The footsteps stopped.
Just outside that twisted bulkhead door.
The rhythmic pressure, previously like the heartbeat of the Grim Reaper, suddenly vanished, replaced by a more suffocating silence, the kind before a storm.
The air solidified.
Time seemed to be stretched into a string pulled to its absolute limit.
Leticia's heart felt like it was about to jump out of her throat; she used all her strength to drag the unconscious girl in her arms another half-meter back, pressing her own thin back firmly against the cold bulkhead.
There was nowhere left to retreat.
The next second.
Boom!
A deafening roar, impossible to describe in words, violently tore through the silence.
It was not an impact, but a pure, brutal, violent tearing.
The thick alloy docking door was ripped inward by a terrifying external force as if it were fragile tin foil.
The metal emitted a shrill, dying screech, and its twisted edges were instantly melted into orange-red molten iron by high heat, dripping onto the deck and steaming up acrid white smoke.
A scorching, filthy wave of air, carrying the scent of death, rushed toward them.
Leticia let out a muffled groan, burying her head deep, using her entire body to form a fragile barrier to protect the Blonde Girl in her arms.
Silence descended once more.
Only the hissing of electrical currents and the cooling sound of molten metal provided an accompaniment to this scene of destruction.
A massive shadow loomed over the torn-open gap.
Then, a "person" bent down and walked in from the wreckage.
Leticia's breathing stopped completely at that moment.
It was a giant.
A Space Marine clad in power armor.
But his existence ran counter to any image of a hero or warrior in Leticia's cognition.
It was a suit of purple armor filled with a sense of decadence and gorgeous beauty; every curve of the armor seemed meticulously designed, yet inscribed with nauseating, lewd, and profane symbols in the details.
Those symbols twisted and coiled as if alive, seemingly writhing slowly under the dim red light, enticing anyone who stared at them to fall into madness.
Oily grime seeped from the gaps in the armor, and old blood mixed with fresh bodily fluids, emitting a stench that was a mix of cloying sweetness and decay.
He held a weapon in his hand.
A Chainsword with an ornate hilt, but a blade composed of countless high-speed, gruesome, rotating teeth.
At this moment, it was silent, but Leticia felt as if she could hear countless wronged souls wailing silently within it.
A Chaos Space Marine.
A term that only existed in game lore, representing betrayal and corruption, had now become reality in an undeniable and oppressive posture.
The giant's helmet turned slowly, and his crimson lenses scanned the narrow corridor.
His gaze swept over Leticia as if passing over a meaningless piece of scrap metal, without the slightest pause, not even bothering to show contempt.
It was a pure, absolute indifference.
As if in his eyes, Leticia's existence was no different from the dust on the floor.
Then, that crimson gaze locked tightly and greedily onto the Blonde Girl in Leticia's arms—Terrania.
The pressure in the air changed its nature instantly.
If it was previously pure violence and coercion, it was now infused with a viscous, nauseating greed full of possessiveness.
"#@&...#@&*#@&%%@#@&!!!!"
A string of hoarse, fanatical syllables, completely unintelligible to Leticia, emanated from the loudspeaker in the giant's throat.
It was not any language she knew; the voice seemed to act directly upon the soul, filled with profane rhythms and unclean desires.
He ignored Leticia, who was blocking his path, and took a heavy step forward.
Thud.
Every collision of the metal boot sole with the deck made the entire corridor tremble.
His towering body brought a sense of despairing oppression to the narrow space, like a moving mountain, slowly crushing toward them.
Leticia was stiff all over, every cell screaming at her to run.
But her feet felt like they were nailed to the deck, unable to move a single step.
She could feel Terrania in her arms trembling more violently, even in her unconscious state, letting out a faint, terrified whimper.
The protective instinct carved into the depths of her soul, like ignited gunpowder, instantly overwhelmed the fear that had penetrated her marrow.
She bit her lip, the rusty scent of blood spreading in her mouth, using the sharp pain to force her chaotic brain to maintain a sliver of clarity.
She raised her head, using all her courage to meet the approaching, god-demon-like silhouette.
Those hands, which once belonged to a work of art, were now holding the girl in her arms tightly, her knuckles white from the exertion.
The Chaos Space Marine's steps did not falter in the slightest because of her gaze.
He walked straight up to them.
The massive shadow completely engulfed the two of them.
Leticia could even smell the eerie scent emanating from his power armor, a mixture of machine oil, blood, and incense.
She could see every detail of the profane symbols on his armor, those twisted lines seemingly mocking all of her resistance.
"How... how pure a soul..."
A low, ecstatic, and admiring thought slithered into Leticia's mind like a viper.
"So perfect, so fragrant... not yet tainted by any mortal emotion, nor touched by the turbid currents of the Subspace..."
The voice carried a pathological piety.
"She will be the most perfect sacrifice ever offered to the 'Prince of Pleasure'! His Highness the Prince will surely bestow supreme favor for this!"
Leticia's pupils shrank to pinpricks.
A sacrifice!
This word was like an ice-quenched dagger, stabbing into her deepest fears.
The Chaos Space Marine stopped in front of her.
He lowered his head slightly, and Terrania's pale, beautiful sleeping face was reflected in his crimson lenses.
A satisfied roar, similar to a sinister laugh, emanated from the loudspeaker.
Then, he slowly extended that massive gauntlet, encased in purple metal.
That hand was larger than Leticia's head.
The fingertips of the gauntlet crackled with ominous energy arcs, emitting a "sizzling" sound.
Its target was not Leticia, who was blocking the way.
But Terrania, who was protected in her arms, completely unaware.
The hand, with irresistible majesty and cruel playfulness, slowly and firmly reached toward the girl's swan-like, beautiful, and fragile neck exposed in the air.
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