Chapter 418

"Luo Jia!!!"

"I told you, I remember your scent!!!"

"No matter where you run, no matter what form you take, I will find you."

"Then I'll kill you!!!"

A bestial snarl erupted from the shadows, and a cold, eerie storm surged forth from the darkness.

In the terrified gazes of Luo Jia, Abaddon, and Kayang, those shadow storms twisted into grotesque, razor-sharp limbs, slicing through everything within sight.

Rocks were torn into half-meter cubes, swept up by the shadow hurricane; the entire mountain shattered under the storm, exposing the three to the open sky.

At this moment, the barren planet seemed plunged into midnight—the dim yellow sky vanished, replaced by clusters of pitch-black shadows scattered through the void.

"Gaaahhh!!!"

A chilling, horrifying cawing rose—the crows converged like a whirlwind of fallen leaves, blotting out the heavens and descending upon the earth.

They were like smoke, like rain, like a sudden gale, like a towering black mountain—rising and falling, tangible yet intangible.

"Who are you!!! Demon!!! Reveal your true name!!!"

"I am Abaddon, Supreme Commander of the Black Legion, Chaos Warlord Abaddon! How dare you defy my existence?!"

Abaddon roared in fury.

Having just unified the scattered factions within the Eye of Terror, he would not tolerate any challenge to his authority.

Especially not from a mere demon.

At this moment, Abaddon failed to notice that behind him, Luo Jia had begun secretly weaving a Chaos sorcery, preparing to open a portal and flee.

"Go."

A black, forked lightning struck Abaddon's chest; the Eye of Horus shattered instantly, and shadowy, eerie flames erupted violently across his Terminator armor.

Abaddon was hurled like a roadside stone tossed aside by a demigod, crashing into the broken cliff face.

"Abaddon!" Kayang cried out in alarm; his demonic tarot cards scattered like gray-yellow leaves into the air.

"Gernika."

"Justinian."

"Ponze."

A crimson Khorne demon, bovine yet twisted, drenched in blood, swung an axe wreathed in the aftermath of explosions.

A bloated, brown-green Nurgle demon, its flesh interwoven with decaying Byzantine robes, constantly spewed forth rats from its body.

A sly, blue-tinted Tzeentch demon with a bird's head cackled, endlessly shuffling stacks of banknotes in its hands.

The three demons were released from the tarot, roaring as they charged toward the shadow in the sky.

More grotesque, low-tier demons poured from other tarot cards, following the three high-tier demons as they lunged at the black shadow above.

The crows oozed like boiling asphalt from the sky, instantly drowning Kayang's demonic horde; thick black shadows extended serpentine tendrils, strangling each of Kayang's demons.

Kayang screamed in terror, eyes bulging.

At that moment, Abaddon rose to his feet, drawing the glowing, azure-hued Drenikorn; a million screaming faces writhed upon the demonic blade.

"Begone, demon!!!"

Abaddon roared in rage.

Yet before he could swing his blade, the crows descended from the heavens, slamming into Abaddon's chest.

The crows shrieked, coalescing into a twisted shadow twice Abaddon's height; a pair of black wings extended from its back, each feather a blade-sharp limb.

The crows' screeches mingled with claws laced with black lightning, lashing toward Abaddon's face.

Abaddon staggered, losing his balance, toppling backward.

But his demonic sword, as if protecting its master, let out a piercing shriek, dragging Abaddon's arm to slash at the shadow creature.

The azure magic sword reflected the image of a Stone Age warlord: long hair, dark skin, adorned with bone jewelry, gripping a flint spear.

The demonic shadow collided with the shadow; the latter instantly extended a claw, seizing the blade.

The echo of the first murder rang through the shattered cave, loud as flint shattering—even Luo Jia, hastily forming his portal, turned back in shock, staring at the soul-rending collision.

A furious chorus of crow shrieks erupted from the shadow, deafening, like countless oppressed souls roaring against their tyrants.

Kayang felt his soul shatter; his vision blurred and fragmented.

He saw only the shadow's blood streaming down, the dark sparks from the blade igniting nearly a third of his body, yet his own claws held the blade fast.

A million crow eyes surfaced from the shadow, dripping blood, fixed upon Abaddon—no, not upon Abaddon, but upon the blade in his hand.

And among them, one eye did not stare at the blade—it stared directly at Kayang, merging with the screen's viewpoint, as if gazing out at the three watching beyond the screen.

Kayang's head throbbed, his heart pounded wildly; he nearly fainted.

"No." Abaddon cried out, terrified and horrified—he seemed to see what lay behind the shadow.

Screech!!

The portal opened with a sharp, piercing sound, like a whistle across the wasteland.

Before Luo Jia appeared a twisted, glowing doorway.

The sound stirred the deep crow-shadow.

The crows exploded violently against Abaddon's chest, hurling his body away, then used the recoil to pounce upon Luo Jia like a hunting beast.

"Luo Jia!!! I'll kill you! You! Your accomplices! Your lackeys! Not one of you will escape!!!"

The bestial roar echoed across the entire planet, shaking the heavens to the depths of the soul.

Kayang let out a wail and collapsed into unconsciousness; his memories ended abruptly, leaving only Luo Jia's scream, the sound of crows flapping toward him, and the crackling of the portal.

The screen's image vanished; Els, drenched in sweat, legs trembling, collapsed heavily to the ground.

Her eyes were filled with terror; as a seasoned Inquisitor, she prided herself on unshakable will—even facing Greater Daemons, she never wavered.

But the moment she saw that black shadow, she felt she might soil herself—how could such a horrific monster exist?!

"What a dark, blasphemous, twisted, and terrifying creature."

Els stared in stunned horror, her gaze toward the surrounding shadows now tinged with fear:

"There are such dreadful, blasphemous beings in the Warp—even the Primarchs flee before them."

"By the Emperor, what twisted, monstrous beast was forged by which demonic god?"

"That is my beloved brother, the Gene-Seed Primarch of the Raven Guard, the Raven Lord Corvus Corax—the enemy of all oppressors," said Sanguinius quietly beside her.

Zhou Yun beside her nodded slightly: "Clearly, it was the Emperor who forged him."

Els froze rigid—she realized how offensive her previous words had been.

Zhou Yun paid no heed to Els's expression; he stared at the lingering eerie crow-shadow on the screen, at its inhuman form.

Now, the Raven Lord Corvus Corax, through the human mask woven by the Emperor, had seen his true form within the Warp, gaining power beyond reality.

He was now the embodiment of vengeance, the redemption of justice, the enemy of all oppressors—hunting through the Eye of Terror like a hellish pack, purging its heretics and traitors, and pursuing his fallen brothers, occasionally slipping silently back into the Imperium.

His mental state? Hard to say—but the creatures of the Eye of Terror likely saw Corvus Corax now as they once saw Khorne.

"He looks in good spirits, full of vigor—I'm relieved," said Sanguinius, a faint smile crossing his lips.

"The Raven Lord's look is so cool… Can't you think of a way to turn him into my Demon Prince?" Zhou Yun gazed at Corvus Corax's ghostly silhouette on the screen and couldn't help but speak.

These words made Els shudder again.

"If we use force, even I would struggle to subdue Corvus Corax now—he is, after all, the enemy of all oppressors."

Sanguinius said, gazing at Corvus Corax's lingering shadow on the screen:

"Wherever he goes, the oppressed gain courage and strength, blessed by the shadows."

"Wherever he goes, the oppressors are struck by fear and weakness, cursed by the shadows, becoming fragile and lost."

"The stronger the oppression, the more Corvus Corax stirs rebellion—and the stronger he becomes. This galaxy is saturated with oppression—it suits him perfectly."

Zhou Yun understood Sanguinius's meaning.

Corvus Corax's true form in the Warp was likely tied to emotions and wills of rebellion.

Oppression and rebellion were two sides of the same coin—the greater the oppression, the stronger the resistance.

In this galaxy, oppression was countless; countless faint sparks of resistance converged like crows, forming Corvus Corax, who could vanish into the ocean of shadows woven by the masses, invisible and formless.

This was why Corvus Corax, having recognized his essence, was so powerful.

Had he pursued a world without oppression, where all were equal, the Raven Lord would have weakened.

But tragically, if this galaxy continued as it was, oppression would only grow—and so would the Raven Lord.

Zhou Yun sighed inwardly, then turned to Els, gesturing for her to continue.

Els seemed to have gained experience; this time, her strike hit the mark—Kayang's eyes projected the very content Zhou Yun and Sanguinius wished to see.

Kayang and Abaddon, dusty and bruised, faces swollen and disfigured, were dragged by a group of six-meter-tall iron giants before the Throne of the Iron Lord.

"Why," Abaddon's voice was hoarse and furious; the iron giants pressed his head down, forcing him to stare at the ground, unable to look up at the towering Iron Lord.

"Why?"

He still demanded:

"Why can Drenikorn not harm your guards?"

The Iron Lord responded with silence—he seemed surprised Abaddon had asked this.

"They are my perfect creations. Their gravity hammers crush Terminator armor effortlessly. Their shields withstand Angron's charges. They are linked to my will—they are my fingers, my perfect warriors and guards."

"But if you ask why Drenikorn performs poorly against them… hmm, have you truly not realized?"

The Iron Lord spoke with the tone of one enduring fools.

"The reason is simple—they are not human. They are automata."

"You must seek the demon born from the first murder of the automata."

(End of Chapter)