The Emperor's Children and the Thousand Sons had always been the two Legions with the fewest Astartes.
Yet even under such disadvantageous battle conditions, facing the Iron Hands Legion, whose numbers were at least ten times their own, the Emperor's Children still achieved an impressive kill ratio.
Of course, this had much to do with the Emperor's Children's Legion style.
Fulgrim demanded that every one of his sons develop toward the most perfect and outstanding version of themselves.
As a result, every single one of them possessed formidable combat power, enough to fight ten enemies alone—or at least nine.
Moreover, another advantage of a smaller Legion now showed itself: in terms of supplies and equipment distribution, they were extremely lavish. It could even be called wasteful.
With the same amount of money, an Emperor's Child received three shares, while the Iron Hands had three men sharing one.
However, as always, war was a contest of who could endure greater attrition and who coordinated better. Even though the Emperor's Children had the advantage of extremely high individual quality, before the merciless war machine that was the Iron Hands, they still seemed somewhat powerless.
It was like a super-soldier fighting an armored division. Perhaps at first, the super-soldier could gain a considerable advantage, but as time dragged on, organized force would inevitably win.
"Fulgrim! Get out here!!!"
Ferrus swung the massive hammer known as Forgebreaker, blasting away several Phoenix Guard who attempted to charge him.
These special troops, whom Fulgrim had created with enormous resources and painstaking effort, could not withstand even a single blow before Ferrus.
Yet strangely, Fulgrim did not feel the slightest heartache.
On the contrary, he watched with incomparable pleasure as these painstaking creations were destroyed by his brother.
That blend of pain, conflict, dark delight, despair, regret, and countless other emotions gathered together, giving the perfect phoenix a trace of pleasure.
Yes...
Yes, exactly!
How wonderful!
"AAAAAAAH—!"
The more Ferrus killed, the more exhausted his heart became.
He desperately wanted these Phoenix Guard to stop.
However, it was very clear that these Emperor's Children loyal to Fulgrim had never cared about right or wrong.
They answered only to their Primarch and were willing to give their lives for him.
"Fulgrim! Stop making meaningless struggles! Get over here! We need to talk!"
Ferrus could only issue encirclement orders to his Legion again and again.
Even if he had to annihilate the Emperor's Children Legion here, he would capture Fulgrim alive. As long as the Primarch still lived, the Legion could be rebuilt.
But if Fulgrim was completely transformed into some evil thing, then everything would be over.
Faster.
I have to be faster!
Even if I am slaughtering my brother's sons, I am doing this to save him!
"My brother, am I not right here? If there is something you wish to say, say it directly."
Fulgrim toyed with the Laer Silver Blade in his hand while quietly gazing at Ferrus.
"Shut up! You damned daemon! You are not my brother!"
Ferrus roared angrily:
"If you truly were my brother, you would never hide behind your sons like a coward!"
Ferrus knew very well that the real Fulgrim would never stand by and watch his sons become expendable resources, dying in such a meaningless civil war.
No matter how proud he was, no matter how unwilling he was to admit defeat, he would never treat his sons as consumables.
That was why Ferrus was certain.
This cowardly brother before him was nothing but a petty wretch!
It had to be that sword.
That sword had seized his brother's mind!
"My brother, you keep shouting that you want to kill me. You dropped bombs on my sons, and now you want to kill me too... sigh..."
Fulgrim smiled as tears streamed down his face.
"I'm so hurt..."
"AAAAAAAH!"
Seeing his brother being manipulated like this, Ferrus could no longer control himself.
He accelerated, killing the Phoenix Guard who blocked his path.
The tactical pack on his back also ceased all restraint. He wanted only to reach Fulgrim as quickly as possible, then make the daemon that had stolen his brother's body pay the price.
"Move!"
"Do not stand in my way!"
"You cannot stop me!"
"What meaningless struggle!"
"..."
The Emperor's Children did not answer. They merely desperately formed a human wall, blocking Ferrus's furious steps.
At the same time, the officers of each company shouted for their Primarch to flee quickly and leave this place to them.
But Fulgrim did not move.
How enjoyable.
These twisted emotions were truly exciting!
The Greater Daemon temporarily occupying Fulgrim's body was so thrilled by this scene that it wanted to scream. Pleasure filled with emotions like this was not something one encountered often.
Precisely because of that, it had to enjoy this as much as possible.
Who knew whether it would ever encounter something like this again?
Just as Fulgrim spread his arms and enjoyed that moment of bliss, a bolt round passed through the gaps between countless battling Astartes and shot straight toward his head.
"?!"
Fulgrim froze as he watched the bolt round flying toward him.
At the critical moment, a power spear intercepted the round. Although the blast still struck Fulgrim with its aftershock, all it did was slightly disturb his hairstyle.
But compared to the problem with his appearance, what angered Fulgrim more was that someone had interrupted his enjoyment.
"Where did this little bat come from? How disgusting."
Fulgrim looked toward Bruce, who was firing at him with precision from afar, then swung his blade and ordered:
"Take that creature down!!!"
"..."
The Emperor's Children were helpless in the face of this command.
Just holding back the Iron Hands' offensive was already exhausting enough. Where would they find spare troops and energy to run all the way over there and capture Bruce?
Bang, bang, bang—
Bruce did not care how Fulgrim raged uselessly. He simply continued firing at his face.
Unfortunately, Fulgrim or the guards beside him blocked every shot.
Seeing that long-range sniping was useless, Bruce did not become annoyed. He simply continued shooting, focusing entirely on harassment without approaching.
"?!"
This bastard!!!!
That mosquito-like harassment made Fulgrim extremely irritated.
Did this fellow not know how to read the atmosphere?
This was the dramatic stage play between him and Ferrus.
Where did this bastard get the nerve to harass them?!
"Bruce! What are you doing?"
After smashing an Emperor's Child's head apart with one punch, Ferrus found a spare moment to open a communication channel with Bruce.
Faced with Ferrus's accusatory tone, Bruce calmly fired several more shots at Fulgrim before finally answering at an unhurried pace.
"If we don't force that thing out, the entire Third Legion will die by your hand. That thing is doing this on purpose!"
"They're not its sons anyway. It won't care how many die. Can't you see that?"
Rather than saying Fulgrim was commanding the battle, it would be better to say that the Slaaneshi Greater Daemon was.
Although Bruce did not know why Fulgrim's mind had been occupied so quickly, at this stage, they had to solve the immediate problem before considering anything else.
As the Legion with the largest number of loyalists in the original history, Bruce could not allow all the Emperor's Children to die here, whether out of selfishness or future considerations.
That would be far too much of a waste.
"I said that the Emperor's Children and Fulgrim are to be left to me!"
Ferrus emphasized.
"But your advance is too slow, Lord Ferrus."
"And this is a battlefield, not a private occasion for you and Lord Fulgrim to flirt and cuddle. My target is that Greater Daemon, not your brother. Understand?"
Bruce fired back without the slightest politeness.
"Bruce!!!"
Seeing Bruce treat him so disrespectfully, Ferrus was instantly enraged.
"Save your anger for the traitors, Lord Ferrus. I will solve this problem in my own way."
After saying that, Bruce cut the communication on his own.
It was not that he wanted to disrespect Ferrus. Rather, at a time like this, both he and Fulgrim had become abnormal.
If reason could not get through, then action would have to explain everything.
"Everyone, charge the line with me!"
Bruce ordered the Astartes following him.
"Yes, Acting Commander!"
Although Bruce had only brought around thirty people for this assault, that was enough for him to open a line on the flank and force Fulgrim to come after him.
Using the powerful mobility of their jump packs, Bruce and a squad of Night Lords Raptors successfully struck into the Emperor's Children's flank defense.
But the moment he landed and engaged, he realized that these purple Astartes were absurdly strong in both strength and technique.
They were on a completely different level from the Word Bearers, Thousand Sons, or World Eaters he had fought before.
So these were miniature Custodes?
That reputation really was not exaggerated.
"Slaanesh! I curse your mother!"
"You are a dog! The cheapest bitch in the Warp!"
"Khorne could spin you like a top!"
"Your Greater Daemon is also a stray dog!"
Seeing the situation, Bruce killed one Emperor's Child by relying on his weapon advantage, then suddenly began cursing like he had lost his mind.
This baffling outburst made the Emperor's Children organizing the defense wonder whether Bruce had gone insane.
The Raptor squad, however, was already used to it.
If the acting commander was cursing like this, then he definitely had some deeper meaning!
And just as Bruce was enjoying himself cursing freely, Fulgrim, who had been standing in the very center of the battlefield, suddenly vanished.
He moved through the defensive line, casually killing several Iron Hands along the way, and finally arrived at Bruce's position.
"What a rude little thing."
Fulgrim instantly appeared before Bruce. His speed was terrifyingly fast, not even an exaggeration to compare it to lightning.
Fortunately, Bruce was someone who had taken a trip through Khorne's divine realm. His precognitive ability activated faster than Fulgrim's strike, so that silver flash of blade merely scraped across his pauldron, leaving a small scratch on the lightning-patterned paint.
"I was insulting Lady Slaanesh. Why are you the one getting anxious?"
Bruce slid backward and raised both claws, staring intently at Fulgrim, whose expression was clearly wrong.
"I will personally tear your mouth apart, you insolent thing!"
Where had this stray dog come from, daring to shout and scream like this, even disrespecting the god he believed in?
He was tired of living!
"Getting mad?"
Bruce used his claws to parry, focusing completely on Fulgrim.
But the instant Bruce saw Fulgrim vanish, he realized that he might have underestimated a Primarch's combat ability.
If Astartes possessed nanosecond-level reactions and speed, then Primarchs were even faster, while also possessing power sufficient to tear apart any living creature.
By the time Bruce reacted and began retreating, three Barrier Balls on his body had shattered on the spot. Cold sweat poured down his back as he hurriedly activated his jump pack and took to the air.
On the ground, Fulgrim's swordsmanship might be terrifyingly powerful, but surely it could not track him into the sky.
So as long as Bruce maintained an altitude advantage, his chances of winning were still considerable.
"What was that... just now?"
Fulgrim savored that strange sense of resistance and raised his head to ask Bruce.
Compared with killing Bruce, Fulgrim was now more curious about what exactly had blocked his attack.
If not for that strange shield, Bruce would already have been cut into three or four pieces.
"Just a small technological creation."
Bruce drew his gun and fired.
"Ah!"
Fulgrim gave a disdainful laugh, sweeping his sword to cut apart every incoming bolt round. Then he leapt high, lunging toward Bruce.
Although he had no jump pack to assist him, Fulgrim could rely on his powerful physique to maintain brief moments of aerial movement. Even if gravity pulled him down, he could quickly leap again.
By comparison, Bruce's jump pack, after prolonged hovering and use, would eventually overload and enter cooldown.
Soon, Bruce, who had been maneuvering through the air to evade, was ultimately intercepted by Fulgrim. The silver blade he swung could easily force Bruce back down to the ground.
"Acting Commander!"
Seeing Bruce fall into a difficult battle, the nearby Night Lords tried to step forward and help him.
But this action gave Fulgrim a wave of ecstatic joy.
"Do not come over!"
Bruce, who had finally broken free from Fulgrim's offensive, hurriedly shouted.
But the warning came too late.
Seeing that Bruce could not be killed quickly, Fulgrim decisively turned his slaughtering blade toward those weaker prey.
Even though the Raptor squad capable of following Bruce into a boarding action possessed considerable combat power, before a Primarch, they were still far too weak.
With a sweep of the silver blade, Fulgrim easily beheaded these Night Lords one after another.
Worse still, the Slaaneshi Greater Daemon residing inside the silver blade devoured their souls as well, turning the dead into its playthings.
"Now you're the one getting anxious, aren't you, little bat?"
Fulgrim deeply enjoyed Bruce's expression and gaze.
However arrogant you were moments ago, that was how laughable you are now!
"Do you really think I have no way to deal with you?"
Bruce briefly shut off his jump pack and landed on the ground.
Since I dared to charge into the Emperor's Children's flank and lure Fulgrim over, naturally I have a way to bring you down!
"Don't tell me the method you speak of is stalling for time. Hehehe..."
Fulgrim landed as well, looking at Bruce with a teasing gaze.
At this moment, to him, the person before him was an excellent toy for venting anger.
"Give up. By the time Ferrus reaches this place, you will already be dead."
"Hm? How do you know this isn't a trap specifically prepared for you?"
Bruce asked in return while activating the drink-delivery system built into his power armor.
If it was only delaying Fulgrim, Bruce truly could do it.
Not only that, he could even try to counter-kill this arrogant bastard.
"Heh... still running your mouth at this point?"
Fulgrim stared sharply at Bruce.
I will dismember this Astartes!
Torture him!
Let him die in despair!
Ideally, he will see Ferrus arrive at the last moment, thinking he has seen the dawn of victory.
"Heh!"
Bruce also gave a cold laugh.
The next second, powerful psychic energy gathered around him, and golden light illuminated Fulgrim's smile, which had completely frozen on his face.
Fa...
Father?
How is this possible?!
"The one still running his mouth might be you, Fulgrim."
Bruce lightly waved his hand, and a flaming longsword appeared out of thin air.
At this moment—
He was the Emperor.
Join here to read ahead.
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 180)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl 285
"Is this chat group even serious?" 150
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (This matter is completely finished.)
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 255
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 210
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 305
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer (This matter is completely finished.)
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/40
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 130
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 155
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 120
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 155
My Harem Is Indescribable 105
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 110
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 110
Still playing traditional Honk 96
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 95
What Should I Do After Switchi 51
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 80
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 105
Checking In in Demon Slayer 95
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 105
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 95
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 80
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel (This matter is completely finished.)
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 95
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 90
Why did they assign me to Uma 80
MYGO Beauties 75
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 80
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 100
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 120
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 65
The Uma Musume Who Became 70
I'm Definitely Not the King of 105
After Maxing Out Every Class 110
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 95
I, the Elden Sword Saint 60
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 60
No One Knows Pokémon Better 60
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 69
From Trilobites to Titans 57
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 75
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 86
An Anime Heroine Darkened 60
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Links 70
Honkai: The Fire Devil 70
Honkai Transformation Cards Volume2/30
Age of Heroes, I'm Just a Back 60
Uma Musume Has No Weird Fan Le 74
At age 8, she co-starred with 45
Honkai: Schicksal Media 53
An Extremist in a Slice-of-Lif 30
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