Chapter 274: Loyalty Cannot Be Spoken Of, Warlord!

"Since the Spirit Clan's Death God is unwilling to kill you, would you accept me instead?"

A voice suddenly echoed through the void; Karlag was startled, yet could not locate its source.

At that moment, Captain Calain of the Blood Angels swung his Hammer of Bal against Karlag.

The sacred war-hammer of Bal clashed with the Power Fist of the Space Marines.

Even wearing the Superhuman Gauntlets, Captain Calain was slightly outmatched in strength, blocked by Karlag's twin fists.

Though part of this was because Captain Calain had restrained the full power of his gauntlets to wield his weapon, it still revealed just how immense the strength of this Space Marine Chapter Master's fists truly was.

"Blood Angels!"

Karlag let out a low roar; his twin fists erupted with thunderous cracks as the bolt guns within began unleashing fire upon Captain Calain.

The bamboo dragonfly atop Captain Calain's helmet flared to life, launching his body skyward—the torrent of bolts struck only his heavy Terminator armor.

"Why are you involved in this?" Karlag growled.

Captain Calain barely parried Karlag's rapid follow-up punch.

"For hope," Calain replied. "We were inspired—to bring one of Saint Guilliman's brothers back to walk the earth."

At these words, a vein bulged violently on Karlag's forehead.

"What would you choose? Would you let two blasphemous Spirits defile your Primarch's corpse?" Karlag demanded sharply.

Calain's expression twisted slightly—he could not say he would.

"But you have another choice: let that one, Lord Doraemon, grant Guilliman death and return him?"

"Doraemon? What kind of thing is that?!"

Karlag roared and slammed his fist hard into Captain Calain's chest.

The Terminator armor on the First Captain's chest immediately caved inward.

"It's hope," Calain gritted his teeth and insisted.

Meanwhile, the elite of the Space Marines' First Company and the Grey Knights' Third Brotherhood swiftly launched an assault against the Expeditionary Force.

Grand Master Voldus of the Third Brotherhood nearly charged at the Archmagos Belisarius Cawl, swinging his war-hammer.

But Diggiris suddenly flashed forward, blocking Voldus's path.

The Chief Librarian of the Space Marines clashed with the most revered Grand Master of the Grey Knights' Third Brotherhood.

Their psychic duel unleashed a storm and vortex of non-material cosmic forces within the sanctum.

Diggiris's psychic power was clearly stronger, yet he had no intention of truly killing Grand Master Voldus.

But Voldus struck without restraint—each blow carried lethal danger; the unique psychic energy swirling around his Hammer of Exorcism suppressed Diggiris's own psychic gifts.

Celestine descended from the sky, her wings trembling, her silver longsword clashing against Voldus's Hammer of Exorcism.

She sought to aid Diggiris.

Yet the Third Brotherhood, guardians of the Grey Knights' Rite of Exorcism, knew six hundred and sixty-six Banishing Words capable of suppressing and even expelling all Warp entities.

Ten Grey Knights raised their sacred relics and roared the Banishing Words of Janus, the First Grand Master of the Grey Knights.

Celestine immediately let out a cry of anguish; the otherworldly radiance upon her body was crushed, and she crashed heavily to the ground.

Soon, more Grey Knights joined the chanting.

In an instant, even the light flickering in Diggiris's eyes was suppressed by the six hundred and sixty-six Banishing Words.

The power of these Banishing Words made Euphrenie gasp in shock.

She had not imagined humans possessed such potent Warp knowledge.

Only Zhou Yun knew these six hundred and sixty-six Words had been written by Janus, the First Grand Master of the Grey Knights.

That Grand Master was a fusion of the loyalist Raven Albion and Magnus's psychic fragments; his knowledge and power were embedded within the Book of Exorcism he authored.

Hence these Banishing Words were so potent—becoming one of the Grey Knights' chief weapons against all Warp entities.

Euphrenie seized the moment of chaos, nearly becoming a blur as she lunged toward Robert Guilliman's throne.

Yet the Terminator elites of the First Company never slackened their guard—they formed an unyielding wall before Euphrenie.

Simultaneously, the Grey Knights unleashed their formidable psychic power, weaving complex exorcism incantations into a thick psychic shield that encircled Robert Guilliman's body.

"My lord."

Belisarius Cawl stood at the storm's center, calm and unhurried, whispering softly to Zhou Yun beside him, who wore the Blindspot Star:

"Makar's relics are stronger than expected. Has your power been restricted? How shall we fulfill our mission?"

Zhou Yun sensed briefly—the power radiating from the Grey Knights' Words had indeed weakened his own energy drawn from the triple realms of the Warp.

He felt the machine spirits around him grow feeble, the efficiency of death's power granted to him had declined, and his appetite had noticeably shrunk.

"Makar's relics?" Zhou Yun chuckled. "Perhaps they're Magnus's relics instead."

The origin of the Grey Knights' gene-seed has always been a mystery, but among candidates, Magnus has always been the favorite.

Yet Zhou Yun was not in a hurry—he could feel

something mechanical approaching beyond the sanctum, and the Void Shield of Hera Fortress had shattered.

A scorching, explosive sound erupted like a meteor crashing to earth.

The ceiling of the Guilliman Sanctum collapsed under the impact; marble, glass, gems, and mosaics rained down like hail.

The thunderous collapse of towering marble pillars drowned out the battle sounds; shattered crystal, metal, and glass flew outward, embedding into walls, armor, and the ground.

A blazing blue metal behemoth crashed from the heavens into the sanctum, engulfed in roaring flames.

It was a Stormraven painted in Space Marine livery!

The Stormraven plummeted, striking the throne where Robert Guilliman lay.

The Grey Knights guarding the throne roared and raised their psychic barriers, barely managing to shove the crashing behemoth aside with all their strength.

But the ensuing shock disrupted their chanting, shattering the shield that had protected Robert Guilliman's throne.

The burning Stormraven was flung hard against a marble pillar, smashing the carving of Guilliman's battle with Alpharius in a mountain-shattering crash; the ensuing explosion tore half the sanctum's wall apart.

Simultaneously, a terrifying shriek descended from the sky.

A host of Black Legion Raptors plummeted from above, their black, gold, and blue power armor turning to shadows in the sunset, diving into the sanctum with spiked jump packs.

The Space Marines' Terminators swiftly unleashed volleys of fire, their bolt guns raking the sons of Konrad Curze.

Yet the Raptors were far faster than the Space Marines; though most died mid-air, three still screeched and landed on the ground.

They carried a grotesque, blasphemous beacon, its surface bristling with jagged metal spikes, blood, and twisted flesh, faintly echoing demonic roars.

The beacon was instantly plunged into the sanctum's floor; a blinding flare of purple and black erupted in the void, illuminating nearly the entire sanctum.

The Warp rippled; the Grey Knights attempting to reestablish their psychic shield groaned in anguish.

A formation of dozens of Black Legion Terminators materialized instantly within the sanctum; their Chaos Sorcerers whispered blasphemous incantations—the Warp surged to life, the beacon grew like living flesh, opening into a gateway as more Black Legion forces flooded into the once-sacred hall.

Even beneath the veil of reality, demonic howls flickered in and out.

The Space Marines' discipline quickly restored their formation, shifting focus to repel the relentless Black Legion assaults.

The Grey Knights, meanwhile, focused inward, resisting the threat beneath the veil of reality, unable to reestablish the Warp shield.

For a moment, the pressure on the Expeditionary Force lessened.

Belisarius Cawl, Euphrenie, and the Thousand-Faced Red Armor all stared in astonishment.

For from Zhou Yun's tone just now, he had clearly anticipated this.

Was this the manipulation of Warp deities over fate?

"Loyalty cannot be spoken of, Warlord!"

Only Zhou Yun laughed aloud, shouting toward the Black Legion:

"Abaddon! Uncle understands you! The truly loyal are not necessarily the Loyalist Legions!"

"When the galaxy is at peace, Uncle will clear your name!"

In the original timeline, it was this Stormraven crashing into the Guilliman Sanctum, and the Black Legion's perfectly timed intervention that allowed the Expeditionary Force to seize the chance and resurrect Guilliman.

In Zhou Yun's altered timeline, it happened the same way.

Zhou Yun firmly did not believe Guilliman's resurrection occurred without the interference of the Five Chaos Gods.

Thinking this, Zhou Yun silently drew from his fourth-dimensional pocket the black sword he had taken from Abaddon.

Belisarius Cawl immediately moved; the troop transport behind him rumbled lowly as he hastened toward Robert Guilliman's throne.

Euphrenie intended to help Belisarius Cawl clear a path.

Yet at that moment, a cold, somber voice suddenly sounded in her ear:

"'Death of Mankind'!"

"Do not let Him kill! Stop Him!!!"

(End of Chapter)