Wilshire's eyes shifted abruptly from their deep, dark depths to a brilliant gold, as though two miniature suns burned within their sockets.
He surveyed his surroundings, immediately opening a comm-channel to send Anger a message.
"The enemy has established psychic arrays. Their energy convergence is underground."
"A reckless, blind assault might trigger unforeseen consequences. Leave the rest to me."
"I will lead my team underground to resolve it."
Wilshire then switched channels, issuing orders to his Honor Guard: "Disembark!"
The "Solar High Priest" disembarked first, his golden eyes scanning the surroundings before marking a hundred-metre-tall grey spire on his divination tablet.
This grey structure appeared most frigid and ominous through the Solar High Priest's" eyes.
Honor Guards clad in black armour assembled behind him, raising their bedrock-pattern boltguns. They advanced towards the target building while firing.
"Open a "door"!"
Two bodyguard members, hearing their Lord's command, quickened their pace. Their hands pressed against the grey structure.
After the incorporeal "door" was opened, Wilshire entered first.
The "Solar High Priest" easily found the underground passage within the grey spire.
The team descended spirally. Everyone felt the temperature dropping.
One Honor Guard, sensing supernatural cold, said over the squad channel.
"Bloody hell, it's freezing in this place!"
The Chapter's Librarian looked around. He saw stairs and grey walls engraved with numerous runes.
"Psychic arrays! Gardinaal psykers established combined psychic arrays here."
"I cannot determine the arrays' full effects, but they seal this area into an enclosed space."
"There should be other arrays, other arrays..."
Before the Librarian could finish, a shuffling sound heralded the emergence of a horde of creatures.
The front ranks raised lasguns, unleashing dense beams of light.
Their hunched bodies had an additional arm extending from their backs, firing swiftly.
The "Solar High Priest" saw the humanoid creatures covered in rotten flesh, maggots writhing within.
The "Solar High Priest" pondered, then the golden sun in his eyes suddenly blossomed. A sacred crystalline light descended from above.
The humanoid creatures screamed in agony within the radiance, melting away as if consumed by fire.
Honor Guard members bathed in the brilliant light only felt purity and warmth.
After using "Holy Light Summoning" to slay the monsters, the "Solar High Priest" felt as if something melted within him, confirming his earlier suspicion.
'Circi used bio-engineering to modify human bodies.'
'He then established psychic arrays to bind expired souls within those bodies.'
'He was creating necrotic entities! No wonder he entrenched himself in the biosphere recycling centre, an endless supply of raw materials.'
As Wilshire pondered, he saw withered monsters flying up from below.
Each bore three heads, twisting to survey their surroundings.
Seeing the black giant, their heads turned simultaneously towards Wilshire.
Silken strands of black mucus dripped from their mouths, plopping onto the ground.
Two Honor Guards flanking him raised their bedrock-pattern boltguns.
The mounted Squat HuntR modules mounted on them instantly locked onto the approaching creatures and roared into action.
Diamond-hard bolts shot forth, striking the monsters, blasting their pieced bodies apart.
A swarm of humanoid monsters approached, their three heads opening in unison to emit a piercing howl.
The creatures' cries were filled with agony, seeking to inflict their torment upon the black-armored warriors.
Painful cries merged into a terrifying screech. Two Honor Guard members' arms faltered; their firing momentarily halted.
The monsters' six arms, connected by bat-like wing membranes, began to vibrate. Their speed surged abruptly as they lunged towards the black-armored warriors like lightning.
The "Solar High Priest's" golden eyes blazed. Golden "Sun Holy Water" fell from nowhere.
Sun holy water struck the flying monsters, piercing their bodies like spears.
Plop-plop...
The "Solar High Priest" strode forward. His thunder hammer gleamed with golden light as he attacked the swiftly falling monsters.
He swung the hammer in sweeping arcs. Within golden light, bodies were torn to shreds, swiftly vanishing.
The "Solar High Priest" descended, using "Create Sun Holy Water." Drops of summoned sunholy water fell, striking and slaying the surging necrotic entities.
Suddenly, Wilshire's vision opened up.
The Librarian followed his Lord. He saw a massive circular platform gleaming with psychic lights.
A crimson river churned, green mist billowed...
"This is the psychic arrays' central nexus..."
A roaring bellow interrupted the Librarian.
"Damn you!" A figure as tall as a Warhound Titan burst forth, snarling.
His form was hung with numerous arms, covered in countless faces.
"You interrupted my great plan. All of you, die!"
Circi's furious roar echoed with the wails of countless souls.
Using his bio-engineering and psychic arrays, he sought to transform himself into a perfect form, possessing power equal to Straken's metallic body.
Circi, driven by his desire and the psyker-caste, spent a millennium constructing the framework within the recycling center.
Another four hundred and thirty years passed as he gathered the refined essences of recycled bodies onto his own frame.
Just over a century more, and he would complete his transformation, becoming a powerhouse equal to Straken.
But these damned invaders had disrupted his plan.
Cyclone missile launchers atop bodyguard members' Cataphractii Terminator Armor struck Circi.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The ground shook violently beneath his feet as severed limbs and fragments flew.
A severed arm struck a guard member, black bio-chemical slime rapidly corroding the Cataphractii Terminator Armor.
Circi lost hundreds of arms, yet thousands remained, forming three slender limbs.
Two grey-white arms swept horizontally. One arm smashed downward.
The Honor Guard, whose armor had been corroded by the bio-slime, was struck by one arm and was instantly crushed into paste.
Another arm crashed into Honor Guards, knocking them aside.
The smashing arm descended directly towards Wilshire.
The "Solar High Priest's" eyes blazed. Instantly, golden flames ignited from nowhere.
These flames radiated the sun's vast, pervasive aura, densely coalescing into an ocean that enveloped Circi's massive form.
The sacred flames ignited by the "Fire of Light" consumed the souls bound to Circi like candles, melting them into droplets of liquid that vanished into silent screams.
The "Solar High Priest" silently chanted Dunnic. His speed surged. "Holy Oath" made him, clad in Cataphractii Terminator armor, faster than Shadow of Order in Mark II Power Armor.
Flames ignited upon the Thunder Hammer, radiating brilliant golden light.
The "Solar High Priest" leapt high, swinging the thunder hammer, smashing onto Circi's body.
Amidst explosive reports, Circi's body shattered. Simultaneously, Wilshire felt a star crack within him. He thought inwardly:
'I have become a true "Solar High Priest."'
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu