Skarbrand

"Clang—Snap!!"

The ear-piercing sound of metal snapping, accompanied by the savage roar of the Chainsword, echoed across the shattered deck shrouded in smoke and Psionic Energy debris.

The Power Sword in Cassius's hand, which had been with him for centuries and had slain countless Xenos and traitors, broke in two without any suspense.

The broken section of the sword was not the twisted metal of ordinary metal, but rather a smooth cross-section that appeared to have been forcibly annihilated by a higher-order material force.

The remaining, faint blue-gold energy, like a venomous snake, eroded upwards along the broken surface for a short distance before slowly extinguishing.

The exquisite Astral Claws Swordsmanship, honed over six centuries, embodies the resolute and Dreadnought will of a warrior who faces death head-on.

It appears so pale and powerless in the face of the supreme material world enhancement power called "Smart Atoms," which originated from the Vitruum civilization.

This is a difference in dimensionality, which cannot be bridged by skill or courage.

The broken sword slipped from his hand and clattered onto the floor, which was covered in debris and blood.

Cassius did not try to pick it up, nor did he put up any further futile resistance.

He took a deep breath of the murky air, a mixture of ozone, blood, and the smell of burning metal, and then, slowly and completely, opened his arms.

The damaged joints of the Power Armour emitted a slight grinding sound.

He straightened his chest and tilted his head back slightly. Although his face mask concealed his expression, his posture was filled with a kind of solemn composure.

"Heh..." A barely audible chuckle escaped from the helmet's breathing vent.

There was no fear, no resentment in that laughter, only a sense of relief that everything had settled, and a hint of indescribable... satisfaction.

"What a fine death."

He muttered to himself, his voice barely audible, "By... my genetically related brothers, I will be sent to the Golden Throne, to atone to the Emperor..."

Atonement? Atone for what sins? This thought was the last thing that flashed through his mind.

He doesn't seem to have committed any unforgivable sins.

Throughout his life, he deeply loved the human race and was always concerned about the safety of the Imperium.

What he despised were only those high-ranking, corrupt, and incompetent High Lords who treated the lives of warriors as worthless grass—those parasites that hindered true unity and prosperity for mankind.

But the feeling of guilt still lingered.

In any case, he did indeed betray the Emperor "in name," betraying the sacred being who sat on the Golden Throne and held humanity's last glimmer of hope.

This nominal "betrayal" is perhaps the only sin he needs to atone for.

He waited.

He awaited the roaring Chainsword teeth to tear through his Ceramite armor, slice into his flesh, and end his contradictory, long, and ultimately misguided life.

He could even feel the heavy, solemn killing intent emanating from beneath the armor of the Ultramarines opposite him—a final respect for his "calm acceptance of death."

However--

The anticipated end did not come.

Just a split second before the Chainsword's fangs touched his breastplate—

"Boom--!!!"

A deafening roar, more violent than thunder and like the explosion of magma's core, suddenly came from the side and rear of Cassius's warship!

The thick composite metal bulkhead, as if torn apart by the claws of an invisible behemoth, exploded, melted, and twisted inward with a deafening roar!

A dark red torrent, hot enough to instantly vaporize steel, carrying with it boundless fury and the stench of sulfur, poured in like a volcanic eruption!

A massive, ferocious, crimson figure exuding pure destructive aura crashed into this space, stepping on molten metal and boiling energy!

That's it!

The giant axe, wreathed in materialized flames of rage, appeared before its master.

Like a comet, it swept across the battlefield, striking the side of the Ultramarines's Chainsword with perfect accuracy!

"Clang--!!!!!!!!!"

The indescribable, terrifying impact caused several nearby Chaos Warriors, who were still alive despite being severely injured, to bleed from all seven orifices and faint!

The shockwave spread out in a spherical shape, sweeping away debris and lightweight items from the deck!

The Ultramarines grunted, feeling an overwhelming force, as if he had been struck head-on by an asteroid, travel along his Chainsword, arm, and shoulder armor, instantly coursing through his entire body!

His carefully constructed stance and defensive balance crumbled like a sandcastle in the face of this absolute overwhelming power!

"Whoosh-- Boom!!!"

His entire body, armor and all, transformed into a blurry blue afterimage as he was blasted away by the axe strike that came from afar!

Like a cannonball, it crashed through three thick internal partition walls before finally coming to a stop amidst a jumble of twisted pipes and shattered control consoles.

It stirred up a cloud of dust.

Cassius was thrown backward by the violent blast of air and nearly fell.

He turned his head in astonishment to look at the terrifying entity that had broken through the wall.

Amidst the smoke and heat, the figure became clearer.

Standing over five meters tall, its entire body was covered in thick, rough, crimson plate armor that looked as if it had been haphazardly forged from cooled volcanic rock and scorching steel.

Every inch of the armor was covered with spikes, barbs, and grotesque skull decorations.

Its head resembled a skinned bull, its eyes burning with an insatiable, raging bloodlust, and its massive, curved horns pierced upwards.

Behind it, a pair of dilapidated, scarlet fleshy wings, made of bones, tendons, and burning energy, slowly flapped, each flap scattering specks of scorching ash and sulfur sparks.

In its hand, it gripped the weapon that had just delivered the terrifying blow.

A ridiculously huge double-edged battle axe, its blade like a crescent moon dripping with blood, its body wreathed in visible, roaring flames of fury.

Its mere existence caused the surrounding air to distort violently due to the high temperature and hatred.

Khorne's most powerful, most famous, and once most favored subordinate—now, driven by excessive rage, he dares to defy even the supreme god—the Ruthless, the King of Bloodletter, the executioner of the Blood God...

Skarbrand!

This legendary bloodthirsty Greater Daemon actually tore open the fragile barrier between reality and the Warp, forcibly barging into this conflict among "mortals"!

Its burning, bloodshot eyes didn't even glance at Cassius, who lay limp on the ground, as if he were just a speck of dust beneath its feet.

Its entire attention was fixed on the ruins it had just smashed into.

It sensed that the little blue thing it had knocked away was still alive.

And it seems... to be quite sturdy?

"Roar! Ro...

Skarbrand threw his head back and let out a soul-shattering roar. It wasn't language; it was a sound wave that materialized from pure bloodlust and destructive impulse!

It took heavy steps, each one causing the entire section of the warship wreckage to groan and tremble violently as it walked towards the smoke-filled ruins.

It wanted to personally chop that somewhat interesting prey into the finest mincemeat and offer it to the Blood God, or... simply to satisfy its insatiable destructive urges!