This is the bonus chapter for reaching 400 powerstones.
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The incredibly sharp daemon sword, Drach'nyen, slammed into the Obsidian Cage. Then, in a moment of sheer embarrassment, it was simply bounced back.
"Pfft."
Zeke struggled to hold back his laughter. He turned to Bloodhowl and handed him a Potion of the Turtle Master II.
"This story tells us that a pickaxe is better than a sword for mining blocks," Zeke joked.
Bloodhowl looked at Zeke and understood the tactical intent hidden behind the joke. Zeke and Bloodhowl moved simultaneously, pouncing on Abaddon from the left and right.
"Just because this strange stone can withstand my strikes doesn't mean your flesh and blood can," Abaddon snarled. He chose to strike at Zeke, who parried with his Manyullyn Shield. Drach'nyen struck the shield, failing for the second time.
Abaddon grew furious as his attacks were repeatedly thwarted. With the cursed blade pressed against the shield, the two stood face-to-face. Abaddon sneered with disdain, "Just another fool seduced by the Corpse-Emperor".
Zeke smiled at the attempt to provoke him. "Does a traitor of the Luna Wolves really have the face to talk to me?"
Abaddon's signature topknot flew upward as his face suddenly turned a deep red. "What did you say?" he ground out, grit through clenched teeth as if he wanted to crush the very words. Abaddon didn't know how this human had discovered secrets that should have been long forgotten, but it had successfully pierced his pride.
The words enraged Abaddon so much that he was a beat too slow to notice Bloodhowl behind him, raising his Stormrider Axe for a heavy strike.
Fools. Abaddon didn't even dodge. The axe bit into the Warmaster's breastplate, but he remained unmoved. Instead, he swung the Talon of Horus back in a counter-blow, striking the Wolf Lord's face and sending Bloodhowl tumbling out of control to the side.
Abaddon pulled his daemon blade back from Zeke's shield, intending to follow up with a finishing blow while Bloodhowl was off-balance. But Zeke followed up with another remark that stabbed straight at Abaddon's heart.
"What did Horus ever do to deserve a subordinate like you? He could have died with honor, but you turned him into a living joke".
Nothing hurts more than the truth of the past; sometimes words are more terrifying than weapons.
"Arghhh!" Abaddon's face looked like an active volcano, though it didn't erupt. He forced himself to calm down, realizing the human was intentionally trying to provoke him. But still—how dare he mention Horus!
Abaddon stopped focusing on Bloodhowl behind him. He decided to first eliminate this talkative human and silence his voice forever. With an unstoppable momentum, the Talon of Horus and the daemon blade took turns lunging at Zeke.
Here it comes, Zeke thought. He had been waiting for this. The biggest weakness of the Turtle Master potion is being "kited" or avoided; he welcomed this direct aggression. His verbal barbs were all meant to build "aggro" and make Abaddon desperate to kill him.
Zeke gulped down a Potion of the Turtle Master II. It provided 80% damage reduction, but his feet became heavy, and a nearly 90% movement speed reduction made it almost impossible to move.
Zeke met Abaddon's blade head-on. The daemon blade stabbed hard into Zeke's neck, and Zeke's face twisted in pain. Abaddon looked satisfied, but the pain on Zeke's face lasted only an instant, replaced by a cunning smirk.
Fooled you! Guess what? It doesn't hurt!
His health had dropped by exactly 20%, which, combined with the potion's 80% reduction, meant he had effectively tanked a full lethal blow. Zeke was inwardly shocked that without the potion, that strike would have killed him instantly, but he didn't stop his taunts.
"Abaddon, did you skip breakfast?"
"Hit me here," Zeke said, patting his chest. He activated his Manyullyn Chainsword, its teeth spinning frantically as he stabbed Abaddon. The teeth sparked against Abaddon's armor; a single attack stacked four layers of the Insatiable trait.
Abaddon began to wonder if something was wrong with Drach'nyen. Why was it failing him today after being invincible for so long? He tried to communicate with the blade, but Drach'nyen ignored him. Abaddon attacked Zeke repeatedly with the Talon of Horus, causing minor damage while simultaneously charging Zeke's Manyullyn Power Armor.
"Hey, did you forget something?"
Bloodhowl's voice came from behind Abaddon along with a sharp gust of wind. Abaddon might have ignored the Wolf Lord, but Bloodhowl wasn't going to show any mercy. The Stormrider Axe whistled through the air toward Abaddon's face.
Zeke followed up on the attack, swinging his chainsword from the opposite direction. Both weapons converged on Abaddon's head—right below his topknot. Abaddon ducked, narrowly avoiding the pincer attack, but a lock of his signature topknot was sliced off by Zeke's chainsword and sucked into his inventory.
Zeke felt it was a pity he missed the head. However, a second person watching felt an even greater sense of loss—that beautiful topknot had been ruined by Zeke.
Trazyn, lurking in a nearby corner, clenched his fists as he looked at "adorable" Abaddon. Heavens, what a perfect topknot, what a burly physique, and most importantly, the history he carries! He would surely be the most charming piece in Trazyn's display case. But now was not the time; Trazyn leaned further into the shadows and pulled out two Tesseract Labyrinths.
"What use is this?" Zeke thought, dismissively tossing the topknot into a corner of his inventory as he focused on the fight.
Having cut the hair, the Manyullyn Chainsword had reached maximum Insatiable stacks. His Manyullyn Power Armor, having absorbed Abaddon's attacks, was also fully charged. Zeke felt he had everything he needed. As the 20-second effect of the Turtle Master potion wore off, he covertly threw an Ender Pearl behind Abaddon.
His speed suddenly exploded as he reappeared like a ghost behind Abaddon, thrusting his chainsword toward the Warmaster's heart. Bloodhowl interfered with Abaddon's attempt to dodge, creating the perfect opening for Zeke.
The move landed solidly. Under various buff multipliers, the chainsword tore through Abaddon's armor and bit deep into his flesh, drawing blood. Abaddon shuddered, letting out an incredulous grunt. The chainsword greedily drank the Warmaster's blood, taking out 1/5 of his health in a single strike.
Combined with the previous scattered attacks, Abaddon's health had dropped to 1/2—a dangerous level. However, his regeneration speed was terrifyingly fast. Zeke remembered that Abaddon once took three power fist hits to the face from Marneus Calgar, so he wasn't too discouraged. After all, he was the tankiest Astartes in the 40K universe with the strongest healing factor.
Abaddon couldn't believe his defense had been breached by a mortal. As he turned his furious gaze toward Zeke, the young man simply downed another Potion of the Turtle Master and began a new round of "education".
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Next Goal: 400 Powerstones, u'all remember the Goal of this week right? Donate everything you got!!!