Warhammer: Saving Humanity Begins with the Resurrection of Horus

Page 199

"It's been a long time, Mother."

I knelt down, but once again I began to doubt whether I was dreaming.

Chapter 234 Ecovacs Corakos

What is true death?

After exhausting all the power of his psionic units and finally successfully unleashing the Emperor's Light, watching as the once dark, deep void, representing eternal silence and coldness, began to be filled with light and heat, Roger Dorn finally understood what true death was.

End and death.

This is the essence of the Emperor, and the cornerstone of his becoming a true god of the warp.

However, he rejected this essence because, as a "human" who loved humanity rather than a god, he could not accept the price of becoming a god and taking away an entire human race.

During the Great Rebellion, in order to fight Horus, who had been turned into a puppet by the four gods, the Emperor used his true nature, which he believed was his only chance of victory. However, he ultimately chose to abandon this and fight as a "human," resulting in a defeat in the process. He fell into a state of complete near-death, not only physically but also spiritually.

The human soul was torn apart and crushed over ten thousand years, barely managing to survive between two "gods" and trying its best to maintain the balance between the three.

Even so, it was still impossible to avoid the growing strength and outward manifestation of the divine power. The living saints born in the empire over the course of ten thousand years, as well as the rare miracles within the empire, are tangible proof of this.

The power unleashed by Roger Dorn now provides incredibly compelling evidence for this matter.

In the middle of the Yushan Array, the scorching light converged and then transformed into an incredibly dazzling and swift beam of light—a beam of psionic energy. The Emperor's powerful psionic energy at this moment completely distorted the laws of physics, causing a seemingly ordinary spear, almost like a hunting spear used by primitive people in the primordial world, to burst forth with a beam of light containing the energy of an entire star. With incredible speed, it rushed towards the Ironblood, which was now almost within reach.

Just as Perturabo had initially thought, if the explosion occurred at this distance, then both the Mountain Array and the Ironblood, and even all the Imperial and Steel Warrior warships located nearby, would be completely reduced to nothingness.

The resulting chain reaction could even directly affect Amegadoton, which is not far from them. The debris from the ships will create a meteor shower, and the shockwave from the explosions will stimulate the local planet's environment, leading to a large number of extreme weather events.

This is not a good option for the battle. Admittedly, both Perturabo and Roger Dorn would perish completely under such an attack. But the majority of the Iron Warriors and almost the entire Imperial Navy would also perish, not to mention the Tyrant that had just emerged from the Warp—having lost the Mountain Array, the Eternal Expedition, and its pitifully few remaining ships, facing it would be an unimaginably difficult task.

But Roger Dorn did it anyway. As a master of war, he couldn't possibly be unaware of the consequences. So, the only possibility for his decision to do it is this.

That means he must want to force Peturabo to use some of the same tricks, some of the methods he uses through intelligence or methods he believes the other party possesses.

And reality proved him right. Peturabo did indeed have a way to deal with this move. Although it was not his original intention, it still appeared on this battlefield of conflict.

Roger Dorn heard the rumble of the factory running.

coming.

He thought of looking through the observation window at the void in front of the Mountain Formation.

He saw the laser that represented the Emperor's power, and he also saw the Ironblood, which was behind the laser and was already distorted by the high temperature and psionic reaction.

It was as if the whole world consisted only of these things, and all of them exuded a strong attraction, drawing people's attention to them and making them unwilling to look away.

But in the next second, Roger Dorn’s keen eyesight revealed something that had suddenly appeared.

Yes, it appeared suddenly, out of nowhere, not from somewhere outside our sight, but something that didn't exist one second and is there the next.

Furthermore, just by looking at it, one can understand that it is not a creature of the normal world, but rather an existence that can only appear in another world.

"demon."

"Wan Shi said in a cold and ruthless voice."

"Are you finally willing to show up?"

The demon looked at the Mountain Array as if he were seeing Roger Dorn deep within, and smiled slightly.

This was an incredibly ferocious demon, with skin as pale as withered bones, taut on its jagged skeleton as if it might tear apart at any moment. Huge, curved black horns sprouted from its head, its face twisted in a grotesque grimace, several scarlet eyes gleaming with a crazed, eerie light in their sunken sockets, and its open mouth was filled with sharp fangs, roaring with a howl from the abyss.

Its torso was covered in gold and dark bronze mechanical armor, which was covered with intricate patterns and sinister symbols, and inlaid with dark red crystals that emitted an ominous aura. Behind it was a massive mechanical structure, with towering spikes, rotating gears and pipes spewing black smoke intertwined, as if it were a bizarre fusion of chaotic forces and mechanical creations.

Its limbs were exceptionally long and powerful. One hand gripped a massive warhammer, its shaft covered in twisted spikes, its head inlaid with a blood-red core, seemingly capable of shattering all order. The other hand was composed of sharp metal claws, gleaming coldly, each blade capable of easily tearing through the strongest armor. Furthermore, it extended multiple sets of mechanical arms, some barbed chains, others enormous scythes, which swung through the air with a sickening metallic scraping sound, as if ready to drag everything in their path into an abyss of destruction.

Its entire body exudes an intense aura of decay, madness, and destruction; it is a tangible nightmare of chaos and blasphemy in the real universe.

The demon, Vashtor, the Lord of the Ten Thousand Furnaces, focused his gaze on his true enemy for less than a microsecond. Using his unique skills, he stretched out the time, slowing down the laser that would have pierced through the mountain and the Ironblood behind it by thousands of times, allowing him to observe his opponent more closely.

This observation immediately silenced it.

As expected of the cursed one... A true god indeed. If it were me in the past, facing such an attack, even if I could survive, I would probably be half-dead, and would completely lose the power to compete for the divine throne, and even be hunted down by other demons.

Fortunately, this time I don't have to face it personally.

Vashtor raised his hand, and intense warp energy gathered in his palm, forming a small storm that flickered with lightning. At the very moment this storm formed, an unparalleled will also projected its vision onto this place.

Roger Dorn sensed the vision, and in an instant, he understood who the owner of it was.

After all, he had been under the other's throne for a full ten thousand years, and it was fair to say that even the other's demon princes or great demons were not as familiar with the other's aura as he was.

"Khorne... that persistent ghost."

"Rog Dorn! Twisted! Do you think you can escape?!"

A small red sword burst forth from the storm in Vashtor's hand, and the instant it appeared, the entire void was filled with an intense emotion. Warriors in battle felt an impulse, an impulse to kill wantonly; laborers at work suddenly felt a craving, a craving for the blood of their comrades; and those trainee Astrologers, Navigators, and Think Tank Apprentices who were not chosen to power the Spear of Longinus felt a severe headache and heard a roar that nearly deafened them.

The small red sword transformed into a crimson streak of light, colliding violently with the golden laser. A powerful warp reaction erupted from the point of impact, instantly creating a warp storm that engulfed most of the star sector. All ships navigating in the warp, whether on safe or unsafe routes, were tossed into the deeper ocean by the storm, plunging into a terrifying state of disorientation.

The laser and the small sword clashed, a contest of power between two gods, and in the end, it seemed the red small sword had the upper hand. The golden laser was shattered, while the red small sword, undeterred, carrying its master's anger, hatred, and power, charged fiercely toward Roger Dorn's neck inside the Mountain Array.

Your head will become an ornament on my throne, your flesh will become food for my hounds, your bones will become the pole of my battle banner, and your skin will become the banner itself...

Roger Dorn, this is the punishment I'm going to give you.

The small red sword rushed into the Mountain Array. It did not destroy anything on the ship, and the power it displayed was completely different from the laser it had just broken through.

It rushed in front of Rogue Dorn, but Rogue Dorn did not react at all. It was not that he had given up, but that the speed of the small sword exceeded the Primarch's reaction, making him almost unable to sense the opponent's arrival.

Just as Xiao Jian was about to complete his mission, a finger appeared and blocked his way.

It was an ordinary human finger, with incredibly smooth and delicate skin, the kind of skin only a well-maintained noblewoman could achieve.

But it was this seemingly weak, slender finger that successfully stopped the little red sword, preventing it from advancing any further.

Whose fingers are these?

Lynch?

No, it's not.

This is Roger Dorn's brother.

The black ravens slowly gathered in front of Roger Dorn, eventually transforming into a tall man and ravens perched on his shoulders.

The man had long, black hair like a waterfall in the dark night, casually draped over his shoulders, with a few strands falling down, adding to his unruly and aloof temperament.

His eyes were a deep, dark black, like the night sky, possessing a sharp and calm insight that seemed to see through illusions and reach the essence of things. As for his face, it was sharply defined, with strong lines and a solemn expression, carrying a sense of vicissitudes that came from countless battles and conspiracies.

He wore black armor with white wing patterns, the design of which exuded power and mystery. The skull ornament on his chest further revealed his unique identity and background. A black raven perched on his shoulder had glossy feathers and sharp eyes, seemingly sharing some mysterious bond with the man, as if it were his messenger in the shadows, or perhaps the man himself.

Ecovacs Krakos, that's the man's name.

Besides being Rogue Dorn's brother, he is also the Primarch of the Nineteenth Legion of the Empire, the Emperor's son, the Savior, the Raven Lord, the Eye of Slaughter, the Liberator, and the Primarch of the Raven Guard and its sub-corpses...

Now, he had successfully blocked the attack from Khorne. Although it didn't look easy, and even made his face extremely pale with blood starting to appear at the corner of his mouth, he still succeeded in blocking the wrathful attack of a true god.

"Humph."

A cold snort came, and Kolakos remained silent, only looking at Vashtor not far away.

As Vashtor was stared at, his entire body tensed up. He never expected that Korakos, the son of the cursed and the first Primarch to recognize his true nature, would appear here.

If the Primarchs were ranked by strength, then among the Primarchs still alive, Korakhoth, who has liberated his true nature and embraced his warp form, undoubtedly has the qualifications and strength to contend for first place.

As for why it's a contest rather than a direct ranking... it's common knowledge that the Primarch's body is also a very useful remote-controlled robot for the four great beings.

I shouldn't have so easily believed the message from the blue feather.

Vashtor smiled bitterly to himself. Any demon with even a little bit of standing in the warp knew not to provoke this Corvos Corakos. Not only was he incredibly powerful, but he was also extremely... vengeful.

It is not a wise move to create such an enemy before one has even attained godhood.

But there's no room for maneuver now.

Vashtor lowered his head. The storm in his hand was a device he had developed, just like the Spear of Longinus that Roger Dorn had taken out. As long as it was infused with psionic energy, it could project the power of another being across space and even time.

But why is the second strike I hoped for still nowhere to be seen after the first strike was launched?

You have to understand, right now, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity...

"A storm is coming."

Kolakos suddenly spoke, looking at Vashtor.

The raven on his shoulder tilted its head and stared at the demon with its black eyes.

Aren't you leaving yet?

Chapter 235 The Protracted War on Amigidogon

War is a purely violent activity that consumes human lives as a resource.

Every step of the war takes lives, it's just a matter of more or less.

Even though the defenders on Amegiddton had built sufficient fortifications and could anticipate the attack of the Iron Warriors and their legions using a range of methods.

However, faced with the enemy's relentless artillery bombardment, tens of thousands of people died in just a few days.

The enemy facing Halesridge Hive City is a warband of the Iron Warriors called the Burning Wall. This warband and its mortal legions seem to be very keen on artillery bombardment. During their offensive, large-caliber cannons, as well as relatively smaller self-propelled artillery, plasma cannons, laser cannons, and even thermobaric cannons, bombard the city's walls and void shield for at least eighteen hours a day.

The remaining six hours were not for rest, but for their artillery to cool down, for ammunition to be replenished, and for their civilian troops to charge forward.

The empire's artillery, of course, wouldn't just stand there and take the hits without fighting back.

The artillery positions built in the city played their role: city defense guns, anti-aircraft guns, and large-caliber heavy artillery positions built within the city, relentlessly bombarding the artillery positions exposed after the Steel Warriors' bombardment.

On the land of Amighiddon, yellow sand churned and rolled, the billowing sand surging like roaring waves. Above the sand, shells from both sides rained down in a dense and fierce barrage, their trajectories bright and dazzling, as if weaving a giant net of fire in the sky.

This net of fire descended from the sky like a burning canopy, enveloping the entire city of Amigiddon. The flashes and smoke from exploding shells echoed across both sides' positions, sending up enormous miniature mushroom clouds and sand pillars. These things resembled black and yellow flowers, slowly blooming and then slowly dissipating.

Amidst the dense barrage of cannon fodder, the desert's terrain was altered, leaving behind countless craters of varying sizes scattered across the once flat land. Many years later, this place might become a habitat for some creatures, but for now, these things resemble scars on the planet, evoking a sense of both grandeur and horror.

The artillery battle lasted for a full month. Except for the first week, the artillery fire of both sides weakened with each battle. The reason for this was, of course, the massive subspace storm that enveloped the entire Amegidon and its star system after the two fleets clashed that day, caused by a huge burst of subspace energy.

How exactly did this subspace storm originate?

No one knows the specifics of the process; it seems that only the think tanks of the various Astartes Chapters, Commissar Arek, and some Chaos Wizards among the Iron Warriors know the vague truth.

But one thing is certain.

That is, both the Imperial and Iron Warrior forces are now isolated on Amegidotton, and the strength of both sides is roughly balanced. Relying on the initial numerical advantage of the fleet, Perturabo has airdropped a considerable number of troops on Amegidotton, including not only mortal troops but also twice the number of Iron Warriors and Astartes warriors currently on Amegidotton.