Chapter 104: An Unexpected Event
"Impossible!" Horus roared, his body shaking violently, chaotic power raging within him as if to completely consume him.
"Why did they lie to me?!"
He wildly swung his warhammer, again trying to repel Francis.
However, each of his attacks grew slower and weaker, corruption weighing down every movement.
Francis's power sword flashed like lightning, easily dodging every attack and countering swiftly. Each time the blade flashed, it carried judgment-like force, tearing through Horus's defenses with surgical precision.
As the battle progressed, Francis increasingly gained the upper hand.
Every swing of Horus's warhammer carried uncontrollable power, but against Francis's blade, each of his counterattacks seemed weak, as if struggling blindly in darkness.
Francis swung his sword with force, the power blade slashing like a beam of light toward Horus's chest.
The blade cut through his defense. Blood gushed out. His breathing became rapid, and his entire body was knocked back several steps.
Francis swung again, a powerful force piercing through space, directly hitting Horus's shoulder, completely sending him flying.
A powerful psychic shock teleported the two from the warp back to realspace.
His body lost control, crashing heavily against the command room wall with a deafening sound. Ceramite plates cracked under the impact.
At that moment, Francis's power sword emitted dazzling light, as if the Emperor's will illuminated the entire battlefield.
Horus was defeated!
He lay on the ground, his armor shattered, blood and Chaos corruption intertwined. His face was twisted in pain, as if enduring endless torment in these final moments.
"Why is everyone lying to me? Why!"
"Father, will you not even say a word to me anymore?"
Every breath he took, every painful groan, seemed to be fighting against Chaos, trying to break free from this immense, corrupting power.
"Don't speak. Just feel carefully."
Francis took a deep breath, extended a hand, and a brilliant light burst from his fingertips, the power bestowed upon him by the Emperor.
Within Horus's body, the Emperor's holy light began a fierce confrontation with Chaos filth, a clash of light and dark, forming deafening energy fluctuations in the air.
As Francis's palm gradually approached his body, the power of Chaos erupted again, as if unwilling to surrender this vessel.
His body trembled violently, his eyes wide, filled with pain and rage.
"No... I don't want to..."
He groaned hoarsely, a mix of Chaos and humanity struggling within his words.
"Impossible... I won't allow you to do this..."
The power of Chaos counterattacked wildly, continuously eroding every inch of his skin, trying to re-consume him.
His hands began to twitch. Each breath he took was like fighting an invisible torrent. Black runes pulsed within his body, spreading through his blood like serpents.
Francis gritted his teeth, every muscle taut. Every ray of light purified the corruption and filth within Horus's body.
"I must... I must save you, Horus!"
His voice was firm, filled with unshakeable determination.
Suddenly,
On Terra.
Dozens of cultists clad in strange robes held long daggers. They used sharp blades to cut open the bodies of victims, releasing feelings of pain, forcing souls from their bodies, and making them pure offerings.
Each tearing of flesh, each tremor of the heart, brought extreme pleasure to these followers of Slaanesh, pleasure that transcended pain and delved into the depths of the soul.
They also transmitted messages through a webway entrance they'd discovered, spreading news that the Emperor was building a webway project.
The cultists were ecstatic at this act of betraying the Imperium and inciting Chaos power. They felt unprecedented pleasure, as if dancing on the edge of pain, seeking an even more extreme source of sensation.
Their ecstasy eventually attracted the warp's attention. Cracks appeared around the altar, like invisible dark doorways, and twisted energy surged out, spreading wildly.
Violent spatial distortions caused an extremely violent explosion in the ritual.
The ruptured space formed a giant vortex above the altar. Violent energy raged like a storm. The power of Chaos had completely torn apart the altar, and the warp's essence converged with the material realm.
Instantly, countless daemons burst through the spatial rifts, pouring into this altar filled with violent excess.
Before the cultists could react, they were completely torn apart by the very daemons they'd summoned!
"Hahaha~ For the Lord of Excess!"
"Hahaha~"
"..."
The commotion alarmed the Custodians of the Imperial Palace. Tens of thousands of Custodians and Sisters of Silence all guarded the Throne Room's entrance!
"For the Emperor!"
"For the Emperor!"
"..."
Even in the Imperial Palace's depths, a group of warriors in silver-grey power armor opened their eyes!
The Emperor's voice appeared in Francis's mind.
"I can't give you any more power for now. Leave quickly."
The call seemed to shake his entire soul. Francis's movements abruptly halted. His eyes narrowed, confusion and doubt appearing on his face.
He felt the Emperor's power draining away. They'd come this far!
He was unwilling!
The power of Chaos erupted again, storm-like energy almost tearing apart the Vengeful Spirit's command room.
Francis pulled at Horus with all his might, until there was a tearing sound, as if something had ripped apart.
His eyes were blood-red, full of madness and pain, but his body was rapidly recovering.
Francis immediately made a decision!
"Go!"
He quickly turned and scooped up Guilliman and the others, flying rapidly out of the Vengeful Spirit. The other loyalist warriors also received orders.
Facing the Emperor's command, they chose to obey unconditionally. Clone Horus widened his eyes, looking at his rapidly corrupting original body, wanting to rush forward.
Finally, he reluctantly accepted the order and returned to his vessel.
Not only them, but Vulkan, Corax, and the Lion quickly withdrew from battle.
Even Perturabo and Ferrus flew out of the Endurance in an assault craft, directly tearing through the Death Guard flagship. A huge gap burst from the command room.
Green liquid splattered across the entire starfield!
Although they didn't understand what had happened, they had to obey the Emperor's words.
Just one step away! Francis was unwilling!
He suddenly remembered that this place wasn't far from the Sol System. Although Magnus couldn't directly contact Terra...
He could surely be made to attack the Vengeful Spirit here!
He contacted Magnus in the Emperor's tone. "Magnus! Can you attack here?"
Magnus, who'd been sitting steadily on his throne, was stunned. He immediately sat up straight and rubbed his eyes.
How could there be Father on Terra and another Father near the Sol System?
"I can't right now. Much of my psychic power has been absorbed by the throne."
"Also, who are you? Why do you look like my Father!"
"Why are you using Father's communication method?" Magnus sighed. This was supposed to be their little secret.
Francis: "...I'm Francis. Hanging up!"
Magnus: "..."
The last effort failed. Francis had no choice but to command the fleet to withdraw from the battlefield quickly.
As soon as he arrived on the Abyss's Roar, Francis felt as if his body had been hollowed out. The intense feeling of weakness even made him kneel. Seeing this, all the Primarchs gathered around him.
"Father! What's wrong with you?"
"What happened to Horus? Father!"
"What exactly happened? Father!"
"...Father!"
The Primarchs kept calling him "Father." The Soul Drinkers outside the command room looked confused, muttering softly:
"No way! Is it really the Emperor? Then where's our Primarch?"
"That's our Father, not their Father!"
"What exactly is going on?"
As the golden light gradually faded, although Francis still looked like Guilliman and the others immediately recognized the Emperor, his Hundred-Eyed Armor.
It was clearly Francis's armor; how could the Emperor be wearing it?
Although he'd had the Emperor's aura and power, that power was gradually weakening. At the same time, they hadn't seen Francis, so all those times they'd called him "Father"...
They were actually calling...
Thinking of this, Guilliman and the others' faces turned black, but they still couldn't be entirely sure whether Father had impersonated Francis, or Francis had impersonated the Emperor.
After all, the scene just now far exceeded their imagination.
Francis didn't think much about it and directly drank the blood mixture again.
Before his vision could darken, the Emperor transmitted all the information to him at once.
Upon receiving the information, Francis was stunned.
It was precisely this act of drinking blood that made Guilliman and the others immediately understand!
"..."
"..."
This is fucking Francis!
"Francis! Why didn't you speak just now? We all thought you were..."
Guilliman, who'd been extremely weak just a moment ago, suddenly became full of energy again. He asked, his face red and eyes wide.
Francis, slowly digesting the information, looked at him, seemingly remembering what he needed to do.
"Terra is in trouble!"
These five short words made everyone present's hearts sink.
"What's going on? Don't scare us!"
Sanguinius took a trembling step forward.
Although they were very uneasy, looking at Francis with the Emperor's face felt... strange. Very twisted!
"Terra has been invaded by daemons again! This time, they directly invaded the Imperial Palace!"
Guilliman hastily said, "Then we'll immediately return to Terra!"
"Wait, if we return to Terra now, won't Horus and the others follow us in?"
[End of Chapter]
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