Yet having already taken down one, how could Gao Yi sit by and watch these two massive hazards slip away?
If they were truly allowed to escape back to the Lower Hive, finding them amidst the depths again would be unimaginably troublesome.
"Stop them! Don't let them escape!"
Yet when several Astartes no longer engaged in prolonged combat and sought to retreat, stopping them was easier said than done.
Yet the scene that unfolded next seemed to press the pause button on the entire battlefield.
The toppled statue of the Emperor was already saturated with the blood of the loyal and the pious; at this moment, the statue genuinely wept tears of blood.
Gao Yi suddenly felt a gaze from within the Warp... Someone was targeting him!
And as the fleeing enchanted warriors passed by the statue, golden light instantly enveloped the statue of the God-Emperor.
Under the illumination of the golden light, blazing fires suddenly erupted all over the bodies of the two remaining enchanted warriors. Beneath the golden flames, their flesh and sinful souls were being incinerated, and enveloped by the flames along with them were the surrounding Chaos Cultists.
With the appearance of the flames, the surrounding Warp corruption was also burned to nothingness.
The lower your exposure to Chaos influence, the lower the damage you sustained, whereas the enchanted warriors at this moment were no different from demons!
In a matter of moments, those two enchanted warriors were burned to the very last speck, leaving a vast number of charred corpses across the battlefield.
The ordinary Chaos Cultists fared even worse, melting away in the blink of an eye.
Meanwhile, several other Word Bearers stationed far from the statue began their retreat the moment the holy light flashed.
The parchment scriptures woven from human skin at their waists seemed to sense the impending terror even before the holy light appeared, and began to burn.
Seeing this sight, the Word Bearers burst into the fastest speed of their lives, fleeing toward the outer perimeter.
"The Corpse Emperor has manifested! Fall back! This offensive has failed!"
Yet even so, there were still Word Bearers enveloped by the God-Emperor's holy light.
When the Word Bearers withdrew from the battlefield, only two of them successfully escaped.
Watching their brothers consumed right beside them, the surviving Word Bearers cursed inwardly.
You still claim you are no god! I demand justice for my Gene-Father Lorgar!
Seeing the powerful Word Bearers retreat first, coupled with the manifestation of a miracle, the morale of the Chaos Cultists across every front collapsed. The God-Emperor's light scorched their souls and stripped away the power bestowed upon them by the Chaos Gods; they no longer possessed the courage to fight.
Witnessing this sudden miracle, the Chaos Cultists all began to fall back toward the Lower Hive. Every loyalist knew they had won, the Upper Hive was saved, and this world had not fallen into the hands of Chaos.
And all of this was due to the God-Emperor's miracle and Gao Yi, who stood there like a god of war.
Ian crawled out of the ruins, stumbling and spitting blood. The full-strength blow of an enchanted warrior was truly not something an ordinary person could endure, and the Inquisitor uniform on his body was already tattered. Double shielding had saved his life, and having just crawled out of the ruins, he too had witnessed the legendary miracle with his own eyes.
He looked at the corpse of the enchanted warrior, and Gao Yi grew increasingly mysterious in his eyes.
Well-traveled and having perused numerous classified documents, he understood the sheer absurdity of this event far better than ordinary soldiers.
Even more brutal battles did not necessarily witness the manifestation of the God-Emperor, yet the war on a Rogue Trader's world had drawn the attention of the God-Emperor?
"Lord Gao Yi is one blessed by the God-Emperor... He is definitely someone blessed by the God-Emperor!"
Uncertain who uttered the first remark, all the loyalists present now regarded Gao Yi as a new Living Saint.
Feeling the expectant gazes of everyone, Gao Yi raised the power sword in his hand high.
"Chaos is fragile! Under the protection of the God-Emperor, we have once again defended the dignity of humanity! Glory to the Mongert Dynasty!"
"Glory to the Mongert Dynasty! Glory to the great Rogue Trader!"
Gao Yi chose not to have his troops pursue the remaining cultists.
Though they had won this time, the casualties among the loyalists were similarly not insignificant; both physically and psychologically, they had reached their absolute limits.
Headlong pursuit into the unknown conditions of the Lower Hive would bring god knows what.
Everyone needed time to regroup. The cultists had suffered catastrophic losses, and recovering in a short span of time was equally impossible.
"Gather the remains of the fallen and consolidate the positions! Burn the corpses of those traitors and guard against the spread of Chaos corruption!"
Gao Yi issued his orders, and even those dynasty soldiers encountering Gao Yi for the first time felt their loyalty to him maxed out instantly.
It's over. Surely I haven't been targeted by the big golden brute, have I?
To others, winning this battle with the aid of the God-Emperor's miracle was an immense blessing, but to Gao Yi, that was not necessarily the case. He did not hail from this world, and the power he displayed was utterly inexplicable. He could not be certain what attitude the big golden brute held toward him.
Furthermore, Gao Yi felt his heart ache: after those Chaos Cultists were killed by the God-Emperor, he hadn't managed to harvest a single drop of Psionic Crystal!
At that moment, Norris's voice came through the communicator in Gao Yi's ear.
"Captain! The battlefield was far too chaotic at the time, and those fellows have terrifyingly sensitive senses! But I have already tailed those fleeing Word Bearers, and I request permission to continue tracking to locate their stronghold in the Lower Hive!"
"Permission granted, but do not strike rashly. We will soon retake the Lower Hive; gather as much intelligence as you can!"
"Understood, Captain!"
Disconnecting the communication, Gao Yi, surrounded by his soldiers, walked toward his palace.
Rebecca was already waiting at the front gates, and standing beside her were the prominent family members still loyal to the dynasty.
"My Lord, Rebecca thanks you on behalf of everyone on this planet. Without you, our lives would have ended today."
"Is not protecting my own dynasty the inherent duty of a Rogue Trader? At least you held the Upper Hive while I was away, giving me the chance to provide reinforcement."
"Likewise, this is our duty. There is also one more matter... All of us wish to ask you!"
"Speak."
"Did you... truly receive the blessing of the God-Emperor? The scene of you slaying those demons just now was simply too incredible..."
"Perhaps? At least my faith in the God-Emperor gave me the courage to fight them!"
Only, Gao Yi muttered inwardly: I have faith, but the one I believe in is not the God-Emperor, but the Emperor's Imperial Truth.
"I understand. You must be exhausted as well. Allow me to lead you to your palace to rest; it is high time it welcomed its new master."
"Lead the way!"
Following Rebecca, Gao Yi walked into the Mongert Dynasty Palace at the highest and most central point of the Throne District.
Perched at the pinnacle of the hive city, this place had not suffered extensive damage, save for many of the palace rooms and corridors having been repurposed to shelter the wounded.
The massive influx of casualties left the medics overwhelmed and unable to treat them all in time.
Their faces still bore expressions of surviving a catastrophe, and they gazed at Gao Yi with reverence. They too had learned that the return of the Rogue Trader was what spared them from death or becoming cultist sacrifices.
"My Lord, please forgive me for utilizing your palace to house these wounded."
"No matter. They are loyal soldiers of the dynasty. Rebecca, do you know where the dynasty's vault is located?"
"Of course. Do you wish to go there now?"
"Yes! Take me there right now!"
Gao Yi was extremely curious about the objects both the Word Bearers and the Dark Mechanicus sought to acquire.
"I shall lead you there at once!"
The dynasty's vault was located within this very palace.
They arrived deep inside the palace, before a heavy door heavily guarded by various defensive installations.
"My Lord, the vault can be opened via the thinker on the side. However, you first need to transmit your succession information as Rogue Trader over from the flagship's thinker, and then authorization can be granted through the thinker."
"Dynasty regulations dictate that only the current Rogue Trader may enter. I shall wait for you outside!"
Rebecca tactfully withdrew outside.
Gao Yi proceeded according to Rebecca's instructions.
When the thinker completed authorization and collected Gao Yi's biological sample, the alloy door within the room, embedded with adamantium, slowly opened.
Gao Yi stepped into the vault, where all manner of alien artifacts from different civilizations were displayed.
These were the precious war spoils of successive Rogue Traders—not necessarily exorbitantly valuable, but symbolizing the former glory of the dynasty. Right at the very center, a single item was enclosed within a small static field.
Without guessing, Gao Yi knew this was likely what the Chaos traitors had sought to obtain.
Before you continue