===Nira===
The horned reek thundered forward first, a juggernaut of muscle and rage. Dust exploded from under its hooves as it charged Anakin's pillar, letting out a guttural bellow that echoed through the colosseum. At the same moment, the nimble nexu—its feline form, all sinew, claws, and slicing teeth—darted toward Padmé, its glowing eyes locked onto her like prey. The acklay, a towering insectoid nightmare, clawed its way toward Nira with a clicking screech that made her flinch against her restraints.
"Here we go," Nira muttered, eyes flicking to the acklay. "You've got six legs and I've got zero weapons. This'll go great."
Anakin had nearly reached the top of his pillar. With one last swing, he kicked off the stone, twisting midair and bringing the length of chain taut between his fists. He landed hard on the reek's back—just behind its armored head—and yanked the chain like a makeshift bridle as it broke.
The reek roared in fury, bucking and twisting.
Padmé was already working on her escape, shimmying upward despite the bonds. The nexu pounced just as she reached the top of her column—and for a moment, the crowd held its breath. Padmé twisted, and the beast's claws scraped stone, not skin. But the beast was relentless. It swiped again—this time catching her side.
She cried out, tumbling from the pillar. She hit the sand hard, clutching her ribs. Blood darkened her tunic.
"Padmé!" Anakin shouted, using the reek to slam into the nexu's side before leaping down from the reek's back and landing beside her. He caught her as she tried to get up, one hand over her injury, the other pressing against him for balance.
"I'm fine," she gasped, but her voice was tight with pain.
"You're not fine," Anakin growled, eyes already glowing with the promise of vengeance. He stepped in front of her protectively, the force gathering around him.
Meanwhile, Nira hadn't waited around. The acklay's clawed strike snapped her restraints—barely missing her head. She dropped to the sand and rolled, just in time to avoid a scythe-like limb slicing down where she'd just been.
"Nope. Not dying today!" She bolted toward a Geonosian guard and used the force to slam it into the stone behind it, killing the creature. She grabbed the long spear it had dropped, and spun back just as the acklay charged again.
It lunged, limbs flashing.
Nira ducked under its slash, stabbing upward in return. The blade carved through one of its limbs, sending the creature screeching backward in fury.
The acklay reeled back, ichor spilling from its limb, its shriek echoing through the arena like metal grinding on stone. But it wasn't done—not even close. It came back fast, limping but furious, snapping its mouth and swiping with its remaining claws.
She charged—not away, but straight at the beast.
The acklay lunged.
She slid under its body at the last second, turned, and with a burst of the Force, leapt upward onto its back.
Balanced precariously, Nira raised the spear high, summoned every ounce of strength she had—and drove it down into the creature's neck, right where the plates didn't quite meet.
The acklay shrieked, flailing violently. Nira clung for as long as she could, but one sudden jerk sent her flying. She crashed into the sand, hitting hard and rolling. Pain flared up her side, but she was alive. The acklay staggered, let out one last broken screech, and collapsed.
Nira groaned, pushing herself up. "One down."
But the crowd's roar didn't die—it rose, a shrill chorus of excitement.
She turned—and her heart dropped.
Across the arena, the reek was charging again. This time, it wasn't going for Anakin, who had gone after the nexu in anger. It was barreling straight toward Padmé.
Padmé, still wounded from the nexu's earlier strike, tried to get up. But she couldn't, one arm wrapped tight around her bleeding side. She turned at the last second, eyes going wide as the beast descended on her.
Nira screamed, "PADMÉ!"
Anakin spun, but he was too far.
The two Jedi watched in horror as the reek charged, its massive form barreling toward Padmé, who was barely conscious and unable to move from where she lay in the sand.
But then—something fell from the sky.
A black comet smashed into the arena with the force of a meteor. The impact sent blood and sand flying in all directions as it obliterated the reek mid-charge. The beast's scream was cut short, replaced by the sickening crunch of bone and the roar of disturbed earth.
For a moment, all was dust and silence.
Then the wind cleared the haze.
A towering figure stood in the crater, blood-spattered and unmoving. Red optics glowed through the gloom, locking instantly onto Padmé—who lay less than ten feet away.
The warrior straightened to his full height, rising like a monolith from the crater. Armor as black as voidsteel groaned under the strain of his massive frame. With one hand, he gripped the hilt of his enormous power sword—buried deep in the shattered skull of the reek—and with a sickening crunch, he wrenched it free.
"It seems I arrived just in time," he said, his voice deep.
Sebastian turned slowly, surveying the arena.
Thousands of Geonosians filled the towering stands above him, hissing and clicking in outrage. Their insectoid screeches pierced the air as they rose to protest the death of their spectacle.
But Sebastian didn't flinch.
His gaze moved to the last remaining beast within the arena—a nexu, wounded but still dangerous, its low growl curling into a snarl as it eyed him.
Sebastian raised his heavy bolt pistol, and simply fired it once.
The shot echoed like thunder. The nexu's head vanished in a spray of bone and brain matter, its body collapsing limply into the sand.
The crowd erupted. Shrill shrieks of fury exploded from the stands, wings beating in agitation as the Geonosians stood en masse. Some began to throw debris. Others reached for weapons.
But Sebastian was looking elsewhere now—upward.
At the high viewing box.
There, standing among the Geonosian elite, was the Chaos Sorcerer, his armor bore the sigils of the warp—runic madness etched into every surface. His green optics flickered dimly, glowing faintly like rotting embers.
Sebastian's rage ignited.
He raised his sword and pointed it directly at the figure.
"Traitor!" he roared, his voice shaking the very stones of the coliseum.
The Chaos Sorcerer let out a raspy, broken laugh—like a corpse exhaling its last breath. He didn't respond with words. He simply raised a hand.
A single, dismissive wave.
The gates on the far side of the arena groaned open.
And from the shadows beyond, more beasts emerged.
Larger. Deadlier. Mutated by dark sorcery—limbs twisted into unnatural shapes, flesh sloughing off where bone jutted out, eyes glowing with malevolent hunger. They moved in silence, except for the wet drag of claws and the scrape of bone across sand.
Anakin stepped between Padmé and the Black Templar, face set in a snarl, one arm still shielding the wounded Padmé. Nira joined him at his side, her spear clenched tightly, her stance tense.
Padmé lay behind them in the sand, her breath shallow, a smear of blood painting her side red.
Sebastian looked at the three of them—fragile, mortal, wounded—and for a brief moment, the Black Templar stood perfectly still.
Then he spoke.
"Stay behind me."
His words were simple. Commanding.
Then he stepped forward.
The blade in his gauntleted hand hummed to life, pulsing with divine wrath.
He stood firm, a living fortress between the abominations and the wounded.
Sebastian then raised both arms high—his power sword in one hand, his massive bolt pistol and shield in the other.
Then, he simply started to laugh.
A deep, distorted laugh that rumbled through his vox-speakers like thunder rolling through the bones of the earth. No mockery, no arrogance, no challenge.
Just a warrior feeling the battle joy.
Above, the sky split.
More black comets pierced the atmosphere, trailing fire and smoke as they descended like a divine meteor shower as the Obsidian Crusaders landed among the colosseum.
Mandalorians clad in blackened Beskar armor, their visors glowing faintly under the harsh sun. Jetpacks flared as they landed with practiced precision, boots slamming into the sand, the stone, the shattered bodies of the fallen. Some dropped directly into the arena—others descended onto the stands, cutting off escape routes for the Geonosians.
Blasters came up. Flamethrowers hissed. Vibroblades sang free of their scabbards as the Mandalorians readied their weapons.
And in the center of it all, standing like a war god brought to life, was Sebastian, just laughing
"My Crusaders! Let us begin!" He thundered.
All at once, the Mandalorians opened fire.
Blaster bolts streaked through the air in a coordinated hail of destruction. The Obsidian Crusaders, clad in jet-black Beskar, advanced with ruthless precision, cutting down every Geonosian they saw.
Wings snapped. Bodies fell.
Screams filled the colosseum as hundreds of thousands of the insectoid creatures tried to flee. But there was no mercy. The Crusaders weren't here to win a battle—they were here to wipe the slate clean.
Flamethrowers ignited, roaring arcs of fire washing across stone seats and panicked crowds. The sickening stench of burning chitin filled the air as the upper levels of the arena became an inferno.
Above, jetpacks shrieked as Mandalorians rained death from above. Some landed in the stands, executing fleeing Geonosians at close range. Others dropped directly into the arena to kill the beasts there.
In the arena, Sebastian held steady between the advancing beasts and the vulnerable trio behind him: Anakin, Nira, and the wounded Padmé.
From the far side of the arena, one of the remaining mutated monsters—a grotesque creature of sinew and bone, too many limbs, too many eyes—charged, its clawed limbs kicking up sand as it lunged forward.
Sebastian didn't flinch as he charged.
The two collided in an explosion of fury and violence. The beast swung, but Sebastian ducked low, slamming into its side like a battering ram. With a roar he drove his power sword into its ribcage, the weapon cutting through corrupted flesh and jagged bone.
The creature screeched, its blood spraying in thick black ropes—but it didn't fall.
Sebastian yanked his blade free, leveled his bolt pistol, and fired point-blank into its skull.
The top of its head disappeared in a fountain of gore as it collapsed.
Sebastian turned back toward the trio, and watched as his Crusaders dealt with the surrounding creatures.
Anakin stood guard above the two, his gaze locked on the Black Templar in pure hatred.
Then the ground began to shake.
The gate at the far end of the arena—massive and sealed until now—groaned open.
From the shadows beyond it stepped into the arena. Its body wrapped in chains, claws as large as starfighter wings. Its chest bore a glowing, branded sigil—pulsing with Chaotic energy, alive with hate.
It wasn't just a beast.
It was a demonic engine of war.
Sebastian turned to face it slowly.
The colosseum trembled as the beast stepped into full view.
It stood twice the height of a normal rancor, its body stitched together from layers of corrupted flesh, steel, and bone. Its claws dragging deep furrows through the sand. Chains bound its arms and legs, but not as restraints—they moved with it, as if alive, writhing with unnatural hunger. From its chest, the sigil of Chaos glowed red-hot, pulsing in rhythm with its heartbeat—if it had one.
Its mouth unhinged into a maw of rotating teeth, and it let out a howl that shook dust from the arena. A sound that was not just noise, but pain, rage, and madness layered into one. Everyone in the upper levels staggered. Even Anakin flinched, eyes narrowing against the pressure of the psychic scream.
Only Sebastian remained still.
"Daemonspawn," he muttered, his voice a low growl.
Then he charged.
Sand flew in his wake as the Astartes launched himself forward, shield locked in front of him. The monstrosity roared in return and swung one massive, clawed limb down like a falling tower.
Sebastian met it head-on.
The impact was thunderous. The shockwave sent ripples through the arena floor as Sebastian's shield held, absorbing the force of the blow. He was driven down to one knee—but he didn't fall. With a roar, he surged up, ramming his shield into the beast's limb and knocking it wide.
His sword bit deep into the creature's side, sparks and black ichor spraying in all directions as its energy tore into corrupted metal and warped bone. The beast shrieked, spinning and slamming into him with a second limb, sending Sebastian flying backward across the arena floor.
He crashed through a broken stone pillar, rolling once before planting his feet and skidding to a stop.
"You invoke my ire, filthy scum!" He roared.
The monstrosity lunged again, its claws cleaving through the air with enough force to splinter stone. But Sebastian was faster. He ducked beneath the swipe, sand exploding around him as the strike gouged a crater where he had stood.
The Astartes came up inside the creature's guard, his shield leading the charge. He slammed it into the beast's knee with a crack of bone and bending steel, dropping it to one leg. The creature howled in fury, one arm flailing wildly. A chain wrapped around Sebastian's torso, dragging him backward through the sand like a ragdoll.
But he didn't panic.
He twisted his arm, slashed the chain with a sweep of his sword, and ripped himself free, tearing links of warp-tainted metal apart like paper. Then he leapt high into the air with the help of his jump pack, the weight of his armor punching into the beast's upper shoulder as he landed.
"Burn in the Emperor's name!"
He drove the sword down—deep. The blade tore through muscle, cracking bone, and then caught something vital. The creature screamed—a warbling, broken noise—as black blood gushed from the wound in rivers.
It flailed, trying to grab him.
But Sebastian was already moving.
He ran along the beast's back, planted an explosive charge near the Chaos sigil pulsing in its chest, and dove off—just as the detonation erupted in a gout of fire and energy. The symbol was obliterated, the flesh around it blackening and peeling back as the creature shrieked in blind agony.
Now crippled, its left arm hanging useless, it turned in desperation, trying to crush him under its full weight.
Sebastian charged again.
This time, he aimed for the kill.
He dodged a sweeping claw, slid beneath its tumorous arm, and exploded upward with his shield, shattering the joint of the monster's elbow. The creature reeled back, stumbling before falling to the ground.
Sebastian leapt into the sky with the help of his jump pack, and exploded downward to slam his shield into the creature's head, causing its jaw to explode.
He then lept to the side and drove his sword into the creature's eye, grinding the weapon deeper and deeper, even as the beast convulsed. Its blood coated him, its claws flailing wildly, cutting into its own body in a last, panicked frenzy. But Sebastian held on, his sword exploding through bone, muscle, and spine.
Until with a final broken shriek, the creature stopped moving before the Black Templar pulled his blade from its skull.
The Astartes stood before the corpse, drenched in gore and ichor.
He looked up toward the viewing platform.
The Chaos Sorcerer was still there, unmoving, though now he held his staff.
Sebastian raised his sword, now dripping with corrupted blood, and pointed it at him.
"You're next."
===
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