Kingdom Come: Deliverance, but Warhammer 40k

Thick black smoke billowed from the hangar dome.

Flames climbed upwards along the broken load-bearing steel beam, and molten iron mixed with metal fragments fell one after another, sending sparks flying everywhere.

Amidst the ruins and wreckage, thunderous roars drew ever closer.

The earth trembled as heavy machinery clashed with each other.

Simon, armor and all, crashed into a pile of discarded ammunition boxes in the corner.

The shriveled pine plank broke into several pieces, and splinters pierced the robe.

A streak of blood slid down his forehead and across his brow.

He was just trying to sit up and reach for his longsword, which had somehow flown away.

A giant hand covered in fleshy growths reached through the curtain of fire, grabbed his throat, and lifted him away from the ruins.

Simon's feet were dangling in the air, his throat was under immense pressure, and the oxygen in his lungs was gradually running out.

The monster bent down and examined the familiar face in its hand.

Its left cheek still barely retained the outline of the Carlos family head, but compared to before, it was gradually changing in a non-human direction.

The skin on the right side, however, churned and rolled up like a living thing, squeezing out fine scales. When it opened its mouth to speak, several distinct voices overlapped and intertwined.

"Look at how pathetic you are."

"Possessing outstanding talent, yet choosing to stand with those idiots."

Simon grabbed the thick wrists clamping around his neck with both hands and tried his best to pry them off.

The two sides are not even in the same size class.

No matter how hard he tried, his knuckles could only scrape a few white marks on the other person's skin covered in mucus.

The monster closed its fingers and lifted him into the air.

"It was the emperor who betrayed us first."

"He made us empty promises and false glory."

"They deceived us into coming to this wasteland, exhausting generations for their empty dream of an imperial prosperity..."

"What have we gained?"

  

The monster's facial muscles relaxed, and its tone softened, as if it had rediscovered its human form in the warp.

"Let's face reality."

"A great being has blessed this place."

"As long as loyalty is offered, the Carlos family can be reborn."

"A reconstructed shell".

"Infinite power."

"And there is an unprecedentedly bright future."

It opened its free left hand.

A vertical crack appeared where the palm had been, and countless tiny eyeballs squeezed out from under the skin, rotating in unison. Within them, light was distorted, revealing a myriad of magnificent scenes, encompassing all the beauty that humanity desires.

A pure land

At least in the senses of material life, there will be a paradise there.

"We can travel to other planets and use the souls of those fools for a greater sacrifice."

"Once our great undertaking is accomplished, we can ascend to the demon realm together and establish our own kingdom."

The lack of oxygen caused dark spots to appear at the edges of Simon's vision.

The strength to struggle gradually diminished.

He squinted, staring directly at the face before him that was now unrecognizable.

He was a complete stranger to the person in his memory. He could no longer tell whether the person was his father who had become a demon... or whether the demon had devoured his father's soul and was now using his appearance to toy with all living beings.

Half an hour passed.

He grinned and let out a mocking snort.

"The God-Emperor will punish every traitor."

"His angels will one day kill you, just as they kill every demon."

The monster's facial expression froze.

"nonsense."

"The grand future you've described," Simon's voice was hoarse, each word punctuated with pauses, "is something even you yourself doubt."

All that remained was the crackling sound of burning debris.

The monster's pupils suddenly narrowed.

A black line was climbing up Simon's neck.

It's unclear when it started, but crisscrossing, jet-black veins began to appear on his veins. The black marks, as if injected with poison, were spreading throughout his body along the network of blood vessels.

"You actually—"

It pulled Simon close, its eyes fixed on the spreading black stripes.

"So you were chosen too!"

"I see!"

An eerie laugh erupted from the overlapping throats. The laughter grew louder and louder, revealing an undisguised madness.

"Since your soul was already marked by the warp, what are you pretending to be a loyal guardian for?!"

Simon remained silent.

Before he could finish speaking...

boom--!!!

The deafening roar destroyed the entire exterior wall.

The load-bearing steel frame and rock strata collapsed with a roar, and turbid smoke and dust, along with air currents, rushed into the interior, causing the surrounding flames to scatter wildly.

Everyone present was drawn to the commotion over there.

Amidst billowing dust and smoke, two heavy mechs, each over ten meters tall, are engaged in a primal struggle within the ruins.

The corrupted Chaos Knight's body was entwined with the torso of the dead, its outer armor long since replaced by overgrown flesh, and countless eyeballs embedded between the steel plates. It gripped a massive chainsaw blade in both hands, pressing it heavily onto the shoulders of another mech.

That was the only remaining guardian knight of the Carlos family.

This steel giant was riddled with craters and cracks, its main armor plate on its chest was severely dented, its entire left mechanical arm was missing, and its exposed power core spewed out sparks and black smoke. Even in its critical condition, it still managed to raise its shield with its remaining right arm, firmly blocking the weapon that was falling from above, fighting to the death until it was swallowed by the Iron Throne.

boom!!!

The chainsaw blade applied heavy pressure once again.

The damaged metal bearings emitted a teeth-grinding screeching sound. The Carlos family's mech finally exhausted itself, the massive steel body tilting to one side and crashing heavily onto the pile of rubble.

The ground shook violently, and large rocks were thrown into the air.

The pilot in the cockpit was still alive, but he had lost the ability to control the aircraft to stand up again.

Chaos Knight raises his blood-dripping blade.

A massive mechanical shadow loomed over the wasteland ahead, signaling the end of the resistance.

The monster observed the battle unfolding outside, a look of ecstasy appearing on its distorted face.

"Look at the situation clearly."

"The reality is clear: the old order should have ended long ago."

"Only Deep Subspace"

It spreads its arms to both sides, making a gesture as if embracing the starry sky.

"It will grant us eternal life."

Just now.

Simon, who was being choked, suddenly curled the corners of his mouth upwards.

The monster's expression froze.

Simon turned his head with difficulty, took his last breath, and roared back.

"Henry—!!!"

A hoarse roar pierced through the noise of the fire.

The monster turned its head in the direction he was calling.

In that area, there used to lie the wreckage of a body that had fallen from a height and was completely mangled.

Logically, a corpse should remain safely in its original position.

But now.

The area around the pile of rubble was deserted.

Only a few burning flames and broken stone pillars remain.

The original traces have completely disappeared.

The monster's fanaticism froze.

A hint of confusion appeared in those bloodshot eyes.

"That corpse..."

"Where did you go?"