Chapter 461: Five Yuan Cashback for Good Reviews on Rodent Extermination

"Ding-dong-dong!!! Earth Destruction Bomb!!!"

A voice rang from within the wooden door; a round hand reached out, clutching an aerial bomb roughly the size of a small promethium canister, its shell deep green and black, seemingly made of enameled aluminum alloy, with circular tail fins.

Earth Destruction Bomb?

Airebas, watching this through the ritual that linked the entire planet, froze in stunned silence; the mind hidden within his carved bald skull could not comprehend the meaning of this gift.

But the round hand had already hurled the bomb toward the ground; its spherical warhead tore through the air and slammed into the earth, displacing soil and embedding itself diagonally into the muddy ground like a thick greatsword driven into the planet Herosima.

Then the round hand withdrew into the wooden door, slammed it shut with force, and vanished along with the door into thin air, as if it had never existed.

Only the bomb lodged in the muddy earth proved that what Airebas had just seen was no illusion.

Hot air gushed from the bomb's tail, exploding into scalding steam that spread outward, burning the air of this planet.

"Thank you for purchasing the Earth Destruction Bomb produced by Future Department Store. Your satisfaction is the driving force behind our quality service."

"This item is dedicated to the thorough, clean, and traceless extermination of rodents, receiving over twenty thousand positive reviews in the 22nd century, solving rodent problems for countless households."

"Current discount promotion: leave a review and receive five credits back."

A voice emanated from the bomb, speaking words Airebas could not understand.

"The rodent extermination program will activate upon counting to five. Please take cover immediately to avoid accidental injury from this device."

Airebas gasped in shock; though he did not understand what was happening, he must stop this bomb at once—

"Five."

"Rodent extermination is all about catching rats off guard. If you are accidentally injured, please purchase the Doctor's Portable Kit from Future Department Store."

Huh?

A searing light erupted on the horizon, like a star rising from the earth, piercing the atmosphere in an instant and surging into the void, becoming a wave of light and heat that spread across the entire planet.

The sky, woven with red, green, blue, and purple hues, was ignited by the fire of rodent extermination; beneath the rolling heat, the crystal labyrinth vanished in an instant, melted to nothing; the bird-headed behemoth housing countless Chaos Daemons of Tzeentch had no time to resist before being reduced to ash; millions of Tzeentch Daemons screamed in anguish.

The mushroom-like Nurgle beasts in the forest continuously released spores into the air; these spores sprouted from the ground into colossal fungi, attempting to block the divine fire rising from the distant earth and igniting both sky and land—but it was futile; in the fire of rodent extermination, all life turned to ash and vanished.

In the opulent palace, a bull-headed serpent-bodied entity, holding a poisoned chalice, writhed and climbed to the highest tower of the castle, obeying primal, chaotic hunger and desire; all along the horizon was consumed by flame, as if a star were kissing this world; the Slaanesh beast opened its arms, bathing in the fire, savoring the pain and ecstasy of being burned to ash.

Fire, light, heat—these were the final themes of this planet; rocks melted, continents collapsed, oceans boiled; the crust was peeled away layer by layer, the mantle hurled into the void, the core drowned beneath an explosion hotter than itself.

Airebas let out a terrified scream.

Rodent extermination—this was merely rodent extermination.

The voice from the Earth Destruction Bomb before its detonation still echoed in Airebas's ears.

How could this possibly be mere rodent extermination? And with a review rebate?!

This explosion could not be matched even by the cataclysm that shattered Cadia.

All his painstaking efforts, the accumulation of ten thousand years, the redemption of countless divine promises, the sacrifice of vast offerings, the forging of his slaughter arena—all destroyed.

Helpless. So utterly helpless.

A sharp, malicious pain stabbed through Airebas's thigh, as if a thousand blades had pierced it; he shrieked, but his will snapped back to clarity.

The ritual dagger, forged from the Blade of the Eternal Foe—the weapon that committed humanity's first murder and slew Horus—pierced deep into Airebas's thigh.

The ancient artifact restored Airebas's reason; he understood he could not perish with this planet.

No. Absolutely not.

Airebas lunged forward to the nearest Khorne beast beside him, drew his ritual dagger, and prayed this ancient relic would protect his life.

Then, in the next instant, fire consumed the entire world.

Minutes later, the Lord of Light emerged from the Webway, floating in the dark star system, overlooking the blazing fire.

Such an immense explosion had utterly destroyed the planet corrupted by Airebas; almost no solid matter remained—everything had been melted, incinerated into ions or gas, forming a raging fireball adrift in the void, slowly cooling in the frigid vacuum.

But true cooling would take an immense time—so long that even life itself might forget this planet before it solidified again.

Through the viewport of the Lord of Light, Khaen stared silently at the shattered, utterly destroyed planet.

He clenched his axe, his face twisted by rage into something monstrous.

"He escaped. That Airebas."

Khaen murmured, his voice devoid of emotion.

"After such a cataclysmic blow, how is he still alive?" asked Titus, standing beside him in shock.

In his hand, he gripped a chainsword bearing the mark of the Blood Angels.

This chainsword had been gifted to Titus by Dante, the true Lord of Baal (bestowed by Sanguinius), the Deputy Regent of the Dark Imperium (bestowed by Guilliman), and Chapter Master of the Blood Angels, after they entered the Dark Imperium.

The sword's name was the Innocent, taken from the slain Blood Knight Chapter Master Yor, who fell on Baal I.

The Blood Knights fought until only one remained, battling the Tyranids and Khorne's Primordial Daemon Anglath; the chainsword was broken in that battle.

Dante ordered it reforged; during the reforging, Sanguinius dripped his own blood into it. After completion, Dante declared it a sacred relic of the Blood Angels and renamed it from the Atoner to the Innocent.

For the Blood Knights had proven their loyalty on Baal I, atoned for all sins, rejected Khorne's corruption, and walked to destruction with dignity as humans—their souls were now innocent.

"Yet this chainsword still yearns to fight for humanity, for the Emperor, for Sanguinius," Dante had said when gifting it to Titus: "Swing this blade for Yor."

Titus could feel the chainsword's hot, mad, terrifying machine-soul; many had tried to wield it, but none could endure the terror it inflicted.

Every one who grasped it saw visions of their flesh mutating into grotesque mutants, unable to remove their helmets, unable to suppress their bloodlust, branded as traitors by the Imperium.

Facing such a future, can you still remain loyal? Can you still hold courage? Can you still fight for the Emperor?

The chainsword would ask these questions, awakening the deepest fears within the soul.

Those who could not face the visions, who feared them, or who could not remain loyal before them, could not wield this chainsword.

But Titus would not fear—he was the one meant for this chainsword.

As for why not choose from the Ultramarines' relic vault? The Ultramarines' relic vault is rather bare now.

"He didn't withstand it," Khaen murmured. "Airebas ran. Like a rat."

"Ran?" Titus frowned.

"It was the ritual dagger," said Zhou Yun softly, seated on the command throne, watching the planet. "That was forged from the Blade of the Eternal Foe."

"That weapon killed the Emperor's father, committing humanity's first murder."

"That weapon killed Horus and corrupted him into a Chaos puppet."

"Afterward, Airebas used ancient rites from the Daiwen Temple to shatter the obsidian blade into eight pieces, forging them into eight ritual daggers."

"One was recovered by the Emperor, reforged, and used to kill Horus."

"Having participated in so many murders, the dagger accumulated unparalleled power—it protects the user's soul, corrupts even the greatest heroes, and can even cut through the veil of reality, manipulating reality itself."

"Airebas escaped using one of those ritual daggers."

This was entirely within Zhou Yun's expectations.

He threw this Earth Destruction Bomb simply because he had no intention of stepping foot on a planet he knew was stuffed with blasphemous horrors.

Zhou Yun had no desire to walk into Airebas's prepared trap—he intended to keep the initiative in his own hands.

So he tossed out the Earth Destruction Bomb he'd been hoarding in his pocket, unused.

Of course, another reason was that he had long ago exchanged for the Earth Destruction Bomb but never found a suitable moment to use it.

This was a rare opportunity—he might as well use it.

Zhou Yun moved his hand slightly and pulled out the Seeker's Staff from his fourth-dimensional pocket.

"Let me see where Airebas ran off to?"

On the Conqueror, a rift tore open in reality; Airebas rolled out, gasping, crashing onto the deck.

The Khorne beast he had created followed, its body much smaller, covered in horrific burns.

Airebas bore similar wounds.

It seemed the beast had shielded him for a fleeting instant, giving Airebas the chance to use the ritual blade to teleport away.

"All my ten thousand years of accumulation!!! All my fortune!!!"

Airebas screamed in agony; all his accumulated wealth over ten thousand years as the Hand of Fate had been piled upon that planet.

Yet that one—still bound in a mortal body, still resisting godhood as the old Emperor had—had effortlessly annihilated it all.

This forced him to flee the planet Herosima urgently, yet he could not go to Lu Se, lest he draw the wrath of Saint Dora too early; he could only come to the Blood God's promised aid—the Glory Queen-class battleship, the Conqueror.

Then he heard a commotion coming from within the Conqueror.

(End of Chapter)