The moment the Holy Sword pierced the Captains Throne, golden flames surged like living creatures, rapidly spreading along the steel seams.
The machine spirit, corrupted by Chaos for countless years, let out a shriek so sharp it could be heard even in real space, as if it had suffered the most fatal penetration.
The next second, a torrent of violent Imperial Psychic Energy, like a bursting dam, erupted from the connection point between the Holy Sword and the throne.
Under their shocked gazes, a visible golden light rapidly coursed through various circuits. Wherever it passed, the Cogitators and Servo-Skulls, glowing with an eerie purple, crackled instantly. All corruption quickly receded like melted wax, replaced by the blue light signifying restoration.
Among everyone present, Sibylla, as a Psyker, felt it most keenly.
Her vision penetrated the alloy walls, seeing the corrupt matter, originally a fusion of flesh and metal, dissolve like melting ice and snow in the golden light, revealing the cold, solid alloy deck.
The blasphemous constructs, pieced together from bones and organs, ubiquitous throughout the ship, disintegrated under the holy energy impact, turning into dust and scattering into the air.
Even the viscous pus flowing in the ventilation ducts evaporated into harmless water vapor the moment the golden light touched it. The entire ship's air became fresh, and the nauseatingly sweet scent unique to Slaanesh was completely purged.
On the Bridge, Lucia gazed at the Holy Sword burning with golden light, feeling the pure and majestic will of the Emperor in the air, trembling with excitement.
She clasped her hands together in front of her chest and began to murmur a prayer.
"If clumsy but unwavering, the Emperor will protect. Prayer purifies the soul, scourging purifies the body. Strive for excellence, until death. Better to mutilate the body than to corrupt the spirit..."
Finally, Lucia abruptly looked up and solemnly declared, as a Living Saint:
"It is the Emperor's gaze. It is He, at this very moment, watching this ship, exercising His great power!"
"More precisely, the Emperor's gaze is watching this Holy Sword."
Above the Bridge, Adam's voice calmly rang out.
He raised his hand and gently stroked the blade of the Holy Sword; the golden flames flickered slightly with the motion. "And my Reality Warping Ability is equivalent to an amplifier, greatly materializing His power."
That's right, this was equivalent to a passionate combo attack from Adam and the Emperor, with a power output greater than 1+1=2.
Leonardo gazed at the Holy Sword emanating a sacred aura and whispered:
"No matter what, this is still a holy relic of our Lord."
Adam did not deny it. He simply gripped the hilt and gently pulled. The moment the Holy Sword left the throne, the golden flames receded back into the blade, leaving only a faint halo circulating.
He floated down, returning to the side of his team.
"Now, the purification is complete, but the Chaos corruption has still caused a large amount of physical damage to the ship. This cannot be recovered. We need to confirm whether this strike cruiser can still operate normally."
Adam stopped, raised the Holy Sword horizontally in front of him, and with a thought, his Reality Warping Ability activated again.
As he lightly traced the blade, Leonardo, Lucia, and Inquisitor Sibylla simultaneously felt an energy filling their entire bodies, once again raising their own Reality Intensity by a notch.
"This is..."
Everyone exclaimed in unison.
Sibylla frowned, being the first to ask:
"Lord Adam, will such a significant increase in Reality Warping level not affect you?"
"It won't now. Why do you think I insisted on forging this sword?"
Adam raised the Holy Sword to show everyone and explained, "This Holy Sword originates from the Emperor's power, and combined with my deliberate interference using my ability, it now possesses a Reality Intensity equivalent to a Level 2 Reality Warper.
However, because this Reality Intensity is still relatively weak compared to my current level, it won't help my subsequent ascension."
"But, the Reality Intensity on it can be completely separated by me and used to meet your leveling up needs. This way, I can successfully avoid my own losses."
He paused, then continued, "As for recovery, there's no need to worry. This sword is directly connected to the Golden Throne. All consumption is borne by the Emperor's endless faith and great power. Therefore, after a certain period, its Reality Intensity can recover autonomously."
"So that's how it is!"
Everyone was delighted at the news.
This was undoubtedly a huge improvement!
They had previously witnessed the power of Reality Warping Ability; that almost omnipotent force had left them astounded. They never expected to gain such convenient improvement now.
"Although your improvement won't be as exaggerated as jumping directly from Level 1 to Level 2, it is still a significant improvement, especially for you, Sibylla, as a Psyker."
Adam added.
"So, what is the name of this Holy Sword? Have you named it?"
Lucia asked curiously, her gaze never leaving the sacred silver-white longsword.
Adam pondered for a moment, his thoughts seemingly drifting back to a distant point, and soon made a decision.
"Its name is—Caladbolg."
After speaking the name, Adam did not explain its origin. He immediately changed the subject and continued to instruct, "Back to the main topic, we must first confirm whether this ship can actually sail. Only then can we make the next decision."
"Leonardo, your task is to explore the entire strike cruiser, inspect the damage to all facilities, especially the warp engine and Geller Field, and provide a report as soon as possible."
"Understood, Lord Adam."
Leonardo nodded and immediately responded.
"Lucia."
Adam looked at the Living Saint with wings, "Go and clear out the remaining Chaos cultists on the ship. Remember, if possible, try to capture all Chaos Space Marines you encounter along the way alive. They still have a purpose."
Lucia fell into thought: "Capture them alive? What use are those madmen, completely corrupted by the Chaos Gods?"
Adam's lips curled into a slight smile, and his eyes revealed a 'I have a plan' glint:
"Because I've thought of another way to make use of them."
Finally, he looked at Inquisitor Sibylla: "Your request is to return to our original ship via Warp travel, try to find any survivors, and... you also need to find a way to capture some Chaos Space Marines alive."
Although full of questions, Sibylla still nodded in assent: "Understood."
Soon, the three departed, leaving only Adam on the Bridge.
He walked to the viewport, gazing at the deep universe outside the window, the Holy Sword in his hand trembling slightly, as if responding to some distant will.