"You know, Slaanesh is at least an entity on a similar level to me. Right now, it's impossible for me to block them out completely."
Yuno spoke plainly, and Yuki had no intention of arguing. The two were currently rushing toward the location where the Chaos Daemons had appeared.
"You can use psychic powers if necessary."
"You mean after the Battle Sisters are all dead, Yuki?"
"I hope things don't get that dire."
Yuki sincerely hoped it wouldn't come to that. The battlefield had been cordoned off, and Raziel and Iron Face had arrived with their respective forces. According to Yuki's arrangements, their task was to prevent any uninvolved civilians from approaching. Expecting these gang members to actually resist Chaos cultists and Daemons would have been a joke.
"Your elite troops are in there. I could see their firepower from a distance; it's not the kind of scale a gang should have." Iron Face's voice was full of curiosity.
Yuki responded, "You could say that. You stay here and guard the perimeter; I'll handle the situation inside."
As they passed by, Iron Face suddenly grabbed Yuno's hand, saying provocatively, "Yuki, won't you let me get to know your lovely partner? I happen to be in need of a good best friend."
"Get lost."
Iron Face wanted to continue pestering her, but a sudden sensation of coldness, like a block of ice, spread through her hand.
"Just a joke."
From start to finish, Yuno didn't even spare her a glance, which only made Iron Face more interested. After they left, Yuno asked, "What was that woman saying?"
"She wants to be friends with you."
Yuno's face filled with disgust. "Disgusting. That idiot's lust is practically overflowing. Dammit, I really should just send her to Slaanesh."
The two quickly reached the fortress, which was already in total chaos. Steff appeared before them.
"Dammit, where are the reinforcements?"
"Reinforcements aren't coming. I've come to assess the situation."
"Are you joking? My sisters are being snatched and slaughtered by those monsters, and you bring a woman here like you're on a picnic!" Steff gripped her gun, shouting at Yuki. The surrounding Battle Sisters cast hostile glares—full of blame and fury. Yuki believed they would tear him limb from limb at a moment's notice.
Yuno took two steps back, ready to strike if needed. In the midst of the tension, a piercing shriek broke the standoff. The Daemons inside the fortress launched another assault. Steff brushed the two of them aside, her tone harsh: "Go find Lord Griffith. We need support."
"Why don't you lead your sisters and charge straight in? Are you afraid? Is your faith only at this level?"
Steff was incensed. "Yuki! I am a believer, not a madwoman. Our deaths should be sacrifices, not waste."
Yuki was unfazed. The only reason the Slaaneshi Daemons held an advantage was their Warp-based nature, and now that Yuno had arrived, that advantage vanished. There were over a hundred Battle Sisters present, including high-level units like Seraphim and Dominions. Even using sheer numbers, they could crush the enemy. In a tabletop game, a hundred Battle Sisters—no matter how bad the luck—would steamroll twenty-odd Succubi.
"How about this, Steff? Since you've always had a problem with me, this time Yuno and I will be the vanguard. Even though I am but a commoner, under the protection of the Emperor, those Daemons cannot harm me."
"Have you lost your mind?" Steff looked at Yuki properly for the first time; he seemed a bit too extreme.
"The God-Emperor protects me. He will see me through the danger. Daughters of the Emperor, is your faith truly inferior to mine?"
Leaving behind these words—which were highly provocative to a Battle Sister—Yuki took Yuno's hand and walked toward the fortress.
"Dammit, is this guy actually a lunatic? Cover him! As soon as he enters, we charge!" Steff saw the Daemons appearing. Her duty and a strange sense of curiosity made it impossible for her to sit by.
Something bizarre happened. The Succubi and Fiends of Slaanesh, who usually possessed high resistance to physical attacks, were being wounded by bolter rounds. They lunged at Yuki, only to be pushed aside by an invisible force.
"Is he a psyker? Where is the Auspex?"
Steff felt no trace of psychic energy. This was natural; as the Great Devourer and the creator of the Shadow in the Warp, Yuno's control over psychic energy had reached a level of absolute silence.
"Sister Steff, there are no signs of evil. Our relics aren't reacting."
Steff was profoundly shocked. Dammit, is Yuki actually a devout believer? Is this gang member more pious than I am? Does the God-Emperor truly protect him?
Impossible!
Steff charged forward, and the rest of the Battle Sisters followed. The bolters were working; the approaching Chaos cultists and Daemons were being wounded and forced back. This was working.
By the time Steff cleared the enemies in front of her, Yuki and Yuno had already vanished into the depths of the fortress.
"Finally away from them." Yuki breathed a sigh of relief. Facing a lunging Succubus, he caught it with his hand and easily tore it apart. Psychic blood splattered onto his face, carrying a strange fragrance.
Yuno yawned. Yuki was now strong enough to face these enemies; his rate of evolution was fast. At this pace, by the time the Hive Fleet arrived, he might possess combat power comparable to a Primarch.
"Let's go, Yuno. Even if those Battle Sisters are a bit unstable in the head, they're at least better than Chaos."
As Yuki spoke, he followed the psychic guidance to find the Battle Sisters who had been captured by the Succubi.
"Sigh, dammit, my imagination was still too limited."
The Battle Sister closest to Yuki had been sliced in half, with holes carved into her, where several Chaos cultists were... active. In the center of the room, another sister was hung upside down, her skin flayed open and filled with an unknown liquid. The acts of torture combined with slow execution were actually the mildest things occurring.
Truly Slaanesh.
The people in the room ignored Yuki completely. Even the Battle Sisters behind him didn't react; they were laughing and screaming, devoid of any holy appearance.
"Yuki, be careful. There's a troublesome one ahead."
Yuno spoke. In that instant, Yuki crossed his arms to protect his chest, but a hand—roughly the size of his entire torso—swung toward him.
...
He didn't block it.
His reinforced body was as fragile as jelly. Yuki's chest was pierced, and the massive hand ripped his heart out. As the purple light in the room brightened slightly, the tall Daemon revealed its true form.
It had four arms and wore thousands of rings across its body; the wind blowing through the hollows in its frame produced a beautiful sound. Its skin was fair, with two holes where ears should be, and a long, flickering bifurcated tongue.
"Dammit... a Keeper of Secrets. Has Slaanesh sent their own legion here?"
Yuki clutched the hole in his chest. His body had already begun to frantically repair itself.