Khorne's whispers and temptations receded like a tide. It seemed to realize that for a warrior like Dorian, whose will was already firm, verbal seduction was ineffective. Since persuasion failed, only the most direct method, one fully aligned with the blood god's doctrine, remained—to utterly crush him with absolute power, and then reshape his broken form into what it desired!
The next moment, the scene deep within Dorian's soul drastically changed again! The plain of rage and bones seemed to have a pebble thrown into it, and space violently twisted and rippled! Right before Dorian, countless blood-red energies converged madly as if drawn to a magnet, finally coalescing into a physical entity!
When the entity fully manifested, Dorian's pupils contracted sharply!
It was... himself!
The exact same burly physique, muscles as gnarled as rock, scarred bronze skin, and even the hedgehog-like short hair and the irritable expression between his brows were identical! The only difference was his eyes—no longer Dorian's, which, though prone to anger, still retained loyalty and emotion, but two bottomless, crimson abysses burning with eternal bloodlust and pure killing intent! The aura emanating from him was powerful, violent, and pure, as if born for destruction and slaughter; that was... the proper form of Khorne Chosen Dorian!
Dorian could clearly feel how terrifying the power possessed by that 'self' was! Compared to it, he felt like an ant standing before a mountain, tiny and fragile.
He understood instantly. This was the final test the blood god had prepared for him, and also the most insidious trap. Mighty Astartes warriors could slay powerful daemons with faith and skill, but often the hardest to face was 'themselves'! That mirror image, which knew all of his fighting styles, thought patterns, and weaknesses, and was endowed with power far exceeding his own!
As Dorian gazed at that cold, powerful 'self,' the entity formed by Khorne's will—let's call it the Blood God Avatar for now—slowly walked towards him. It did not attack immediately but scrutinized Dorian with its crimson eyes, as if examining an interesting toy.
"You can feel... the disparity between us..." the Blood God Avatar spoke, its voice still a blend of a thousand battlefields, but clearer, directly impacting Dorian's soul, "Like a firefly... and the blazing sun..."
On its face, identical to Dorian's, appeared a completely devoid of warmth, almost appreciative expression:
"But... I do not feel... your fear..."
"I admire your... tenacious will..."
"Therefore... I offer you a chance..."
"A chance... to directly become a 'god'..."
"Submit... embrace this power... and you shall become... the Hand of the blood god! Ascending above mortals and daemons!"
This temptation was ultimate, directly promising a status and power unimaginable to mortals.
Immediately after, the voice suddenly turned cold and cruel, carrying the tone of an ultimatum:
"Either... now... immediately... submit to me... and I will bestow upon you... supreme power..."
"Or..." terrifying killing intent erupted in the Blood God Avatar's crimson eyes, "wait until I... utterly defeat you... crush your pride... make you watch... as your ridiculous brothers... die one by one before your eyes..."
"And then... I will forcibly cram this power... into your broken husk!"
"Choose... valiant warrior!"
The Blood God Avatar and Dorian, two identical burly figures, stood like two confronting iron towers on this plain of souls. A suffocating pressure permeated the air; the blood god awaited Dorian's final answer.
However, it did not receive the expected submission or a roar of despair. It saw Dorian lowering his head, his lips moving slightly, as if mumbling something. The sound was extremely faint but carried an undeniable firmness.
How keen was the Blood God Avatar's perception? It clearly caught those words:
"For the Emperor..."
"For Lord Roboute Guilliman..."
"For my brothers..."
"For... the Five Hundred Worlds..."
Each word was like a heavy hammer, striking Dorian's mental defenses, reinforcing his indomitable will. These were the true sources of his strength, the beliefs he would protect even if it meant being shattered to pieces!
As the last word fell, Dorian suddenly raised his head! In his eyes, there was no longer confusion, no longer struggle, only a resolve as hot as lava yet cold as steel!
"Agh—!!!"
A deep, prolonged roar from the depths of his soul, like the bellow of a wounded lion, erupted suddenly! With this roar, Dorian moved! He did not hesitate, did not assume any defensive or offensive stance, but simply unleashed the most basic, most direct, and most true to his nature right straight punch, carrying all his will, anger, and loyalty, like a cannonball, smashing fiercely into the Blood God Avatar's face, which was almost within reach!
"Bang!"
A dull thud. The fist solidly struck the face identical to his own.
However, the effect was minimal. The Blood God Avatar did not even sway, as if merely bitten by a mosquito. A hint of mockery even flashed in its crimson eyes. The absolute disparity in power between the two was evident at this moment.
But the significance of this punch far outweighed the damage it caused.
Dorian had already used his fist to clearly express his attitude—better to break than to bend! To speak through battle! Until death!
"Hmph... a foolish choice..." the Blood God Avatar let out a cold snort, its voice carrying a hint of anger at being provoked by an ant.
The next moment, it moved!
Without warning, without winding up, it simply threw an extremely simple right hook!
But the speed and power of this punch far exceeded Dorian's imagination! He couldn't even discern the trajectory of the fist, only feeling an irresistible, terrifying force violently impact his cheek!
"Boom—!!!"
Dorian's massive body was struck head-on as if by a battering ram, and he flew uncontrollably backward, like a cannonball, slamming hard into a small hill made of countless pale bones in the distance!
"Clatter—!!!"
The bone hill instantly collapsed and scattered, and Dorian was completely buried under the broken bones.
Excruciating pain! An indescribable agony instantly swept through his entire body, as if all his bones were about to fall apart. Dorian felt as if he had been punched full-force by an enraged Captain Cassius with a Power Fist in the training yard.
But he did not faint; his tenacious will supported him. He struggled, climbing out of the cold pile of broken bones, shaking his slightly dazed head.
The moment he stood firm, his pupils constricted sharply!
The Blood God Avatar in front of him blurred, as if teleporting, crossing dozens of meters in a few blinks at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, appearing instantly before him!
Immediately after, a large hand, with irresistible force, shot out and seized Dorian's head!
"Kneel!"
Accompanied by a cold command, the Blood God Avatar's arm suddenly exerted force, brutally grabbing Dorian's head and slamming his body fiercely towards the ground!
"Thud—!!!"
Dorian's cheek made intimate contact with the incredibly hard ground, formed by the materialized intentions of countless slaughters and brutalities! The immense impact made his vision go black.
But that wasn't all! The Blood God Avatar's other fist was already raised high, carrying an aura of destruction, smashing fiercely towards Dorian's lower back!
"Bang—!!!"
Another extremely dull, massive thud! This punch brutally embedded Dorian's entire upper body into the ground! Spiderweb-like cracks spread out from him!
The Blood God Avatar slowly straightened up, looking at Dorian, who was deeply embedded in the ground and seemed to have lost consciousness, a flicker of disinterest in its crimson eyes. It thought this farce should be over by now.
However—
"Ugh... Ah!!!"
A roar, suppressing extreme pain, erupted from the ground! Immediately after, the 'crater' where he had been slammed into the ground exploded! Dorian's veined and bloodied body, like a demon returned from hell, suddenly burst forth!
He completely disregarded his almost shattered body, his eyes only on the 'self' standing before him, representing chaos and betrayal! He lunged forward, his thick arms like iron bands, tightly embracing the Blood God Avatar's waist!
"Die!!!"
Dorian let out a roar, the muscles in his waist and legs instantly tensing to their limit, unleashing astonishing power! He actually, with pure brute force and will, brutally lifted the Blood God Avatar, whose strength far surpassed his own, by the waist, performing a standard suplex, slamming it fiercely to the ground!
"Rumble!"
The Blood God Avatar was thrown to the ground by this sudden, almost street-brawl-like maneuver, kicking up a cloud of blood-red dust.
Dorian did not pause. Seizing the moment the opponent was down, he violently headbutted the opponent's nose bridge! Although it still felt like hitting steel, he didn't care!
Immediately after, he raised his two massive, 'pot-sized' fists high, like a pile driver, smashing them fiercely down onto the face of the fallen Blood God Avatar!
"Clang!"
A pair of equally powerful hands firmly parried his fists. For the first time, the Blood God Avatar's crimson eyes revealed a hint of… irritation.
"Ant… you have angered me!"
The next second, an even more terrifying power erupted from the Blood God Avatar! It violently kicked Dorian in the abdomen!
"Pfft—!"
Dorian spat out a mouthful of blood, and his entire body once again flew backward like a kite with a broken string. This time, he slammed violently into a colossal, blasphemous statue on the edge of the plain, carved into the raging form of Angron, shattering it!
Debris flew, and dust billowed.
Dorian lay in the ruins of the statue, feeling every bone in his body ache, and his internal organs seemingly displaced. Intense pain, like a tide, continuously assaulted his nerves.
However, he didn't care in the slightest!
Pain? Pain only made him clearer! Pain transformed into fuel, making the fury in his heart burn even more fiercely! In his mind, warm memories of his brothers, the discipline and glory of the Chapter, the myriad lights of Ultramar… all of it reminded him of who he was and what he fought for!
What was the blood god? What was Khorne? Just an Chaos God hiding in the Warp, knowing only slaughter! He wasn't even as terrifying as Captain Cassius, who would rage at him for being late and chase him across half the training ground!
An absurd yet incredibly firm courage surged from the depths of his heart. He struggled, supporting his battered body with trembling arms, and slowly rose from the ruins. He wiped away the blood constantly spilling from the corner of his mouth, and facing the terrifying Blood God Avatar slowly rising in the distance, he let out a sneer mixed with pain, madness, and endless fighting spirit, issuing a soul-shaking challenge:
"Come on!!! You scumbag! Let me see… just how capable you really are!"
In the inner world, this most primitive, most savage, and most brutal struggle for the ownership of the soul truly began at this moment!
Amidst the cold currents of the Warp, the massive Ultramarines fleet, like a dark blue steel leviathan, sailed at an astonishing speed. The exhaust plumes from its engines cut conspicuous trails against the bizarre and colorful backdrop of the Warp. Inside the bridge, solemn and tense, countless crew members and Tech-Priests busily worked at their stations, ensuring the safety of this emergency voyage.
On the bridge of the flagship, Macragge's Honour, Chapter Master Marius Calgar stood like a blue statue before the colossal star chart. Beside him stood two powerful Company Captains—Cato Sicarius, First Company Captain, who had been urgently recalled from the Hero of Connaris Fortress, and First Company Captain Cassius Venus, whose expression was grave, with a trace of imperceptible anxiety in his brow.
The three were engaged in a critical discussion to determine the upcoming tactical deployment. On the holographic star chart, the coordinates of Drathemiandas were highlighted, and icons representing various forces were continuously converging around it.
"The Grey Knights have responded, the Second and Third Brotherhoods are en route, expected to arrive in three hours," Calgar's voice was steady, but those familiar with him could detect the suppressed urgency beneath it. "Lord Lion and his Dark Angels fleet, along with… Konrad Curze's Eighth Legion, have also confirmed their redirection and are performing short-range jumps, with an arrival time similar to ours."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Sicarius and Cassius: "Chapter Master Dante's Blood Angels fleet has also received the distress signal and is rushing at full speed. They will arrive approximately one standard hour after us."
Calgar's finger traced across the star chart, finally resting on Drathemiandas: "Our primary mission, upon arrival, is to immediately cooperate with the Blood Angels and the remaining forces of the Inquisition to establish a stable defensive line, fully blocking the spread of daemons and the World Eaters Legion, to prevent further contamination."
His gaze turned to Cassius, his tone becoming particularly serious: "At the same time, Cassius, I need you to personally lead an elite squad, detached from the main battlefield, to penetrate the upper levels of the Hive City and confirm the exact situation of Sanks Squad."
Calgar's voice lowered, carrying a hint of gravity: "If… if they have already fallen, your mission is to, at all costs, recover their gene-seed. We must not allow the legacy of our warriors to fall into the hands of Chaos."
This order, like a cold steel needle, pierced the hearts of everyone present. Recovering gene-seed often meant confirming the sacrifice of the warriors.
Just then, a choked yet exceptionally clear female voice came over the communication channel, breaking the solemnity of the bridge. It was Kolesa, who had somehow connected to the bridge's comms.
"Gaius… Gaius is still alive!" Her voice trembled from crying, thick with a heavy nasal tone, clearly having wept for a long time. "I can sense him! My psychic… my psychic connection is still linked to his life essence! He's not dead! He's just… just unable to respond!"
Her words were like a faint glimmer of light cast into the gloom, causing both Cassius and Sicarius's gazes to shift.
Calgar was silent for a moment; his glacial face showed little emotion, but he slowly nodded, his voice seeming to soften slightly, as if comforting everyone, and perhaps convincing himself: "Miss Kolesa's psychic sensing… is a positive sign. They may be trapped, or severely wounded, but hope remains. The Emperor… will protect his loyal warriors."
He looked at Cassius again: "Your mission remains unchanged, Cassius. But the priority is adjusted—confirm survival, prioritize rescue. If circumstances permit, bring them back alive."
"Understood, Chapter Master!" Cassius replied in a deep voice, his fist striking his chest heavily. As long as there was a glimmer of hope, he would never abandon his warriors.
After a brief silence, Cassius frowned deeply, as if he had thought of something crucial. He looked at Calgar, his tone unusually grave: "Chapter Master, I have a suspicion… could Khorne's core objective in making such a huge fuss this time, even going so far as to launch such a large-scale invasion into the material realm, be… Dorian?"
At these words, Calgar and Sicarius's gazes instantly sharpened.
Calgar mused: "You mean… the blood god is using the daemon armies to draw our and the Inquisition's direct attention, creating chaos, while its true purpose is to secretly try to 'take' Dorian? Because Dorian is a warrior it has… 'taken a fancy to'?"
This conjecture was reasonable. The Chaos Gods have always coveted individuals with special potential or powerful souls like Dorian, especially Khorne, who champions valor and slaughter. Dorian's berserk fighting style and the endless fury hidden deep within him had long been seen by the blood god as prime "seedlings."
"But…" Cassius's brow furrowed even deeper, as he raised the most critical question, "If it's merely to 'take away' or 'corrupt' an Astartes warrior, no matter how great his potential, is it necessary to deploy such a terrifying force?"
His voice held disbelief: "Tens of thousands of daemons, organized World Eaters Legion forces, and even… the Daemon Primarch Angron himself has appeared in the material realm! This is no longer a simple 'lure' or 'corruption'; this is practically a small-scale Chaos crusade! All for one Dorian?"
Cassius shook his head, a deep perplexity and gravity on his face: "I cannot understand. Unless… Dorian's status in Khorne's eyes is far more special, far more important… than we imagine. Important enough for it to invest such a huge 'capital,' even at the risk of a Primarch-level being."
He recalled some earlier details: Dorian would occasionally show unusual irritability and nightmares. Although the Chapter's Apothecaries and Librarians found no obvious signs of Chaos corruption after examination, looking back now, were those perhaps signs of the blood god's whispers trying to infiltrate? Had Dorian, without anyone knowing, already had some level of "contact" or even "confrontation" with Khorne's will?
This speculation made the atmosphere on the bridge even heavier. If Cassius's conjecture was true, then Sanks Squad was currently facing not just a conventional Chaos threat, but an incredibly dangerous trap, personally laid by a Chaos God, specifically targeting Dorian! And Gaius and Luna were very likely "hostages" caught in it, used to force Dorian into submission!
"Whatever the reason," Calgar finally broke the silence, his voice returning to absolute calm and decisiveness, "our objective remains unchanged. Stop Chaos, save our warriors. Cassius, be prepared to act immediately upon arrival. Sicarius, command of the fleet is temporarily yours; ensure good cooperation with the Blood Angels and the Inquisition to stabilize the front line."
"For Ultramar!" Both Company Captains responded, striking their chests.
The dark blue fleet continued its steadfast journey through the turbulent Warp, heading straight for the star system already engulfed in blood and fire. And a soul storm, centered around the Khorne Chosen, concerning loyalty and betrayal, was quietly reaching its climax in the heart of that fallen world.
The fierce battle deep within the soul had been raging for an unknown duration. In this plain constructed of rage and bones, time seemed to lose all meaning. Three hours? Perhaps longer. The trajectory of the battle was an almost one-sided crush.
The Blood God Avatar, an entity with the same appearance as Dorian but imbued with the will of a deity, launched every attack like a natural disaster. A simple heavy punch would send Dorian's burly body flying dozens of meters like a rag doll, slamming him hard onto piles of pale bones or the hard ground, leaving behind shocking craters. A heavy boot stomped down, enough to embed Dorian's chest and even half his body into the ground solidified by murderous intent, cracks spreading like a spiderweb.
The sound of bones shattering, the dull thud of internal organs being damaged, intermittently echoed in this space, like drumbeats accompanying this brutal Arena.
Yet, what was astonishing was that Dorian seemed impervious to the limits of pain, or perhaps exhaustion had never touched him. No matter how many times he was knocked down, no matter how severe his injuries appeared, his tenacious will always drove his battered body to rise again and again from the ruins and craters, swaying and struggling. His gaze always burned with a flame mixed with pain, anger, and indomitable spirit, never extinguishing.
"Pah!" Dorian spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs, letting out a hoarse but contemptuous roar at the Blood God Avatar, which stood like a mountain in the distance, seemingly unscathed:
"Chaos God! Is that all you've got?! Your punches are soft, not even as powerful as Captain Cassius's punches when he's angry at me! Your so-called Brass Throne, I think it should be dismantled and used as a toilet for our Captain! He's more deserving to sit on it than you!"
This vulgar yet highly insulting provocation seemed to finally touch a nerve of the lofty deity. A subtle flicker of irritation, born from being repeatedly harassed by an ant, flashed in the Blood God Avatar's crimson eyes.
And in that instant! Dorian seized that almost non-existent flaw, born from emotional fluctuation!
His leg bones, almost shattered beneath him, suddenly propelled him forward, charging headlong! All his strength, along with the pain of his body almost falling apart, converged in his shoulder!
"Get... out of my way!!"
With a roar, Dorian unleashed a crude but powerful ramming attack, concentrating all his remaining strength, slamming heavily into the Blood God Avatar's chest!
"Thud!"
A dull thud! This time, the seemingly immovable Blood God Avatar actually staggered back half a step!
It was that half-step!
Dorian didn't hesitate. Using the recoil from the impact, he twisted his waist and turned, delivering a wild but powerful swing, like a fully wound iron hammer, directly to the side of the Blood God Avatar's face, which was identical to his own!
"Bang!"
The impact still felt like striking an indestructible steel, and the reverberating force made his own finger bones groan under the strain.
But the attack didn't stop! The Blood God Avatar was clearly enraged by these continuous, especially the insulting provocation and the actual impact. The moment it steadied itself, a lightning-fast, incredibly precise straight punch, like a bolter round, slammed directly into the center of Dorian's forehead!
"Crack!"
A clear sound of bone cracking rang out! Dorian felt his vision go black, glittering golden stars filled his sight, and an intense dizziness made him feel the world spinning. He staggered back seven or eight steps uncontrollably before barely managing to brace himself on the ground with trembling legs, preventing a fall. On his forehead, a clear punch mark was sunken in, and blood gushed down his nose and brow bone, blurring his vision.
The Blood God Avatar looked at Dorian's teetering, almost incapacitated state, and a triumphant, cruelly playful smirk, befitting a victor, finally appeared in its crimson eyes. It slowly straightened its body, which had been slightly leaning forward from the attack, seemingly preparing to speak, to deliver a final taunt to this tenacious ant, and to savor his despair before his will completely shattered.
However—
The moment it straightened its back, Dorian, who should have been unconscious, suddenly raised his head! His bloodshot eyes exploded with terrifying ferocity! He gave the other party no chance to speak!
"Ugh ah—!!!"
Accompanied by a battle cry squeezed from the depths of his throat, suppressed to the extreme, Dorian's seemingly exhausted body erupted with a power and speed far exceeding anything before! His fist, as if breaking through an invisible restraint, struck instantly with an impact that even the Blood God Avatar found somewhat surprising, a mixture of pure physical strength and a deeper rage!
This punch was no longer the mere tickling attack from before!
"Crack—!!!"
A bone-jarring, crisp sound of bones dislocating exploded!
The Blood God Avatar's "jaw," formed by energy but simulated to be indistinguishable from reality, was actually dislocated by Dorian's sudden, power-surging punch! Its head tilted unnaturally to one side, and its mocking expression instantly froze on its face, looking exceptionally comical.
But this was just the beginning!
Dorian gave the other party no time to react! His arm, which had just delivered the heavy punch, suddenly extended forward, his five fingers like steel clamps, gripping the Blood God Avatar's neck tightly! The immense force even caused the energy entity to emit a faint, almost overwhelmed hum!
Next came a continuous barrage of heavy punches, like a raging storm!
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!!"
Dorian's other fist, like a tireless pile driver, concentrated the inexplicably surging, seemingly endless power, punch after punch, slamming fiercely into the Blood God Avatar's crooked face and head! Each punch contained terrifying, mountain-shattering force, causing the Blood God Avatar's head to constantly snap back, and its energy-formed face began to show subtle distortions and fluctuations!
Finally, Dorian let out a beast-like roar, his arm muscles bulging to their limit, and he suddenly swung the somewhat dazed Blood God Avatar around, like throwing a shot put, slamming it fiercely towards the small hill in the distance, made of countless bones, which he had previously collapsed once!
"Boom—!!!"
The bone hill suffered another heavy blow, instantly collapsing, and the stirred up bone ash and fragments permeated like smoke, completely burying the Blood God Avatar's figure.
Dorian stood in place, panting heavily, his ragged breaths like a broken bellows. He felt the surging, both familiar and strange, power within him. This power far exceeded his usual limits, carrying a scorching, restless, violent aura. It was the sudden emergence of this power that allowed him to execute that decisive counterattack.
However, before he could ponder the source of this power, the collapsed pile of bones suddenly exploded!
The Blood God Avatar's figure slowly emerged from it. It seemed to have suffered no substantial damage, merely reaching out, pressing its hand to its chin, and pushing upwards with force—
"Crack!"
Another bone-jarring sound, and the dislocated jaw was easily reset.
But it did not immediately attack. Instead, its crimson eyes stared intently at Dorian, and its lips slowly curled into a ferocious grin, mixed with surprise, cruelty, and… immense triumph!
"Heh heh... ha ha... ha ha ha—!!!"
The low laughter gradually grew louder, more frantic, filled with the joy of a successful scheme.
"Do you feel it?! Warrior!" the Blood God Avatar's voice was filled with undisguised excitement and temptation, "See! This power! This great power born of rage, born of destruction, born of My domain! How perfectly it suits you! It was always meant to be yours!"
As it spoke, Dorian subconsciously lowered his head to look at his own body. This sight shook him to his core!
He saw that his body, at some unknown point, had swelled and grown taller, becoming incredibly massive and burly, even surpassing his state when wearing terminator armour! His originally bronze skin was covered with a thick, dark crimson demonic chitinous layer, shimmering with a dull bloody glow, like natural armour! Sharp bone spurs protruded ferociously from his shoulder joints, elbows, and spine! His hands had become like giant claws, his nails sharp as blades! And most strikingly, two thick, curved, twisted demonic horns had grown prominently from his forehead, like some ancient and blasphemous crown!
At this moment, in appearance, he was seventy to eighty percent similar to a powerful Daemon Prince of Khorne! His entire being exuded a suffocating aura of brutality, bloodlust, and pure destruction!
Khorne looked at Dorian's "new" appearance and let out even more triumphant and rampant laughter:
"You finally used it! You finally embraced this gift! Ha ha ha! Warrior, both foolish and brave, did you think you were relying on your own will? No! It is My Mark! It is the awakening of My power deep within your soul!"
"The moment you relied on this power, that fragile part of you that belongs to 'man,' that laughable loyalty, that hypocritical discipline... all will be utterly suppressed, crushed, and erased by this supreme power!"
"From now on, there will only be Khorne's chosen—Dorian! That laughable, blue Ultramarines Dorian... will cease to exist! Ha ha ha!"
In Khorne's understanding, once a mortal willingly accepted and used the power of a Chaos God, their soul would be stained with an incurable poison. Their own will would quickly be eroded and assimilated by that powerful, tempting evil energy, eventually becoming a mere puppet of the Chaos God. It seemed to already see Dorian's remaining human consciousness wailing and dissipating in the torrent of power, and the birth of a perfect, powerful, chosen warrior belonging only to the blood god!
However, its laughter had not yet fully echoed through the soul space when another anomaly occurred!
Dorian, now demonized and exuding an overwhelming aura of ferocity, suddenly raised his head! His eyes, though still bloodshot, and appearing especially terrifying against the backdrop of his hideous demonic face, burned not with the pure murderous desire and madness that Khorne had expected!
It was a more complex, more fervent flame—it was extreme rage, indomitable will, and... an unwavering resolve!
"Roar—!!!"
A roar, more violent and soul-shaking than any before, erupted from Dorian's fanged maw! In this roar, there was no hint of the confusion of a consciousness being corrupted, only the purest, most direct—fighting spirit!
The next moment, his massive Daemon Prince body moved! Like a crimson meteor shot from a cannon, carrying a terrifying momentum that could crush everything, he instantly charged in front of the Blood God Avatar, who was still laughing maniacally!
That huge, chitin-covered Daemon Prince fist, without the slightest hesitation, carrying the terrifying power that Khorne considered a "corrosive agent," smashed heavily into the Blood God Avatar's face!
"Boom—!!!"
This time, the colossal sound far surpassed any before! The Blood God Avatar's physical form, composed of pure will, was actually struck by this punch, its face twisting, its entire body flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the ground, even plowing a deep gully into the incredibly hard surface!
But it wasn't over yet!
Dorian gave his opponent no chance to breathe; he pounced forward, his massive Daemon Prince claw grabbing one of the Blood God Avatar's legs, and like wielding a flail, he brutally swung its enormous body, smashing it into the ground again and again!
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!!!"
The entire Soul Plain trembled violently under this most primal and savage violence! Each strike caused the Blood God Avatar's form to blur and waver!
Finally, Dorian let out an earth-shattering roar, using all his strength to hurl the Blood God Avatar's already somewhat dissipated body towards the blood-red, twisted, and vengeful sky!
Immediately after, he pushed off the ground, his massive body rocketing skyward, instantly catching up to the still-ascending Blood God Avatar, and his power-laden Daemon Prince fist, like a hammer of judgment, slammed heavily into its torso!
"Dong—!!!!!!"
A colossal sound, like a star exploding, rang out! The Blood God Avatar's figure, like a baseball struck, transformed into a crimson streak of light at an imperceptible speed, shooting straight into the sky, eventually disappearing among the churning vengeful spirits and thick crimson clouds, flying to who knows where.
Dorian's massive Daemon Prince body slowly descended from the air, landing heavily on the ground. As soon as he stood firm, he felt the entire "world" begin to undergo a drastic change!
The eternal crimson sky above his head began to pour down torrential blood rain, like a ruptured waterskin! The rain carried a heavy scent of rust and a nauseating stench, coldly striking his chitin-covered skin.
And beneath his feet, the incredibly hard plain, formed by the materialized intentions of countless slaughters and angers, began to rapidly melt and collapse like ice and snow under the scorching sun! A thicker, deeper, blood-red ocean, seemingly formed from the accumulated blood of countless eons, surged forth from beneath the fractured ground, like a breached River Styx, instantly submerging the entire Boneyard Continent!
The former plain instantly transformed into a boundless, turbulent crimson ocean! Only a few of the highest bone peaks and the shattered remains of the Angron statue, which Dorian had smashed, remained exposed above the sea of blood like isolated islands.
Dorian stood atop the largest remnant, the head of the Angron statue, allowing the rust-scented blood rain to wash over his ferocious Daemon Prince body. His eyes, burning with flames, stared intently at the seemingly endless sea of blood before him.
He could clearly sense that a will far more terrifying, more magnificent, and more fundamental than before was awakening and coalescing in the deepest part of that sea of blood! Khorne had not been defeated; it had merely... changed its form.
The next second, the sea of blood before him suddenly churned violently as if boiling! A shadow so vast that it was impossible to describe in words was slowly rising from the depths of the sea of blood!
The seawater cascaded from the shadow's body like a waterfall, and finally, a truly terrifying avatar of a god, in the literal sense, fully appeared before Dorian!
Its form was so immense that it dwarfed mountains; its ferocious, bulging muscles resembled twisted mountain ranges, covered in dark, scab-like skin, adorned with countless impaled, silently wailing pale skulls, and a large number of ominous-glowing golden chains and blasphemous runes symbolizing destruction and war. Its head appeared to be a colossal, blood-red skull, with four curved, ferocious daemon horns standing like a crown. In its bottomless eye sockets, crimson flames burned, capable of freezing souls!
Even the bottomless crimson ocean that had submerged the Boneyard Continent could now only reach its waist, which was like a pillar of heaven! It stood there like the master of this sea of blood, the sole true god of this domain of slaughter!
Its skull eye sockets, burning with crimson flames, slowly lowered, like two falling crimson stars, firmly locking onto Dorian, who stood on the shattered statue, as tiny as an ant.
A magnificent, ancient voice, seemingly containing the most primal violence from the dawn of the universe, directly resounded throughout the entire sea of blood space, carrying a hint of true, god-like bewilderment and... curiosity:
"Interesting..."
"My insignificant soul... why... were you not affected by My power? Why... did you not sink into depravity?"
Facing this question, which felt like the weight of the entire universe pressing down, Dorian's massive, daemon-transformed body swayed slightly, but he still stubbornly straightened his spine and raised his head, covered in chitin and spikes.
With his eyes burning with unyielding flames, he fearlessly met those two crimson "stars." A voice, not a roar, but originating from the deepest, never-defiled corner of his soul, clearly and deliberately rang out, answering the god's question:
"Because..."
"I believe in the Emperor."
Simple, direct, without any flowery words, yet it seemed to contain an absolute power that even the Chaos Gods could not comprehend or shake.
In the real world, at the top of the Drathemiandas Hive City, the stasis field still acted like an invisible cage, imprisoning the bodies of nine Astartes Brothers. The roars of daemons, the booming of bolters, and the collapsing of buildings outside were all isolated by this warped spatiotemporal barrier, appearing blurry and distant.
Within this realm of absolute stillness, an incongruous "movement" was occurring.
The Lord of Change, tens of meters tall, gaunt like stretched parchment, and composed of countless shifting geometric shapes and ethereal blue light, was moving with its slender, arthropod-like bird legs, which nevertheless contained terrifying power, step by step, towards the nine Astartes, who knelt on one knee like blue and black statues. The staff in its hand, inlaid with constantly opening and closing eyeballs, created subtle, imperceptible ripples in the solidified time and space with each of its steps.
Its target was clear—it walked directly towards Gaius, who was at the front of the group, frozen in a combat stance.
This Greater Daemon of Tzeentch came before Gaius's massive body, covered in dark blue power armour, and slowly, with a bizarre flexibility unsuited to its colossal size, crouched down. Its long, giraffe-like neck bent, bringing its head, covered in ethereal blue bird feathers and shaped like an abstract bird, close to Gaius's helmet.
Countless tiny, cunningly gleaming eyes on its head, like scanners, meticulously scrutinized Gaius, as if to penetrate the cold ceramite armour and directly gaze into the soul within that had once rejected it.
A strange sound, a mixture of static and what seemed like countless languages whispering simultaneously, emanated from its non-vocal organs, carrying a tone of almost regret, yet full of malice:
"What a pity... truly... a pity..."
"Gaius... you... foolish... and stubborn soul..."
"You could have... been with Me... bathed in... the light of... eternal wisdom..."
"You could have... shed this... frail shell... become... a great being... overseeing the river of fate..."
"Why... did you refuse... that supreme... blessing?"
Its voice, like cold tentacles, tried to penetrate the consciousness frozen by time. However, Gaius's consciousness was not here at this moment.
The instant Gaius's chest was pierced by the chainaxe in the bloody Arena, and his consciousness sank, he did not feel the eternal darkness of death, nor did he fall into the blood god's domain of rage and slaughter. Instead, he felt as if he had passed through a long, bizarre tunnel, and finally, stepped once again into an incredibly familiar void filled with endless grey mist.
Here there was no up or down, no concept of time or space, only an eternal mist, seemingly capable of devouring everything, slowly flowing. Silence was the only prevailing theme.
"Here... is..." Gaius's almost dissipated consciousness slowly coalesced in this void. He recognized this place—it was the strange realm his soul had reached after he had defeated Tzeentch's will and personally severed the Mark of Change that entangled him in the psychic world! It was here that he had seen the soul fragments of his long-deceased mother and comrade Elisa Cole, received their guidance and encouragement, and finally been able to return to reality.
"How did I... end up back here again?" Gaius's consciousness was filled with confusion. He struggled to remember, "I only remember... in the Arena... fighting a World Eater... and then... by his weapon..."
Memories were like shattered glass, blurry and chaotic, fragments of death pricking him like cold needles, making the "body" of his consciousness tremble slightly.
"Could it be... I... I... died?" A heavy question, like a boulder, weighed on his heart. If this was where his soul went after death, why was his mother nowhere to be seen? Why was Elisa's smile absent? Only this eternal, silent mist?
Just as he was enveloped by this immense confusion and possible "death," an extremely subtle, yet unusually clear sound came from the mist "behind" him!
It was not a physical sound, but a "presence signal" that directly affected his perception!
The Astartes' ingrained vigilance and combat instincts instantly tensed his consciousness! He abruptly "turned," his invisible "hands" unconsciously clenching into fists, assuming a defensive stance, his sharp gaze piercing through the mist, firmly locking onto the direction from which the sound had come!
However, the anticipated enemy did not appear.
From the slowly parting mist, a figure he had never expected emerged—
Kolesa.
No, to be precise, it was Kolesa... as a child.
It was an Aeldari girl who looked only seven or eight years old, dressed in exquisite and flowing Aeldari attire, with long silver hair like moonlight, and a pair of large eyes as pure as nascent amethyst, yet with a hint of curiosity and shyness. Her appearance faintly showed the shadow of her future captivating beauty, but at this moment, it was more about an innocent and tender naivety, unaware of the ways of the world.
Gaius's consciousness froze, and his tightly clenched 'fists' unconsciously relaxed. He couldn't understand why he was seeing a phantom of young Kolesa here.
Before he could figure it out, the scene before his eyes began to flash rapidly like a kaleidoscope. He was like a silent observer, forcibly pulled into a river of Kolesa's long-sealed memories.
He saw a world of dreamlike beauty, filled with the unique aesthetics of the Aeldari—the Ark World of Aethel's Tear. He saw young Kolesa growing up in an extremely privileged environment, imbued with art and psychic energy. Her father was a highly respected, powerful Autarch Grand Psyker, serving as the chief of the Craftworld's Psyker Council. Her mother was the Craftworld's most renowned dancer, whose movements could communicate with souls.
He saw little Kolesa, influenced by her parents, yearn for the vast ocean of psychic knowledge and the elegant, powerful Governing Psyker path. Although she inherited her mother's astonishing dancing talent, she resolutely abandoned the relatively easier path of a dancer, which would have showcased her beauty more, choosing instead the more difficult path of a Governing Psyker, which required countless hours of effort and study. Her tender face was etched with a determination and persistence unsuited for her age.
The scenes shifted, and Kolesa gradually grew up, becoming more beautiful and captivating, her psychic skills increasingly refined. During her long youth, she met a young, handsome, and vibrant Aeldari warrior. They fell deeply and purely in love. They walked together in the Craftworld's forests, discussed their ideals and paths under the starry sky, and carried out missions together, supporting each other, listening to the softest words in each other's hearts... That time was the brightest, warmest color in Kolesa's memory.
Gaius finally learned the name that, when Kolesa mentioned the past, a flicker of imperceptible pain would cross her eyes—Kai.
However, this beautiful romance ended abruptly in the cruelest way. A sudden 'Exterminatus Crusade' against the Aeldari Craftworld, launched by the extremely xenophobic Black Templars Chapter, destroyed everything. The young warrior named Kai bravely died under the merciless bolter and chainsword fire of the Black Templars, covering Kolesa and other members of their kin during their evacuation. Gaius felt as if he could sense Kolesa's heartbreaking yet tearless despair and emptiness as she witnessed her beloved fall in the memory.
The scene shifted again. At two hundred and ten years old, Kolesa, through her talent and unremitting efforts, finally achieved her wish, becoming the youngest Governing Psyker in the history of the Ark World of Aethel's Tear, standing at the pinnacle of the psychic domain, revered and admired by countless members of her kin.
But fate's cruelty far exceeded imagination. Just at what seemed to be the most glorious moment of her life, a greater catastrophe struck—the sky-darkening Tyranid fleet, like a tide of death, surged towards Aethel's Tear. She witnessed her home devoured, her kin slaughtered, and her glorious civilization reduced to ruins under the claws of the swarm. To preserve the last spark of her people, she had to set aside her pride as a Governing Psyker and negotiate with the Ultramarines who had come to 'recover' a holy relic. Ultimately, at the cost of becoming a 'prisoner' and surrendering the holy relic, which was highly bound to the Craftworld, she secured the opportunity for eight thousand Aeldari children and a few warriors to board a human warship and escape their doomed fate.
The scroll of memory finally settled on the Macragge's Honour, and on Gaius.
From an observer's perspective, Gaius saw his first encounter with Kolesa, saw that he did not harbor hostility towards her, this 'xeno captive,' unlike other warriors. Instead, he showed her basic respect and... inadvertent gentle care. He saw Kolesa's initial wariness and aloofness gradually give way as she was drawn to his steadfastness, calmness, and the unextinguished spark of humanity hidden beneath his Astartes identity. He saw her inner struggle, saw how, little by little, after the immense pain of losing Kai, she once again, uncontrollably and deeply, fell in love with him, the Emperor's Angel of Death.
All the phantoms, at this moment, slowly dissipated like sand paintings scattered by the wind, re-merging into the endless gray mist around them.
Gaius stood rooted to the spot, his consciousness churning violently. Never before had he understood Kolesa's past so clearly and completely, understood the heavy pain and fervent emotions hidden beneath her gentleness and strength. He understood why she was so attached to him, why she said he made her feel 'at home' again.
Just then, he clearly felt a warm, pure, yet vast and ocean-like silver psychic energy continuously pouring from the 'depths' of his consciousness! This power was not unfamiliar to him; it was Kolesa's psychic energy! Unbeknownst to him, it had already become intimately connected with his own life essence!
The silver psychic energy, as if alive, slowly gathered and flowed before him, finally coalescing once again into Kolesa's form—no longer a youthful phantom, but the familiar, exquisitely beautiful, silver-haired, purple-eyed adult Kolesa.
She gazed at Gaius, her purple eyes filled with endless love, worry, and a resolute determination. She said nothing, only slowly stepped forward, extended her slender yet real arms, and gently, yet with immense force, embraced Gaius's broad and strong waist, which was composed of consciousness.
An indescribable warmth, power, and an indissoluble bond, through this embrace, surged into Gaius's core consciousness like a torrent, washing away the confusion caused by his 'death' and strengthening his already tenacious will.
Then, Kolesa's psychic phantom slowly dissipated again, but this time, it did not merge into the mist. Instead, it completely and utterly merged into Gaius's own consciousness and the depths of his soul, becoming one with him!
In the real world, within the stasis field.
The Lord of Change, having sufficiently admired Gaius's 'lifeless' body, slowly raised its bird-feathered head. A claw, formed of pure energy and flickering with cunning runes, extended from its sleeve. At its fingertip, a terrifying energy capable of annihilating souls and twisting reality gathered. It prepared to utterly erase this stubborn soul that had once rejected Tzeentch and now hindered its plans.
Just as its claw was about to touch Gaius's helmet—
An anomaly suddenly occurred!
A power utterly different from Khorne's savage bloodlust, and also different from Tzeentch's cunning and changeable nature, suddenly erupted from Gaius's motionless body!
It was not the psychic energy of an Astartes Brother, nor the pure faith of the Emperor, but a... highly contradictory hybrid!
First, Gaius's body underwent a visible, almost blasphemous, dramatic transformation! His power armour twisted, deformed, and reassembled as if alive! The deep blue livery was covered by a deeper, abyssal blue, as if containing an endless starry sky. The edges of the armour plates were outlined with dazzling golden patterns, and countless constantly opening and closing, ghostly blue eyes, flickering with wisdom and mystery, appeared on the armour's surface! A blue cloak, woven from starlight and adorned with complex Tzeentch symbols, billowed behind him without wind, rustling loudly!
His body also rapidly grew taller and expanded, becoming even more massive and imposing than Dorian in his terminator armour! His face still vaguely retained its original handsomeness, but from his forehead grew a pair of huge, elegant yet blasphemous Daemon Prince horns, formed of pure blue energy. They curved and intertwined, forming a demonic crown symbolizing knowledge and power!
At this moment, Gaius, in appearance, had transformed into... the form of a Tzeentch Daemon Prince!
However, contradictorily, upon this body filled with Tzeentchian characteristics, which should have exuded a strong aura of chaos and blasphemy, not a trace of corruption or evil could be felt! Instead, a faint but incredibly pure, sacred golden light faintly flickered at his heart, like a sea-stabilizing needle, solidifying his essence! That was the Emperor's power remaining within him. And even stronger was the boundless silver psychic energy, as pure as moonlight, surging like an unceasing river within him, dispelling all whispers of chaos, firmly seizing control of this powerful form's dominance!
It was Kolesa! It was she who, using her entire soul and psychic energy as a bridge and a sacrifice, awakened the Tzeentchian power within Gaius that had once been severed but still bore a 'mark'! And, with her pure love and will, combined with the Emperor's blessing, she forcibly seized, purified, and controlled this power that should have belonged to Chaos! Making it fight for protection, rather than for destruction and deceit!
The stasis field, under the impact of this sudden, powerful energy, a blend of divine blessing and the power of beloved, hummed under the strain, becoming extremely unstable, as if it could shatter at any moment!
Gaius suddenly raised his head! His eyes were no longer the cunning, ghostly blue of a Tzeentchian daemon, but his left eye burned with cold blue psychic flame, which was the controlled power of Tzeentch, while his right eye was like pure amethyst, reflecting Kolesa's phantom, which was her soul and will!
His cold gaze, like two tempered swords, instantly locked onto the Lord of Change, which was now close at hand, visibly frozen by this sudden drastic change, its myriad eyes filled with an expression of disbelief!
He slowly, with a movement filled with power and the essence of rebirth, drew the power sword from his waist, which had also undergone a transformation. The blade was no longer a ghostly blue disintegration field, but was wreathed in silver psychic energy and blue flames. The guard bore the symbol of Tzeentch, yet it was overlaid by a golden Imperial Aquila phantom!
A cold voice, filled with majesty and killing intent, emanated from Gaius's god-like, imposing body, clearly echoing within this crumbling temporal prison:
"Daemon..."
"Your end... has come!"