The Warden had created such a perfect opportunity, stripping Zufal away from his Black Legion support. How could Zeke disappoint it?
First, he applied the debuffs to Zufal. Then, buffed himself up with an Enchanted Golden Apple for insurance.
Zeke thrust the Harlequin's Kiss at Zufal relentlessly.
Are humans these days all this brave? Zufal stared at Zeke. There were no signs of augmentations on his body; he was undoubtedly an ordinary human. Even so, you dare to swing a blade at me?
What gave you the nerve?! Zufal's eyes widened in fury. He activated the disruption field on his Power Sword to full capacity and swung to meet the Harlequin's Kiss.
"Qvo, we strike." Cawl's voice rang out from behind.
Just now, you guys ganged up on a Warden. Now it's our turn for a righteous gang beating. Zeke wore a wicked grin as Archmagos Cawl emerged from the darkness behind him. He raised the Power Axe of the Omnissiah high above his head and brought it down toward Zufal's skull with crushing force.
From another direction, Qvo wielded the Arc Scourge, releasing an arc of electricity to ensnare the enemy.
Attacked from three directions simultaneously, Zufal had nowhere to retreat.
I can't dodge this. Zufal realized instantly.
He made a decision so bold it was heart-stopping: he bet his life on surviving this round of attacks.
Abandoning all defense, he poured all his strength into his Power Sword.
Survive this round, kill the weakest human in front of me, and then it's one against two. I still have a chance.
This single thought dominated Zufal's mind as he swung his sword faster.
Enchanted Golden Apple, Protection IV Netherite Armor, Adamantine Shield. Do you seriously think you can bypass all four of these and one-shot me?
In Zufal's despairing gaze, his Power Sword didn't even break through the Adamantine Shield.
Qvo's electric arc wrapped around Zufal, pumping electromagnetic energy into him. The smell of burning ozone wafted from beneath his power armor as paralysis set in.
Then came the Power Axe of the Omnissiah. It cleaved into Zufal's head, slicing off half of it, and continued downward to split his shoulder.
The Harlequin's Kiss stabbed at Zufal repeatedly like a sewing machine needle, punching hole after hole into his body.
Zufal's health bar plummeted like a roller coaster. Before his vision went black, he looked toward the Black Legion.
There's still one last hope. If the Black Legion can kill that alien and come to support me...
The last thing Zufal saw was a second Warden bursting from the ground.
The Black Legion had kited the first Warden too far away. Beneath the Shrieker, another Warden had been summoned.
If no other Warden exists within a 24-block radius of a Sculk Shrieker, it will continue to summon more endlessly.
Zufal's final sliver of hope was extinguished. Infinite darkness and cold swallowed him as Zeke delivered the final strike to confirm the kill.
As he withdrew his blade, something rolled off Zufal's body.
A head. It looked exactly like Zufal did in life. The Harlequin's Kiss special effect had triggered; there was a certain probability of dropping a head.
Zeke's expression turned strange. This thing isn't meant for me to wear, is it? I'm not a follower of Khorne, and I don't have any special fetishes for heads. Wearing it would feel pretty gross.
Still, Zeke picked up the head. Just like wearing a Wither Skeleton Skull, he took off his helmet and put it on.
Before doing so, he made sure to warn Cawl.
Cawl watched as Zeke suddenly disappeared, and Zufal, whom he had just fought, reappeared in his place.
His servo-skulls whirred rapidly. After comparison, there was no doubt it was the same person from before.
If Zeke hadn't warned him, his axe would have already swung down.
The helmet's field of view was narrow. Zeke felt his vision darken around the edges, and it felt sticky.
A strange impulse rose within him, reminding him of a line that perfectly fit the situation.
"Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!"
Zeke shouted loudly while wearing Zufal's head, engaging in a bit of cosplay.
[A Great Entity is pleased with your actions.]
[Attract the attention of the remaining two Entities to unlock the mod: Reliquary.]
A gust of wind sounded behind him. Zeke turned to see Cawl's Power Axe thrusting toward his face.
Clang!
Zeke rubbed a dent on his Netherite armor. "This is just a cosmetic item," he explained to Cawl, holding the head in his hand.
"In my visuals, you became Zufal himself at that moment. I thought his Warp soul had possessed you."
This head has that effect? Zeke looked at the head in his hand.
In vanilla Minecraft, mob heads slightly reduced the detection range of corresponding mobs. It seemed the Warhammer world had buffed it.
However, even if he looked like Zufal, it was just a disguise. Zeke could feel he hadn't gained Zufal's abilities; only his appearance had changed.
If he made any significant moves, he would definitely be exposed.
Unless it was an entity so high and mighty that no matter what it did, no one would question it. Zeke might have an easier time roleplaying something like that.
Temporarily storing the head in his inventory, Zeke looked toward the Black Legion.
Over there, they discovered they were facing yet another alien monster.
And once they kited the new Warden far enough away, the Sculk Shrieker shrieked again, preparing to summon a third, then a fourth Warden.
The Ogryn slaves had completely routed. Abandoning their Black Legion masters, they turned and hid within the Blackstone structures, praying the Wardens wouldn't find them.
Facing the multiplying Wardens, the Black Legion's kiting tactics lost effectiveness. The sheer brute force of the Wardens' superior stats was fully displayed.
Zeke watched as a Black Legionnaire killed by a Warden turned into experience orbs, which were then absorbed by a Sculk Catalyst, converting the surrounding area into a new patch of Sculk.
The terrain was spreading; it was infecting. If left unchecked, the entire city would likely be converted before long.
This was a terrifying, geometric progression of infection. The Sculk Catalyst absorbed XP to create more Sculk blocks.
The Sculk infection could spread across all of Cadia. Thinking of this, Zeke used Wool blocks to isolate the Sculk Catalyst.
I could drop a Sculk Catalyst on a Tyranid-occupied planet and let the two dogs fight it out but this thing becomes useless once mined. I need to find a way to transplant it. (TL/N:A Tyranid-occupied planet in Warhammer 40,000 is a world in the final stages of being consumed by a Tyranid Hive Fleet, often referred to as a "barren rock" or "lifeless husk" once the process is complete. Tyranids do not occupy planets for territorial gain; they consume all organic biomass, water, and atmosphere to reproduce and fuel further galactic consumption.)