splashing against it, melting into the palace floor. The hybrids let out a deafening screech, charging forward as one unified entity. Occ could see in their movements that these would be no easy opponent for even space marines. Their speed as they descended onto the custodian lines, who had already started firing on the approaching horde despite the psychic shielding protecting them, was clearly above that of regular tyranid entities. And the strange growths they showed were no doubt of potent combat use.
But the hybrids were not facing just any imperial force.
A hundred allarus terminators teleported in the middle of the spear head of the tyranid formation, instantly shattering the momentum the latter had as they began cleaving and hacking away at the hybrids with speed and expertise honed over millennia of combat and training. The hybrids were fast, strong and resilient, but even they struggled against the golden might of the custodian guard. As the terminators deep struck right into the hybrid formation, the first line of guardians charged into them, shattering whatever remained of the front line. They had no illusion as to breaking the morale of the tyranids; Such opponents could simply disregard these things. However, even they were susceptible to having their formation broken from losses and from sufficient amounts of shock and awe. In a matter of seconds, thousands of hybrids lay dead as the custodes lay devastation onto them. The psychic shielding seemed to only protect them from ranged attacks. The sisters of silence slid amongst the custodes, breaking the synaptic links between hybrids; Leaving them isolated and vulnerable from custodes coordination. The front line was turning into a wholesale slaughter as hybrid after hybrid fell whilst the custodes remained strong. For certain, a few custodes began falling. Isolated from their comrades, fell by powerful weaponry. The hybrids were no joke after all. But in terms of losses on each side, it was clear the custodes were dominating the fight by a crushing advantage. The titans seemed to come to the same realization regarding the effectiveness of melee, advancing towards the horde with blaring war horns and stomping onto entire groups of hybrids; the custodes expertly avoiding the immense metal feet with trained expertise. Occ felt a blossom of pride at the sight as he and many other custodes were held back in reserve. Committing their entire force at once against such a powerful psyker was asking for something terrible to happen.
As if summoned by his thoughts, he watched in controlled concern as the false angel, seemingly unbothered by the staggering losses her forces were taking and the continuous barrage of ordinance inflicted by the custodes still in reserve, raised both of her hands, the air crackling with psychic might. The sisters of silence were too far from her to have an effect. They would need to bait her lower, or bring some to her with the help of jet bikes.
His train of thought was cut short as the two titans began to slowly rise in the air. His eyes widened. There was no way. This couldn't be possible. Surely not. He could feel the disbelief of his companions in arms around him, staring in astonishment at the sight of the titans suspended in midair. The battle had slowed down as combatants were shocked out of their fighting before quickly returning to it, training and instincts breaking them out of their stupor. For a moment the two titans were left there, floating with their horns blaring and weapons desperately flailing about, firing half-hazardly.
Then came the creaking of metal.
The sound of metal pressured into a more compact form as immense force was applied all over. Shattered glass as the cockpit was cracked, hissing pressure as gasses were released from the collapsing joints. Occ watched in horrified fascination as the two titans were slowly compressed further and further, metal folding and bending onto itself. Blood spurted out as the crews inside were reduced to a thin paste, crushed along with the titans themselves until only two large balls of metal, five metres across each of crumpled steel and gears, floated above the battlefield. With a shove of the hand the two balls were sent flying into the lines of waiting custodes with such speed they were unable to dodge; A dozen of their best annihilated into gore as the compressed titans slammed into them at supersonic speed.
That was when Occ realized.
This wasn't the child he had faced back on Secundus, the one who had struggled to so much as land a proper hit on him. This was something far, far worse.
For the first time in his existence, he found himself unsure as to the possibility of victory.
Thankfully such a sight, whilst immensely discouraging, was not enough to shake the morale of the custodes and sisters of battle. They continued cleaving a deadly path through the hordes of the hybrid, slaying a hundred hybrids and more for every one of their own who fell. The sheer number of the hybrid meant that even this ratio was seeing the custodes and sisters of battle start taking some casualties. Another wave of custodes teleported into battle, reversing the tide once more and pushing the hybrids even further back.
Occ's heart sank as the angel's wings closed before she dived down to the ground, an explosion of power sending hybrid and custodes flying back in equal measure. In an instant, what had been a crushing custodes advantage turned into a desperate struggle for survival, let alone victory. He watched as she danced amongst the custodes with speed and strength he could not have dreamed off; power so great it could crush titans with a thought, easily tearing the bodies and armor of the custodes guard. There was something different in how she moved, how she battled. It wasn't like when she fought him, with this great love of it and simple desire to clash and challenge herself. Here was deadly precision and no room left for the opponent to center themselves. The custodes charge was turned into a route as they began retreating towards their fellows, hoping to reconstitute and prevent more losses through isolation. It was a nightmare watching the false angel running fleeing custodes down and tearing them with her crystal halberd. He noted how the presence of sisters of silence near her clearly slowed her down, allowing custodes to match her strength and speed much closer.
"HOLD THE LINE!" The captain general bellowed, the custodes line before Eternity Gate bracing themselves as the last of those who had gone ahead regrouped with them. "CUT THEM DOWN AND CAST THEM BACK INTO THE ABYSS THEY CRAWLED OUT OF!" In a private channel, Occ heard the voice of his captain general speak to him. "Occ. As long as Amica lives, victory will be beyond us. We can kill as many hybrids as we want, it does not matter if she can pick us off one by one whilst we do so."
"I have an idea." Occ whispered back. "Gather our best, and as many sisters of silence as you can." He did not need to explain his plan. Already the captain general was contacting custodes guards on private channels.
Of the initial hybrid army, over half laid dead on the floor. Still hundreds of thousands remained and they charged at the custodes line, screaming in unison: "AMICA!". Occ's attention was solely on the False Angel as she rose up in the air once more, white wings wide open before dive bombing once more towards the custodes line, her psychic shield bombarded by bolt fire and other more esoteric weaponry available only to the custodian guard. The shockwave that erupted at the point of impact was exactly what the hybrid needed to breach the golden line, the fighting erupting suddenly and violently. Overall the custodes had the clear edge over the hybrids once again, cutting them down and annihilating them whether they were gathered; But as soon as the False Angel would enter an area, the fighting would turn as the custodes were caught between fighting the hybrid and seeing themselves be killed rapidly by the childlike tyranid abomination.
Occ charged towards the Child; Sprinting through the ranks of custodes until he reached the front of the battle, cutting and hacking apart hybrids in his path towards Her. He snarled as he stomped on a crawling hybrid, swinging his blade and slashing the head of another before shooting a bolt shell into a third before they could lay a finger on him. Once he was close enough, he called out in a booming voice.
"ANYA!" The child faltered as she was about to splatter the head of a sister of silence on the floor. The sister tried to use the opportunity to focus her powers on the false angel, and he saw how she winced, managing to side step the greatsword swing from the sister before kicking her head off.
"Occ." She softly said, turning towards Occ. The hybrids gave them a wide berth, continuing to fight the custodian guards around them; Seemingly growing enraged whenever they engaged with the sisters of silence, sending hundreds of themselves onto each they encountered to ensure they could not get close to Anya. "It has been...some time."
"Let's spare the pleasantries." Occ harshly answered. "You have done too much harm. Your very presence here is sacrilege, let alone your intentions."
"...Do you hear yourself Occ?" She asked, turning to him. Despite the wings, she looked so similar to that child he had fought back on Secundus. If it wasn't for that look in her eyes... "You sound just like them. The ones outside these walls. The hordes of wailing fanatics." She chuckled gently. "I wouldn't have taken you for the kind to hold these sort of beliefs." Occ glanced at his display. The captain general and sisters of silence were moving towards him, a formation that did an expert job at not resembling one. Many custodes were slowly gathering nearby as if forming a new front, ready to follow up on the opening Occ was creating. He needed her attention focused on him. He needed to buy time.
"We fought once on Secundus." He leveled his guardian spear towards her in an obvious challenge. "I should have killed you then. I will rectify that mistake now."
"You really should have." Anya nodded. "Though you had your reasons I suppose...I sparsely could have imagined I would have reached that point back then."
"You begged me for a fight back then." Occ activated the bolter function of his guardian spear. "You won't have to this time." He fired the shot. Anya simply reached up, plucking the bolt shell from the air.
"Really Occ?" She sighed. "This isn't Secundus. You aren't stupid, you know this. You know that you have no chance against me." She chuckled. "Custodians are tough, but they aren't titan tough. If I could crush these two so easily...what makes you think you have any more of a chance?" She frowned. "You wouldn't. You're smart." He internally cursed, rushing at her, swinging his blade towards her only to find himself suspended midthrust, paralyzed by psychic power as she held a hand up. "You're not the threat. You're the distraction." Occ's breath caught as the captain general lept into action. Three dozen sisters of silence burst from the nearby ranks as the custodes guards beat back the hybrids; And he saw how Anya faltered at the sudden drain on her powers. Her grip on him slipped for an instant; An instant was all he needed. In unison with the captain general he struck, both of their blades cutting into the child's form. The captain general's blade went for the neck whilst his went for the midsection. They immediately met resistance; The skin far more resistant than it looked as Anya's wide eyes flickered with burning power. The sisters of silence were stunned into paralysis so focused they were on trying to shackle down the terrible power the tyranid child held.
As his blade cut through skin and flesh alike, Occ felt his body start to slow down as the dreadful power of Amica wrapped around him once again, pinning him in place. He cursed as he saw the captain general in a similar predicament. Both of their blades had cut through half of their targets; Blood splattering on the floor as the child gasped, immobile. He was paralyzed once more; But it seemed she was in the same length unable to move lest she release her grip on them both. He heard the captain general grunt, exerting all of his strength against the shackles that held him, the child's eyes flaming yellow power.
It was a stalemate. The sisters of silence could not move. Occ and the captain general were paralyzed. Anya could not do anything lest she release her grip on them and perish. Around them the battle reached a fever pitch as hybrid and custodes clashed against each other, trying to get to the stalemate without letting the opponent through as well. Occ felt a mixture of despair and frustration crawl through him, snuffed out by the burning determination that flowed through him. This was their one chance! The blade the captain general wielded was no ordinary blade. They were of course aware of the tyranid's ability to resurrect; Brought back to life by some xenos bio-psychic technology. But here and now, in the sanctum of the Emperor, with sisters of silence dampening her power, and a blade capable of sundering life from a creature...they could end this. They could kill her for good. They could...
"AMICA!" He watched as a hybrid managed to pass through the ranks of the custodes at the cost of many of his own, losing half of his limbs in the process. A custodes guard reached out to him but had to stop as more hybrid tried to use the opportunity, forced to go back to holding the tide. He watched in horror as the hybrid rushed them.
"Oh no you don't!" One of the sisters of silence broke from her trance, slashing at the hybrid before he could lay a hand on her. Occ wanted to scream as he saw the burning light in Anya's eyes return full force.
"SISTER, NO!" He screamed as the child opened her mouth.
And Screamed.
The sisters fell to their knees, screaming in turn as their eyes began bubbling; Their ears bleeding as the psychic backlash hit them the hardest. Occ was thrown back, managing to keep a grip on his blade as the captain general was unceremoniously cast back into the horde of hybrids. Immediately they set upon him, but the captain general was not so easy an opponent to best. In an instant there was a ring of death around the leader of the custodes as he set about charging Anya once more. But the sheer number of hybrids pressing on him prevented him from doing so, forcing him to watch helplessly as Occ stood alone against the tyranid aberration.
Occ's hands were shaking. His body was aching and he could feel the strain of that attack burning through his body as the child began marching towards him, wings open wide as her eyes burned with light, her crystal halberd held in her hands. He noticed how her eyes were still flickering, how she seemed to be cautious in her step. She hadn't recovered fully, though her physical wounds were already fully healed. This was his chance.
No words were exchanged between the two fighters.
Both rushed at each other in a burst of speed as the organic blade of the halberd clashed with the guardian spear of the custodian guard. Occ looked down at his smaller opponent, feeling the strain in his arms as he tried to push his weapon down on her only to find himself unable to do so. They were matched in strength, it would seem. He was forced to take a step to the side to prevent one of her wings from slamming into him; The child using the opportunity to strike at him. Only his centuries of experience allowed him to dodge the blow, having seen it coming before it could make contact. Something flashed in his HUD and he lashed out, catching the wing with his guardian spear before tearing down; Severing it at the root. She cried out in surprise at that, taking a step to the side to avoid his second blow...
Right into the path of a las cannon shot from a distant contemptor dreadnought. Anya's startled eyes widened as Occ saw the realization come to her. Occ wasn't fighting alone here. Whilst most of the custodes were stuck fighting the hybrid, some were skilled enough or had the gear to intervene in the fight, even if it was only for a single blow. He watched the burned hole at her side regenerate in an instant; But in that instant she had misstepped and he struck out once more. This time, his blade caught her in the ribs, burning through skin, muscle and bone alike. He knew this wouldn't be enough; It would need to be a killing blow or it may as well have not happened at all. But before he could do the finished blow he watched as she twisted her body, allowing him to tear a larger chunk out of her body in order to free herself from his grasp, her remaining wing connecting against Occ's side. He let out a pained choke as the strength behind the blow sent him reeling back, his armor's shields flickering. He saw the cracks in the armor as he caught himself right as the child lept at him, eyes blazing with fury. He parried her thrust with expertise and she answered in kind; Their weapons a blur as they exchanged blow after blow, parried and clashed, side stepped and dodged. Another lascannon shot almost hit the child, but this time she had expected it, almost pushing Occ into the way of it. He thankfully managed to stop himself by digging his heels into the ground, grinding against the palace stone, but this moment of weakness was ruthlessly exploited by the child.
Her halberd cracked through his armor, jabbing at his side into his flesh.
His sight grew clouded for a second as he pushed her back, his gait faltering as he continued battling the tyranid creature. But even as he grew weaker with each wound, her blows grew heavier. Her speed increased. Her powers were returning to her, and fast. He could see how more of the custodes had managed to find opportunities to fire, only to find their attacks blocked by the shimmering shield she summoned around them. And yet still she clashed against him, and he thought he saw in her eyes that same spark of excitement he'd seen all that time ago on Secundus.
This time however, he could not keep up. He could not hope to overwhelm the child, could not hope to crush her. The opportunity had passed.
It was over for him. Anya raised her halberd and brought it down with impossible strength, her body crackling with psychic power in what was sure to be a final blow.
"ONLY IN DEATH DOES DUTY END."
Occ's blade glowed a brilliant golden light as he blocked Anya's blade. His armor shone like the sun's brilliant glare as he counter-attacked, the immense power within the thrust forcing the tyranid back. Her eyes widened as her mouth stretched into an impossibly wide grin.
"OH YOU CLEVER FU..." Occ lowered his guardian spear towards her and pressed the trigger.
The bolt shell crashed into Anya with speed that should have shattered it on firing, glowing with holy power. It pierced right through her defenses, carving a hole into her abdomen. Occ watched in wonder as the wound began to heal, but far slower than before. Whereas before such damage would have been fixed in milliseconds, it had taken three whole seconds for her to recover from this attack. He of course did not pause to admire this, simply observing it as pressed the offensive on her, slowly pushing her back. And yet even as this sudden burst of energy flooded him, so did his opponent's full power return to her, eyes burning with yellow light as his own cast a golden glare her way.
"BACK TO THE ABYSS WITH YOU!" He thundered as the blades clashed, sparks of gold erupting at the blow.
"I WILL NEVER BE FORCED BACK INTO THE DARK CORNERS AGAIN!" She snarled, yet her face was lit with happiness. "YOU'VE BEEN HOLDING UP ON ME OCC! OR IS YOUR MASTER FINALLY REALIZING HOW BAD THE SITUATION IS THAT HE'D TRY SUCH A DESPERATE MOVE?" She managed to slip a kick past his guard, his armor cracking under the heavy blow. The golden aura around him softened it, but he still felt the air escape him.
"WERE YOU NOT ASKING IF HE SEES YOU?!" Occ retorted. "HE DOES NOW! AND HE GRANTS ME THE STRENGTH TO STRIKE YOU DOWN!" He slashed his blade in an arc, severing both of her wings in a single blow. She cried out in protest, jumping back to avoid the blade aiming for her neck.
"EVERY SINGLE MOMENT OF MY LIFE, SOMEONE HAS BEEN TRYING TO KILL ME! BE THEY HUMANS OR GODS, XENOS OR HERETICS, I WILL FACE THEM HEAD ON!" She struck a pose then, pointing her blade at him as she gathered her power, the air around her vibrating as the ground shook and cracked. "NEVER AGAIN SHALL I SKULK IN THE DARK! I WILL LIVE IN THE LIGHT, AND DAMN THE WORLD IF IT WON'T LET ME!" She grinned. "NOW COME ON! LET'S FINISH THIS!"
"Fine." Occ lowered his guardian spear towards her. He could feel the power of the Emperor coursing through him. Empowering him. Fuelling him.
Killing him.
It was too much power for even a vessel like himself to handle. He couldn't keep fighting forever. This next blow...would be his last.
Regardless of the outcome.
The impact of their blades sent a shockwave of gold and yellow power throughout the corridor. Hybrid and custodes alike that had been fighting nearby were blown away, crashing into each other; Singed and burned from the intensity of the aftermath. A sound like crashing thunder echoed through the halls as each combattant pushed against each other, desperately trying to gain the upper hand.
Occ's body burned with heat and pain as he felt his muscles dissolve, his bones disintegrate.
He just needed to hit her.
Just...just a little more.
Just a little longer! His body...his body! Just a little more!
His grip faltered as she let his blade pass, stabbing her in the chest.
The blade slashed through his neck.
Occ fell to the ground, his neck nearly cut straight through. His body was collapsing under the strain of the Emperor's power, falling apart even as he bled out on the palace floor.
Anya slowly walked to him, holding a hand over the gaping hole in her chest. With a bloody cough she kneeled in front of him.
"Ha…you nearly got me there Occ. You tough bastard." She chuckled. "I guess I win this one. Score's one each." Occ remained silent. "Come on. Not even a quip?" He found it strange that she didn't sound mocking. If anything, she sounded melancholic. "I've been chasing your strength for so long. And now that I finally overcame you…I can't help but regret it." She reached out to him, touching his helmet. "...Goodbye Occ."
"Occhultus." She blinked at him. His voice was raspy. Strained. "My name…is Occhultus."
"Occhultus." She said softly. All around them the battle raged, projectiles bombarding the psychic shield she'd raised. "I am sorry."
"Then stop." He breathed out. "Stop this madness. It's not too late."
"It is too late." She whispered. "It's been too late for millenia."
"Promise me to…to just consider. Consider mankind in your decision." His eyes found hers. "You are a monster. But your…your decisions affect trillions today. Please."
"...I promise." She softly said. "But I will not stop until I have won." His eyes closed.
"..."
"Occhultus?" She asked, prodding him. He didn't move. Didn't breathe. "Oh. I guess that's that then." Hesitantly, she held his helmet in her hands. With a burst of power, she burned the body. He had earned his death in service to his ruler. She didn't want to risk herself being tempted to bring him back through biomancy. She rose to her feet. Watched the battle around her. The ranks of the hybrids and the custodes alike had grown thin; Both having torn into each other and suffered heavy losses throughout the battle. The custodes had lost thousands of men. The hybrids millions. Barely a few sisters of silence had survived the frenzy of the hybrid. "Smith." She spoke aloud. "I will meet you on the progenitor ship." The hybrid general, dueling with a custodes, answered in a strained voice.
"Understood. For Amica!" With that, he braced himself.
Anya rose into the air, unleashing her full might as she descended onto the surviving custodes, reaping devastation onto their numbers. She stabbed, crushed, lifted them in the air and crumpled their bodies.
It was a massacre.
The hybrids were hardly any better; Her bursts of power reading countless of their numbers. By the time she was finished, Amica stood alone in the corridor. The last of her hybrid had fallen against the custodian guard. The last of the guards had fallen to her.
She stood alone before Eternity Gate. A place of myth she had only ever heard of through legends and whispered stories on her homeworld from distant travelers, trickling down into the slums until all semblance of accuracy was lost.
The immense golden gates stood imposing before her. An image of the Emperor triumphing over the enemies of mankind gloriously represented as a near divine figure.
She felt small. Trembling. She bit her lip, disgust roiling through her. She was strong! She had overcome planetary defenses forces and tanks, sororitas and astartes; Orks and eldar, titans and the adeptus custodes themselves! She had triumphed over them all, conquered all within her sight, defeated all that threatened!
So why was she so scared of opening these Gods Forsaken Doors?!
She was Amica! The Angel of Salvation! The Tyranids Leader! The ruler of the hybrids, breaker of Craftworld and Slayer of the Avatar! She was Anya, and she had survived all the attempts to smother her even back when she was at her weakest!
And yet…
And yet.
Standing before these gates made her feel like the trembling, starving child she had been back when she had taken that decision on that fateful day.
When she in her desperation consumed the flesh of the dead, unknowingly taking the tyranid DNA within her.
She took a deep breath.
There was no going back now.
She placed her hands on the doors. Such small hands. She could have chosen any form. A towering giant, a powerful, vengeful angel of destruction. An abomination that would rival the tallest spire of the greatest cathedral. An eldritch nightmare the size of a void ship.
She was a child as she used her powers to push the doors open.
Eternity Gate opened.
Occ: "So you want me to one v one the alpha level psyker."
Emperor: "Yes."
Occ: "The one who turned two titans into glorified tin cans."
Emperor: "Yes."
Occ: "Aight bet."
Emperor: "Sick."