Chapter 200: Mysterious Cult |
Although the leader disappeared, the Genestealers still surged forward like a tide.
The only difference was that their numbers were dwindling, and their ferocious momentum seemed to have lessened considerably.
"Where did that thing go?"
The Arbitrator asked loudly.
"I don't know, but we need to get out of here first!"
"There's an entrance here!"
The Arbitrator discovered a hidden wooden door in the room, which pushed open to reveal a secret passageway.
Thus, the Enforcers split into two groups, covering each other as they retreated backward, while the Genestealers seemingly lacked a strong desire to attack, merely hissing and pacing at the room's entrance.
The squad attempted to push outward. Under the dim illumination of their lighting equipment, another massive, tunnel-composed labyrinth stretched windingly into the unknown darkness, where countless gleaming eyes stared coldly up at them.
An Enforcer suddenly cried out.
"They're above!"
A non-human scream echoed from the darkness above the room, followed by a dark shadow leaping down from a ventilation shaft beyond the reach of their lights, moving with unbelievable, blinding speed.
The moment it landed, it lunged straight for the Enforcer at the very back of the formation.
He tried to raise his personal defense pistol, but it was too late.
The monster's jaw inexplicably unhinged, revealing a mouth full of razor-sharp fangs that violently clamped onto his throat, shearing through the muscle and cartilage within, kicking up a fine spray of crimson blood in the dilapidated, rundown shack.
"Fucking son of a bitch!!!"
As the screeching Genestealer hybrid dropped the still-twitching body of the Enforcer and turned to charge the others, the Arbitrator raised his hand and fired a shot, but the bullet merely drilled a small hole in the crude partition wall right next to its head.
Everyone could hear the fine, skittering footsteps echoing from the darkness behind it.
Though they couldn't see them, that distinct sound of scratching against the floorboards made everyone's hair stand on end.
It was clear these Genestealers intend to launch a full-scale assault.
The Arbitrator unhooked the shock maul from his waist. When the xenos leaped over again, he swung it desperately to parry the monster's attack.
"Get out of here! Go!"
He deflected the arm with claw-like nails, feeling the shock maul score through the chitinous carapace, and just as that murderous maw was only a hand's breadth from his face, he ducked in time to evade the lethal bite.
The others opened fire again, but they were merely intercepting the xenos flooding in like a burst dam; the Arbitrator had to deal with this immediate opponent himself.
He brought the humming shock maul back in a sweeping counterattack, striking the hybrid's chest and shattering its spine.
Foul-smelling pus sprayed out, instantly reminiscent of the toxic wastewater rivers of the Hive City, before the xenos collapsed at his feet.
"We're surrounded!"
The assault squad leader shouted.
That certainly appeared to be the reality.
The cramped alcove had no windows, and the only doorway leading in or out was jammed with terrifying mockeries of humanity, their roars shaking everyone's blood and breath.
The flamer's fuel had long since run dry, and most of their ammunition was severely depleted.
The Enforcers could only conserve their shots carefully, specifically picking off those stupid enough to expose themselves in attacks to the head or chest, occasionally firing blindly at the thin walls to prevent them from breaching this confined space.
"Retreat! Fall back into the passageway!"
The Arbitrator decided to risk everything on a single throw, immediately translating his words into action by leading the squad in a desperate flight down the unknown secret tunnel.
The others followed closely behind him, advancing step by step, periodically firing backward to kill the relentlessly pursuing monsters.
They soon reached a spacious open area filled with many collapsed wooden shacks and a vertical shaft, which looked like it hadn't been used in entirely too long. Perhaps, a long time ago, a few miners with no way out had lived here, but now there was absolutely nothing.
The Arbitrator only observed this place for a few seconds before catching something highly unusual.
Faintly visible on the walls here were symbols resembling some kind of large bird, but they were definitely not the Imperial Aquila; instead, they looked much more like—
Crows.
And above the vertical shaft, the Arbitrator saw many dark, indistinguishable shapes hanging down, looking like countless bats entirely suspended upside down.
Suddenly, a dense cacophony of footsteps rose from behind. The squad spun around to react, finding the tidal wave of xenos had already caught up.
But as they entered this area, they astonishingly showed some hesitation.
Yet, driven by some unseen force, they surged in anyway.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat————!
In the next second, the roar of a heavy bolter tore through the ruins like a thunderclap. As the rounds swept across the monsters' foothold, they were instantly shredded to pieces.
Encouraged by this sight, numerous figures leaned out from their hiding places, enthusiastically joining the battle or pouring down suppressive fire from above.
Only then did the Arbitrator realize, in sheer astonishment, that what appeared to be empty, dilapidated houses had actually been occupied all along, and that many small caves had been carved into the surrounding rock walls.
This place was practically a full settlement.
Seeing the abominable monsters below falling into complete disarray, those wearing ragged black robes openly burst into laughter.
"Abominable xenos, daring to offend the domain of the Raven Lord! Prepare to receive the most brutal punishment!"
A high-pitched voice echoed from atop the shaft, followed by a wooden platform slowly lowering, bringing forth a man wearing a raven mask and draped in a cloak of black feathers.
"Death and shadows shall shroud you all together!"
It was as if this phrase was the most venomous curse; the Genestealers appeared to be profoundly startled, entirely scattering and fleeing in every direction just like that.
"Who are you people?"
Though the xenos threat had temporarily receded, the Arbitrator dared not drop his guard, as these people looked far too strange and were highly likely to be potential cultists.
The Enforcers didn't break from their combat formation either. In fact, they grew even more vigilant as enemies were constantly positioned in every direction—all of these people wore pure black robes, their faces hidden in shadow, making it impossible to see them clearly.
"There is no need to worry, Arbitrator, we are still loyal subjects of the Imperium, but likewise, we are also the kin of the Raven Lord."
The man in the raven mask turned to the Arbitrator. In that precise instant, the Arbitrator felt as if something had probed into his mind.
"Damn it! An unsanctioned psyker!"
The highly experienced Arbitrator instantly sensed the other's intent, immediately raising his pistol to aim squarely at the man's head.
"We are the abandoned ones, merely seeking a quiet life. You may leave from here and report everything you've seen. The xenos here have been breeding for hundreds of years, and even the bureaucracy has been thoroughly infiltrated. You have many things to do, rather than wasting your time on a group of forgotten people."
Even faced with the immediate threat of death, the man remained extraordinarily calm.
After deliberating over and over, the Arbitrator finally lowered his gun.
"What is the Raven Lord?"
"A protector."
"Our sole protector can only be the Emperor."
"It has completely protected the Emperor before, as well."
"What?"
"Alright, it's time for you to leave. It's hard to say if those monsters will come back."
Seeing the other unwilling to reveal any more, the Arbitrator could only suppress everything he had seen today. But he swore to himself that as soon as the threat of the Genestealer Cult was dealt with, he would fully investigate this so-called Raven Lord and get to the bottom of it!
Subsequently, the Departmento Justitiae squad took the elevator and departed from the mining sector.