The Emperor’s Angel of Death

Brook, clad in his spider-exoskeleton armor, glanced around, the nose beneath his helmet twitching at the sweet, sulfuric stench of the explosion. The tunnel walls revealed jagged blast scars, with rubble scattered across the ground. Though the fissure wasn't fully breached, he could see a faint light in the distance through the cracks.

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Clearly, they hadn't searched in the wrong place. According to the mission requirements, they had to find a way around to the rear of the enemy's massive fortress. Many scouting teams had disappeared or gotten lost in the process. After all, this hive wasn't their home turf; they were completely unfamiliar with the territory. They were digging based on unreliable structural diagrams, while also being wary of possible alien ambushes. This job was far more dangerous than directly exchanging fire with the enemy.

But there was nothing they could do; their superior had boasted to someone.

The Van Saar family's technology was first-rate, and they would certainly complete the mission. Once that hat was placed on their heads, no one uttered a word of protest.

"Yes, sir, it's just..."

The soldier beside him muttered. This gang member, raised in the hive city, wore a gas mask, but it couldn't conceal the nervousness in his tone. As he paced back and forth, the bombs hanging on his body clinked with his movements.

"It's just, aren't we making a bit too much noise? Now that we've found it, shouldn't we report back first? And those things—"

His words abruptly halted, the soldier gasping and choking. Brook's mechanical claws had clamped tightly around his neck.

The Tech-Guard sneered as he lifted the trooper from his squad, allowing the other man's feet to kick and flail wildly for a moment before releasing him.

"We're at war, maggot! This isn't a gang brawl, not something you can do however you please, understand? If you want to shed that scum status and become an officer, then lose... lose this cowardice. I need subordinates, but you are not indispensable."

Brook spat out each word rapidly, his lenses glinting. The soldier nodded desperately, turning and retreating back to the wall.

"We need to ensure this path is stably passable, which may require drilling. Where's Ritterta?"

Soon, a soldier grumbled as he walked over, picking up his drilling machine.

As the drill started, the ground and walls began to tremble. While this was a bit dangerous, based on his years of construction experience in Necromunda, as long as they were only trembling, the problems could be dealt with later.

"Brace that area! Use the moldable sealant!"

"Sir."

The soldiers quickly sprang into action, a hundred or so people busily working, hammering and banging. Brook also used his mechanical arm to tap at the opening ahead.

The tunnel was quickly widened, and the light became increasingly apparent.

For some reason, he suddenly shivered. This was a dangerous sign, based on his years of experience in the most dangerous streets of the hive city.

"Something's wrong."

Brook looked around, trying to block out the piercing noise.

Suddenly, his head snapped around.

"Enemies are coming."

"I didn't hear any—"

Immediately afterward, a set of materials used to block a gap in the tunnel was smashed to pieces, and a slender, hunchbacked figure leaped down from the hole.

Upon landing, the thing pounced on Brook from the darkness. The Tech-Guard abruptly raised the arm of his spider-exoskeleton armor, its power blade clashing against the opponent's sharp claws, sending sparks flying.

More things then rushed out. In less than the blink of an eye, a brutal tunnel battle erupted. Someone, it was unknown who, detonated a grenade. The explosion tore apart the rocks on the tunnel walls, and the flying debris forced Brook to turn his head and shield his face.

Suddenly, a gauss ray shot out from a rifle in the hands of some metal skeleton, flying along the right side and hitting the drill operator in the chest, turning him into a pile of ash.

The drill immediately veered off course, shaking and tilting to one side, crashing into the rock and screeching along the tunnel wall.

Then, another off-target gauss bolt shot into the darkness, followed by an explosion and frantic shouts.

This narrow, enclosed world shrank further.

Smoke, gravel, and searing tongues of fire consumed the breath of the living.

"Keep digging! Just some small fry! Don't panic! No grenades!"

Brook roared immediately after repelling the attacker. Just as he picked up the drill from the ground, intending to check on the breach, a gust of foul wind swept over him. Instinct saved his life.

Before he saw the claws, he felt the movement of air. Without turning around, he immediately spun and raised his mechanical arm, blocking his opponent in mid-air. The living metal claws wrestled against the dust-covered steel.

The next second, Brook recoiled, gripping the vibrating drill with both hands. Using it as a way to turn, he thrust it forward, the vibrating drill bit leaving a shower of sparks on the living metal.

The Necron with the claws was forced to nimbly retreat, but left a crackling scar on Brook's faceplate, while the drill tore a wound in the Necron's flank.

Then, they separated, staring at each other face-to-face in the narrow underground darkness, surrounded by desperate fighting.

Brook noticed that their positions had been exchanged, with the Necron with the claws facing the weakened rock wall. It was a misshapen monster, carrying murderous impulses throughout its body.

For a moment, looking at the opponent on all fours, fear surged up. The Tech-Guard twitched with the urge to flee.

Then, from the cracks caused by the tunnel wall explosions, green light flickered, as if issuing a summons.

Brook was again certain that they had indeed dug to their target.

The continued, intense bombardment caused the tunnel to vibrate again, followed by the clash of metal, flashing lightning, and air that seemed to burn.

Suddenly, the Necron leaped again, and Brook also jumped up with a hiss, meeting his enemy.

The two collided with a crash, but thanks to the performance of the exoskeleton, and the small action of smashing the drill into the opponent's face, Brook gained the upper hand, pushed the opponent down, and used the power blade on his arm to directly split open the opponent's skull. The impact also completely broke open the gap behind the enemy.

When he stood up from the rubble, he saw many human corpses around him. They were burned, dismembered, and one was even beheaded.

This might have once been a refugee camp, but now it was a slaughterhouse.

Brook raised his head and saw a shaft. Using the exoskeleton's mechanical arms, he quickly climbed up. As soon as his head emerged, he saw that towering evil thing.

It was an incredibly magnificent and evil presence, standing in the darkness of the hive city ruins. It had appeared after New Vostok had almost fallen. Its shape resembled a stepped pyramid made of black-green stone, but it was much larger than those that could move. It was surrounded by many smaller pyramids, inlaid with mysterious weapons, turrets, and strange battlements. These battlements were connected to the main structure by angular trenches filled with scorching mist, and were covered with flickering green lights.