This was a bet, one I have now won. Please enjoy the story this chapter might be a bit more charged than usual.
BEGIN:
A fleet of airships flew high over the desolate and irradiated sands of northern Afrik. Their engines burned hot as they cut through the desert air. At the head of the formation soared four massive flying dreadnoughts, their immense bulk supported by six enormous, esoteric engines. The ships moved like lethargic predators, their guns scanning the skies for any threat.
Four maw-like openings lined each side of their hulls—long, gaping hangars designed as twin corridors from which aircraft and dropships launched. Within them, hundreds of Thunder Warriors and mortal troops prepared to board transports. The Thunder Warriors were restless—some bounced on their heels, others cleaned their weapons, anticipation coiling through them like a drawn bowstring.
Nearly all action ceased when Naruto's bronze-armoured form entered the hangar bay. He was surrounded by his Honour Guard—some of the largest and most fearsome Thunder Warriors in his legion. Across the four airships, he commanded a force of nearly half a million Legiones Cataegis, the brutal hammer of the Emperor's will.
They had been dubbed The Heralds of the Voice—the carriers of the Emperor's word, whether it meant deliverance or destruction.
"Primarch Urson," one of the warriors stepped forward. He was dressed more elegantly than the rest, a red cloak lined with gold draped over his shoulders. "My Liege," he growled.
Their faceplates mirrored each other—both fashioned in the image of snarling beasts. But where Urson's helm was a pale bronze, Naruto's gleamed bright gold, a radiant sunburst etched into its crest.
"Are the legions ready for deployment?" Naruto asked.
"At your will, my Piorum. All Cataegis are armed and awaiting your orders. The army is prepared to land alongside the armor divisions and siege engines."
Naruto nodded.
"Good. Prepare for the worst. Hope for the best."
"No truer words spoken, my Piorum."
They clasped arms before Naruto turned, striding toward his personal gunship.
He passed through the ranks of his warriors, each one bowing or kneeling as he moved by. After several moments of travel, he arrived at his own flier. Among the surrounding aircraft, its utilitarian design was stark and bold—more practical than ostentatious. He entered, followed by his Honour Guard, each one taking their place as the ship hummed with restrained energy.
Then the signal came—a sharp blast of a war-horn—and Naruto felt the familiar rumble of engines igniting. The craft lurched forward and peeled away from the carriers, its hull trembling as it dove through the air. His boots mag-locked to the deck as turbulence rattled the frame. They soared toward the city now rising over the horizon—a city of pyramidal technology and sweeping sand dunes. The perimeter wall that encircled it could have held a hundred men standing abreast.
There was no flak. No challenge. The city, though clearly alert, restrained itself. They dared not fire on unknown powers.
And so, Naruto landed unharried. Three gunships touched down beside his own. The rest of the fleet landed just outside the walls—massive bulk landers following behind, disgorging engineering vehicles and artillery in precise, pre-drilled formations.
The doors to Naruto's flier hissed open. One of his Honour Guard stepped out first, his armour gleaming in the bright morning sun. Then came Naruto, his imposing form casting a long shadow, followed closely by the rest of his entourage.
The first thing he saw were the golden-armoured soldiers awaiting him on the landing pad. While taller than the average man, they were still dwarfed by the Thunder Warriors—lesser in height, in mass, and in presence. Their ornate armour, though beautiful, looked tarnished and ancient beside the polished bulk of the Emperor's chosen.
"State your name and business amongst the Old Kingdoms," one of the guards said, speaking in surprisingly fluent Low Gothic — clear enough that Naruto required no translation.
"I am the Herald. The Voice. I speak for the Emperor of Himalayzia, Uniter of Terra. I come bearing a message for your ruling house."
His words sparked hushed murmurs across the landing pad as servants and civilians watched from a safe distance, eyes wide with curiosity and fear.
A tense moment followed. Then — a sudden psychic pulse radiated outward from the heart of the city, like a flare from a distant watchtower. It washed over them in an unseen wave.
Naruto's bodyguards reacted instantly. Their armour runes flared, weapons half-drawn, snarls rising in their throats — war-beasts ready to strike. The pulse resonated against their enhancements, triggering long-buried instincts.
But Naruto raised a single hand — calm, composed, absolute. The warriors halted as one. He didn't take his eyes off the guard in front of him, the glow of his helm dimming slightly as his expression turned cold.
"I… I apologize for the misunderstanding, your grace," the guard stammered, clearly unnerved. "One of our Generals is on her way to receive you."
He tried not to stare too long at the Thunder Warriors, whose very presence seemed to weigh on the air like a storm about to break.
Naruto gave a curt nod, his voice silent but his irritation tangible. Being forced to wait grated against him — but patience was often the sharpest blade.
The wait, however, did not last long.
A new figure approached with steady strides — and to Naruto's mild surprise, she radiated an unexpected presence.
She was a woman of medium height, standing only to his lower chest when he allowed his true form to stretch to full stature. But she carried herself with regal confidence. Golden curls framed her face, stark against her dusky skin, and her amber eyes glowed faintly — not with artifice, but with innate power, as if the sun itself had kissed her irises.
She wore a mix of lacquered armour and ceremonial furs, the attire of both warrior and noble. More striking, however, were the intricate golden tattoos that curled along her face, arms, and collarbone — shimmering faintly with every movement. They weren't mere decoration. Naruto's enhanced vision caught the subtle warp-fluctuations dancing along them: arcane scripture, etched not just in ink but in soul-binding script. Marks of oaths sworn, powers claimed, and perhaps even ancient contracts upheld.
She stopped a few paces away and inclined her head in a formal greeting.
"I regret not meeting you upon arrival, my lord," she said. Her voice was smooth, firm, and entirely unshaken. "I am Sahriel, Lady of the Fifth Cohort and Master of the Golden Sands."
She extended her hand — steady, respectful, and utterly unafraid despite the monstrous figures that loomed beside him.
Naruto studied her for a moment longer, then reached forward, accepting the greeting.
"I am the Herald of the Emperor; my name is Naruto, the Emperors voice." She smiled lightly bowing her head.
"Follow me Lord Herald, I shall take you the queen."
Sahriel turned and began to walk towards where a skiff awaited them. Naruto walked beside her as his bodyguards followed. Her guards were already aboard eyeing the approaching thunder warriors with some apprehension.
As they boarded the skiff Naruto heard it groan lightly beneath their weight. A small snort made its way from the general that stood beside him.
Naruto glanced down; his eyes filled with a slight bit of mirth. "I apologise for any damage done to the skiff General, my warriors and I have had too many good meals lately." The thunder warriors behind him chuckled. But so did Sahriel, a loud guffaw left her at the joke.
"Please my lord call me Sahriel, and it is fine, our vehicles are not used to warriors of your… Majesty" she said with an exaggerated bow. Naruto only chuckled.
"Then call me Naruto." She smiled slightly and nodded.
They said nothing as the speeder took off, heading towards the main pyramid like palace at the centre of the city, it took barely 5 minutes of travel to reach the landing pad for the Palace, where another delegation of larger warriors awaited them. These were closer in size to the thunder warriors and seemed to be augmented with cybernetics rather than the genetic enhancement and Gene therapy. Plates of chrome, servo joints and glowing ocular lenses showed them as something engineered by a mechanic rather than a biologis.
Sahriel slowed slightly as they approached the warriors.
"These are Gyptus's finest—the Djetari," she said with an almost reverential tone.
"They may not be as old as your warriors, but they will get the job done."
Her slight smile was clearly visible to the Godling.
Naruto looked them over, admiring the craftsmanship of the warriors. Their plate was polished to an almost reflective sheen, and they seemed to track his every movement, their glowing, mirrored eyes catching the fading light.
"Very impressive—both loyal and strong," he said.
His comment earned him a small but appreciative smile from the General, though she said nothing further. They were soon guided toward the entrance of the grand palace—twin obsidian doors tall enough to admit a Warhound-class Titan. They were flanked by ornate golden pylons that shimmered faintly with the telltale scent of a void shield.
As they approached, the shield deactivated with a soft hum. The massive doors creaked open, revealing the palace interior—no less grand than its exterior. Sky-blue banners lined the walkway, each bearing the sigils of the High-Queen. Ambient light, now dimming with the setting sun, came from enormous crystals that floated unaided in the air, their glow pulsing like stars in orbit.
Servants scurried to avoid the oncoming warriors; their eyes fixed to the ground as the heavy tread of armoured boots echoed through the hall. After a minute of walking, they reached another set of doors, this time gilded in gold. Two more cybernetic guards stood vigil, their glowing eyes following Naruto and his entourage in absolute silence.
Sahriel turned to him then, her expression sharpened. "After you meet the High-Queen, come find me."
She stepped close, slipped a small note into a hidden compartment in his armour, and tapped it lightly.
Her touch lingered for a breath—just long enough to imply urgency, secrecy. Then she turned and walked away—just as the gilded doors began to part with a sonorous groan.
Inside, nearly a hundred people had gathered. Naruto judged them to be the lesser nobility of the kingdom. Some wore loose-fitting robes in desert hues, while others were draped in elaborate cloaks embroidered with metallic thread. The air was thick with incense, perfume, and tension.
And then he saw her.
The Queen.
A relatively short woman, with skin the colour of burnt umber. Her hair was hidden beneath a silk wrap, and a delicate veil concealed her face. Yet even so, Naruto could see golden tattoos etched into her skin—sigils and patterns that pulsed gently, as if echoing a heartbeat.
And he felt her.
She was an anomaly in the Warp—present and yet not. Her psychic signature was sickly-sweet, hauntingly beautiful, and undeniably human. It clung to the air like incense in a tomb. A disturbing sensation, subtle in its pull, but unsettling all the same. Naruto pressed on, unshaken.
Beside her stood a man adorned with countless cybernetic enhancements. Chrome ribs gleamed through torn fabric, and servo-lenses whirred softly across his bald, tattooed skull. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of Naruto and his guards as they stomped into the chamber. All conversation ceased as the guests turned toward the newcomers. Silence fell like a curtain.
A herald stepped forward and intoned with ritualistic gravity:
"You stand before High Queen Ephrit of the White Sands—High Prophetess of Gyptus and Reader of Dreams."
"Definitely a Psyker," Naruto thought, narrowing his eyes as he prepared to speak.
"I am the Herald of the Emperor of Mankind," he said, voice firm and unwavering. "Heed my words. We come in peace. We offer you the choice to join our Empire—to embrace the future of Humanity. Or refuse... and take up arms against us. In doing so, you will face the rage and hammer of the Emperor himself."
His words landed like thunder. The room stood in stunned silence.
The cybernetic man—General Mekhet, Naruto assumed—straightened, his gaze sharp and unblinking, trying to stare him down. Naruto saw the discipline in his stance. Former soldier. Possibly a warrior still.
Then the Queen spoke. Her voice rang out like a chime struck in a cathedral, resonant and layered as if more than one voice spoke in harmony.
"You come here with no gifts," she said, each syllable sharp as glass, "bearing daggers and knives... and then ask for my cooperation?" Her tone dripped with scorn. "I've heard of your so-called Emperor, and the war he wages against faith. I know what becomes of those who do not bow."
Her words were venom, spit with elegant disdain.
Naruto remained unmoved.
"I have the hounds of war at your gates," he said. "I suggest you choose your words carefully, Your Majesty."
He flared his power.
A radiant corona, comparable to the sun itself, exploded outward from him—blinding all who dared to look upon him directly. The pressure in the room thickened. The Queen recoiled, and the golden runes on her skin burned bright with reactive power, flickering in pain or warning.
"You have until sunrise," Naruto said. "If we receive no answer... we march."
He turned, his cloak billowing behind him like molten silk, his warriors falling in line. The great doors groaned shut behind them with a finality that echoed like a tolling bell.
"Was that wise, Shield-Brother?" one of the warriors asked, his voice low as they descended the steps toward the palace gates. "She may choose to fight now."
"If she does," Naruto said flatly, "then that will be a death sentence for her people. Let us hope she has more sense than pride."
Behind them, unseen within the throne room, the Queen's lips curled behind her veil.
"Then let your hammer fall, golden one," she whispered to herself. "We'll see what breaks first."
As Naruto walked, he caught sight of Sahriel standing near the skiff that had brought them. Her eyes were narrowed, her stance tense, hand resting near her sidearm. The note she'd slipped into his armour burned faintly against his chest—unread, yet ominously present.
"Naruto."
She spoke quickly, her voice wavering slightly as she glanced around.
"I think the Queen wishes for war. I cannot let that come to pass. She hasn't been herself since the ritual she performed to gain those marks. She's changed… and not for the better."
Naruto considered her words.
"You believe she may be witch-marked?" he whispered, his helmet allowing his words to be almost subvocal.
"Perhaps. I need your help. Some others and I—we want to remove her from power. Convince her to step down if possible… but if not…"
"Then we kill her."
M42 — The Warp, en route to the Chalnath Expanse
The Bucephalus had rearmed at Baal. After reinforcing the planet, Naruto and his forces were granted free reign of both the orbital station and the nearby Forge World. Naruto's personal Tech-Priests had already begun repairing vital systems, assuming temporary control of the world's production.
Dante had initially refused the Raptoris augmentation offer. But seeing its effects firsthand—and with some gentle pressure from Naruto—he had finally accepted. The transformation left the venerable Chapter Master standing a few inches taller than even the Primaris, faster, stronger. It was a drastic change—but a welcome one.
Now, Naruto's fleet traveled toward the Chalnath system, responding to an urgent request for reinforcements. A volatile four-way war had erupted—Genestealers, Tau, and Orks locked in endless bloodshed. Recognizing the threat, Naruto moved his forces into a supportive position.
Aboard the warship — Naruto's personal sanctum
Deep within the hull, Naruto meditated.
Memories flowed through his mind as he centered his breathing. With each exhale, the Warp seemed to ripple, bending around him like heat off scorched stone.
Then—he paused.
The very air stilled.
"I know you are there, Aeldari."
There was a soft whump—soundless footsteps, light as breath on glass, crossed the deck behind him.
"Even gods seek silence. How… comforting."
The voice was soft, tinged with the unmistakable lilt of an Aeldari speaking Gothic.
Naruto didn't open his eyes.
"You walk uninvited, yet speak as if welcome?"
There was a flicker of humor in his tone. He felt her circling—felt the subtle psychic resonance brushing against his mind like silk on skin.
He knew who it was.
"I felt your presence echo through the Webway," Yvraine continued, unshaken. "A pulse—golden and angry. A storm pretending to be still… pretending to be normal."
She smiled.
"Tell me—do you meditate to find peace, or to keep the Warp from consuming you?"
A single golden eye opened. Light bled from it like molten dawn.
"I meditate so I do not forget my role… nor who I was before I received it."
Yvraine studied him, intrigued.
Now Naruto rose—unarmored, yet no less formidable. He towered over her, though he moved with no malice.
"So there is a man beneath the titles and grandeur. And here I thought you were naught but an automaton."
She smiled—too perfect, a mirror to Naruto in her own way. Eyes glowing blue. Impossibly composed.
"Why are you here, Yvraine?" His voice was calm, but carried finality.
"I know you helped save my younger brother. But that cannot be your only reason."
Yvraine tilted her head, silver-blonde hair catching the flickering light.
"I came for two reasons," she said, lifting one delicate finger.
"To see whether the Herald of the Emperor could become more than a voice. More than a symbol."
Then she raised a second finger, her tone darkening.
"And to give you a warning."
"She Who Thirsts still plies the Warp for your soul. They want you—to corrupt you, to envelop you. If they succeed… the galaxy is lost."
Naruto stiffened.
So… she was still out there.
Yvraine stepped closer. Her voice turned almost gentle.
"Perhaps you could be a bridge… or just another corpse to feed your god."
Naruto's eyes narrowed.
"I will not die. Not today. Not any time soon."
Yvraine laughed—beautiful and wrong, the kind of laugh that could make a mortal both swoon… and violently ill.
"I shall see you soon, Godling. Do not disappoint me."
And then she vanished—fading like mist as the Warp settled in her absence.
Moments later, the chamber doors hissed open. Two squads of Auxilia entered first, weapons raised and alert. Colonel Sascha followed behind.
"Is that really necessary, Colonel?" Naruto asked with a note of amusement.
Sascha shrugged.
"One of the Astropaths felt… something. It brushed the hull—right here. We couldn't risk you getting gutted a year out of the Warp."
Naruto chuckled softly.
"You know I don't go down that easy."
She gave a wry smile and tapped two fingers to her temple in a salute.
Then her tone shifted.
"On another note—we've arrived in-system. Command's diverting us to the Hive World Vorotheion. Genestealer uprising… and a Tau incursion. Our pickets are already engaging the Tau fleet. They weren't expecting this kind of force."
Naruto nodded just as servitors entered, bearing his sacred warplate. One Tech-Priest began chanting binaric liturgies, intoning praise as the rite of armouring commenced.
"Have the fleet prepare for orbital drops," Naruto ordered. "Scout drones and servo-skulls over every contested sector. I want full theatre awareness."
Sascha nodded, already tapping into her dataslate.
An hour later, the command lander broke atmosphere, descending toward Hive City Vertitium.
Even from the skies, Naruto saw smoke columns rising like pyres. Whole blocks burned as ragged Imperial defenders held thin lines against waves of xenos monstrosities. Purestrain genestealers clashed with hybrid cultists in violent confusion.
Beneath them, desperation reigned.
Naruto issued a series of sharp orders across the command vox.
"Drop bulk landers at all major intersections. Reinforce any surviving Guard bastions. Lock the city down street by street."
Below, troop carriers disgorged Solar Auxilia, Sisters of Battle, and Skitarii en masse. The skitarii, with void-sealed augmetic bodies, surged forward through gas-choked ruins. Sisters fought in tight, disciplined formations, pushing into sectors where even heavy armor faltered.
Sascha turned from the command feed.
"Dracosan transports and Leman Russ squadrons are holding points B9, 7A, and F3."
Naruto nodded.
"Excellent. Tell them Astartes will reinforce shortly. No ground is to be ceded."
Their shuttle banked toward the primary hive spire—a blackened needle rising above the carnage. Reports said the governor was still holed up inside.
Their ship docked at one of the upper landing bays, where PDF troops waited nervously. As the ramp opened, the Celestian Sisters of Battle strode out first, weapons drawn. They quickly secured the zone, muscling aside protesting PDF guards.
A small convent in alabaster power armor awaited at the far end of the hangar. The lead Sister and a Guard General knelt as Naruto approached.
"Rise. Situation report," Naruto said curtly.
The Sister stood first.
"Your Holy Eminence—I am Canoness Preceptor Veriel. The capital is under siege from within. The enemy are genestealer cultists who call themselves the disciples of the Pauper Prince."
Naruto didn't break stride, forcing the group to keep pace as he moved, Sascha and his bodyguard flanking him.
Then the general spoke.
"I am General Vorsasion, my lord. We've managed to contain them to the middle hives and the lower habs… but only just. We're outnumbered and cut off from the manufactorums."
Naruto's voice was steel.
"Not for long."
He halted. The Canoness halted almost immediately by the PDF General stumbled a bit, regaining his composure only moments later.
"I will personally be taking to the field. Remind the Governor that he no longer has command authority and I will be taking control of the situation." The PDF General stuttered but nonetheless agreed.
"Good." He turned to the Canoness, and the woman immediately lowered her head.
"Lead me to the slaughter."
She bowed in reverence as Sascha rolled her eyes. "As you will it my liege."
———————Half an hour later ——————————-
Naruto leapt into combat, his golden glaive flashing as it bisected three Brood Brothers in a single sweeping arc. None could come close to matching his divine might as he led the breakthrough.
Around him, his Astartes surged forward, bolters barking and chainswords roaring as they tore through the cultist fodder. Sisters of Battle and Auxilia fought at their sides, while the Imperial Guard brought up the rear with disciplined volleys.
The bark of bolters was deafening as they drove the spearhead deep into the enemy lines. More twisted forms emerged from the smoke—Brood Brothers and xeno-cultists falling like wheat before the scythe.
Suddenly, an Auxiliary was seized and torn in half as a behemoth Abominant crashed through the flank. Towering above even the Astartes, it rampaged with horrifying strength, buying its kin time to regroup.
In its shadow came the Aberrants—hideous mutants strong enough to crush a Chimera with their bare hands.
Naruto turned, golden eyes narrowing. He recognized the tactic immediately.
"They're trying to split the counterattack," he growled.
To the astonishment of the mortals who had joined his crusade this millennium, Naruto's form swelled—growing in size until he matched the Dreadnought-sized behemoth. The two giants clashed, the beast swinging a grotesque, industrial hammer at the Herald's face.
Naruto met the swing with a thunderous punch to the haft, shattering the weapon and sending its head hurtling away—crushing several cultists in its arc. The beast bellowed in fury, the sound rupturing eardrums and shaking the ground.
It lunged with a meaty fist, but Naruto slipped aside with inhuman speed. He retaliated with a brutal uppercut, ribs splintering beneath the blow. As the beast reeled, he locked it in a headlock, its malformed limbs thrashing in vain.
Nearby, a Reaver carved the head from an Aberrant with surgical precision, his combat knife sawing through sinew and bone with unearthly skill. Naruto spared a glance—his forces, bolstered by Sisters and Auxilia, had sealed the breach, pushing the Genestealers back once more.
The Abominant thrashed until Naruto wrenched its head sideways with a sickening snap, tearing the misshapen skull from its shoulders. The corpse slumped. He released it and raised a palm—the glaive flew back into his waiting grip.
He raised the weapon high.
"BURN THE XENOS, KILL THE XENOS. FOR THE EMPEROR!" he roared.
His cry echoed across the battlefield, a rallying cry answered by warriors drenched in gore, still driving the faltering enemy before them.
"BURN THE XENOS, KILL THE XENOS. FOR THE EMPEROR." His shout was echoed by his warriors as they continued to butcher the now faltering genestealer forces.
Suddenly, the vox crackled.
"High command, this is Delta-One. We've got an unknown contact in Sector D—moving faster than anything we've seen. It's not a purestrain. It's… something else."
A moment later, the squad's vitals flatlined.
Naruto narrowed his eyes. He tapped the Vox redirecting it.
"Sascha, redirect drone coverage to Sector D."
She complied immediately. Moments later, pict-feeds came online. Appearing within His helmet.
The image was grainy, distorted by smoke and ash—but unmistakable.
A woman moved like liquid death through the hive. Graceful. Bladed. Inhumanly fast. Her body was a blur of obsidian armor and whipcord muscle, twin blades carving through genestealers and cultists alike in a dance of impossible precision. Their claws never touched her. They couldn't.
His eyes narrowed. Of all the Xenos he had fought there were very few that fought like that. Like a storm of blades and blood.
"A Wych."
Sascha was composed but Naruto could hear the slight worry in her voice. "What in the frack would the drukhari want with this hellhole?"
Naruto stood atop the mound of corpses, his golden glaive dripping with the ichor of the slain, his crimson cloak fluttering in the ash-choked wind. The battle had turned, the enemy thrown into disarray—but now, something new stirred. Not a mindless beast or one of the xeno's twisted cultists, but a predator. One born of artistry and agony.
He stared into the still image frozen in his HUD—paused at the moment she turned her head slightly, as if aware she was being watched. Her eyes—what little he could see—glinted with cruel intelligence. That was no accident. She wanted to be seen.
"A Wych," he repeated grimly. "And not just any."
His thoughts were already racing. The grace, the kill-count, the poise—it all whispered of Commorragh's most elite gladiators. Perhaps even someone he'd crossed blades with before.
Sascha's voice cut through his thoughts again. "Shall I flag the sector for recon? Or… containment?"
"No. We don't move on her unless she moves on us," Naruto replied. "But I want eyes. Every drone, every auspex, every pair of binoculars watching that sector. If she's here, it's not by chance."
He turned, stepping down from the pile of bodies, golden armor gleaming even through the grime. His warriors instinctively parted before him.
"Make sure our wounded are pulled back. Reorganize the line. And tell the Sisters they've earned their wrath today."
He paused for just a moment before adding: "And if she comes closer… I'll deal with her myself."
Deep within him, something stirred. A memory of pain and exhilaration, of the arena and its blood-soaked sands.
A whisper of Commorragh.
He clenched his glaive tighter.
This world was not done bleeding yet.
It was two days after that battle when she was seen again.
Barely a kilometre from Naruto's position, Lelith Hesperax led her Wych cult into battle. Strangely, they rarely attacked the Imperial forces—only striking back when targeted. It irritated Naruto, but there was little he could do beyond issuing orders for his troops to avoid them.
Then came the crucial moment.
Naruto led his forces deep into the underhive. The power supply for the upper spires had begun to fail, and intelligence confirmed that the Genestealers were advancing toward the hive's core.
That couldn't be allowed to happen.
A Hellhammer Baneblade led the way, crushing debris, vehicles, and corpses beneath its massive treads. Naruto stood atop the vehicle, unmoving as a statue, while Sascha clung to the cupola nearby. Unlike her commander, she wobbled with every jolt of the tank's motion, and it was only thanks to her helmet that she hadn't brained herself already.
"Target acquired," came the muffled voice of the tank commander. "Genestealer barricade. One hundred meters."
The barricade ahead exploded with movement—mutant strains and purestrains bursting forth with primal violence. Cultists surged behind them, backed by ramshackle vehicles. Several Broodlords stalked the advancing tide like monstrous kings.
The Hellhammer spoke.
A thunderous boom shook the underhive as its main cannon fired. The shell struck home, the detonation vaporizing chitin, flesh, and ferrocrete in a single, blinding flash. Chunks of xenos and twisted metal evaporated beneath the concussive force. A crater was all that remained.
Naruto felt the echo of the blast in his bones. It would have deafened or killed a normal man outright. But he was not normal. He was built for war.
The Hellhammer didn't stop.
It advanced like a force of nature, even as a second wave of Genestealers poured in. The tank's sponsons roared—flamers and bolters unleashed in a devastating storm that shredded anything foolish enough to come close. The xenos were driven straight into the cannons of oncoming Chimeras and Dracosans.
It was surgical, brutal, and efficient.
Battle Sisters and Auxilia troops stormed from their transports, bolters and lasrifles blazing. The streets turned into a killing field. Naruto watched from his vantage, noting the precision of the kill zones. It was textbook execution.
"Sir."
Sascha's voice cracked over the vox. "You're going to want to see this."
A camera feed flickered to life on his HUD. One of the rear servoskulls had picked up movement on a rooftop—a blur of motion, too elegant and deadly to be mistaken for a cultist.
A female figure danced among the ruins, twin blades glinting like starlight. Genestealers lunged, only to be flayed mid-leap. Her strikes were impossibly fast—every cut fatal, every motion a blur.
She was back.
The Queen of Knives.
Naruto's eyes narrowed behind his helm. Lelith Hesperax—the Drukhari Archite—moved with horrifying grace, like violence personified. A purestrain lunged, but her blades found it first, slicing it apart before it could screech. For a heartbeat, she met the servoskull's gaze.
And smiled—black lips parting to reveal sharpened, pearl-white canines.
Around her, her wyches struck like a tide, slaughtering Genestealers with merciless glee. A purestrain was flayed alive within seconds. Sascha looked away, sickened.
"She's not fighting them," she murmured. "She's playing."
"Agreed," Naruto replied. His voice was iron. "It's time I confronted our little coven."
He leapt from the moving Hellhammer, his impact cracking the road below.
"Sascha, coordinate the forces. We meet the Wych cult at the Hive's core."
It took half an hour of relentless fighting before the Genestealers finally broke. Their morale shattered, the remnants of the cult retreated deeper into the hive or fled toward the underhive tunnels.
The Imperials were merciless.
Phosphex grenades were thrown into every entrance, followed by sealing foam and adamantine plates. Anything that lived below was now ash.
It was then that Naruto saw them.
The Wyches didn't hide.
They emerged from the shadows as if they'd always been part of them—barefoot, silent, barely dressed in armor that glittered with sadistic artistry. Blades glinted in the dim lighting, and eyes burned with challenge.
Then she appeared.
Lelith Hesperax.
She was beautiful—horrifically so. Her long crimson hair shimmered with razor-barbed strands that caught the light like woven death. Her armor left her midriff and thighs bare, revealing pale, honed flesh marked only by battle and precision.
An alluring sight by any measure.
But Naruto's gaze did not waver.
He stared her down, even as her Wyches surrounded him in a loose crescent. His Astartes bodyguards formed up beside him, weapons raised—but not aimed.
Not yet.
Both sides stared each other down. The silence was almost deafening.
"Why are you here, Wych?" Naruto was the first to break it.
"I go where the hunt is greatest, Kurnisethlin," she replied, a lilting smirk plastered across her face. "Not to mention—you've made quite the mess." She gestured lazily at the ruins around them, still smiling that infuriating smile.
He removed his helmet. His eyes, faintly glowing, met hers as he stepped forward.
"I didn't come here to impress you," he said, his voice low and clipped. "You've been cutting down Genestealers like weeds. Convenient… but uncharacteristic."
She tilted her head, crimson hair slipping over one obsidian eye. "Oh, Little War-God, I never claimed I fought for your cause. The cult was in my way. Now it's gone." She began to circle him, a finger tapping at her lower lip. Her Wyches mirrored her pace, like shadows peeling from the walls.
Naruto's men tensed—fingers on triggers, bolters half-raised—until a single gesture from him stilled them. His gaze tracked her predatory motion.
"You are not here by accident. Nor by happenstance."
She laughed—a rich, throaty sound. One that might have been pleasant, coming from anyone else.
"No, I'm not," she admitted. "But don't pretend you don't enjoy this, Bronze Beast. You didn't leap off that tank just to scold me."
Naruto's eye twitched.
"Then why are you here?"
She came closer, barely a meter from him. "Because the Hive is dying, and I hate watching prey rot. Because your enemies amuse me, and I'd rather kill them than be bored. And maybe…" Her hand traced a lazy circle in the air between them. "Because I find you… curious."
The last word was barely a whisper, but he caught it.
He tilted his head slightly. She mirrored him, as though mocking his thoughtfulness.
"Curious?" he echoed. "That's a new one."
"Don't let it go to your head, Mon-keigh," she whispered with a mocking smile. "You're just a distraction from the endless ache of perfection."
"I'll make you a deal," Lelith said at last, her voice dropping to a more serious tone.
"Let my cult pass through your warzone unharried. Give us one spoil of war from each sector we clean. And in return…" Her smile widened, flashing those wicked canines. "We play nice with your pets."
Naruto stared at her. Golden met obsidian—day and night in silent contest.
"Very well. You have my promise—for now."
"I knew you'd see reason, Aurach-Khaineir," she purred, Aeldari silk slipping into her Gothic. "I always did have a thing for conquerors."
She winked, then melted into the shadows. Before she vanished completely, her voice echoed back:
"Oh—and Yvraine says hello."
Then she was gone, her entire Wych cult trailing behind her like smoke.
Naruto watched them go, unmoving.
Sascha's voice cut through the silence behind him.
"…You're really going to let her walk? Her?"
"For now," Naruto said, staring down one of the wider tunnels. "She's not the worst thing down here.
FIN
I bet yall weren't expecting this huh. Pretty much back to back. And before you ask yes I was baited into this by some of my good friends on the discord. Come join and see me call them all the slurs under the sun.
We've even got someone from Quebec there just ask for Warsage. And Dan. You know what I'm gonna say to you.
Like always fuck the rule of embers and fuck V shred. I'm on holiday up north so i'm having fun.
Anywho TILL NEXT TIME