Vrrr! Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang!
The heavy firepower of the Servitors suppressed the Adeptus Arbites units swarming through the entrance. Even Cyber-mastiffs couldn't close the distance under such a hail of lead. However, the Magos's ammunition was finite. He had only deployed two Combat Servitors and dozens of modified mono-task servitors. Those with heavy weapons grafted onto their torsos were expendable, but the Combat Servitors were his life's work.
Thus, as the Magos led the post-operative Elia and her brother into the escape tunnel, the two Servitors received the command to cease suppression and retreat. The Arbites forces remained pinned by the remaining servitors' fire, but it wouldn't—and didn't need to—last long. On the path leading to the Magos's laboratory, traps involving fire, explosions, toxic mist, and strong acids awaited them.
"Truly unfortunate," the Magos grumbled. Carrying his precious data and materials, he reached the tunnel exit. Without much hesitation, he decided to seek refuge with Yuki. At this moment, Elia had become his most valuable guest.
"Dammit, how did you..."
Elia woke up, but she had no time to wonder why this mechanical madman was standing before her. A chilling lightness at her back made her heart freeze.
"Binary freak, where is my brother?"
"Your brother? He is right there."
Ilya lay on the ground, eyes closed. Elia lunged toward him. His body was only a torso, the severed waist crudely stitched shut. He was no longer bleeding.
"Ilya! Ilya!" Elia stared at her brother's face, screaming his name frantically.
"It appears he is dead. Statistically, it was the most probable outcome," the Magos remarked.
Elia's eyes widened with rage. She grabbed a nearby pipe and swung it, denting the Magos's metallic face. It caused no substantive damage.
"A warning: my laboratory has been raided by the Arbites. I do not know how they found it, nor do I think you led them there. If you do not wish to waste the opportunity your brother gave you, then move."
Elia had little cognitive capacity left to process his words. Tears streaming, she only wanted to kill him. Suddenly, an electric needle pierced her body. She convulsed and collapsed into unconsciousness once more.
The Magos shook his head. Indeed, the minds of flesh-and-blood creatures were fragile. He couldn't dispose of Elia yet; he needed a condition to seek Yuki's protection.
"Throw that corpse into the crevice. Do not let them find it. Then, follow me." He issued orders to the arriving Servitors before checking his trap status. "Eighty percent have been triggered. We must hurry."
...
Elia had a long dream of the Hive's filthy streets and bloody brawls. She felt a profound panic, as if she had lost something vital.
"Ilya!" She sat up with a scream, only to find everyone standing before her.
Yuki, Yuno, Hermit, Eleven, Angel, and the Dark Mechanicum Priest were all there. Yuki already knew what had happened. He knew the siblings had been considering separation, so he showed little emotional volatility. After a decade here, he understood one truth: everyone must be responsible for their own choices.
What truly angered him was that the Dark Mechanicum Priest had led the Arbites to his territory.
"The Inquisitor is watching you. This one is harder to deal than the last. I doubt I can protect you," the Magos said, his tone unnervingly calm.
"Really? Even you have no way?" Yuki asked.
"I am not foolish enough to provoke an Inquisitor for your sake."
Yuki's stance was clear, but the Magos countered, "It is too late. The moment you allowed me entry, the Inquisitor marked you. And if you intend to use force against me, I will show you the true power of the Omnissiah."
Yuki lit a cigarette and waved his hand. "Everyone out."
Even Elia, consumed by grief, did not disobey. The Magos did not stop them from leaving. If Yuki truly intended to fight, this environment worked in the priest's favor.
"Magos, I must state that I bear you no ill will. Even if you caused Ilya's death, I have no complaints."
"Then what do you have to say at this stage?"
Yuki shook his head. "It's just that you've made things difficult for me. My plan has reached a critical juncture; I cannot afford accidents now."
"Plans of the flesh are always filled with such humor."
The Magos's body began to shift. Bolt guns, melta weapons, plasma cannons... the sheer volume of weaponry mounted on his frame surprised even Yuki. The two towering Servitors behind him also locked onto Yuki.
"I know you are a psyker. I have never studied the physiology of a psyker before, Yuki. You will be my finest specimen."
Yuki remained silent, weighing the Magos's value. Unfortunately, for the Tyranids, the technology he possessed was of little use.
"Come then."
Two silhouettes, larger than the Magos himself, lunged from the shadows. Massive chitinous scythes tore through the Servitors' bodies. A low-pitched hiss rattled the Magos's database.
"What?" The Magos aimed his weapons at the sudden intruders. His database had records of such creatures, but why... "Yuki, why are there Tyranids here?"
"Oh, you mean these? I picked them up. Don't you think they're cute?"
Yuki stepped back as an even larger silhouette loomed behind him.
"By the way, your real opponent is just coming out. I grew this one not long ago. You're its first opponent."
The factory space was vast, designed to accommodate heavy machinery. This particular section was a grand workshop that Yuki had kept empty for unknown reasons. The unit that stepped out now made the space feel cramped.
It stood nearly seven meters tall. Extremely powerful muscles supported thick, heavy biological armor. A pair of massive, razor-sharp forelimbs served better than any mechanical weapon. This monster had appeared during the First Tyrannic War. The Magos had copied those records before leaving the Mechanicus.
"A Carnifex."
Yuki patted the creature's carapace. It was now entirely under his control. He had personally painted three Carnifex models in his past life, but none compared to seeing the real thing. Even the most creative hobbyist couldn't replicate what he saw now. At this moment, he felt like a Warhammer player again.
"Do not disappoint me, Magos."