Warhammer [579-581] (Patreon)

Chapter 579: The Dark Side of the Empire, Sanguinius' Revenge, Slaughtering the Greater Daemon of Khorne

Leman Russ hurriedly departed with his Wolf Guard. Guilliman and Rhodes watched his receding figure with satisfied smiles. The return of the Wolf King would once again bolster the Empire's strength.

With the Primarchs gradually returning one after another, the Chaos forces were now under immense pressure, completely on the back foot.

Strictly speaking, all the Primarchs had now returned.

The only one who hadn't was Ferrus Manus, who was in a state of death. Rhodes didn't have the time to revive him in the short term.

No one in the Empire was urging Rhodes to do anything about Ferrus Manus.

After all, Rhodes had already revived Malcador, recovered many lost Primarchs, and single-handedly transformed the Empire into its current hopeful state.

In the following time, Rhodes focused solely on staying on Holy Terra, patiently waiting for the Emperor to strip away the Chaos godhood.

When he had time, he would go to the Cosmic Beast Planet to spend time with his two daughters and two wives, visit the soon-to-give-birth Aisha, or accompany Elena.

He also used the communication abilities of the cosmic phantom beasts to chat with his two sons. Now, his two sons could stand on their own, each leading their own legions along with some of Rhodes's gene-sons.

They were clearing out various xenos within the Imperial Sanctum, further expanding human colonies.

Guilliman and Malcador were buried in heavy administrative duties all day long.

The return of the Wolf King once again caused a huge stir in the Empire. The Space Wolves held a grand banquet on Fenris, breaking out their treasured ale.

They celebrated the return of the Great Wolf Father. Leman Russ's return brought unimaginable benefits to the entire Space Wolves, and all the Wolf's progeny began to cheer.

After a brief reunion, Leman Russ quickly led his gene-sons to the dark side of the Empire to support his brothers. His brothers had been fighting on the dark side for years, and it was time for him to join the fray.

In the pitch-black starry sky, cannon fire roared as Imperial fleets and Chaos fleets engaged in brutal slaughter amid shattered starfields.

Horus's flagship, the Vengeful Spirit—no longer a symbol of Chaos, but repainted in Imperial iron gray, with the eagle emblem on its prow shining with holy light—led the Imperial fleet in breaking into the enemy lines.

After the battle at Vigilus ended with the defeat of Chaos Warmaster Abaddon, Horus's flagship, lost for ten thousand years, returned to the hands of this former Warmaster.

Using the powerful light energy of his Light Giant form, Horus successfully purged all Chaos from the Vengeful Spirit. Then, through Belisarius Cawl's engineers on Rhodes's side, the ship was fitted with a faster-than-light engine and expanded. It became a massive battleship about 50 kilometers long.

Its macro-cannon arrays spewed destructive lances of light, slicing a Chaos battleship in half at the waist. The explosion's flames bloomed silently in the vacuum.

On the fleet's flank, Lion El'Jonson's Invincible Reason acted like a sharp knight's longsword, precisely piercing the weak points of the Chaos fleet. The Dark Angels' fleet executed near-perfect tactical coordination, dividing and encircling Chaos warships one by one.

"All ships, attention: Target locked—Nurgle plague ship Rotten Breath. Saturation bombardment!" Lion's cold voice echoed through the fleet channel.

At this moment, the Lion King was exceptionally excited. It felt like everything had returned, as if it were ten thousand years ago, with the Primarchs fighting shoulder to shoulder once more for the Empire and all humanity.

Except for those traitorous villains, all the brothers had returned.

In the next second, hundreds of plasma torpedoes fired in unison. The bloated Nurgle ship disintegrated in a dense explosion, its foul pus and plague zombies freezing into disgusting ice crystals in the vacuum.

However, the Chaos fleet's counterattack was equally fierce. Khorne blood raiders emerged from Warp rifts, their hulls adorned with skulls and chains. Its ramming prow directly pierced an Imperial cruiser, followed by thousands of Chaos berserkers boarding via assault torpedoes.

"They're boarding! Prepare to engage!" the Space Marine commander on the bridge roared.

"My children, do not panic. Your father is with you. Face our enemies bravely, let them know the might of the Empire, the might of humanity." Lion El'Jonson drew his massive Tiger Soul warblade and spoke.

Once upon a time, his weapon was the Lion Sword, but ten thousand years of slumber had long caused him to lose it. However, the Tiger Soul blade formed from cosmic phantom beast power suited him even better.

"For the great Gene-Father! Fight for the Lion!"

"Brothers, show our enemies what they're up against—show them they're facing the Lion's progeny."

"First Legion eternal!"

Countless Dark Angels shouted as hordes of Chaos Space Marines and Chaos daemons rushed into the ship.

But what met them was not terrified human soldiers, but the uniform sound of bolters being loaded.

The Dark Angels raised their weapons, shouting "The Empire eternal! The Lion eternal!" and launched attacks against the boarding Chaos Space Marines.

The Chaos tide surged into the ship's interior, staining bulkheads with filthy blood, the air thick with rot and sulfur. Khorne berserkers roared through corridors, chainaxes and power swords hacking at everything in their path.

But the Dark Angels were already arrayed in formation.

"Hold the line! For Caliban!"

The Terminator squad "Deathwing" formed a steel bulwark at the front, their storm bolters spewing tongues of fire, tearing the foremost Chaos warriors to shreds.

A Khorne Chosen swung a bloodied greataxe, only to have his skull smashed by a Terminator captain's power fist, brains and metal fragments splattering everywhere.

"Traitors, you defile the Emperor's light!" the Dark Angels company master roared, his power fist's energy field humming.

The Chaos response was a bout of maniacal laughter. A Black Legion Chaos Lord pushed aside corpses and stepped forward, his armor etched with blasphemous runes, corrosive venom dripping from his power claw.

"Dark Angels? You're just a bunch of cowards hiding behind secrets!" The First Legion's scandals were known to all—Fallen Angels, the second empire, and all that.

The Dark Angel said nothing, drawing his power sword and charging directly.

The heavy steps of Terminator armor shook the deck. The two clashed in the narrow corridor, power sword and power claw colliding in a shower of sparks.

If Chaos dared to probe their secrets, then Chaos must be silenced. The First Legion truly had no secrets now; any mention of them touched the Dark Angels' reverse scale and must be killed.

The bridge broadcast carried the Lion's icy voice: "All squads, report status."

"Section A: All Chaos scum cleared!"

"Section B: Clearing in progress, estimated twenty minutes to end combat!"

"Section C: Combat concluded, preparing to support other areas."

The comms channel was filled with mostly good news—either enemies were already dealt with or soon would be.

The new era's Primaris super-Astartes technology had directly widened the gap between Astartes and Chaos forces.

Lion El'Jonson nodded in satisfaction, looking at Azrael beside him—now the Dark Angels' first deputy chapter master after completing the Redemption Crusade.

"Father, at most half an hour, and we'll tear the Chaos fleet before us to shreds," Azrael said gravely.

The Lion didn't reply, merely gripping the Tiger Soul blade tighter. The phantom beast soul on the blade let out a low growl.

"Well done, my children. I'm going to stretch my legs a bit too."

In the next second, the Lion rushed into the battlefield like a silver lightning bolt, his speed far exceeding that of ordinary Space Marines. The Tiger Soul blade traced a blazing arc through the air.

A charging Khorne berserker didn't even have time to react before being cleaved in two, his burning remains falling to the ground.

"The Lion is here! The Lion King has come!"

The Chaos warriors retreated in terror, but it was too late.

Lion El'Jonson descended from above, as if entering no-man's-land. Under the swing of his warblade, each stroke claimed several Chaos scum lives.

His fighting style was precise and deadly, with no superfluous movements—only the purest efficiency of slaughter, even carrying a violent aesthetic.

A Nurgle daemon tried to block him with a plague cloud, but the Lion merely snorted coldly. The phantom beast soul on the blade roared fiercely, its blazing white light incinerating the corrupting mist. Then, he thrust the blade through the daemon's pustule-ridden body, burning it to ashes.

"Clear all enemies," the Lion's voice rang out on the comms channel.

With the last Chaos Space Marine slain, the battle inside the ship finally ended.

The Dark Angels began clearing the battlefield, recovering their comrades' bodies and executing any enemies not yet dead.

The Lion stood on the bridge, gazing out the viewport at the ongoing space battle.

Horus's Vengeful Spirit was bombarding the last Chaos capital ship, with Sanguinius's golden figure shining above the enemy vessel.

Leman Russ's wolf pack fleet flanked from the side, completely cutting off the enemy's retreat. When Primarchs coordinated in battle, it could make enemies tremble in fear.

"Father, we've won," Azrael said softly, approaching him.

The Lion was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"Yes, but the war is far from over. We have more traitors to kill, more Chaos dogs to purge!"

At that moment, the Primarchs were teleported to the planet's surface via shipboard librarians' psychic abilities, launching an attack on the last Chaos forces on the planet.

On the shattered planetary surface, the war was equally brutal.

Sanguinius unfurled his brilliant wings, wielding a flaming greatsword, streaking across the battlefield like a golden meteor.

His target was a Greater Daemon of Khorne—Skarbrand.

These two were old adversaries. Khorne's foremost daemon constantly sought to drag the Angel and his progeny into Chaos's fold.

In the Warp, Sanguinius had harbored deep hatred for Khorne's daemons, so slaughtering this Khorne Greater Daemon was incredibly satisfying.

"Great Angel! Your blood shall be offered to the Blood God!" Skarbrand roared as he charged.

Sanguinius didn't reply, merely flapping his wings to soar high, then diving down.

Sanguinius's golden wings traced a brilliant trail through the smoke-filled battlefield, his flaming greatsword erupting with blinding light.

Facing the charging Skarbrand, the Great Angel's lips curled into a contemptuous sneer.

"Is that all?" Sanguinius elegantly twisted in mid-air, effortlessly dodging Skarbrand's heavy double-axe swing. "Ten thousand years, and your moves are still this clumsy."

The Khorne Greater Daemon let out a deafening roar, turning to pounce again.

Sanguinius suddenly accelerated, delivering a spinning kick that heavily struck the daemon's ugly face, staggering it back.

"Look at you," the Angel hovered in mid-air, his sword tip disdainfully pointing at the daemon. "You don't even understand basic combat. Is this the trash Khorne teaches?"

Skarbrand angrily swung his double axes, gathering furious energy on the weapons. "I'll tear off your wings! Offer your skull to the Blood God!"

Sanguinius suddenly dove down, his sword light like lightning. "Anyone can talk big?"

The Great Angel's sword edge precisely parried one waraxe, then a kick to the daemon's knee produced a crisp crack of breaking bone. "Get up, trash. Show me how capable Khorne's mightiest warrior is."

In truth, if Sanguinius wanted, he could end the battle in an instant, killing this Khorne Greater Daemon in seconds.

But that would be letting this bastard off too easy. Over ten thousand years, how many of his gene-sons had died at his hands? So the Great Angel planned to properly torment this Khorne Greater Daemon, Skarbrand.

The massive Khorne daemon knelt on one knee, angrily exhaling scorching breath.

Sanguinius had already circled behind it, slicing off half its wing with one sword stroke. "Too slow, really too slow."

Sanguinius mocked his opponent, yet his longsword mercilessly pierced the daemon's chest.

But this strike was perfectly measured—severely wounding the foe without killing it instantly.

The Khorne daemon leaped up in fury to pursue, but Sanguinius dodged aside, letting Skarbrand miss, then slashing the Greater Daemon's back with his sword.

"Does it hurt? Do you know the pain I've felt watching my gene-sons slaughtered by you over these ten thousand years?" Sanguinius gritted his teeth.

Skarbrand roared in pain as he turned, the Greater Daemon completely losing reason, charging recklessly.

A glint flashed in Sanguinius's eyes—it was time to end this revenge battle.

Finally, he could avenge those fallen gene-sons. Damn Khorne daemon.

The Great Angel suddenly transformed into a streak of golden light, piercing Skarbrand's chest at astonishing speed.

The flaming greatsword erupted with holy flames inside the daemon's body, incinerating it from the inside out.

"Farewell, pitiful wretch." The terrifying holy fire utterly destroyed the Greater Daemon's soul; he didn't even qualify to return to Khorne's Brass Throne.

Chapter 580: A Sudden Enemy Appears, Mortarion??

Skarbrand's ashes had not yet settled when Sanguinius already flapped his wings and flew toward the next battlefield.

His golden wings shone amid the smoke, each flap unleashing a holy storm that purified the surrounding Chaos corruption.

After eliminating Skarbrand, this great enemy of the Blood Angels, the Great Angel's mood was unprecedentedly good.

On another part of the battlefield, Leman Russ had fully unleashed the power of Wolf Gas, transforming into a hundred-meter-tall flaming giant wolf.

He rampaged through Nurgle's corrupted legions, his claws tearing apart plague warriors, his flame breath charring Nurgle daemons to cinders.

"Haha! Now this is more like it!" The Wolf King laughed wildly, smashing a Chaos Lord's head with one paw.

The Wolf King charged into the Chaos Space Marine formation as if it were empty, directly pouncing on a massive Chaos Titan and violently dismantling it.

Countless Chaos Space Marines screamed as they were torn to pieces by Leman Russ's giant wolf form. Some Chaos Space Marines who had gained gigantification abilities tried to join the fight, but in front of a hundred-meter-tall flaming giant wolf, their 50-meter heights seemed diminutive.

Leman Russ's massive claws swung, instantly shredding a gigantified Chaos Space Marine. The Space Wolves members in the rear roared in support of their Gene-Father!

On the smoke-filled battlefield, Sanguinius hovered in mid-air, his golden wings spread wide, each feather emanating pure light. He looked down at his brother transformed into a flaming giant wolf, a pleased smile on his lips.

"Looks like you don't need my help, old wolf."

Just like himself, Leman Russ was venting emotions from ten thousand years away from the Empire. He needed a slaughter right now.

The hundred-meter-tall giant wolf raised its head and let out a heaven-shaking howl, its eyes burning with ethereal blue flames gazing at distant Chaos Space Marines, Chaos daemons, and Chaos Titans—all his prey.

The Wolf King's voice rolled like thunder, his front paws slamming the ground heavily, shaking the entire battlefield.

Dozens of plague warriors hadn't reacted before being knocked askew by the shockwave.

Their bloated bodies burst with pus, yellow-green corrupt fluid splattering everywhere, yet unable to extinguish the flames burning on Leman Russ.

"For the Emperor! For Fenris!" The giant wolf roared as it charged into the enemy ranks, leaving only ashes in its wake.

His claws easily tore open plague mech hulls, crushing the pilots along with their corrupted machinery.

A sweep of his tail burst entire ranks of Nurgle daemons like rotten fruit.

Sanguinius smiled and shook his head, swinging his golden longsword. Three plague fly knights attempting a sneak attack were cleaved in two by the holy sword light before they could get close, their corrupted bodies turning to ash in mid-air.

The mighty Wolf King Leman Russ, representative of ice and snow, was now using flame-like power—it was quite amusing.

But with such a volatile personality, the Wolf King wasn't suited to frost powers; this fierce flame power better suited Leman Russ's style.

"Russ, fighting side by side once more!" Sanguinius shouted loudly.

Leman Russ didn't look back, responding to his brother with a wolf howl.

His massive wolf tail whipped left like a lash, sending a Chaos champion wielding a plague greatsword flying hundreds of meters.

The Chaos champion crashed through three ruined walls before stopping, his body twisted beyond recognition. Even with gigantification, what of it?

You're still tiny before me—die, Chaos scum!

"These maggots don't even count as a warm-up!" The Wolf King laughed madly, spewing a scorching flame breath from his mouth, charring an entire squad of Death Guard trying to encircle him to charcoal.

The plague warriors' screams rose and fell; their vaunted regeneration was useless before the Fenrisian holy fire. The cosmic phantom beast's power greatly countered Chaos willpower.

Sanguinius hovered over the battlefield center, gripping his sword with both hands and raising it overhead. Dazzling light burst from the blade, illuminating the entire battlefield.

"In the Emperor's name, purify these vile Chaos traitors!" The Great Angel shouted loudly, holy energy spreading like ripples.

Any Nurgle daemon touched by this light let out shrill screams, their bodies melting like snow under sunlight. Sanguinius spread his golden wings, releasing holy flames.

On the ground, Leman Russ seized the opportunity and leaped hundreds of meters high, pouncing directly on the enemy rear's plague artillery array.

His massive body landing caused a small earthquake; six plague cannons were crushed to scrap before they could fire.

The giant wolf opened its maw, biting down on a charging plague cannon and yanking it from its base, then swinging it like a club at surrounding enemies.

With a massive cannon barrel in his mouth, swinging it nonstop at nearby Chaos Space Marines, Leman Russ dashed on all fours across the ground.

This fighting style had a bit of a mad dog's vibe, making Rhodes, watching from afar, unable to resist commenting.

Our Wolf King truly lives up to being the King of Huskies—transformed into giant wolf form, he's basically a rabid dog.

"Hahaha, Sanguinius! Let's see who kills more!" Leman Russ's voice was filled with wild joy.

This feeling was just too exhilarating; it was as if some genetic lock in his body had been unlocked.

The Angel Primarch chuckled: "As you wish, my good brother."

The Great Angel tucked his wings and dove like a meteor, spreading them wide just before impact, the shockwave blasting dozens of enemies away.

His holy sword traced a perfect arc, sending seven Chaos Space Marine heads flying simultaneously.

The two Primarchs rampaged across the battlefield—one swift and elegant like golden lightning, the other violent and fierce like a flame storm.

Their coordination was seamless: Sanguinius handled aerial threats and ranged fire, while Leman Russ created chaos and destruction on the ground. Nurgle's legion's numerical advantage meant nothing before them; the entire army began to waver and retreat.

The two's progeny—the Blood Angels and Space Wolves—watched their rampaging Gene-Fathers with speechless expressions.

It seemed like there was nothing for them to do here. Maybe they could clean up the battlefield later? The Gene-Fathers seemed to be having a great time.

Watching the two displaying their might, Horus lounged comfortably to the side, spectating. However, he shared Rhodes's thought: Wolf King Leman Russ's wolf form really looked like a rabid dog.

Howling as he charged and tore Chaos Titans to shreds—the scene was utterly comical.

Of course, that was from the Imperial perspective. For Chaos, it was a god of slaughter.

Just then, a low, eerie horn sounded from the battlefield's edge. The ground began to tremble as some entity far more powerful than any enemy encountered before approached.

Sanguinius immediately ascended high, his golden eyes narrowing slightly. "Russ, a new enemy has appeared."

He sensed an extremely powerful Chaos force—hoping for something high-level, not the kind he could kill with one sword stroke.

Leman Russ smashed the last plague warrior with a paw, looking toward the horn's direction. "Finally, a worthy opponent."

He bared his fangs, crimson flames dancing between his sharp teeth.

On the horizon, a massive green figure slowly emerged, riding a rotten daemonic dragon, clad in rusted Terminator armor, wielding a giant scythe emanating deadly plague.

Behind him, the Death Guard's most elite plague companies surged like a tide. This figure was equally massive, a hundred meters tall, and the armor he wore was all too familiar to the Primarchs.

"Mortarion... This is impossible!" Sanguinius uttered the name in shock.

How could this be? Mortarion had already been defeated by Rhodes during the Plague Wars and captured! He was still imprisoned in Holy Terra's dungeons.

Why was he here? Could the one before them not be Mortarion?

Unlike Sanguinius, Leman Russ let out an angry wolf howl upon seeing Mortarion's figure.

"Mortarion, you dare show your face before me? Today, I'll kill you." Wolf King Leman Russ roared.

The Primarch of the Death Guard, the Father of Plagues, Mortarion, personally descended on the battlefield. His decayed features were hidden behind a respirator, only a pair of lifeless eyes exposed.

"Sanguinius, Leman Russ, and Horus—today, I come to end you." His voice was like a chill wind from a tomb. "The Grandfather sends you a gift."

Mortarion raised his giant scythe, a cloud of inky green mist spewing from the tip, rapidly expanding into a plague cloud covering half the battlefield.

Wherever this mist passed, even rocks began to rot and crumble, the air thick with the stench of death.

"Imperial warriors! Evade quickly!" Sanguinius warned loudly, flapping his wings vigorously to climb higher.

But some mortal troops and even Space Marines enveloped by the plague instantly sprouted pustules, their bodies rotting and killed by the pestilence.

Sanguinius exerted his holy power fully, and Horus released milky white light energy, finally halting this terrifying plague storm.

"You're lying—you're not Mortarion. Mortarion was defeated in the Plague Wars and captured by us. You're still locked up. Who are you really?" Horus snorted coldly.

"Hehehe, hahahaha! I am his emissary, I am the Empire's terminator, I am death itself, I am the Lord of Plagues." Mortarion erupted with even more terrifying green aura.

A horrific plague storm exploded amid the allied forces, even fiercer than before.

Leman Russ stood his ground, taking a deep breath, his chest heaving like bellows.

"Damn traitor, I'll make you taste the fury of the Fenrisian King!" The Wolf King roared, spewing a flame breath fiercer than any before.

The blue-white pillar of fire collided with the green mist in mid-air, triggering a series of violent explosions.

However, the withering plague breath was no ordinary toxin—it was a Warp virus infused with Nurgle's godly power.

Even weakened by the flames, much of the plague pierced the fire wall, enveloping Leman Russ.

"Russ! Retreat!" Sanguinius shouted urgently, diving down to attempt a rescue.

The giant wolf let out a pained howl as the plague mist contacted his left side.

The holy flames began to dim, fur rotting and falling off at a visible rate, revealing discoloring flesh beneath.

Worse, the plague seemed to erode Leman Russ's divine essence, his massive form flickering unstably—sometimes giant wolf, sometimes back to Primarch form.

"No, this is impossible," Leman Russ knelt, his voice filled with incredulous pain. He tried to stand, but his left forepaw no longer obeyed.

This scene shocked the two Primarchs present. When had Mortarion gained such power? Though Russ had just fused with a cosmic beast, his strength wasn't something the other Primarchs fused with cosmic beasts could match.

Even last time, Mortarion was said to have been defeated by his own gene-son Typhus, but the power displayed now shocked everyone.

Mortarion let out a triumphant laugh: "You've fused with cosmic beasts, but this is the new plague the Great Grandfather cultivated especially for you."

Sanguinius landed in front of Leman Russ, spreading his wings to form a barrier. "Hold on, brother," the Great Angel said softly.

Horus stepped forward this time, transforming into a nearly hundred-meter-tall Light Giant form, radiating scorching light energy from head to toe.

The terrifying light energy instantly suppressed the green mist before them, even making Wolf King Leman Russ feel much better.

"You said this power is a plague targeted at cosmic phantom beasts, right? Sorry, my power doesn't come from cosmic phantom beasts. I have an essential difference from my other brothers." Horus sneered.

"The Emperor protects." Horus prayed softly, a pure white pillar of light shooting skyward, enveloping the two Primarchs. The withering breath made a piercing hiss upon touching the light pillar's edge, gradually purified and dissipated.

The incomparably holy light illuminated the entire planet—a power that felt infinitely bright and warm, the true power of the Light Giant.

Mortarion roared in anger: "Then let me harvest your life, let me bring you into Father's garden."

He urged his daemonic dragon forward, giant scythe raised, preparing to personally slay this resurrected former Warmaster.

"I don't know how you revived, or how you escaped Holy Terra, or if you're a fake copy.

But appearing before me was a grave mistake." Horus said.

"Traitor! You betrayed the Grandfather! The Grandfather entrusted his power to you."

"No, I merely corrected an error. I was just used by those four." Horus didn't argue, speaking in his Light Giant form.

Chapter 581: Light Giant VS Nurgle Twisted Monster, Absolute Power Suppression

Horus's Light Giant form bloomed with dazzling silver-white light on the battlefield, milky white energy patterns flowing across his hundred-meter-tall body. The silver-white giant stood upon the earth.

He crossed his arms over his chest, then suddenly spread them—

"Light Judgment!"

A purifying light blade over seventy meters in diameter burst from his timer, melting plague mists along its path like snow. Any Chaos touched by this light was immediately purified.

This move was imitated from watching Rhodes's mechanical-type Ultra Warriors—that one called Ace had many powerful cutting techniques.

This move's name seemed to be Ultra Guillotine, capable of bisecting any opponent.

No matter where this Mortarion came from, daring to appear before him—before the current Imperial forces—meant death.

Mortarion's rotten dragon let out a scream, its wings carbonizing and peeling in the light blade, while the Death Primarch himself raised his giant scythe to block. The corrupting runes on the scythe flashed wildly, and Mortarion forcefully split the light blade in two!

"Horus! You think an attack of this level can harm the Grandfather's emissary? No, the Grandfather's Chosen."

Yellow-green smoke spewed from under Mortarion's respirator. Suddenly, countless maggots crawled from the seams of his decayed Terminator armor, weaving in the air into a sky-covering plague net. "Taste the gift of the Father of Ten Thousand Plagues—Corrosive Nebula! Corrode everything."

The maggot net suddenly burst, turning into billions of inky green spore bombs raining down.

Each spore landing exploded into a hundred-meter corrosion pit, boiling even rocks into pus. Sanguinius hurriedly spread his wings to shield the mortal troops behind, while Leman Russ struggled to form a shield of remaining flames on his body, his wolf fur still sizzling from corrosion.

"Petty tricks." Horus raised his right arm high, a giant war spear condensed from pure light energy forming in his palm.

He spun and threw it, the spear becoming a meteor piercing the spore rain, stabbing straight at Mortarion's chest!

The Death Primarch roared and swung his scythe to block, but the light spear suddenly split into hundreds of thin beams, dodging the defense like living entities and nailing into the joints of his armor.

Mortarion's massive body stiffened instantly, maggots spewing from the wounds—those were actually Nurgle daemons trying to repair the damage!

The Mortarion before them was merely a monster wearing Mortarion's likeness or memories.

Who knows what Nurgle had done to create such a disgusting twisted abomination.

At that moment, Lion El'Jonson, who had been commanding the fleet in space, descended and stood with the spectating Leman Russ and Sanguinius.

"This monster shouldn't be Mortarion; he's just wearing Mortarion's face," Leman Russ said.

As a Primarch brother, though the other had betrayed, he still knew his brother. The monster before them wasn't the real Mortarion.

"These damn Chaos scum used some method to extract Mortarion's memories, then created this twisted monster with disgusting, evil technology," Lion El'Jonson said.

"The real Mortarion is still locked in the underground prison," At that moment, a teleportation portal opened beside the three Primarchs, and Rhodes stepped out.

Rhodes had been monitoring the battlefield, so upon discovering this twisted Mortarion, he immediately went to Holy Terra's underground prison.

There, he saw Mortarion bound in chains, so the one before them wasn't the real Mortarion at all.

However, this matter piqued Rhodes's curiosity, so he came to see. The creature Nurgle had created using unknown means was indeed very powerful—stronger than the original Mortarion.

It even made Rhodes feel something odd, as if this thing was somehow related to his own beasts.

"But I'm more curious about Horus. What's Horus's situation?

Why? Why do our powers come from cosmic phantom beasts, while his is this Light Giant? This power feels terrifying to me." Wolf King Leman Russ looked at Rhodes and asked.

Only after witnessing the Light Giant's power did he understand the vast gap. Cosmic phantom beasts were indeed excellent, but compared to this Light Giant, the difference was enormous.

"Horus's situation is special. To revive him back then, we needed the Light Giant's power, and at that time, I didn't have cosmic phantom beasts yet." Rhodes shrugged.

Ah, back when reviving Horus, he hadn't obtained cosmic phantom beasts yet. Actually, cosmic phantom beasts weren't much inferior to Light Giants.

Horus was so powerful now because his compatibility with Daram was too good.

Moreover, the Emperor's power had transformed Daram from a dark giant into a Light Giant. If it were a top-tier cosmic phantom beast, it wouldn't be much weaker than this Light Giant.

"Don't rush, Russ. Cosmic phantom beasts can grow with us; they'll be lifelong companions.

Slowly bond with your cosmic phantom beast, and you'll discover something different." Sanguinius said.

He had the most say here—his cosmic phantom beast was a massive fire phoenix.

Moreover, it had fused with part of the Emperor's holy power and his own divine power. Now, it could not only release fire-based skills but also carry the Emperor's golden psychic power, with strong killing power against daemons.

Additionally, it had a special anti-Tyranid killing skill.

"Sanguinius is right. Light Giants aren't much stronger than cosmic phantom beasts. Cosmic phantom beasts are our partners—chat with your partner properly and coordinate in battle." Lion El'Jonson said.

"I understand. I'll bond with my cosmic beast." Leman Russ nodded.

This cosmic giant wolf phantom beast fused with him into a werewolf state, and its combat power was quite strong, but compared to Horus's current Light Giant form, it fell short.

"Watch this battle closely. I feel like this guy is a bit strange." Rhodes nodded.

At that moment, the two giants on the battlefield began their clash.

Horus's Light Giant form stood at the battlefield's center, his silver-white body emanating holy radiance, the timer on his chest flickering with pure blue light.

His eyes like twin stars stared directly at the twisted "Mortarion"—this monster created by Nurgle's sorcery, exuding rot and plague, pus dripping from his giant scythe that corroded all things.

However, Horus radiated scorching light from head to toe; these rotten Nurgle plagues couldn't harm him at all.

He charged forward with a combo of punches, sending the gigantified Mortarion flying.

"You're not Mortarion; you're just a fake pieced together by Nurgle's filthy methods." Horus assumed an Ultra fighting stance.

He gathered light energy in his palm, forming a gear-shaped disc, then hurled it. This was one of the skills he learned from Rhodes's mechanical Ultra Warriors.

Eight-Point Light Wheel! This skill had extremely fast attack speed and strong cutting power—in some ways, even better than the earlier Ultra Guillotine.

After being launched, the Eight-Point Light Wheel split into four, directly severing Mortarion's four limbs and his weapon. The attack was so fast it was unbelievable; Mortarion didn't even react before his limbs were cut off.

"Fake? No... I am the Grandfather's perfect creation!" Pseudo-Mortarion's voice was like a mix of a thousand dying wails. "I possess Mortarion's memories, power, even... his hatred for you!"

Before the words finished, thick green liquid flowed from Pseudo-Mortarion's severed limbs, quickly reconnecting with the detached parts. In moments, he was restored.

Pseudo-Mortarion swung his giant scythe fiercely, unleashing a dark green plague storm that rotted the earth and twisted the air wherever it passed.

Horus crossed his arms, instantly deploying a light barrier. The plague storm crashed against it with a piercing corrosion sound but ultimately couldn't penetrate.

"Your power comes from Chaos's distortions, while mine... comes from humanity's will!" Horus charged forward, the Light Giant's speed beyond imagination, closing in instantly and landing a heavy punch on the opponent's chest.

"Bang—!"

Pseudo-Mortarion staggered back from the punch, his decayed Terminator armor caving in, but the wound immediately surged with countless maggots, rapidly repairing the damage.

"Useless, Horus! The Grandfather's gift makes me immortal!" Pseudo-Mortarion grinned maliciously, sweeping his giant scythe, its blade's corrupting runes flashing, capable of severing the boundary between reality and the Warp.

Horus sidestepped, the scythe grazing his shoulder in a shower of sparks but not harming the Light Giant at all.

He countered with a hand chop to Pseudo-Mortarion's neck, but the opponent's body suddenly twisted like mud, causing the attack to miss.

"Partner, how about I take over? Let me play with him." In Horus's mental space, Daram spoke.

This twisted monster was a nice punching bag; he hadn't gotten out to stretch in a long time.

Horus pondered for a moment and nodded. The monster's regeneration was strong, but its actual strength was mediocre, only injuring the other Primarchs with Nurgle's toxins.

The silver giant Horus formed crossed his hands over his head, his star timer flashing with light. As his arms swung, Horus's appearance changed into a red-bodied Light Giant wearing imposing armor.

"Hahaha, next up, I'll play with you—Daram." After fusing with Horus, he hadn't come out for air in ages.

Now, he could finally fight this seemingly decent opponent.

Seeing this, Wolf King Leman Russ was stunned. This wasn't just a color change; Horus seemed like a different person.

Or rather, the red giant before them wasn't Horus at all.

"Just like cosmic phantom beasts can substitute in fights, Light Giants can too. Light Giants are living beings.

Like your phantom beast partners, this Light Giant is Horus's partner." Rhodes smiled, explaining Daram's origins to the Primarchs.

A Light Giant from ultra-ancient times, the Power Warrior with absolute strength.

Daram roared and charged toward the twisted monster, the entire earth trembling with his steps.

Daram—this Power Warrior from ultra-ancient times—had a body glowing red like lava, thick armor covering explosive muscles.

Each step shook the earth. He smashed his fists together, producing a metallic boom, and grinned at Pseudo-Mortarion:

"Nurgle's toy? Let me see how many punches you can take!"

Before Pseudo-Mortarion could react, Daram rushed forward like red lightning, landing an uppercut squarely on his jaw!

"Crack!"

The decayed respirator shattered instantly, Pseudo-Mortarion's head nearly folding back 180 degrees, yellow-green pus spurting from the broken neck vertebrae. Yet Nurgle's blessing kept him alive, maggots writhing madly to repair the damage.

The opponent's power was different from the earlier Light Giant Horus—this one's strength was terrifying to the extreme.

"Come on, witness absolute power." Daram roared, grabbing Pseudo-Mortarion's head and executing an over-the-shoulder throw, slamming his hundred-meter body heavily into the ground.

The shockwave blasted away plague warriors for kilometers around, cracking the corrupted earth in a spiderweb pattern.

Beyond power attacks, red lava-like energy also scorched Nurgle's power.

If you thought Light Giants were just brute-force barbarians, you'd be dead wrong.

The watching Leman Russ's wolf pupils contracted: "This... this is pure power! His fighting style... it's like a beast."

"No, more terrifying than a beast." Lion El'Jonson gripped his Lion Sword. "This is a war machine honed through countless trials."

Hearing this, Rhodes's mouth twitched. You two are the ones all Primarchs agree are the two beasts, yet you're calling it beast-like.

Russ, your giant wolf form makes you even more of a beast, okay?

On the battlefield, Daram had mounted Pseudo-Mortarion, raining down heavy fists like a storm.

Each punch carried red light flames, vaporizing the repairing maggots instantly. Pseudo-Mortarion's chestplate caved in completely, rotten innards squeezing from the cracks.

"Grandfather... grant me..." Pseudo-Mortarion struggled to cry out in agony.

"Flashy nonsense!" Daram's arm muscles bulged as he grabbed Pseudo-Mortarion's right arm and tore it off violently—

"Rip!"

The entire arm, along with half the shoulder, was ripped off, inky green blood spraying like a waterfall. Daram casually tossed the severed arm, collapsing a distant plague battery.

The combat scene was violence at its extreme.