The moment the Burning Chariot was banished, the psychic intensity of all Tzeentchian daemons dropped by at least twenty percent. The Flamers panicked; they began to fly and spray fire erratically, losing the coordination and rhythm they had displayed just moments ago.
"Isod" did not let this opportunity slip by. As she descended, she locked onto the Exalted Flamer hovering in mid-air. She raised her right hand, fingers curved as if grasping the void, and purple psychic energy condensed in her palm. The Exalted Flamer sensed the danger; it opened its maw, preparing to spew fire—but "Isod's" shockwave arrived first.
A burst of purple light erupted from the void like an invisible sledgehammer, slamming brutally into the Exalted Flamer. The creature was hammered out of the sky, crashing into the floor and leaving a massive crater. It had barely begun to crawl out when Raynor arrived.
He gripped his sword with both hands, the tip dragging across the floor, leaving a trail of golden fire in its wake. He charged toward the Exalted Flamer, every step leaving a burning footprint. The daemon looked up, its three eyes filled with sheer terror.
The Sword of Valenia swung upward in a powerful arc, unleashing a golden, crescent-shaped blade-wave. The energy swept through the Exalted Flamer's body, cleaving it in two along the centerline from crotch to crown. The daemon's scream was cut short.
The two halves of its body fell away from each other. In mid-topple, they suddenly solidified as if frozen into ice sculptures. Then, they shattered like a broken mirror into countless tiny fragments, each shimmering with a different hue. The shards hit the ground and turned into points of starlight, dissipating into the air.
With the Exalted Flamer dead, dealing with the remaining daemons was merely a matter of time. Having lost their leader and their augmentation further weakened, the Flamers became like birds startled by a bow. They flew and sprayed fire aimlessly, completely lacking any strategy. Raynor and "Isod" seized the chance to strike the panicked daemons from the sky.
The Chaos Spawn fared even worse. Clumsy and slow, once they lost the covering fire of the Flamers, they became little more than target practice for the pair.
Raynor ignored the retreating stragglers. His target was the staff—the one thrust into the center of the hall, still emitting the blue shockwaves. He rushed forward and brought his sword down in a heavy vertical strike. The golden blade slammed into the staff.
The staff vibrated violently. The giant eye at its peak spun frantically, letting out an ear-piercing shriek.
Crack!
A fissure opened across the giant eye. A bright red liquid welled from the crack, dripping onto the floor and emitting a foul stench. The eye's shriek turned into a wail, then a sob, then a cacophony of countless conflicting emotions.
Swoosh—!
A powerful suction erupted from the crack. It was as if an invisible vortex had formed in the center of the hall, pulling everything toward it. The dying Chaos Spawn, the mangled corpses, and the bloody remains were all dragged toward the staff. They converged around it, kneaded and squeezed by invisible forces into a writhing ball of meat. Black blood, white bone, and red flesh fused into a pulsing mass. The sphere grew larger and more distorted until a final rift opened and swallowed it whole.
Raynor had already pulled "Isod" back to a safe distance. He gripped his sword, staring at the rift, knowing what was coming next.
The rift shook violently. A massive arm reached out—blue, covered in twisted runes, and as thick as a tree trunk. It was so enormous it had to squeeze out of the rift inch by inch, eventually bumping against the chandeliers on the ceiling.
A Mutalith Vortex Beast.
Standing fifteen meters tall and entirely blue, it looked like a more "orderly" version of a Chaos Spawn. Its limbs were thick, it moved by crawling, and it had no eyes; its entire head was a massive, constantly rotating vortex. That vortex pulled open, and from within emerged countless long, thin tentacles that lashed through the air, dripping with viscous fluid. Upon its back rested a massive disc, like an ancient halo. The disc also rotated, emitting a low hum, while blue-white light condensed in its hollow center.
The Vortex Beast opened its swirling maw and let out a roar. The sound made the boundary between the Warp and reality blur. The entire hall began to "roll"—the floor surged, the walls warped, and the ceiling spun. Raynor felt the world turn upside down, as if he had been tossed into a massive industrial centrifuge. He thrust his sword into the floor to steady himself, wrapping an arm around "Isod" to keep her upright.
Based on his memories from his past life, he concluded that this thing's combat power was roughly equivalent to a Dreadnought possessed of psychic abilities. But his Sword of Valenia was no less sharp!
"Go!"
"Isod" nodded. The two charged out simultaneously.
The Vortex Beast sensed the threat. It raised a front claw and slammed it heavily onto the ground.
Thud!!!
A shockwave radiated from its foot, blasting back both Raynor and "Isod" mid-charge. They lost their balance in the air, with nothing to push off from. Meanwhile, the disc on the beast's back began to spin frantically. In its hollow center, the blue light condensed to its limit. A thick beam of psychic energy shot directly toward the two in the air.
There was nowhere to hide.
But the beast had forgotten that psychic power was not its exclusive privilege. "Isod" raised her right hand and made a pushing motion toward Raynor. A non-lethal shockwave erupted, hitting Raynor and shoving him horizontally, clear of the beam's path. Simultaneously, the recoil of the shockwave pushed "Isod" in the opposite direction.
The purple beam shot between them, striking the wall behind. The wall melted instantly, exploding into a massive hole.
The two landed. Raynor didn't pause for a second, charging straight for the body of the Vortex Beast. He reached the creature's feet and swung his sword at its front leg. However, the blade stopped a meter away from the limb, blocked by a transparent barrier. This was the beast's passive warp-shield.
The Vortex Beast looked down, and countless tentacles emerged from its swirling maw, reaching out to ensnare him. Raynor did not retreat. He gripped the sword with both hands, and the golden flames on the blade erupted with peak intensity. He swung downward, the blade slamming into the shield.
Golden fire clashed with the purple barrier, producing a shrill hissing sound. The shield vibrated and began to crack. Seeing that it was working, Raynor swung his sword manically, severing reaching tentacles while simultaneously hammering the barrier.
Crrr-ack!
The shield shattered. "Sarah... Isod!!!" Raynor roared. "Now!"
"Isod" had already leaped into the air, facing the disc on the Vortex Beast's back. Her fists condensed psychic energy; this time, it wouldn't be just one strike. She threw her punches. Within a single second, over a hundred blows landed. Every punch slammed into the disc until cracks appeared on its surface and it began to wobble violently. The psychic energy condensing at its center fluctuated wildly.
Finally, with a loud BOOM, the disc exploded. Shards flew everywhere and blue light scattered like a magnificent fireworks display. The Vortex Beast let out a piteous shriek as its massive frame crashed to the ground. Psychic turbulence erupted from its back; the once-stable energy was now erupting like an uncontrolled volcano.
Raynor had already rushed to its head. He gripped his sword with both hands, tip pointing toward the sky, the golden flames burning with unprecedented ferocity. He leaped.
"FOR THE EMPEROR!!!"
He brought the sword down. The Sword of Valenia buried itself in the Vortex Beast's neck, and golden fire erupted from the wound. It incinerated every inch of the beast's flesh, every strand of Chaos energy, and every trace of its daemonic essence.
The Vortex Beast's body began to vanish. Like the Exalted Flamer and the Chaos Spawn before it, it turned into countless multicolored particles of light that drifted through the air. It had been utterly annihilated, rather than merely banished back to the Warp.
As the particles fell, the entire hall was bathed in a dreamlike array of colors. Raynor landed, dropping to one knee and leaning on his sword as he gasped for breath. "Isod" landed beside him, equally exhausted.
The remaining daemons, seeing the Vortex Beast vanish, collapsed in spirit. They shrieked and scattered in all directions; some even turned on each other in their desperate attempt to flee this terrifying place.
Finally, silence returned to the dining hall.
Raynor stood up slowly. He turned around, looking at the heavily wounded Ecclesiarchy warriors. He raised his sword. The Sword of Valenia glowed with a brilliant white light in the darkness.
"It's over," he said.
No one cheered. In the shadows of a corner, Loya revealed a satisfied smile before gradually fading into the darkness.