After Emrys severed Behemoth's head with a single strike, the peculiar sensation that had enveloped his mind receded like a tide, replaced by an indescribable feeling of weakness and exhaustion.
He collapsed onto the ground, disregarding the surrounding filthy mud and the putrid blood that gushed from Behemoth's throat after its decapitation, gasping for breath.
He felt like a middle-aged man who had been completely drained.
Emrys had never experienced a sensation akin to 'kidney deficiency' before; every muscle in his body felt as if its ligaments had been torn, and even more severely, his thoughts were completely scattered.
It was as if his brain had been arbitrarily stuffed with a multitude of jumbled information—images of his own death, and the spectacle of Behemoth's roar—as if his recent battle with Behemoth had been divided into countless sub-branches from its very beginning, all crammed into his memory.
"Ugh—" Emrys pressed his temples, gritting his teeth tightly, trying his best not to make a sound, slowly processing these chaotic bits of information.
After an unknown period, he finally started to feel a bit better.
Emrys was still panting, cold sweat beading on his forehead. From the jumbled information, he could vaguely piece together what had just happened.
First, it was certain that it was no accident, but rather the influence of some Warp power!
"Is it—precognition?" Emrys carefully recalled the scenes he had witnessed when he was in that state, gradually concluding that he had likely awakened some ability to briefly 'foresee' the future.
During his decisive battle with Behemoth, different 'branches' appeared before his eyes.
These 'branches' depended on his immediate choices, and according to the different choices he made, the 'branches' would lead to entirely new 'sub-branches'.
These 'branches' and 'sub-branches' were like limbs constantly extending from the 'present' as a starting point, which was the 'future'!
In other words, his immediate 'choice' became the 'fulcrum', which then leveraged the 'future'.
"Is this a precognitive psyker ability?"
Emrys was organizing his jumbled thoughts, but he was a bit bewildered; this ability was truly peculiar!
In the Warhammer Universe, there were many psykers who could foresee the future, the most famous among them being the Great Angel Sanguinius.
The Great Angel Sanguinius inherited the Emperor's handsome face, possessed noble virtues, and even in terms of civil and military achievements, he was no less capable than other Primarchs, perhaps even more so. He was truly chosen by the Four Gods and highly favored.
Similarly, the Great Angel Sanguinius was also an extremely powerful psyker. It is said that he could see the future and was a precognitive.
Yet, even so, the Great Angel Sanguinius could not escape the fate of being crushed into 'pulp'.
It is rumored that the Great Angel Sanguinius had long foreseen his own end, yet he still went to his death without hesitation.
And another precognitive, who must be mentioned, is one of the most tragic among the many Primarchs—
Night Lords, Konrad Curze.
The Prisoners of predestined fate.
As a precognitive, he foresaw the future but willingly succumbed to the outcome of fate, believing that he would ultimately fall, yet unable to accept such a result. In an extremely complex psychological dilemma, he ultimately embarked on an irreversible path.
These two events also indirectly proved one point.
The future is absolutely unchangeable, a fact already predestined. It will not shift in any way due to individual will.
"This shouldn't count as changing the future, right?" Emrys scratched his head, feeling he might be overthinking it.
Among the branches of psykers, there is indeed a precognitive type.
These psykers can often predict enemy actions one step ahead on the battlefield, thereby making the most appropriate response based on their own situation.
From this description, it seems that precognitive psykers should be similar to him, right?
Thinking of this, Emrys no longer delved deeper. This act of The Hunt always made him feel an indescribable, peculiar strangeness.
Others might not know what this place was, but he knew very well that this mysterious forest was the Warp essence awakened by the Lion, just as the Raven King could transform into shadow and a flock of ravens.
Every Primarch had their own Warp essence, and from the information currently released by the authorities, only a handful of individuals had mastered it.
Among them was the Lion.
So the question arises: how did Khorne get into the Lion's Warp domain?!
"Did the old man turn traitor?!"
A bold thought popped into Emrys' mind.
But quickly, he shook his head furiously, suppressing the thought.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible. Anyone could turn traitor, but the Lion absolutely could not."
But if not the Lion, then who?
Emrys was at a loss, eventually giving up for the time being. He decided to go back and find the Lion first. Carrying the severed horn of Behemoth, he followed the route in his memory back.
Although the Lion's request was to bring Behemoth's head back, due to its ascension to daemonhood, its head was simply too large. Emrys simply cut off two of its horns to bring back as proof, thinking that should be sufficient.
As the moonlight deepened.
The Lion by the lakeside suddenly looked up towards the depths of the forest, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Noticing the Lion's movement, Zaborell was startled, then quickly turned to look, only to see a blood-soaked figure in the depths of the forest, carrying two enormous horns, walking towards them with steady steps.
"He's back?"
The Lion's tone was very calm, as if he wasn't at all worried about Emrys being killed by the giant beast.
"Yes, I'm back." Emrys glared at the Lion with a resentful expression.
"I almost died—do you know that Khorne invaded your domain? And even elevated this thing to daemonhood!"
Saying that, he threw the horns over.
Two enormous, rock-like horns crashed to the ground, emitting a dull thud.
The horns, seemingly corroded by blood-red patterns, bore twisted, eerie traces, proving Emrys' words.
Zaborell's heart skipped a beat. He stared intently for a few seconds, confirmed it was a Khorne Daemon, and couldn't help but gasp, looking at Emrys in horror.
"You survived that?!"
Behemoth was already troublesome enough; for an ordinary Space Marine, it would require cooperation and powerful weapons to kill it.
And these special horns of Behemoth already bore the blessings of a Khorne Daemon, yet Emrys was able to live and even cut off its special horns. Zaborell's eyelids twitched wildly, feeling that he had underestimated this human!
"I know."
The Lion remained calm, as if he had already guessed.
"Since you've come back to live, it proves you've successfully passed the blood trial and are qualified to be the Grandmaster of the Sons of the Forest!"
Though the Primarch spoke to Emrys, his gaze fell upon Zaborell beside him.
He really did The Hunt Behemoth!
At this moment, Zaborell's heart was profoundly shaken. It was known that in the history of the Dark Angels Legion, apart from the Primarchs, no one had ever, before undergoing gene-modification, hunted the giant beast Behemoth with only a human body!
Initially, when the Lion appointed Emrys as the Grandmaster of the Sons of the Forest Chapter and the First Watch Knight, Zaborell, though outwardly not objecting, harbored some resentment in his heart.
Emrys was merely a human, and even as a psyker, he wasn't considered a formidable figure in the history of the Dark Angels Legion.
It was difficult for Zaborell to accept such a person becoming the Grandmaster of the Sons of the Forest.
After all, Emrys was neither a Calibanite nor did he possess prestige. Why should such a person be the Grandmaster of the Sons of the Forest?
Even if Zaborell could accept it, could his brothers, who were still Fallen Angels, accept it?
It was definitely impossible!
But now, having personally witnessed Emrys slaying the giant beast Behemoth with his own strength, Zaborell was finally convinced.
Even among Space Marines, strength reigns supreme!
If you have strength, you have a say!
And now, Emrys, alone, having slain the giant beast Behemoth, was the most powerful proof!
After pondering, Zaborell took a deep breath, slowly stood up, clenched his right fist to his chest, knelt on one knee, and bowed his head.
"Former Dark Angels Legion, Knights of the Sacred Three Keys - Zaborell, greets the First Watch Knight, Grandmaster of the Sons of the Forest Chapter, Lord Emrys Emrys!"
Emrys looked at the Lion strangely.
"According to Caliban Knightly Rites, you should now knight your knight." The Lion clapped his hands indifferently, saying.
"From now on, you are the Grandmaster of the Sons of the Forest, and Zaborell is your first knight."
Emrys suddenly understood.
So, the Lion had gone through all this trouble, sending him to The Hunt the giant beast Behemoth, just to establish his authority in front of Zaborell!