"Demon, you also have two choices."
Alex pointed the Holy Judgement Blade at the demon, its burning flames slightly twisting the air.
A holy and powerful voice emanated from behind the Crying Mask.
"The first is to surrender to the God-Emperor, and the second is to be soundly beaten by me and then thrown back into the Warp."
Kharbanda: "..."
Are The Cursed minions of today all so arrogant?
He even dares to recruit the Four Chaos Gods' kin.
If he dares to recruit him today, he'll dare to snatch the Brass Throne tomorrow.
The day after tomorrow, he'll dare to participate in the Eternal War as the Fifth God.
Such arrogance must be suppressed.
"You inherited your creator's arrogance, little angel. You know nothing of the Four Chaos Gods' power."
"Kharbanda, you, on the other hand, inherited your master's stupidity. Go back and tell Khorne that the Warp cannot always attack. One day, Immaterium will boil with humanity's rage."
Alex did not back down, meeting him head-on.
"This temper, it's just like Sanguinius. It seems the God of Cowardice shaped you in the image of the Ninth Son."
Kharbanda didn't get angry like other demons; instead, he grinned.
When he thought of Sanguinius, the anger in his heart melted away.
If that guy had been willing to embrace Khorne, he wouldn't have sacrificed himself on the Avenging Spirit; they could have been brothers.
"Go ask your master; you'll be going back very soon anyway."
Alex flapped his wings, consuming Faith Points to gain the Emperor's blessing and enhance his power, then swooped down towards Kharbanda.
"Come on, I need a good, hearty fight."
"I can no longer hold back the urge to taste your blood."
Kharbanda stuck out his tongue, licking his obsidian-like teeth.
Hot, burning saliva dripped straight from his throat.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Two powerful beings began to clash at close quarters.
Each strike produced a resounding clang of metal.
The power released by the two caused the sky and earth to tremble, emitting a rumbling sound.
Kharbanda continuously swung his battle-axe, again and again, with immense force, as if to cleave Baal Secundus's earth and sky.
Alex, however, parried and deflected him with the Holy Judgement Blade and the Staff of Divine Retribution in his hands.
As the two fiercely battled, Kasareth and other Eldar seers arrived on Baal Secundus with a flash of light.
Upon seeing the xenos, the Sons of Sanguinius immediately raised their guns, attempting to attack.
However, they were stopped by Losa and the Star Realm Knights who accompanied them.
They couldn't allow the Saint's Warp advisors to be accidentally killed while supporting allied forces.
"They are allies of humanity. This is personally guaranteed and promised by the Saint. Are you going to attack friendly forces who have come from afar?"
Losa stood in front of Kasareth and the Eldar, shouting at the Sons of Sanguinius who had raised their guns.
"We will never allow xenos to set foot on Baal Secundus's soil," a Son of Sanguinius shouted, "Make them leave, or we will attack."
"Then are the Tyranid I see an illusion?" Losa pointed at the roaring Tyranid, "Enemies can set foot on Baal Secundus's soil, but allies cannot, is that it?"
These words immediately infuriated many Sons of Sanguinius.
Who talks like that? They have no emotional intelligence at all.
Don't they know not to hit someone in the face?
Did they allow those Tyranid?
They broke in by force!!
Just as both sides were on the verge of conflict, Dante timely noticed the situation here.
He stopped the conflict.
"Regardless, let's discuss this after the battle. Point your guns at the enemy, not at your own people."
Dante made the Sons of Sanguinius point their guns at the Tyranid, then looked at Losa, recognizing his emblem and identity.
"Star Realm Knights, Sons of Dorn, if these xenos do anything out of line, I will punish you all along with them."
"The Star Realm Knights never turn a blind eye to their responsibilities," Losa said.
With the help of the Star Realm Knights, Kasareth and others gained the right to act freely.
They dispersed, centering around Alex, outlining a psychic array to suppress Kharbanda's power and restrain his movements.
"Annoying little ones," Kharbanda roared in anger.
These damned Eldar dared to interfere with his fight with the little angel; they could not be forgiven.
He suddenly exerted force, pushing Alex away.
Then, he flapped his wings and swooped down towards the Eldar on the ground, wanting to deal with these annoying guys first.
"Your opponent is me."
Alex swooped down, and the Staff of Divine Retribution in his hand suddenly erupted with a bright bolt of lightning.
Boom!
In just an instant, the lightning struck Kharbanda's back, sending him crashing to the ground with a loud thud.
"How can you use those birdmen's tricks??"
"As a warrior, you should fight honorably."
Kharbanda felt enraged. He climbed out of the deep pit and roared at the sky.
"I'll use whatever I want, unlike you, you fool, who only ever stupidly hacks around with an axe."
Alex attacked while verbally provoking Kharbanda.
"Let your arrogance run wild for now; soon, you will taste the bitter flavor of defeat. I am Kharbanda, and I am destined to win."
Kharbanda roared, his terrifying voice shaking the firmament.
"Remember Cygnus!"
Alex blocked Kharbanda's battle-axe and then used the Staff of Divine Retribution to release a shockwave, knocking away the opponent's long whip.
"A certain Khorne Greater Daemon had his spine shattered by an The Great Angel's knee, crying like a sissy who had stepped on his toes, and was mocked as useless by a Slaanesh demon nearby."
"According to that Slaanesh demon's later recollection, the Khorne Greater Daemon, whose back was broken, even took advantage of the Blood God's inattention to kowtow to Sanguinius, begging for mercy."
"I wonder who that embarrassing Khorne Greater Daemon was? So hard to guess, Kharbanda, do you know who it was?"
"You are slandering!" Kharbanda roared. The defeat at Cygnus was his eternal shame.
Recalling everything from the past, the flames on Kharbanda's body burned even more fiercely.
The rolling flames made him look like a large torch.
Terrifying bloody fluctuations emanated from him, spreading outwards like ripples.
"You're angry, which means it's true. Could it be that embarrassing Khorne Greater Daemon was you?"
"No way, no way."
"Would Khorne blame you if he knew? Would he punish you? Unlike me, I'll just kill you."
Alex grinned, and a strong golden light also erupted from his body, resisting the opponent's bloody aura,
preventing the Sons of Sanguinius from being affected and falling into the Blood Thirst and Black Rage.
"When I have time, I'm going to compile this story into three parts: upper, middle, and lower, with six Battle Groups in each part, and six sections in each Battle Group."
"Then I'll gather nine hundred and ninety-nine Psyker to tell this story day and night in the Warp, ensuring every demon knows the story of that Khorne Greater Daemon."
"I've even thought of several titles, such as 'Shocking! A Khorne Greater Daemon Actually Did This at Cygnus,' 'The Secret That All of the Warp Forbids,' 'A Sensational Khorne Story,' 'The Entire Galaxy Is Going Crazy Over This Great Figure's Story.'"
"Enough!" Kharbanda was enraged beyond measure. "Are you, a coward like you, only capable of using your tongue??"
"You don't like it? Then I'll do it even more. The more the enemy opposes something, the more it proves I'm doing the right thing."
Alex laughed even more heartily.
"Of course, just telling the story of Cygnus isn't enough; I also need to talk about The The Battle of Terra, and how pathetic you looked when you were easily defeated by an angel!!"
"I will tear you apart!" Kharbanda roared, the flames on his battle-axe burning even more fiercely. "Your soul will suffer forever, until the universe perishes and all things decay."
Kasareth and the Eldar, who were working together to cast the binding array, widened their eyes and showed shocked expressions upon seeing the exasperated Kharbanda.
They sighed, thinking that he truly lived up to being the Human Emperor's most favored Saint.
Putting aside everything else, just the aggressiveness of his mouth was maxed out!!
Look at how angry he made the Khorne Greater Daemon!!
"Too bad, you can't do it," Alex grinned. "Kharbanda, today, not only will you fail to kill me, but on the contrary, you will be defeated by my hand, becoming yet another eternal shame you need to remember."
Roar!
Kharbanda roared.
His terrifying voice shook the firmament.
Endless rage made Kharbanda erupt with even more terrifying power.
The earth trembled, and terrifying cracks appeared.
Blazing magma, like hot blood, surged from underground along the cracks.
Countless skulls tumbled in the blazing sea of blood.
Every demon became bloody, emitting hot, unnatural steam.
They continuously howled while attacking both humans and Tyranid.
The three factions were embroiled in a chaotic battle, fighting inextricably.
The radiance on Alex's body also grew stronger, firmly blocking Kharbanda's bloody light, protecting the Sons of Sanguinius.
Mefiston and the other Sons of Sanguinius witnessed this scene, feeling both fear and anticipation.
If no one stopped Kharbanda, then all the Angel's descendants present would be submerged in endless rage, becoming monsters who only knew how to kill.
And the fact that this Angel could block the influence of Khorne's power on the Sons of Sanguinius indicated a strong connection to Sanguinius, perhaps even Sanguinius himself resurrected.
"Fire on that Daemon," Dante commanded, "We must assist the The Great Angel."
The Sons of Sanguinius nearby raised their bolt pistols and fired at Kharbanda.
Bolter rounds impacted the monster, tearing twisted flesh from his deformed body.
The Players also coordinated their attacks, aiming to slay the Khorne Greater Daemon.
The other mechs of the Hammer and Sickle Battle Group also converged at this time, preparing to avenge their Chapter Master.
Magnificent cannons roared, firing shells and beams symbolizing destruction and slaughter, landing on Kharbanda's body and tearing his flesh.
"Have some honor, little Angel of The Cursed One, come out and duel me one-on-one!" Kharbanda roared, being driven back by the artillery fire.
"You won't get what you want," Alex replied.
The rejected Khorne Daemon roared repeatedly, like a hot-tempered child, furiously pounding everything around him, trying to force Alex into a duel.
"Hold on, don't let the Daemon escape the binding array!" Kasareth shouted, injecting all his power into the array to block Kharbanda.
Other prophets also shouted, chanting ancient incantations to maintain the array.
Meanwhile, on Baal Secundus, even after Kharbanda left, Zigman and the other Players continued to fight.
They gathered together and advanced towards the skull-built monument of Kharbanda, slaughtering Daemons along the way and using explosives to completely destroy the magnificent monument.
Warp rituals have their own power, and once destroyed, their power is weakened.
As the monument was destroyed, the Warp Storm began to subside, no longer as terrifying as before.
As time passed, more and more Imperial forces descended to the ground.
Under their siege, Kharbanda accumulated more and more wounds, which infuriated him.
He was so close to breaking the crumbling array and slaughtering those guys, but as the monument was destroyed, his power gradually weakened, and the shaky array received support, becoming increasingly stable.
"I will never fail here!" Kharbanda roared, "I am Kharbanda, and I am destined to achieve victory!"
Immediately after, he used the long whip in his hand to bind the mech's limbs, restricting its movement.
Then, he swung his flaming battle axe, easily tearing through the thick armor plating, reducing the massive Zaku mech to burning wreckage.
Roar!
Destroying the mech, Kharbanda roared to the sky, proclaiming his might.
Alex seized the opportunity, circled behind Kharbanda, and delivered a fatal blow.
The flaming blade pierced between the Daemon's wings, shattering the armor on his back, then puncturing the armor on Kharbanda's chest and bursting out from the Daemon's torso.
The longsword plunged deep into the Daemon's spine, right up to the hilt, and the plundered souls spilled out with the gushing blood.
"No!"
Kharbanda roared, his weapons flailing wildly in the air, trying to destroy something.
Surging flames spread outwards from the Holy Judgement Blade, destroying Kharbanda's Reality body.
Soon, his wings no longer flapped, and his limbs stiffened.
"I told you you would taste the humiliation of defeat again."
Alex pulled out his sword, grabbed Kharbanda's horn, and swung violently, severing the opponent's head.
The headless corpse knelt on the ground, twitched a few times, and then crashed down.
When Alex held Kharbanda's head aloft, Dante and the other Sons of Sanguinius let out deafening cheers.
The bane of the Ninth Legion's bloodline was thus executed.
This scene left Mefiston and the other Librarians in shock.
The power of this Angel exceeded their imagination.
"Guide is awesome!"
"Punching Khorne, kicking Tzeentch, it's just a matter of time!"
"I ask, who else is there?!"
"See? Our efforts have paid off. The Guide is getting stronger and stronger now!"
"Brothers, keep grinding! One day the Guide will lead us into the Warp. Then we can become Gods if we want, pick up girls if we want. Good days are waiting for us!"
"As long as the Guide is strong enough, the Four Chaos Gods can also be good at singing and dancing, and love peace."
"..."
The Players also cheered along.
Alex heard the content of the Players' cheers and his mouth twitched. These guys were always so imaginative.
They even talked about becoming Gods and picking up girls.
Do they really think the Warp is humanity's backyard?!
The monuments on Baal Secundus were destroyed one by one, and the Warp ritual collapsed with them.
The Daemons were driven back.
The sky returned to its original appearance, revealing the void of battle and the crumbling aerial Swarm.
As more and more Imperial warships arrived as reinforcements, the tide of victory steadily shifted towards humanity.
The Imperial Glory performed as steadily as ever, using its powerful firepower to weave in and out of the Tyranids / Tyranid fleet like Zhao Zilong at Changshan, slaughtering the Hive Mind relentlessly.
It was so stimulated that it rolled its eyes wildly, unable to control the Tyranids / Tyranid fleet, which was scattered by the human fleet.
As another Node Bio-ship was destroyed, the Tyranids / Tyranid fleet was routed.
They abandoned the Tyranid that had descended to the ground and fled beyond the star system.
Alex did not order a pursuit, because the routed Swarm was doomed, and there was no need to waste time.
Baal, like the Underworld system, was within the Crimson Scar.
To deal with the Tyranid, Dante ordered the relocation and extermination of the inhabitants of planets within the Crimson Scar not yet consumed by the Tyranid, ensuring the Tyranid could not obtain supplies.
Aside from Baal, the Tyranid had nowhere left to replenish their biomass.
The failure of the Battle of Baal meant they would endure starvation and ultimately be trapped in this region.
The Swarm's previous obsession with Baal also led them willingly into this trap with no turning back.
To obtain the special gene sequence, they had made a forced march, wasting a large amount of biomass, and leaving themselves no retreat.
"Hahaha, these are all ours!"
"I want that Bio-Titan!"
"Ricard, where is Ricard?"
"Baby, just obey me, I'll be good to you, really, I'll definitely be good to you."
"..."
The Players began the much-anticipated looting phase.
Using Tyranid to fight Tyranid was somewhat impractical, but using Tyranid to fight other Xenos was incredibly effective.
Without the control of the Hive Mind, the Tyranid showed confusion, controlled by biological instinct, and no longer posed a threat.
"These guys are like a bunch of perverts!"
Rascellus complained as he watched the God Chosen excitedly grabbing Node Bio-ships to control the surviving Tyranid.
"Don't discuss those who help us behind their backs."
Mefiston stopped Rascellus from speaking further.
"Be grateful to them. If it weren't for them, we would have certainly lost this battle."
Dante didn't bother with the routed Swarm, but instead walked to Alex with several other Chapter Masters, each filled with awe and anticipation.
At this moment, Alex wore the Weeping Mask, held the Holy Judgement Blade and a scepter, and was enveloped in a golden glow like the morning sun.
"The Great Angel, you have finally returned, finally returned to your Sons."
Dante struggled to suppress his excitement and continued, "Forgive me, The Great Angel. I gathered all the Blood Warbands, but they suffered heavy casualties. Tens of thousands of Sons of Sanguinius sacrificed themselves, and Baal was reduced to ruins."
Alex reached out his hand, and a holy light enveloped Dante.
"There is nothing to forgive. You have done excellently, Dante."
"You withstood and weakened a large Hive Fleet. You saved Baal, and you saved this star system."
With everything he had done being acknowledged, Dante could no longer suppress the bitterness and sorrow in his heart and burst into tears.
"I am too incompetent, The Great Angel. I almost lost myself, completely succumbing to the Black Rage and Blood Thirst. Please forgive me."
Under the gaze of all the Sons of Sanguinius, the holy Angel embraced the weeping Dante.
"It's alright, everything is over. You didn't mess anything up. On the contrary, you saved everything."