Phoenix Falls from the Sky (End)

Overflowing with Radiance.

Lorgar Aurelian found it difficult to describe his feelings to anyone. On one hand, he was awestruck by the temple before him. On the other hand, he felt a deep sense of shame for that awe.

He shouldn't have done it, but he couldn't help it. He couldn't resist. He couldn't do it.

Lorgar was an expert in theology and everything related to it. Even by his Devotion standards, the temple was an absolute masterpiece of religious art.

In his eyes, the temple was not merely "shining with light," but rather an aggregate of light, so sacred that it was almost blinding.

He could even connect the openings in the pinkish-purple coral walls, using the iridescent Radiance emanating from them to construct an abstract image in his mind. Clearly, the Laer worshipped a god with a similar appearance to theirs, but far more alluring.

Generally speaking, deities with such appearances or "attributes" are inextricably linked to concepts such as "reproduction" or "breeding" in mythology.

But Lorgar doesn't have time for such theological and philosophical reflections right now. He has no interest, nor can he afford to be interested in exploring the story behind a false god of a Xenos race.

The Great Word Bearers forced himself to look away from the enormous, suspended temple. He gripped the Illuminarum —a scepter forged and gifted to him by Ferrus Manus—and with his innate great strength, killed several approaching Laer in one blow.

Corpse parts flew everywhere, blood splattered, but Lorgar's anger, fueled by shame, showed no signs of abating.

The Illuminarum brandished its weapon once more, while the Great Word Bearers didn't even activate its Displacer Field. It was simply using its own weight and power to commit the slaughter, which, in a sense, was no different from venting its anger.

"There is only one truth and one God in the world!"

Lorgar Jia roared at them, his voice like thunder, and he did it effortlessly without even needing some of the systems built into his armor.

"The Master of Mankind will, in his supreme wrath, strip you of your lowly and filthy lives!"

Thunder rumbled, and the surrounding gunfire paused for a moment at these words. The Word Bearers, ignited by the Primarch's call, fueled their faith and will, their fervor reaching fever pitch, making it almost incomprehensible how their fighting spirit was so united.

Heavy vehicles roared past, and gunboats rained down menacing arrows from the sky. For a moment, the world seemed to be filled only with the sounds of slaughter. Lorgar watched this scene, but his heart remained completely unmoved.

He grasped the Illuminarum and walked forward with a leisurely gait, as if taking a stroll.

The cannon fire swept over his head, shattering the fortress built by the Xenos using their floating temple as a base, and turning countless Ral warriors into mincemeat, which bloomed silently in the sea as blood-stained flowers.

Lorgar Jia watched them die indifferently, feeling no pleasure whatsoever.

He despised these things; they were nothing more than another inferior race in this galaxy that did not believe in gods, and were not worthy of his emotions.

His anger was directed only at the temple; as for the Laer?

The Great Word Bearers swung the Illuminarum again—with a single strike, the surrounding Laer were reduced to a bloody mist.

Their energy beams couldn't even scratch his armor. Their ranged attacks could be fatal to ordinary Power Armour, but they were negligible against Terminator Armour and Primarch armor.

Lorgar stepped over the shattered corpses and raised his right hand high. An unnamed tome swayed at his waist, and his golden skin radiated a dazzling Radiance.

The next second, his voice rang in the ears of all those Word Bearers.

"Slay the heretics!" Lorgar roared succinctly. "Burn everything! Destroy everything! Let these Xenos corpses and their damned temples burn! Forward, Word Bearers, in the name of the God-Emperor!"

"In the name of the God-Emperor!" the Word Bearers shouted in unison. The already retreating formation of the Laer was now almost impossible to maintain.

When the legion launched its frontal assault, when the sky was obscured by gunboats and the ground was occupied by artillery and crushers, victory became only a matter of time.

Lorgar smiled as he looked at his descendants, sensing their Word Bearers resolve, and a sense of pride welled up within him.

His company commander also walked over at that moment.

His name is Cole Fallon.

"How is it, sir?" the company commander asked, using a respectful title.

Lorgar glanced at him, and with just that one glance, he knew that Cole Fallon was trying to probe him.

So Lorgar reached out and put his hand on the company commander's shoulder—a gesture that took on a somewhat comical quality because Cole Fallon was much shorter than the average Astartes.

Lorgar didn't care about the matter; he simply spoke seriously amidst the raging gunfire.

"Don't give me that, Cole. You know very well that I'm not your 'adult'."

"Alright, Lorgar." The captain of the Word Bearers laughed, a satisfied smile on his face. Once again, Lorgar had caught his request and granted it with ease.

"How do you plan to proceed next?"

Lorgar raised his hand and pointed his scepter into the distance. The temple floating in the air was precisely where the tip of his scepter was pointing. Cole Fallon's gaze turned somewhat surprised. "Are you serious? Shouldn't we be waiting for your two brothers?"

"There's no need for that," the Great Word Bearers suddenly said firmly. "Such heretics are best dealt with by us, aren't they? Neither the Midnight Blade nor the Emperor's Children are as experienced in this matter as we are."

"I agree with that, but won't that draw questions from your brothers afterward?"

"I will give them a convincing reason," Lorgar replied confidently.

Cole Fallon smiled, a smile tinged with feigned pride, but Lorgar didn't notice it. Or perhaps he did, but didn't want to. The company commander of the Word Bearers turned his head and looked at the gloomy sky.

He knew that on the orbit, aboard the Fidelitas Lex, his fellow traveler Erebus was watching him with a smile.

They all received vague revelations in their dreams, and the words were so alluring—"A new god is about to be born," what a thought-provoking sentence.

The beings within the Empyrean never provide definitive answers, but Erebus and Cole Fallon already know how they will shape this future.

They always knew.

So Cole Fallon spoke again, "Do you want to be the first to achieve this honor, Legion Commander?"

"What do you mean?" Lorgar lowered her head and stared at him, her gaze extremely intriguing.

"The first seeker of the Word Bearers, the bearer of the truth, shall personally inspect that heretical temple." Cole Fallon raised his hand and pointed. "Who else but you deserves this honor?"

Lorgar was clearly tempted, but he still retained his rationality—the Great Word Bearers frowned. "There can't be no guards inside such a temple."

Cole Fallon laughed, once again.

"There are no guards in that temple, my lord." He blinked, deliberately emphasizing the word "my lord." "I checked it beforehand with the scanning equipment."

Lorgar smiled with delight, "You're so thoughtful, Cole."

The whole company burst into laughter.

Twenty-seven minutes later, he watched as Lorgar Aurelian entered the temple and saw the seven-colored Radiance emanating from the opening in the wall instantly turn into a blazing white.

Did it work?!

Cole Fallon was filled with excitement. The power of the great beings in the Empyrean was vivid in his mind. If Lorgar could obtain even one-tenth, no, one-hundredth, all those Word Bearers would possess even greater power!

At that time, would the so-called the Emperor still despise the faith he brought from Colchis? This man, skilled in political maneuvering and eager for power, was blinded by immense joy, and in his ecstasy, his shrewd mind intentionally or unintentionally overlooked two things.

First, the concept of time within the Empyrean is quite different from what he is accustomed to using.

Secondly, the vague words mentioned a new god.

Who?

He should have considered these issues more carefully; he should have even thoroughly analyzed the entire situation before making any decisions.

But just as he had said to the young Lorgar Aurelian many years ago on Colchis, everything came true, as if by a prank or an astonishing coincidence.

At that moment, he stood beneath the blazing sun of Colchis, two fingers pressed together, observing the pale sun with a blessing. Lorgar Aurelian stood beside him, and he said—

"The first point about the mantra, Lorgar, you must understand that under the gaze of the Empyrean's power, we are all merely slaves."

--

On the other side of the battlefield, the Night Lords, who had landed at the atoll fortress using traditional methods, moved silently in the darkness. Konrad Curze Curze stood motionless beside his offspring.

In the darkness, his figure was contorted and misleading; from a distance, you could only see a monster with sharp limbs and two horns on its head. Coupled with his motionless posture, he resembled a watchman.

"You know what, Konrad Curze? You remind me of those Gargoyle on Nostramo now," a voice said quietly in his ear.

"Which number?" the Night Lords asked softly.

"What you think?"

"I don't like making these comparisons," said the Night Lords. "Besides, I'm getting annoyed by the Word Bearers. Don't they even know to turn off or leave the public voice channel during a Battlecry?"

Karyl chuckled silently— Konrad Curze Curze's complaint was absolutely justified and perfectly legitimate, but it had nothing to do with his smile.

"So, how do we advance?" he asked again. "Will we proceed as planned, launching a surprise attack on the Laer from the rear, or are you planning to use some unorthodox tactics?"

"A surprise attack would be safer," Curze said coldly. "I don't want any more complications at this critical juncture; let's end this war as soon as possible."

He turned and looked into the darkness. The Night Lords stared at him, their weapons gleaming in the shadows, the lightning bolt patterns on their armor shining brightly, illuminating each other and making the atmosphere even more sinister.

"Go hunting," the Night Lords chuckled coldly.

He said nothing more. Meanwhile, the monsters in the darkness had already emerged in full force, rushing past the scarlet and black cloaks toward their prey.

--

Fulgrim suddenly felt an extremely strong jolt, followed by the roar of an explosion and some kind of violent impact. He immediately activated his magnetic boots to prevent himself from falling.

The Phoenix Guard reacted just as swiftly, and none of them lost their composure. Phoenix looked toward the cockpit and saw his pilot yanking the control stick to dodge the deep green beams of light shooting from the ground.

Fulgrim frowned, not surprised by the situation. He had been warned beforehand by his advisors that entering the battlefield from the air would be risky.

Over the past two days, the anti-aircraft defenses of the Lal Xenos have repeatedly proven their effectiveness, with many gunboats being scratched or even completely destroyed during bombing missions. These devices are fully automatic, relying entirely on reaction to aim.

Fulgrim frowned in disbelief, unable to believe that Lorgar's barrage of fire had missed a single coral tower.

A warning red light flashed inside the cabin, and the pilot began to shout, his voice almost becoming a completely inaudible scream amidst the high-speed descent.

Phoenix calmly stepped forward and took his hand.

"Calm down," Fulgrim said in a powerful voice, though he actually wanted to ask himself why this seasoned pilot was suddenly screaming so pitifully, but he held back.

Where is it damaged?

"Left wing!"

"Then shift the energy supply to the right-wing engine," Fulgrim said decisively. "Restart the stabilizer, restart all crew equipment, and maintain balance."

His words had an effect; the pilot calmed down and, based on years of training and this borrowed composure, completed a series of maneuvers.

The transport plane finally stopped bumping and swaying, and the flashing warning lights changed to a gentler frequency, but Fulgrim knew this was just the beginning. He reached out and placed his hand on the pilot's hand, which was more than twice his size, and gently pushed the control stick upwards.

"Out of fuel, and we're still 150 meters from the ground." Phoenix shrugged with a touch of humor. "Stay calm, okay, John Kutas?"

The pilot nodded earnestly, and half a minute later, they made an emergency landing, crashing heavily onto the coral reef.

Black smoke billowed, flames raged, glass shattered, and the deck shook. Yet, one hand steadily pulled open the transport plane's hatch. Fulgrim, with one hand on his sword, let the crew exit first before striding out of the cabin himself, his face expressionless.

The Phoenix Guard followed closely behind him.

He gazed at the sky and surveyed his surroundings, quickly determining his location within seconds. Many more gunships and transport planes belonging to the Emperor's Children were flying overhead, but soldiers opting for airdrops were also rapidly descending to the ground.

Fulgrim smiled, knowing his tactics had succeeded. The Word Bearers was in charge of the front, the Midnight Blade launched a surprise attack and decapitation strike from the rear, and the Emperor's Children entered from the air.

The army took a risky approach, but won by surprise.

It appears they are on the verge of victory.

Only

Phoenix frowned, turned his head, and glanced at the floating temple not far away. He could clearly see the white Radiance overflowing from the countless openings in the coral reef, and for some reason, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

A sense of foreboding arose spontaneously.

"Pass on my orders!" Fulgrim drew his sword sharply. "Full-scale attack! Slaughter all the Xenos!"

Update complete.