Seeing the little skinny monkey before him throw down such a provocation, Meneghîr—as the top-tier Warlock of the Ynnari—naturally had to teach this fellow a lesson.
In truth, this was also to vent the bitter frustration in his heart. After all, he held a special affection for Yvraine in his heart, and he naturally wished to resolve this little skinny monkey for her, clearing away her trouble.
Yvraine's intention was to cooperate with Lion, thereby giving them a much higher probability of securing the Croneswords while simultaneously exploring the secrets of the Black Library along the way.
However, Meneghîr did not see it that way. He felt that this group of human skinny monkeys were utterly untrustworthy.
According to legend, the Old Ones had also visited the human race, but at that time, humans were merely monkeys living in trees.
The ancestors of the Aeldari had once watched those monkeys, so the impression the Aeldari held of them had always remained that of little skinny monkeys.
Just like racists, their impression of other races would always remain fixed at their most backward and fragile moments.
Only in this way could they prove the strength of their own race, and only in this way could they satisfy the arrogance deep in their hearts.
"In that case, I shall have to resolve the problem myself!"
Meneghîr swung out with his Cronesword directly. Immediately following, the surrounding souls all seemed to be howling and eroding away.
The machine spirits behind him were wailing in grief; these lost ancient relics capable of contending with Primarchs were actually retreating backward against their own will.
These specialized artificial Iron Men had long since acquired their own souls—at present, these Iron Men were likely entities that even Szarekh the Silent King would covet.
Yet just as this deathly silent beam of extinction light was about to sweep toward the entire battle array—
For some unknown reason, a surge of forest-white flame suddenly erupted from Lion's body.
The flames entwined around Lion's powersword, followed by a single strike that unexpectedly canceled out the opponent's power of the God of Death.
At this moment, Meneghîr felt stunned, because he felt as though he had been targeted by an exceptionally experienced hunter.
Lion's figure flickered, and immediately the flintlock pistol in his hand erupted with a brilliant light.
Within the flames, there was not only a molecular disintegration beam, but even that Warp energy born of a hunter's instinct was present!
Meneghîr used the Cronesword in his hand to parry. Ordinarily, anything struck by a disintegration beam would be banished into the Warp.
However, certain things were originally entities of the Warp to begin with, so they naturally would not be banished back once more.
"Your divine artifact is quite interesting!"
"I thought this weapon would vanish while in your hands!"
"Vanish?"
Although Meneghîr felt the danger, the arrogance in his heart remained deep within his soul.
"This is the foundation of our current Ynnari—a Cronesword!"
"This is an existence with the hope of slaying Slaanesh; how could a little skinny monkey like you possibly comprehend it?"
Having said that, Meneghîr intended to channel the psychic power within his mind and continue using the sword in his hand.
Yet for some unknown reason, the power of Death within the Cronesword remained utterly unresponsive.
His power seemed to be sealed by something—dense, white flames were actually spreading across the hilt.
"If you can only rely on the power of a divine artifact to battle me, then you are far too weak!"
"I have spoken at length with my father. You merely inherited the legacy of the Old Ones and picked up a few cheap scraps!"
"Your civilization has never developed on its own from start to finish. And after leaving the Old Ones—aside from slowly walking toward decline, you have nothing worth marveling at!"
The Primarch's tone was filled with mockery, and many of these words were what Caleb had conveyed to him through conjectures based on the original plot.
Whether correct or not was no longer important now—because certain statements had already pierced viciously through the self-esteem of these Aeldari.
"Nonsense!"
Containing a trace of fury, Meneghîr still wanted to resist, only he did not know why, every time he summoned his soul power, he felt a sensation of being spied upon.
It was precisely at this moment—Meneghîr felt as though he had been targeted by something!
The desires and arrogance in his heart began to sprout within his mind. At the same time, within the Warp, a massive psychic hand seemed to be reaching toward him.
An Aeldari possessing psychic power appearing in the material universe was originally like a bright beacon in the Warp.
Previously, when they hid inside Craftworlds, perhaps they could still escape disaster.
However, exposed upon this desolate planet now, it was undoubtedly dancing naked right before the Dark Prince.
The Dark Prince naturally had to admire the view, and thus, this entity seated upon the player's throne arrived on the scene!
"Arrived, have you?"
The moment Slaanesh's gaze fell upon this spot, Caleb had already perceived that another entity had joined the chessboard.
Since a player had sat down at the table, his duel was about to begin.
The intensity of the upcoming battle would likely be no small matter. After all, the Dark Prince over there also wanted to get his hands on this item. He not only needed the souls of the Aeldari, but also preferred to collect the Croneswords held in these fellows' hands.
[Slaanesh: Ooh, a nice little snack!]
The moment Slaanesh saw the little snack, he excitedly wanted to devour it.
However, just as Slaanesh was about to reach out his hand and violate the rules of the game—
The chessboard caused Caleb to involuntarily reach out his hand and deliver a slap to Slaanesh.
"Get back to your death, abide by the rules!"
The voice originated from the Immaterium. Let alone Slaanesh, not even Tzeentch could violate this rule.
Otherwise, the entire universe would have long since been enveloped under the rule of the Chaos Gods.
Currently, the Great Rift had not yet opened, so the influence of the Chaos Gods on the real universe remained limited.
[Slaanesh: How vexing~]
Slaanesh, whose mind was originally delighted, naturally grew somewhat annoyed upon being suddenly denied the tasty treat.
However, he immediately felt that this game was not unplayable.
Because he saw the Cronesword—perhaps he could have Shalaxi Hellbane fetch this item over!
[Slaanesh: Shalaxi, time for you to step up!]
Slaanesh spoke thus to Shalaxi Hellbane with a beaming smile.
Since that mysterious entity wanted to play chess against him, he did not mind playing a match with him in the material universe.
A purple Warp rift opened, and immediately following, a massive number of Daemonettes and Handmaidens of Slaanesh surged forth from within.
These exquisite dancers possessed superb skills on par with Warlock Dancers.
Their combat was like one gorgeous dance after another; not only were their skills exquisite, but their reactions were also extremely agile.
They could even slice through ordinary Aeldari like skewered hawthorns with ease.
Let alone ordinary Aeldari, not even the elite Ynnari among the three factions' Aeldari were their match.
Originally, the Aeldari Seers had foretold all of this, but as luck would have it, Meneghîr had actually gotten into a fight with the Primarch at this time, ruining everything.
"Truly, one wave hasn't settled before another rises!"
"Though they are mere daemons, it's not as if I haven't slain their kind before!"
Lion, on the other hand, did not care about the daemons before his eyes in the slightest. He had banished even Skarbrand, the top Greater Daemon under Khorne, let alone these demonic plagues.
By now, Lion's individual combat capability was already formidable—he had even glimpsed his own Warp essence.
A hunter within the jungle, a sleeping lion.
The hunter could stride through the jungle, slaying all enemies.
He could even surge that jungle forth, causing the enemies to plunge into this hunting forest.
[Caleb: Lion, isn't your Warp essence capable of shifting any jungle onto the battlefield?]
[Dad will give you a coordinate. As long as you shift that jungle over, you won't need to move—just let them play among themselves!]
Caleb smiled knowingly, and immediately passed the planetary coordinates of Catachan to Lion.
At this time, Lion did not yet know how underworldly the flora of Catachan truly was.
He simply believed firmly that his father would not deceive him.
"The Cronesword!"
After Hellbane arrived on the battlefield, the first thing he focused on was not Lion, but the Cronesword in Meneghîr's hand.
Hellbane coming here at this time was actually meant to seize the Cronesword that Yvraine had just acquired.
However, seizing the one in Meneghîr's hand now served the exact same purpose. Out of the 5 Croneswords, as long as he seized one, his plan would be considered complete.
Shalaxi Hellbane leaped up, and immediately slaughtered every single soldier of the Ynnari at will, like skewering hawthorns.
The Ynnari under his feet could not last a single move; six arms could slaughter these exquisitely skilled warriors at will.
It was as though the reaction speed of the Ynnari was not worth mentioning before Hellbane.
"No!"
Meneghîr had completely failed to expect that his moment of impulsive anger would actually lead to such severe consequences.
The Aeldari slain by a Greater Daemon of Slaanesh would be ravaged and devoured by Slaanesh.
As everyone knew, if an Aeldari fell into Slaanesh's embrace, it was a fate worse than death.
That was why the Aeldari side would even seek the most direct death, which was why they chose the Path of the God of Death.
Now, the reason the Ynnari cult was able to gain such vast influence was precisely because they firmly believed they could achieve absolute death.
They were no longer afraid of death, but they were terrified of being enslaved by Slaanesh.
"Fresh and delicious souls!"
"You are the most magnificent gifts I present to Lord Prince of Pleasure!"
The moment these words were spoken, the Ynnari troops nearly collapsed.
Some even disobeyed orders, retreating directly back into the Webway.
Only an idiot would die at the hands of a Greater Daemon of Slaanesh; even if they retreated into the Webway and were executed, it was far better than being slain by a Greater Daemon of Slaanesh.
Almost at this exact instant, Meneghîr also recalled the terror from the depths of his soul.
He instinctively wanted to take the Cronesword and leave, yet he had never expected Shalaxi's reaction speed to be even faster.
"Lord Primarch! Warmaster of the Imperium, I admit you are stronger than me!"
"Do me this favor, and I will tell you everything you require!"
By now, for the Aeldari, it was no longer a matter of being afraid to die or not. If they could die a bit more thoroughly, that would also be a good thing. The problem was that dying at the hands of a Greater Daemon of Slaanesh meant dying with unclosed eyes.
Dying at this fellow's hands was inferior to having one's life and path extinguished, with the soul thoroughly annihilated.
"Tch—wouldn't it have been better if you spoke like this from the start?"
"Always provoking me; don't you know I dislike hearing harsh words?"
Seeing Lion's tsundere appearance, Azrael—who was still firing bolter rounds off to the side—could only mumble to himself internally.
Didn't he know his own Primarch was soft-hearted but resisted force?
You could shamelessly hug Lion's foot and weep bitterly while begging, but you must never pretend to be tough in front of Lion.
Otherwise, this fellow would not only look down on you, but would even beat you up brutally.
However, if the words sounded pleasant, Lion might display his magnanimous side, and might not even mind playing the role of a strict mother.
By now, some members of the Inner Circle had grown accustomed to Lion's temperament.
Everyone knew deep down that Mother Lion was a tsundere who cared immensely about them, her children.
Lion executed his skill: Forest Walk.
Only this time, what he stepped upon was no ordinary forest, but the forest of Catachan—a exceptionally perilous forest.
At this instant, the surrounding environment seemed to change color. Upon the originally desolate planet, a patch of land was suddenly filled with forest.
This was a lush, green forest filled with peril.
At the same time, a group of croaking Catachan Barking Toads was continuously wandering around over here.
[Caleb : My good daughter, run for it quickly!]
[If you want to take a full face of nuclear explosions, then just stay put!]
[Lion: What target?]
Although Lion had not yet figured out what his father meant, the hunter's instinct for danger made him directly carry his offspring and swiftly leave this place.
Originally, Hellbane wanted to use the daemon sword in his hand to execute the Aeldari before him and enjoy a fine meal.
Yet for reasons unknown, a Catachan toad suddenly hopped onto Meneghîr's chest and began croaking.
The creature puffed up its poison sac, looking extremely frightened and vicious.
For such a hideous thing to suddenly hop before a Greater Daemon of Slaanesh, the Greater Daemon of Slaanesh naturally felt a profound disgust toward it.
"Hideous creature, die together!"
If Catachan warriors saw this scene, they would surely feel admiration: What kind of creature was this? So fiercely valiant?
Unfortunately, there were no humans in this forest at all—only these endless venomous creatures.
BOOM!
A terrifying explosion smashed this entire area completely to pieces.
The splashing venom directly poisoned all surrounding daemons until they vaporized!
If it were a Greater Daemon of Nurgle, perhaps it could take a few hits.
Regrettably, however, they were unarmored Greater Daemons of Slaanesh, who were truly counter-matched by Catachan toads.
Psyk-out vines capable of dampening psychic power suddenly rose out of the ground. Originally, Hellbane had thought that after being blown to death, he would return to the Warp.
Yet he had never expected that his soul would actually be detained by this strange geographical environment!
It seemed as though some great terrifying entity had targeted him—that was an existence capable of enslaving souls, especially a soul with self-awareness like his!
"No, this is impossible! What kind of forest is this, how could such a thing exist here!"
"I am a Greater Daemon, I am Shalaxi Hellbane!"
"How could I possibly be trapped by this kind of ghostly thing? Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
Clearly, many Greater Daemons had no concept of Catachan's environment.
In a hellish place like Catachan, even a man had to crouch, and even a beast had to coil.
The entire planet was a massive living organism; even the Tyranids of the Great Devourer might not have a way to deal with it, let alone these daemons.
By the time the jungle dissipated, Lion only heard sound after sound of strange chewing.
Lion felt astonished by this sound; he could perceive that the forest seemed to be enjoying the souls of daemons!
However, he had completely failed to expect that his "Forest Walk" skill could be used in such a manner!
Still, that hellish place was truly far too treacherous; if he had taken two steps out, he might really have been blown to death by those toads!
"My Primarch, is it alright to put me down now?"
Azrael felt quite embarrassed. Just now, at the instant that explosion occurred, he was actually carried away on his Primarch's shoulder while running.
Although his reaction speed could perceive the explosion, his running speed was completely incomparable to Lion's.
With a single stride, Lion could even briefly burst out at sonic boom speeds.
Precisely because of this, he was able to escape that final shockwave and flee to a location where his body could withstand it.
"You, far too weak!"
Lion directly threw Azrael off to the side in annoyance.
Although the throwing manner resembled tossing trash, Azrael could still feel his Primarch's deep care for him.
To think that toward such a gentle, reasonable genetic mother, he had actually gone and plotted against her.
This inevitably made Azrael feel somewhat guilty.
[Caleb : You, you're quite nice to the children!]
[I wonder if you'll still be able to sit still when this child of yours sees your bunny girl photos!]
[Lion: What? Dad, you're not joking, are you? How could this fellow possibly know about those kinds of photos!]
[Impossible, impossible! If this fellow knew, his attitude definitely wouldn't be like this now!]
[For all I know, jokes about me would be spreading throughout the entire Dark Angels—at least among the high command!]
The tsundere Primarch remained stubborn.
Little did he know that all of this was prophesied by Caleb using divination.
Caleb's divination was not like that pit of the Aeldari's.
Supreme divination could lock onto a future in which he had not participated.
[Caleb: Alright, go collect the spirit stones beside the Cronesword!]
[Also bring that sword over. With this sword, Yvraine will come seeking you in person!]
Lion did not know the importance of this divine artifact to the Aeldari, but Caleb knew it exceptionally clearly.
As long as the little lion kept this sword under his control, there would be no fear of other Aeldari disobeying.
Because if they wanted to slay Slaanesh in the future, they could not bypass Lion no matter what.
Having this item was far more useful than a single marriage contract paper from the Lord Regent's wife.
Caleb had also figured out how to forge an alliance with the Aeldari: bring this Cronesword back first, and then when a suitable day arrived, use this sword as Guilliman's betrothal gift to exchange for a dowry at Yvraine's place!