The Angels of the Emperor, the Astartes.
Even on Holy Terra, they were a rare sight. After all, if you wanted to see the Custodes, you just had to go to the Lion's Gate. As rare as they were, they at least had a fixed spawn point. But Astartes were genuinely never seen in daily life.
Therefore, Aiswei'er still viewed the Astartes through a special filter, especially these warriors in bright yellow livery who would risk their lives to protect mortals.
Her admiration, however, ended there. The scene that followed completely shattered her worldview.
A group of noble Astartes were actually gathered around, eating dung.
Emperor above, were they insane?
Was this the legend of the Emperor's demigods, the Astartes, that she had heard about? How was this so different from the dazzling Imperial Fists in the tales of the Emperor's Ascension Festival?
"Sigh..."
For some reason, Aiswei'er heard that familiar sigh in her ear once more. She could feel a deep sense of disdain radiating from it, and a profound weariness... This voice had been with her for eighteen Terran years, always guiding her path.
Now, she had finally arrived in this place. Although she didn't quite understand why she had to come to this perilous Space Hulk.
---o---
"Emperor above, is this what a Primarch is... what were we even doing back there?"
Looking at Zhou Ye, who stood like a God of War at over four meters tall, Asmodai's voice trembled as he spoke.
As for why he was four meters tall, Zhou Ye didn't know either. He just felt that his three-meter stature was somewhat limiting his performance. After using his power to increase his height to over four meters, he felt much more comfortable.
For him, height was malleable, just like it was for the Golden Fiend. He was sure the Golden Fiend's original height was definitely not that tall; he most likely used psychic power to bulk up later.
At this moment, Zhou Ye was charging alongside the Titans. He was taking almost all the pressure from the front by himself; everyone else was just support.
Asmodai now felt that his attempt to jump and strike this being was the act of a madman. The difference in killing him versus killing a chicken on the roadside would be negligible. He was a zealot, not an idiot. Now, clad in this black armor, his fanaticism had receded. And since everyone present was in black armor, he didn't stand out so much.
Of course, it would be better if one ignored the Dark Angels insignia on his shoulder. Now, following a senior who was clearly from the Great Crusade era, Asmodai felt a sense of immense glory. Even death would be worth it.
However, compared to the men behind him, Zhou Ye's brow was furrowed.
With the assistance of the Titan Legion, this battle was no longer so difficult. But the enemy's Titan-class units were blocking a significant amount of firepower. Zhou Ye was silently calculating his energy consumption.
Finally, he made a decision... just as he had back on Aestia. Two enormous golden wings unfurled from his back.
Emperor above, could he be Sanguinius? Asmodai cried out in his mind, seeing the wide golden wings. But...
"My Lord, wait!!!"
Before he could say anything, the Dark Angels Dreadnought they were protecting let out a desperate shriek.
"?"
But before Asmodai's confusion could clear, he felt a fierce gale sweep across the sky. He watched, dumbfounded, as Zhou Ye vanished. The front line was suddenly empty.
"NO!!!"
It wasn't just Aldrich. All the Space Marines and Dreadnoughts let out desperate cries at that moment.
Zhou Ye had just carved a brilliant arc across the sky. Then, he physically broke through the Waaagh! field barrier and slammed headfirst into the body of the massive Super Gargant.
Ork Titan-class units were not like the Imperium's. They were teeming with a vast number of Orks inside, all moving under the command of a Big Mek or a Warboss. And the Orks inside were the strongest of the strong. In other words, Zhou Ye had just dived headfirst into the Orks' nest.
Seeing this, the Star of Trailblaze Chapter exploded into a panic, even Rylanor.
Rylanor had already come to see Zhou Ye as the Primarch leading them. It was because of him, after all, that the sons of the Phoenix had been reborn.
Now, their Primarch, caught up in the heat of battle, had abandoned them all to charge into the enemy's headquarters for the ultimate boarding action.
If anything were to happen to their Primarch, they, the unwanted sons, would all have to commit suicide to atone for their failure. Most of their original Primarchs had already turned traitor. It was Zhou Ye who had taken them in and reassembled them. If something were to truly happen to him...
"Quickly, follow him!!!"
Zhou Ye paid no mind to the situation outside. This was different from fighting Chaos. These Greenskins weren't Chaos; there was no energy to be squeezed from them. A slow, drawn-out battle would be pointless.
Zhou Ye had decided to go straight for the throat. First, he would dismantle this Super Gargant, which was on par with an Emperor Titan. Below it was the core of the Space Hulk: the Battle Moon.
The entire Space Hulk was currently held together by this Battle Moon's Waaagh! field, under the command of a powerful Ork.
Frankly, the creations of the Old Ones were truly ridiculous. Their potential was just too high.
At this moment, seeing him charge in, all the Orks froze for a second.
Then, a deluge of attacks rained down on him. Zhou Ye once again raised his shield, expending his own energy to block the chaotic and haphazard assault.
And then...
"Skyfire, unsheathed."
Looking at the motley collection of attacks, Zhou Ye's pupils turned a solid gold.
In the next instant, a fire powerful enough to incinerate the very earth erupted from his position. In a flash, the powerful flames burned through all the Greenskins and, with him at the center, instantly filled the Super Gargant's colossal hundred-meter-plus frame.
Outside...
"Emperor!!!"
"Your Majesty!!!"
"Such terrifying psychic power... and such holy energy..."
At that moment, both the rapidly advancing Star of Trailblaze Chapter and Aslot's group, who were rushing to meet them from the other side, stopped in their tracks.
Even the Greenskins almost all covered their eyes. In an instant, golden flames erupted from within the Super Gargant, shooting a thousand meters into the sky.
Then, it exploded.
A dazzling golden mushroom cloud rose into the air. The terrifying force of the explosion not only completely engulfed the Super Gargant but also annihilated the surrounding Gargants and a large number of heavy units like Grot Tanks. In an instant, a vacuum was blasted into the once-teeming Ork horde.
Seeing this, tears welled up in everyone's eyes. Even Chris, Metaurus, and Seth were moved to tears.
"Great God-Emperor, your glory is still so dazzling, even after ten thousand years!!!"
Feeling the searing heat, several of them removed their helmets, their eyes filled with tears.
"Great Majesty..."
Aiswei'er slowly knelt. As she prayed, the faith barrier that was already present grew even more radiant. She had witnessed a miracle of the God-Emperor, a glorious, shining figure.
Yes, only a Primarch could bear the Emperor's power like this, could unleash such great might.
But...
"????"
For some reason, Aiswei'er felt her mind suddenly flooded with a stream of question marks. The question marks multiplied, and in the blink of an eye, they transformed into an endless production line operated by countless Pals, churning out more and more question marks.
"Huh?"
Receiving this information, Aiswei'er slowly tilted her head.
Could the will inside her be one of those blasphemous things? But that shouldn't be possible. She had prayed countless times in the holy cathedrals of Terra. She had even stood directly in the Emperor's light multiple times. There shouldn't be anything else inside her.
---o---
Meanwhile, on the other side...
"Gulp!"
All the Slaaneshi creatures stopped in their tracks, staring in terror at the golden flames.
Daemons only seem brave because they cannot truly die. Even when banished, they are merely waiting to be resurrected in the Warp. But if they knew they could face true death, then ninety-nine point nine-nine-nine percent of them would behave no better than a Grot.
Courage is a hymn for humanity, not for daemons, not even those of Khorne.
The only reason they were still gathered together and hadn't scattered to the winds was...
"Hahaha!!!"
Just then, Fulgrim's hearty laughter echoed out, drawing the attention of the Slaaneshi daemons. If it weren't for Fulgrim, who was practically the second-in-command of the Slaanesh faction, being here, they would have already fled.
"Hahaha, my brother is far too impatient!"
At this moment, Fulgrim was no longer angry, but filled with mirth.
"The False Emperor's power is not so easily contained. To unleash such power now, he must have suffered a massive backlash. He will surely be unable to use such power again for a short time."
Far from being afraid, Fulgrim was laughing out loud, so hard that tears streamed down his face.
As a Primarch, he naturally knew the power of the False Emperor. That power was different from that of the Four Gods; it was filled with destruction and annihilation. Even a Primarch could not bear it lightly, especially now, when the barrier between the material universe and the Warp was so strong.
His brother was too hasty. If he had used such a move during a duel with him, he would have been crippled, if not killed, and would have needed the Prince of Pleasure's protection. But to use it now, to just throw away his ultimate move like that...
Fulgrim laughed out loud. What a fool. His brother was truly not very bright.
Now that he had used his biggest trump card, there was nothing left to say. Victory was his.
So what if the Prince of Pleasure desired him? He would prove to the Prince of Pleasure that he was the most favored one. Even if another Primarch came along, they would have to settle for fourth or fifth place.
Fulgrim was now even more curious about this brother he had yet to meet. So ambitious, yet so incompetent. On what grounds did he think he could compete with him?
As expected, upon hearing his words, the Slaaneshi daemonic legion thought for a moment. Then, their morale surged even higher. One by one, they charged toward the Orks and Genestealers with renewed vigor.
The Orks were one thing, but Tyranid creatures had no souls. However, their Genestealer cultist subordinates did. And their souls were even stronger than those of ordinary humans. So, as they passed, they wiped out all the Genestealers.
After all, the mission was assigned by the Prince of Pleasure, but the souls were their own. They knew how to prioritize. More souls awaited them. With a Daemon Primarch leading them, they would harvest even more fresh souls.
So...
"FOR THE PRINCE OF PLEASURE!!!"
---o---
"Hmph..."
Zhou Ye was well aware of the shockwaves his attack would cause.
But so what? These Greenskins weren't Chaos. They couldn't provide him with much recovery. So he wasn't in the mood to be as restrained as he had been against Nurgle. After all, if he used a large-scale AOE to send those Nurgle daemons back to the Warp to respawn, he would be the one losing out.
Right now, Zhou Ye wanted to quickly finish off these Greenskins, go devour Fulgrim, and then take the entire Space Hulk for himself to see what kind of good stuff he could dismantle from it.
So, Zhou Ye looked down. Below him was a massive hole. And at the bottom of that hole, he could see the core of the hulk: the Battle Moon.
"Damn it, a pure energy loss..." he muttered. Zhou Ye slowly descended.
"My Lord!!! Wait for us!!!"
But before Zhou Ye could say anything, he saw four Dreadnoughts, including Rylanor, leading several dozen of the most elite Space Marines, charging toward him.
They had clearly used the explosion and the breach created by the Emperor Titan to follow him. Zhou Ye blinked, a little embarrassed.
He had gotten a bit carried away. He had single-handedly performed a holy boarding action against the Super Gargant and, ignoring the Waaagh! field, had blown it up from the inside out.
In other words, he had, in a way, bullied everyone present!!!