Interlude: Rekindling (V, 43k)

When the golden light swept across the entire battlefield, Lion Aljonson was the first to spot it.

But he couldn't leave for the time being. Admittedly, he could use his talent to leave, but he couldn't. At least, he couldn't simply leave before he wiped out the demonic tide before him.

That's what he thought, and that's what he did.

The creatures of hell swarmed toward him, Lion El'Jonson swung his spear, piercing several Daemons in one fell swoop. The gleaming Radiance on the spear's blade instantly incinerated their filthy flesh, and wisps of acrid smoke rose, but the Lion El'Jonson did not pull out the spear.

He did only one thing—he wielded the spear like a sword. It sliced through the Daemon's bodies, cutting them into a sharp circle amidst their howls.

The foul-smelling Ethereal flesh and blood were completely annihilated, but this was only the beginning, for the Lion Sword immediately began to roar. With a heavy whooshing sound, it was hurled by the Lion El'Jonson, piercing through the body of a massive brass bull.

The Lion El'Jonson came charging after him, its golden hair flying wildly. The bull roared angrily, turned around, pointed its horns at him, and ran with even greater speed and power.

Its intention was clear: even with its abdomen still bleeding, it would pierce the instigator with its horns. However, the leader of the First Legion was certainly not prepared to confront it head-on.

He had vanished halfway there, leaving only the enraged bull wreaking havoc amidst the demonic tide. It knew what it was doing, but it didn't care. Its master only wanted blood; when the mood struck, what did it matter whose blood it was?

Thus, the Lion El'Jonson was able to retrieve his sword and watch coldly as the demonic tide was ravaged by the strongest brass bull.

Then, a chaotic howl came from the sky. He looked up and saw a raging fireball falling from the sky and crashing heavily into the demonic tide.

The Lion El'Jonson turned around and saw a group of mortals shouting loudly on their position, with the flag of the Terra 65th Armored Regiment waving wildly on the ground.

A smile finally appeared on the Primarch's cold face, bringing back some human warmth.

He gripped his sword and spear tightly and vanished from the spot. When he reappeared, he was already there, carrying the scent of the forest, in a clearing—at least compared to the rest of the battlefield, it was a clearing.

Everywhere there was blood and piles of severed limbs, stacked high, of all kinds: civilians, Astartes, Secutarii, Daemon.

The Lion El'Jonson frowned. He had seen the origin of the golden light, which was why he had used his talent to travel here. But he hadn't expected it to be like this.

Russ's soul appeared in his eyes.

"This is truly a spectacle, brother," his dead brother said solemnly. "We've both been through too many wars—some humiliating, some glorious, some unspeakable, and some that have stained our hands with blood."

He strolled over to a corpse, and the illusory hand of light touched the corpse's bright yellow helmet.

"And this?" Russ asked. "You have to understand one thing, Lion, you have to understand what kind of war we're in."

"Why are you saying all this?" the Lion El'Jonson asked earnestly, frowning. "Am I not enlightened enough?"

Russ stopped talking and just looked at him with feigned pity.

The Lion El'Jonson's rage was instantly ignited; it was always like this, whether in life or death, Leman Russ Russ always managed to set him on the brink of fury.

However, a smile followed closely behind, rushing in from behind the anger and extinguishing it, forcing the Lion El'Jonson to shake its head helplessly.

He took his sword and spear and went to the pile of corpses, where he waited patiently—it always had to be this way; one must wait patiently before the hunt.

He didn't have to wait long, because the ground immediately began to burn. The metal and soil that buried the bones began to be burned along with the suddenly appearing blood flames, then softened, deteriorated, and became like a living swamp.

High-temperature steam composed of dark Ethereal essence rose slowly from it. The Lion El'Jonson frowned and heard a loud scream like that of a wild beast—or rather, a roar full of anger and resentment.

A large door appeared before him. Unlike the giant door that had appeared before, this door was only five meters high. The gold that made up its main body had long been corroded, and the reliefs on it were weathered and old. The details that were clear before were now completely blurred.

No matter how carefully one examines it, one can only make out a rough human figure from above, a figure wearing a laurel wreath or something similar and holding a long sword.

A gust of wind then rose up, roaring as it smashed the door open, and a golden light and a blood-red light burst forth from it, intertwined. In the deafening roar that seemed to signal the end of the world, the Lion El'Jonson saw five figures that appeared too abstract in the Radiance, as well as a Daemon that was constantly undergoing a process of melting and rebirth.

The Lion El'Jonson narrowed its eyes and instantly moved from its spot, its sword and spear attacking the creature simultaneously, instantly cleaving its chest in two, its internal organs spilling out onto the ground.

The Daemon seemed completely unconcerned; its eyes were bloodshot and filled with chaos. Its obsidian-like fangs pressed together, grinding tightly. In a murmured tone, it slowly uttered a name.

"Sanguinius."

The Lion El'Jonson's hair stood on end. He roared and thrust his spear at the Daemon's head. But the thing managed to grab the spear's blade with just one hand, refusing to let go even as the flesh of that hand continued to melt.

In a mere half-second, its right hand had already swung back and forth between rebirth and destruction eight times. At the same time, the murmur turned into a loud roar, and a wet, bloody stench burst from its throat, followed by a name.

"Sanguinius! Sanguinius!"

It howled like a madman, threw down its Wolf Spear, and suddenly its wings rose from its back, instantly taking to the sky, constantly screaming the name of the angel Baal.

The Lion El'Jonson roared angrily and was about to give chase, but a voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Grown ups--!"

A madman wrapped in a blood-red robe charged at him, shouting. Just a hair's breadth away, the Lion El'Jonson instinctively swung his sword and beheaded him.

He was already extremely sensitive to this color; if he hadn't suddenly raised his Wolf Spear to block the Lion Sword, the madman would probably be decapitated by now.

"My lord, my lord, please save my brother!"

The madman screamed and fell at his feet. Only then did the Lion El'Jonson notice the man's unusual height and his obviously crippled, twisted ankle. He frowned, intending to say something, but the man had already grabbed his leg armor.

"Save them, sir. They can't die. We must guard the Astronomican. We can't die," he muttered nervously. "We are the keys, the locks, the doors. We must exist."

The Lion El'Jonson slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. He looked down at the man and soon recognized him. However, this matter puzzled him greatly.

"Ahzek Ahriman?" he called out his name. "What are you doing here?"

The madman raised his head and glanced at him groggily. Two flickering, dim flames shone in his eye sockets, crimson against a black exterior. Hearing this, he could only give a complex expression that was neither a cry nor a smile.

"Save them, Lord Lion," he pleaded hoarsely. "Save my brothers."

The Lion El'Jonson frowned and raised its head to look at the four people who were still unconscious. Each of them was twisted in agony, covered in blood, and their armor had been ravaged by war to the point of complete rust.

The Lion El'Jonson lifted its leg to break free of Ahzek Ahriman's restraints and strode toward them, but on the way, it heard Russ's voice once again.

"Ah, Bjorn," the spirit of the Fenrisian sighed softly in his ear. "So venerable, so loyal, yet all I can give you is endless suffering."

"Stop spouting these damned riddles!" the Lion El'Jonson suddenly roared, so loudly that even Ahzek Ahriman was startled. "You either tell me the whole story, or shut up!"

"But, sir," Ahzek Ahriman said hesitantly, "I myself only have a vague understanding of this matter."

The Lion El'Jonson did not answer him.

--

When the thing appeared—or rather, when it reappeared— Sanguinius immediately sensed it. Its image flashed before his eyes, its hideous face belonging only to the nightmares of hell, its mouthful of obsidian fangs and its brass armor.

Finally, there was the blood, its blood, the blood he had once made flow.

The angel looked up at the sky and saw a shooting star, wreathed in black smoke, hurtling rapidly toward where he was.

The angel silently withdrew his gaze, raising the Spear of Spear of Telesto high, followed by the Blade Encarmine, which together formed a sharp angle. Radiance poured down from between his wings, and his armor, crafted from gold, Ceramite, and Adamantium, shone brightly in that instant.

"Witness my story!"

He shouted loudly, and his offspring and mortals all looked at him at that moment. Even the Daemon briefly stopped their blasphemous acts because of his holy figure.

"Witness me, my loyal followers!"

His voice gradually transformed into a thunderous roar, causing great anguish to the Daemon, but greatly inspiring the loyalists.

I will slay the demon here!

As soon as he finished speaking, his wings fluttered, and amidst the billowing dust, Sanguinius transformed into a golden beam of light that shot straight into the sky.

In the sight of everyone on the ground, the golden light that the angel had transformed into collided head-on with the evil star just seconds later. In that instant, everyone heard the sound of their weapons clashing together.

The sound was beyond description; it was not Thunder, yet it was louder than Thunder.

The deep purple clouds were sadly dispersed by the shockwave, but the blood-red light on the horizon began to shine brighter and brighter until it became a blood-red mirror, encompassing all the battles on the battlefield.

The hellish reflection turned into a dark cloud, weighing heavily on people's hearts, but the roar of the angel shattered this cloud, as if it were nothing at all.

"I have already banished you once, Daemon!"

The angel Baal shouted his rebuke, and a fierce wind swept by, the rising cold air lifting his long hair as if the wind itself wanted to cheer him on.

"But not this time," Ka'Bandha replied incoherently, a sinister grin slowly spreading across its face.

"You still don't understand the difference between us, dear angel. I may fail, but I will return time and again. I am a warrior, and I will fight to the end of time. Nothing can stop me from reaching that end. I will always bring glory to the Khorne. But you are different. Your so-called emperor can only make you Radiance while you are alive. Once you die..."

It laughed wildly, and blood flames suddenly ignited in its left hand, revealing a long brass whip. It swung the whip, the whip shattering the gale, dancing a cunning and vicious arc, striking towards Sanguinius' left flank.

Its purpose was clear: to deprive Sanguinius of his ability to fly. But the angel didn't dodge at all; instead, he thrust out the Spear of Telesto, the whip coiling around it with its momentum. Ka'Bandha was slightly taken aback, then immediately roared with excitement.

"Come on, let's wrestle, just like last time!" it laughed wildly again. "That's what a fight should be like!"

The spears and whips began to tremble against each other. Both warriors were among the best in their respective fields. Sanguinius came from the world of the living, while the Daemon came from the Chaos demon realm of the unborn, but this did not diminish their formidable strength as warriors.

The struggle became incredibly intense due to their respective strengths, but at this moment, Ka'Bandha turned his laughter into a roar.

"You will never know how long I have waited for this day, angel! You will never understand how much I yearn to drink your blood. I will become your scourge, the scourge of your legions, and I will devour every one of your offspring!"

Sanguinius did not answer, but suddenly yanked his spear.

The whip in Ka'Bandha's hand was still gripped between those four terrifying claws, showing no sign of loosening its grip. Yet, it was pulled towards him by the angel's sudden tug.

It immediately realized something was wrong, and its black wings roared and vibrated as it tried to retreat to avoid the Blade Encarmine in the angel's left hand. At the same time, the enormous axe in its right claw also began to swing.

Its intention was quite clear: if the angel didn't let go or back down, it would fight the angel to the death. But would Sanguinius so easily allow it to have its way?

His pure white wings immediately flapped, transforming him once again into a golden light, swiftly sweeping across a corner of the sky.

A fierce wind swept in, Daemon roared angrily, a scarlet tongue darting out from between its sharp teeth, howling and screeching amidst the shattering clouds.

"How can our battle be so childish! Stop, angel! Let's have a proper fight!"

"You dare to challenge me?"

Sanguinius responded with a cold laugh, and at the same time, he deliberately released Spear of Telesto, using the arc of his flight to violently fling the Daemon away.

Ka'Bandha clearly hadn't anticipated this, but the immense kinetic energy it had accumulated along the way made it impossible for it to stop its momentum once it was thrown off.

A burst of crimson light erupted, and a streak of red lightning flashed through the dark clouds. The Daemon cried out, about to say something, when a sharp pain shot through its chest.

It looked up and saw the angel's unwavering eyes.

"How did you—" the Daemon roared, but a bolt of lightning cut its question short.

The crimson lightning illuminated the surroundings in a scarlet glow, the clouds shattered, and the lightning danced wildly within. The angel's golden hair was already soaked with the Daemon's blood, as was his golden armor. He spread his wings wide, held his sword in both hands, and plunged the Blade Encarmine deep into Ka'Bandha's chest.

Amidst the crimson thunder, they shattered the clouds, descending from the sky like meteors, leaving behind a dazzling trail of interwoven gold and red.

Half a minute later, they landed with a thud.

Update complete, totaling 12,000.

Let me first talk about the recent updates. This part of the story requires me to write a lot, but due to my limited schedule and energy, I obviously can't maintain 15,000 words a day OvO

Anyway, I tried my best to write it.