The Loyal Need No Reward

Qin Yun ignored the enticements of Kugath.

He silently adjusted his breathing rhythm, preparing himself for battle.

Kugath stepped down from his palanquin and began to walk toward Qin Yun.

The Great Unclean One stood over seven meters tall, his bloated physique resembling a moving mountain of rotting flesh.

"That corpse is a liar; he can give you nothing. After death, only total annihilation or endless suffering awaits you."

"But if you join the Garden of Nurgle, your destiny will be entirely different."

"Grandfather Nurgle's garden is a paradise for all living things, where nothing ever truly dies."

"From the tiniest virus to the most colossal beast, all can be resurrected from the sludge."

"There is no death, no pain; suffering will become a sweet and enduring pleasure."

Qin Yun pointed his blade at Kugath, "You talk too much, just like your master—it is repulsive."

"You really are an obstinate fool."

Kugath was enraged by Qin Yun.

He spun his greatsword above his head and brought it crashing down.

Qin Yun dodged the strike.

The greatsword slammed into the ground with a boom, creating a massive crater and sending countless shards of rock flying.

"I will capture you and drag you into the garden, where you will be trapped forever, accompanied by plagues until you acknowledge us."

As he spoke, Kugath swung his massive, pustule-covered hand toward Qin Yun.

Qin Yun dodged again, leaving a deep wound on the creature's arm.

Kugath felt the pain and let out a low growl, but he seized the opportunity.

A burst of Warp energy erupted from his sticky palm, condensing into a shimmering spear that instantly thrust toward Qin Yun.

The passive skill Shield of Faith activated automatically.

A golden shield of light manifested beside Qin Yun, blocking the spear of Warp energy.

The collision of the two forces created an explosion, and Qin Yun was forced to retreat to dissipate the impact.

Kugath's bloated and obese body did nothing to hinder his agile movements.

He pressed the attack, intending to crush Qin Yun.

The greatsword in his hand swept across, creating a piercing whistle in the air.

Qin Yun was forced to parry the greatsword with the Blade of Divine Judgment.

Clang~

The blades clashed, the sound of the impact creating a terrifying shockwave.

Qin Yun's hand went numb, a dull ache radiating through his palm.

Immediately after, Kugath delivered another heavy blow, forcing Qin Yun to stumble backward.

He was truly worthy of being Grandfather Nurgle's most favored kin.

Even though he had only projected a fraction of his power, he was still able to firmly suppress Qin Yun.

"It seems you haven't received much of the Corpse Emperor's blessing; you aren't strong enough," Kugath laughed. "You are destined for Grandfather Nurgle."

Qin Yun leaped backward, avoiding a slash, "You really do talk too much."

During the fierce battle, Qin Yun seized an opening in Kugath's defense, leaving a wound on the creature's abdomen.

But Kugath took the opportunity to shatter his helmet, leaving half of his face exposed to the air.

Plague viruses invaded Qin Yun's body through his nose and mouth.

The evil power of the Warp caused his face to show signs of decay.

His powerful immune system defended him rapidly, annihilating all the pathogens that had invaded his body.

Golden radiance emerged, purging the evil Warp energy and restoring his complexion to its original state.

"Such a noble face, just like Mortarion."

"Once I bring you back to Grandfather Nurgle's garden, you two will surely become great friends."

Kugath said with delight, "Give up your resistance and embrace Grandfather Nurgle."

Qin Yun did not speak, instead thrusting his sword forward as his only response.

He would never submit to the gods.

"Foolish."

Kugath's face twisted in annoyance, and he launched an even more ferocious offensive.

On the other side of the battlefield, Ten-Timer and the other players were struggling to hold back the tide of demons.

"I'm numb; there are just too many demons."

Several small Hellstrike Missiles launched from the rear of the Exoskeleton Armor piloted by Little Fatty.

They ignited explosions within the tide of demons, tearing apart swaths of enemies.

But the number of enemies was endless.

No matter how many were killed, they were immediately replaced.

"We're going to be worn down to nothing."

Brother Zhong abandoned his powerless Exoskeleton Armor, jumped out of the cockpit, activated his Power Sword, and hacked at the Plaguebearers lunging toward him.

Ten-Timer operated the Chainsword on his Exoskeleton Armor, ripping a Plaguebearer in half.

"Fighting like this is definitely not the way; we have to destroy the anchor point between the Warp and the real world."

"Turtle, go contact Old Bird and have him activate the Auspex to scan the entire Goliath Hive City."

"There must be other altars within the hive city. Nurgle's sacred numbers are three or seven, and the summoning ritual must align with these numbers."

"Understood." Turtle nodded, then opened a comms channel to contact Old Bird, who was stationed on the Imperial Glory.

A moment later, Turtle looked toward Ten-Timer.

"You were right. The Auspex detected two other areas with excessively high Warp energy readings."

"Old Bird sent the map coordinates over. What do we do now?"

Ten-Timer quickly opened his data panel to examine the areas with abnormal Warp energy readings.

He marked a location.

"What else can we do? We have to find a way to destroy all the altars."

"Brother Zhong, take some men and destroy the altar marked on the map."

"Understood." After finishing off a few enemies, Brother Zhong took several veteran players and withdrew from the battlefield.

They grabbed compressed explosive packs and rushed toward the target area.

"Blood Pigeon, can you hear me?"

Ten-Timer called out to the flight squad over the comms channel.

"Loud and clear," Blood Pigeon replied.

"Go destroy the other altar at these coordinates. It's too far from the ground troops and requires flying through enemy swarms; it's all up to you."

"Got it, leave it to us."

After dropping their munitions on the front lines, the flight squad led by Blood Pigeon headed toward the other altar.

"Hold the line!" Ten-Timer shouted to the remaining players. "If we lose, we lose everything."

If this battle failed, Planet Automata would be corrupted into a part of the garden.

Everything the players had worked so hard to achieve would turn to ash.

"Give it everything!"

"The time to prove our loyalty has come. For the Emperor!"

"Old Bird, give us a few more rounds of orbital bombardment based on our positioning to suppress the demon tide."

"Don't worry about whether we're in the blast zone or not, just fire!"

"..."

The players' reckless bravery deeply moved Aing.

He fought to inspire the soldiers and personally took command on the very front line.

"For the Emperor! Hold the line!"

"We may not make it back alive, but the glory of the God-Emperor will be with us."

Colonel Griffin commanded the artillery units, providing fire support for the players.

"Calibrate parameters. Set the boundary twenty meters in front of the God Chosen. Use a creeping barrage. Fire!"

The Genestealer soldiers also fought with the conviction of the doomed.

When the demons charged, they shouted the name of the Emperor and threw themselves into mutual destruction with the enemy.

The Genestealer Patriarch, lurking deep within Tyreen Hive City, watched this war and the God Chosen through the eyes of these Genestealer soldiers.

He was calculating his next move.

On the battlefield, the fighting between the two sides grew increasingly white-hot and brutal.

Brother Zhong and several veteran players formed a task force.

They abandoned everything, sprinting at full speed, seeking only to reach the altar as quickly as possible.

There were not many demons along the way, but there were many Rebels and Cultists.

They charged at the players without fear of death, intending to stop the squad from destroying the altar.

After a fierce and bloody battle, the Exoskeleton Armor worn by Brother Zhong and the other players began flashing red warnings that their power was nearly depleted.

Yet, they successfully broke through to the vicinity of the altar.

"The gods always fantasize about making us kneel, but humanity never yields."

"In the name of the Emperor, let those demons see what the art of self-detonation is all about."

Realizing there was no way to fight their way out, Brother Zhong gave the order to detonate the explosive charges.

"For the Emperor."

"For Demacia."

"Feel the charm of the explosion."

Amidst cheers, the players detonated the explosive charges they were carrying.

A deafening explosion rang out.

Towering flames swept outward, destroying the ritual altar.

With one altar lost, the Warp Storm was weakened.

Kugath and the other demons also grew significantly weaker.

Qin Yun seized the opportunity, leaped up, and slashed the Blade of Divine Judgment toward his opponent.

As the blades collided, the immense force sent Kugath staggering backward.

Missiles from the distance also whistled in, landing on Kugath's body.

Accompanied by the explosions, rotting flesh splattered everywhere.

Startling wounds appeared on Kugath's obese body, revealing his decaying internal organs.

"I cannot let this drag on any longer."

Kugath could feel his power fading away.

When Qin Yun attacked again, Kugath abandoned his defense, allowing the sword to pierce into his body.

Subsequently, a terrifying bolt of Warp energy lightning was released from his hand.

The Shield of Faith manifested automatically.

The two energies collided, creating a horrific explosion.

Qin Yun was sent flying, crashing heavily into the ruins.

"Originally, you wouldn't have had to suffer so much."

Kugath dragged his greatsword toward Qin Yun, who was struggling to climb to his feet.

At this moment, a Leman Russ Tank revved its engine to the max and came rumbling over.

"For the Emperor. For the Guide."

Fanatical shouts blared from the loudspeaker.

The tank's cannon flashed with fire.

Shell after shell was fired, striking Kugath's body and exploding.

But Kugath didn't care in the slightest, as if these shells were merely scratching an itch.

Faced with this situation, the Leman Russ Tank did not retreat; it kept its engine at full throttle and charged straight at Kugath.

"Annoying creature."

Kugath swung his greatsword, smashing the Leman Russ Tank into fragments.

"For the Emperor."

An officer crawled out from the wreckage of the tank.

"What a pathetic fellow." Kugath leaned down to look at the mortal. "You've sacrificed so much for the Corpse Emperor, yet what have you gained?"

"I gained loyalty." The officer used his final ounce of strength to pull the pin on the cluster bomb at his waist.

PS: The three idiots of the Second Imperium