Living Saint Gao Yi

But having already taken down one, how could Gao Yi just watch these two massive threats slip away?

If they really escaped back to the Lower Hive, finding them again would be a nightmare of trouble.

"Stop them! Don't let them escape!"

Yet when several Astartes decided to break off and retreat, stopping them was easier said than done.

What happened next, however, seemed to press pause on the entire battlefield.

The toppled statue of the Emperor was already soaked in the blood of the loyal and the faithful, and at that moment, the statue truly wept tears of blood.

Gao Yi suddenly felt a gaze from the Warp... someone had locked onto him!

And as the fleeing Enchanted Warriors passed the statue, golden light instantly enveloped the image of the God-Emperor.

The last two Enchanted Warriors, bathed in the golden radiance, burst into roaring flames. Under the golden fire, their flesh and sinful souls were being incinerated, and the Chaos Cultists around them were also engulfed.

With the flames' appearance, the surrounding Warp corruption was burned away as well.

The less you were affected by Chaos, the less damage you took—and at this moment, the Enchanted Warriors were no different from daemons!

In mere moments, the two Enchanted Warriors were burned to nothing, leaving behind a field littered with charred corpses.

The ordinary Chaos Cultists fared even worse, melting away in an instant.

The few Word Bearers farther from the statue began their retreat the moment the Holy Light flared.

The human-skin scriptures at their waists started burning before the Holy Light even appeared, as if sensing the impending terror.

Seeing this, the Word Bearers broke into the fastest sprint of their lives, fleeing toward the perimeter.

"The Corpse Emperor has manifested! Retreat! This assault has failed!"

Yet even so, some Word Bearers were still caught by the God-Emperor's Holy Light.

By the time the Word Bearers withdrew from the battlefield, only two had successfully escaped.

Watching their brothers being devoured right before their eyes, the surviving Word Bearers cursed inwardly.

"And you still say you're not a god! I protest on behalf of my Gene-Father Lorgar!"

Seeing the mighty Word Bearers retreat first, coupled with the miracle, the morale of the Chaos Cultists on all fronts collapsed. The God-Emperor's light scorched their souls and stripped away the power granted by the Chaos Gods. They no longer had the will to fight.

Witnessing this sudden miracle, the Chaos Cultists began falling back to the Lower Hive, and every loyalist knew they had won. The Upper Hive was saved, and this world had not fallen into Chaos's hands.

All of this was thanks to the God-Emperor's miracle and Gao Yi, standing there like a god of war.

Ian staggered out of the rubble, spitting blood. The Enchanted Warrior's full-force strike was truly not something an ordinary person could withstand. His Inquisitor's uniform was tattered, and his dual shields had saved his life. As he crawled out, he too witnessed the legendary miracle.

He stared at the Enchanted Warrior's corpse, and Gao Yi grew more mysterious in his eyes.

Having seen many classified records, Ian knew better than the average soldier just how absurd this was.

Even far bloodier battles might not see the God-Emperor manifest, yet a war on a Rogue Trader's planet had drawn His attention?

"Lord Gao Yi is blessed by the God-Emperor... He must be blessed by the God-Emperor!"

No one knew who said it first, but at that moment, every loyalist regarded Gao Yi as a new Living Saint.

Feeling the expectant gazes of all, Gao Yi raised his Power Sword high.

"Chaos is nothing! Under the God-Emperor's protection, we have once again defended humanity's dignity! Glory to the Mongert Dynasty!"

"Glory to the Mongert Dynasty! Glory to the great Rogue Trader!"

Gao Yi chose not to order a pursuit of the remaining heretics.

Though they had won this time, the loyalists' losses were also heavy. Both body and mind had reached their limits.

Charging recklessly into the unknown Lower Hive—who knew what would happen?

Everyone needed to rest. The heretics had suffered massive losses, and recovering anytime soon was equally impossible.

"Collect the bodies of the fallen, consolidate the defenses! Burn the traitors' corpses to prevent the spread of Chaos corruption!"

Gao Yi issued his orders. Even the dynasty soldiers seeing him for the first time now had their loyalty maxed out.

"Crap. Am I being targeted by that golden giant?"

For others, winning this battle with the God-Emperor's miracle was a great blessing, but for Gao Yi, it wasn't so simple. He wasn't from this world, and the power he displayed couldn't be explained. He couldn't be sure of the golden giant's attitude toward him.

And what pained Gao Yi was that after the Chaos Cultists were killed by the God-Emperor, he hadn't gotten a single Psionic Crystal!

Then Norris's voice came through the communicator at Gao Yi's ear.

"Captain! The battlefield was chaos, and those guys had terrifyingly sharp senses! But I've already tailed the fleeing Word Bearers. I request permission to continue tracking and find their stronghold in the Lower Hive!"

"Permission granted, but don't act rashly. We'll reclaim the Lower Hive soon. Gather as much intel as you can!"

"Understood, Captain!"

After cutting the communication, Gao Yi, surrounded by soldiers, headed toward his palace.

Rebecca was already waiting at the gate, flanked by the key family members still loyal to the dynasty.

"My lord, on behalf of everyone on this planet, Rebecca thanks you. Without you, our lives would have ended today."

"Isn't protecting my own dynasty the Rogue Trader's duty? At least you held the Upper Hive while I was away, giving me the chance to reinforce."

"Likewise, this is our duty as well. And one more thing... we all want to ask you!"

"Go ahead."

"Did you... truly receive the blessing of the God-Emperor? The way you slew those daemons just now was utterly incredible..."

"Perhaps? At the very least, faith in the God-Emperor gave me the courage to fight them!"

But Gao Yi thought to himself: I do believe, but not in the God-Emperor—I believe in the Emperor's Imperial Truth.

"I understand. You must be tired as well. Let me take you to your palace to rest—it's time it welcomed its new master."

"Lead the way!"

Following Rebecca, Gao Yi entered the Dynasty Palace at the highest and most central point of the Throne District.

Perched atop the Hive City, it had suffered little damage, though many of its rooms and corridors were now used to house the wounded.

The sheer number of injured left the Medics unable to keep up.

Their faces still bore the look of survivors, and they gazed at Gao Yi with reverence, knowing that the Rogue Trader's return had saved them from death or from becoming sacrifices to the cultists.

"Lord, please forgive me for using your palace to shelter these wounded."

"No matter. They are loyal warriors of the Dynasty. Rebecca, do you know where the Dynasty's treasury is?"

"Of course. Do you wish to go now?"

"Yes! Take me there now!"

Gao Yi was intensely curious about what the Word Bearers and the Dark Mechanicus both sought.

"I'll take you there at once!"

The Dynasty's treasury lay within this very palace.

They reached the depths of the palace, before a massive door heavily guarded by various defensive installations.

"Lord, the treasury can be opened via the Thinker beside it. But first, you'll need to transmit your Rogue Trader inheritance data through the flagship's Thinker. Once that's verified by this Thinker, access will be granted. Dynasty law dictates that only the current Rogue Trader may enter. I'll wait outside!"

Rebecca stepped back of her own accord.

Gao Yi followed her instructions.

Once the Thinker completed its verification and collected Gao Yi's biological samples, a door alloyed with Adamantium swung open inside the chamber.

Gao Yi entered the treasury. Arrayed within were various xenos artifacts from different civilizations.

These were the precious War Spoils of past Rogue Traders—not necessarily priceless, but symbols of the Dynasty's former glory. At the very center, a single item was encased in a small Static Field.

Without guessing, Gao Yi knew this was likely what the Chaos Traitors had come for.