Chapter 84: Sacrifice Is the Foundation of the Empire, Life Is the Emperor

“You think I’d fall for that again?!”

Rashid growled lowly, igniting flames and blasting himself forward at maximum speed as a beam of light.

Boom!

The plasma gun flew from his grip; Alvin cursed under his breath and drew his bolter outright.

Bullets poured out like a torrential downpour.

The Minggongshengjiachong attacked the two like mad beasts, while the two attacked each other with equal madness—as if in an ancient Roman arena, wagering honor, courage, and life itself, all warriors throwing everything into killing their foe, no quarter given, no surrender possible!

Under the relentless assault of the Minggongshengjiachong , the Blood God relic shield reached its critical threshold.

From its exterior alone, visible cracks crisscrossed its surface, as if it would shatter in the next second.

Rashid’s expression swiftly shifted from arrogant ferocity to terror.

“No, no!”

He suddenly realized he’d been dragged down by a worthless trash for this long!

If this kept up, even if he killed this bastard, he’d be exhausted—and unable to escape being devoured by the swarm!

Yes, he had no need to fight to the death with a piece of trash.

Rashid, as if finally seeing clearly, instantly changed his goal—from killing Alvin to finding a way to flee.

“Now you want to run? Too late!”

Alvin extended his right hand and clenched his fingers tightly.

The next instant, Rashid felt a violent psychic force crash over him like a mountain collapsing and an ocean surging.

He was slammed hard against the wall, staring in horror at Alvin—who, like a madman, used psychic force to grip him and shattered the factory platform beneath his feet.

“Don’t be in such a hurry, Master Rashid!”

Alvin looked utterly insane, licking his lips with a wild grin: “The fight isn’t over, and you’re already running? Do you even deserve to worship the Blood God?”

“Stop! Stop now!”

“If you keep fighting, we’ll both die!”

Rashid screamed in utter horror.

Boom!

The upper platform of the already ruined foundry was violently torn apart by Alvin’s psychic force.

Losing their footing, both men plummeted downward.

Thanks to psychic buoyancy, Alvin didn’t fall—he used the moment of descent to snatch falling debris and hurl it relentlessly at Rashid.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Rashid crashed hard onto the mid-level platform from above.

The violent impact left him dazed; massive rocks falling from above struck his relic shield like artillery shells.

Regaining his senses, Rashid looked around at the cliff walls, his face filled with terror and panic—and when he saw Alvin charging toward him, he screamed in fright: “Madman! Madman! You’re a madman!!!”

“You’re right—I am a madman!”

By now, the armor’s ammunition was exhausted, but Alvin drew his combat knife—the blade from Kataphron.

“Now, neither of us can escape,” Alvin snarled maniacally, gripping the knife and charging straight forward: “Look me in the eyes, you coward!”

His roar echoed like an army of ten thousand, freezing Rashid’s pupils in shock, stirring a tremor of dread within him!

From initial certainty of victory to this desperate flight.

Rashid never imagined he’d be dragged into this predicament by a gutter rat.

“Trash! Fool! Stop now!” he shouted in terror; realizing his life was in danger, his last shred of fighting spirit rapidly faded: “We can work together to escape! Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you—stop!”

“Fuck you!”

But in response to Rashid, only fiercer attacks came!

“What do you want? I’ll give you anything!”

Rashid’s eyes bulged as he desperately defended against the madman’s relentless assault—especially the way he fought with utter disregard for his own life, shattering Rashid’s courage.

“I want your life!”

Alvin used psychic force to seize a shattered steel beam and hurled it straight at Rashid.

Shhh!

The steel beam, dozens of meters long, shot across the air like a cannonball!

“Besides that, I’ll give you anything!”

At this point, Rashid was truly terrified—his fighting will was being devoured by the madman’s brutal tactics, fear clinging to him like a parasite.

In truth, this was now a pure contest of willpower.

Both Alvin and Rashid were psykers, violently drawing power from the Warp while enduring its brutal side effects.

The situation seemed locked in stalemate, but any observer could see both men were at their absolute limits.

If anything, Alvin had been dominating Rashid—but his own energy drain was far greater, especially with such a dangerous power as psychic force.

Though the Rose Knot’s personal void shield had absorbed much of the Minggongshengjiachong ’s assault,

his amplified psychic energy had been drained to the brink during the brutal fight, leaving Alvin with a splitting headache and labored breathing!

That was the side effect of frequent psychic use—suffocation!

If this continued, Alvin would soon suffocate, allowing Rashid to instantly reverse the tide and crush him utterly!

No!

Not like this!

Winnie, still clinging to his back, realized she had to act!

Suddenly, her peripheral vision caught the plasma gun—also fallen—lying not far away.

Her mentor’s face flashed through Winnie’s mind.

“I won’t become a judge like you, but I will uphold the duty of a judge!”

“Exterminate heretics—for the Emperor, for humanity!”

Winnie tore off the Rose Knot and shoved it into Alvin’s hand: “I’ll create an opening for you!”

Before Alvin could stop her, she leapt off the armor.

She rolled on impact to absorb the force, then sprinted without hesitation toward a distant point!

“Are you fucking insane?! Get back here!”

Alvin’s eyes bulged in horror as he roared.

Amidst a swarm of Minggongshengjiachong , this was suicide—and yet Winnie did it anyway!

“I’m not insane—I’m perfectly clear!”

Winnie’s eyes burned with resolve, her run unyielding, her voice cold and terrifyingly calm: “The moment I became a judge, my mentor told me—sacrifice is the foundation of the Empire, life is the Emperor’s currency!”

“And our duty is to become the Empire’s foundation, the Emperor’s currency!”

Besides the Rose Knot badge granted by the Inquisition, she wore a stance-deflection defense device.

Of course, before the Necrons’ creations, the stance-deflection device was a joke—barely able to delay death by a few pitiful seconds.

But Winnie needed only those few seconds—she would give her life to give Alvin an opening!

The piercing buzz of the Shengjiachong swarm immediately detected the isolated Winnie—like a dark cloud blotting out the sky, it surged forward and swallowed her whole.

Trapped in the swarm, the stance-deflection device blared its warning—the shield cracked inch by inch.

Yet Winnie never showed a flicker of fear; she spotted the fallen plasma gun, bent down, snatched it up, and aimed it at Rashid.

The dense swarm of Shengjiachong , ironically, became her perfect cover.

“I am… Winnie Winslet, Judge of the Empire!”

Winnie’s gaze was unwavering, her will absolute as she fired the trigger: “O Emperor, forgive me—I can no longer serve you!”

Boom!

The searing ion plasma churned the air, carving a visible “tunnel” through the chaotic swarm!

A tiny, blazing sphere of light, radiating terrifying destruction, slammed into Rashid—unprepared, utterly defenseless.

His full attention had been fixed on Alvin, never once noticing the judge engulfed by the swarm.

Winnie kept her word—she had truly created a single instant of opportunity for Alvin!

That was… plasma?!

Rashid’s eyes bulged—he had misjudged, sealing his own doom.

Too close. Winnie was too close. There was no dodging.

Boom!

You can always trust a loyal plasma gun!

The plasma’s extreme heat—even the Blood God’s relic—could not fully withstand it!

Moreover, after the relentless assault of the Minggongshengjiachong and Alvin’s repeated strikes, the relic shield was already shattered, ready to collapse at any moment.

The superheated plasma explosion hurled Rashid backward again, slamming him hard into the rock wall.

Ignoring his pain, he stared in terror at the relic shield, now riddled with cracks: “No, stop, stop!”

But the stance-deflection device had not yet broken—and with her life counting down, Winnie pulled the trigger again, and again, and again, and again!

“Great Emperor, grant me your mercy.”

Winnie’s face was expressionless as she silently prayed within her heart to the Lord of Mankind, seated for ten thousand years upon the Golden Throne, protector of the Empire.

“I do not beg you to save my life, nor to shield my soul.”

“I, Winnie Winslet, beg you, Great God-Emperor, Omnissiah—keep my plasma gun from overheating!”

Crack!

Fifth shot, fifth time!

A searing white ball of light erupted miraculously, trailing a brilliant path!

“Great Emperor, once again, protect me and eradicate the heretics!”

Winnie screamed at the top of her lungs, utterly disregarding whether the next shot might ignite the barrel and blow her to pieces.

The trigger pulled, as if the Omnisiah had truly heard the prayer of this faithful believer.

The loyal plasma never overheats!

Sixth shot, fired!

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