The Legion of the Damned?
No. They should be called the Dark Legion of the Damned!
Eden stared at the black-armored warriors appearing before the Golden Throne, and his whole body went numb.
Those Dark Damned warriors could no longer be considered human, or even heroic spirits.
Their bodies had grown even more deformed black keratin, covering them like armor. They looked more like some newly born breed of daemon.
Eden could feel the destructive power radiating from the Dark Damned warriors.
Pitch-black flames burned around them, causing any matter they touched to show signs of dissolving.
Their presence was more evil than that of any daemonic elite, and the stronger beings among them were far more terrifying than Greater Daemons.
"The old Emperor really did become the fifth Chaos God. The title fits him perfectly!"
Eden's brow furrowed. The sense of urgency in his heart grew even stronger.
That meant the Emperor had slipped even further out of control.
If the Dark King was treated as a fetus, then before, the fetus had merely taken shape. Now, the amniotic sac had burst.
The Dark King might soon slide right out, be successfully born, and then smash both Eden's head and the Chaos Gods' heads to pieces!
And the Dark King was not fighting alone. He had His own daemons now, an army of Chaos daemons that was stronger and more unique.
His tentacles could spread into even more regions and attack even more places. Even realspace in the galaxy would suffer direct assaults.
The Dark Legion of the Damned had terrifying mobility, even greater than ordinary daemons. They could appear and launch attacks almost anywhere. Even the Custodians might not be able to stop them.
And with the number of Custodians available, it was impossible to split them up to defend so many places.
Eden could already imagine it.
If the Dark Legion of the Damned continued expanding and launched war against the galaxy and the Warp, the result would be terrifying.
Living beings plunged into misery. Endless destruction.
Thud, thud, thud—
The Dark Legion of the Damned marched forward, their footsteps as orderly as drumbeats. Each step seemed to strike directly against everyone's heart.
They were so cold, radiating wave after wave of destructive pressure that crushed the obstacles ahead of them.
The Dark King's legion had shown itself to the world for the first time, and it immediately placed tremendous psychological pressure on everyone present.
"Stop them!"
Eden took a deep breath and gave the order. No matter what, he had to stop the Dark Legion of the Damned.
Because the Dark Legion of the Damned was targeting the ancient artifact Shadowlight. They wanted to destroy that crucial Old Ones artifact.
It seemed the Dark King, who was about to be born, had also realized the threat the ancient artifact posed to Him.
Even before His birth, He had still exerted His power and summoned His own daemonic army to eliminate the danger.
"By my blood, I swear to hold back all evils!"
The Custodian Marshals on the left and right, Lecias and Carter, stood before the artifact and swore their oaths at the same time.
Their expressions were resolute, and both gripped the relic blades in their hands.
Behind the Custodian Marshals, the Custodians ignited the power fields of their Aquila shields and relic spears.
Unless the Custodians fell, they would never allow any being to harm the ancient artifact.
These Custodians were the final line of defense for the ancient artifact. Fortunately, other elite Imperial forces were also helping them fight.
Each Legion had selected its most elite warriors, those capable of resisting Terra's dark fell energy, to assist the Custodians in battle.
These warriors formed the finest Terminator and Centurion armored formations. They were the first to face the Dark Legion of the Damned.
Of course, the Imperium's goal was not to have these elite warriors defeat the Dark Legion of the Damned.
If they could merely wear them down, that would already be the best possible result.
Bang, bang, bang!
The Terminators and Centurions were all equipped with heavy weapons. They aimed at the Dark Damned warriors marching toward them and unleashed a dense barrage of armor-piercing bolt rounds.
The barrage screamed like a storm sweeping forward.
Even a fortress wall would be torn apart under fire of this intensity, with no possibility of resisting.
Yet to everyone's shock, the Dark Legion of the Damned simply walked through the barrage. When the rounds struck their warped black armor, some shattered, while others melted.
Even bombardment from volcano cannons capable of releasing tens of thousands of terawatts of energy could not stop their advance.
That was firepower capable of destroying a heavy tank with one shot, and even bringing down a Warhound-class Titan!
"Savior, what kind of enemy are they…?" After emptying his heavy ammunition, a veteran in Centurion warsuit armor stared at the black tide of soldiers before him, his voice trembling.
He had never faced such terrifying enemies before. Even the Tyranid swarms in the Apocalypse War had not placed this much pressure on him.
All their attacks had failed. They had not even knocked down a single Dark Damned warrior.
Even the sacred bone-ash rounds and hell missiles fired by the Grey Knights were swallowed by the spreading dark fell energy before they could take effect.
A deep sense of powerlessness welled up in the hearts of the Imperium's elite warriors. Those were already the Imperium's strongest weapons for dealing with heretical abominations!
Eden looked at the scene, his body going a little stiff.
He realized that the Dark King's authority of destruction had become even stronger. It was no longer something sacred bone-ash rounds and hell missiles could suppress.
Even the Chaos Gods had developed certain methods to resist sacred weapons and hell weapons, let alone the Dark King.
He was originally the being who understood sacred psychic power best!
Eden's weapons had fallen behind. Even saturating the area with artillery fire was difficult now. He had lost his greatest advantage.
Eden felt miserable. His research progress had still been a little too slow. He had failed to keep pace with the current version update.
Mainly because the Dark King's stat inflation was too horrifying.
How was he supposed to fight this?
As he pondered, the Dark Legion of the Damned raised their guns. A fiercer storm of bolter fire came roaring in.
The bolt shells fired by the Dark Legion of the Damned were so violent that they seemed like a howling black storm.
They pierced through every force field shield and psychic barrier, striking the armor and armored suits of the Imperium's elites.
Whether adamantium or auramite, none of it could stop the bombardment of that dark firepower. Blooms of blood burst open one after another.
The bodies of the Imperium's elite warriors were torn apart under the barrage, falling one after another.
Like wheat caught in a gale, they never rose again.
Even more terrifyingly, the Dark Legion of the Damned's ammunition seemed endless, and their firearms never jammed. They simply kept sweeping fire across the battlefield.
They never stopped.
In just a few dozen seconds, the Imperium's elite formations suffered devastating losses. They had no chance to take cover.
Because no matter how sturdy the force field or cover was, it would be penetrated.
"So this is the Dark King's legion?
"An enhanced version of the warriors of the Legion of the Damned, unafraid of any material attack and able to destroy enemies with annihilating power…"
Eden looked at the fallen Imperial elites, his heart aching.
Those were the backbone of the Imperium. Veterans of a hundred battles.
The Imperium might need hundreds, even thousands of years, to cultivate warriors like them.
Yet they were being destroyed so easily by the Dark Legion of the Damned, without the slightest ability to fight back.
Every attack unleashed by the Dark Legion of the Damned carried the Dark King's authority of destruction.
Whether high-level psychic power or the authorities of the Chaos Gods, all of them struggled to resist it.
Simply put, these Dark Damned warrior units combined high physical resistance with high magical resistance, while also ignoring defense and maxing out armor penetration.
How terrifying was that?
With this horrible legion alone, the Dark King was nearly invincible!
Judging from these signs, even the Custodians likely could not withstand the attacks of the Dark Legion of the Damned.
Forget the Custodians. Even Guilliman and the other Primarchs, if caught under this level of dark bolter fire, would have no choice but to obediently dodge.
The ancient artifact was in danger!
At that moment, Eden truly felt the horror of the Dark King, and he became certain that He would utterly destroy both the galaxy and the Warp.
The Imperium's elites could not stop the Dark Legion of the Damned. Chaos daemons could not stop them either.
In the future, both the galaxy and the Warp would be plunged into a devastating war.
Everyone would only be able to watch helplessly as countless lives were slaughtered and their souls were completely devoured.
Eden drew in a deep breath, dodging the stray rounds coming at him, and felt a profound pressure settle over him.
Sanguinius and the others were the same. Some Primarchs were even grazed by fragments.
In the past, such a thing would have been unimaginable.
How could military forces injure beings on the level of Primarchs? It was already fortunate that the Primarchs did not simply charge straight into armies.
But now, no one dared charge.
There was no helping it. They were facing the terrifying authority of destruction belonging to the Dark King.
Sanguinius retreated to avoid the incoming attacks, his voice filled with deep worry.
"Even with my power of prophecy, I cannot avoid every attack, nor can I break through their formation.
"Even if I forced my way in, I would not last long before falling…"
The Great Angel had already foreseen it. If he charged into the ranks of the Dark Legion of the Damned, he would soon be swallowed by the barrage.
Then he would fall and die.
"That's right. Even if I charged in, I might be injured. At most, I could destroy a dozen or so companies of Dark Damned warriors before I'd have to retreat."
Eden nodded gravely and gave his judgment.
Fortunately, he had stopped Guilliman in time. Otherwise, that guy would have recklessly charged in and probably been shot into a sieve.
???
When Sanguinius and the other Primarchs heard the Savior's words, they all looked sideways at him and could not help swallowing.
Brother, are you really that fierce?!
They were not even sure they could charge in. Even if they managed it, they might be hacked to death by hundreds or thousands of Dark Damned warriors.
They would not be able to kill many of them at all.
Yet the Savior was now saying that not only could he charge in, he could slaughter his way through them and kill hundreds or thousands of Dark Damned warriors.
Those were warriors stronger than even the Custodians. Did that not mean the Savior could single-handedly kill Custodians in organized formations?
Too fierce!
Mortarion and the other Daemon Primarchs looked at Eden with even greater awe in their eyes.
As expected of the Savior and Emperor of the Imperium. As expected of their big brother!
But very quickly, the Primarchs fell silent again. Given the current situation, even the Savior's martial might could no longer solve the problem.
The Dark Legion of the Damned numbered in the tens of thousands, and their numbers were still increasing as the dark rifts spread and drew in more power.
That was not something an individual's strength could withstand.
That was why Eden did not dare charge. Even if he could kill a great number of Dark Damned warriors, he would ultimately run out of strength and be blocked by the elite beings among them.
Then he would be chopped into minced meat.
"Big Brother, what should we do?" Rogal Dorn asked, deeply worried.
If this continued, the Imperial army might be wiped out, and the ancient artifact would be destroyed.
Then they would lose the means to suppress the Dark King. The entire suppression plan would fail, and there would be no chance left to turn things around.
The other Primarchs thought of this as well. The heavy darkness made it hard for them to breathe.
The Emperor, their blackened and out-of-control father, was so terrifying!
"Brothers, this is not yet the moment for despair. We may not be unable to deal with the Dark Legion of the Damned."
Eden sensed the low morale and spoke in a firm tone.
"The Dark Legion of the Damned relies on the authority of destruction to run rampant. Then we can also use the Warp's authority and sorcery to resist them!"
Since this was the power of a supreme god, he could respond in the way of gods as well.
The Dark King was still a fetus. How could Eden surrender so easily?
He was the Savior, the Lord of Hell, the Sun of Hope.
The knockoff god of the Warp!
The instant the Dark Legion of the Damned appeared, Eden had already used the Sun of Hope to madly decode the operating circuits of their authority.
He had previously copied the authority operating models of Greater Daemons and the Legion of the Damned. There was no guarantee he could not do it this time.
More importantly, he also had the help of the Changer of Ways. All the knowledge He possessed was available for Eden to use.
That would make him even faster.
Over the years, Eden had constantly crammed knowledge of the Warp and sorcery under Librarians, high-level psykers, and lurking Tzeentchian schemer-birds.
He was no longer the illiterate he had once been. He could now digest the endless knowledge within the Crystal Labyrinth much more quickly.
And thus, he could understand the Dark King's authority system much faster.
No matter how powerful that god of destruction was, He was still a creation of the Warp, still one of the beings on the path to godhood.
The Sun of Hope was not very good at destructive force, but it could adapt to almost every kind of power.
It was practically universal.
Deep in Eden's heart, the Sun of Hope might not necessarily be weaker than the Dark King. It merely needed time to grow.
He had every chance of finding a flaw in the other party's authority of destruction and using it to resist the Dark Legion of the Damned.
Eden's soul-consciousness roamed through endless knowledge, dissecting the Dark King's authority system with the aid of the Changer of Ways.
Then he deconstructed it and found many opposites to the destructive fell energy. Whether the power of the Sacred Sun or the Sun of Hope, both could weaken it through the corresponding circuits.
The only troublesome part was that the Sacred Sun had turned black. Its sacred energy was now basically gone, while Eden's Sun of Hope was still rather weak.
"Good thing I stockpiled plenty of the old Emperor's sacred energy. Farming and infrastructure really are the way to go.
"Better to have it and not need it…"
After finding a way to respond, Eden finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Previously, in order to relieve pressure and manufacture sacred bone-ash rounds, he had stockpiled far too much sacred energy. Now it had finally found a proper use.
He did not hesitate. He immediately began reconstructing the relevant psychic circuits, then transmitted them to the Grey Knights.
These pure warriors were the most suited to wielding such sacred power, and their wills were even firmer.
Furthermore, they held the Emperor's bones, which could serve as a medium for deploying a Warp psychic formation.
"With faith as our armor, devotion as our shield, and purity as our sword, we are the sacred hammer!"
The Grey Knights ignored the approaching Dark Legion of the Damned, as well as the dark firepower coming toward them.
One after another, they dropped to one knee with heavy thuds, held the sacred remains, and prayed to the Sun of Hope.
Even when struck and knocked down, they did not pause in the slightest.
Immediately afterward, under Eden's control, the Sun of Hope mobilized batch after batch of sacred psychic energy, descending upon the Grey Knights.
With that power, they could deploy a large-scale psychic formation and cover the entire area.
Hum.
The Grey Knights shone with brilliant golden light, and complex formations appeared beneath their feet.
Then those formations connected to one another, and a faint radiance spread outward, illuminating the gloomy region.
Clang!
An incoming dark bolt shell struck a Grey Knight's breastplate, but it did not pierce through. Instead, it bounced away, leaving only a black mark behind.
"Praise the Savior!"
Grand Master Covan of the Grey Knights praised him, his eyes filled with utter reverence.
The newest sacred formation had taken effect. By using the sacred remains and sacred fell energy, they had weakened the destructive fell energy covering the Throne region as much as possible!
"Whew. It finally worked. It even stirred the old Emperor's remaining will. Otherwise, we really wouldn't have held."
Eden wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and sighed with emotion.
"Big Brother, can we completely destroy those abominable warriors now?" Rogal Dorn asked, bathed in the faint golden light, his emotions somewhat stirred.
"In your dreams. The sacred formation can at most suppress the destructive fell energy and drag the Dark Legion of the Damned down to roughly our level.
"If we want to kill them, we still have to rely on the warriors' own strength. And it won't last long.
"Sigh. If I'd known, I would've harvested more bone ash earlier."
Eden shook his head.
But this was enough.
At the very least, the Dark Legion of the Damned was no longer invincible, and the Imperium's elite forces could hold them back for a while.
Unlike before, when they could not break through their defenses and were also easily killed in one hit. There had been no way to fight at all.
In Eden's field of view, the Imperium's elite warriors had already entered close combat with the Dark Damned warriors.
Although the Imperium's losses were still heavy, they could at least hold the enemy off now. The Custodians had also begun driving away some Dark Damned warriors who broke through the lines.
Those things could not be killed, but as long as they could be driven back, they could protect the ancient artifact and stabilize the situation.
Sanguinius, Guilliman, and the other Primarchs also charged into the enemy ranks under the faint sacred light.
Rumble.
The ancient artifact Shadowlight continued to tremble, cracking even the alloy ground. Then stronger ripples of non-light slammed into the Golden Throne.
Even the Dark Legion of the Damned slowed under the impact to the Throne.
"It's stable. The advantage is mine!" Eden looked at the scene and could not help smiling faintly.
The pressure brought by the Dark King earlier had been far too great. Now, he finally saw hope.
Even the Chaos Gods within the Warp radiated excitement. They had gained more confidence that the Savior could solve the problem.
Yet in the next instant, both Eden's expression and the expressions of the Chaos Gods changed. The Warp itself let out a shrill scream.
The Emperor's skeleton on the Golden Throne truly moved.
That warped skeleton was tearing at the cables on its body, struggling to break free from the Throne's endless fell-energy restraints.
The Throne was about to collapse. This region was being assimilated into the Warp!
"Not good. Is the old Emperor about to be born prematurely?" Eden stared at the scene, and his whole body nearly exploded.
Perhaps the Dark King had realized the threat posed by the ancient artifact and was attempting to descend into this world early.
He could not wait for a normal birth. He would rather crawl out prematurely if it meant destroying a possible threat to Himself!
That terrifying sight drew the attention of the Primarchs, and then they saw the changes in the skeleton.
"My children, do you wish to stop me?"
The figure of the Dark Emperor appeared before everyone.
He looked down upon them, so cold and indifferent…
(End of Chapter)
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