Ahriman's Pyrrhic Defeat

The sudden change caused fear to appear on the faces of the accompanying Caidin and others.

They held their guns and looked around, wary of any enemies that might suddenly appear.

The environment in this space is exactly the same as the real world.

Clearly, this space is a mirrored version of reality.

The difference is,

This place was even darker and more dilapidated.

White ash drifted in the sky, and the air was scorching hot.

A thick layer of gray clouds hung over the sky, obscuring both the Void and the gleam of the starship's engines.

A deep, rhythmic heartbeat came from above the clouds.

It's hard to imagine what kind of gigantic creature could produce such a heartbeat.

"The Realm of Dust and Ash?"

Qin Yun repeated Ahriman's words, staring at the other person.

Ahriman, as the leader of the Thousand Sons Legion, was a figure on par with Sigismund, Raldoron, Abaddon, and others.

It certainly has its own extraordinary qualities.

Now, meticulous calculations,

Let alone ordinary people, even the Primarch would probably stumble and fall if he encountered it.

"I know everything about you, Corpse Emperor Living Saint."

"I have been secretly observing you, trying to figure you out, and looking for your weaknesses."

"Wisdom is the most powerful force in the universe; it can overcome everything, and I happen to possess it."

Ahriman slowly floated into the sky, surrounded by many ancient runes that radiated light.

"You are powerful, but you have limitations. Many times, you have to rely on the power of the Corpse Emperor to defeat your enemies and appear invincible."

"But once you enter here, you will temporarily lose contact with the Corpse Emperor."

"The Infinity Key will prolong this brief moment, though not for long, but enough to finish you off."

"To freeze time in a certain area, to stop at a certain moment." Qin Yun understood Ahriman's explanation.

"I feel extremely honored that this tactic, which was used in the Siege of Terra, has been used on me."

Siege of Terra, Guilliman led a massive reinforcement army across half the Milky Way to aid Terra.

They had already reached the Sol System and were only nine hours away from Terra.

However, because the Sol System was pulled into Warp, time stopped flowing, preventing the reinforcements from finding Terra's location.

Guilliman originally intended to charge at all costs, paving the way for reinforcements with his blood and bones.

As a result, the Chaos Gods spawned six thousand Vengeful Spirit.

This completely stunned Guilliman's reinforcements.

"You know so much, even the Siege of Terra is so well-known."

Ahriman showed approval.

"Unfortunately, nothing can be changed; your defeat is already destined."

Qin Yun flapped his wings and rose into the sky, engaging in a dialogue with Ahriman on equal terms.

"I'm curious, how are you going to defeat me?"

"Without the Emperor's power, my own strength may not be enough to fight against your Primarch — Magnus."

Qin Yun paused for a moment before continuing, "But dealing with you should be more than enough."

"I have made thorough preparations to bring you here."

Ahriman revealed a smug look.

It feels wonderful to have everything planned out.

This is the power of wisdom. Even with the blessing and support of the Corpse Emperor, what can be done? They will still be defeated by him.

"Your opponent is not me, but the master of this world."

Ahriman stretched out his hand, and a rune slowly rotated, radiating light.

The earth began to tremble, the clouds in the sky parted, and eerie light radiated from the cracks.

Under the watchful eyes of numerous players and Imperium heroes,

An unparalleled, unimaginable behemoth slowly appeared.

The monster had a writhing, black body and was enormous.

Hive City looks small compared to it.

Its body is covered with many thick tentacles and eyes.

The middle eye is the largest, but all the eyes are closed at this moment, as if they have fallen asleep.

The tentacles thrashed about wildly, constantly trying to grasp something in the Void.

Between the tentacles were large pores that constantly spewed out grayish-white dust.

"The Lord of Dust and Ash existed even before humankind was born."

"While it may not be comparable to the Ancient Four, it is still an existence that mortals cannot imagine or match."

"It was defeated by an ancient race and fell into slumber."

"The Stellaris will awaken again and travel through the universe once they reach the correct positions."

As he spoke, Ahriman chanted ancient incantations.

The swirling runes in his palm flew into the sky and disappeared into the giant creature's body.

Then, the enormous eye slowly opened and looked at Qin Yun.

His eyes gleamed with an ancient and powerful wisdom.

And bottomless, eternal indifference,

It had no malicious intent.

But its very existence is the greatest malice.

Ordinary people would feel pain simply by looking at it.

It will leave permanent scars on the soul and mind.

The ashes that had settled on the ground rose up, swirling and forming eddies.

A distorted demon took shape from the Ash Vortex.

Strange appearance, wielding weapons

They are clearly the retinue of the master of this realm, his army.

Players and Imperium heroes wore solemn expressions, pointing their guns at the monsters, ready to fight.

"Because the Stellaris have not yet reached their correct positions, awakening them would come at a great cost and cannot last long, but it would be enough to deal with you, the Living Saint of the Corpse Emperor."

Ahriman revealed his hand.

He looked at Qin Yun with a smug smile.

He firmly believed that with such a perfect plan, there was absolutely no way the other side could escape.

"The Lord of Dust and Ash, one of the Seven Great Daemons, how could he be slumbering here?"

Caidin stared at the giant creature in the sky and exclaimed in disbelief.

He struggled to maintain his mental integrity, refusing to be assimilated by the other party's terrifying will.

As the head of the Inquisition in the Calixis Sector,

He knows far more than the average person.

This terrifying creature was mentioned veiledly in Solomon Harlock's diary.

It is one of the Seven Great Daemons of the Calixis Sector.

Legend has it that when the Fate Lines intertwine, the Seven Great Daemons will appear simultaneously, bringing destruction to the Calixis Sector.

Since the Inquisition entered the Calixis Sector, it has been investigating the Seven Great Daemons.

The identities and names of the seven demons were subsequently confirmed.

But they had no clue where they were hiding.

Unexpectedly, the 'Lord of Dust and Ash' was hidden in the Solomon Hive World.

Presumably, the ruin of Solomon Hive World is also related to the other party.

In fact, the Inquisition did not discover that the 'Lord of Dust and Ash' was in Solomon's world.

It has a strong connection with Solomon Harlock.

When Solomon Harlock first arrived in the Calixis Sector and traveled to the world of Solomon,

I unexpectedly learned about the legend of the 'Lord of Dust and Ash' from the local natives.

With the help of the accompanying navigator, they found the correct path and entered the Mirror Dimension.

Fearing that someone might follow the clues mentioned in the diary to find the Lord of Dust and Ash,

Solomon Harlock was vague and evasive about this, and even annihilated the natives who worshipped the 'Lord of Dust and Ash'.

They tried every means to prevent later generations from investigating the truth and to avoid those with ulterior motives from awakening this terrifying being.

The Inquisition was also misled by various clues and legends left behind by the other side.

This is why the Inquisitor, including Caidin, only knew of the existence of the 'Lord of Dust and Ash,' but didn't know his exact location!

The players looked at the enormous object in the sky.

Unlike Imperium heroes such as Caidin, who showed fear, he instead appeared excited.

They couldn't wait to start a massacre.

Old Thirteen: "This game not only copied Paradox Interactive, it even copied Cthulhu."

Little Alpaca: "Is this a 2K version of the Cthulhu universe from Warhammer 4? It's a story about weak humans who master super technology and fight against various Outer Gods."

Brother Zhong: "It feels like Warhammer has all the sci-fi elements that other sci-fi IPs have."

"Aren't the Adeptus Custodes's Dark Cells and the Inquisition's secret fortresses just replicas of the detention facilities?"

Bald Monk: "Emperor VS Blind Fish-Eating God, who is No. 1?"

Director Qi: "Although I don't want to argue, the Emperor can't be compared to Azathoth, can he?"

Old Thirteen: "The Emperor is the only sun in my heart. Without a doubt, the Emperor will beat up the God of Fish."

Pighead Strong: "I think I can at most fight the Scarlet King!!"

Lobster: "Khorne: That Corpse Emperor is evenly matched with me."

Hardcore Bro: "It seems that the Warhammer Universe really did evolve from Cthulhu and the universe, and even the evil gods are universal."

Dovahkiin: "I think the story should develop like this."

"Cthulhu tells the story of humanity before it left Earth, while Warhammer tells the story of humanity's journey to the Milky Way."

"In ancient times, human priests, after becoming aware of the existence of the Great Old Ones and Outer Gods, sacrificed themselves to create Emperor to protect humanity from these terrible beings."

"For tens of thousands of years, the Emperor has been waging wars in the east and west, defeating all the unspeakable things hidden in Terra,"

"After human technology developed, we entered the stars. But the Warp was too cunning, and humanity was defeated time and time again. The Emperor, who had been fighting behind the scenes, could no longer sit still and had to step forward to lead humanity in the fight against the Warp."

Boss Dou: "@Zhua Dovahkiin, your imagination is really vivid. You should write a book right away."

Director Qi: "Ten days, no books, shop smashed, understand?"

"..."

The players' eagerness was noticed by Titus, Caidin, and others.

I couldn't help but admire the Dreadnought and optimism of God Chosen.

He truly deserves to be called the Emperor's Chosen one.

They get as excited as the Orks when they hear about a powerful enemy.

Qin Yun nodded, indicating Ahriman's approval.

"It's quite interesting, both your plan and this place."

Ahriman: "..."

That 'you did a great job' look on his face is really asking for trouble.

Shouldn't we be terrified, angry, and roaring?

The other party's calm was undoubtedly the greatest insult to this meticulously designed plan and trap.

It was a mockery and ridicule of him, the mastermind behind the conspiracy.

"Stop putting on airs."

Ahriman shouted, somewhat losing his composure.

"Today is your death day. The Corpse Emperor cannot save you."

"That's hard to say," Qin Yun said with a smile. "You're quite right; wisdom is the manifestation of power."

"Unfortunately, my wisdom surpasses yours."

"Speaking of gods, I happen to have a god here."

"Although it is still in its infancy, dealing with an old guy who hasn't woken up yet should not be a problem."

"Your lie is utterly clumsy. What kind of arrogance allows you to deceive a master who is an expert in Warp?"

Ahriman gave a mocking look.

"If you have a god by your side, why don't I sense any powerful Warp projection around you?"

"Not all gods originate from the Warp," Qin Yun said.

"And here, you've always been the arrogant one."

"With these tricks, you think you can defeat me and make me a prisoner?"

Xi Ling and Qin Yun are highly bound together, and Qin Yun is bound to the Emperor.

Their projections are highly overlapping and blended.

In a sense, the Black Sun radiating golden light in the Warp was a projection of Qin Yun and Xi Ling.

"Xi Ling." Qin Yun looked at Xi Ling behind him.

"Owner."

Xi Ling responded to her master.

She slowly floated into the air, and indescribable spiritual energy gathered within her body.

A dazzling Halo appeared behind the body made of Active Metal.

His eyes, mouth, and nose emitted a dense golden light, as if a million suns were hidden within him.

As C'tan who simultaneously wields authority over reality and the Warp, her potential is beyond imagination, enough to rival the 'Lord of Dust and Ash'.

The smile on Ahriman's face vanished, replaced by panic.

No, you really do have it!

Having Emperor's Aegis is one thing, but having a C'tan as a servant is another.

This is no way to cheat!

Xi Ling rarely takes action.

Ahriman knew of Xi Ling's existence, but he knew nothing about what she was.

Xi Ling unleashed her power as C'tan.

Ahriman then knew that all his plans had failed.

"Xi Ling, go and deal with that giant beast."

Qin Yun pointed to the 'Lord of Dust and Ash' in the sky.

"Understood, Master. Watch me go and beat that big guy up."

Xi Ling nodded, then transformed into a dazzling ray of light, soaring into the sky and charging towards the 'Lord of Dust and Ash'.

And so the war between gods broke out.

The Lord of Dust and Ash also realized the threat posed by Xi Ling.

The thick tentacles cleaved down with tremendous force, capable of destroying an entire city.

Xi Ling met the attack with a shield of light.

Boom!

The shockwave spread out, forming a terrifying storm that swept across the entire dimensional world.

The battle between the two sides was earth-shattering.

The entire dimensional world trembled, and cracks appeared.

"Go and help Xi Ling."

Qin Yun gave orders to the players, then looked at Caidin and the other Imperium heroes.

"Protect yourselves and suppress those demons for me."

Then, the battle broke out.

Many players activated the thrusters on their backs and flew towards the giant beast in the sky.

Leading the charge were the Demon Hunter Warband.

With the help of the thrusters, Brother Zhong flew into the sky and landed first on the body of the 'Lord of Dust and Ash'.

The other person's body was like a muddy swamp; the moment he landed, his feet sank in.

"In the name of the Emperor."

Brother Zhong's gaze was resolute, and he thrust his longsword down fiercely.

The wriggling, viscous body quickly solidified, turning into white stone.

A high-pitched, eerie scream rang out.

Such an attack could not threaten the 'Lord of Dust and Ash'.

But it caused it unparalleled pain.

Taking advantage of the situation, Xi Ling intensified her attack, using her powerful psychic energy and physical authority to strike her opponent.

The Stellaris have not yet reached their exact positions, and the power of the 'Lord of Dust and Ash' has not yet recovered; he is at a low point.

Faced with the combined attack of a young C'tan and numerous players, they quickly fell into a disadvantageous position.

On the ground, Caidin, Titus, and the others raised their guns, aiming them at the demons born from the Ash Vortex.

Gunfire erupted, and a fierce battle ensued.

When the demon transformed into a hound and bent over, gripping a giant sword, Little Fatty's combat display lit up red.

His Exoskeleton Armor was not equipped with a flight device, so he could not assist Xi Ling and could only fight demons on the ground.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Cannons mounted on the shoulders and arms fired continuously at the demon.

Several demons were hit and instantly blasted into ashes, which scattered on the ground.

A short while later, the ashes were swept up by the wind, forming a new vortex.

Moments later, the demon was resurrected and returned from the vortex.

"Holy crap!! It revived so quickly?"

"As expected, another one who likes to use underhanded tactics!!"

Little Fatty started complaining, then continued firing, mowing down the monsters.

Titus and his Kill Team also joined the battle.

They took the lead, targeting the Thousand Sons Sorcerer and Rubric Marines mixed in, attempting to kill them.

Qin Yun and Ahriman also engaged in battle high in the sky.

Both sides unleashed a burst of psionic energy, attempting to gain the upper hand.

The two spiritual energies collided in the air, creating ripples that formed a storm.

Neither side could gain the upper hand, so it was a draw.

Ahriman chanted a spell, intending to draw upon the power of the Warp to attack Qin Yun.

Qin Yun, wielding the Rod of Retribution and the Blade of Divine Judgment, charged forward recklessly.

Their speed was so fast that it created afterimages in the air.

He swung the Blade of Divine Judgment in his hand, aiming to cleave Ahriman in two.

Ahriman had no choice but to abandon his spellcasting and raise his staff to block.

Clang!

The two weapons collided.

It produced a clanging sound.

At this moment, the Rod of Retribution in Qin Yun's hand also accumulated a huge amount of spiritual energy.

"Thunder".

As the voice fell, the spiritual energy accumulated in the Rod of Retribution instantly transformed into a bolt of lightning and struck out.

Ahriman was sent flying like a cannonball.

It crashed to the ground with a bang, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"I have something to say to you, Ahriman. Today is your death day."

Qin Yun swooped down to the ground, the Blade of Divine Judgment in his hand radiating light.

He wanted to cut off Ahriman's head and end this Chaos traitor once and for all.

At that moment, a winged demon charged in from the other side at incredible speed.

It collided with Qin Yun in mid-air.

He was forcefully pushed aside and shoved to the other side.

After the demon got up, it screamed and charged at Qin Yun again.

The two sides started fighting.

"Ahriman".

The Thousand Sons Sorcerer, Ctesias, ran to Ahriman's side and helped him up.

The demon that was fighting Qin Yun was the one he summoned to rescue Ahriman.

Are you alright?

Ahriman shook his head. "I'm fine."

Then, a bitter expression appeared on his face.

"The plan failed. I never expected that the Corpse Emperor Living Saint would have a C'tan as his servant."

Ahriman's plan was perfect, taking into account all unexpected factors.

However, Ahriman couldn't fathom how a human could gain the approval of the C'tan.

And, to make matters worse, it was the Corpse Emperor Living Saint he was meant to deal with!

At that moment, the demon's screams rang out.

Ahriman turned his head to look.

The demon summoned by Ctesias to restrain the Corpse Emperor Living Saint was killed.

The demon's body was burned to ashes in the flames, and its soul was banished back to the Warp.

The Corpse Emperor Living Saint looked over, his voice as loud as thunder.

"Ahriman, you can't escape."

The light enveloped the other person, dazzling and magnificent, like a golden sun.

Even with the blessing of the Lord of Change, they would have no chance against such an existence.

The other person took one step forward, then two steps, and then quickened their pace to stride forward.

Each step made the ground tremble, each step as heavy as Titan's.

The other side is coming to kill him.

With the Corpse Emperor's rage and mockery of his foolish plan.

Several Rubric Marines rushed forward, trying to buy some time.

In the blink of an eye, it was split in two and turned into burning ashes.

No one can stop the Corpse Emperor's Living Saint.

"Is today my death day?"

This sentence popped into Ahriman's mind.

At that very moment,

A burning demon appeared and pounced on the Corpse Emperor Living Saint, once again restraining him.

The demon filled Ahriman and Ctesias with fear.

If they could, they would not want to see each other.

Because that demon was none other than the Wicked Fire Backlash they had always feared, also known as the Rubric.

Back then, Ahriman used the Rubric Sorcery to kill most of the Thousand Sons, turning them into Wraith within the armor.

These actions reverberated in the Warp, giving rise to the burning 'Rubric' demon.

Just as Loken's death gave birth to 'Samus',

The Imperium's Destruction will give rise to the 'End of the Empire'.

Rubric marked the end of the Thousand Sons and the swan song of Ahriman and others.

Ahriman cannot die here.

Otherwise, the cycle of cause and effect would break.

This demon, known as 'Rubric', will also truly die.

Therefore, when Ahriman is in dire straits, the Rubric Demon appears.

"We must leave immediately; the plan has failed," Ctesias said.

Ahriman nodded, took out the Infinity Key, and released the time confinement.

The Thousand Sons Sorcerer in the distance were able to open a path out of the Warp.

"For the Emperor."

"Leave those traitors behind."

Titus and his men launched an even fiercer attack, attempting to prevent the traitors from leaving.

But an endless stream of demons blocked their path, making it difficult for them to get close to the wizards.

At that moment, heavy footsteps sounded.

The Old Thirteen broke through the demons' obstacles like a tank.

He let out a deafening roar and slammed Ahriman and Ctesias to the ground.

The Infinity Key in Ahriman's hand also flew out and rolled to the ground.

"Ogryn? The Thousand Sons Bloodline?"

Ahriman, lying on the ground, stared wide-eyed, too preoccupied to retrieve the Infinity Key.

He actually saw an Ogryn had been implanted with Thousand Sons Gene-Seed.

This world seems a little too crazy.

"Traitor."

Ignoring Ahriman's shock, the Old Thirteen grabbed the man's foot, lifted it up like a toy, and slammed it to the ground.

Left once, right once,

Bang!

Bang!

The ground cracked from the impact.

Ahriman used his psionic powers to protect himself and suffered minimal damage.

But he was bewildered and shocked.

One of his blood brothers was actually Ogryn.

And now this Ogryn is grabbing him and slamming him to the ground.

At that moment, Ahriman realized that Warp wasn't so crazy after all.

It's at least a little bit more normal than reality.

Ahriman attempted to break free from Ogryn's control.

But they found that the other person's hand was like an iron clamp, and they couldn't budge it at all.

Then, Ctesias unleashed another powerful psionic shockwave.

That's how Ahriman was freed.

He wanted to control the Ogryn and figure out what was going on.

However, at this moment, the Rubric demon was pierced by the Corpse Emperor Living Saint and turned to ashes amidst screams.

The other party reached out, and the Infinity Key that had fallen to the ground flew up and landed in their hand.

"We must leave immediately."

Ctesias shouted and dragged Ahriman toward the teleportation portal.

The other Thousand Sons Sorcerer and Rubric formed a shield wall, blocking the pursuing Ogryn from the two.

Then, Ahriman and Ctesias entered the teleportation portal.

"Damn it, he got away again."

The Old Thirteen brother slapped away the Rubric Marines blocking his way.

Seeing that Ahriman had escaped, he roared in anger.

If they can capture Ahriman, the Warfare Score they gain will be enough to make him the MVP.

Qin Yun ignored the fleeing Ahriman.

He fiddled with the Infinity Key, a smile spreading across his face.

This is a divine artifact that even the Emperor himself coveted.

The only drawback is that the Infinity Key is still an unfinished product.

If it were completed, it could reverse time, equivalent to the Time Stone in the Marvel Universe.

Although it doesn't do much damage to the Warp, in the Realspace, this thing is definitely a god-tier artifact.

When those demons invade the real world...

They directly dispatched the Imperium's 'Grey Knight Doctor Strange Branch' with the Infinity Key to deal with it.

If you lose, restart.

Keep fighting until you win.

That way, the Imperium won't lose; it will only win moderately, greatly, or even massively.

After carefully storing the Infinity Key, Qin Yun looked around to make sure that Titus, Little Fatty, and the others could handle the demons on the ground, then flapped his wings and flew into the sky.

They joined the siege of the 'Lord of Ash and Dust'.

With the time confinement lifted, Qin Yun once again received the Emperor's blessing, causing his combat power to soar.

Together with Xi Ling, they relentlessly suppressed the newly awakened 'Lord of Ash and Dust'.

Ahriman escaped.

Even the 'Lord of Ash and Dust' he awakened couldn't stop Qin Yun, Xi Ling, and the numerous players from their fate.

It was quickly beaten and left battered and bruised, with many of its tentacles broken off.

The largest eye was also smashed open.

Left with no other choice, they unleashed their accumulated power, launching a raging psionic storm.

He then took the opportunity to escape into the depths of Warp.

The Solomon Mirror World, having lost the power of the 'Lord of Ash and Dust' to sustain it, also collapsed.

A Maelstrom appeared and swallowed everything.

Qin Yun had no choice but to lead the players and Imperium heroes to retreat.

Having just returned to the real world,

Then a golden light screen appeared.

Congratulations on gaining experience!

LV16->LV17

Learn the skill: Divine Omen.

You are the embodiment of Redemption, the personification of hope; your appearance represents victory and light.

When you appear before the people in Divine Stance, golden light will appear in the sky, and the Machine Spirit will sing loudly.

Symbols of the number 13 will appear in every corner, and sculptures of Emperor and Living Saint will radiate light.

Warriors loyal to the Imperium will receive blessings and protection, while traitors who turn to Chaos will be filled with fear and confusion.

Note: The Divine Stance will continuously consume your Faith Points.

Learned skill: Machine God Avatar.

You will become the incarnation of Omnissiah, the walking Machine God on earth.

When you switch to the Machine God Avatar, the Machine Soul will sing hymns for you and act according to your will.

Note: Machine God Avatar requires Faith Points.

Before Qin Yun could even read the upgrade notification carefully, a new golden light screen appeared, overwriting the upgrade notification.

This surprised him, and he instinctively started to complain.

"You've been sitting on the Golden Throne for ten thousand years, and you're still so impatient? You can't even wait a second longer?!"

PS: I didn't pay yesterday, so I was supposed to owe two chapters, but today I got over 1500 monthly votes, so I got one more chapter, making it three chapters.

I might have to update a little later tonight, but I'll try to finish writing before 11 p. m.

I'm continuing to work hard and update frequently, and I hope everyone will support me.

Let's take a picture of the adorable Sanguinius today!