The Shadows of Order's Tenth Chapter Master Ramsey and the Thousand Sons' Chief Librarian, Hathor Maat, rendezvoused on the surface of the war-moon.
Ramsey looked at the soaring eagle, composed of a million golden stars, that circled around Maat.
Then, his gaze shifted to the guardian spirits surrounding him.
The Thousand Sons regarded the possession of a guardian spirit as proof of their mastery of aetheric techniques.
Each guardian spirit's appearance differed, depending on the preferences of the Thousand Son who shaped it.
A common characteristic of the guardian spirits of the Pavoni Cult Thousand Sons was their beautiful appearance, matching their own splendid exteriors.
Thousand Sons of ordinary appearance were not qualified to join the Pavoni Cult.
As their bio-craft improved, their appearances would increasingly approach perfection.
Ultimately, every Pavoni Cult Thousand Son possessed handsome features, rivaling the Emperor's Children.
Hathor's gaze lingered on Ramsey's face for a moment.
Even from the Pavoni Cult's perspective, Ramsey's appearance was nearly indistinguishable from Lord Nareth's.
But no one would mistake Ramsey for Lord Nareth, even if the Primarch wasn't radiating his pressure.
Hathor's gaze then met Ramsey's. The two Astartes, renowned for their bio-sorcery, read the same thought in each other's eyes.
'Who is the premier bio-master among the Astartes?'
Hathor saw an Osseivore, over thirty meters tall, approaching.
"I'll go first."
"Good."
Ramsey watched the Honor Guard of the 3rd Fellowship's Thousand Sons stride forward. Rain-like beams lanced towards them.
Red power armor was torn instantly. Flesh and blood splattered.
Hathor ascended to the Eight level of the Enumeration and raised his ornate staff.
The ruby at its head blazed with dazzling light, illuminating the staff's beautiful shaft, inlaid with gold and silver.
"Peyok."
The Thousand Sons with ætheric vision saw the golden starlight flare, covering nearly a hundred of their number.
Torn flesh visibly regrew at tremendous speed. The bodies repaired by the Pavoni Cult techniques were smooth and lustrous.
"Pavonis, focus your power!"
Beautiful guardian spirits soared above the Sect members' heads. Following their First Seated, they raised their staves.
Red, blue, green, grey...
Psychic lightning of various colors converged, finally forming a ferocious ball of electricity that hurtled towards the Osseivore.
Amidst the crackle of the energy shield tearing, the exposed, unprotected Osseivore was before the bio-master.
Hathor narrowed his eyes. The Osseivore's raised elbow solidified.
Bio-lightning spread rapidly. In moments, its arm was frozen stiff.
The Osseivore's crest rustled. Its body shook violently, like a tree in a hurricane.
The storm gradually subsided. The green body rapidly dimmed.
Like decaying wood disintegrating, the Osseivore's body crumbled.
As the ground rumbled, Hathor thought to himself.
'A Osseivore facing a Warlord-class Titan one-on-one would usually win.'
'I could probably only destroy a Warhound-class Titan, but against a creature like a Osseivore, it's easier.'
Hathor's gaze fell on Ramsey. "Your turn."
Ramsey nodded slightly. His Honor Guard passed the Thousand Sons, advancing to meet the surging xenos.
Amidst the roar of bolts, Ramsey raised his hand and crushed the head of a lion-headed, deer-bodied xenos.
Psychic energy extended. The corpse on the ground stirred and rose.
The "Flesh Puppet" lunged at another lion-headed, deer-bodied xenos. As their four arms clashed, the xenos was startled to find the corpse of its kin possessed greater strength than in life.
With a crack of bone, the "Flesh Puppet" pinned the xenos.
Five "Flesh Puppets" surrounded Ramsey.
The Honor Guard saw this somewhat unsettling scene without any rejection. They all knew it was an ability their Father had granted their Lord.
The Thousand Sons looked in astonishment at the Pavoni Cult's First Seated. They had never seen such bio-abilities.
A flicker of surprise crossed Hathor's eyes. 'An ability granted to Ramsey by my Lord?'
Sensing the surrounding gazes, the "Hypnotist" reacted quickly. Psychic energy extended, "Psychological Cue" to his Guard members:
"Shadows of Order's mastery of the biological arts differs greatly from the mysteries we possess."
Hearing this, the Guard members' gaze returned to Ramsey.
Ramsey's un-gauntleted hands moved rapidly over the five "Flesh Puppets."
Flesh, like building blocks, was disassembled and reorganized into four complete bodies.
The remaining flesh coiled around his arms and helmet.
A "Rose Bishop" must have sufficient flesh; otherwise, they cannot fully unleash the power of flesh-crafting and are easily wounded.
A flicker of surprise crossed Hathor's eyes. He could manipulate the tissues within himself and others, but not disassemble and reorganize at will like this.
After pondering for dozens of seconds, he thought of a possible method.
Pre-arrange Pavoni Cult rune arrays with psychic crystals, then use bio-energy to reorganize the flesh body.
Obviously, relying on preparation was inferior to Ramsey's effortless execution.
As Hathor pondered, he saw Ramsey approach the Osseivore. He instructed his Guard members.
"Stay here."
Surprise flickered in Hathor's eyes. Ramsey was going to face the Osseivore alone.
He had just slain an Osseivore, but while he led the process, he had still relied on the power of his Sect's Thousand Sons to breach the energy shield.
And of course, the aid of guardian spirits like Peyok.
Hathor stared at the flesh-wrapped Ramsey. The black armor instantly became a red blur, hurtling towards a rhinoceros-like creature with a cyan hide.
The xenos roared and charged. The "Rose Bishop's" body suddenly melted like wax, becoming pure, viscous flesh.
His body twisted spirally, merging into the xenos.
The flesh wrapping his armor provided energy for the "Rose Bishop." Squeezed within the xenos' body, he didn't consume much psychic energy.
The xenos charged over a dozen meters, its six thick legs leaving deep marks on the ground.
It turned its head in shock. Its murky eyes saw nothing.
'Illusion?'
Suddenly, the xenos' eyes filled with terror. It felt something burrowing through every piece of its flesh.
After its body trembled for seconds, the "Rose Bishop," now fused within, compelled it to walk towards the Osseivore.
The "Flesh Puppets" followed around it, like its guards.
Neither the xenos nor the Osseivores noticed them. Ramsey smoothly reached the Osseivore's feet.
The moment the "Rose Bishop" emerged from the rhinoceros's body, the xenos instantly died.
Clumps of flesh, like a storm, swept the area. Over a dozen xenos were torn to shreds.
With the explosion of the "Flesh Bombs," the Osseivore's energy shield crackled and corroded.
Gashes appeared in the shield protecting its feet.
The four "Flesh Puppets," like sharks scenting blood, surged forward.
The Osseivore bent down to look. Due to its massive body, its sensory organs didn't see much.
But the flashes of red in its ætheric vision signaled a threat.
It lifted one of its three legs. Root-like appendages, like those of an ancient tree, swung at the "Flesh Puppets."
The "Rose Bishop" raised his hand. Psychic energy extended. Two "Flesh Puppets" instantly became "Flesh Bombs."
Clumps of bloody flesh stormed upwards, striking the Osseivore's foot.
The energy impact made the Osseivore sway slightly. The remaining two "Flesh Puppets" lost parts of their bodies in the explosion.
But they didn't stop. Each charged towards one of the other two legs.
Blood churned. The two "Flesh Puppets" each burrowed into a leg.
Blood-red moved within the green. The Osseivore felt as if two drills were piercing its legs, burrowing frantically.
The Osseivore's crest rustled. It didn't know how to handle this crisis. It could only aim its arms at the flesh-wrapped figure.
The "Rose Bishop" snapped his fingers. The flesh bombs buried within the Osseivore's legs detonated.
The Osseivore's body lurched forward. The beams it fired tore through the xenos behind it.
It stabilized itself and angrily attacked the swiftly moving figure.
The flesh wrapping the "Rose Bishop" instantly lifted, forming a cloak above its head.
Amidst a series of cracks, the "Flesh Cloak" was shredded. No red figure remained on the ground.
The Osseivore's head rustled. It wasn't sure if the bloody "little man" was dead.
The next instant, clumps of flying flesh bombs told the Osseivore the strange "little man" was still alive.
The "Rose Bishop" moved swiftly among the xenos. Flesh was his power.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions detonated continuously on the Osseivore. Its energy shield shattered. It was helpless.
Amidst the rustling, the Osseivore aimed its arms at the strange "little man's" direction and fired beams indiscriminately.
Nearly a hundred xenos were torn apart by the beams, their bodies vaporized.
The "Rose Bishop's" body melted like wax, becoming pure, viscous flesh, merging with the remnants of the "Flesh Bombs" and moving rapidly.
No one noticed the flesh's movement.
Hathor shook his head slightly. Though powerful, Ramsey's ability was still too forced.
The Osseivore had found a way: just cut off his supply.
'Ramsey has paid for his rashness with his life.'
He raised his staff, about to avenge Ramsey, when he suddenly saw a figure charge from the side towards the Osseivore.
A bloody figure sprang from the ground and raced up the Osseivore's body.
The Osseivore twisted, but the flesh-driven "Rose Bishop" was faster.
The "Rose Bishop" raced to the Osseivore's crown. The moment he emerged from the xenos' body, using the flesh as a medium, he unleashed "Flesh Curse."
The Osseivore's crown instantly turned blood-red.
Its mountain-like body crashed heavily to the ground, crushing dozens of fleeing xenos.
Hathor stared in shock at the falling Ramsey. He had truly slain an Osseivore alone.
Proud, he thought dejectedly.
'Ramsey is the premier bio-master among the Astartes.'
The black-armored figure slammed into the ground. Flesh and shattered rocks scattered.
The blood-red image lingered long in the Thousand Sons' minds. Hathor's face, however, once again bloomed with a perfect smile.
'Though I am inferior to Ramsey in the biological arts, I still possess the abilities granted by my Lord.'
'I am also a master in the mental domain.'
.....
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