Chapter 8: The Story of Retribution pt 4

-M29.583. Ultramar Regnum. Sword of Ultramar-

Raias fixed his gaze upon the shifting battlefield, which now seemed to favor the Ultramar Auxilia. In his heart, a glimmer of relief flickered. He knew that if victory continued to smile upon them, there was hope for his father's survival. Yet, the relentless question of why his brother had turned traitor lingered in his thoughts. There was no logical explanation for Stelan's betrayal. Staunchly devoted to the Imperial Truth, Stelan should have been a shield against the corruption of the Primordial Annihilators. But reality had unfolded in the most unexpected way, leaving Raias perplexed about the challenges his younger sister must be facing.

"Gratina," Raias uttered softly.

"Lord Raias," Thalia, the Ferrous Mind of the Sword of Ultramar, reached out through their psychic connection.

"Ah, Thalia. I apologize for not addressing you since my arrival," Raias replied, a bittersweet smile playing on his lips.

"Is something troubling you, my lord?"

"Just a gnawing worry," Raias confessed, pausing to contemplate. "It's a persistent worry, nothing more."

Thalia, with her unique insight into Raias's inner world, picked up on the undercurrent of unease in her master. Sensing his emotional turmoil, she employed her psychic abilities to provide a comforting presence.

"Have faith that your father will return," Thalia reassured him patiently, employing auditory and psychic touch stimulation to bring solace to her master.

Raias hid his concerns deep within, though they continued to simmer beneath the surface. He couldn't help but ponder the multitude of possible outcomes unfolding on the distant planet. The casualty reports from this disaster weighed heavily on his mind, a somber reminder of the price paid. The loss of hundreds of billions of lives, the destruction of entire systems, and the obliteration of valuable resources were stark realities. Barren worlds could be recolonized, shattered star systems could be rebuilt, but the souls lost in this tragic encounter would forever be ensnared by the Primordial Annihilators, condemned to an eternity of suffering. It was a sacred right for every human to merge with the Anathematic energy of the Master of Mankind, evolving into a guiding light for future generations. Yet, this right had been cruelly snatched away from the loyal citizens who had devoted themselves to the Imperial cause.

Raias remained locked onto the holovid, his transhuman mind digesting a relentless barrage of data, dissecting names, recounting events, and absorbing the raw accounts of the battlefield.

"I demand answers," Raias declared with an acerbic edge to his tone. "I need answers from Stelan."

The Ferrous Mind paused, acutely aware of the surging anger and emotions emanating from her master. She made a renewed effort to soothe Raias, but this time, the tempest of his emotions outstripped anything Thalia had ever encountered. For a brief moment, she glimpsed a flicker of golden light deep within Raias' soul, a sensation that felt oddly familiar, gradually seeping into her own consciousness.

"By the Emperor," Thalia whispered in amazement, captivated by the revelation.

But before she could fully grasp the import of this golden glint, Thalia sensed a powerful shockwave rippling through the entire vessel and the Ether. The shockwave jolted her original form, momentarily paralyzing her with its enigmatic force.

"Prepare for impact!" Thalia's telepathic voice echoed through the minds of the ship's crew.

Raias snapped out of the haunting thoughts that had consumed him. He immediately sent a mental command to his nanite armor, which swiftly enveloped his body. As his armor clicked into place in an instant, he drew the Sword of Agator from its sheath, ready for whatever might come their way.

The entire crew donned their respective armors, and the battle automata were readied in the chamber, anticipating the worst-case scenario. Then, the wave struck Sword of Ultramar. This wave not only injured Thalia's material anchor but also damaged her existence within the Ether. Thalia screamed in agony, feeling as though her very soul was being seared, and it disrupted the circuits of consciousness embedded in Ultramar's pride. This tremendous wave didn't just harm.

A rift in reality appeared right in the chamber, shattering all the concepts and laws that composed the material world. The Ferrous Mind used her remaining psychic power to suppress the Empyrean blood's influence from entering the material realm any further. Thalia also employed all the technology available on the Sword of Ultramar to contain the breach.

The rift acted as an incessant gateway, ceaselessly disgorging the corruptive energies of daemons and Primordial Annihilators. By Thalia's calculations, what emerged from the rift was of an entirely different order of magnitude.

"Prepare for enemy boarding actions, everyone!" the AI's voice echoed through the ship, rallying the crew.

Raias, too, had an inkling about the identity of the being that would step through that rift. His intuition had given him a hint about the mysterious figure on the other side.

His grip tightened on the sword as he activated all the systems in his armor, setting them to high alert.

"Brother," he hissed, brimming with venom and anger in his voice.

The fracture in the fabric of time and space unveiled its sinister architect. A figure adorned in menacing obsidian armor, towering nearly five meters tall, exuded a malevolent aura, causing everyone on the deck to experience nausea and revulsion.

This was the true form of the Primordial Annihilators as they laid waste to everything they touched. The once-glorious beacon of hope for the entire Ultramar Regnum had mutated into an abhorrent entity, born of the malignant tumor that had seized control of the Immaterium.

"Stelan," Raias uttered with razor-sharp precision.

"Ah, look who we have here, my beloved little brother," the abomination retorted with a distorted voice.

"You are not my brother, heretic," Raias spat, drawing his sword with unwavering determination.

Before the abomination could respond, a barrage of attacks was unleashed, followed by Thalia activating Warp Suppression technology throughout the deck. The nauseating experience it induced in all the humans, briefly severing their connection to the Warp, paled in comparison to the torment suffered by Stelan. His body, now composed of Warp energy, writhed with searing pain that enveloped his senses.

"Do you think I was unprepared, puppet of Anathema?" From the thin air, Stelan conjured a sword wreathed in eerie blue flames. With a single deft stroke, the sword cleaved through reality, opening a rift for the chaos of the Warp to flood into the material realm. It devoured all the attacks directed at him, rendering the technology wielded by Thalia ineffective.

Raias gritted his teeth, enduring the pain as his Vagras organ worked tirelessly to suppress and neutralize the corruption emanating from the Empyrean Sea. The attack had inflicted substantial damage to the deck, causing critical instruments to malfunction. Emerging from behind Stelan, a multitude of grotesque flesh golems moaned in agony, their rotting flesh and cascading blood sullying the adamantine floor.

"Brother," Stelan taunted, his eyes locked onto Raias. "Why not embrace the ultimate truth—Primordial Truth!"

Raias felt a surge of disgust and disdain, his body recoiling from the abomination's words. "I'd rather die than be a part of your so-called 'truth,' abomination."

"Ah, so resolute," Stelan sneered, savoring every moment of Raias's struggle to accept his offer. "You're blinded by the false light of Anathema, my brother."

"Is the Primordial Truth your excuse for slaughtering billions and betraying your own kin, Stelan?" Raias's voice dripped with anger, the intensity of his gaze burning like a raging inferno. "I reject it now, and I always will."

"Such tenacity," the Chaos Champion growled with a twisted grin.

Every flesh golem around Stelan advanced towards Raias, their agonized groans reverberating through the air, their bodies wracked by the Warp's energy. Raias stood his ground, moving forward with a sword that gleamed with a disruptor field.

Raias wasn't Ultramar's most exceptional swordsman, far from it, especially compared to his brother. Nevertheless, he needed to tap into every ounce of his potential to emerge victorious. With precision that seemed impossible, Raias wielded his sword, guided by calculations from his WAR-CASTER. His transhuman reflexes and augmented analytical abilities combined to turn him into a whirlwind, cutting down Stelan's golems with effortless grace. His artificer sword had been meticulously crafted with a specialized disruptor field, allowing it to not only slice through physical matter but the ethereal as well.

Bodies and gore were flung in every direction, staining the grand deck of the Sword of Ultramar. The young Solar Auxilia felt a searing burn from within, a telltale sign that his Vagras was putting up a fierce fight against the Warp's intensifying corruption with each step he took.

Flesh golems continued to emerge from the rift in reality behind Stelan, flooding the chamber with their grotesque presence. They faced not only Raias, who was relentlessly tearing them apart, but also the adamantium automatons under Thalia's control.

Thalia, the Ferrous Mind, used her powers diligently to counter the effects of the reality rift caused by Stelan's ominous blue sword. It threatened to expand and obliterate everything in its path. Her methods ranged from deploying Omniphages to repairing vital instruments within the chamber to reinforcing her anti-warp defenses.

"I suppose I have to put you down," Stelan muttered, a hint of irritation in his voice. He raised his hand and waved it with the grace of a conductor directing an orchestra. A soft hum emanated from his fortress. For the flesh-bound abominations, it was a living nightmare.

The wave resonated through the Sea of Souls, spreading like a voracious virus, seeking to consume the souls of anyone in its path. It effortlessly claimed many transhuman lives in the Ultramar fleet, rending their souls asunder in a predatory fashion.

This wave embodied the anguished cries of a little girl, accompanied by deep and mournful sobs that penetrated the empathetic souls of those who bore witness. Once it entered, the harrowing screams of the girl would shred the sanity of her listeners.

Thalia experienced the wave crashing upon her like a thorny tidal wave relentlessly tearing at her very essence. This was no ordinary wave; it was a potent force originating from a soul as mighty as its creator. Through swift analysis, she deduced that the wave came from a psyker of Alpha Plus magnitude.

Thalia swiftly delved into a deeper analysis of the wave, fine-tuning her calibration to identify its weaknesses and devise a countermeasure. Yet, in an instant, her demeanor shifted from focus to sheer disbelief.

"Lord Raias, I bear grave tidings," Thalia conveyed to Raias, who was in the midst of cleaving through a grotesque flesh golem.

"What is it, Thalia?" At that moment, Raias inexplicably tasted a bitter foreboding, like an impending omen looming over him.

"The recent wave," Thalia paused for emphasis, "It was the agonized cry of Lady Gratina."

In that very instant, Raias felt like the world crumbled around him. The transhuman warrior was briefly caught in a moment of shock, rendering him vulnerable. The relentless flesh golems exploited this opening, closing in on him. It was in this instant that Raias erupted with a fiery fury. His sword, honed with inhuman precision, sliced through the grotesque creations, laying waste to the creatures surrounding him. Raias sprinted toward his former sibling, sword poised with unwavering determination.

A duel of blades ignited between the two, a poignant clash of brothers.

Raias launched an unrelenting assault, each strike easily parried by Stelan. The battlefield witnessed a fierce showdown, an intricate dance between two transhuman titans. As the battle raged on, Raias could feel the weight of exhaustion settling in, the relentless warp energy taking its toll on his body. However, Stelan appeared untouched, a twisted grin on his face as he effortlessly deflected Raias's relentless blows.

"Feeling fatigued, dear brother?" Stelan taunted, his laughter reverberating through the intense duel.

"What have you done to our sister, Stelan? How dare you!" Raias retorted, anger fueling his every swing of the sword.

"The answer is rather straightforward. She has become an instrument for our liberation from the Anathema," Stelan responded calmly, effortlessly blocking Raias's attacks and countering with a powerful blow that sent Raias sprawling.

The epic war raged relentlessly for two millennia, and throughout its course, he bore witness to the dramatic transformation of humanity. Once the symbol of progress and enlightenment, it had now become an unrecognizable species.

The following five millennia were marked by sheer horror and relentless terror. Humanity found itself enslaved by various xenos races, reduced to mere livestock at the disposal of their cruel and indifferent masters. Psykers descended into madness, becoming beacons for the Warp's predatory entities that feasted upon their torment. This madness spiraled into an all-encompassing catastrophe, as the once-gifted psykers turned into living gateways for the horrors lurking within the Ether.

It was an age of chaos, one that plunged the entire galaxy into madness, where the Eldar indulged in endless debauchery and hedonism without restraint.

Then, as though he had been thrust into the distant future, everything sped up. He beheld the Master of Mankind, the paragon of human potential, rising to rebuild the shattered remnants of humanity. Yet, just as victory seemed within grasp, XVI led a catastrophic civil war, plunging the Imperium into chaos and dashing the Master's hopes. What unfolded next was a revelation that left him utterly silenced.

He witnessed the once-mighty Master of Mankind, now reduced to a helpless figure bound to the Golden Throne, sustaining the Astronomican to facilitate interstellar travel within the Imperium. Over countless millennia, the Imperial Truth had given way to the Imperial Creed, which deified the Emperor.

This was the complete opposite of what the Emperor of Mankind had designed.

The Imperium, meant to be a beacon of enlightenment and human rebuilding, had transformed into a realm steeped in superstition, regressing from knowledge and progress.

This was an era of destruction and misery, for in the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.

Raias returned to the present, his eyes fixed on his brother, whose distorted grin revealed shapeless lips.

"Anathema merely used his pawns to ascend to godhood, my brother. He is a hypocrite and a liar. As you can see, he had no qualms allowing the Men of Iron to betray and bring about the downfall of humanity's golden age. He even let his own son betray him. Isn't it clear that his goal is to become a god?" Stelan spoke as if he were insane, laughing maniacally while driving his sword deeper into his brother's body.

Raias couldn't ignore the profound meaning behind his brother's given visions. As the pain continued to surge through his body, he faced an undeniable truth.

"Yet, brother, this scenario doesn't unfold here," Raias retorted with unwavering resolve. "The Master of Mankind succeeded in averting the Men of Iron's betrayal, elevating them to a superior form. The Imperial Truth has evolved, transcending its early stages. It was humanity's creation, for humanity. Those self-proclaimed deities have no claim to meddle with it."

Raias stood his ground, undeterred by the engulfing waves of Warp energy corroding his body. With determination, he clenched his brother's face, leaving Stelan wide-eyed and bewildered. Despite the searing pain and the encroaching madness of the Warp, Raias maintained his grip on his brother's head.

"Right here and now, I proclaim it. You are the nemesis of humanity. I expel you from the Seloce Astratum lineage and cast your name into damnation, foul daemon!" Raias ruthlessly tore at Stelan's facial features, causing his brother to wail in agony.

Stelan swiftly retrieved his sword from Raias' abdomen and swung it towards his brother's head.

In this pivotal moment, Raias cast aside any contemplation of the impending challenges. His people lay decimated, their souls consumed by daemons and their dark overlords. Billions had succumbed under the watchful eye of the figure confronting him.

For Raias, the world was now ablaze in hues of crimson. His grip on Stelan's head tightened, a relentless hold that poured his very essence into the clasp. It was a fierce restraint, an embodiment of power. Stelan swung his sword at Raias' head, the blade searing and corroding what remained of his countenance, already twisted by the chaotic influences of the Warp.

To Stelan's bewilderment, his blade failed to breach Raias' skull, as if an invisible force thwarted its trajectory to end his brother's life. Slowly, the revelation dawned upon him, sending tremors through his very soul. Anathematic flames erupted from Raias' cranial sanctuary.

"You?! Impossible! You shouldn't possess the potential to become a Magistratus!" Stelan gasped, panic rising.

Raias paid no heed to the desperate words. His grip on his brother's head persisted, blood seeping from Stelan's deformed nose, the echo of a fractured skull resonating in Raias' ears.

"The Emperor chooses those deemed worthy, Stelan. Emperor protects!" With this resounding cry, Raias pulverized his brother's head until it disintegrated, leaving the Chaos champion lifeless on the now-fleshed adamantium floor.

The corrupting tendrils of Chaos within Raias gradually incinerated under the Emperor's radiant might. Yet, within the depths of his heart, an overwhelming void lingered.

Yet, he comprehended his solemn duty. He had to quash this rebellion, resolve it all before the corruption could metastasize, jeopardizing the Imperium. He must avenge those who had fallen in this war and those devoured by the Great Enemy.

His emotions erupted alongside the golden flames within his soul, purging the encroaching corruption. Raias reclaimed his sword, his gaze shifting towards the true form of Thalia in the Warp. Through his Anathematic power, Raias could discern the condition of all Imperium's fleet within this system.

In the aftermath of the devastating shockwave that left the Ultramar fleet battered and bruised, Raias faced the daunting reality of slim chances to reverse the tides of war. However, any lingering doubt dissipated as he sensed a subtle shift in the fabric of reality.

A celestial dance unfolded beside his ship as a webway portal gracefully revealed dozens of vessels, each one a mere shadow of the colossal Sword of Ultramar. The grand finale came with the arrival of a titanic ship, a celestial behemoth rivaling the majesty of a moon, positioned proudly at the rear of the newfound fleet.

This wasn't just an armada designed for warfare; it was a testament to human ingenuity and artistic brilliance. A visual hymn to humanity's unyielding ambition to command the cosmos.

Behold, the Magistratus Fleet had entered the cosmic stage.

Despite their modest numbers, they wield enough might to tackle any threat beneath the Astartes combat level. With precision that outshines Thalia's, calculations unfold on an unimaginable scale. Raias, attuned to the strengthening Emperor, anticipates their strategy.

A surge will be met with a surge. A resounding roar echoes through the Warp, unsettling all corrupt energies across the Ultramar Regnum sector. This thunderous reverberation both consumes and restores the Warp in this region to its tranquil state.

Raias shuts his eyes, and in this moment, the tide of battle shifts in their favor.

______________________________________________________________________________

-M29.671. Falmart-

Pina absorbed every word of Raias's account, her gaze unwavering. The chilling details and horrors he described cut deep into her soul. While Raias's war might not measure up on a grand scale compared to Lord Malcador's narratives, it vividly portrayed how even in the supposed utopia of the Imperium, parasites could fester within one's own family.

"Then we scoured the planet's surface. All we found was my father, critically wounded, and..." Raias halted momentarily, "My younger sibling, nothing more than a breathing mass of flesh."

Behind Raias's calm delivery, the scars and anger lurked almost imperceptibly. Pina, attuned to the subtle tension in Raias's muscles, could discern what lay beneath his composed exterior.

"But it's not your fault," Pina spoke softly, moving closer to Raias.

"I say that because it is my fault. I had the opportunity to end Stelan when he revealed his intent to defy the Master of Mankind. I was there, silent." Raias clenched his fists. "I was paralyzed by shock. If only I could have severed Stelan's head right then... Billions wouldn't have vanished into the maws of those cursed gods."

Raias donned his helmet again, taking a breath to steady his mind. "That's why I exiled myself to Terra, delving into my mistakes and understanding why the Emperor chose me despite my failure to protect his people. I failed as a brother, a son, and a warrior."

Pina fell silent, her gaze fixed on Raias, who somehow managed to preserve the essence of his stories and emotions. On the flip side, she also recognized that the person she had been chasing was a distant and inhumane figure. Yet, he did it solely to protect himself.

Truly an ironic twist.

(An: My apologies for the late update. I got head injury and I must had a whole week worth of recovery. I hope my story is enjoyable despite I finds it rather lacking for my taste. So, please have a happy read.)