Emrys was truly curious about where Guilliman got the courage to challenge the ascended 'Angron' to a duel.
Of course, it's not to say that Guilliman was truly "weak".
At least among the many Primarchs (including the traitor Primarchs), Guilliman had several victories, although in almost all of them, he had to rely on various forces to barely defeat his opponents. Nevertheless, the Regent's achievements are undeniable.
The main reason Emrys felt it was a long shot was… this time, Guilliman had no help!
Moreover, Angron, brain-damaged as he might be, had genuine combat power, certainly much stronger than 'Loga'.
With these doubts, Emrys took a deep breath, ready to support the 'Primarch' at any moment.
Angron's attacks had no gaps whatsoever, nor any defense. He was like a rabid hound, his two blood axes, imprisoning daemons and billions of souls, like an unceasing storm, a perpetual motion machine.
Chopping, sweeping, smashing!
The crimson storm stirred up by the blood axes merged with ear-splitting shrieks.
It was as if a destructive sound wave, like a tsunami, engulfed the Primarch. Each chop generated a gale force wind, containing enough power to tear the earth apart.
The terrifying destructive power, like a sharp scythe, carved crisscrossing, dense ravines into the ground. No one dared to approach the battleground of the two Primarchs easily; even power armor forged from ceramite could not withstand the terrifying power of these chops.
The burning sanguine flames seemed to ignite the very air.
In this terrifying crimson storm, Guilliman was like a tiny boat amidst raging waves, constantly on the verge of capsizing.
The Primarch's Emperor's Sword transformed into a golden curtain of light.
He parried, blocked, and deflected with extremely precise swordsmanship. His seemingly massive figure swayed violently in the storm, like a butterfly dancing on the God of Death's blade, teetering on the edge of life and death.
But how long could such a situation last?
Emrys watched, his heart anxious, silently brewing psychic energy, and quietly summoned 'Atropos'.
He knew this was not the time for him to join.
There was only one chance!
Given Atropos' characteristics, he only needed one chance, just one!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks from metal collisions sprayed like heavy rain around the two rapidly shifting afterimages.
Two entirely different, irreconcilable energies, blood-red and golden, surged, erupting in terrifying sounds one after another. The core area of their battle had become an absolute death zone; any existence caught within would be instantly torn to shreds!
From the Lion's perspective, Guilliman's swordsmanship was certainly not exquisite.
But from Emrys' perspective, Guilliman's swordsmanship was already masterful. Under Angron's torrential attacks, he was still searching for openings in every sword swing, attempting to strike at the weak points of the demonic armor.
However, Angron's berserk strength and chaotic, disordered attack trajectories made it difficult for him to find a stable weakness.
Although the purifying fire wrapped around the holy sword could burn Angron's blasphemous body, inflicting extreme pain, it was instantly covered by even more intense blood-flames, and the wounds rapidly healed under Khorne's divine power.
"Things are not looking good…" Emrys' eyes showed a hint of impatience.
According to the current situation, Guilliman would be completely suppressed by Angron before long.
Moreover, the demonic legions lurking around were not to be underestimated. Although the Ultramarines' Honor Guard was individually powerful, this was a battlefield, and individual bravery could never reverse an absolute disadvantage!
"Pain! Give me more pain, Roboute!"
Angron roared, and the great axe named Slaughterer chopped down with immense force, smashing onto Guilliman's blocking blade.
Mee!!!
A massive sonic boom dragged and spread a blood-flame shockwave.
Guilliman's massive figure was slammed by this axe, his knees slightly bent, his feet sinking into the battlefield's mire.
Angron, of course, did not lady this opportunity, following up with a sweeping blow from the Soulrender axe.
Guilliman leaned back to his limit, and the burning, chainsaw-edged axe, carrying the shrieks of billions of wailing souls, narrowly grazed his chest plate. The Imperial Aquila emblem was cut open, and a scorched, rotten, blasphemous smell filled his nostrils.
"Roboute! Lackey of the False Emperor!" Seeing his attack fail, Angron's fully demonized, grotesque foot crushed the surrounding muddy swamp. Amidst splashing blood and gore, his wings stirred up a terrifying storm, and the two shrieking demonic great axes once again chopped down towards Guilliman.
"Is that all you've got?! In the face of the Blood God's wrath, your order and plans are worthless!"
This was a pure suppression of power!
Even Guilliman, though willing, was unable to match him. His skill far surpassed the mindless Angron.
But what could he do when the other party simply had immense strength and incredibly fast healing?
It had a certain numerical beauty!
The holy sword's blocks became heavier, indicating that Angron's strength and speed were rapidly escalating under the stimulation of the Butcher's Nails.
This significantly increased Guilliman's pressure. His power armor was already sounding damage alarms, and each time he gritted his teeth and took Angron's chop, he felt the bones in his arms groan.
The results he predicted through reason seemed somewhat powerless in the face of such transcendent madness.
But fortunately, he wasn't entirely unprepared.
In Guilliman's eyes, there was the glint of absolute, calm calculation.
After once again, very narrowly, parrying Angron's heavy blow, he sidestepped to create distance, his gaze steady, yet with a hint of sarcasm.
"Angron, you have already lost."
"Lost?"
Angron's face was distorted, his steps terrifying, his two blood axes dragging in the muddy blood-swamp, his body enveloped in towering blood-flames.
"What foolishness are you speaking? I, how could I possibly lose to you!"
"Oh really?"
Guilliman sneered, then said calmly.
"You, long since consumed by madness, probably haven't noticed your position, have you?"
Position?
Emrys suddenly started, realizing it with a jolt.
Angron and Guilliman were fighting, but imperceptibly, Angron had been led by Guilliman to a position very far from the demonic legions.
On one hand, the demonic legions dared not disturb the battle between a Primarch and a daemon. On the other hand, the Ultramarines' Honor Guard had done an excellent job of this, isolating the demonic legions from Angron.
But even knowing this, Angron remained fearless.
"So what?" the daemon snarled, his voice guttural. The Blood God's blessing allowed the flames to erode reality, dissolving the blood and flesh swamp, and every soul that died on the battlefield would become nourishment for him to grow stronger.
"The great Blood God has bestowed endless power. Even if a few more of you came, I still wouldn't be afraid!"
"Heh."
However, Guilliman still sneered, then waved his hand.
"Alright, you said it. Your wish is granted!"
From the depths of the swamp around Angron, a pillar of light suddenly erupted!
That light was… a teleportation beacon?!
But, in this situation, even a 'Dreadnought' couldn't turn the tide!
Just as Emrys wondered, he saw five golden figures emerge from the dazzling light.
"As the Regent of the Imperium, I trust you can understand having a few 'Custodians' for protection, right?"
Guilliman's lips curled into a cold smile, his eyes filled with killing intent.
"I truly have five Custodians. I hope you truly are that powerful."
Holy crap!
The golden figure stepping out of the teleportation beacon nearly blinded Emrys.
His physique was extremely tall and burly, far exceeding that of a Space Marine, even a Primaris Space Marine, almost on par with a Primarch.
His entire body was encased in Adamantium Power Armor, crafted by the most top-tier artisans in the entire universe, its Sun-like dazzling radiance and the seemingly living runes flowing upon it all symbolizing 'their' noble and majestic status.
The Legio Custodes, or perhaps... they could be called: the Custodian Guard!
Five people, only five people.
But it was these "Mere" five people who brought a pressure upon Emrys that surpassed hundreds of thousands of daemon legions.
They wore golden helmets resembling wings, their red manes fluttering in the fierce winds of the battlefield, and every rune meticulously carved onto their armor by the artisans of Terra radiated a Sun-like glow.
Their blood-red, deep auspexes stared lifelessly at Angron, exuding a chilling, terrifying aura.
Then, the five Custodians took a step forward, their massive, glittering Guardian Spears emitting a Sun-comparable light from their tips, so blinding that it was hard to look directly at them.
But at this moment, Emrys' thought was... Holy crap, as expected of the Regent, he brought five corn cans at once?!
These were Custodians, not some common Space Marines!
What is a Custodian?
Every Custodian is an unparalleled, super-elite warrior.
Perhaps that's a bit vague, but if we make a horizontal comparison, it becomes very clear.
Space Marines are hailed as the Emperor's Angels of Death and demigods, renowned throughout the Milky Way Galaxy for their powerful combat prowess, having suppressed countless rebellions, heretics, and evil cults; even powerful daemons would be decapitated by certain Space Marines.
Mortals are like ants before Space Marines, easily crushed with a single finger.
So, what about Custodians?
The answer is... one Custodian can effortlessly crush several Space Marines.
Just as Space Marines crush mortals, Custodians can crush them.
In fact, according to Emrys' memory, during the Battle of Prospero, Custodian warriors could take on four traitorous Thousand Sons of the Fifteenth Legion at once and win easily.
Furthermore, a ten-man Custodian squad led by Custodian Marshal Constantin Valdor routed a thousand enemy troops without taking any damage.
And the Marshal himself, while single-handedly taking on over thirty of the enemy's Sir swordsmen, only suffered a minor injury.
From this, one can see how terrifying these "corn cans" truly are!
The combat power of the Custodians is beyond doubt; they possess even greater abilities and more stable genes, making rebellion almost impossible.
Moreover, the Custodian modification project is not like the nineteen surgical procedures of the Space Marines, which are entirely standardized; instead, each candidate receives customized service, and the modification process begins in infancy, even spanning their entire growth period.
Based on the 'Bio-Alchemy' left by the Emperor, each Custodian is a unique and incomparable perfect creation.
They not only possess powerful combat capabilities and unwavering loyalty, but also surpass the limits of many mortals in artistic endeavors.
It can be said that the Custodians... perhaps are the perfect human template in the Emperor's mind.
And precisely because of this, every Custodian possesses unimaginably powerful combat capabilities and is equipped with the Imperium's most advanced power armor and weapons.
Their power armor is mixed with a large amount of Adamantium and originates from the ancient artisans of Terra, capable of resisting most damage.
Five?
No, that's a lot!
After all, besides the Regent, who can get these 'shut-ins' out of the Imperial Palace on Terra?
Angron's brain briefly overloaded.
Didn't he say... a one-on-one fight?
But fortunately, the 'Butcher's Nails' burned away Angron's remaining sanity; since he couldn't figure it out, he simply stopped thinking about it.
No matter who was on the other side!
He, Angron, would make Guilliman realize today who was truly the strongest 'Angel of War'!
Terrifying blood flames, mixed with Angron's meaningless, inhuman, blasphemous roars, once again swept across the battlefield; the terrifying daemon, like the ramming prow of a warship, charged straight through the air with a horrifying momentum!
"Robert!!!"
However, this time, standing before Guilliman was not some honor guard, but the Custodian Guard, the sacred Emperor's direct personal guard, who protected the Imperial Palace on Terra!
In an instant, a Custodian blocked Angron's furious charge, his Guardian Spear glowing, and with an extremely precise angle, he fiercely thrust it into the gap in the Daemon Prince's armor.
"Get out of the way! Lackey of the False Emperor!"
Although he had little sanity left, that dazzling golden color still filled Angron with unmatched fury.
Slaughterer and Gorechild, two great axes infused with Khorne's divine power, almost turned into afterimages, slashing at the hated lackey of the False Emperor before him. But another Custodian, Victor, immediately moved to fill the gap, holding a massive Adamantium shield, and with thunderous force, slammed into Angron's side, a blow perfect in both power and timing, precisely catching Angron in a moment when he couldn't retaliate.
The heavy shield struck the daemon's waist and abdomen with a dull metallic clang.
Angron's massive body swayed slightly, his offensive stalling.
The previous Custodian, Kaelen, seized the opportunity his comrade had created, and his Guardian Spear erupted with Sun-like light, wreathed in an anti-psyker field, piercing with incredible precision into the armor joint of Angron's left shoulder!
Puff!
The spearhead plunged deep into flesh, crushing bone!
The psychic suppression field on its surface erupted, suppressing Angron's blood flames and halting his attack.
Giving Angron almost no breathing room, the third Custodian, Talax, swung his power halberd in a powerful horizontal sweep, striking Angron's knee.
"Ah!!!"
Angron let out a roar, trying desperately to dodge.
But the power halberd still left a deep scorch mark on his leg armor, and the blasphemous Chaos runes on it were burned away by the Emperor's power!
The Custodians' offense and coordination were perfect!
The remaining two Custodians, Marcus and Selius, simultaneously unleashed a barrage of deadly, high-velocity bolter rounds from their Custodian-exclusive bolters at the daemon!
And all the shots landed on the joints and weak points of Angron's demonic armor.
The intense bullet impacts made Angron roar repeatedly, but whenever he tried to counterattack, the Shield-Captain and Sword-Captain Custodians would, with incredibly tacit cooperation and unparalleled memory, forcibly block his attacks.
"Ants! Do you think you can defeat me like this?!"
Angron roared, the Butcher's Nails' currents madly stimulating his nerves, causing his strength and speed to surge again.
He unleashed a sudden spinning slash, Gorechild and Slaughterer sweeping horizontally, forcefully pushing back the two annoying Custodians.
Then, just as he was about to retreat, he was once again entangled by the Custodians.
A mighty Daemon Prince being ganged up on by five Custodians... this scene was too beautiful.
"Yes! That's it! Kill him!"
Emrys cheered on the Custodians from the side.
Seeing Angron get beaten, he felt extremely good, like drinking a glass of cold water on a hot day, feeling refreshed from head to toe!