"Mr. Horatio!"
Seeing Horatio struck in the head by the axe, the three young women behind him were startled. They almost simultaneously raised their guns, and after Horatio distanced himself from the Minotaur, they fired at the monster, preventing it from pressing its advantage.
[What just happened? How did that axe fly by itself...?]
Horatio felt a moment of disorientation, breathing heavily.
He felt a warm wetness in his left eye, and his vision was blurred with red.
Blood had flowed into his eye.
He touched his helmet; the front of this Aum Shield Childer of Loyalty helmet had a large crack.
It had desperately blocked the impure battle-axe, but the cost of its full effort was that it inadvertently harmed its owner when it cracked.
"You've worked hard, comrade." Horatio removed his helmet and put on his void blue beret.
A small bloody cut had appeared on his left forehead, but it wasn't deep. The slight pain inexplicably fueled his growing rage.
He stared directly at the Minotaur. Its red eyes were full of crimson, and on the data-slate on Horatio's arm, his psychic power reading was constantly increasing.
Horatio knew this was the Minotaur's desire for slaughter receiving Khorne's attention.
The black-haired Sergeant Major tightened his grip on the Chainsword, then charged forward with a single stride, swinging the sword with one hand.
The two sides tore and hacked at each other again. Horatio wielded the Holy Blood Chainsword with both hands, parrying the battle-axe, then twisted his wrist, and the Chainsword cut into the Minotaur's shoulder.
The fallen battle-axe vibrated again, but this time Horatio wouldn't be caught off guard.
The moment it flew up, Horatio pulled out his Bolt Pistol, shot down the battle-axe swinging towards his head, and at the same time, turned the muzzle towards the Minotaur, emptying the magazine.
It tried to block with the axe face, so Horatio shot at its axe-wielding hand.
Even with renewed attention, this Minotaur mutant was still flesh and blood, its bones tearing apart just like any other under the bolt rounds.
The second axe also fell to the ground, and the only remaining arm hung limply, its hand shattered.
It roared, thrusting its horns towards Horatio's abdomen.
Buzz!!!!—
The Chainsword drove Horatio to hack at its horns.
Slash!!!—
"Hah ah!!!!"
Horatio stared into its deep red eyes and roared.
The sharp, blade-like horns were violently sawn off with one swing of his sword. Veins bulged on his original arm and forehead as he directly swung the Chainsword to hack at its head.
At this moment, in Horatio's eyes, he was not fighting a Minotaur monster, but Khabandha, the Khorne Minotaur Greater Daemon who had just slaughtered all his comrades.
The Chainsword screamed, bodies were torn, and blood and flesh splattered.
Louise immediately rushed forward when she heard Horatio's roar. She and the three young women watched as Horatio, wearing a beret, split the Minotaur in half down the middle with a single sword stroke.
The internal organs and stomach spilled onto the red carpet with a foul stench; its blood was boiling, and the pool of blood on the red carpet bubbled.
"I will shred your soul and leave you without a burial place!"
But Horatio hadn't stopped. He was still roaring, the Chainsword still swinging in his hand.
Thei watched the enraged Horatio with rapt attention, constantly praising his valor at that moment; Farida glanced at the scene, seeing the battle was over, and leaned against a Roman column, waiting for him to calm down; Yin Shuyao was very worried, but she didn't dare to go forward and pull him away.
"Horatio!" Louise took off her helmet, rushed forward, and hugged him from behind, one hand grasping his arm and the other embracing his chest.
"It's over, the opponent is dead." Louise whispered into his ear.
Horatio gasped for air, his eyes staring blankly at the Minotaur he had brutally dismembered.
[Just now... wasn't I cutting down Khabandha, who had killed all my comrades...?] He thought, looking at the scattered body parts on the ground.
Suddenly, characters appeared in his dark vision.
'+ Unlock Potential: Accumulate Potential from 0 in each battle, with the growth rate decreasing from near to far based on engagement distance. When it reaches 1000, activate Potential Burst Skill +'
'+ Potential Skill Unlocked: When using ancient Blood Angels melee weapons, when Potential reaches 10 points, consume 1 point of Corruption to activate the passive skill 'Blood Angel's Fury'. The Fury effect doubles when fighting Khorne factions +'
['Blood Angel's Fury', huh...? Then their rage back then must have been truly immense.] Horatio let out a deep sigh of relief, recalling his 'red-hot' state just now.
He remembered that the Blood Angels Chapter's archenemy was Khabandha, who worshipped Khorne.
This fellow once slaughtered a large number of his bloodletter offspring in front of Sanguinius, infuriating the Angel himself, resulting in all the Blood Angels of The Ninth Legion falling into a furious bloodlust, beating the daemon senseless.
Horatio looked at the Holy Blood Chainsword. On the blade, covered in blood and flesh, the blood was gradually disappearing. Without his upkeep, it became as good as new.
Louise released Horatio. This time, he was swaying, unstable on his feet. Louise lifted his arm and draped it over herself.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, thank you, Louise." Water was dripping from his face, but he felt incredibly refreshed.
A thoroughly satisfying Fury.
—
"Oh, you are very lucky, Mr. Horatio." Tech-Priest Rati-EB2A1 analyzed the sword 'Spotless Angels Scourge' using special techniques.
"The main components of this sword are preserved from the 30K era, which means this is a Chainsword that was in service when the Blood Angels Chapter was still The Ninth Legion. According to my judgment, it should have belonged to a veteran of The Ninth Legion who participated in the Signus Prime campaign."
The Signus Prime campaign Father Lati referred to was the one where all of The Ninth Legion went into a furious bloodlust and annihilated the daemons.
"Then... did it also participate in the Great Crusade?"
"Probably even earlier. It might have served the 'Ghouls' in The Ninth Legion before the Primarch's return, thus developing its flesh-consuming nature.
As for the slow response of its machine soul, it's mainly because its successors failed to let this ancient machine soul re-experience the pleasure of fighting fiercely under the Angel's command, so it usually remains in a dormant state."
"As for the issue of disappearing blood and flesh..." Father Lati had a mysterious smile on his face: "I suggest you do not delve too deeply into the mysteries of machine souls, especially such ancient ones."
"Thank you."
Horatio put the sword back into its scabbard. The weight of this grand gift made him wonder if Captain Afiel had given him the wrong sword.
After leaving Father Lati, he went to the Fleet Military Intelligence Headquarters.
The three Navy officers inside were overwhelmed with work, and even the clerk, Lina, looked exhausted.
Because St. Giles Festival was approaching, one of the most important holidays in the Imperium. On that day, everyone would go to the church to fulfill their vows of prayer to Sanguinius and seek protection for the coming year.
The Howling Teeth Gang had completely shed its gang facade and transformed into a Khorne cult. The Imperial Navy, Order of the Sacred Rose, Imperial Department of Legal Affairs, and the Blood Angels Second Company, currently resting in Abyss Port, had all dispatched troops to strike at their forces.
But recently, they had suddenly quieted down. Everyone knew they were biding their time for a major attack on St. Giles Festival.