"Dammit, are they even human?"
Ilia had also encountered a squad of assassins. Fortunately, she was with other high-ranking members of the Genestealer Cult at the time. The assassins had been hiding among the surrounding guards; before they exposed themselves, no one had detected their true identities.
Then, their bodies began to distort, transforming from ordinary guards into slender, deadly killers armed with lethal weaponry. Ilia had no idea who these people were or where they had come from. Even the purple-skinned super-soldiers of the Cult of the God-Emperor could not resist this group. In just a few minutes, over a hundred high-ranking Cult members were slaughtered.
Only Ilia managed to escape. Ultimately, she was just a slightly stronger-than-average human.
"Dammit, don't those Cult of the God-Emperor guys always brag about having the Emperor's protection?"
Ilia grumbled as she continued to run. If these enemies were allowed to continue their massacre, the entire command structure could be dismantled. The question was, how had they infiltrated? There had been no tracks, no omens over the years—it was as if they had appeared out of thin air.
Ilia lacked the knowledge of others. She wasn't like Eleven, who could fight with psychic powers, or Mr. Hermit, who was rumored to be a former Angel of Death. And she certainly wasn't like Boss Yuki or Yuno. She chose not to believe many of the rumors about them.
The Boss was actually a very good person. For a long time, Ilia used to hear suggestive noises at night that nearly gave her a nervous breakdown. After she brought it up with Yuki, he looked somewhat embarrassed and promised to keep it down in the future. At other times, the Boss was always cheerful and didn't seem to care much about what his subordinates were doing.
Over the past decade, many subordinates far more capable than Ilia had emerged, yet Yuki kept her by his side, simply because he felt there was no need to replace her. What made Ilia trust the Boss even more was the final secret he had shared with her.
"Ilia, I'm entrusting this to you. If dangerous enemies appear in the future, or if something threatens our headquarters, open the basement door."
Now, Ilia had to do exactly that. The combat power of these assassins was a severe threat to everyone. The guards stationed in the factory had already gone to intercept them, and it seemed the Boss and Yuno were also in combat. Ilia heard earth-shaking explosions but didn't hesitate, continuing her flight toward the basement.
The area beneath the factory headquarters had long since been converted into a massive warehouse and various facilities. Ilia was intimately familiar with these routes. Yet, for some reason, the assassins seemed familiar with them as well. They pursued her relentlessly. Ilia believed these people also knew that something capable of threatening them resided in the basement.
"Go intercept them! Or we all die!"
Ilia was not afraid of death. Since her brother's accidental passing, she had become indifferent to life and death. Whether her soul returned to the Golden Throne or suffered eternal torment didn't matter. Her only concern now was the Boss's plan. She didn't care what he was trying to achieve, but she had to repay his kindness.
"This is it."
Ilia reached the heavy door. She thrust her finger into the scanner without hesitation. The device identified her genetic material—as Yuki had said, Ilia was authorized to open this door. The interior was pitch black, but Ilia could sense something within had awakened.
Thirty seconds later, the Callidus Assassins finally arrived.
"Situation has changed. The previously scouted mystery zone has been opened. We have zero intel on the interior status."
The temporary commander of the Callidus squad stared into the darkness. Ilia clutched her wound; at least she had made it in time. She took a deep breath and immediately left through another route. The Callidus Assassins did not block her; she wasn't a target worth hunting.
"Nn..."
The assassins watched the dark doorway warily, completely failing to notice several Lictors on the walls behind them, their optical camouflage slightly distorting the air. When the door opened, they had already activated their stealth and moved into ambush positions.
"Detected abnormal psychic fluctuations! There are psychic organisms inside. Requesting immediate reinforcement from Culexus Assassins..."
A massive psychic beam swept through the area like a plow. Assassins who failed to dodge were instantly vaporized. Two floating creatures with oversized heads—parts of their brains exposed to the air—drifted out slowly. They were protected by psychic fields, though the assassins had no chance to attack.
Lictors pounced from behind. Even these highly trained killers were caught off guard by the ambush. It wasn't over. A long monster lunged out from the dark laboratory, crossing dozens of meters in an instant, its long tail coiling tightly around an assassin. Furthermore, dozens of Tyranid Warriors emerged with bone swords and lash whips. Facing this sudden Tyranid onslaught, the Callidus Assassins were instantly plunged into a desperate struggle.
...
Yuki lay on the ground, needing more time to regenerate. However, the last Eversor Assassin was being held firmly by the throat by Yuno. Her tentacles and spikes were frantically absorbing the explosive chemicals within his body. When he finally self-destructed, the force—which should have equaled a small nuclear device—only managed to shred some of Yuno's clothing.
A chitinous Tyranid shell covered her body. Yuki had to admit, he was feeling a bit excited.
Eversor Assassins: Annihilated.
...
Hermit smashed his fist into the mask of the Culexus Assassin. The device, designed to absorb and weaponize psychic energy, was shattered by the Fallen Angel's terrifying strength. Only the Culexus's own formidable physical resilience prevented his head from exploding.
Even so, the Culexus Assassin's defeat was certain. Hermit picked up a dropped combat knife and finished off the skilled killer before finally collapsing from exhaustion.
Culexus Assassins: Annihilated.
Eleven leaned against the wall, enduring intense pain. Dozens of meters away, where Hermit had fallen, several tall, dark shadows suddenly appeared.
"The patterns on the power armor are somewhat unusual."
"We should thank the Assassinorum. Without the commotion they caused, we wouldn't have found this traitor."
...
The specialty of the Callidus Assassins lay in infiltration and disguise; they could even pass themselves off as a Gretchin. But in terms of pure combat power, they still lagged behind the other three temples. In itself, the joint mission of all four temples was unprecedented. What was even more shocking was that nearly all of them were wiped out.
The last Callidus Assassin looked at the approaching Lictors and began to think he should have stuffed himself with explosives like an Eversor. The Tyranids swarmed and tore him apart.
Callidus Assassins: Annihilated.
The assassins of the Officio Assassinorum, who had perfectly executed their undercover mission for years without a trace and devised a flawless assassination plan, vanished as quickly as they had appeared.