"This is the power of a cosmic phantom beast… It really is strong, but not enough to defeat me." Lion slowly got up from the ground, gritting his teeth as he spoke.
At this point, his power armor was shattered, his body completely unprotected, with only a power sword left in his hand.
However, the Lion King himself hadn't suffered any serious injuries—Rhodes had controlled his strength perfectly.
That shockwave just now wasn't even a third of its full power. Otherwise, Lion would have been gravely wounded or on the verge of death.
"No! That was less than a tenth of my true strength. That wasn't even a warm-up." Rhodes ruthlessly shattered Lion's last hope.
"This can't be!" If his opponent had beaten him with full strength, Lion could accept it. But to lose to less than a tenth of Rhodes' power was hard to swallow.
Unbeknownst to him, Rhodes had used even less than a tenth of his full power, hadn't gone giant, hadn't used berserk transformation, nor the Steel-Breaking Fist.
"Nothing is impossible," Rhodes said, slowly raising his palm. An invisible force enveloped Lion, instantly binding him in place.
Lion's body trembled as he felt himself gripped by an immense, invisible hand. No matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free.
Was this psychic power? Impossible! Normal psykers couldn't even harm a Primarch, let alone suspend him in midair.
"Let me show you my true power." Rhodes' body rapidly expanded, crimson power armor materializing and covering him.
He grew into a 70-meter-tall giant, towering over the despairing Lion King. Stretching out a hand, he gripped Lion with sheer strength, immobilizing the first Primarch entirely.
"Damn it!" Lion struggled so hard he almost shattered his teeth, but faced with this colossal giant, he felt an indescribable sense of powerlessness.
It was an invincible might—the same as when he first stood before his father, the Emperor.
"Look, Lion, this is the power of the cosmic phantom beast. Once fused with one, not only does your life level increase, but you also gain the ability to grow giant. That's why your brothers can freely change their size," the Emperor explained.
Standing nearby, several Primarchs—Guilliman, Elena, Magnus, and Vulkan, who had just rejoined the Imperium—rapidly grew as well, transforming into giants over 60 meters tall.
Guilliman wore sky-blue armor, Elena's was pink, Vulkan's was fiery red, and Magnus was clad in snow-white.
Seeing his brothers become giants, Lion gaped in disbelief.
Seriously? The others could also become Titan-class units?
Now he was the weakest Primarch—an enormous blow.
Rhodes sighed, placed the dejected Lion back on the ground, and, with the other Primarchs, shrank down to normal human size.
"Don't lose heart, Lion! Before we gained the cosmic phantom beasts, we were about the same as you. Once you gain this power, you'll see how strong it really is," Guilliman quickly comforted his big brother.
His brother had really taken a hit this time.
"I'm not as fragile as you think, Guilliman. I just feel a bit left behind by this new era. But I'll recover," Lion quickly adjusted his mindset and stood up.
No matter who he chose to fight earlier, he would have lost badly. With this giant form, there was simply no way to resist—it was absolute power.
"Rhodes is the strongest among us, so losing to him is nothing to be ashamed of," Vulkan added.
After obtaining his own cosmic phantom beast, Vulkan, Magnus, and Guilliman had once ganged up on Rhodes—but were soundly defeated.
His ability to teleport, ultimate barriers, an array of superpowers, potent psychic force, and terrifying energy attacks… Rhodes' trump cards seemed endless!
They couldn't beat him even in giant form, nor as normal-sized warriors. Rhodes' power was truly beyond imagination.
"So, it's fair that I lost. Rhodes, I acknowledge your position as the Imperial Warmaster. I, Lion, recognize your authority and will obey your orders," Lion declared.
He wasn't a sore loser. Since Rhodes had bested him fair and square, he would accept it.
Unlike with Horus, who had never truly defeated him, Rhodes had completely subdued the proud Lion King and earned his respect.
"Lion, I look forward to fighting alongside you in future wars," Rhodes said, shaking his hand with a smile.
To be honest, taking down the Lion—a Primarch renowned for his combat prowess—was quite satisfying.
"Haha! I serve at your command, new Imperial Warmaster! What kind of cosmic phantom beast will you prepare for me?" Lion asked eagerly.
He couldn't wait to get his own cosmic phantom beast and catch up with the other Primarchs.
Rhodes nodded, waved his hand, and summoned the cosmic White Tiger—specially prepared for Lion.
The White Tiger was several hundred meters tall and nearly a kilometer in length, its terrifying size making it stand out even in Holy Terra.
"What an enormous creature… What a powerful presence. Is this a cosmic phantom beast?" Lion asked, staring at the massive tiger.
"That's right. This one was prepared just for you—its name is the Cosmic White Tiger," Rhodes introduced.
The White Tiger symbolizes slaughter—very fitting for Lion.
He'd wanted something more lion-like, but there were few lion monsters in the system shop. Even after upgrading, he found only humanoid lion monsters—none impressive enough. The White Tiger, though, was truly imposing.
"It's certainly a magnificent beast!" Lion said, gazing at the huge tiger. Although it wasn't a lion, a tiger was still impressive.
"Greetings, Lion. My name is Cosmic White Tiger. I look forward to fighting by your side. Let's grow stronger together," the White Tiger said, shrinking down to 2 meters tall and 5 meters long.
"Once you fuse with a cosmic phantom beast, your physical and psychic strengths will both increase. You'll grow together," Rhodes explained.
Lion nodded to Rhodes, then approached the tiger.
"Let's work well together, Cosmic White Tiger. What do we do next?"
"Don't resist. I'll merge with you," the White Tiger replied. Its body transformed into pure white energy and entered Lion's body.
The energy infusion filled Lion with a profound sense of comfort, as if every cell was bathed in warm sunlight and spring water.
It was indescribable. Lion's body was being transformed into a super-lifeform, his existence elevated, and as his life level rose, his soul's power was unleashed.
The Primarch's power as a minor god manifested, just as it had for Guilliman. Lion awakened his God-Soul, allowing his spirit to fully match his body.
His latent psychic power awakened—every Primarch possessed strong psychic potential, previously limited only by their bodies.
"Amazing. This is my true power, my true soul! I am a god—a minor god of humanity in the Warp! This is what it means to have divine power," Lion exclaimed, feeling the torrent of power within.
Having obtained a cosmic phantom beast and regained his minor god powers, Lion realized how weak he'd been before, and how strong he was now.
After fusing with the White Tiger, Lion's body swelled into a 65-meter-tall giant.
He wore pure white armor with a massive tiger's head on the chest and tiger claws for limbs.
This was the White Tiger Armor, forged from the White Tiger's power. His power sword transformed into a giant blade.
As the western sacred beast of battle, the Tiger Soul Blade was the ultimate weapon for slaughter—a symbol of the White Tiger's might.
"Hahaha! Rhodes, fight me again! I feel invincible now!" the giant Lion King said, brimming with fighting spirit.
He'd just lost, but now felt ready to challenge Rhodes again.
"I wouldn't recommend it, or you'll taste defeat again. Rhodes' strength is beyond your imagination. If you want a sparring partner, Guilliman and Vulkan are available," the Emperor advised.