Warhammer 40k : Space Marine Kayvaan

Then, Kayvaan faltered. It was barely noticeable at first—a slight shake in his movements, a momentary loss of balance. He staggered back, his composure breaking for the first time.

The red-haired witch's eyes lit up with savage glee. She didn't hesitate. Her magic sword came down in a blur, aimed directly at him.

Kayvaan saw the blade coming, but he was too slow to fully evade. Twisting his body, he managed to avoid a mortal blow, but the sword struck his left arm. The blade severed his forearm, leaving his hand and the Raven's Talons clattering to the ground. Pain ripped through him, white-hot and searing. Blood sprayed across the floor, and his vision wavered for a moment.

The witch's lips curled into a triumphant smile. She could almost taste her victory. "One arm down," she taunted, her voice dripping with mockery. "You won't be fighting for much longer. You'll bleed out before you can even scream. And the magic sword? It amplifies your pain tenfold. Most of my victims don't die from blood loss—they die from agony."

But there was none of that. Kayvaan's face remained unnervingly calm. There was no scream, no fear, no despair. Only determination.

A chill ran through her. In an instant, she felt an unprecedented danger, and then—sharp, searing pain lanced through her chest. Something had pierced her heart. When her sword had severed his left arm, Kayvaan hadn't faltered. Without a moment's hesitation, he had caught his own severed limb mid-fall with his remaining hand. Using it as an improvised weapon, he drove the still-clenched Raven's Talons straight into the witch's heart.

The claws, still sparking with energy, punched through her armor, pierced her chest, and emerged from her back. The lightning coursing through them roasted her black heart into a charred lump. Kayvaan didn't stop there. Releasing his grip on his severed arm, he left it embedded in her chest and turned sharply to avoid Rosina's blade. Pivoting on his heel, he brought his right hand down like an axe, his Raven's Talons slicing clean through the witch's forearms. Her hands fell to the ground, but the witch didn't scream. She was no ordinary creature; she had risen through the ranks of Chaos through ruthless determination and unyielding will. Gritting her teeth against the agony, she twisted her body and lashed out with a powerful kick.

Any part of the witch's body could kill, and her legs were no exception. Her foot shot forward like a blade, stabbing into Kayvaan's abdomen and bursting through his back.

Kayvaan looked down at the witch's foot, now embedded in his stomach. His breathing was labored, but his expression remained unchanged. With his one remaining hand, he gripped the witch's thigh firmly. Instead of retreating, he surged forward, driving her leg deeper into his body until her entire calf emerged from his back.

The red-haired witch froze, her eyes wide with horror. This man—this thing—was more terrifying than any daemon she had ever encountered. Her hatred turned to regret. She should have left when she had the chance. But Kayvaan didn't care about her thoughts. Using his abdomen and pelvis to trap her leg, he raised his right hand high and brought it down with savage force. His Raven's Talons severed her leg cleanly at the hip.

The witch screamed, hopping backward on her remaining leg. Her hands were gone, her heart charred, and now her leg severed. Yet even with her extraordinary vitality, the fear in her eyes was unmistakable. She looked at Kayvaan as if he were a ghost. Kayvaan, unfazed, reached down to pull the witch's severed leg from his body. Tossing it aside, he stomped on it, crushing the limb underfoot.

At that moment, the countdown in his mind hit zero. The stimulant's effects ended abruptly, and a flood of pain and exhaustion overtook him. Kayvaan stood motionless in the center of the arena, blood pouring from his wounds, his strength gone. Yet his expression betrayed nothing. He stared at the witch and the shocked Spirit Tribe warriors with calm defiance, even as his body threatened to collapse. He knew his time had run out. Whatever came next was out of his hands. Inwardly, he prayed. 'God-Emperor, grant me your blessing.'

The red-haired witch roared in a mixture of pain, fury, and terror. The humiliation she had endured was unbearable, but worse than that was the fear gnawing at her insides. This human—this mortal—had made her feel fear. Such a being could not be allowed to exist. Hopping back to create distance, she screamed, "Kill him! No matter the cost!"

Rosina, standing silently nearby, tilted her head. "Any cost?"

"Yes!" the witch bellowed. "Whatever it takes! Kill him!"

Rosina's expression didn't change. "Understood." Amid the daemon's frightened screams, Rosina raised her executioner's blade and drove it into the red-haired witch's back. The long knife pierced clean through, its tip emerging from the witch's chest before continuing its descent. With a sharp thrust, Rosina slammed the blade downward, pinning the witch to the ground.

Kayvaan, too weak to resist, fell with the blade. The witch, now a one-legged mess, lost her balance and collapsed onto Kayvaan, the two of them skewered together by the same knife. "What the hell are you doing?!" the witch shrieked, her voice high-pitched and raw with panic. Between the blade in her back and the terrifying proximity to Kayvaan, she was completely unhinged. "Rosina, you traitorous bitch! Have you lost your mind? You stabbed me! Me! Do you even care about your precious little lover's life? How dare you—ahhh, it hurts! It hurts!"

"Calm down, Redhead," Rosina replied, her voice cold and detached. "Take a closer look. I didn't really hurt you. The blade avoided your vital organs." She paused, her tone sharpening. "Do you know why you couldn't beat him? Because he dodged every single one of your attacks. His footwork is impeccable, and he sees through your moves before you make them. As long as he can move freely, you'll never touch him. But now?"

Rosina gestured to the two of them, pinned together on the knife. "Now he's stuck. No matter how skilled he is, he can't use that to his advantage anymore. This is the best way to deal with him."

Kayvaan, despite the situation, found this utterly absurd. He wanted to laugh, and so he did—harder than he had in a long time. Tears welled in his eyes from the sheer ridiculousness of it all. Rosina had gone to such lengths when he was already too exhausted and injured to be a threat. Between gasps of laughter, he managed to choke out, "You didn't need to go this far. I'm not more dangerous than a baby right now."

The witch snarled, turning her fury toward him. "What are you laughing at, human? You're at the end of your rope!"

Kayvaan grinned. "Oh, nothing. I'm just proud. As a mortal, I scared the two of you this much. Heh, it's an achievement worth celebrating."

The witch's expression darkened. "Proud? You should be terrified. Look at where you are—pinned beneath me, with no way to escape. Do you know what I'll do to you now?" Her lips twisted into a wicked smile, and she leaned closer, her voice dripping with malice. "I'll devour you." She ran her tongue along her lips, her body shifting against Kayvaan's in a deliberate motion. Her voice dropped into a low, magnetic tone. "So? Being this close to me—feeling my body pressed against yours—doesn't it make you feel something?"

Kayvaan's face twisted in disgust. "Oh, Emperor save me—I think I'm going to vomit."