The great maw of the transport opened, revealing a desolate landscape. The world was a study in monochrome death—every inch smothered in volcanic ash. Terhil had chosen the furthest planet in their current system due to the privacy it afforded, it had been abandoned not less than a decade ago due to dangerously unstable volcanic activity—for the upcoming regicide it was perfect.

Once the ramp had fully lowered, Zareen took one deep breath and set forth, the reborn Alekto striding carefully as it prepared itself for battle. The air reeked of sulfur and scorched metal. Ash clung to the Knight’s joints like grasping dead fingers. Sasin had patched the pilot up as much as she could given the time constraints—even giving her a mechanical brace to help alleviate the upcoming strain. The ancestors themselves were wary of tempting fate with the devil, but they still understood the situation, there were no other options.

The transport swiftly closed itself again and departed, leaving the Knight and its pilot alone. Almost no wind registered on Zareen’s instruments, only the slow rainfall of ash showed any movement on this desolate world. With each step, a lurry of ash lew into the air, as she continued onto their rendez-vous, Voltstina came into view—targeting sensors immediately offering a firing solution to the perceived threat. It was Terhil’s Knight, known by the Imperium as the dreaded Desecrator pattern of Chaos Knights—armed with a lethal laser destructor that could pierce some of the mightiest shields and armor in the galaxy, and paired with a devastatingly abhorrent thunderstrike gauntlet, the once mighty gracious weapon now a corrupted vicious claw made to tear apart adamantium. Its carapace bore a handful of corpses sporting various lethal wounds, somehow their decomposition had been frozen in time—just as their deathly expressions.

“Welcome my dear Lady Batal, are you ready to dance?” voxed her opponent, his voice oozed with sadistic pleasure.

“If by dance you mean remove that pitiful grin from your face—then yes.” Alekto stood before the Chaos Knight, weapons ready to draw blood and machine oil.

“A dagger to my heart! You wound me young lady.” Zareen gave no answer, remaining focused on her assignment. “By my estimations, Antonius should arrive in about twenty minutes. We have detected his fleet exiting the warp just moments ago.”

“Good, the sooner this is over the better.” Her hands ached around the controls, each finger a steel cable stretched to snapping.

“I would rather relish in the moment, and enjoy this exquisite appetizer.” He laughed sinisterly, sending a chill down Zareen’s spine.

“Don’t forget your role Terhil, I win this fight.” She added sternly, not giving any ground tothe monster ahead of her. Distant tremors shuddered through Alekto’s feet—the planet’s molten heart stirring beneath them.

“Of course, I wrote the script after all! Still we can have a little fun can we not?” Instantly Voltstina fired its lascannon at Alekto, slamming into the ion shield as energy rippled across the barrier. Before the smoke had dispersed, the enemy Knight leaped at her with its claw ready to strike. Zareen reacted instinctively, placing herself to parry with her warblade before slamming a burst of bolter shells into her foe’s side.

“Well well well, the child has teeth!” snarled the vox through her ears. Countless hours training, exercising, and preparing herself were finally bearing fruit—the Knight had become an extension of her body, she moved effortlessly avoiding the madman’s assault. Yet she did not deceive herself, he was merely toying with her.

Their spar continued as Terhil’s unwieldy Knight was trampled on by the much nimbler Cerastus Pattern. Using her agility and speed she kept herself ahead of his every move, dodging swings and using her ion shield to block the laser fire. She carefully chose her bursts of bolt ire, being entirely alone she would rather keep her ammunition for Antonius who would not be holding back. Despite outwards victories, her brace whined in protest with every parry. Fresh blood seeped through her bandages—Sasin’s patch job failing under G-forces.

Long minutes passed as the metal giants clashed, ashes lying outwards under their heavy steps—Zareen had damaged several portions of the Voltstina, no critical systems but enough to give an outward appearance of heavy damage.

Finally breaking the clouds was a large vessel, a transport much larger than the one that carried Alekto—its colors a glistening blue. Landing not far from the duo, its gigantic ramp lowered, revealing the Knight they had been waiting for—Apsinthaeus, Tyrant of Monarch Antonius Myrlaugur. To its lanks, Sapphire Slaughter of Lady Reeta Nassek, and Radaryin of Lord Kurernias Nassek. The Court had arrived.

With all pieces on the board, Terhil and Zareen acted out their final performance: Voltstina charged at Alekto one last time, opening itself up for the warblade to thrust itself into the main chassis—piercing much of the Chaos Knights and wounding the pilot. Voltstina collapsed in a shower of sparks, its claw twitching in mock-agony. Terhil’s final vox transmission gurgled artificially: ‘A… valiant… strike…’

Zareen carefully removed the sword, basking in her kill as she turned to face the new arrivals.

“Have you come to face me? The Coward Antonius! Traitor to the Emperor!” she yelled over the vox, taunting him into a duel. Her grip tightening with sweat, she was terrified but resolute, she could not fail now.

Apsinthaeus’ warhorn screamed across the wastes—a sound like daemons laughing through shattered teeth. “Do my eyes deceive me? Terhil fallen at the hands of the Prideful Warden?” Antonius’ voice echoing throughout the landscape.

“Alekto is its name, and it will remove that tongue of yours! Now come and fight me vermin!” she continued.

The Knight Tyrant paused, tilting its horned head as if studying roadkill. ‘First my brother, now his pet? The Gods spoil me.” He paused in perverted joy. “So be it, you shall have your duel Lady Batal.” With a thunderous roar, Apsinthaeus marched forward, leaving his court behind to spectate and bear witness.

Zareen grit her teeth and prepared herself for her opponent, warblade cackling with energy and bolt cannon spinning to life.

Comparatively, Aspinthaeus was a wholly different abomination—bristling with weaponry and a considerably tougher shell. The real fight began.

The Monarch commenced his assault, firing its siegebreaker cannons at the charging Alekto. Explosions rocked the planet’s surface as Zareen’s shields attempted to mitigate the energy of the blows. Pain shot through her arm as she felt the impact—cogitators revealed that just a single strike had greatly depleted her barrier’s power levels. A growing worry found itself in her gut, was she outclassed?

Nevertheless she continued, reaching into fighting distance of the Tyrant. Zareen shoulder bashed the arrogant monster to push it off balance before regaining hers and delivering a tremendous roar of bolter fire. Aspinthaeus’ shields flickered as she kept firing, her ammo depleting rapidly—The Tyrant fought back by firing its conlagration cannon. Armor plates burned red hot as machinery began to melt under the extreme heat forcing her to readjust her strategy. Frontal assault was proving too costly and yet her initial collision did show promising results, perhaps she could use the Knight’s weight to her advantage. Remembering her training in the ring as Gastel taught her how to face much larger opponents, she devised a new approach.

“Already giving up? Has the Imperium’s finest already failed?” taunted Antonius, his arrogance lead him to toy with her instead of pushing his advantage—a family trait seemingly.

Alekto rushed in using bolter fire as cover, once practically touching each other, she was close enough that Antonius would not have enough time to redirect his ion shields for her upcoming strikes. Zareen moved swiftly, striking fast and swapping angles randomly to tire the traitor out. Using her bolt cannon, she kept the Tyrant’s arms at bay, delaying its eventual counterattacks—as long as she could keep up with Aspinthaeus and stay as close as possible, she might just have a chance.

The warblade scraped armor, bolts and cables ever so slightly as she kept her assault— when suddenly the Tyrant’s Conlagration arm veered out of the way ‘a mistake finally?’ not contempt with letting this opening go to waste, she pushed her whole weight into a thrust, aiming for crucial joints that connected the arm.

Suddenly she felt her entire body being crushed by a wild knarloc, too caught up in her strikes she had not realized the feint for what it was—now a thundercoil harpoon had lodged itself into Alekto’s side. An immensely powerful jolt traveled through the chain and hit the Knight, Zareen felt her entire body electrocuted as every system around her burst into sparks. In one strike, the Knight fell to the ground, its systems fused together where circuits had burst. The pilot strained her eyes open, seeing the looming Tyrant overhead, its harpoon slowly being reeled back into place.

“I’m afraid our duel is over, it has been a pleasure Lady Batal but your filthy lineage ends today.” The voice echoed through her mind, a deafening laughter ensued.

“Glory shall be mine tod—“ his voice cut short by the sound of claws tearing through adamantium.

“It’s a pleasure seeing you too, brother.” Erupted from behind the Tyrant and with a thunderous screech, the gauntlet closed itself, crushing Antonius in his throne to a bloody pulp.

Reeta and Kurernias stood shocked, so focused on the duel they were that none had noticed Voltstina rising from the dead to claim the crown.

“YOU KARKING TRAITOR!” boomed one of the Knights, charging forwards at their now fallen Monarch. It was the Knight Radaryin, and just as the lord reached Terhil, the killer spun around, catching the Lancer’s weapon with its claw and snapping it in half before firing the Laser Destructor into the Knight’s core—terminating the man’s life in an instant.

Reeta remained frozen, her world shattered— the Monarch slain and now her brother as well.

“I trust you will not follow his example.” Spoke Terhil, addressing the Sapphire Slaughter.

“Y-yes my lord.” She answered relexively, still processing what had just transpired.

“And you my dear Lady Batal, you have played your part wonderfully. I am impressed!” adding laughter to his sinister compliment.

Zareen could barely feel her body, pain ached through her as she felt trapped in an adamantium cage. Her heart racing, sweat and blood had mixed, her anxiety rising as she wondered if he would betray her. With every last ounce of strength, she called out for him “Terhil! Answer me this—why did my father not stop you.. Why after knowing of your intentions did he do naught?!”

“Your father?” the new Monarch chuckled “Well perhaps because he orchestrated it—I would’ve never been able to bring the Light to our House without him.”

“W-what? What are you talking about—?” her voice trembling.

“He did resist at first but eventually he understood what needed to be done. Our House was rotting from the inside, its new Monarch a plaything for the Imperium to order around! Once I brought him to that fateful trophy, he finally saw real power—and what it could bring to our House.”

“Trophy? I… I don’t understand—no…”

“A prize from our battles during the age of revolt, a plate belonging to a Chaos titan that had been brought back. It was kept in secrecy due to its—unusual nature—voices spoke from adamantium.”

“A Corrupted artifact—“

“Precisely! From it did I see the truth, and Gregor saw it too. We petitioned to bring the trophy out of lock and key, displaying it proudly in our halls for all to see—for all to hear… Thus, slowly, day by day the voices whispered into our House, sedition, freedom, power. That is how House Valenmour fell, that is how we were reborn as Knights that were feared once again, even if Antonius was still Monarch—but these things had to be taken one step a time.”

“You must be lying—I.. It’s not possible…” her voiced straining itself as emotions crushed her weakened heart, but deep down she knew it was all true.

“But—as corruption took its toll, Gregor could no longer bear witness, the cost of power was too great for him. An unfortunate weakness in his heart, instead choosing to exile himself and repent in silence for his supposed ‘crimes’. That is the truth about your father.”

“Father… why…—how could you…” the vox echoed with the sorrow in her voice, tears mixing with sweat as they streamed down her face.

“A tragic tale— but I look forward to our next meeting, and this time there will be no holding back.” Continued Terhil, Volstina marching towards the transport of House Valenmour, once ruled by Antonius Myrlaugur. Now he was King, finally. Reeta followed in tow, like a beaten dog too scared to react.

The ship’s ramp lifted and engines roared to life.

“Good bye my Lady and thank you for this dance.” Echoed into Zareen’s cockpit before the transport took off. Her tongue tasted of copper and burnt insulation. Somewhere beneath the pain, her scar pulsed – whether from Ag’Dresil or torn muscles, she couldn’t tell.

As the transport vanished into the ash-choked sky, Alekto’s surviving sensors caught one final datapulse – a familiar energy signature lickering in the volcanic clouds above. Someone else had been watching. The datapulse resolved into a familiar ID code for half a second before vanishing – one that matched the energy signature of a certain Inquisitorial shuttle.