Warhammer: Saving Humanity Begins with the Resurrection of Horus

Page 37

In an instant, the chaos, pain, and agitation vanished. Salkota's mind cleared once more. He remembered why he had ended his meditation early, donned his equipment, and rushed to Huron's side. He also remembered how, just after leaving the meditation tower, he had been attacked by the two figures lurking in the shadows, and how he had been forcefully knocked away despite the shield protecting him.

Assault.

Salkota took a deep breath, his chiseled face now filled with an emotion called "rage." He stared intently at the closed royal gates and the tranquil city walls before him, his teeth clenched tightly, his lips trembling, as if he were enduring something. Only after a long minute had passed did his expression suddenly change; the rage was hidden deep within him, replaced by a terrifying calm as dark as the night behind him.

His nose twitched, and looking at the empty ground before him, he slowly squeezed out a sentence from his throat.

"Teacher, aren't you coming out yet?"

A gentle breeze swept across the sand beneath his feet, stirring up fine pebbles that lightly patted against the surface of his power armor. Salkota's eyes narrowed, his vision blurring for a moment. When his eyes readjusted and he could see clearly again, a burly figure clad in power armor and wielding a longsword stood before the dark city walls and gates.

Bell silently looked at his former student without saying a word, but instead activated the trigger on his power sword, letting the azure current flow across the blade.

"It really is you... So Eric was with you guys all along...?"

Salkota ignored Bell's silence and continued speaking on his own.

"Yes, I should have thought of that sooner, when he was unwilling to accept the power from the warp with me... Yes, why didn't I think of that then?"

A look of confusion crossed Salkota's face, but it quickly vanished. He shook his head slightly, his expression turning indifferent as he looked at Bell, who was already in a fighting stance.

"Forget it, I don't want to explore this issue anymore. Teacher, get out of my way. Do you really think you can fight me? Even if you don't know how Eric restored you to your full state?"

Salkota's voice was cold, like a chilling wind blowing through a graveyard.

"Get out of my way. Out of consideration for our teacher-student relationship, I might spare your life. I might even let you leave so you don't have to continue being a flesh and blood battery for the ritual."

Bell looked at his former student, the student's words echoing in his ears, and his heart was filled with a variety of complex emotions.

This world is sometimes so strange. Two people who were once father and son, brothers, or teacher and student can end up standing on opposite sides, drawing their swords against each other, when in the end, they can be the ones who used to drink and laugh together, who could give their lives and even their souls for each other. Only one of them can survive in the end.

But it is precisely because of this that the cruelty of fate can be revealed, and the cold and desolate dark reality of this galaxy can also be shown.

Bell took a deep breath, looked at Salkota in front of him, and slowly but firmly shook his head.

"Do not."

Salkota, I will kill you here.

"you shall not pass."

I will kill you here, but I will never forget you.

"Only one of us can leave here alive today."

I will remember you, and if we don't die together, I will also remember everything that happened today.

"Haven't you always wanted to fight me? Come on, kid, let me see just how strong you really are now."

Then, carrying this memory, I will follow our father into the future. I will embark on a redemptive expedition to liberate humanity from this cold, lifeless, heartless... bastardly fate.

I cannot prevent all such fates, but I can at least ensure that such fates will no longer arise because of this damned chaos.

"Are you hesitating, Salkota?"

"........Teacher, you brought this on yourself."

Salkota's heart darkened. He looked at Bell in front of him, and the rage that had just been buried deep within him surged up again, reaching its peak.

Yes, that's it. Kill him, kill him, and you can change your fate. Haven't you always wanted to build a stronger faction? Kill him, prove yourself, prove you can wield this power, prove him wrong...

To shut up!

A silent scream suddenly appeared in the air. The pair of dark eyes could no longer be seen in Salkota's eyes. The white light unique to psionic energy danced in his eye sockets, and there seemed to be tiny arcs of electricity mixed in with them.

Bell narrowed his eyes, and the steel headband he wore began to build extra protection for him in the mental realm—a psionic headband, a special piece of equipment possessed by the think tank that could enhance the wearer's psionic power while providing protection against enemy psionic attacks.

Of course, this protection also has an upper limit. When the psionic attack exceeds this limit, the wearer will naturally have to bear the remaining burden themselves.

Bell noticed the mental turmoil within him, which caused him to feel a strong sense of nausea. It felt as if a million snakes and worms were struggling and crawling towards his mouth from inside his throat.

However, for this former chief think tank member, such an extent is not enough to break down the spiritual fortress he has built up over countless years.

"bring it on."

He muttered to himself, watching Salkota charging toward him, the visor on his helmet emitting a dazzling blue light.

come on.

A blazing, bright flame was constructed within his heart, and with willpower and the swing of his arms, this mental image finally transformed into a real flame.

The high-temperature warnings from the power armor's internal systems began to echo in his ears. At the same time, Bell unleashed a scorching flame from his power sword. Facing this flame, Salkota neither dodged nor raised his shield to resist. Instead, he fiercely raised his hand and summoned an identical flame, causing the two flames to collide and produce a violent explosion.

"boom!"

Smoke and dust began to spread in all directions, obscuring Salkota's view. However, his power armor system provided him with signals from the surrounding heat sources, allowing him to see a large, red and yellow humanoid figure approaching him, its arms swinging as if to smash something onto his head.

Salkota knew what it was, of course, so he didn't hesitate at all. The psionic light in his eyes became even brighter, shining like a pair of dazzling lamps through his eyepiece.

An invisible deflection field appeared on his arm, constructed from psionic energy, capable of forcibly blocking and deflecting melee attacks faced by a think tank.

"boom!"

The power sword's blade sliced ​​through the smoke and dust, like tearing open a piece of precious silk. Bell exerted force with both arms; though his body was much older, at this moment he unleashed a power far greater than Salkota's.

This shouldn't have happened. Salkota looked at the pair of eyes that were pulsating with a pale blue light and instantly understood what was going on.

"Are you crazy?!"

The student from the chief think tank let out an angry shout. He never expected that the old man in front of him would have such a huge determination, even to the point of violating his own principles and using uncontrollable forces.

"You lunatic! Drawing in so much subspace energy to strengthen yourself! Aren't you afraid of exploding on the spot?!"

Faced with Salkota's questioning, Bell's face remained unchanged, just like his helmet. He slightly flicked his wrist, causing the blade of his power sword to deflect slightly, gliding past the force field-protected arm and gaining more room to maneuver.

He took a step forward with his left leg, while simultaneously stomping his right foot on the ground. With both hands gripping the hilt of his power sword, Bell found an opening and thrust it swiftly towards Salkota's heart.

"Humph."

Salkota let out a cold laugh. Facing the sword that seemed capable of taking his life, he did not choose to dodge or defend, but instead took the initiative to meet it head-on.

Enveloped in a kinetic field, the sword tip pierced through the power armor without the slightest hesitation, revealing the inner black shell, skin, flesh, and the heart encased within.

With a powerful twist of his hands, Bell spun the power sword, tearing apart the pierced heart.

"Cough cough, you old lunatic, you actually want to kill me."

Salkota felt a sharp pain that contorted his face. The Astartes possess two hearts, but that doesn't mean losing one is a trivial matter for them.

If he didn't have any trump cards up his sleeve, Salkota's actions just now were tantamount to courting death.

But whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, he dared to face the power sword piercing his heart because he knew clearly that it wouldn't kill him.

"Teacher, from the very beginning you told me not to come into contact with those beings..."

Bell's pupils contracted slightly. He understood Salkota's purpose. Without hesitation, he exerted force with both arms once again, wanting to crush Salkota's other heart just before Salkota could unleash his trump card.

But this time, no matter how hard he tried, Bell couldn't move the blade even an inch.

The power of psychic energy manifested as an invisible hand, binding the blade and hilt, Bell's hands gripping the sword, as well as his arms, torso, and legs. It transformed him into a motionless statue.

A strange light flickered in Salkota's eyes—his psionic light, which had been dangerous and violent a moment ago, but now became stable and unpredictable.

Blue feathers began to appear on his cheeks, but Salkota was completely unaware of it. He began to laugh wildly, and within him, the voice that had existed ever since he had drawn upon the power of chaos also began to laugh.

Yes, that's right, change, change...

I'm going to find out why that change happened.

Salkota placed one hand on Bell's chest, and then began to utter strange syllables. These syllables sounded so ancient, like a snake hissing or a tiger roaring in the mountains.

From the moment Salcota touched Bell's palm, a primal, immense force arose abruptly. In a nanosecond, or even less, before Bell's body and soul could react, he was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing heavily into the city wall a hundred meters behind him.

boom!

The city wall cracked, revealing a huge crater. Thanks to his power armor and his body enhanced by psionic power, Bell managed to survive, but he could clearly feel the problems with his body—almost all of his ribs were broken, and the hand that held the sword had disappeared from his sight until he shifted his gaze and saw a twisted mass of flesh on the ground not far away.

Oh, it seems I miscalculated a bit.

Bell gave a wry smile, then slowly sighed.

However, this does not mean there is no chance.

Salkota strode up to Bell. In front of the latter, he deactivated the force field of the power sword embedded in his body and then forcefully pulled it out.

“Teacher, this is the power you once forbade. Look how powerful it is. Now I can turn a warrior’s flesh and blood into molten liquid in the blink of an eye. Compared with such power, what meaning do those so-called technologies, martial arts, and the skills you restricted have?”

Salkota tossed the power sword aside and shook his head slightly.

“I know you wouldn’t understand even if I told you, but don’t worry, this time I’ll explain it to Huron and make sure he just locks you up instead of using you as a battery.”

Having said this, Salkota began walking towards the city gate. He raised his hand, and with a flash of psionic energy, the heavy gate slowly opened on its own, revealing a gap large enough for Astartes to pass through.

"Ahem... Sal... wait a minute."

Bell struggled to his feet. He didn't have much psychic power left, but it was enough to help him heal himself to the point where he could stand up.

Salkota stopped in his tracks without turning his head.

"Teacher... please don't force me."

"Hehe, it's just my duty..."

Bell sighed and then shook his head slightly.

"And by all accounts, it's about time."

"Is the time almost up? Heh, Eric must have paid a heavy price to restore you. The other think tanks aren't your supporters. If the two of you worked together, you might still have a chance, but..."

"Who told you that Eric did my recovery?"

Salkota's breath caught in his throat for a moment as he looked into Bell's eyes, somewhat incredulous.

"How can this be...?"

"Nothing is impossible, and look behind you."

Salkota turned his head stiffly. Golden flames burned, and thirteen warriors clad in Starclaws Chapter power armor stood side by side. They gripped power swords, and their faces, burned by the flames, were reduced to pale gold skulls, but their eye sockets were not empty; instead, they shimmered with a faint golden light.

the Avengers.

Salkota knew this psionic spell. As a sacred psionic power, it could summon the fallen warriors of a warband, forming a burning, vengeful incarnation of death that would charge and burn all enemies to ashes.

However, such a spell not only requires complex rituals and a huge amount of spiritual energy to set up, but it can only summon one number of martyrs. So why... are there thirteen at this moment?

And why do they look so different from the ones I used to summon?

A golden demon!