The Emperor’s Angel of Death

"Die! Die, all of you!"

Accompanied by Valossian's departing maniacal laughter, the Starweavers' ignited souls also emitted pained roars. The originally silent webway gate suddenly emitted a bright light, followed by a faint cracking sound.

Within the gate, the greasy and morbid colors swirled and spiraled, contorting into impossible new shapes, throbbing and pulsating.

The next second, the gate's veil was pierced as if by lightning, turning into a terrifying spiderweb of iridescent light, and rapidly spreading outwards, devouring those few unfortunate Starweavers.

After a few moments of silence, it erupted.

The first impact was physical, shaking the entire Dragon Nest as if controlled by an angry, furious hand. The spiritbone structure cracked, and some Eldar were swallowed by the fissures in the ground, causing screams and chaos.

Towers and sections of the dome collapsed, pressing inwards and crushing those unfortunate enough to be standing beneath them.

Within the great hall, a massive piece of spiritbone also broke away from the dome, severing a section of the corridor. Fragments fell into the melee below, causing a flurry of screams, with some unfortunates being tossed around like debris in a storm before disappearing into the void.

In the wake of the first impact, a surge of psychic energy swept through the nexus, the supreme energy wave distorting the very reality it touched.

So many Eldar dying, so many souls, could only attract one gaze.

Wherever Slaanesh's gaze fell, some Eldar descended into madness, while others fainted and fell to the ground. The Void Dreamer Cymon was among the latter, while the Medusae exploded outright amidst screams. Then, the physical world began to twist, the spiritbone walls and floors transforming from pristine white to filthy purple, sprouting screaming faces or grasping claws.

The veil shattered, and demons descended.

These predatory entities fed on souls and the raw pain of mortals. In some ways, they were very similar to the inhabitants of Commorragh, but compared to Commorragh's refined and sublime sensory arts, these entities were crude and primal. They manifested like nightmares—accompanied by wave after wave of morbidly intense狂dreams and hysterical delusions.

The lowest-level unmade daemons of the warp coalesced and spread like beasts, polluting the air like ink dropped into clear water.

Drawn to the shimmering souls of the Eldar, they sought only to satisfy their eternally insatiable greed. All Eldar began to resist, but for every abomination torn apart and blasted, a dozen others surged forward, swarming to take its place.

However, this was only the beginning. The being that truly made the Eldar tremble was only just arriving.

"Move!"

As Salania stood frozen in shock, Carnellie rushed over, grabbed her hand, and quickly led her away.

Hundreds of Eldar corpses in the hall suddenly hung in the air simultaneously, whether whole or fragmented, whether pirates or Kabalite Warriors. Then, they rapidly converged towards the spreading vortex, transforming into a fleshy mass amidst sickening crunching sounds.

With a horrifying, viscous noise, the mass rapidly expanded, ruptured, and splattered a pulsating, wet red, its blood volume so great that it formed a small pool.

A flamboyant being slowly descended into the mortal realm amidst the bloody rain, its body radiating multicolored light, interspersed with the sounds of shrill instruments, mixed with inhuman snickers, forming a tune that was both cheerful and eerie.

"Ah, a sweet feast… such a long wait… finally rewarded."

In an androgynous Eldar voice, a slender and elegant figure gently stepped into the sea of Eldar blood with its cloven, hoof-like feet. Then, the blood rose up, transforming into a crimson cloak behind it.

A Keeper of Secrets, adorned with silks and dim soulstones, its slender face resembling a daemonified Eldar, but its dark eyes gleamed with delight. Tendrils like braids hung from the back of its head to its heels, writhing with the sickening sensation of snakes, flicking their tongues. A slender blade, as long as a spear, was held in its right hand, while its left arms held a daemon shield bearing the symbol of Slaanesh and a sharp pincer.

Behind it followed a terrifying army. Endless hordes of Daemonettes surged from the torn webway gate, howling as they pounced on the nearest Eldar, their mad joy overflowing.

In an instant, many Kabalite Warriors completely disappeared beneath a swarm of writhing, devouring daemons—lacking soulstones, their resistance to Slaaneshi daemons was poor.

However, these daemons were no match for the threat brought by this Keeper of Secrets. Even its mere appearance caused many Eldar to tremble, for it was none other than the legendary Eldar Butcher, Soulfeaster, Avatar of Defilement, and Angel of Despair.

Zarakynel!

It was said that its birth came from repressed jealousy, sadism, and lustful emotions. This powerful combination led to the birth of the Dark Prince's most feared and effective Eldar killer.

Many Craftworlds even strictly forbade mentioning its existence. This daemon preyed on Eldar souls throughout the galaxy, ravaged many maiden worlds, and even attacked Commorragh, slaughtering all Eldar it encountered and devouring their soulstones, condemning them to eternal torment at Slaanesh's whim.

Of course, it didn't just attack Eldar. The Daemonhunters also extensively recorded its actions and crimes, especially the serious incidents caused by the Saruthi, where local pleasure cults used mass sacrifices to summon the Keeper of Secrets to destroy the planet. Under Zarakynel's leadership, the Chaos cultists eventually occupied the governor's palace. Subsequently, the Imperium deployed millions of troops and Grey Knights as secret forces, but they still failed to completely suppress the rebellion that spread throughout the galaxy, and ultimately had to issue an exterminatus order. However, the daemon escaped the Grey Knights' encirclement and continued to wreak havoc.

However, long ago, it was banished by Ka'Jhar, because it killed Nyffytari. Now, drawn by a large number of Eldar souls, it had returned once more.

"…Excellent, wonderful, truly wonderful~"

Zarakynel strode across the battlefield, casually waving its blade as it went, clearing away obstacles. Daemonettes riding Slaaneshi steeds cheered behind it, humming and hacking at Eldar with their screeching claws.

"I have come, as the final curtain, and the final song!"

The Keeper of Secrets laughed, cleaving a Wraithguard in two with a swing of its sword.

Then, it slightly opened its mouth, extending a tongue tens of meters long. The oral orifice at the tip of the tongue extracted the soulstone from the Wraithguard, stuffed it into its mouth, and swallowed the screaming soul.

"Delicious! Truly delicious!"