As Nareth was leaping up and down the stairway, hunting down the Fra'al xenos, Maria and her two companions, relying on their trained iron will, managed to avoid losing consciousness, but they were locked in a desperate battle.
The howling echoes reverberated, stunning dozens of nearby Fra'al warriors, as well as those farther away with weaker wills.
Yet the remaining Fra'al warriors showed no hesitation. They coldly stepped over the corpses of their fallen comrades and charged upward.
In the nomadic culture of the Fra'al, the weak had no right to survive. Killing frail tribesmen conserved resources.
Maria knew this was a fight for survival. She didn't call for Nareth's help. Having assassinated a psyker before, she understood how terrifying they were.
It was wise of Nareth to prioritize eliminating them. For now, they had to rely on themselves.
Maria pulled out an injector from her black bodysuit and injected herself without hesitation.
She immediately felt a surge of power within. Her usually calm blue eyes now gleamed with bloodlust.
Maria leaped into the air, slashing her curved blade in a maneuver from "Otsberg-Vaya," 16th principle
She broke through her limits and executed ten stabs in an instant.
Snatching a dagger that fell before her, Maria charged into the xeno swarm.
Her figure flashed as her dual blades danced, slicing a bloody path through the creatures.
Dementieva, already exhausted, also gritted her teeth and injected another dose.
Together with Tsvetana, she launched a frenzied attack on the xeno scum.
Las rifle beams flickered rapidly, energy cells hitting the ground one after another, until Tsvetana reached for her final magazine and realized these xenos were far more vicious than she had imagined.
The only reason they had been previously slaughtered so easily was that the giant, Nareth, was overwhelmingly powerful.
Tsvetana also noticed Maria slowing down and getting surrounded by the xenos.
Just as despair was about to consume her, a roar echoed out. Her body trembled as ultrasonic waves crashed in her mind. She wept blood from her eyes and went temporarily blind, but still felt relief.
Right before the three were pushed past their limits, Nareth had wiped out the Fra'al psyker squad and leapt down.
His "Frenzied Howl" blasted into the minds of the Fra'al, immediately knocking out dozens. But the true terror was this: the giant's arrival meant the elite team of a hundred Aethereal Masters had been annihilated.
The Fra'al warriors' will crumbled. Panic-stricken, they scattered and fled.
They had only one thought: escape this hell—drifting on a raider ship would be better than staying here.
In their desperation, fleeing soldiers slashed at their own kin with Fra'al glass blades just to run faster, scattering the incoming reinforcements.
The first wave of fleeing Fra'al reached the deck and tried to board a sleek raiding vessel, only to be met with a dense barrage of laser fire.
Riddled with holes, the Fra'al warriors collapsed in pools of blood.
Szczesny, leading the 4th Vostroyan Regiment, had landed on the Fra'al battlecruiser using assault craft.
Despite prior training, their first space battle still presented challenges.
In one assault craft, an Iron Warrior failed to follow proper procedures and slipped from the restraints.
Losing control, he slammed into the cockpit's safety door. Unfortunately, he wasn't a regular person, but a heavily enhanced Iron Warrior.
He smashed through the door and crashed into the pilot, causing the assault craft to veer off course and collide with an asteroid.
Upon boarding the enemy ship, Szczesny realized he had lost an entire platoon.
It took him longer than expected to reorganize the 4th Regiment.
Fueled by anger, Szczesny stormed onto the deck, right into a group of fleeing Fra'al warriors.
Wielding a chainsword suited for "sailors," he cleaved through an xeno's head.
At the same time, he extended his left arm to catch an incoming dagger.
The Fra'al warrior felt like his wrist had been caught by steel pincers; the human's strength was monstrous.
With a wrenching motion, the "sailor" snapped the Fra'al's arm using his enhanced strength.
Szczesny followed up with a heavy slash that decapitated it.
Leading his troops, Szczesny crushed the fleeing xenos and approached Nareth.
Feeling ashamed, he said:
"My lord, I am late."
"Shame acknowledged leads to courage."
"You will lead your troops to clear each deck of the ship."
Nareth did not blame him. With a simple nod, he issued the order.
"As you command, my lord."
Szczesny immediately led his men back into the fight on the deck.
Nareth strode forward. As he passed the exhausted Maria and her team, he said:
"Well done. The mission is complete. Rest and await orders."
"As you command, my king!"
The three straightened up and answered respectfully, all filled with awe after witnessing Nareth's inhuman strength.
Moments later, Nareth reached the top of the stairs. With a swing of his halberd, he smashed through the purple metal door blocking his way.
He charged into the bridge, immediately spotting a Fra'al floating midair, holding a purple crystal staff.
The Fra'al spoke in clumsy Vostroyan Low Gothic:
"I am... the governor... of this vessel.. human... state... your demands…"
"I am willing... to leave... this star system... and even... offer…"
A mocking smile tugged at Nareth's lips. 'Offer? I want it all.'
He took a deep breath and let out a thunderous roar.
The bridge shook. Several Fra'al collapsed unconscious, and even the governor wavered in midair.
He quickly stabilized himself and raised the purple crystal staff.
"Die!"
The area around Nareth, more than ten meters in all directions, was engulfed in purple flames.
Fra'al officers screamed in agony, but the governor remained unmoved. As long as he could kill this powerful enemy, it was worth the sacrifice.
Just as the Fra'al governor prepared to descend, a wave of dread hit him.
Too late.
A charred suit of armor appeared before him.
With a bang, the Fra'al governor was sent flying. Coughing up blood, he managed to form a psychic shield just in time to block the hit.
But the next moment, his expression twisted in horror.
"No—"
The Fra'al governor cried out in despair. Nareth had grabbed his right leg.
Nareth swung him hard, slamming him into the floor.
With a thunderous crash, Nareth once again felt something dissolving within his body, fusing with his mind.
'The potion has been fully digested. I am now a true Barbarian.
After landing, Nareth slaughtered the remaining Fra'al on the bridge. He then pulled out a long-range communicator from his armor.
"Rosicky, I've taken over the xeno battlecruiser. You and Wojciech come here immediately."
Nareth didn't wait. He leapt forward and killed every Fra'al he saw.
Only after receiving Rosicky's reply did he return to the bridge.
Standing before the Tech-Priest, he spoke:
"I want to work with the Mechanicum to develop this xeno vessel."