No Need to Abandon Prey to Save Vulkan
At dawn, as the sunlight shone on Nocturne, the Spear of Dionysus suddenly appeared in Nimrod's hand.
Holding the Spear, I felt the intense heat.
Nimrod continued forward, heading towards the location of the powerful life form detected by "Warp Insight".
After a busy night, we harvested numerous extraordinary creature corpses at Sequence 3 level. This Nocturne was worthwhile.
Even if Vulkan finds the biggest Salamanders, I won't lose anything. It was the Old Man in Yellow who swore an oath of allegiance, not me.
If I really lose, the Old Man in Yellow will probably break the contract, since it's not the first time.
As Nimrod pondered, the Spear of Dionysus cooled to normal temperature, and he inserted the Spear into his back.
He then drew the sword he had forged himself. Before him lay a massive Salamanders, as large as a mountain range, about the same length as the smaller Iron-Scaled Kraken.
Its gaping Great Maw sharp teeth like spears.
A ring of thorns grows from the back of its head, extending to its tail.
Golden light shone into the Salamanders's half-closed eyes, and it suddenly opened them, looking at the intruder who had disturbed its slumber.
Roar!
The Salamanders straightened its body, opened its mouth wide, and spewed flames at the bold black-armored "little man".
Nimrod neither dodged nor avoided the molten inferno, charging headlong into it.
Flames enveloped his body, then vanished instantly.
Nimrod leaped onto the Salamanders's head and brandished his golden longsword.
The longsword pierced the Salamanders's head, breaking through the protective shell formed by its thick scales.
Nimrod back his wrist, and the sword in his hand stopped.
He killed the Salamanders without harming the eyes and teeth of the potion-making component; the golden longsword pierced the brain, which was not a potion-making component.
Nimrod sheathed his sword and hung it at his waist. He walked to the Salamanders's corpse, used his arms to lift it up.
At the same moment, Vulkan smashed the protective shell on the Salamanders's head with his silver hammer.
He hung the hammer on his waist, picked up the Salamanders, and walked outside.
Beneath Vulkan's feet, a World Serpent, having just created a new dream of fire and now comfortably fallen into slumber, swayed its body and crawled through the cave.
Suddenly, a figure with black armor and golden wings flashed through its mind, appearing like lightning in its previous dream.
The largest World Serpent in the group was pierced through by a long spear.
In the World Serpent's remaining memories, the flashing spear was repulsive and possessed destructive power.
In an instant, it shattered the dream, killing the oldest, most senior, and largest member of the clan who had lived for countless years.
The memory of the nightmare made the World Serpent writhe in terror.
The entire Mount Deathfire trembled, and flames erupted.
On the ground, the Vulkan walking suddenly felt the ground shake, rocks slid down, and they plunged into the lava.
Vulkan reached out his right arm and gripped the edge of the cliff, while holding the Salamanders he had hunted in his other hand.
Time passed by, and after eight days of fighting with Nimrod and searching for Salamanders in the mountains, Vulkan felt the Salamanders, which was as big as a small mountain and weighed several tons, getting heavier and heavier in his hands.
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, but fueled by his competitive spirit, he did not give up on the Salamanders in his hand.
Vulkan looked around, desperately searching for a way to escape.
Suddenly, his fiery eyes flashed, and he saw Nimrod walking down the mountain, holding a Salamanders, on the other side of the molten lava.
Vulkan noticed that the Salamanders was larger than the one he had hunted.
Nimrod discovered the other party earlier than Vulkan, and he couldn't help but marvel at the coincidence of fate.
I remember when the Old Man in Yellow and Vulkan were having a Salamanders hunting competition, Vulkan was trapped on the edge of a cliff because he refused to give up his Salamanders hunt due to a volcanic eruption.
The Old Man in Yellow threw the larger Salamanders he had hunted into the lava to use it as a bridge to save Vulkan.
Upon returning to the village, the elders of the Council of Nobles announced that Vulkan had defeated the Old Man in Yellow was empty-handed.
But Vulkan knelt before the Old Man in Yellow, declaring that the true champion is one who puts the lives of others before victory.
Nimrod's eyes flashed. "[Vulkan possesses the constitution of Perpetual; only Fulgerite can completely kill him, and even if he falls into lava, he can be resurrected.]"
But resurrection takes time and involves enduring the Affliction of being burned by flames. Since I've encountered him, there's no need for him to suffer.
Unlike the Old Man in Yellow, I didn't have to give up my spoils to save Vulkan.
As Nimrod pondered, he put the Salamanders down. Its mountain-like body crushed a small hill.
With a flap of his golden wings, he flew to the opposite cliff edge, stretched out his hands, and supported Vulkan's sides.
Nimrod felt his hands sink, the weight of which far exceeded that of the larger Salamanders he was holding, and his body plummeted several meters downwards.
[Vulkan's body was even heavier than a Salamanders, though not as heavy as World Serpent.]
When Vulkan saw Nimrod come to his rescue and find himself in danger, the kind-hearted man immediately felt uneasy.
He immediately decided to abandon his prey and shouted.
"I'll drop my prey, you toss me up, and you'll be able to fly."
"No need." The potion ingredients couldn't be wasted. As Nimrod spoke, his golden wings unleashed a dazzling light, illuminating the entire Mount Deathfire.
The power granted to him by the Shard of the Burning One allowed him to lift Vulkan, along with the Salamanders in his hand, and send them to the top of the cliff.
Vulkan looked at Nimrod and said in surprise:
"You're so strong, how could you possibly lose to me in an arm wrestling match?"
Nimrod released Vulkan: "Although the golden wings are integrated with my body, they are not strictly speaking my power. I am competing with you and do not want to rely on them."
He added, "But the power it gives me is a power I have complete control over, like when I throw a punch or kick. I don't think it's using external force."
Vulkan's lava eyes peered at Nimrod's golden wings from a blacksmith's perspective.
His bald head shook, and a wave of heat gushed out from his open mouth.
"No, of course it's not about using external forces."
Even if you use the power of the golden wings, it's not by relying on external forces.
Vulkan's lava eyes gazed at Nimrod, and he spoke with admiration.
"Nimrod, your pursuit of fairness and your risky act of rescuing your competitor are truly admirable."
After the two Primarch spoke, Nimrod flew back to the other side of the cliff and raised the Salamanders.
They descended from both sides of the cliff.
Inside the village, Alpharius saw the two Primarch returning from afar, before the people of Nocturne.
He said to the Emperor before him, "You were right, Nimrod has won once again."
The Emperor smiled. "That's only right."
The Nocturne in the village also saw the two competitors returning a dozen minutes later.
The moment they saw the two giants, they immediately recognized the victor.
The Salamanders that the outsider Nimrod carrying was clearly several sizes larger than that of Vulkan.
After the two giants entered the village, the elders of the Council of Nobles walked up to them helplessly and made a bitter announcement.
"The final competition, the victor..."
Nimrod.
"Nimrod is the champion of the competition, and I wholeheartedly acknowledge his worth," Vulkan said. "According to the previous bet, I should pledge my loyalty to the outsider."
He knelt before the pale-skinned outsider, saying, "I will serve you as my master."
The next moment, a blinding golden light burst forth.
The Nocturne aliens saw that the pale-skinned stranger had instantly transformed.
He was clad in golden armor, radiating the same dazzling light as when Nimrod, the champion of the competition, forged his weapons.
"My son, welcome back to the Imperium of Man."
The celebrations continued, shifting from commemorating the defeat of the Dusk Nether to celebrating the arrival of the Master of Mankind and the return of Nocturne to the Imperium.
On the third day of the celebration, the fleet of the 18th Legion arrived at Nocturne.
Nimrod smiled as he saw Cassian Vaughn meet his Primarch ahead of time because of his presence.
[I also changed Vaughn's fate in a way, preventing him from seeing Vulkan on his deathbed.]
That night, in Vulkan's blacksmith shop, he sat by the furnace talking with Vaughan.
"What? You're saying Nimrod possesses Bastion-class Energy Shield technology? You saw it in Cepra Mondi, it could protect the entire Hive City."