Many years later, when Morgana witnessed the majestic hull of the Unbending Truth shattering amidst betrayal and conflagration, slowly plummeting towards Holy Terra in the enormous shadow cast by Luna blocking the sun's light, she would invariably recall that quiet yet boisterous afternoon.
She would invariably recall the moment when Lion El'Jonson's sharp edge was but a step away from her.
Like a pouncing eagle, like a suddenly enraged tiger, and like an awakening giant bear, the Primarch's body cast a massive shadow in mid-air. Against this backdrop of darkness, the sharpness in Lion El'Jonson's palm appeared exceptionally dazzling.
The Primarch's attack was as swift as lightning, instantly reaching Morgana. Its speed was so great that the silver-haired spider queen had no time to circulate her power, to unleash her proud psychic abilities. The blade of the Lion Sword tore through the air like a venomous snake's tongue, attempting to kiss Morgana's snow-white neck.
——————
[And similarly, with enough speed, even a rusted dagger can end an Alpha.]
——————
In that fleeting moment, the Primarch's instincts guided Morgana. She gritted her teeth, and a curved blade immediately appeared at the tip of her serpentine staff.
Using ten-tenths of her strength, she swung it. The curved blade and the Lion Sword collided in mid-air with a speed and force that even the most seasoned Astartes warriors could not discern.
A colossal metallic shriek echoed for several kilometers, even drowning out the roar of the terrifying inorganic killing machines. Endless storms swept out from the fissures of the two weapons. In the blink of an eye, countless forests turned into barren hills.
The first clash ended within a second. The Lion's blade was deflected, grazing past Morgana's left side, only severing a few scattered strands of hair.
The silver-haired spider queen, however, swayed, involuntarily retreating a few steps.
The smug smile that had been on Lion El'Jonson's face froze at a visible rate. He subconsciously shook the Lion Sword in his hand, as if confirming whether it was a counterfeit.
When he raised his head again, looking at Morgana, his gaze now held a vague hint of doubt.
Far away, the roar of the Annihilation Engines was drawing closer. The vine-covered rainforest temporarily delayed their advance, but clearly, it wouldn't last long.
Morgana clutched her numb wrist. Psychic fire began to gather on her staff. She looked directly into Lion El'Jonson's eyes, revealing a pale smile.
[What do you plan to use against me, Lion El'Jonson?]
Lion El'Jonson's smile had vanished. His face was a hundred times more serious than even Perturabo's angriest expression.
[A sword.]
He replied.
Then, the Primarch of the First Legion raised his greatsword high. As its blade gleamed, his other hand suddenly moved to his waist, drawing the plasma pistol Actinium Flintlock.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Three shots in quick succession.
Morgana swung her staff. The gathering psychic energy transformed into a heavy barrier, blocking this sudden attack. Then, her lips pursed, and with a disdainful gaze, she activated the French method of teleportation.
And just then, Lion El'Jonson moved.
The Primarch's figure was like a ghost. He held his greatsword in one hand, and with a light lift of the other, he tossed the plasma pistol into the air. Immediately after, his now free fingers again reached for his waist, and in a flash, pulled the pins from two stasis grenades, fiercely throwing them towards Morgana's position.
Then, his fingers, now free again, spread open and caught the falling Actinium Flintlock.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Three more shots!
This was the swordsmanship of Caliban!
Morgana's snow-white teeth clenched tightly. A low, guttural cry escaped from deep within her throat. Surging psychic energy poured out from her fingertips and the tip of her staff, completely engulfing all of Lion El'Jonson's offensives in a void of flames.
Then, her fingers swept through the burning air, and streaks of psychic energy, like sharp arrows, instantly transformed into an invisible storm, raining down upon Lion El'Jonson's head.
Corswain, Luther, Nemire, Zahariel, Asmodeus, Astelan...
The arrows transformed into countless Dark Angels, countless Terrans, Calibanites, and everyone Lion El'Jonson knew. They roared, screamed, raising their greatswords high, charging towards Lion El'Jonson.
A cold expression froze on Lion El'Jonson's face. He narrowed his eyes and, with a swift lunge, broke through these illusions, as if a giant beast had burst through the morning mist.
——————
[Ultimately, illusions are nothing more than a false, nonexistent garden maze. As long as you can fix on a direction and remain resolute, you can easily break through even the most realistic illusions.]
——————
It seemed he had indeed remembered.
Morgana mused in her heart.
But at this moment, the sword's edge was already close before her eyes.
Morgana raised her curved blade again.
The two terrifying weapons clashed once more, biting and tangling like beasts fighting for territory, continuously emitting a teeth-grinding metallic screech in mid-air.
The footsteps of the Annihilation Engines drew closer and closer.
Finally, Lion El'Jonson let out a roar like a wild beast. His arms exerted maximum force, swinging his sword, carving a fierce moonlight arc in mid-air.
This third clash finally determined the victor. Although Morgana's curved blade was no slower than the Lion King's greatsword, its fragile blade could no longer withstand such a confrontation.
With a crisp crack, the curved blade shattered into hundreds of scattered fragments. And amidst this metallic drizzle, Morgana could finally chant her spell.
Her figure began to blur, transforming, and quickly disappeared from the spot.
And at the corner of Lion El'Jonson's mouth was only a cold smile.
He turned his wrist, revealing an instrument from his armor that even Corswain didn't know about, then unhesitatingly pressed it.
The next moment, Morgana's already blurred figure became clear again. She looked up, only to see an invisible psychic iron wall covering her and Lion El'Jonson's heads.
Facing her bewildered gaze, the Lion King arrogantly raised his head.
[Without my permission, you cannot leave.]
His figure, mixed with the increasingly chaotic roar of the Annihilation Engines, appeared somewhat shattered and blurry.
[Now, there are thirty seconds left before those despicable fellows arrive.]
He looked at Morgana, confused conjectures flashing in his emerald pupils, along with a determined desire for knowledge.
[Strength.]
[Agility.]
[Reaction speed.]
[The physical qualities you displayed in those brief moments surpassed every one of my offspring. This is simply not something a mortal can possess.]
[You had better give me an explanation, Morgana.]
——————
Lion El'Jonson hadn't felt this way in a long time.
This feeling called [tension].
The galaxy-spanning war did not make him tense. Countless alien blades did not make him tense. Even the cold and resentful gazes among his sons did not make him tense.
Ever since stepping into this star-spanning river, even the worst situations had been within Lion El'Jonson's expectations.
But this time, the situation was different.
The Primarch of the First Legion could feel his breathing quicken slightly. The muscles on his face twitched uncontrollably from time to time, making his taut face somewhat contorted.
When he realized this, he even felt a surge of anger, a nameless anger.
Then, he heard laughter.
Morgana's laughter.
The laughter flowed from her pale face, lingering between her equally pale lips. It was neither fierce nor mocking, just the simplest, laughter.
In this laughter, every precious second mercilessly slipped away. The heavy footsteps of the merciless, malicious machines were already imminent.
Twenty seconds remained.
The foul-smelling cold air, drawn through the cracks between his teeth, continuously filled the Primarch's chest. Lion El'Jonson's eyes burned with fierce fire. His desire for knowledge, anger, and those vague conjectures churned together in his brain like countless tangled threads, even causing the Primarch a slight headache.
He raised his head, beginning to consider whether to charge forward, seize that perpetually rebellious snow-white neck, and use the most forceful methods to obtain what he desired.
Just as he was quite seriously contemplating, the laughter abruptly ceased.
[I have nothing to say, Lion El'Jonson.]
She curled her lips into a smile, like a pure white swan spreading its wings in the sky.
[If I really must say something, then I think I can only say one thing, a phrase I heard, to you.]
——————
[Discard all impossibilities, and the absurd becomes reality.]
——————
These words were like a silver key opening Pandora's Box.
In a blink of an eye, countless words, countless utterances from Morgana's mouth, countless pieces of information and statements about Morgana, appeared crystal clear in Lion El'Jonson's mind.
He remembered everything.
Like a flying waterfall, finally piercing through the most stubborn rock.
He should have realized it earlier.
——————
"They will secretly hide their children... Morgana is the most outstanding product of this system since its inception. She quickly became Maximillian's right-hand man after her 'debut'..."
[Their appearance is because I am suppressing my psychic energy, not because I am overcharging my power.]
[I have many ways to try to kill you completely.]
"She is like... like a monster, a monster born knowing how to wield psychic power."
"Father..."
"I really... forgot."
[I am not Magnus.]
[Each of our steps will halt at a certain point in our lives, and for some, their inner world is merely the vast forest of Caliban.]
[In this, and in many ways, we are very alike.]
...
——————
[Discard all impossibilities, and the absurd becomes reality.]
——————
Lion El'Jonson took a deep breath.
His face was contorted, a rigid face like an iceberg, yet his features twisted uncontrollably like a roasted snake. His pupils suddenly dilated, then slowly contracted, and then dilated again. His lips continuously wiggled, curving into several arcs. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down, but he only kept taking deep breaths. Large gulps of air were drawn into him, and his hollow chest rattled like a bellows.
He subconsciously controlled his expression, maintaining a serious demeanor on his face, but it backfired, making his face appear even more darkly humorous. In the end, he even instinctively lowered his head slightly, hiding his face.
Everything lasted for only a brief moment, because very quickly, Lion El'Jonson remembered something. He looked up again. At this moment, his face was instantly consumed by absolute rage.
[You... infiltrated! My Legion?]
His answer was still laughter, loud laughter.
[Infiltrated?]
[No! No! No!]
[You... remember the Belisarius System?]
Lion El'Jonson remembered something, and his face became somewhat awkward again. He struggled to suppress it, trying to appear as the terrifying commander and hunter he was.
[When you left me there, facing the Rendan's modified Titans and army, I was wounded.]
[From that moment on, I realized what I truly was.]
Lion El'Jonson stood still. With the strongest willpower of his life, he controlled his expression, letting no one see what he was thinking.
He was silent, utterly still. He lowered his head, not saying a word, like a perfectly cast black iron statue, until the footsteps of the Annihilation Engines were almost upon them.
Until Morgana reminded him with a soft chuckle, like a whispered hallucination.
——————
[Ten seconds left...]
[My Warmaster.]
——————
Lion El'Jonson clenched his teeth.
He even forgot how he had given the order to halt the three Annihilation Engines, his voice almost a gnashing of teeth.
He could hear the unwilling mechanical roars of those most vile organic slayers, these defeated and bound iron-hearted exterminators possessed cunning natures and an extreme hatred for organic life. They had no mercy or restraint, only a malicious joy for large-scale slaughter.
But in front of Lion El'Jonson's absolute highest command, these machines had no chance of disobedience. Lion El'Jonson turned his head, carefully listening to their footsteps reach the drop pod, and then slowly turned his head back.
At this moment, his face was once again completely filled with cold indifference and determination. But when he looked at Morgana, the occasional twitch of his eyebrows and lips still spoke of some awkward emotions.
Finally, he looked directly into Morgana's eyes and, with an almost grinding of teeth, spoke his command word by word.
[Return to the Unbending Truth with me.]
[Stay in your room, and don't go anywhere!]
With that, he turned around, commanding his steps to slowly move away.
And behind him, only Morgana's low response.
[As you command.]
[Brother~]
This address made Lion El'Jonson's body sway.
But he did not stop his steps.
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