Chapter 148: A Disaster Caused by a Mushroom
The bridge instantly transformed into a hellish scene, forcing the Imperial Fists to contend with the surging demons and World Eaters simultaneously.
Dorn stood in the center of the bridge, swinging his chainsword and smashing a Khorne Bloodletter to pieces, while calmly directing his warriors to hold their line.
"Librarians! Where have all the Librarians gone? Quickly, close the crack!"
Just then, the Chaos Warrior Khârn, the World Eaters Champion, charged out from the melee between demons and Imperial warriors, wielding a blood-dripping chainaxe.
"Dorn! You have failed the Blood God! Let your blood nourish my axe blade!" Khârn roared, like a raging war beast, unstoppable in the chaotic battlefield.
His chainaxe roared, tearing through the air with each swing and cleaving the Imperial Fists warriors who stood in his way in two. After smashing through the body of an Imperial soldier, he laughed maniacally as he charged toward Rogal Dorn in the center of the bridge.
"Dorn! Offer your head to build a brick for the throne of the Blood God!" His voice echoed across the battlefield.
Bang!
As the massive Storm's Teeth swung, Khârn's body flew out like a kite with its string cut. Dorn lowered his weapon slightly, his expression unchanged.
"Huh? Did someone call me just now?" Dorn was somewhat puzzled. Judging from the feeling just now, the resistance was greater, which meant that the Chaos Warrior who had been hit earlier was probably stronger.
The Chaos Warriors "..."
Amidst the relentless carnage, the whispers of chaos echoed in Dorn's ears once more.
"Fall into slaughter! The Imperium cannot release you in your entirety! Come join me and enjoy the thrill of killing! Repeat after me, blood for the Blood God!"
Each murmur was like a hammer blow to the soul, attempting to shake Rogal Dorn's will.
"No matter who you are, I am Rogal Dorn! Why are you here again!" Dorn brandished his chainsaw, but his vision grew increasingly blurry as he heard the Imperial Fists' agonizing roar. If he fell into hallucinations now, nobody knew what would happen.
Suddenly, his hand moved toward his waist. He remembered the potion Francis had given him when they parted.
"When you feel danger, the silver potion can protect your body, and the green potion can help you fend off enemies!" Francis's large face came to mind.
There was no other way at this point. Dorn gritted his teeth, took out a silver potion from his waist, and uncorked the bottle. The shimmering liquid looked like a flowing nebula under the light. Without the slightest hesitation, he drank the medicine in one gulp.
In an instant, his body began to undergo astonishing changes. Silver metal spread rapidly from the surface of his skin, covering his entire body, and a deep metallic echo accompanied every movement he made.
Dorn stared in confusion.
Before he could pour out the green potion in his hand, a strong subspace fluctuation pulled his consciousness into a brass palace.
His vision blurred instantly, and the surrounding scenery transformed into a blood-stained sky, with the ground beneath his feet composed of countless skeletons and dried-up rivers of blood.
Inside this terrifying palace, the air was thick with the pungent smell of blood and rust, while deafening war drums and roars echoed from afar.
The enormous pool of blood churned like boiling magma, and the surrounding pillars were covered with the severed limbs of warriors and battle banners.
A crimson figure appeared in the center of the palace, a colossal war god whose body seemed to be forged from congealed blood. He wore a crown covered in spikes and held a blood-stained giant axe in his hand.
Even so, Dorn remained unshaken, standing straight with a piercing gaze as he met the terrifying presence.
"Join the eternal battle! Here, only blood and the glory of war reign supreme!"
"But I am Rogal Dorn," Dorn said.
"You will become the greatest berserker!"
"But I am Rogal Dorn."
"The Emperor only sees you as a tool!"
However, upon hearing this, Dorn remained unchanged. "I know! But I am still Rogal Dorn!"
"I am the master of war and bloodshed!"
"I am Rogal Dorn!"
At the same time, as Dorn stood there, all the Imperial Fists warriors around him rushed over.
"Protect the Primarch! For the Primarch, for your glory and the glory of Terra!"
The warriors of the Imperial Fists rushed forward to stand in front of Dorn, but they couldn't withstand the endless stream of demons swarming towards them.
Under the relentless onslaught, the warriors of the Imperial Fists fell one after another, yet they still chose to detonate their weapons and charge towards the demons.
They roared furiously, "The Fists of the Imperium, fight to the death!"
Khârn, now fully recovered, stood up. He was stunned for a moment when he saw this scene, then burst into wild laughter. "Ha-Ha-Ha, Even the Primarch must embrace the Blood God! Kill!"
Khârn charged forward again, forcefully breaking through the Imperial Fists' defenses, and swung his chainaxe at Dorn.
"NOO!" The Imperial Fists warriors who witnessed this scene all glared with fury, their overwhelming rage almost tangible.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Khârn's chainaxe struck Dorn, producing only a piercing metallic clang, leaving no mark whatsoever.
Khârn stared in confusion.
The World Eaters stared in confusion.
The Imperial Fists Warriors stared in excitement!!
"I refuse to believe I can't break your defense!" Seeing this, Khârn roared in fury and frantically swung his chainaxe at Dorn.
At first, Imperial Fists warriors roared in anguish, trying to rush forward to protect the Primarch.
But as time went on, the Imperial Fists warriors began to get used to it. Even the enemies started to slow down as everyone watched Khârn frantically hacking at Dorn.
Sparks kept popping out of Dorn's body, like sparks flying from a hammer. Khârn kept replacing the broken chainaxe, and he was so tired that he was panting heavily, his voice coming out in fits and starts.
"Blood...blood...blood for the...Blood God..."
When he looked up again, he saw that both sides were quietly watching his performance.
"I'LL KILL YOU ALL!!!" Khârn instantly roared in a fit of rage.
A great battle was about to break out, and the two sides clashed again. The warriors of the Imperial Fists stood in front of Dorn, and the countless blades could not break through his defenses. They even gained a short-term advantage from this.
However, the other side had begun to change its strategy, starting to seize Dorn's body and even trying to pull him into the warp.
Just as the two sides were fighting, Dorn's grip loosened.
The green potion in his hand slipped from his fingers and fell onto the ground of the bridge. No one paid attention to the consequences of the potion falling until the green liquid touched the ground and emitted a strange, damp smell.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
In an instant, countless tiny green mushrooms sprouted from the ground. These mushrooms looked harmless, but they grew rapidly, their colors became increasingly vibrant, and they even began emitting a faint green fluorescence.
"What's this?" A Chaos warrior shouted as he swung his sword and chopped down a mushroom.
However, when the mushroom was cut open, it released a dense cloud of green spores that spread rapidly, reaching the ground, walls, and even the warrior's armor.
Everywhere the spores touched, new mushrooms immediately sprouted. In just a few seconds, they became taller than a person.
"Don't touch the mushrooms, everyone!" Someone stared in horror at the mushrooms on their body and roared.
But it was too late. Countless mushrooms had already touched the sharp weapons.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As if stimulated, the mushrooms suddenly swelled up and burst into countless smaller spores. These spores were like a green storm. Everyone on the bridge was crammed into the mushroom-shaped structure, too afraid to move. At this moment, Khârn regained his senses and roared.
"Everyone, don't make any rash moves!"
Unfortunately, many things were beyond their control, and then came a crisp sound.
Pfft.
The mushroom swayed slightly from the impact until it bumped right into the chainaxe.
Khârn felt a strange sensation, and he looked up abruptly, exclaiming in shock. "Oh no! It's going to explode!"
As soon as he finished speaking, countless mushroom explosions rang out.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The entire warship was immersed in a sea of green spores, like a starry sky. However, this galaxy expanded rapidly in just a few seconds.
"Aaaaaah! Don't go there! No!"
"Ahhh! It's going in!"
"No!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Countless mushrooms rapidly expanded, and the ship began to creak under the strain. The hull groaned as it over-expanded, and the sound of metal twisting grew louder and louder.
Until someone gasped, "I can't take it anymore! I'm going to die!"
Rumble!
With a deafening explosion, the warship's hull finally succumbed to the pressure. The mushroom, like a balloon inflated to its limit, tore the warship apart from the inside. Green spores and mushroom fragments were scattered by the explosion's shockwave, forming a strange green haze that floated in space.
The fragments and wreckage of the ship, like countless metallic meteors, reflected a faint light in the darkness, slowly swirling and dissipating.
The explosion hurled everyone on the bridge into space. The bodies of the demons and the World Eaters floated in the void. Several Khorne demons tried to regroup, but spores continued to spread on them, growing more strange mushrooms.
The warriors of Imperial Fists drifted through space, their robust power armor protecting them from immediate suffocation.
And Rogal Dorn floated in space like a little golden statue. Under the starlight, he shone brilliantly.
[End of Chapter]