Arm-wrestling with Vulkan

832. M30, orbit of Nocturne.

Nimrod boarded the Old Man in Yellow's Stormbird and flew towards Nocturne together with Alpharius, who was disguised as an ordinary Astartes guard.

Nimrod out the viewing window at Nocturne and his satellite Prometheus.

He knew that each Nocturne year was equivalent to fifteen Terra years, and that when Nocturne and Prometheus were closest, Nocturne would almost be torn to pieces by gravity.

The Nocturne aliens call it the moment of divine judgment.

Huge waves surge from the ocean, thousands of volcanoes roar and erupt, and earthquakes relentlessly ravage the land.

After returning to the Imperium, the kind-hearted Vulkan used his power to build sturdy city walls made of Adamantium and Plasteel for the seven major cities of Nocturne.

Furthermore, the Void Shield system, acquired from the Imperium, was used to protect the city from destruction during the Judgment.

[Vulkan would be very interested in Bastion-class Energy Shields; perhaps I should offer him some assistance for the kind-hearted man.]

He and the Salamanders are excellent blacksmiths, provided they are willing to pay the appropriate price.

The Stormbirds landed on the plains of Nocturne, Nimrod and his two companions saw a group of people wielding Spears attacking the Lions.

The Lion roared and raised its paw.

Bang!

As the hunter was being flattened, a giant scorpion suddenly sprang out of the forest, its pincers clamping down on the Lion from both sides.

Upon seeing this scene, Nimrod confirmed that this place was the Aridya Plain, the vast Hunting Ground of the Nocturne.

Fenris of "Space Wolves", Medusa of "Iron Hands", Nocturne of "Salamanders" are all Death Worlds with frequent volcanoes and earthquakes, and many dangerous creatures.

The three Primarch had different policies toward their Homeworlds. Russ used Fenris as a hunting ground, training Space Wolves hunters.

Ferrus Manus used Medusa as an arena, encouraging the Iron Hands to compete and forge the best.

Vulkan values life and has appointed Salamanders to protect the people of Nocturne.

As Nimrod pondered, his golden wings flapped, and he flew between the lion and the giant scorpion, the activated metal instantly transforming into a row of sharp blades.

The hunting party saw a flash of golden light, and the lion and giant scorpion collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash.

Nimrod his wings again and caught up with the Old Man in Yellow and Alpharius, thinking to himself.

Lions and giant scorpions are powerful beasts, but they are not ingredients for potions.

"Let's go, it's time to see your brother." The Old Man in Yellow nodded, then took the lead and walked ahead.

Dangerous creatures on the Aridya Plains; the three of them were nowhere to be seen.

Nimrod's line of sight soon came into view of a village, in which towering pavilions stood.

Nimrod and his two companions walked among the crowds converging on the settlement, but no one noticed their presence.

His consciousness spread outwards, mastering the local language of Nocturne and learning from their minds that these people came from the Seven Sanctuaries of Nocturne.

Because of the frequent volcanic eruptions on Nocturne, the locals used the abundant basalt in the area to build seven cities to escape the Catastrophe.

The people of the seven city-states of Nocturne, led by Vulkan, once again defeated Dusk Nether.

"Dusk Nether" is the local name for the Drukhari on Nocturne.

Nimrod knew that Nocturne had long been plundered by the Drukhari, and that the local people hid in their homes when the attacks came.

It was only after being inspired by the heroism of Vulkan that the humans of the seven city-states united to resist the raids of the Drukhari.

Nimrod and his two companions walked towards the center of the village amidst the crowd.

He soon saw a black giant, as tall as himself and clad in armor made of green agate, surrounded by a crowd.

The armor only covered his chest and legs, leaving large expanses of dark skin exposed, just like the Nocturne around him.

He wore a golden crown on his forehead, and his arms and other parts were also decorated with gold ornaments.

A dark-skinned nobleman spoke loudly.

"People of Nocturne, citizens of the seven city-states, Vulkan, lead us to defeat the Dusk Nether."

"Let us all sing praises to the great Lord of the Fire Drakes... Vulkan..."

Nimrod knew that the Promethean Cult of Nocturne had prophesied that a child would become the savior.

After Vulkan crashed on the Nocturne, the blacksmith En Bell, who adopted him, believed that the child who fell into his home was the savior, so he named him after the first fire dragon king.

A thunderous roar of cheers erupted, Nimrod could sense the people of the surrounding Nocturne praising Vulkan, the great leader who led them to drive away the Dusk Nether.

"Flame-Born!"

The nobleman called out another title for Vulkan, Nimrod looked at Vulkan, whose eyes burned like volcanoes—one of the reasons he had earned that title.

Another thing is that his skin is now burning, sizzling like steak in a frying pan, and the smell of burning hits you when he speaks.

"I consulted with the councils of elders of the seven city-states and decided to hold a grand athletic competition."

His suggestion was immediately met with enthusiastic responses from countless people. The Nocturne People needed a joyous celebration to declare that they had broken free from the Nightmare brought by the Dusk Nether.

Just as everyone was expecting Vulkan to announce the first competition, a pale-skinned man, quite different from the dark-skinned Nocturne aliens, suddenly appeared in their sight.

"An interesting competition. Please allow my offspring to participate."

"He will beat everyone in the competition, including you, Vulkan."

"Let's have a wager. He will represent me against you, and the loser will forever serve the winner."

"If he loses, I pledge my allegiance to you; if he wins, you must swear allegiance to me."

The Nocturne aliens then noticed that a giant was standing to their right behind the pale-skinned outsider.

The Nocturne stared in astonishment at the black-armored giant, especially marveling at its shimmering golden wings.

They were stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but compare the Flame-Born to the black-armored giant.

They thought of Vulkan leading them to defeat the Dusk Nether, and of the superb weapons Vulkan had forged.

"Impossible, even if he's as tall as the Fire Dragon King."

"Vulkan remains undefeated!"

"..."

Vulkan's burning eyes lingered on the pale-skinned outsider and the black-armored giant.

After some investigation and analysis, he confidently declared, "I accept your challenge; victory is mys."

He spoke in a friendly tone, so different from his physique and dark skin, "I welcome you to the competition. What's your name?"

The heat wave hit him, Nimrod Lu remained largely unmoved.

Having been sent by the Old Man in Yellow to fight against Leman Russ and Ferrus Manus, he had grown accustomed to this role.

The Old Man in Yellow has gotten used to winning without lifting a finger.

Nimrod.

"The first competition is a contest of strength, arm wrestling," a dark-skinned elder of the Council of Nobles announced loudly.

The Nocturne aliens, forged by high gravity and harsh environment, possessed tall and robust bodies. They were excited by the contest of strength and erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

Pairs of competitors placed their arms on the table, their bulging arms straining as they began to exert force.

In the original plan, Vulkan would not participate in the competition, as no one on Nocturne could rival the Fire Dragon King.

Half a day later, the Nocturne aliens brought over a black stone seat made of basalt in a vehicle.

Nimrod and Vulkan walked to the basalt base under the gaze of everyone.

Nimrod removed the ring from his right middle finger and the Crimson Chain from his little finger, then pressed his elbow against the polished basalt base and grasped Vulkan's right hand.

Their palms touched, their black eyes met their burning eyes, and both Primarch felt each other's power through their hands.

"Start!"

The two Primarch exerted their power simultaneously, and the immense force caused the basalt base to tremble slightly.

The "Barbarian" awakened Nimrod's latent talents, significantly boosting his physique and strength, enabling him to contend with Vulkan, the Primarch with the strongest physical strength.

The Nocturne stared in disbelief at Nimrod, who actually had someone who could arm wrestle with Vulkan.

Nimrod and Vulkan repeatedly tried to exert their strength and overpower each other.

After the eighteen bursts, Nimrod's eyebrows furrowed slightly. He felt Vulkan's power slightly overwhelm him in the Power Burst.

His eyes flashed, and he abandoned his idea of mobilizing the Necrodermis behind him and having the C'tan Shard enhance his abilities.

Nimrod continued to exert his pure physical strength, attempting to overpower Vulkan.

Bang! Bang!

Two explosions rang out simultaneously, and cracks appeared on Nimrod and Vulkan's elbows at the same time.

The thick basalt is covered with dense patterns, resembling a spider web.

The basalt base collapsed with a deafening roar.

The Council of Nobles elder, who was acting as referee, was stunned for a moment before speaking:

"Draw."

"No," Nimrod said frankly, "I lost. If we had continued fighting, Vulkan's strength would have been greater than mine; it's just that the stone platform wasn't sturdy enough."

Vulkan's physical strength was greater than his, albeit only slightly. The advancement to Sequence 8 could not compensate for the difference in strength bestowed upon them by the designer, the Old Man in Yellow.

His strength is similar to that of Leman Russ, but slightly weaker than that of Vulkan.

The gap between him and Vulkan was so small that he could have reversed it and suppressed his opponent by summoning Necrodermis, but he didn't do so.

"If we continue, I'll lose."

"You're very honest," Vulkan said.

"The second competition is a contest of speed, a race," another elder of the Council of Nobles stepped forward and announced.

He pointed to the south side of the village and continued, "We've placed ten gems eighteen kilometers from here. The first ten people to reach them will receive a reward."

Volcanic eruptions bring not only death and destruction, but also bring minerals from the Earth's core to the surface, giving Nocturne a wealth of mineral resources, among which gemstones are one.

He faced the two giants participating in the competition and said, "The goal of the Fire Dragon King and the respected outsider is a Lava Gem from the Earth's core."

"Its diameter is ten meters, and it's made of top-grade casting material, the kind of material every master foundry dreams of."

"Whoever brings it back will win the contest."

He announced loudly, "The competition begins!"