Lion was completely paralyzed.
Was I really such a pathetic person ten thousand years ago?
As a result, all the descendants who were separated from their family and endured countless hardships—the first thought that came to mind when they met him was always to kill this genetic father?!
When he met each of his children, his first thought had been to kill them.
Only these veterans, who had been missing for millennia due to the tragedy of Caliban and had endured untold suffering, could take such extreme actions.
The Dark Angels of this era, the warriors guarding the Stone Fortress… they should have been like the descendants of the Ultramarines and Blood Angels.
They should have awaited the Primarch's return with anticipation and loyalty.
They wouldn't actually send that mobile fortress-like stronghold across the stars to bombard him, right?!
Lion tensed every muscle in his body and tried to break the chains binding him.
A Primarch's strength was powerful enough to tear apart tank armor and twist the iron beams of heavy fortresses.
But this time, Lion could not break the chains. There was a grinding, cracking sound, but they held.
"These chains are not made of iron," Seraphax's voice rang out.
He slowly approached Lion and stared intently at his real father.
"The material is no different from ordinary steel, but its strength does not come from the material itself—it comes from the forging process."
"These chains were extracted from blood. Iron was gradually collected from the bodies of thousands of ordinary people and forged into chains through blasphemous rituals."
"Each chain carries countless lives and despair. How can one break free by brute force when bearing such heavy 'pain' and 'sacrifice'?"
Lion's pupils contracted sharply. Staring at his treacherous son, uncontrollable rage surged from within.
To extract enough iron to forge these evil shackles specially designed to imprison a Primordial being, how many humans had to be massacred?
Seraphax had committed such horrifying and heinous crimes just to eliminate him!
Footsteps echoed.
Sorcerers in blasphemous robes filed out from a dim side door.
They formed an ancient ritual formation and brought out a huge silver mirror engraved with blasphemous runes.
As Lion chanted an ancient song loudly, a chaotic eight-pointed star magic circle appeared at his feet.
"You're trying to threaten me with such brutal slaughter?" Lion's voice was low and filled with fury.
He struggled, causing the chains to rattle loudly.
"Then you've miscalculated. Do not forget who I am. I am Lion El'Jonson, the Emperor's Sword."
Seraphax was not angry. His gaze was fixed on Lion's face, which bore the traces of time, framed by white hair and a white beard.
"Of course I haven't forgotten. I simply want you to understand how much we have sacrificed to achieve this great purpose."
"As you once taught us—if a planet or a species must be sacrificed for the benefit of all humanity, what is the problem?"
"But I did not teach you to submit to Chaos and become slaves of the gods," Lion replied.
Seraphax laughed.
"Father, you have grown old. Too much time has passed since you left the Imperium."
"The galaxy has completely collapsed. The Imperium has swollen, corrupted, and turned into a bloated corpse, sliding toward the abyss by inertia."
"To break this endless chain of suffering, extremely cruel measures are necessary."
"The flame of human civilization is irreversibly extinguishing. All of humanity will eventually perish."
"The stars will once again be dominated by the xenos hybrid races that we should have exterminated ten thousand years ago."
"Even if you are a Primarch, I do not have the power to stop all of this."
Seraphax paused. His eyes shone with a martyr's light.
"The only one who can accomplish this is our creator—His Majesty the Emperor!"
"What do you want?" Lion asked, enunciating each word clearly.
"The greatest mistake the Imperium ever made was imprisoning the Lord of Mankind on that cold golden throne!"
Seraphax's voice suddenly rose, filled with rage and fanatical devotion.
"The Emperor is the most powerful psyker in humanity and an immortal being."
"To him, the death of the flesh is merely the beginning. When he is freed from the shackles of that useless body, he will be reborn and descend into the Warp as a true god."
"At that time, all gods will prostrate themselves at his feet, and he will lead humanity on a second Great Crusade to conquer the galaxy—and even the universe."
Seraphax's expression twisted with excitement.
"How wonderful it would have been if that brutal Abaddon had succeeded, assaulted Terra, and ended that false continuation."
"Unfortunately, that is an unattainable dream. Yet you have returned, one after another. As long as you exist, Abaddon will never set foot on Terra."
Seraphax suddenly changed the subject. An eerie smile mixed with smugness and madness appeared on his lips.
"But now, I have found a better method. If I obtain your body, I can easily bypass all the Custodians and reach the Emperor's throne."
"I will personally free him from the shackles of flesh, help him achieve his final ascension, and turn him into a true god."
He took two steps back and raised high the staff with the strange polyhedral crystal at its tip.
With his other hand, he pointed at the silver mirror beside the sorcerers. Its surface gleamed like mercury, so smooth it reflected the ripples of souls.
"These two relics can separate your soul from your body. My soul will then inhabit them."
"Only then can I fulfill this sacred mission."
His voice carried both temptation and threat.
"Humanity will be saved by this. That is all!"
"If you voluntarily abandon resistance, the process will be far easier and less painful. But if you remain stubborn…"
Before Seraphax could finish speaking, the dome shattered with a deafening crash.
BOOM!!!!!!
An ear-splitting roar echoed.
The entire dome was violently destroyed from the outside by an extremely brutal force.
Countless fragments of buildings, bone shards, and dust rained down like a torrential downpour.
From outside, the wreckage of a shattered, sparking, blood-stained daemon engine crashed in and slammed hard into the ground. It slid for a moment before smashing into statues and pillars, toppling them.
Before Seraphax could react, a voice came from outside.
"One strike to cleave in two—the Ruyi Divine Sword!"
The moment the words ended, an incomparably sharp, blazing sword light—like lightning tearing through the sky—slashed down fiercely through the opening in the dome.
Crack! Boom!
Where the sword light passed, half of the palace's structure was cleanly sliced in two along with the daemon remains.
Walls collapsed, pillars snapped, and a bottomless, terrifying chasm was carved into the ground, its edges crystallized and scorched.
The shockwave from the explosion and elemental turbulence swept through the entire hall. The sorcerers' robes flapped violently, and the magic circle's light flickered wildly.
The next moment, the majestic, radiant giant form of the Lightbringer smashed through the hole in the dome and descended.
His heavy feet stomped the ravaged ground, kicking up a shockwave mixed with dust.
The lightsaber in his hand still emitted terrifying light, becoming the most eye-catching presence in the hall.
Datch looked around, then casually swung the lightsaber.
The silver mirror beside the sorcerers instantly shattered into countless sparkling fragments that flew in all directions.
"No!!!!"
Seraphax watched helplessly as one of the key elements of his plan vanished and let out a heart-rending roar.
At that moment, at the palace entrance, the thunder of boltguns and the roar of chainswords rang out.
Zabril took the lead, commanding a flood of Astartes that surged forward like a bursting dam.
Without a word, they unleashed a ferocious barrage on the still-dazed sorcerers and Chaos Space Marines.
The ritual instantly turned into a bloody slaughterhouse.
Seeing this, Seraphax's fury reached its peak. He let out a terrifying roar.
"You utter fools! You have destroyed humanity's last hope! You have ruined the future of the entire galaxy!"
The air behind the Chaos Lord distorted as a pair of silver-blue wings spread open.
He raised them high. From the crystal tip of his staff radiated dark ripples that swallowed light.
A terrifying sorcery that acted directly on the soul, ignoring all physical defenses.
Zabril and the others at the front suddenly froze. They cried out in excruciating pain.
Space Marines could endure immense physical pain and torture.
But this was not physical pain—it was an attack on the soul.
They knelt on the ground, clutching their heads. The muscles beneath their power armor convulsed uncontrollably.
Blood foam mixed with psychic energy overflowed from the gaps in their helmets.
Furthermore, when Seraphax brandished his staff, multiple daemonic creations assembled from flesh, metal, and pure malice rose from the shadows in the corners of the palace with roars.
Their forms were twisted—some had multiple arms or eyes, others resembled giants made of melted flesh and blood, trudging with heavy steps.
They roared as they charged at the light-powered minions controlled by Datch, buying time for their master.
Seraphax was desperately trying to turn the tide of battle alone.
"Master."
One sorcerer, his voice trembling with fear, staggered toward the Chaos Lord in a robe stained with dust and blood.
The enraged Seraphax paid him no attention, focusing entirely on unleashing the staff's power.
They attempted to suppress Zabril and the others to regain control of the situation.
But the next instant—
Puff!
A dull sound rang out, accompanied by the clear noise of a sharp blade piercing mortar and flesh.
Seraphax's body shook violently and suddenly stopped moving.
He looked down slowly in disbelief. A glowing dagger was protruding from his own chest.
When he turned his head, the sorcerer who had previously worn a terrified expression now wore an exaggerated, mischievous grin.
His form flowed and changed like mercury. As the robe fell away, short blue skin covered in cunning lines was revealed.
A third hand appeared on his shoulder and waved triumphantly.
The Changeling who once served the forces of evil and now served the Nameless Ones.
"Surprised? Unexpected?"
The Changeling laughed in a shrill voice and made victory signs with his free hands.
He quickly pulled out the dagger. His figure blurred and vanished into the chaotic battlefield.
Lion, still bound by the chains, seized the moment when Seraphax was injured and lost control of the relic staff.
ROAR...
A roar that shook the entire hall erupted as Lion poured his uncontrollable rage at betrayal and conspiracy into his arms!
Crash… Bang!
The blood chains, which should have been impossible to escape due to the weight of countless lives, were forcibly torn apart into dozens of fragments.
The broken chain pieces rapidly weathered and shattered. The air filled with faint cries of pain.
Freed from his restraints, Lion charged forward with his glowing power sword in hand.
Seraphax raised his staff to block the attack, but the wound in his chest and the backlash slowed his movement by half a beat.
Slash—!
The powerful sword pierced Seraphax's body with precision and merciless force, penetrating his spine.
Seraphax's body convulsed violently. A pained groan escaped his throat.
The staff embedded with the strange crystal slipped from his hand with a clatter and fell to the ground.
Lion swung his sword down, shattering the crystal at the tip of the staff into pieces. Terrifying energy erupted from the staff.
Holding his sword, slightly out of breath, Lion looked down at his rapidly fading son.
At that moment, the dying Seraphax tilted his head back and looked toward Lion.
His clouded eyes gradually cleared, only to be immediately filled with bottomless pain and regret.
Two streaks of blood-mixed tears rolled down his cheeks, leaving two trails on his dust-covered face.
This reminded Lion of Luther, who had been freed from the influence of the dark forces during the final battle on Caliban ten thousand years ago.
Another figure had also knelt before him, weeping bitterly.
At the end of his life, when the seductive and will-warping evil power of the Warp completely vanished,
Seraphax regained his true self for a brief moment.
He clearly saw the countless crimes he had committed under the guise of a "noble ideal."
But the mistakes had already been made. Regret was useless.
This was the darkest aspect of the Warp.
It always made one believe they were on the righteous path—until they fell into the abyss and could never rise again.
When Seraphax died, the daemonic creatures he had summoned let out mournful cries. Their forms collapsed and began to dissipate.
The remaining sorcerers and Chaos warriors were either abandoned by their demoralized comrades or left behind.
Or perhaps they were quickly annihilated by the recovered loyal Astartes.
Datch controlled the Lightbringer, destroying all the daemonic creations and dispersing the summoned daemons.
Vast amounts of light energy were released, scattering as countless points of light.
He landed lightly on the ground.
Just then, he received the notification that the task was completed.
[Congratulations on completing the mission! You assisted Lord Caliban Lion El'Jonson in thwarting the conspiracy of the Thousand Eyes warband and contributed to minimizing casualties.]
[Quest Rewards: 1300 EXP, 1300 Points, Reputation +150, Omnipotent Mind Cube ×1]
Datch pondered for a moment, then took out the Mind Cube wrapped in soft light. Inside, stars and gears seemed to rotate slowly.
"First, I'll turn the Mountain Fortress into a cute ship girl and give those stubborn Imperial Fists a big shock."
Datch couldn't wait to see the stern-faced Imperial Fists collapse in shock.
When they learned that their beloved mobile fortress had transformed into a beautiful ship girl, what kind of charming expression would appear on those eternally unchanging faces?
Datch opened the minimap to locate the current coordinates of the Mountain Array, but suddenly—
A sparkling golden question mark caught his eye.
"Hmm, a new trigger point for the storyline. I'll check it first, then turn the Mountain God into a ship girl."
Datch paused, temporarily abandoning the Mountain Array exploration. Instead, he clicked the icon to lock onto its location.
Multiple storylines were unfolding simultaneously. While fighting on Lion's storyline, time was also passing elsewhere, and the story continued to develop.
Moreover, these story developments were unique and had significant time constraints.
Missing the trigger timing or key choice points meant you could no longer experience them, and the rewards might be lost.
Turning the Mountain God into a ship girl could be done anytime.
However, the story missions marked by golden question marks would be truly regrettable if missed.
After deciding on the location for the next story stage, Datch took out his teleport gun, entered the coordinates, pulled the trigger, and teleported directly there.
On Lion's side, he had just finished instructing the warriors to eliminate the last pockets of resistance inside the palace and arranged for the guarding of prisoners and treatment of the wounded.
He looked around but saw no one he recognized, so he asked someone.
Only then did he learn that the other party had teleported away without even saying goodbye.
The Lion King stood frozen for several seconds with a helpless expression.
This nameless man was truly the lowest of the low!
During the battle, he had repeatedly called the commander Honorable General and shown extremely polite behavior.
But the moment the fight ended and they were no longer of any value, he pulled up his pants and ran, not even bothering with a farewell.
...…
Datch emerged from the teleportation portal.
The sensation under his feet changed from the palace's stone slabs to a damp, springy organic floor covered with some kind of slime and fungal carpet.
A strong, nauseating stench of decayed biological matter, intense acid, and pheromones assaulted his senses.
Datch looked around and realized this world was being devoured by Tyranids.
The sky was covered in yellow-green spore clouds, forming eerie halos.
As far as the eye could see, the ground was blanketed in a writhing, proliferating carpet of purplish-red biomass, as if the land itself were alive.
In the distance, towering, strangely shaped giant biological pods loomed like a forest from a nightmare.
New Tyranid units continuously emerged from bursting capsules.
Closer in, terrifying Tyranid creatures surged forward like a tide.
Incredibly fast knife-wielding bugs, heavily armored gun-wielding bugs, and bugs that sprayed corrosive liquid rushed toward a single point in a destructive torrent.
In a small corner of ruined high ground not yet fully consumed by the insect swarm, a lone figure was fighting. It was an Astartes chaplain.
He wore somewhat worn, mottled black power armor engraved with the insignia of a secret court.
He held a boltgun and fired with astonishing accuracy at the approaching knife-like insects.
At the same time, he used the ruins as cover to move flexibly and sliced apart enemies that broke through the net of flames with his chainsword.
His combat style was efficient and calm, carrying the fatigue of countless battles yet hiding unyielding determination.
However, facing the seemingly endless insect swarm, his area of operation was constantly shrinking, and his situation was precarious.
Datch summoned his mechanical warhorse, leaped over several low ruins being swallowed by the creep, and quickly approached the lone Astartes.
Upon entering a certain area, he opened the other party's information panel.
Demetrian Titus, a member of the Inquisition's Black Shields and leader of an assassination squad.
"Titus… That name sounds very familiar," Datch stroked his chin, trying hard to recall.
A few seconds later, he slapped his forehead, his face suddenly showing realization.
"I remember now. Isn't this the Titus that people often talk about on the forums?"
"The legendary undefeated commander of the Ultramarines Second Company, chosen by both the Emperor and the Emperor, the ruthless man who destroyed Chaos artifacts with his bare hands!"
Titus also noticed the mysterious warrior who had suddenly appeared beside him. According to his information, there should be no other Imperial Angels on this planet besides his kill-team. Where did this man come from?
"Who are you??" Titus asked while dodging the swarm of knife-like bugs, using the opening to tear apart insects with his chainsword.
…
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