A moment ago, Grimnar had been extremely confident. He had expected his opponent might resort to petty tricks and had even wondered whether they might be equipped with a Personal Void Shield.
However, in the very next instant, the blonde girl in front of him lunged forward with a rapier.
Her speed was astonishing. In the blink of an eye, the blade had already pierced his body.
Her footwork was as graceful as that of a waltz dancer, and her rapier struck precisely at the gaps in his Black Carapace every single time.
The Lion King did not rely on brute strength in this battle. Instead, he used refined and ingenious techniques to fight.
This style of combat had originally been pioneered by Fulgrim, though no one knew the current whereabouts of that traitor.
"Holy crap—what is going on?" Grimnar's eyes widened in shock. Before he could even react, his opponent had already completed an entire sequence of attacks.
The girl's figure seemed to whistle past him, leaving behind only the faint trace of a sharp gust of wind.
She moved like a loach, weaving and darting around him at will.
Only after she had already returned to stand in front of him did he realize that he had been stabbed twice more.
"How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!"
Grimnar felt his body stiffen. His Black Carapace had already been pierced in several places.
The neural interface nodes connected to his Power Armor had been precisely sabotaged. These nodes were critical pressure points, and once destroyed, a person's bones and muscles would lock up completely.
"Do you surrender? If you do, I'll stop."
"By the way, is this really all the Space Wolves are capable of nowadays?"
"You are far inferior to your predecessors."
The Lion King's tone did not sound like a simple reprimand. Instead, it resembled that of an elder instructing a junior.
To him, these young warriors were nothing more than little nephews.
After all, he was the Primarch of the First Legion—seeing them in such a way was only natural.
"No… I can still move!"
"How could I possibly lose to a mortal? This is impossible!"
Grimnar struggled, but his legs felt as heavy as lead, refusing to respond.
The girl calmly stepped forward and flicked his forehead. Instantly, his body gave out.
He had already reached his limit. The gap in strength between him and this seemingly mortal girl was simply too vast.
"I… lost just like that?"
"Lost to a mortal?"
His body slammed heavily onto the ground, leaving a faint imprint behind.
Logan Grimnar… had fallen into complete self-doubt.
Consecutive defeats had mercilessly shattered his confidence.
A deep sense of humiliation welled up within him. Being defeated by a mutant was one thing—but losing to a girl who appeared to be a mere mortal was utterly incomprehensible to him.
Richard, who had been closely observing the battle, could only admit the truth: the Space Wolf hadn't managed to inflict even the slightest scratch on Lion El'Jonson.
Normally, a Primarch's larger body meant a wider defensive area. While they could easily defeat their enemies, they would still suffer minor injuries.
But now, the Lion King's form was condensed—retaining the same power while reducing overall size. It was simply overpowered.
His attacks were faster, more precise, and just as destructive.
His body was lighter, yet his explosive strength remained unchanged.
All things considered, he had become even stronger.
Aside from appearing smaller, softer, and somewhat cuter, there were no drawbacks at all.
"Knight Commander, did you record it? Take him away."
"Let him rest, then send him back."
"If these wolves are anything like their predecessor, they'll honor the agreement once they've lost."
"And if they don't, it doesn't matter. Release the recording later and let this little pup lose some face."
"Yes, Lady Lylei!"
"No!" Logan Grimnar let out a miserable cry. This defeat was simply too humiliating.
To be defeated by a seemingly delicate mortal girl—if word got out, how could he ever face the Space Wolves again?
The Lion King stepped forward and lightly patted his cheek. Though slightly insulting, the surrounding Dark Angels actually envied the treatment.
Knight Commander (internally): I also want to be personally disciplined by Lord Lion…
Lion King: "Go back and rest well. Do as I said."
"Your combat techniques are lacking. You need more training."
"Don't be like your father—drinking and eating all day. Practice properly and drink less wine."
Grimnar stared at her as though all strength had left his body.
He was dragged away by the Dark Angels like a stray dog.
Ironically, the surrounding veterans were filled with envy. To receive direct instruction from a Primarch was considered an honor.
As expected by the Lion King, when the War Council reconvened the next day, the Space Wolves agreed to all of the Dark Angels' plans.
They even argued passionately in their favor.
Helbrecht of the Black Templars, however, expressed confusion regarding the strategy of abandoning territory.
He raised a critical question: how were they supposed to move such a massive population through the jungle?
With so many Orks present, it would be impossible for them to ignore such movement.
Richard responded calmly:
"It doesn't matter. The greenskins there have already been lured away by the mutants I deployed."
"That forest is now safer than a Hive City. At least there are fewer heretics."
The Lion King relayed the message.
After learning that the Ork threat had diminished, the Black Templars reluctantly agreed.
There was no alternative—the Dark Angels claimed they had discovered a way to destroy the Gate of the Red Angel.
They even stated that doing so would summon an entity capable of embodying the Emperor's full power.
Until proven otherwise, the Black Templars had no choice but to believe it.
On the chessboard, forces began to move.
The Krieg Legions maintained their relentless assault while covering the retreat.
The front lines gradually contracted, as civilians were driven toward Hell Hive City.
Meanwhile, Chaos agents infiltrated the crowds.
Though few in number, if allowed to complete their rituals, they could corrupt entire populations.
Richard knew this problem had to be solved immediately.
His gaze fell upon the Necron models—specifically, a Blackstone Pylon.
This structure could suppress psychic energy and disrupt the Warp.
"Deploy."
Without hesitation, Richard activated two Pylons.
They formed a corridor, filtering out Psykers.
Any corrupted individual passing through would be exposed and executed instantly.
The effect was immediate.
The burden on the Inquisition and Astra Militarum was drastically reduced.
Even the Adeptus Mechanicus was astonished by the Pylons' efficiency.
The Black Templars, delighted, requested ownership of the relics afterward.
Lion King muttered, "These people change their attitude quickly…"
Still, he agreed.
Soon, piles of corpses accumulated near the Pylons.
Incineration units worked tirelessly to prevent Chaos corruption.
Sensing the threat, Chaos intensified its attacks.
The Daemon Skarbrand entered the battlefield, tearing through defensive lines.
The war escalated.
Hell Hive City descended into chaos.
Despite the Pylons' effectiveness, violence erupted in the lower levels.
The Black Templars initiated brutal purges, targeting high-risk areas.
This led to the infamous legend of the "kill line."
Those who fell below it rarely survived.
Watching the blood-soaked city, Richard could only sigh.
In this world, morality was a luxury.
Survival itself was a privilege.
The horrors unfolding on the chessboard felt all too real.
Until—
The doorbell rang.
Pulled back to reality, Richard covered the chessboard and opened the door.
Standing outside was a middle-aged man in a white lab coat, with a receding hairline and a serious expression.
"Hello, are you Mr. Chen?"
"I'm your grandfather's attending physician—Doctor Sun, from the Department of Hepatobiliary Oncology."
Richard smiled and shook his hand.
"Ah, my father mentioned you. Please, come in."
"I assume you're here about my grandfather's condition."
He had expected this visit—
But not this soon.
"If you want to read the chapter in advance.
Please visit: https://www.patreon.com/c/Dinos2_0"