Yuki was sent flying, and while mid-air, Khârn hacked him into two pieces.
However, Yuki had anticipated such an outcome. His reaction was instantaneous; fleshy tendrils lashed out to grab his lower half, and by the time he hit the ground, his body was already reattached.
Khârn's next strike followed immediately. Once again, Yuki barely managed to parry. It had to be admitted that Yuki had grown immensely strong, though Khârn would never offer praise for it. Commendations for an opponent were reserved for after their total annihilation.
"Khârn!"
Yuki summoned several psychic spears to orbit his body. His form no longer resembled a human; multiple arms had sprouted, and his chitinous carapace provided defense that surpassed ceramite. Still, this was not enough to stand before the Betrayer.
Yuki was knocked down again. Khârn closed the distance rapidly, his axe already descending toward Yuki's throat.
"Well done. You've improved."
As the axe swung down, Yuki let out another roar: "Neoth!"
That name, capable of instilling dread in all Warp creatures, carried the most terrifying power. In that instant, an explosion of force blasted Khârn and Yuki apart. Yuki adjusted his stance and landed back on the deck. That psychic eruption triggered by the call had been indiscriminate, affecting friend and foe alike.
"Whose name was that? Why does it fill me with such rage!"
Khârn roared and charged again. Yuki swung his bone-blade to meet the charge head-on, and the impact pushed him backward hundreds of meters. Finally, he slammed into something solid and came to a halt.
"A slight improvement since last time. Not bad."
The voice was cold and somber, its gender impossible to discern. But Yuki remembered it. He turned his head and saw the Greater Daemon of Slaanesh, the Bane of Heroes, Shalaxi Helbane, standing before him.
"Why are you here too?"
"The Prince of Pleasure sensed that the Lord of Blood wanted to sneak away for a kill, so I was sent here. Last time, when I was about to succeed, his interference stopped me. Now, it is my turn to interfere with them."
Khârn, in a rare moment of restraint, did not immediately attack. "Shalaxi, you should know that this creature's soul is in a bizarre state. There is no profit for you here."
"Heehee. Then why did you let him go last time, only to engage in a deathmatch now?"
"Last time was by my Master's command. I have always wanted to take his head."
"Heads? What a boring pursuit. Go, boy. Today, the Prince of Pleasure's command is to make Khorne uncomfortable. Consider yourself lucky."
Yuki didn't stand on ceremony. "Then I shall respect your wishes and take my leave."
He vanished in an instant. Khârn tried to strike out after him, but Shalaxi blocked the path.
"Khârn the Betrayer, I have heard much of your name. Let us test ourselves. I will not be weaker than that pathetic father of yours!"
Blood seeped from the gaps in Khârn's armor. He was beyond exhilarated. "What of it? I will surpass him sooner or later. I am the Chosen of Khorne! Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!"
Feeling the violent Warp fluctuations and the aftershocks of the battle behind him, Yuki felt a wave of realization. He was still a long way off from the top-tier combat powers of the Warhammer world.
BOOM!
Another hole was punched through the wall beside him. It was Yuno. She was drenched in blood and hugged Yuki tightly the moment she saw him.
"I'm glad you're okay." She held him with such force she nearly pressed him into her own body.
"How did you get all that blood on you?"
"I just had a fight with Khorne's will. Then Slaanesh arrived, so I let the two of them fight it out and came to find you."
"Ha, that really was unexpected." Yuki never would have imagined that Slaanesh would be the one to lend a hand. The Great Game of the four gods was no joke. "In that case, let's retreat before the Red Corsairs can react."
...
The Tyranid bio-ships rapidly disengaged from the Red Corsair fleet. Surprisingly, Huron did not counterattack; he chose to lead his remaining vessels in a swift escape as well. Only a few ships crippled during the fighting were left to self-destruct in the void.
Yuki did not know the outcome of the struggle between Khârn and Shalaxi. The death of either would be a significant blow to Chaos. Therefore, Yuki assumed it would end in a stalemate, much like the last time.
However, that was not his concern right now. He sat with Yuno in a reclamation pool, using the raw biomass to repair his battered body.
"An agri-world provides so much organic matter. Maybe we should just stick to guerrilla warfare and only eat agri-worlds," Yuki suggested.
"Not finishing your meal is usually a choice of desperation. I don't like leftovers."
"So I have to make sure I eat everything clean for you whenever we go somewhere, huh?"
The Narvhal led the fleet into a Tyranid corridor, quickly exiting the Maelstrom sector just as they had before. From this campaign, the Aether Fleet had gained one Hive Ship, three cruisers, five escorts, and a substantial reserve of biomass.
...
Yuki woke up feeling groggy. He looked at Yuno's face as she slept beside him. Her hair seemed like a living thing, never getting too messy regardless of the situation. At times, it fell in just the right way, almost as if it were enticing him.
Yuno's complexion was flushed, and she carried a constant fragrance. Sensing Yuki's gaze, she opened her eyes, then closed them again, using a pillow—or what looked like a pillow—to hide her face.
"Stop staring."
"Why are you still acting shy at a time like this?"
Yuno smiled but said nothing. "You know, in the past, I wouldn't have found these things interesting. I would have found them troublesome. After all, those people were interrupting my meal."
"You've said that many times over the last few months."
"I can never say I love you too many times."
Yuki propped himself up. "But why did moving away from the Maelstrom cause us to lose our sense of direction?"
"Because our star charts were calibrated based on End-Star. When we were at Yuno in the Maelstrom, we didn't take the time to specifically survey the routes. So, we're naturally lost."
Yuki was speechless. After leaving the Maelstrom, the Aether Fleet faced a serious problem. Their plan was to head toward the Ultramar's Five Hundred Worlds to link up with the remnants of Hive Fleet Behemoth and the Gorgon fragments near the T'au Empire. But now, he didn't even know where they were.
For now, the Aether Fleet had attached itself to a dead star system. There was nothing of value here; even the Imperium had no presence in this sector. The fleet entered a state of hibernation, waiting for the scout ships to figure out their current coordinates.
During this time, Yuno and Yuki enjoyed their rare time alone
. As for what they did—those who know, know; those who don't, don't need to. In short, both were very happy.