Chapter 251: The First Murder of Mankind

"A puppet!"

"Oh no, the Warmaster Abaddon has come!"

Reyna let out a roar that was nearly one of terror.

Everyone present, whether from the Black Legion or the expeditionary force, froze in their tracks.

The air seemed to grow viscous and stifling; the power of the Warp began to surge, eroding the material universe and swallowing the snowfield.

Whispers from the Warp resounded incessantly, chanting the fame of the Warmaster Abaddon:

Abaddon! Abaddon the Undefeated!

Abaddon! Abaddon, Lord of the Black Legion!

Abaddon! Abaddon, Opener of the Crimson Path!

Abaddon! Abaddon, Heir of Horus!

Abaddon, Warmaster of Chaos! Abaddon, Chosen of the Four! Abaddon, Gravedigger of the Empire!

A beam of teleportation light burst across the snowfield.

Deceit, lust, rage, and despair—four emotions spread across the snow.

The distorted light gradually coalesced into a humanoid shape; a Cataphractii Terminator, forged in the fires of the Empire ten millennia ago and corrupted by the Chaos Gods, stood upon the sea of snow.

Cataphractii Terminators were the elite of the First Company of the former Sons of Horus Legion, the sharpest blood-blades of the Black Legion.

Leading them was the Lord of the Black Legion himself, the former Captain of the First Company of the Sons of Horus, Abaddon.

He was a man whose face alternated between darkness and pallor, his eyes stained with a faint golden hue, every muscle in his face clearly defined; a bloodstain crossed his skin, with fresh blood slowly seeping out.

Apart from his face, every part of his body was encased in heavy, pitch-black Terminator power armor. This armor differed from any Imperial design, covered in malice and corruption, transformed into twisted spikes and corrupted sigils.

On his abdomen, a chilling red light pulsed from the black armor; at the center of the glow was an Eye of Horus, extending outward into the eight-pointed star representing Chaos. The power of the Chaos Gods seemed to cling to it.

On his left arm, he carried a claw slightly too large for his frame—Reyna knew it was a relic of his father, Horus, the claw that had once torn through Sanguinius's body, with a twin-linked bolter built inside.

But what truly made every human present feel a chill in their bones was the daemon sword in Ezekiel Abaddon's hand.

It was a blade filled with wailing, screaming faces; the dark blue blade was saturated with the most primal desire for slaughter.

Just by glancing at it, Reyna felt an unbearable pain in her chest, as if a sharp blade of obsidian were constantly piercing her, snatching away her blood.

That was death; that was the death of mankind.

That was murder; that was the first murder of mankind.

The daemon sword Drach'nyen!

Reyna had once heard the name of this daemon sword from Zhou Yun and learned the specifics from Inquisitor Greyfax.

The daemon born from the first murder of mankind resided within that sword, carrying the symbol of human death.

Ezekiel Abaddon looked at the expeditionary force and let out a snort of disdain.

He moved with a speed that his Terminator power armor should not have been able to accommodate, releasing a roar of bolter fire from the Talon of Horus.

Those self-propelled bullets rolled with fire, shooting into the Imperial ranks.

Reyna let out a low roar, releasing her psychic power in its most primal and pure form, instantly colliding with the bolter shells released by the Talon of Horus.

But these were no ordinary weapons; the twin daemons symbolizing hatred and vengeance resided within the Talon of Horus, and every bullet upon it was blessed by the Dark Gods, every claw having tasted the blood of gods, daemons, and angels.

Reyna let out a moan as her psychic barrier shattered instantly.

She had blocked most of Abaddon's bullets, but some still carved bloody trails through the expeditionary force.

Abaddon's gaze flicked toward Reyna, a hint of surprise at her psychic power in his eyes:

"An Alpha-level psyker?"

As the words fell, Abaddon rushed toward her at a speed Reyna could not follow—

CLANG!!!!

A silver sword burning with flames collided with the Talon of Horus.

Pure white wings fluttered gently in the snow, bringing a faint light like the warmth of the sun.

The Living Saint Celestine descended from the sky like a golden star bathed in fire.

"Warp-witch of the False Hua Hua Hua Di Huang."

Ezekiel Abaddon wore an expression of utter disdain:

"Look at how corrupt that corpse you worship is. He sacrificed all of humanity, indulging himself in the evil power of the Warp, even creating such a purely Warp-born thing as you."

Abaddon's words made the corner of Reyna's eye, standing behind Celestine, twitch slightly.

What right did he have to say such things?

In Reyna's eyes, Abaddon's corruption was so deep it was terrifying.

He was almost entirely swallowed by Chaos, becoming a vessel for Chaos in the material universe.

Yet he remained blind to it, as if he were completely unable to see the signs of corruption upon his own body.

If one were to compare the Warp content within their bodies, Abaddon was even more saturated than Celestine.

The two clashed sword and claw three or four times in the wind and snow; Celestine could not withstand Abaddon's continuous heavy blows and beat her wings to fly back into the sky.

The twin handmaidens who had always circled Celestine also broke away from their battle with the Black Legion, hovering by her side.

Abaddon snorted, and the Justaerin Terminators behind him surged toward the expeditionary force.

Data streams flashed in the eyes of Archmagos Belisarius Cawl; the Archmagos of the Adeptus Mechanicus was clearly prepared to fight for his covenant.

The Omnissian Axe collided with the Justaerin Terminator power armor.

Reyna also quickly issued orders through the psychic link she shared with the entire 184th Cadian Regiment, which rapidly formed a new line to withstand the charge of the Justaerin Terminators.

But Reyna knew they could not hold for long.

Bolter fire roared from the Talon of Horus, whipping up a storm of fire in the void.

Celestine was fast, avoiding Abaddon's attacks as much as possible, but several bolter shells still exploded against her gilded armor, tearing open jagged rents.

Celestine seized the brief pause after the Talon of Horus finished its volley, raising her silver sword high; the twin handmaidens followed suit.

In Archmagos Belisarius Cawl's memory, the design schematics for the Talon of Horus, forged by the Mechanicus in the past, were stored, allowing Celestine to know a tiny flaw in the Talon of Horus.

She was able to close in on Abaddon rapidly, her silver sword wrapped in scorching flames.

"In the name of the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang!"

Celestine let out a roar, and scorching flames instantly enveloped the entire silver sword; for a moment, it was as if the radiance of the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang burned upon Celestine.

The twin handmaidens followed behind Celestine, striking at Abaddon with their swords as well.

However, Abaddon smiled contemptuously, dodging one handmaiden's strike and turning to repel the other with the Talon of Horus.

Then—

A sharp roar and shriek erupted from the daemon sword Drach'nyen, which contemptuously brushed aside Celestine's silver steel blade.

Following that, the sense of death upon the daemon sword grew thick, and Abaddon swung a burning arc of death.

The two twin handmaidens could not dodge in time; their bodies were struck by Drach'nyen, and their flesh instantly disintegrated.

Celestine dodged slightly, but the blade still ruthlessly sliced away the armor on her chest, leaving a hideous bloody gash.

Celestine's body slowed down slightly because of this.

Abaddon seized the moment, the tip of Drach'nyen striking like a needle, piercing straight into Celestine's chest.

Celestine coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"I won't let you resurrect this time." Abaddon's voice was as low as blood.

"Warmaster!!" A roar suddenly rang out.

Psychic light flashed in Reyna's eyes as massive psychic power gathered within her.

She had been watching the battle between Celestine and Abaddon the whole time, as the only hope for this battle was for the Living Saint to temporarily suppress Abaddon.

But Celestine was clearly driven to the brink by Abaddon; if this Living Saint truly died, the entire expeditionary force would be utterly without hope.

Reyna had no choice but to release the restraints she had placed upon herself, drawing power from the Warp without restraint.

"Hoo..." Reyna could feel the Great Rift hanging in the starry sky.

The Great Rift did not only enhance the power of Chaos.

Reyna poured almost all of her psychic power into it.

Primal and pure Warp power transformed into arrows, piercing straight toward Abaddon.

Abaddon felt the massive psychic power in Reyna's strike.

He turned rapidly, pulling the blood-stained Drach'nyen from Celestine's chest.

Celestine fell like a puppet with cut strings, feathers scattering upon the snow.

Drach'nyen collided with Reyna's psychic power; Reyna's eyes seemed to be burning, the boundary between the Warp and reality around her becoming unclear, and her hair floated in the winds of the Empyrean.

Pain radiated through her nerves, every cell roaring under the scouring power of the non-material universe.

However, Abaddon merely swung the daemon sword in his hand, and the psychic power Reyna released was ruthlessly sliced apart.

The thousands of faces upon Drach'nyen roared; Reyna's psychic power appeared so insignificant before the power of that daemon.

Almost in the blink of an eye, Abaddon sliced through Reyna's psychic power and walked right up to her.

"My original sorcerer is dead."

Abaddon looked down at Reyna:

"Your psychic power is strong; you must be versed in divination and prophecy, right?"

"Serve me, mortal."

"The Hua Hua Hua Di Huang must have other arrangements for me," Reyna replied softly. "Those are the best arrangements."

Abaddon smiled contemptuously and swung the daemon sword Drach'nyen down at Reyna—

A short sword flashing with golden light suddenly appeared in mid-air, blocking the path of the daemon sword Drach'nyen.

"Zhou Yun!" Reyna let out a long breath of relief.

(End of chapter)