Chapter 446: A Red-Painted Ultramarine

Those dozens of combat servitors expanded their massive frames.

Just as Belisarius Cawl had claimed, these servitors were meticulously designed killing machines; each was so massive it looked like the remains of five or six mortals stitched together, their metallic arms splayed to reveal a host of weapons Zhou Yun could not identify.

The roar of plasma echoed as scorching energy beams surged toward the hundred Primaris Space Marines.

"For the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang!!!" one Primaris, painted in purple, let out a battle cry.

His voice carried through the vox-grille of his helmet, thundering across the entire arena; many mortals even recoiled in fear.

Following the lead of the purple-painted Primaris, the others unleashed their own war cries, launching an assault against the servitors that were still pouring fire upon them.

They were fast—at least faster than ordinary Space Marines—covering more than half the arena in a mere instant.

But it was not fast enough. The servitors, equipped with weapons specifically designed by Cawl, quickly completed their heat dissipation and unleashed a second volley of fire amidst the billowing steam.

To showcase the performance of the Primaris, Cawl had restricted them to using only combat knives—a cruel constraint.

Zhou Yun clearly saw one Primaris struck by an energy beam; half his head was sheared off, and he collapsed heavily to the ground.

Even the purple-painted Space Marine who had roared first had his power armor torn open, a terrifying wound scorched into his lower abdomen, yet he gritted his teeth, driven by a sense of pride, and continued his charge against the servitors.

To Belisarius Cawl, this seemed to be a necessary process for demonstrating the Primaris's capabilities.

Guilliman watched these new warriors with a cold gaze, his emotions unreadable.

Zhou Yun, however, felt it was a waste—the cost of Astartes, especially Primaris, was not insignificant.

He flicked a finger, and a loop of string flew from the fingertip of the Nobita-style figure beside him, snagging the fallen Primaris from the arena floor.

With a light motion of his finger, he tapped the warrior's shattered head, and the Primaris suddenly came back to life, eyes widening as his skull knit itself back together.

This was the power of the Domain of Erosion and Destruction to reverse life and death; as long as the soul had not been swept into the Warp and remained within the material universe, Zhou Yun could resurrect them out of thin air.

Most importantly, this resurrection cost no money—it merely consumed Zhou Yun's stamina, focus, and the power he occupied within the Warp.

The Primaris looked around in confusion, but before he could speak, Zhou Yun had the Nobita-style figure casually toss him aside.

His actions drew side-glances from everyone present; many mortals began to pray in hushed tones, while the Imperial officials—especially the High Lords—looked rather unwell.

Although they had heard rumors of Zhou Yun's ability to reverse death, this was the first time they had witnessed it. They suddenly realized that if Zhou Yun so desired, death would no longer be their retirement.

Meanwhile, the arena entered the stage of close-quarters combat. The purple-painted Astartes swiftly decapitated a ranged servitor, then lunged toward another with the grace of a phoenix, claiming two more lives in the blink of an eye and demonstrating highly efficient killing skills.

He earned a slight nod of satisfaction from Guilliman.

But another Primaris was struck down, bloodied and mangled; the roaring power blades of the servitors proved lethal.

Fortunately, Belisarius Cawl understood Zhou Yun's intent; the servitors ceased their lethal attacks, pulling their strikes at the critical moment to leave the Primaris wounded and "eliminated" without killing them.

Servitor after servitor was brought down, but the Primaris were also being eliminated one by one.

They remained taller, faster, and stronger than ordinary Space Marines, yet their combat style felt somewhat... mechanical, dull, and rigid. While efficient, it was far from perfect.

Guilliman frowned slightly, seemingly dissatisfied with the performance of these new warriors.

"What do you think of these Primaris Space Marines?" Zhou Yun asked Khârn and Seth.

Zhou Yun did not consider himself a combat unit and lacked deep understanding of warfare, but Khârn and Seth were masters of the path of slaughter; their opinions held more value.

"... Why are they wearing Blood Angels paint?" Seth asked, his voice sharp with irritation.

"It's obvious—they are Blood Angels," Khârn replied, glancing at Seth.

"All I see is a group of red-painted Ultramarines!" Seth's expression twisted, his fangs baring slightly.

Watching those Primaris Space Marines in the arena—stiff, rigid, and fighting without a shred of killing intent, as if they were solving a math problem—he was filled with disgust.

"Red-painted Ultramarines"—a very sharp, very Seth-like critique.

Guilliman must have heard it; he sighed and rubbed his temples, seemingly both amused and exasperated by Seth's words.

Rigid, mechanical, formulaic—Seth's sharp assessment did seem to have some merit, Zhou Yun thought as he watched the battlefield.

He turned his gaze back to Khârn, seeking his opinion.

Khârn stared at the Primaris on the field, his eyes drifting.

"They even used gene-seed from the traitor legions?" Khârn blurted out.

At these words, Guilliman's expression turned strange as he looked toward Belisarius Cawl.

Khârn had relied on instinct to discern this; these Primaris seemed to have traitor legion seeds mixed in.

Though subtle, Khârn saw the style of the old World Eaters in some of them, and that purple-painted Primaris who had shown the best combat technique... that was clearly an Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's Children marine. Did they really not need to pretend?

Cawl had always held the philosophy that the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang must have had a reason for creating twenty Astartes legions, and that twenty legions and twenty genetic sequences were meant to be complementary and indispensable.

Therefore, it was entirely possible he had secretly created Astartes from the traitor legions—perhaps more than just a few.

Fortunately, Khârn had lowered his voice, and only Zhou Yun and the two Primarchs with their superhuman hearing had caught it.

"I wasn't asking about that," Zhou Yun said helplessly. "I asked how these Primaris Astartes are performing."

Khârn paused, then replied, "They have bodies suited for slaughter, but not the technique for it."

"Give me eight minutes, and I could kill them all."

Zhou Yun nodded slightly; he knew Khârn was not boasting.

Even the elite Justaerin Terminators under Abaddon were like chopped vegetables to Khârn. He had once killed Saint Celestine and then fought hundreds of Black Legionnaires, including a squad of Justaerin and Abaddon himself, single-handedly.

While the Primaris were enhanced Astartes, the gap between them and Khârn was still far too wide.

But just then, Khârn placed a hand on the hilt of his chainaxe, *Gorechild*.

He exhaled a breath of blood-scented air, and the Butcher's Nails in his head emitted a faint hum.

"Shadow-stepping? Or the stealth of the Night Lords? It's a bit of both."

Khârn growled, his eyes scanning the surroundings like a jackal hunting prey.

"My lord, I take back my earlier dismissal of the Primaris. There is one who is actually dangerous."

"There is a Primaris secretly watching us. He was displeased by what I just said, and the emotion he let slip gave him away."

"I didn't detect him!" Seth snapped, turning his head toward Khârn, his fangs baring.

He did not doubt Khârn's judgment; he had sparred with this mysterious figure and knew his strength.

Seth even suspected this guy might be a Blood Angel himself; his fighting style was somewhat reminiscent of the Flesh Tearers—violent and bloodthirsty.

He was simply angry that he had failed to perform his duty as a bodyguard.

"He hides well. Heh... my lord, shall I go drag him back?" Khârn gripped his axe tighter, his voice filled with madness.

Khârn seemed to find the Primaris lurking in the shadows interesting—a worthy opponent for a good fight.

"No need. I know what that is..." Zhou Yun glanced at Khârn and shook his head.

He had likely guessed what the Primaris lurking in the shadows was.

It was Belisarius Cawl's creation—the Primaris Alpha.

It was a unique design Cawl had manufactured, a template for all Primaris, incorporating the genetic sequences of all twenty legions and undergoing genetic modification on a level similar to the Custodes, granting it extraordinary psychic power and a near-immortal frame.

It was Cawl's most painstaking work, a technological miracle he could not even replicate himself. He had even injected his own genetic sequence into the Primaris Alpha, making it nearly Cawl's son, and almost a Primarch to the Primaris.

Of course, the Primaris Alpha was still far from a true Primarch, and Cawl's genetic modification technology still had flaws; the Primaris Alpha suffered constant pain from its own existence—it was an imperfect masterpiece.

Khârn must have sensed its presence just now.

The Primaris Alpha possessed the genetic sequences of all twenty legions; theoretically, it could simultaneously utilize the stealth capabilities of both the Raven Guard and the Night Lords.

It was normal that Seth hadn't detected it. Had its emotions not fluctuated and revealed a hint of hostility toward Khârn, even Khârn might not have noticed.

However, it had not escaped Zhou Yun's notice; the machine spirit of its power armor was loudly proclaiming its existence to him.

And it likely hadn't escaped the notice of Guilliman or Sanguinius either.

Zhou Yun noticed that Sanguinius seemed to be deep in thought.

(End of Chapter)

(End of chapter)