It was precisely at this moment, at the most dangerous time, that the Blood God's wrath ignited within Erebus, burning his body and lashing his soul, urging him to corrupt Titus.
Khorne lending his most powerful daemon Prince, the Seed of Destruction, to Erebus, besides Angron, was not without a price. Erebus had to bear the Blood God's wrath in his own flesh, controlled by the Blood God's will, to ensure Erebus followed the Blood God's will, corrupting Titus to create a new, powerful Chosen or daemon Prince for him, to act as Khorne's will in the mortal realm.
At this very moment, Erebus could not defy the Blood God's will and had to take enormous risks to corrupt Titus.
Otherwise, the Blood God's wrath would burn Erebus to ashes, and the Seed of Destruction would also betray Erebus.
Erebus gritted his teeth and went for it!!
Facing the Astartes rushing at him, the chilling blood tide swirling around Erebus once again condensed, forming Khorne beasts that lunged at the Ultramarines and Flesh Tearers.
Erebus seized the opportunity to wield the ritual dagger in his hand, instantly tearing space and creating a rift in reality. He flashed and disappeared into it.
This ritual dagger also could not contend with Saint Doraemon's tools; it could only move within this cabin.
Behind Titus, a rift appeared, and Erebus emerged from it, brandishing the obsidian longsword that the ritual dagger had transformed into, swinging it at Titus.
The profane evil shadow of the annihilus blade reappeared in Erebus' hand. That murder weapon, which had once killed the Emperor's father and son, was chillingly terrifying, striking at Titus' back with an extremely vicious and inexplicable posture.
Titus hastily turned, wielding the Chainsword named innocence in his hand to block Erebus' weapon.
"Ultramarines, can you not hear it?"
"The Blood God is roaring for you, summoning you to the Eightfold Path of Blood."
"You can burn this galaxy; you can achieve unparalleled glory."
"Think of the betrayal, suspicion, and torment you've suffered. Awaken the anger in your heart."
Erebus' voice was extremely seductive, luring Titus to fall into the path of Khorne.
"My anger is only directed at the Emperor's enemies." Titus' body spun, displaying martial arts learned from Kaso, Seth, and Sarojin. The Chainsword roared ferociously, forcing Erebus to retreat repeatedly.
Erebus had no choice but to growl a few chilling incantations, causing Psyker energy to explode between them, temporarily creating distance from Titus.
Then Erebus took the opportunity to raise the obsidian blade in his hand to his lips.
"DeMetrian Titus." Erebus whispered coldly.
The annihilus blade was once collected by the Interex Federation, but those scattered human communities did not know the true origin of this weapon.
This was the first weapon forged for murder, dug from chalky soil, shaped through 130 hammer blows, and used to commit humanity's first murder.
And throughout humanity's long history, this weapon, in different forms, committed countless murders, killing heroes who had influenced or led various human communities: Enkidu, Tutankhamun, Caesar, Oda Nobunaga, Archduke Ferdinand, Rosa Luxemburg, Trotsky, Sadat, Horus.
Countless murders nourished this weapon, countless murders nurtured the obsidian, countless murders endowed it with its power.
One only needed to whisper the name of the desired murder to this sword, and it would fix murder as destiny, almost never missing its mark.
Although the annihilus blade was shattered by Erebus into eight ritual daggers, the daggers still held the lingering power of the past.
The ritual dagger had marked Titus; being murdered by this blade was his destiny.
So, Erebus followed the dagger's guidance and swung the blade at Titus.
The obsidian blade shimmered with deadly light, brutal and hungry, seemingly eager to tear Titus' flesh.
The swordplay was so fierce and venomous, it hardly seemed like Erebus was wielding the dagger; rather, it seemed the dagger was guiding Erebus.
Titus roared, swung his sword, and parried.
A dense net of obsidian swords shimmered, striking at Titus. Titus wielded innocence, barely fending off the storm-like attack.
Malice, Titus keenly perceived malice. Burning malice shimmered in the sword, and the desire for murder drooled over Titus.
Sweat dripped from Titus' hair.
In skill and strength, he would not lose to Erebus, but Titus could feel that in the Warp, a deeper enemy beneath reality, a cold and cruel fate was closing in on him.
That was the fate the Emperor's father once bore.
That was the fate the Emperor's son once bore.
That was death, fated murder.
Titus did not know how to fight against that fated death.
But he was not afraid.
If death was unavoidable,
Then before fate arrived, he would swing his sword at the enemies of humanity even more.
"You cannot escape."
Erebus whispered softly:
"The Blood God is watching, the Blood God is observing, the Blood God desires you."
"Repeat after me, Blood for the Blood God——————"
"Baal Impact!!!" Before Erebus could finish speaking, an earth-shattering roar echoed from mid-air.
A pitch-black Dreadnought crashed down like an extraterrestrial meteor, its heavy Dreadnought body smashing directly into the unsuspecting Erebus.
"Erebus! Mongrel! traitor! Taste your Grandpa Kaso's Baal Impact!!!"
Kaso, who had flown into the sky with his Take-copter, had been watching the entire battlefield. Noticing Titus in distress, he did not hesitate, using the instantaneous acceleration provided by the Take-copter to dive towards Erebus.
Erebus had no time to dodge and was crushed into minced meat by Kaso's rear end.
"Thank Kaso, Ultramarines boy!!!" Kaso waved his storm claw, shouting at Titus.
Titus' mouth slightly opened; he could feel it.
That cold sensation hidden within the Warp had not disappeared.
Fated murder was still closing in on him.
Unavoidable.
The corpse beneath Kaso's rear end instantly transformed into a naked, muscular Tzeentch Great Unclean One.
Fate had silently taken its most twisted turn.
The obsidian blade pierced from the void, tearing open Titus' power armor, entering his lower back, and exiting his chest, with blood flowing down.
A burning pain surged from Titus' body.
Erebus, with one less bird-shaped tattoo on his body, stood behind Titus, firmly thrusting the ritual dagger into his body.
Along with it, the Blood God's wrath surged into Titus' body.
Savage laughter erupted at this moment, the Blood God let out a shrill war cry, and Titus' vision went black, feeling only hot sand flutter on his face.