A Space Marine, taller than a Primaris and almost as massive as Cawl's beast-like frame, suddenly stepped out of the shadows.
He wore black and yellow power armor, yet bore no Chapter markings. Only a high gothic letter 'A' adorned his shoulder pad, as if signifying his unique status.
Both the old Astartes and the Primaris felt bewildered; they had completely failed to notice the tall figure's presence, as if they had psychologically overlooked him.
The warrior's appearance made Guilliman turn his head.
He had keenly sensed the warrior's presence before, but seeing him in person still gave Guilliman a strange feeling.
"Cawl, won't you introduce us to this warrior?" Guilliman's voice rose slightly.
Cawl's body stiffened, but before he could speak, the tall Space Marine spoke first.
"My Lord, I do not have a true name, but my master Cawl calls me Primaris Head," the warrior, who called himself Primaris Head, said.
The Primaris felt lost, as they too were unaware of Primaris Head's existence.
"You are very much like me," Guilliman said, staring at Primaris Head. "Like me and my brothers."
This assessment left everyone present stunned.
They suddenly felt a chill down their spines, looking with a frightened gaze at the silent Belisarius Cawl.
Had Cawl even attempted to create…
"No, My Lord."
Primaris Head bowed deeply, speaking with humble words:
"You are a perfect creation, an outstanding work of the Emperor. The Emperor imbued you with unparalleled power."
"To be honest, I envy and admire you and your brothers, for I am merely an imperfect creation, an abominable thing that should not have been born, crafted by a second-rate tinkerer."
The people around them immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Alexander, however, was not particularly surprised; he knew of Primaris Head's existence.
Moreover, if Cawl could truly create another Primarch, Alexander felt that Guilliman, and even the Emperor, could come down and bow to Cawl.
Guilliman, on the other hand, found it somewhat amusing, as Cawl actually tolerated Primaris Head calling him a second-rate tinkerer.
This was not in line with Cawl's usual pride. Guilliman detected a subtle indulgence from Cawl towards Primaris Head.
This indulgence was something Sanguinius would not notice; it was a father's indulgence towards a child, something Guilliman had once felt from King Konor.
Did Cawl regard Primaris Head as his own child?
"You will fight on Cawl's behalf?" Guilliman asked with a smile.
"Cawl is indeed a second-rate tinkerer, but his work on the Primaris is well done."
Primaris Head said:
"Furthermore, since I bear the title of Primaris Head, I naturally wish to defend the glory of the Primaris."
Alexander and Sanguinius both looked at Primaris Head with intrigued expressions.
Alexander could tell that, besides the reasons he stated, Primaris Head primarily hoped to cooperate with Sanguinius' actions to break the old Astartes' disdain for the Primaris.
Therefore, he deliberately categorized himself with the Primaris.
But although he was called Primaris Head, he himself was actually closer to a Custodian and a Primarch, a product of biological alchemy at the genetic level, mixing the gene sequences of twenty Legions, and completely different from the Primaris.
Another point was that Primaris Head seemed to have some curiosity about Khârn.
"Cawl, do you agree?" Alexander also wanted to witness Primaris Head's strength and asked Cawl.
Seeing Alexander speak, Cawl naturally would not object. He bowed deeply to Alexander, expressing his adherence to Saint Doraemon's will.
Primaris Head then entered the arena.
"Just you?" Seth frowned, looking at Primaris Head with a bit of strangeness.
There were two reasons for his unease.
One was that such gladiatorial contests were usually two-on-two, a custom passed down from the Great Crusade era.
The other reason was that he smelled blood on this Primaris Head.
Primaris Head carried a faint scent of the Blood Angels, stronger than those Primaris who claimed to be Blood Angels, but not pure enough, seemingly mixed with something else.
"Just me," Primaris Head said softly. "I have no brothers to cooperate with."
He was the only creature of his kind in this galaxy, a creation Cawl himself could not replicate, with no peers.
"I'm up," Seth said, glancing at Khârn. "You got to go first just now."
Khârn nodded slightly, tore a length of chain from his arm, and threw it to Seth.
Seth caught it, giving Khârn a strange look.
"Wrap it," Khârn indicated for Seth to connect his Chainsword to his arm with the chain.
Seth raised an eyebrow slightly, not refuting Khârn's suggestion, and used the chain Khârn threw to link his weapon to his arm.
He lightly swung the chained Bloodthirster, tested its feel, then nodded in satisfaction.
"Just you?" Primaris Head asked.
"Just me," Seth lowered his body slightly, like a hunting beast. "Don't let anyone say we're ganging up, you bastard."
Seth merely used the word 'bastard' to provoke Primaris Head, but he inadvertently hit on something true.
Primaris Head was indeed a hybrid of twenty Legions, a genuine bastard.
A flash of anger crossed his eyes, and he drew the master-crafted Power Sword from his waist.
Seth's fangs slightly protruded from the corners of his mouth. He observed Primaris Head, searching for a weakness.
But the more he looked, the more alarmed Seth became. What a powerful physique!
The sound of wind faintly rose, as swift as a gale sweeping across the plains beneath the sky.
Primaris Head appeared before Seth in the blink of an eye, swinging the Power Sword in his hand down.
"So fast! He's like a White Scars!" Seth exclaimed, hastily swinging his Chainsword to block Primaris Head's attack.
The Power Sword and Chainsword collided, and the chain on Seth's arm rattled violently, making a clattering metallic sound.
The Chapter Master of the Flesh Tearers let out a muffled grunt, his eyes suddenly turning bloodshot, his fangs slightly pressing against his lower lip.
A savage, bloody, and terrifying war cry erupted from Seth's mouth. He was enveloped in a chilling aura of blood, his muscles bulging menacingly.
"Blood and rage are all we are," Seth growled. "Draw strength from blood, draw strength from rage."
Seth forcefully pushed back Primaris Head's Power Sword, relying on the Bloodthirst to imbue him with a chilling killing intent.
"I understand." Primaris Head nodded slightly.
Then, with exquisite skill, he wielded the Power Sword, elegantly yet lethally parrying Seth's Chainsword, forcing Seth back several steps.
Seth let out a savage growl, his legs pushing off with force, like a bloodthirsty beast, he swung his Chainsword with both hands at Seth.
Then, Primaris Head also let out a similar, blood-scented growl. Seth vaguely saw the fangs between his lips.
"I understand," Primaris Head repeated again.
The Power Sword, imbued with chilling bloodlust, collided with Seth's Chainsword. The immense force shook Seth's bones, and cracks appeared in the ceramite gauntlets on his arms.
As an Astartes of considerable height and immense strength, Seth rarely encountered situations where he was overpowered.
His fingers went numb, and the Chainsword in his hand slipped out for a moment.
Primaris Head swiftly seized this momentary opportunity, redirecting his blade to thrust directly at Seth.
Seth suddenly grabbed the chain connected to the Chainsword, swung the chain, and pulled the Chainsword to smash it at Primaris Head.
He would be the first to draw blood—
Screech!
A faint light suddenly burst from the tip of Primaris Head's Power Sword. The light shot towards Seth, cutting a bloody mark on Seth's face before Seth's Chainsword could even touch Primaris Head.
"You lose." Primaris Head gently extended his hand, and a powerful Psyker force pushed Seth's Chainsword away.
"Psionics?" Seth snorted, but accepted his defeat without further words.
This caused a slight stir among the old Astartes.
They knew Seth's capabilities; he was among the top in strength among the Chapter Masters of the various successor Chapters, yet he had been defeated by Primaris Head so easily.
At this moment, these old warriors vaguely realized that the strength of the Primaris indeed had its merits.
Cawl also breathed a slight sigh of relief seeing this scene.
Primaris Head was, after all, his most excellent creation, a miracle he himself could not replicate.
Twenty Legion gene sequences flowed within Primaris Head's body, possessing all the traits of the Astartes.
Even if Seth was Saint Doraemon's guard and did not use the items imbued with Saint Doraemon's divine power, he would not be able to defeat Primaris Head.
"Blood like the Blood Angels, speed like the White Scars."
"Stealth like the Raven Guard and Night Lords, fighting like a warhound, and Psyker abilities like a Thousand Sons."
Khârn exhaled a turbid breath, brushing past Seth.
He patted Seth's shoulder, took the chain from Seth's hand, and connected the bloodson to his bare arm.
Then he looked at Primaris Head and continued:
"What exactly are you?"
"I am something similar to you."
Primaris Head was silent for a moment before saying:
"I can feel it; you, like me, are constantly enduring pain."
Because Cawl's gene-tech was not perfect, Primaris Head constantly suffered from the pain of his own body.
And his emotional perception allowed him to sense that Khârn was enduring similar pain, constantly tormented by suffering.
"If we are destined to bear pain, does that mean our very birth was a mistake?" Primaris Head asked Khârn.
Khârn didn't know what Primaris Head was thinking.
"I don't know why you're in pain."
"Anyway, I deserve it."
As his words fell, Khârn fiercely swung the bloodson and lunged at Primaris Head.