Chapter 196: Eldar Aspect Hunter

Slauda activated the personal psychic teleportation device mounted on the Warp Spider aspect armor he wore, vanishing from the spot instantly, and the bolter rounds fired by the Honor Guard members hit nothing.

The two marksmen did not engage in a futile search.

The Gene-Father had already sent the characteristics, armaments, and origins of each aspect, combined with the footage of his battles along the way, to the Honor Guard members in over a dozen transmissions.

The Order Shadows combined their combat experience to quickly digest and understand the Primarch's teachings; they were the armed force among humanity with the greatest understanding of the various Eldar aspect warriors.

The two marksmen knew that Warp Spiders were different from most other aspects derived from the facets of Khaine, as they originated from the tiny but aggressive spiders within the Infinite Circuit.

Warp Spiders could perform short-range jumps, disappearing into the intangible before reappearing in the field of vision in an instant.

They were the bravest of all aspect warriors, traversing the kingdom of the Great Enemy Slaanesh without protection while She coveted their souls.

After a short-range jump, the Warp Spiders would reappear in an instant to launch a surprise attack on the enemy.

The two marksmen immediately retreated into the five Honor Guard members wielding Power Swords; after several skirmishes, they had already learned how to respond and did not need the Gene-Father to worry.

However, as they retreated to one spot, they suddenly discovered that the target of the red-armored warrior with the Autarch rune painted on his chest was not them, but the Primarch.

He flashed behind the Gene-Father, raised his sword emitting a dazzling light, and slashed at the Primarch.

The Honor Guard members immediately issued a warning to the Gene-Father via their psychic link.

Before their thoughts had even fully formed, they saw the Primarch react as if he had foreseen it; he did not turn his head, dodged the attack by leaning to the side, and backhanded a thrust toward the Eldar Exarch's abdomen.

Ninglu was not using precognition; the light and shadows in his pupils flickered, and the trajectory of the Exarch's high-speed short-range jumps was exceptionally clear within his "Warp Insight" field of vision.

The Charged Blade tore through Slauda's Warp Spider aspect armor, wounding his abdomen and staining it with blood.

Slao Da's mind stirred, and he leaped into the Sea of Souls, the shrill screech of his kin's death lingering in his ears.

The Exarch's body trembled slightly as he sensed the aura of the Great Enemy.

The Eldar called Her the Hungry Lady, and also Sai-Lansileishi.

The psionic array set up by Slao Da flickered with colorful light, erecting a mental barrier within the Warp.

A terrifying screech rang in the Exarch's ears, and he felt the tides of souls battering against the barrier; he knew his time was running out.

Slao Da donned his "War Mask," harnessing his rage to suppress the fear rising from his instincts, entering a combat state that made his thoughts and movements more swift.

The Exarch's ritual spread into the reality at a speed faster than usual, finding an anchor for his mind.

Slao Da leaped back into the reality, and before he had even landed, he sensed a blue force field.

The Exarch jumped into the Warp again, thinking in shock.

【How is this possible? How does he determine my position?

The first time, Ninglu discovered my sneak attack, perhaps stemming from his combat instinct.

The second time, he attacked proactively, indicating he can predict my position after I return to the reality.】

Slao Da realized with bitterness this cruel fact: the equipment he had chosen to hunt the Primarch was wrong.

He had chosen the Warp Spider aspect armor precisely because he did not want to confront the Primarch head-on.

According to his combat simulations, he would exhaust the Primarch's patience through countless flashing attacks, forcing Ninglu to reveal a flaw.

But the Exarch found he was wrong; the techniques of the Warp Spiders were useless.

Having walked the paths of six aspects, the Exarch had better choices, yet he had chosen a useless combination.

Realizing his own conviction was wavering, Slao Da skillfully manipulated the "War Mask" to drive away negative emotions.

Enraged, his thoughts raced like lightning.

He was a Warrior; he could find a way to defeat the enemy.

The Exarch leaped back into the reality and immediately saw a black afterimage pouncing; he swung his sword to block the Charged Blade.

Slao Da's eyes narrowed; the innate keen perception of the Eldar allowed him to notice.

As the blades clashed, the sword in his hand caused a slight damage to the runes of the Power Sword.

The monkey's senses could not capture this imperceptible damage, but he was the mortal avatar of Khaine; he knew every weapon, including the monkey's weapons, like the back of his hand.

Slao Da instantly entered the Howling Banshee state and let out a shrill screech.

The lion's mane on the top of his head shook, and the Howling Banshee rune on his forehead flickered.

The surging screech was amplified by the psionic amplifier built into the Banshee Mask, and a Psychic Shockwave struck directly at Ninglu's mind.

Ninglu knew that the Howling Banshee originated from Morai-Heg, who wished to obtain all the wisdom in his blood, but only the War God Khaine could harm Her.

Thus, She had herself and Khaine's two daughters run to the side of Her companion's ear and screech, tormenting the War God.

To end the torment, the desperate Khaine finally had no choice but to strike, cutting off his companion's finger, and Morai-Heg successfully obtained the wisdom hidden in His blood.

Therefore, the Howling Banshees could be considered the most terrifying of all aspect warriors; their ancestors had once used their screeching to torment the War God himself.

The Craftworld had no gender discrimination, but the Howling Banshee shrine within it was particularly special, usually accepting only females.

In Eldar mythology, the Banshees were the daughters of the Crone Goddess, but there were a very small number of males who would walk the Path of the Howling Banshee, and Slao Da was a special case who had walked it to the end.

Ninglu felt the shrill screech echoing within his cranial cavity; he bypassed the first layer of the Thelema Mindset and stepped directly into the second layer.

His body's energy instantly converted into psychic power, and "Kundalini" isolated the screeching.

Entering the Howling Banshee state, the Exarch transformed into a high-speed close-quarters combat Warrior.

The Primarch and the Exarch engaged in close combat, and even the keen-eyed Order Shadows could barely see their afterimages.

They could only see the bright silver and deep blue flickering trajectories left by the blades in the air, and the bright, dazzling sparks that burst forth.

The Exarch summoned every ounce of power, agility, and technique from all the paths he had mastered, but he found that the Primarch parried every one of his attacks, leaving sword wounds on his body.

Slao Da felt his body was wounded; his speed had reached its limit, and he could no longer maintain his current violent pace.

But he had also succeeded; the Power Sword in the Primarch's hand had developed cracks from the collision with the Sword of Vaul.

Accompanied by a shrill screech like shattering glass, Slao Da smiled.

His left hand raised the Fusion Gun, releasing the destruction of Khaine to force back the Honor Guard members attempting to close in.

Slao Da poured his final strength into the Path of the Howling Banshee; he let out a terrifying screech, used his explosive speed to dodge the Power Fist, and swung the sword in his hand to thrust at Ninglu.

When the blade was an arm's length away from Ninglu, he suddenly saw the ring on the Primarch's middle finger flickering with a cyan and incandescent white light.

Following this, Ninglu's body transformed into several streams of flame, and his attack struck empty air.

Slao Da was greatly alarmed; he twisted his arm with all his might, attempting to dodge the six streams of flame that were reaching out like hands.

He dodged two of them, but the flames he had avoided suddenly turned back and struck his arm.

The other four streams of flame suddenly merged into one, transforming into a long sword of flame, and severed his arm.

Before Slao Da could even feel the pain, his right arm was incinerated to ash; by the time he reacted, the Sword of Vaul had already fallen into Ninglu's hand.

The Autarch looked at Ninglu in Shock; the attack Ninglu launched by eerily transforming into several streams of flame was faster and more bizarre than any Flame-type psyker he had ever seen, including those Eldar kin who were masters of this path.

【The intelligence obtained by the agents and the foresight of the Cabal neither indicated that Ninglu possessed the ability to freely manipulate flame.

The radiance of flame emerged from that Ring; could it be it?

Even if the Ring granted him the ability to release flame, how could it allow him to undergo "flame transformation"?】

Slao Da clearly perceived that the Primarch's body just now had completely transformed into flame.

His confusion was quickly swallowed by failure; the Sword of Vaul had fallen into Ninglu's hands, and he could no longer threaten the Primarch.

Ninglu gripped the Sword of Vaul with his right hand, feeling the Blood-Colored Chain on his little finger rapidly replenish his exhausted Spirituality.

He had just used the Ring on his middle finger; he had already established a preliminary connection with the Ring and confirmed that its primary ability was to release flame.

Ninglu confirmed that the Ring corresponded to a Beyonder item of the "Red Priest" pathway, Sequence 4 "Iron-Blooded Knight," as could be known from the color of the released flame and the fact that it allowed him to undergo "flame transformation."

Ninglu swung his sword, severing Slao Da's right arm.

Immediately after, he deactivated the Runic Rune of his Power Fist and knocked the Autarch unconscious.

Ninglu surveyed the battlefield and discovered that only one hundred and thirty-one members of the Honor Guard remained.

A flash of grief crossed his eyes, 【This is the greatest loss I have encountered since returning to the Legion and leading my progeny.】

The Primarch then realized that the sacrifice also had meaning, and he spoke to the members of the Honor Guard.

"From this day forth, the Aeldari Hunter Order is established. You are the first batch of members. You must bring the knowledge and experience back to each Chapter and tell your battle-brothers."

After Ninglu's Spirituality was fully restored, he released "Imprisonment," trapping Slao Da within an amber-like liquid.

"Bring all the Order Shadows back to the flagship for burial."

"Take the Eldar corpses back for dissection; members of the Aeldari Hunter Order are to participate to deepen our understanding of the Eldar."

"Bring all other spoils of war back as well."

Two stellar days later, Ninglu ordered Weiershier to remain and lead a squad to rebuild the order of Arenis, then ordered the Shadow of Sovereignty to set sail.

As the Shadow of Sovereignty sailed toward the Wheel of Fire, Ninglu brought Slao Da to the third layer of space of the "Kingdom of Disorder."

He looked at the black wolf lying on the ground, motionless and wallowing in despair.

(End of this chapter)