Chapter 615: Aliman Is a Strong Man

A star covered in strange runes spun within the Webway, directly blocking the front of the Storm King's fleet, bathing the living-metal warships of the Necrons in millions of shifting rays of light.

Before that peculiar star stood a figure clad in blue power armor, its style reminiscent of the Necrontyr Astartes, standing atop a Chaos Daemon disc and gazing down upon the Storm King's fleet.

Chosen of Tzeentch, Lord of the Red Network, the Wizard among Wizards, the Librarian among Librarians, the answer to all Astartes psykers—Azarq Aliman.

Through database comparison, Storm King Imotekh confirmed the identity of the human wizard before him.

Aliman gazed down upon the Necron fleet; the warp-corrupted, blasphemous star let out a piercing roar, and massive solar flares surging with potent warp energy burst forth.

Aliman slowly extended his left arm, unarmored, its muscles rippling as powerful psychic energy surged through his flesh.

The Thousand Son clenched his fist—large as a human skull—and raised it high; psychic energy howled forth, and the solar flares behind him surged in unison.

The solar flares from the star became linked to his arm through psychic energy, transforming into a massive limb composed of light, heat, and psychic force.

Then Aliman opened his fist into a palm—and the solar flare limb mirrored his motion exactly.

Aliman's palm slammed downward; the solar flare limb tore through the void of the Webway and swept toward the Necron ships that had failed to brake and now lay within the star's attack range.

In an instant, the living-metal warships were smashed apart by the stellar slap, melting into molten iron and swallowed by the star.

Imotekh watched this, tilting his head slightly.

Are all wizards today this style?

Back during the War in Heaven, didn't the Eldar psykers just chant clowns, dance shamanic rites, and occasionally summon soul-rings?

How did human wizards become so strange? So... robust?

This was still a minor issue.

More importantly, how did he appear here? How could he block this path?

The Silent King had assured Imotekh that this Webway passage had fallen into his hands since the War in Heaven; in this age of the Old Ones' fall and Eldar decline, only he knew of its existence and held its map.

Even the Eldar Rangers' compiled Webway Codex no longer contained any record of this passage—in other words, no one could find or enter this Webway without the Silent King's permission.

Yet Azarq Aliman, a presence Imotekh had never anticipated, had inexplicably arrived in the Webway with an entire star, blocking his fleet's path.

Had the Silent King's deceitful pet once again activated his godlike intellect, planning to turn on Imotekh after using him?

Imotekh did not know that Aliman had found this Webway not through Necron technology nor the Eldar Webway Codex,

but through a human technology.

Aliman lowered his hand slightly, gazing at the flesh-bound book floating in his palm, crafted from the skin of a human woman.

The book itself was alive; within its spine, organs resembling a heart and lungs could faintly be seen slowly pulsing, pumping blood and nutrients into every page.

On the stretched-skin pages, dark-blue veins shifted and intertwined, weaving a map of the nearby Webway.

This was the *Map of Hell*, a Webway map created by humans.

During the time when Magnus's psychic telephone destroyed the Emperor's Webway, some Silent Sisters and Tech-Priests became trapped within it.

These Tech-Priests were among humanity's finest scientists and experts in Webway technology; to return to Terra and to the Emperor's side, they began searching for a way out of the Webway.

Unknown how long they spent within the time-disordered Webway, they eventually succeeded in crafting this Webway map from the skin of a Silent Sister.

Unlike the Eldar *Webway Codex*, which relied on the flesh of Eldar Rangers to explore and chart, the *Map of Hell* could automatically generate maps of nearby Webway routes, guiding its user to any desired destination.

But the *Map of Hell* was completed too late—the Tech-Priests and Silent Sisters never escaped the Webway; the map fell into the hands of the Jesters, collected by Xigochi, and later acquired by Zhou Yun.

It was through the guidance of the *Map of Hell* that Aliman entered this secret Webway passage, summoned a blasphemous star, and blocked the Storm King's fleet.

The Storm King's metallic face darkened with grim resolve—he had no choice but to deploy one of the last two treasures of the Sotek Dynasty.

Suddenly, the crisp sound of a mountain stream striking ancient boulders echoed in the Storm King's ears; a few withered broad leaves drifted down from the shadows, and a brilliant, glowing power sword pierced the air, stabbing straight for the Storm King's neck.

The Storm King whirled his head toward the source of the blade.

He saw a beast.

A humanoid beast clad in dark green power armor, its face hidden beneath a tangled mass of gold-and-gray beard and hair, wielding a sword and shield.

Lion El'Jonson, wielding the Sword of Loyalty, walked calmly from the woods.