The battle raged on, Pilar's resilience pushing Six and Rebecca to their limits. The ground trembled beneath the constant clash of metal, flesh, and raw, daemonic power. The daemon's body, now scarred but not broken, seemed to pulse with an otherworldly vigor, each strike from his claws sending tremors through the battlefield. Yet, Six stood firm, unwavering in his resolve.
Rebecca, ever the sharp tactician, darted from cover to cover in her power armor, her Punisher roaring to life with each pull of the trigger. The sheer volume of her gunfire was deafening, her shots finding weak spots in Pilar's protective barrier, yet the daemon continued to recover with maddening speed, his laugh echoing across the battlefield.
"You're relentless, I'll give you that."
Pilar sneered, his voice dripping with disdain.
"But your struggle is in vain. I am the Hard-to-Destroy lizard. Nothing will stop me!"
Six didn't flinch. His Terminator armor hummed with power, each movement calculated and precise as he squared off against the monstrous creature. Pilar lunged again, swinging his massive claws in a wide arc, but Six sidestepped, activating his thrusters to close the gap in an instant.
The air crackled with energy as Six brought his chainsword down on Pilar's exposed flank, the teeth of the blade screeching against the daemon's scales. Pilar howled in pain, his once-imposing form faltering as the blade sank deeper.
Rebecca took advantage of the moment, reloading her weapon with practiced speed before letting loose another barrage of gunfire. The bullets tore into Pilar's back, each one finding a vulnerable spot. For a brief moment, the daemon reeled, disoriented from the onslaught.
But the dark energy around Pilar flared as he gathered his strength. His eyes, glowing with a hellish light, locked onto Six, his voice a low growl of rage.
"You've made a grave mistake, tin can. I will tear you apart."
With a roar that sent a shockwave through the room, Pilar's tail lashed out, the jagged tip aimed directly at Six's chest. Six barely managed to raise his arm in time, the tail striking his Blaze Luminous shield with enough force to knock him back several paces. Sparks flew from the impact, and Six's knees buckled from the sheer force, but he didn't fall.
Rebecca, always one step ahead, flanked Pilar, her Punisher laser cannon now locked on the daemon's exposed side. With a deep breath, she pulled the trigger, the heavy explosion thundering through the air.
Pilar roared in pain as the laser blast struck him, the intensity of the hit causing him to stumble sideways. His scales, though powerful, could not completely absorb the force of the Punisher laser cannon. The daemon's skin sizzled and smoked, revealing the raw flesh beneath. The energy from the shot ricocheted through his body, sending waves of agony through his system.
Pilar staggered, his taunting grin faltering.
"Enough of this! It's time to end this charade!"
The daemon gathered a dark, swirling energy in his claws, ready to unleash an attack that could obliterate everything in its path. Six knew they couldn't afford to let him complete it.
"Rebecca, we finish this now!"
Six commanded.
Rebecca nodded, her expression hardening as she sprinted toward the daemon, her weapon aimed squarely at Pilar's heart. Six, with the full might of his Terminator power armor, surged forward, engaging Pilar directly in close combat, his chainsword flashing with deadly precision.
As Pilar's claws came down in a final, desperate strike, Six met the attack with an overwhelming counter, using the full weight of his enhanced armor to drive his chainsword through Pilar's heart.
The daemon let out a final, ear-piercing scream, his form convulsing with the last remnants of his unholy energy. In an instant, Pilar's body collapsed to the ground, his form unraveling into a mass of writhing tendrils and dark, swirling energy. The daemonic energy that had once fueled him now dissipated, vanishing into the Warp from which it came.
For a brief moment, there was nothing but silence.
Six stood, breathing heavily but steady, as he surveyed the aftermath. The once-mighty High Priest Pilar was no more, his forces scattered and broken, the battlefield littered with the remnants of the daemonic invasion. Rebecca, her weapon lowered but still ready, approached him.
"Well, that was a ride."
She said, her voice laced with a mix of exhaustion and satisfaction.
Six nodded, his expression grim but resolute.
"Yeah, but it's done. This time, for good."
The two of them stood in the wreckage, the only sound now the distant echo of their heavy breathing. The storm had passed, but the cost of victory was clear. They had won, but at what cost?
As the last remnants of the daemon's presence faded into nothingness, Six couldn't help but wonder: how many more battles like this awaited them?
But for now, the war was over. At least, for today-
SLICE!
In a spray of blood, Six's power armored left arm, along with his own, was cut off from a sudden tailwhip from the thought dead Pilar.
The revived daemon bellowed in anger and swiped his clawed hand in Rebecca's direction, attempting to dislodge her from her spot. However, she was quick to react, jumping aside and rolling gracefully on the ground to avoid the attack. She came up in a crouch, the laser cannon still trained on Pilar, ready to fire again if the opportunity presented itself.
Ignoring his missing arm, Six's blade sliced into Pilar's side, drawing a spray of black blood. The daemon roared once more, his eyes flashing with fury.
He swung his tail in a wide arc, trying to knock his armless foe off his feet, but Six anticipated the move and leaped backward. Rebecca, seeing her chance, took aim and sent another volley of gunfire into the wound created by the chainsword.
Pilar's movements grew more erratic and desperate as the Duo continued their relentless assault. The daemon was powerful, but he was also slow and heavily armored, making it difficult for him to effectively retaliate against their nimble and coordinated attacks.
With a final, gargantuan effort, the daemon lunged towards Rebecca, his jaws gaping wide, ready to end her life.
But she was ready. With a flick of her wrist, she switched her Punisher's mode, activating the laser cannon's secondary mode, a concentrated beam that sliced through the air with a high-pitched whine.
The beam connected with Pilar's face, carving a deep gash through his eye and into his skull. The daemon's head snapped back, and he let out a deafening scream.
Six didn't hesitate and struck, his chainsword plunging deep into the daemon's chest. Pilar's body convulsed, his legs giving out beneath him as he was cut in two. As the separated halves crashed to the ground, the duo stepped back, watching as the once-mighty daemon writhed in his own blood.
Then, seconds later, the daemon's body began to reconect, his essence rebuilding his body by the Hard-to-Destroy lizard's power. The ground beneath him cracked and buckled as the dark energy was absorbed back into him.
"Fuck!"
Six cursed as he watched Pilar come back to life, all while Rebecca was injecting him with a Stimpac to close his wound.
He knew they had to find a weakness in Pilar's new form before they would get tired first from the Hard-to-Destroy lizard's power. This was the first time he had faced an overconfident bastard whose transformation made him invincible. And he sure as hell would find a way to kill him.
"Rebecca, watch his movements. He's getting used to our attacks."
Six called out as he dodged another wild swing.
Pilar sneered, his reptilian eyes glowing with malevolent energy.
"Run while you can, little shits! Your fate is sealed!"
Six smirked.
"You talk a lot for someone who's about to get his ass handed to him."
Without warning, he activated his Terminator chest's Blaze Luminous, the powerful drill roaring to life as he launched himself toward Pilar. The massive lizard-man swung again, but Six twisted mid-air, avoiding the strike and slamming his drill into Pilar's armored scales.
Sparks and chunks of flesh flew as the drill bit into his side. Pilar let out a furious roar, staggering back, but not before lashing out with his tail. The impact sent Six skidding across the cracked floor.
"Nice hit, babe!"
Rebecca called out, taking advantage of the momentary distraction. She darted forward, sliding under a rubble pile, and unloaded an entire magazine into Pilar's exposed wound. The bullets exploded on impact, sending dark ichor spraying into the air.
Pilar howled in pain, clutching his side as his blood hissed upon contact with the ground.
"You insignificant—!"
Pilar's rage was cut short as Six was already back on his feet, charging him once more.
"Rebecca, on my mark!"
Six shouted.
"You got it!"
She responded, reloading with precision.
Pilar snarled, attempting to bring his claws down on Six. But this time, Six was ready. He activated his power armor's thrusters, dodging to the side at the last second, and with a fierce war cry, he swung his rifle like a club, smashing it against Pilar's visor.
The ridiculous headgear cracked.
Rebecca seized the moment.
"MARKED!"
she yelled.
She unleashed a full burst from her Punisher laser cannon, directly into the daemon's face again.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The visor shattered, and Pilar reeled back, clawing at his now-exposed eyes.
"ARRRGHHH! YOU FILTHY—!"
The daemon barely had time to curse before Six followed up with a brutal uppercut, sending Pilar crashing to the ground.
Six exhaled sharply, watching as Pilar groaned, his monstrous form twitching from the sheer damage inflicted.
Rebecca approached, blowing imaginary smoke from her gun barrel.
"Guess you should've stuck with the hand grenade, huh?"
She taunted.
Six walked up to the fallen Pilar, placing his boot firmly on his chest.
"This is what happens when you bite off more than you can chew."
Six said, his voice laced with finality.
Pilar glared up at him, blood dripping from his mouth.
"This… isn't… over…"
He spat.
Six lifted his Varis rifle, aiming straight between Pilar's eyes.
"It is now."
BANG!
"Dammit!"
Both Rebecca and Six cursed as they watched Pilar's skull rebuilding itself, watching him come back to life.