Who would have thought that the middle level of the Redemption's Soul cruiser would turn into Tzeentch's realm of Chaos—the "Crystal Labyrinth"!
The ship's original hull structure, in a physical sense, had completely disappeared. This was due to the invasion of Chaos power, which caused the entire warship's structure to twist and deform.
But in reality, the main structure of the ship was still there.
They were still inside the "Redemption's Soul," but due to the influence of Tzeentch's power, they had fallen into a quantum-like Chaos realm.
Looking at the seemingly endless crystal corridors, Emrys frowned.
"This is troublesome—
Needless to say, this must be the work of the old trickster!
The purpose is most likely to stop him from entering that "Stargate" and trap him here to die.
"Don't be afraid."
At this moment, Winnie took half a step forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, her gentle yet firm voice falling into Emrys' ears.
"I'm always by your side."
"Me too!"
Hilda seemed a bit anxious, raising her head proudly and plunging her war spear into the ground. The burning silver-white flames from the spear tip seemed to dispel the surrounding Chaos power.
"I am the future Great Farseer of the Eldar; a mere Tzeentch labyrinth cannot trap us!"
Clang!
Ilia's response was much simpler.
The Executioner's Greatsword unsheathed with a heavy whoosh, and accompanied by her Soulless domain, it cut through the walls of the Crystal Labyrinth!
A Living Saint, an Eldar Farseer, and a Silent sister gave Emrys immense confidence. Let alone this being just a part of the Chaos realm; even if it truly was Tzeentch's Labyrinth, he had the courage to charge through!
"Good!"
Emrys' heart swelled with heroic spirit, and he took the lead, stepping into this Tzeentch-designed 'labyrinth'.
"Since this is Tzeentch's domain, there must be a Chaos Greater Daemon presiding over the evil sorcery." Winnie, with her rich experience, immediately pointed out the weakness.
"To return to normal space, we must first find the Greater Daemon controlling the Chaos sorcery. Only by shattering its crystal can we leave here."
Finding the hidden Tzeentch sorcerer and destroying its crystal ball. It sounds easy, but actually achieving it is very difficult.
This is Tzeentch's domain, a complex crystal labyrinth. Mathematically speaking, it's almost an endless, infinite corridor, like a 'Klein bottle' or a 'Möbius strip'.
Even if they found the correct path, it would be difficult to escape from here.
The rule-setter is notoriously disobedient to 'rules'. With Tzeentch's cunning nature, cheating is the most basic thing.
"If we can't find a path, then we simply won't look for one!" Emrys frowned. He wasn't a conformist, much less someone who would wander through Tzeentch's labyrinth according to its design.
"What do you want to do?" Winnie asked.
"We'll go in a straight line!"
After Emrys finished speaking, the Sir-crafted power sword in his hand charged up and suddenly slashed forward.
Boom!!!
The seemingly solid Crystal Labyrinth was directly split open by this one sword, creating a passage.
"It's that simple." Emrys sneered, saying.
"Who says a labyrinth must follow the rules of a labyrinth? We'll just fight our way through!"
If they truly fell into Tzeentch's trap and searched for an exit in the labyrinth, that would be truly endless!
But Emrys simply broke the 'rules'; he neither walked through the labyrinth nor followed Tzeentch's game.
Instead, he jumped out and shattered all methods with sheer force!
Winnie paused for a few seconds, a smile appearing on her face.
"You're right, we don't need to follow its rules. Just fight our way through."
This was merely a projection of Tzeentch's domain. If it were the true Crystal Labyrinth, perhaps only the Emperor himself could break it, no matter how many people tried.
But a mere projection couldn't stop them!
Thus, Emrys led the three women, embarking on an extremely brutal and forceful path-clearing. Any crystal labyrinth wall that stood in their way was either split open by a sword or shattered by a spear!
In just a few minutes, they had charged through the labyrinth, stubbornly making a straight path.
A seemingly enraged shriek also came from deep within the labyrinth. Evidently, the Tzeentch sorcerer was infuriated by their unreasonable actions.
"It's over there!"
Emrys and the others followed the sound and quickly found the sorcerer presiding over the Chaos sorcery deep within the labyrinth.
It frantically waved its staff, seething with rage.
Vast, evil psychic energy gathered like a tide, as if a raging storm was about to engulf them.
"To hell with you!" Emrys cursed, pulling out the grand gift he had prepared for the Tzeentch daemon from his personal space!
Ever since that encounter, he had secretly had the Void Dragon forge anti-psychic weapons exclusively for him.
These contained the authority of a 'C'tan'!
A bolt of lightning, seemingly tearing space apart, directly shattered spacetime along its path. A dark spear shot through the air, piercing towards the Chaos sorcerer like a meteor.
And wherever the dark spear passed, the psychic storm raised by the Chaos sorcerer retreated!
"Bl-Blackstone?!"
The Chaos sorcerer let out a shriek.
But how could a Blackstone artifact, blessed by the Void Dragon, be resisted by a mere Chaos sorcerer?
In an instant, the Chaos sorcerer was impaled by the spear, its entire body, like a tattered sack, dragged by immense force and sent flying backward.
Thud!!!
The Chaos sorcerer's eyes widened, nailed to the wall of the Crystal Labyrinth, its chest ripped open like cotton, vile blood gushing out.
The surrounding Crystal Labyrinth also seemed to begin to disappear.
Just as the three women relaxed, thinking the matter was resolved, a mocking laugh suddenly erupted from the pinned Chaos sorcerer. It opened its numerous eyes, reflecting Emrys' figure.
"Lord's plan has indeed succeeded!"
Winnie's pupils constricted slightly. As if sensing something, she rushed forward, wanting to grab Emrys.
But at the same time, the space around Emrys shattered like a mirror, and he himself was sucked into hundreds of broken cracks!
He vanished!
In Winnie's golden eyes, a look of panic appeared for the first time.
A moment later.
Emrys opened his eyes to find himself in a much vaster, bizarre, crystal labyrinth plateau where time and gravity seemed twisted.
"I knew it wouldn't be that simple."
Emrys sighed, gripping the power sword, a hint of sharpness in his gaze. He shouted into the empty, complex labyrinth.
"What now? You went to all this trouble to separate me from them. Surely you don't just intend to trap me here?!"
Just then, an incredibly massive, colossal, terrifying figure, stepping out of flames, suddenly appeared before him.
This figure was muscular but twisted and deformed, possessing both the beauty of strength and an unnatural morbidity.
And above its head, a burning Chaos eight-pointed star floated, composed of pure psychic flame, symbolizing its identity as a subordinate of one of the Four Chaos Gods.
In its dark pupils, constantly swirling Chaos runes appeared, as if capable of directly peering into souls.
Emrys merely glanced at it, felt his soul sting, and immediately averted his gaze, maintaining a sliver of clarity in his spiritual platform to avoid corruption.
His gaze shifted downwards. The opponent wore black and gold heavy armor, engraved with twisted, blasphemous scriptures. A blood-stained, crimson robe burned with unextinguishable psychic fire!
"Look who it is?!"
The colossal figure let out a mocking, derisive laugh.
"A soul that believes itself 'free',
Yet wears the golden chain of the Emperor around its neck!"
The colossal figure floated above the crystal labyrinth plateau, its surrounding Chaos aura scorching the air.
It looked down at Emrys, its voice like the combined chant of a million fanatics, laced with mockery and pity.
"Do you truly think you're special?"
As if venting its inner bitterness and jealousy, its voice grew increasingly shrill.
"No—that 'God' like a corpse never truly favors anyone!"
"Who—are you?!"
Emrys had an extremely ominous premonition.
This time, he seemed to have really hit the jackpot; the opponent was definitely not a simple Tzeentch Greater Daemon!
"Me?"
The figure laughed wildly and mockingly.
"What? That corpse you worship didn't tell you my name?!"
"I once built magnificent temples for him, and I once wrote hymns of loyalty with blood. But when I sought the truth from him, he gave me destruction and humiliation, personally destroying my glory and self-respect!"
"You tell me—who am I?!"
Looking at the tormented Emrys, the Chaos-twisted, blasphemous figure spoke with extreme rage,
refuting and cursing the deity on the Golden Throne.
"Oh, isn't this—Mad Dog?!"
Emrys endured the psychic assault, cold sweat beading on his forehead, but still, with extreme contempt, he painstakingly uttered the name of this Chaos entity.
"Lorgar Aurelian—a weak liar, a pathetic dupe!"
Emrys taught you how to make a Primarch 'crazy' with a single sentence.
Evidently, the two words 'mad dog' directly caused the former Primarch to display a look of utter rage.
In Lorgar's sinister gaze, the psychic pressure from Chaos condensed, and the crystal labyrinth, which already resembled an illusion, immediately plunged into a storm.
Visible cracks, centered on him, spread in all directions.
Terrifying waves of air swept in, layer upon layer, and the halo symbolizing the Eight-Pointed Star of Chaos was ignited with the flames of souls, as if countless tormented souls were letting out ear-splitting shrieks.
"You, say that again?!"
Lorgar's tone seemed to contain extreme cold, causing the surrounding air to noticeably drop by several degrees.
In his life, there were two things he hated most.
The first was the Perfect City, the culmination of his life's work, being tragically incinerated by the Emperor, and being betrayed by the 'truth' he pursued.
The second was undoubtedly that phrase, 'mad dog.'
The reason was that whenever he heard this phrase, it would be accompanied by the descent of a terrifying shadow.
And then the result awaiting him would be to be furiously rubbed into the ground.
This had almost become Lorgar's inner daemon, but now, coming from the mouth of a 'human,' how could he not be enraged?
"Hahahahaha" However, Lorgar's response was Emrys' mocking laughter.
"What are you laughing at?"
Lorgar's expression became even more twisted, and flames seemed to ignite in his pupils.
Taking half a step forward, his colossal body, every part filled with the mighty power of the Four Chaos Gods, released an indescribable pressure, as if several great mountains were heavily pressing down on Emrys.
"I am laughing at your... cowardice!" Under this pressure, Emrys' veins bulged on his forehead.
His blood, every inch of his bones, and even his muscles, felt as if they had plunged into the deep sea tens of thousands of meters below, with pressure from all directions like a hydraulic press, attempting to furiously crush his spirit and willpower.
Yet, despite this, Emrys persisted, his knees not bending an inch.
He proudly raised his head, his psychic energy surging like a tide, resisting the Chaos psychic energy of this Daemon Prince, and within a short distance of a dozen meters, visible sparks erupted, and every inch of space was squeezed and shattered.
Up to this moment, Lorgar was still intentionally controlling himself.
Although he wished he could tear apart this damned human right now and make him repent to him in fear.
However, he had a mission this time and absolutely could not kill this human.
"Heh, do you think you're very strong?" Lorgar instead sneered, looking at Emrys mockingly.
"I am cowardly, but what about you? A lowly dog gnawing on a bone? Do you think 'He' values you, is that right?"
Lorgar's staff pierced the ground.
Accompanied by a violent tremor, Emrys was forced to stare into the swirling Eight-Pointed Star of Chaos in his eyes.
For a moment, the screams of billions of followers surged into his cerebral cortex like needle pricks.
He seemed to be pulled into an illusion, witnessing that day firsthand.
The Emperor ordered the destruction of the Perfect City, and Lorgar knelt in the ruins, roaring, despair filling his heart amidst the flames that painted the sky with fire.
"Do you see? This is what that 'corpse' will bestow upon you."
Veins bulged on Lorgar's forehead; even after ten thousand years, his heart was still filled with rage and resentment.
"When He abandons you, you will understand, He is just a hypocritical, selfish bastard!"
"Do you think you are pursuing truth?"
A cross of veins bulged on Emrys' forehead, seemingly enduring immense pressure.
But though his face was pale, there was never a hint of surrender in his eyes, which were full of mockery as he said.
"No, in my opinion, you are not pursuing any 'truth' at all; deep down, you are just a cowardly waste."
"Shut up!"
Lorgar seemed to be stung, suddenly letting out a furious roar.
His voice was mixed with the screams of billions of followers and the immense malice of Chaos psychic energy, impacting Emrys' mind like a tsunami!
Emrys was directly sent flying by the enormous sound wave.
Boom!
With a loud bang, Emrys was embedded in the wall of the crystal labyrinth.
He felt as if a huge rock was lodged in his chest, making even breathing difficult, and all his limbs were in excruciating pain, as if they were about to shatter.
"You just said your betrayal was because the Perfect City was destroyed?" Yet, even so, Emrys still had not a trace of respect for this former Primarch, only contempt.
"No, even if the Perfect City were still there, even if the Emperor allowed you to spread your doctrines, you would eventually still turn to Chaos and become their dog!"
"Shut up! I told you to shut up!"
Lorgar, provoked into utter rage, took a large stride, his figure seeming to teleport, directly appearing before Emrys.
Then, his staff emitted a sharp screeching sound in the air, as if drawing a shadow.
Puff!!!
The hard staff actually directly pierced Emrys' chest.
A huge force surged into his body, instantly pulverizing his internal organs by the Chaos psychic energy within the staff.
An indescribable pain instantly caused Emrys to let out a bloodcurdling scream.
Pain, too much pain!
This pain was not merely physical; more of it came from his soul.
"Ha, you... got angry?" Emrys' body was impaled by the staff, but his expression became even more frenzied.
"Do you know why the Emperor destroyed the Perfect City? Why He didn't recognize you?"
It had to be admitted that this sentence held great temptation for Lorgar.
His face was grim, and although he didn't speak, the movement of his hand stopped, as if waiting for Emrys' answer.
"Because, you... were born a dog!"
Emrys coughed up a mouthful of blood with effort, spitting it on Lorgar's face, and laughed loudly.
"You just like to kneel before stronger powers. Corax was right... you are just a lowly mad dog. Who would like a mad dog? No, no one will like you!"
"Ah ah ah—!!!"
Lorgar completely broke down, furiously grabbing Emrys, pulling him out, and slamming him to the ground.
Boom!
Emrys was almost entirely embedded in the ground.
Before he could struggle, Lorgar again raised his staff high, chanting Chaos sorcery and blasphemous scriptures, and plunged the staff into Emrys' body.
Lorgar clutched the staff tightly, his entire face twisted, looking so terrifying, and fiercely twisted the staff, letting pain constantly envelop Emrys, mocking him with a sinister voice.
"Now, answer me... Where is your Emperor? Where is He after you are tormented?!"
Emrys hung his head low, viscous blood flowing from his lips.
The soul-shattering screams from the staff invading his body made it difficult for him to even speak a word, requiring all his strength to barely move his lips, showing a hint of disdain to the mocking Lorgar.
"Only children fighting... know to call their parents. You... have lived so many years, still obsessing over the Emperor. Is it because... you lack too much paternal love? You want a father so badly... I'll reluctantly be your father then!"
At this moment, Lorgar gained a whole new understanding of Emrys' level of verbal abuse.
He had to admit, this human... purely in his ability to provoke anger, was definitely more formidable than that damned bat!
With sharp words, Logar slandered and humiliated the Emperor, an act that was, in essence, his resentment and abomination towards his past self.
However, when this 'lie' was exposed, Logar, enraged, immediately displayed his immense power as a Daemon Prince.
The surrounding ground cracked, gushing thick blood, and the aura of decay, ruin, chaos, and blasphemy made the entire space tremble.
It was as if it sensed the wrath of this 'Primarch' of the past, now a Daemon Prince.
"Heh, I like your stubbornness."
Logar suppressed his anger, his eyes fixed on him with ferocity, and sneered, "You should be grateful that if it weren't for Sir's demands, you would already be a severed head in my collection. I would extract your soul, imprison it in my staff, make you unable to live or die, and let you hate the hypocrisy of that corpse through endless torment!"
"Ha, coward"
Emrys spat blood from the corner of his mouth, but his face still held a sneer and mockery. He forcefully raised his right hand and gave this proud Daemon Prince the middle finger.
"A piece of trash is a piece of trash. Don't really think that everyone wants to be a dog of Chaos like you?!"
Bang!!!
Logar merely narrowed his eyes fiercely.
Vast psychic energy instantly blasted Emrys' right hand into a mist of blood, bones, muscles, and meridians, all brutally crushed.
Looking at the suffering Emrys, Logar's face showed a hint of a smile.
"Although I can't kill you, that doesn't mean I can't teach you a lesson!"
With that, he bent down, his abominable and terrifying face staring grimly at Emrys, a foul stench assailing him as he bared his teeth.
"Let me think, before I hand you over to him, how should I torment you properly?"
Now!
The depths of Emrys' murky pupils, originally on the verge of death and severely wounded, erupted with a terrifying bloody light.
At the same time, the Traveler System's voice echoed deep within his mind.
[Destiny's Blessing: Born from Death]
An endless stream of power, like a floodgate opening, surged directly into Emrys' body. His shattered internal organs were sustained by this power, and a vast surge of vitality and murderous desire transformed into raging fire, directly occupying his mind!
What he had been waiting for was this opportunity.
Emrys, with Khorne's blessing, knew very well that even if he suffered a fatal injury for a short time, he would not die. And there was only one way for him to escape his current predicament!
That was to enrage Logar.
Only by making Logar angry could he lose his normal judgment, thus revealing a flaw and giving Emrys a glimmer of hope.
Now, the opportunity he had been waiting for had arrived.
Kill! Kill! Kill!
"Ah ah ah—!!!"
Just as Logar lowered his head to mock Emrys, he never expected the seemingly weak Emrys to suddenly erupt.
"Die for me—!!!"
A cold light streaked across the sky in an instant, accompanied by a suffocating killing intent!
In a short moment, Emrys summoned the 'Blade of Atropos' from his personal space, its blooming blood light intertwined with extreme killing intent.
At this moment, even Logar, as a Daemon Prince, was startled by his sudden action.
It was a thousandth of a second's difference.
Emrys, at extremely close range, slashed at Logar's neck!
As he silently screamed for it to hit, he unexpectedly saw a hint of amusement and mockery in Logar's eyes.
Then, the blade he swung was easily blocked by a single finger.
Clang!
The Blade of Atropos was easily parried by Logar, the mockery in his eyes seeming to ridicule Emrys' overestimation of himself.
"You didn't really think that a mere human like you could succeed in a sneak attack, did you?"
Logar was, after all, a Primarch, and now a Daemon Prince. Although he was often ambushed and beaten by a certain Batman at the entrance of the Warp, this did not mean he was truly weak!
At the very least, a Primarch or Daemon Prince was not an entity that ordinary people could provoke.
"Is that so?" However, as Logar sneered, Emrys' ferocious face burst into wild laughter.
"Of course, I knew a sneak attack wouldn't succeed, so I specifically prepared this for you!"
As he spoke, several rotating orange light circles appeared simultaneously in the surrounding space.
Emrys then kicked Logar's hard black-gold armor, using the force to leap backward, creating distance, and at the same time, his lips parted.
"Explode!"
Boom boom boom—!!!
Before Logar could react, several plasma cannons suddenly flew out of the rotating orange light gates.
The extreme high temperature and explosion left even Logar, the Daemon Prince, quite disheveled, his black-gold armor cracked.
"Power, transform!"
As Emrys landed, he activated his armor combination mode, and the metal of his right arm suddenly reorganized and transformed. An absurdly oversized cannon was aimed squarely at the disheveled Logar.
Plasma High-Energy Cannon!
The heavily compressed high-energy projectile immediately transformed into a plasma ion cannonball, trailing scorching high temperatures as it directly blasted towards Logar.
"Damn it! Damn human!!!"
Logar, already fuming from the surprise attack, fell into a rage, no longer intending to show mercy. He gripped his staff, injecting psychic power into it.
The tip of the staff, embedded with a living skull, let out a horrifying shriek.
Rolling sound waves, like a tangible force, stirred up visible air currents. Centered on him, a putrid, pungent smell of sulfur, and the burning flames of chaotic psychic energy, instantly ignited the area for hundreds of meters around!
The plasma cannon, when it struck, was actually disintegrated by his psychic energy.
Then, Logar roared and stepped forward, his eyes flashing with terrifying red light. He extended his left arm, a giant demonic claw blessed by Chaos, intending to crush this human.
Fast!
Too fast!
After Logar's ascension to Daemon Prince, his speed was almost inhuman. Emrys couldn't even catch a glimpse of his figure.
He only felt a sharp pain in his chest, followed by the Power armor being brutally torn apart by Logar's giant demonic claw, sending fragments of steel and metal flying.
And Emrys himself was impaled through the chest by the giant claw, thrown out like a small chicken!
Boom!
Emrys crashed to the ground.
The immense force almost shattered his body, with over eighty percent of his bones fractured.
"Pfft"
Emrys' eyes were red, feeling his strength waning. A Primarch—no, a Daemon Prince's power was far more terrifying than he had imagined!
"Is that all you've got?!"
Logar walked closer, step by angry step. Each step made the crystal labyrinth vibrate, as if a bizarre cacophony of thousands of worshippers, mixed with fury, was wantonly mocking and sneering at Emrys.
"Look at you now, in this pathetic state. Where is the Emperor you worship, that hypocritical corpse?"
"Why don't you—kneel now."
In his terrifying, ferocious eyes, the eight-pointed star of Chaos rotated.
"Surrender to me, to the Sir of Change, and Chaos will grant you power and reveal the truth!"
The dying Emrys managed a weak twitch of his lips and sneered, "Dream on—to hell with your Chaos, I'd rather die than be a 'dog'!"
His current situation made him realize that he had no choice but to escape to another world.
As for going to another world and returning to this one, he would have to consider that after his injuries healed.
Just then, Emrys suddenly saw a trace of bone-deep fear on the face of this arrogant Daemon Prince.
Logar, was afraid?!
Emrys was stunned for a second, then he heard a cold voice, filled with extreme killing intent, suddenly coming from behind him.
"I found you, mad dog."
Immediately after, a tall figure shrouded in shadow, clad in shadow armor, stepped past Emrys and stood before him, speaking to the fearful Logar with a tone full of mockery.
"Look at you now, pathetic, humble, weak. Do you really like your new Sir's collar that much?"
Black raven feathers drifted in the air.
"You've done very well."
The tall shadow's tone became much gentler and softer.
"Next, leave this place to me. He and I—still have a blood debt to settle."
"Is that you?!"
The look of haughty disdain that Lorgar had shown towards Emrys earlier was completely gone from his face.
In its place was a bone-deep, visceral fear, like a steel knife scraping flesh from bone!
"You, how are you here?!" The Chaos eight-pointed star pupils of this Daemon Prince actually showed a hint of terror.
"Impossible, you're not—"
In fact, this wasn't just Lorgar's question.
Even Emrys was shocked. How could Corvus Corax, the Lord of the Nineteenth Legion, the shadow King, a Primarch rumored to have vanished long ago, appear in this place?!
Could it be that there truly was some miraculous 'bond' between these two?
Wherever Lorgar appeared, there was a high probability that a 'shadow' would randomly respawn nearby?
"How are you here, Mr.?"
Emrys struggled to open his mouth, wanting to ask something.
But he was interrupted. Corax shook his head, his back to Emrys, and said casually.
"Your appearance here is just an accident, don't overthink it."
His raven-feathered cloak, like a great banner, flapped in an unseen gale. Corax, clad in black armor, had endless fury in his eyes, as if igniting the surrounding Chaos!
As raven feathers scattered, the Warp domain unique to this 'Primarch' transformed into shadow power, standing in equal opposition to Lorgar's Chaos Magic.
It was hard to imagine that a Primarch, blessed by the Four Gods and ascended to daemonhood, would display a reaction akin to post-traumatic stress disorder towards a brother who was once also a Primarch!
Lorgar's current appearance, to Emrys, was 100% indicative of psychological trauma.
The two hadn't even started fighting, yet this Lord of the Nineteenth Legion, the Primarch of the Raven Guard, Corvus Corax, merely took two steps forward, causing Lorgar to instinctively retreat half a step, increasing the distance between them.
"I smell the scent of fear emanating from you — you cowardly mad dog." The tall figure, shrouded in shadow as if surrounded by falling raven feathers, looked at the retreating Lorgar, his tone filled with disdain, contempt, and deep fury.
"Lorgar, you're afraid of me—"
"Afraid?!"
These words struck a nerve with Lorgar. He immediately became enraged and roared in a low voice.
"I am now the Spokesman of Truth, the Practitioner of Chaos Magic. Why should I fear you, this neither-man-nor-ghost creature?!"
"Because you haven't changed." Corax clenched his talons, and a thick shadow, like a surging tide, gradually eroded the surrounding space-time.
"Even if you embraced Chaos and became a slave to Loki, it won't change your essence, Lorgar — you are just a cowardly, despicable mad dog."
At their first meeting, or rather, this was not their first meeting since the Great Heresy, Corax immediately mocked him.
"I thought you would always hide in the shadows under Loki's protection, never daring to face me."
"Corax — compared to me, you're the mad dog!" Lorgar was furious, glaring fiercely at his former brother, and couldn't help but mock.
"I know you still can't forget the humiliation I inflicted upon you on Isstvan V, right?"
The air instantly seemed to solidify.
Adhering to the principle of not losing face even if one loses a fight, and being stubborn even if one can't win, Lorgar fully emulated Emrys, wanting to provoke this shadow King and make him reveal a weakness.
"Tsk tsk tsk, that was truly a battle I can never forget."
On Lorgar's twisted face, a horrifying, hateful sneer appeared.
"The blood of Isstvan V, the cries and suffering of your sons, fill me with a soul-elevating joy every time I think of them!"
This brings up an important point.
The Isstvan V massacre was, for many Legions, including this Lord of the Raven Guard, the deepest pain and memory in their hearts.
Because Lorgar, Horus, and Fulgrim, three traitor Primarchs, jointly orchestrated this conspiracy, resulting in a brutal slaughter of a large number of loyalist Astartes immediately upon their landing!
The Raven Guard, the Iron Hands, and the Salamanders chapters were the 'protagonists' of this tragedy.
And the sons of the Raven Guard were almost completely annihilated at the Isstvan V landing site. Even the surviving sons had their gene-seed corrupted and suffered greatly.
The Super Raven Guard — was a 'product' born out of necessity under these circumstances.
As the Lord of the Legion and the gene-father, Corax had always been deeply troubled by this matter, always believing it was his responsibility. Thus, after the Horus Heresy ended, he went alone into the Warp, searching for the culprits of the Isstvan V landing battle.
He believed that only by killing Lorgar could he cleanse his sins and atone for his fallen sons!
And now… Lorgar brought up the old wound again.
Even the severely wounded Emrys forgot his pain, staring at Lorgar in shock.
If the current atmosphere and occasion weren't so inappropriate, he might even have given Lorgar a thumbs-up, praising his courage.
You are truly brave!
Daring to bring up the Isstvan V landing site slaughter in front of the Raven King?
This is like mentioning 'Sanguinius-chan' in front of a Blood Angel, shouting 'Long live the Second Imperium' in front of Guilliman, telling the Lion he's unfit to be a Warmaster, or asking the Custodes how they failed to protect the Emperor, and other such suicidal questions.
You haven't grasped the essence, my dear Lorgar!
Emrys shook his head, sighing for Lorgar, as mockery also depends on the target.
A squishy mage, daring to mock the King of Assassins, where did he get such courage?!
Indeed, in response to Lorgar's taunts, the Raven King's reply was much simpler: today, if he didn't beat the living daylights out of Lorgar, he wouldn't be worthy of being the shadow King!
The figure of the shadow Lord suddenly transformed into a scattering flock of ravens, carrying dozens of afterimages, pouncing on Lorgar, who was still chattering incessantly about the slaughter of the Raven Guard's sons on Isstvan V.
He fell for it!
Lorgar secretly rejoiced. The pages of the Sevenfold Hallowed Book rapidly flipped, and the staff embedded with a living skull let out a terrifying shriek!
With a mere wave, viscous flames, as if liquefied, burst forth like a scattered downpour!
Emrys' psychic senses were screaming warnings!
These seemingly brilliant flames were actually extremely threatening, containing the malicious curses of Chaos!
However, this seemingly dense fiery downpour could not stop the shadow King's advance at all. His dispersed illusory forms, like omnipresent shadows, actually slipped through the tiny gaps in the fiery downpour!
Seeing this, Lorgar hastily began to retreat.
But it was too late.
The shadow King closed in, carrying a terrifying killing intent, forcing Lorgar to face the consequences of his foul mouth. The dispersed flock of ravens suddenly converged, once again forming the shadow King. On his stern, pale face, a pair of eyes filled with extreme fury surged with a tangible killing intent!
The Word Bearer Primarch let out a roar, stirring the psychic power of the Warp, like a tidal wave, attempting to push the shadow King away.
However, he was a step too slow!
The shadow King's dagger appeared like a ghost, precisely slicing through the surging psychic tsunami within a thousandth of a second, then he grabbed Lorgar's daemonically blessed left arm with his bare hands.
Then, with a twist and a pull!
Rip!!!
"Aaaah—!!!"
Accompanied by a scream from Lorgar, his entire left arm was brutally twisted off and torn from his body by the shadow King.
"Get, away from me!!!"
Lorgar clutched his staff, manipulating psychic power into a violent shockwave, which finally forced the shadow King back.
The black flock of ravens scattered, then reformed.
Corax held the severed arm, his pale, bloodless face still emotionless.
"Is this the power those wretches bestowed upon you? You are still as incompetent and cowardly as before."
Such a formidable Raven King!
A 'Primarch' who had comprehended the essence of the Warp was simply on a different level from humans and Astartes. What kind of monsters did the Emperor create in his laboratory in the Himalayas back then?!
At least one thing Emrys could be sure of.
The birth of the Primarchs had an inseparable connection with the Warp. Rather than saying they were the Emperor's offspring, it was more like… the offspring of the Four Gods and the Emperor?
If not, he would rather find Slaanesh to be zero!
From the Raven King transforming into scattered ravens to disarming Logar of an arm, the entire process took less than a second. From Emrys' perspective, he only saw afterimages the whole time.
"My foolish brother—"
The shadow Lord threw down the demonic arm, twisted by Chaos, a cold sneer on his pale face.
"You couldn't possibly think I'd truly be enraged by a few words from you and lose my reason, could you?"
A mighty daemon Prince, disarmed in a single pain, it was an utter humiliation!
"Logar, you're still so childish." Corax looked at him calmly, saying indifferently.
"Only children get angered by a few words. The sins you committed on Istvaan are indeed my eternal pain, but—anger will never affect me. I will only use it as strength."
The difference in their mentalities was immediately apparent.
On one side was Logar, always easily enraged by a few words, and on the other was the Raven King, who transformed anger into strength without getting lost in its flames.
At this moment, Logar looked exactly like a Joker.
His twisted demonic face was tinged with a reddish-green hue, making him look even uglier.
"Pfft!"
Suddenly, Logar heard a sneer and then saw Emrys, severely injured and hiding behind the Queen, I couldn't help laughing out loud. This made him even more frustrated, and he furiously shouted.
"Insignificant human, what are you laughing at?!"
"Ah, no—" Emrys suppressed his laughter, covering his mouth and saying.
"I just thought of something funny. It's just—there's this person, and I'm not talking about you, so don't take it personally. He couldn't beat someone before ascending to demonhood, and he still couldn't beat that someone after ascending. Don't you think—he ascended for white?"
Logar.
"…"
How could he not understand that Emrys was being sarcastic towards him?!
If Corax hadn't been there, he would have rushed up, dragged this kid's soul out, and roasted it in demonic flames, making him experience the cruelest pain!
But in his thoughts, Logar's gaze shifted a few inches.
Oh, he wants the arm?!
Emrys had been watching Logar.
That guy's eyes were fixed on the arm thrown away by the shadow Lord, clearly plotting some evil scheme. How could Emrys let him have his way?
After thinking for less than half a second, Emrys made a decisive move, enduring the pain to run over and throw the demonic arm directly into his private space.
You want it?
No way, if you're so capable, go find it!
Logar, seeing his arm disappear, was first shocked for a few seconds, then an uncontrollable rage appeared on his face.
"Where did you put it?!"
"Heh heh."
Emrys sneered.
"You guess."
Logar's eye twitched wildly, his chest heaving violently, clearly infuriated. He glared at him menacingly, as if he wanted to devour Emrys alive.
As for the shadow Lord next to him, his expression was also subtly strange, but in the end, he said nothing.
He just gave Emrys a complex look, then took a half-step to block Logar's line of sight.
The meaning was simple.
This human, he's under my protection. You want your 'arm' back? Then you'll have to defeat me first!
However, Logar didn't know that in that moment of distraction, he was caught off guard by the perceptive Corax.
A squishy mage daring to lose focus in front of an assassin?!
The shadow Lord's figure suddenly vanished from its spot. Almost simultaneously, his voice echoed from all directions, like an omnipresent ghost.
"Getting distracted in battle is not a good habit."
A dagger imbued with shadow energy, like a phantom, suddenly grazed Logar's face. Although his reaction was swift, a bloody chunk of flesh was still taken.
"Despicable!!!"
Logar, suddenly ambushed, couldn't help but curse loudly.
"Corax, you are still as despicable as you were before!"
Despicable? Sneak attack?
In response, Logar's third eye on his forehead opened, locking onto Corax's position, and he let out a sinister laugh.
"I found you, lackey of the false Emperor!"
A purplish-red beam of fire suddenly erupted!
The surging psychic Impact made this void tremble. The terrifying power was enough to cause a tsunami, and the visible corruption even caused cracks to appear in the space along its path!
Boom!!!
This time, it was a direct hit.
But the shadow Lord transformed into a flock of ravens, and amidst a chorus of screeches, like a true shadow, he merged into the surrounding space.
Logar's pupils contracted sharply, realizing the danger.
But the surrounding shadows solidified into chains, wrapping around Logar's throat. A tremendous force dragged him, throwing him to the ground.
As the chains contracted, dazzling sparks erupted!
This was a clash of two psychic powers. Logar used his staff to pin the end of the chain, and his third eye on his forehead once again shot a beam of fire towards the pitch-black shadow!
The shadow was dispersed, revealing Corax.
The Primarch of the Word Bearers looked at him, then suddenly let out a strange laugh.
"I finally caught you. Now—"
You can't escape, can you?!"
As he spoke, Logar, bound by chains, suddenly exploded. Countless blasphemous scriptures, mixed with his foul blood and minced meat, manifested Corax's death omen in flames!
And the true Logar stepped out from another location, the pages of the Sevenfold Tome fluttering, each step chanting profane sorcerous scriptures.
"Corax, the grievances between us, it's time for them to end!"
"You are too slow."
Suddenly, the shadow Lord's figure moved through the scattered flesh and scriptures. His seemingly burly and massive body floated lightly like a butterfly.
In an instant, his knee strike shattered Logar's spine. At the same time, he grabbed his head and violently flung him away!
Logar was thrown to the ground like a toy, foul blood seeping from his black and gold armor.
He roared in impotent rage, about to flap the demonic wings on his back, but he was forced to the ground by a heavy blow!
"Did your Sir ever tell you—" The shadow Lord's voice finally descended at this moment.
"That I could dodge the trajectory calculations of two hundred and seventy auto-turrets simultaneously during my childhood training?"
Corax stepped on him, pressing down on the fleshy wings on Logar's back, then grabbed one with his bare hand, his eyes flashing with light, and pulled with force!
Tear!!!
The bloody root of the fleshy wing was brutally and violently torn off by the shadow Lord!
Just as Corax raised his claw-blade, intending to end the sins of this 'brother,' an invisible yet substantial force suddenly assailed him!
Corax's senses were extremely sharp, and in an instant, he transformed into a scattered flock of ravens, escaping from Logar.
Boom!!!
The Warp surged and trembled, a rift was torn open, and a glimpse of a gloomy, chilling gaze flashed through.
"You should be grateful, your Sir—hasn't given up on you." Corax's gaze deepened slightly.
He had tried his best to stop it, but alas, this was Tzeentch's chaotic domain. Although Logar was a pawn of Chaos, the existence behind all of this clearly wouldn't allow him to die here.
The shadow Lord sighed softly.
"The time—is not yet ripe." He looked at the surging demonic legions in the rift of the Warp portal that had already opened, then immediately took a half-step back, scooping up Emrys, who was lying on the ground.
"You should leave here."
"What about you?!"
Emrys asked.
"I—still have things I must do…"
Corax's gaze was complex as he flung him into a patch of shadow.
As the flock of ravens scattered and gathered, Emrys watched the shadow Lord, alone, walk towards the Warp rift, but his voice was completely muffled.
Finally, Emrys disappeared.
And Corax, with a cold sneer, watched Logar struggle to crawl towards the Warp rift, walking towards him step by step. His voice, like a ghost, and like omnipresent fear, enveloped Logar's heart.
"You cannot escape,
My brother—? Even if it's to the ends of the earth, I will cut off your head to atone for my offspring!"
After Emrys fell into the shadow, he felt a constant force dragging him downwards.
It was unknown how much time had passed.
The next moment, light finally returned.
With a loud crash, he slammed onto the hard ground, which further injured the already severely wounded Emrys.
A jet of blood spurted from his mouth, and his internal organs ached intensely.
"Cough, cough—"
Emrys coughed up several mouthfuls of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs, his vision blurry.
Immediately after, due to the intense pain and the backlash from overusing his psychic powers, he directly fell into a deep coma.
Before losing consciousness, he vaguely saw a figure slowly walking towards him from the darkness.
That person seemed to be shouting something.
But unfortunately, Emrys was too severely injured to hear clearly and simply fell unconscious.
After the power of the Mandate's Blessing faded, although most of his internal injuries had been repaired, the areas eroded by Luojia's chaotic psychic energy still needed time to slowly recover.
He seemed to have fallen into a dream again.
Only this time, he finally ascended to the highest peak of the Terra snow mountain, arriving before the magnificent palace, and followed the path deep inside.
Within that grand building, there was no one.
He didn't know why he had come here; it was just as if a voice in his heart told him to do so.
This was his first time entering the Terra Palace.
For ten thousand years, the Human Emperor, who sat on the Golden Throne to maintain the fragile bond of the Imperium of Man, was now a decaying skeleton.
Emrys, in the past, had only imagined what the Golden Throne and the Emperor looked like based on written records.
But when he truly witnessed it with his own eyes, he found it to be completely different from what he had imagined.
The so-called Golden Throne was a mechanical "Shrine" woven from gears, cables, and unknown technology.
Rather than a throne, it was more like an instrument of torture, just as a certain Dark Eldar Haemonculus described it: he had never seen such an exquisitely crafted instrument of torture!
On the surface of that mechanical shrine, one could even see solidified holy oil and bloodstains that had dried ten thousand years ago.
The 'person' on the Throne was the Emperor.
His body was confined to this shrine, with countless neural connectors, like the crown of thorns of the suffering Jesus, bestowing pain and sanctity upon him.
His skin, muscles, and meridians had long been eroded by time, leaving only a withered skeleton coexisting with the adamantium framework of the Throne.
The once shining golden armor was covered in cracks; if one looked closely, one could still find the sword wounds and bolter scars left from the battle between the Emperor and Horus, like a weighty history book, silently narrating its past glory and desolation.
This was the Emperor, without the majesty Emrys had imagined, and not as great as he had imagined; all that remained was—pain!
Through the 'thorn-covered' Throne, looking at the 'withered bones' upon it, Emrys could only feel the pain, sorrow, and lingering humanity emanating from the empty eye sockets of that withered skeleton.
"You—what exactly do you want me to do?!"
Emrys in the dream stared intently at the 'Emperor,' asking the question from the depths of his heart.
Why was he special?
What exactly did the Emperor want him to do?
Having come this far, Emrys clearly understood that even as a transmigrator, he could not reverse the fate of the Imperium of Man!
He was just a cog, a tiny cog in the Imperium's vast, rusty machine.
He might be able to change an individual's fate, but—the fate of the Imperium of Man, the Milky Way Galaxy, such a vast destiny—he was powerless.
But unfortunately.
The withered skeleton on the Golden Throne did not respond to his question; its empty eyes were constantly gazing in the direction outside the palace gates, as if also looking at the Human wrapped in confusion at the foot of the steps.
"Heh, I was actually still hoping you would respond to me—." Emrys laughed self-deprecatingly, his expectations dashed, and looked at the Emperor on the Throne with disappointment.
"Just as Guilliman said, how much humanity do you—still possess now?"
After Guilliman awoke, he personally arrived at the Terra Palace and had a few minutes of secret meeting with the Emperor, but the result was that when this Primarch emerged from the palace, he said something like this:
"He is not Human, nor is he a father anymore.
He is a monster forged by our collective despair—and we still pray to him."
"The most tragic thing is that even if all of this is a lie, we must believe it—because besides this, we have nothing."
The Emperor, who once most hated Humans for deifying him, now had no choice but to become a 'god'.
Only in this way could the existence of the Imperium of Man be barely maintained. What a mockery!
His ten thousand years of effort had come to naught.
Humanity could only forever struggle to its death in this purgatorial Milky Way!
Emrys was very disappointed.
He had originally thought that by meeting the Emperor, he might learn what he should do and have his inner doubts answered by this protector of Humanity.
But in reality, the Emperor he saw was just a withered skeleton tormented for ten thousand years, a husk hollowed out by the Warp, a Prisoner trapped in an Eternity of purgatory!
He could not give himself answers.
Nor could he point the way, only sit there and watch the Imperium of Man gradually slide into the abyss.
Suddenly.
A cold and fiery, calm, non-human logic, yet extremely angry, completely contradictory fragment of consciousness, pierced Emrys' mind!
He saw the burning Milky Way!
In the palace of Holy Terra, listening to the ringing of the holy bells, he saw formations of Space Marines and Imperial Guard stepping out of the palace!
In the sky were neatly arranged fleets!
From the Martian Mechanicum to the insignias of various great legions, and even rare and renowned battleships like the Macragge's Honor, the Indomitable Truth, and the Red Tear, were hovering above the palace!
And just as he turned back.
Roboute Guilliman, wearing a wreath and clad in the Armor of Fate; Corax, shrouded in shadow; Jaghatai Khan, like an Aquila; Lion El'Jonson, proud as a lion; and Leman Russ, the Wolf King—all these Primarchs of the mythical age, were fully armored and armed, standing on either side.
In this seemingly epic dreamlike scene, Emrys followed that shifting perspective, entering the magnificent and grand depths of the palace.
It was still the Golden Throne, still the Emperor.
Only this time, the Emperor he saw actually stepped down from the Golden Throne; he seemed to be enveloped in golden light, a very handsome, resolute middle-aged male.
Slowly came before that perspective.
Then, he handed a magnificent sword to this person and patted his shoulder.
At this moment, in the vision of the person Emrys possessed, appeared the deceased Great Angel Sanguinius, and the vanished Primarchs Rogal Dorn, Ferrus Manus, and Vulkan, among others.
They looked at this person and smiled at each other.
"Go, do what you must, it's your turn."
That fragment of consciousness ended.
Emrys suddenly woke from his dream, gasping for breath, a mixture of terror and confusion, only to find himself in a dilapidated house.
"Where—the hell is this again?!"
He was utterly bewildered; this was not a warship.
Could it be that he had transmigrated again?