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Ignis felt as if he'd been thoroughly beaten, but at least his mind was clear. The Mirror of Absorption had pulled him into an illusion, attempting to corrupt him.
But it seemed only partially successful.
Ignis felt his body separating from the power armor; the dragon-scale decorations on the exterior were reverting from real scales back to mere engravings.
"I didn't expect you to break free. I thought you'd become some half-dragon fused with your armor," the voice of the Khorne daemon snarled in his ear.
"I have no desire to become such a twisted thing." Ignis felt some of his strength return—the Belisarian Furnace had activated.
"True. I prefer this body to one under my control," the daemon laughed, "But only after I personally occupy and reshape it."
"You'll never get that day." Ignis felt his anger surge, his body returning to something resembling normalcy. Of course, the weakness from his injuries had not entirely faded.
"Ha! Then you better stay vigilant. I'm always watching—you show the slightest flaw, and your body will be mine." The daemon was not losing the verbal sparring.
The Salamander lifted his head. The Mirror of Absorption had been destroyed, lying shattered on the summoning platform. The shards that reflected the darkest desires and fears were scattered across the stone.
But that wasn't enough. Ignis could feel the power the Emperor had granted him; golden flames danced in his hands. He hurled a fireball at the mirror's remnants, and the last fragments of the daemon construct were consumed by the Emperor's golden flames.
He felt his soul grow stronger. Previously, he couldn't project a fireball outside his body, and now its potency had not diminished.
His body had undergone a certain degree of mutation, likely linked to the argument in his mind…
An argument with Jane Doe…
But Jane Doe had been a guise of some great being…
And the one arguing with her was a spawn of the Brass Throne…
These two had been vying over his soul. His body… Ignis didn't dare consider what mutation had occurred. Judging by the axe and what he had seen, it was likely he was shifting toward a medieval Warhammer dragon-like form…
Ah… thank the Emperor for saving my life…
Wait… he almost called him Yellow-skinned one…
Damn it!
The Khorne daemon had no idea what Ignis was thinking, but its expression shifted from annoyance to panic, then joy, and finally to lifeless gray—Ignis imagined the process must have been entertaining.
"You better stay alert—the battle isn't over!"
The daemon's words snapped Ignis back to reality. Cerakos was still engaged with the Slaanesh Daemonettes, clashing furiously. Gotthardt faced off against Sinera, both evenly matched.
A simple assessment: rescue the Lamenters first, then gang up on that blasted Sinera.
Thanks to the Belisarian Furnace, Ignis was in a brief, euphoric resurgence of strength. But the state would not last long; he had to end this battle quickly.
"For the Emperor!"
Ignis let out the most devout battle roar of his life, golden flames engulfing him.
The chainaxe roared in response. In the slaughter of Slaanesh's minions, it cared not who he partnered with.
The Daemonettes had all focused on the dashing Son of Vulkan, and when the roar exploded, they froze. The Salamander charged through them, chainaxe and thunder hammer tearing limbs and spraying blood.
Seeing Ignis restored, Cerakos finally exhaled in relief. Though their friendship was short-lived, The Salamander had earned his respect.
He had few friends here; losing any of them hurt, especially since Ignis had helped him so much.
Back-to-back, the two warriors fought again. That sense of having someone cover your back felt incredible.
"I thought you wouldn't make it back." Cerakos teased lightly. "I was already planning your eulogy; we haven't known each other long, so there's a lot I don't know."
"Then don't trouble yourself." Ignis smiled. "I just sparred with some heavy hitters in the psychic realm—still alive."
Both attacked the surrounding Daemonettes simultaneously. Reinvigorated, Ignis was like a raging boar, his chainaxe and thunder hammer fangs of fury. Limbs flew, and within moments, the lesser Slaanesh daemons were reduced to shredded corpses.
"He suddenly seems… ecstatic," Billy observed from afar, turning to Nicole. "Any idea why?"
"Who knows…" Nicole replied, rolling her eyes at Billy while consulting with Zhu Yuan.
"Then Nicole, shall we move out?" Zhu Yuan nodded solemnly.
"Alright!" Nicole patted her chest, grabbed Billy's hand, "Let's go."
"Where to, boss Nicole?" Billy asked, confused.
"To help, of course. We're not here to watch a show." Nicole didn't answer him, instead cocking the cannon and loading it.
The Slaanesh Daemonettes didn't last long. The two Space Marines, enhanced by higher-dimensional beings, treated these lesser daemons as if killing chickens. Even when weapons missed, some immense power caused parts of their bodies to vanish.
Ignis felt his psychic power significantly increase—likely due to the portal connecting to the Warp.
Sinera never expected such a sudden reversal. It had seen the mirror control the mortal, his body mutating, his soul destined to fall into the Prince of Pleasure's hands.
Yet in moments, the tide turned. Not only had he broken free, but his aura was stronger than before. His reinforcements eliminated, now he faced three on one.
Previously, it could rely on psychic spells and its body; now its psychic reserves were nearly drained maintaining the portal, and it had lost a hand and a claw.
It couldn't comprehend, nor did it want to.
To avoid the Leviathan's heavy strike, Sinera leapt high, only to be intercepted. Cerakos's jetpack propelled him forward at terrifying speed; the Daemonettes barely raised their swords in defense.
This time, she no longer had four arms. Continuous fighting and blood loss had slowed her reflexes.
Cerakos feinted a stab, tricking her into a horizontal block, then swung horizontally. The strike was aimed at her head, but the gemstone in her hair deflected it slightly, cutting off one long ear instead.
After missing, Sinera adjusted, but the Salamander awaited on the ground. Having lost her hand moments ago, she forced a strong attack.
A dagger flashed toward Ignis—but he did not dodge. He activated his psychic shield.
Golden flames enveloped him, and the dagger vanished the instant it touched the fire, as if it had never existed. Had it not been withdrawn so quickly, another injury might have been inflicted.
Ignis would not let her escape reckoning. Old and new grudges were to be settled together. Chainaxe and thunder hammer struck repeatedly, their power relentless.
Sinera dared not confront him. Even ignoring the psychic flames, those two weapons alone could annihilate her body. She could only evade, her resentment rising. The toxins she left in the Space Marine might still work; if prolonged, she could at least claim his life…
She was dreaming. Behind her, a gust of wind announced Leviathan's colossal foot descending. If it landed fully, nothing would survive.
The Slaanesh force used its last psychic energy to retreat, vanishing into the Warp, reappearing before the portal.
No options remained. Sinera, the notorious and vile Slaanesh daemon, finally realized she could not win—but she could not give up.
"My master, accept my final offering!" She thrust her claw toward her own chest.
"Not on my watch!" A shot deflected her claw; she did not pierce her own heart.
"Smart move, boss!" Billy fired, "Starlight Knight Phantom!"
Automated fire struck close-range, the impact pinning her. Her self-sacrifice plan failed, and the jetpack-wielder would descend—had it all truly ended?
Her gaze swept the mortals near the portal. She seethed—her final plan foiled by mere mortals!
She lunged through the explosive shockwave, rage surging. She would make these mortals pay with their lives!
Her claw fell toward Zhu Yuan, but the peacekeeper held her aim steady.
Crunch. The claw struck a chainsword, wielded by a white-haired girl, who remained calm, fearless.
A combat automaton?
Her thoughts drowned under bombardment. Nicole and Zhu Yuan fired remaining rounds at her head. High-concentration ether temporarily disoriented her.
For Anby, that was enough.
The chainsword roared, slicing into the claw. The demon's muscles were tough; the degraded chainsword failed at first.
Anby pressed down with all her strength, knowing the demon's final struggle demanded success. Failure meant slaughter before the Space Marines arrived.
The chainsword surged, engines erupting with unprecedented power. The Salamander's forged blade cut through bone, finally ending Sinera's reign of terror.
Sinera, the infamous Slaanesh daemon, fell to a group of mortals.
"Is it finally over…?" Zhu Yuan lowered the riot gun, stunned by the day's events.
"It's over, my friend." Cerakos landed, helping her up. "Unfortunately, the outcome isn't ideal."
Zhu Yuan understood—no one had been rescued, and many officers and equipment were lost.
"At least we avoided the worst-case scenario," Ignis said. "Their invasion failed."
"Is that all you wanted me to see?" Zhu Yuan looked into the giant's eyes.
"I'm sorry; I didn't expect it to escalate this far." Ignis exhaled, voice fading, body tilting. Cerakos caught him.
"I can't hold on anymore…" he whispered, losing consciousness.
The Belisarian Furnace's temporary enhancement had limits. Once he relaxed, he collapsed.
"Feels like it always ends this way…" Billy muttered.
"Wait! The portal is flickering!" Anby noticed.
Everyone tensed. It seemed the ordeal wasn't over.
Cerakos gripped his sword, ready to strike. Gotthardt aimed his cannon at the portal, prepared to fire.
But emerging from it was a squad of Space Marines.
Clad in night-black power armor adorned with bones, flames burning eternally around them, they saluted Gotthardt before beginning to install a device on the portal.
"Melta bombs!" Cerakos recognized immediately. "Move back!"
Once the mortals and the unconscious Primaris Space Marine cleared the blast radius, the mysterious Marines detonated the melta bombs, even standing on the portal themselves.
Flames roared skyward, and the black-armored Space Marines vanished with the portal. The fog over the area dissipated.
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