"Damn it, he's gone berserk!" one of the fire-support guards yelled.
They could feel that Ragnar's aura was even more violent than before.
"Fire!"
The two fire-support guards opened fire simultaneously. Storm bolters and Hellstorm missiles rained down on Ragnar as if ammunition cost nothing. But Ragnar acted as if he felt nothing, letting the bolts and missiles detonate against his body. His speed did not slow in the slightest.
SLAM!
Unable to dodge in time, one of the fire-support guards was grabbed by the head by Ragnar.
CRUNCH!
Ragnar squeezed with both hands, popping the guard's head like a watermelon. Blood and brains flowed down his green arm onto the floor.
"John!"
The other fire-support guard cried out, watching his blood brother die before his eyes. He fired frantically at Ragnar, but Ragnar merely backhanded him with a casual swipe, sending him crashing violently into the wall. The immense force embedded him deep into the bulkhead, his fate unknown.
In the blink of an eye, one fire-support guard was dead and the other crippled. Only the two injured shield-guards remained. Struggling to their feet, they raised their shattered storm shields and stood before Dominic.
"Lord Dominic, get out of here!"
"We'll hold him off!"
"Get out of my way!" Ragnar roared, throwing a punch at the shield-guard on the left.
The guard raised his storm shield to block.
CRACK!
The already fractured storm shield was utterly useless against Ragnar's assault. The fist carried through, smashing into the guard's chest.
SPLAT!
The shield-guard spat a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the floor, motionless.
Now, only the last shield-guard was left. Watching Ragnar approach step by step, there was not a trace of fear in his eyes. He gripped his power hammer, bracing for his final stand.
Ragnar did not waste words on him. He suddenly accelerated, charging straight toward Dominic, completely ignoring the shield-guard standing in his path.
Just as he was about to sweep past the shield-guard, the guard suddenly struck. Channeling every ounce of his strength, he slammed the power hammer viciously into Ragnar's knee.
CLANG!
The power hammer struck Ragnar's knee. Ragnar's step merely faltered for a fraction of a second. He looked down, casting a cold glare at the shield-guard. Then, he reached out and seized the guard by the throat, lifting him high into the air.
"Pathetic," Ragnar said coldly.
He squeezed violently.
SNAP!
The shield-guard's neck was snapped raw. Ragnar tossed the corpse aside like trash. Then, he resumed his stride toward Dominic.
Now, only Dominic remained alone in the entire grand hall. He watched the approaching Ragnar, his eyes icy. He adjusted his sole remaining power claw, readying himself for one last bout.
Ragnar walked step by step until he stood before Dominic, looking down at him with eyes filled with mockery and cruelty.
Dominic took a deep breath. He suddenly fired his jump pack, launching himself at Ragnar.
"Die!"
He drove the power claw directly into the gaping hole in Ragnar's chest. This was his only chance. If he could pierce the monster's heart, he could kill him.
Just as the claw was about to puncture Ragnar's heart—
A thick, slime-coated tongue suddenly whipped out from the massive mouth on Ragnar's belly.
WHIP!
The tongue wrapped precisely around Dominic's ankle, yanking him backward with violent force. Dominic instantly lost his balance. The power claw in his hand went wide, scraping past Ragnar's heart.
"Damn it!" Dominic gasped in horror.
He tried to fire his thrusters to break free of the tongue's grip, but he realized the jump pack's fuel was almost depleted. The lack of thrust meant he couldn't break free of the powerful tongue.
In that split second of panic, Ragnar reached out with a massive palm and grabbed Dominic's left hand. Then, he shoved Dominic's left hand directly into the giant mouth on his belly.
CRUNCH!
The cavernous mouth snapped shut.
"AAAGH!!!"
Dominic let out a soul-shredding shriek of agony. His entire left arm, along with the power claw, was swallowed whole by the ravenous mouth. Pain swept through his body like a tidal wave. His vision went black, and he nearly blacked out.
Ragnar released the tongue bound around Dominic's leg. Then, he reached back and grabbed the power pack on Dominic's back.
TEAR!
He ripped the power pack clean off Dominic's back. The moment the power pack was severed, the energy supply to the Celestial Lion armor died instantly.
The once-agile armor became a crushing tomb. Wearing tons of dead weight, Dominic could barely even stand. He staggered a few paces and crashed heavily to the floor. He struggled to get back up, but the massive weight pinned him flat.
Despair rushed over him like a flood. He had lost. In the end, he had lost to this monster.
Just as he resigned himself to death—
CRASH!!!
A Stormblade super-heavy tank rammed in at full speed from the flank, slamming violently into Ragnar.
BOOM!
Ragnar was thrown off-balance, stumbling backward several paces.
"Lord Dominic! Hurry!"
A few surviving guards rushed over from the sidelines. They scrambled to Dominic's side, frantically overriding the Celestial Lion cockpit and dragging him out of the armor.
"Go! We'll cover you!" one guard yelled.
"Think you're leaving?" Ragnar steadied himself, his gaze landing on them with cold malice.
He slammed a massive fist into the side of the Stormblade.
BOOM!
The 310-ton Stormblade was actually flipped over by his singular punch, lying tread-up, utterly crippled.
"To your graves!" Ragnar glared at the two guards and lunged forward.
The two guards raised their bolters to shoot, but their fire felt like a mere itch to Ragnar. Ragnar backhanded them, throwing both guards through the air. They crashed to the ground, their bodies twisted into grotesque shapes, life instantly extinguished.
Now, there was absolutely no one left to stop Ragnar. He strode quickly toward Dominic.
Dominic sat on the floor, dragging himself backward. His left arm was completely gone, blood gushing continuously from the raw stump. His face was caked with dust and blood. His former pride and composure had vanished completely, replaced instead by deep self-reproach and regret.
Ragnar stopped right in front of Dominic. He bent down, looming over him, his face twisted into a grotesque, triumphant grin.
"Hahaha..."
Ragnar's guttural laughter echoed through the vast hall, shaking the already structural-compromised ceiling and raining down debris. Bending low, his massive head was nearly pressed against Dominic's face, his dark green eyes gleaming with mockery and malice.
He savored this feeling—watching a once-haughty human aristocrat cowering at his feet like a stray dog.
"Well, shrimp, where did that proud look on your face go?"
"Weren't you supposed to be tough?"
"Weren't you going to kill me?"
"Now, what else do you have to say?"
He stretched out a finger caked with blood and grease, gently patting Dominic's cheek. The gesture was dismissive, loaded with mockery and insult. Dark green slime dripped from his fingertips, landing on Dominic's pale face and emitting a pungent, nauseating stench.
Yet, to Ragnar's surprise, in the face of this ridicule and humiliation, Dominic showed not a single trace of fear or despair.
On the contrary, he suddenly laughed. It was an incredibly carefree, almost mocking smile.
Even though he had lost his left arm, was covered in wounds, and sat miserably on the floor, his eyes remained as proud and confident as ever. It was as though the victor standing there was not Ragnar, but him—Dominic Ventris.
"Xenos, do you truly believe that killing me constitutes a victory?" Dominic's voice wasn't loud, but every word was crystal clear.
The smile on Ragnar's face instantly froze. His expression darkened bit by bit.
This was the look he despised most. That haughty, self-righteous gaze that suggested everything was still within their control. Just like those damned human generals before him, they always looked at him—and all Greenskins—with that exact expression, as if Orks were born beneath them.
"The greatness of humanity has never lain in the strength of the individual!" Dominic raised his head, staring straight into Ragnar's eyes. His voice grew louder, firmer, and more resolute.
"Even if I die, the remaining soldiers will keep coming in an endless tide to slay you!"
"Even if they all fall, the Imperium will dispatch more fleets, more soldiers!"
"They will flatten Dorito and purge every last Greenskin!"
"In fact, the entire Gemstone can be buried along with you and me!"
"No matter what, do not dream of leaving here alive!"
With that, Dominic burst into loud laughter. It was a heroic, uninhibited laugh, entirely filled with the resolve of one welcoming death. In the vast, empty hall, his laughter drowned out Ragnar's heavy, rasping breathing.
Listening to Dominic's laughter, Ragnar felt an overwhelming surge of irritation. A nameless rage flared up from the depths of his chest. He loathed this feeling. It made it seem as if the one who had just claimed the enemy commander's head amidst ten thousand soldiers was Dominic, not him. This feeling of being intellectually and spiritually outmatched infuriated him—deeply!
He would rip this shrimp's mouth open! He would ensure he never laughed again!
Ragnar didn't waste any more words. He simply raised his fist. He channeled every ounce of his strength into this strike. He was going to smash Dominic's head, along with his insufferable pride, into a bloody pulp!
"Die, arrogant shrimp!" Ragnar roared, his fist whistling through the air as it lunged violently toward Dominic's head.
Dominic closed his eyes. He did not flinch, nor did he beg for mercy. He was fully prepared to offer his life to the Emperor. To die on the battlefield was the ultimate honor for an officer of the Imperium.
But in the split second before the fist could connect—
Whoosh!
A dark figure lunged from the side, throwing his own body directly in front of Dominic.
SPLAT!!!
Ragnar's fist punched clean through the defender's chest with absolute, undeniable force. The immense impact tore completely through his body. A fountain of blood, mixed with jagged shards of armor metal and hydraulic fluid, erupted outward, splashing directly across Dominic's face.
The scalding blood hit Dominic's face. He snapped his eyes open. A familiar face filled his vision.
It was the Celestial Lion fire-support guard, Haisen, who had previously been swatted into the bulkhead, embedded deep in the wall. Half of his body was crushed and horribly deformed. Jagged shards of armor were driven deep into his flesh; his survival up to this point was a miracle in itself.
Blood welled continuously from Haisen's mouth. Looking at the unharmed Dominic, a faint, relieved smile actually spread across his agonizing features.
"Made... made it in time..."
He squeezed out those words with the last of his strength. Then, his head slumped lifelessly. His eyes closed forever. But his body remained planted, stubbornly shielding Dominic.
"Haisen!!!" Dominic let out a soul-shredding shriek of despair. His eyes instantly turned bloodshot. Tears, mingled with the blood on his skin, flowed from his eyes.
Haisen was among his earliest guards, having served him for over a decade. They had weathered countless life-and-death struggles together. He had long since regarded Haisen as a brother. Now, Haisen had sacrificed himself—"yet again"—dying right before his eyes to save him. And once more, he could do absolutely nothing.
An unspeakable mixture of rage and self-reproach gnawed at Dominic's heart like a thousand venomous insects. He didn't want others to sacrifice themselves for him! He didn't! He would rather die here himself than watch these loyal soldiers fall one by one just to protect him!
"AAAGH!!!" Dominic let out a beast-like roar. Dragging his broken body, he struggled to crawl up from the floor. He snatched up a sharp piece of metal debris. Though he had only his right arm left and could barely stand, he lunged toward Ragnar with absolute, reckless resolve. He would drag this monster to hell with him! He would die a glorious death here, just like every martyr of the Imperium before him!
"Lord Dominic, no!" an anxious cry erupted from a heavily wounded guard. At the same instant, two surviving Sisters of Silence seized the opportunity to rush to Dominic's side. Grabbing him from both sides, they hoisted his arms and, without giving him a chance to protest, began dragging him backward in a rapid retreat. Their mission was to protect Lord Dominic's safety at all costs.
"Let me go! Let me go!"
"Let me kill that monster!"
"I don't need your protection!"
"Let me go!!!"
But he had already exhausted his strength. How could he hope to overpower highly trained Sisters of Silence? No matter how violently he struggled, he could not break free of their iron grip. He could only watch helplessly as he was pulled further and further away from Ragnar.
As he was dragged away, his peripheral vision caught a familiar figure.
Ralph.
The Black Ship Lady who was always quiet, cold, and unyielding as the frozen tundra of Brevis.
At some point, she had stood up from the medics' hold. Her face remained deathly pale, and her wounds bled continuously. The damage inflicted by the high-voltage current was far from healed; she even staggered slightly as she walked. Yet she did not retreat with the others. Instead, she moved against the flow, walking step by step toward Ragnar.
Her strides were steady and deliberate. Every step was proof that she was ready to fulfill her sacred duty.
As she passed Dominic, Ralph turned her head slightly. She cast a fleeting glance at him. Even though her black mask covered most of her face, Dominic felt as if he could see a faint, serene smile of relief at the corner of her lips—a smile of someone who had laid down all burdens, ready to embrace death.
"No!!! Ralph, don't!" Dominic shrieked in absolute despair. He thrashed wildly, trying to break free and pull her back. But the two Sisters of Silence held him in an unyielding vise, refusing to let him move an inch.
He could only watch Ralph's back grow smaller in the distance.
This was not the ending he wanted! He did not want everyone to die for him! He did not want to survive like a dog, left alone to carry the crushing weight of their sacrifices!