I Have Waited Far Too Long!
In the center of the arena, all was silent.
Guilliman stared at the crimson giant before him.
That skull pierced by the Butcher's Nails for ten thousand years, that soul burned by rage for ten thousand years, that warrior abandoned by Destiny for ten thousand years.
There was no pity in his gaze—pity would be an insult to a soldier—only an understanding as profound as the starry sky, transcending reason and emotion.
He smiled.
That was not the laughter of a victor, nor the laughter of a benefactor.
That was a relieved smile between brothers, a smile that they had finally waited for.
"Get rid of all this, brother!"
The moment the words fell—
Angron's pupils suddenly contracted!
The Butcher's Nails on the side of his skull, those four cursed creations that have been silent for millennia, pulsating like a heart only when they are angry.
At this moment, it was like an enraged venomous snake, trembling and spinning wildly!
They are deeply embedded at the edges of nerves and brain, bursting out with a dazzling, filthy blood-red light!
That's Khorne!
It is the faint yet stubborn imprint of divine power left by the Blood God in these nails, as imperceptible as maggots!
For thousands of years, they have never truly "slept," but have only been waiting for the fuel of their host's anger!
And now, this fuel is about to be uprooted!
They sensed a threat!
What kind of threat was that?
Deep within the Warp, atop Brass Throne in the center of an endless sea of blood, a colossal, star-like crimson figure suddenly opened its burning eyes!
Khorne — the Blood God, the master of war and slaughter—raised his head from that eternal bloody feast at this moment!
It was him.
He is the son of humanity who inherited the Emperor's Blood, yet forged a different path!
He is the Son of War who ascended to godhood in the Material Universe, dared to traverse the sea of stars with his physical body, and shattered stars with his fist!
It was that person—who dared to snatch back the prey he had captured ten thousand years ago from his own territory!
Khorne has no anger.
No, he was furious, but mixed with that fury was a tremor of almost ecstatic joy, a feeling rarely seen throughout history!
Because He saw it.
Seeing that son of humanity standing there, on this planet about to witness a miracle, at the very origin of that unprecedented punch that was about to be thrown!
"Fight!!"
Khorne's roar shook the entire Warp!
The sea of blood boiled, the Skull Throne hummed, and countless bloodthirsty Greater Daemon trembled with fear and frenzied excitement at the roar!
"Great Son of War! You are destined to be the most magnificent warrior in the galaxy of Milky Way! You are destined to unleash that unprecedented punch! Go—!!!"
"I've been waiting for this for so long--!!!"
On the Brass Throne, the sovereign of slaughter who had never risen in eternity actually stood up at this moment!
Even if the price is the terrifying Emperor power emanating from the Brass King, causing the Bloodletter and even the Khorne Champion to disappear from the world!
As the Blood God and the God of War, Khorne absolutely could not allow himself to miss this punch!
The universe of matter began with the War in Heaven between the Old Ones and the C'tan!
Countless heroes emerged, countless wars rose and fell, and countless magnificent scenes shook the world; all of these could capture the gaze of the Blood God's projection.
But this one punch was different!
From the beginning of time, this punch surpasses all others!!
This is a fist that cleaves the heavens and splits the earth!
However, at this moment, Angron could no longer hear any sound.
The Butcher's Nails's frenzied rotation instantly burned away the last shred of his remaining sanity.
The filthy blood-red light spread from the side of his head to his eye sockets, turning his crimson eyes into a completely crazed, blood-red color devoid of any clarity.
But in that final millisecond when reason was completely extinguished—
He looked at Guilliman.
That glance contained no anger, no doubt, no hatred for all gods and Buddhas accumulated over millennia.
Only trust.
A warrior abandoned by the world for ten thousand years surrenders his broken, blood-stained soul, which has never been truly treated kindly.
"Robert ..." His voice was hoarse, yet unusually calm, "I believe you."
"I believe you can free me."
Even death—if it's brought by you, I... will gladly accept it.
His voice suddenly rose, carrying a resolute tone unlike anything he had heard in ten thousand years, almost like a vow:
"But if not death, but freedom—!"
"Then I, Angron, swear! From this day forward, my life, this axe, and every last spark of loyalty burning in my broken soul—all belong to you!"
"Even if you asked me to kill the Emperor— "
"I will absolutely not say a single word of disagreement!!!"
The moment the words left his mouth, reason vanished completely.
"Roar--!!!"
Angron roared like an ancient beast unleashed from its cage, a roar that was neither human nor divine, but only pure, destructive instinct!
He grabbed the battle axe, the ancient weapon that had just been buzzing on the sand, now seemed to come alive in his hands, unleashing a death shriek ten times more ferocious than before!
He charged at Guilliman!
At this moment, he was no longer the prisoner huddled in a corner of the dungeon, consumed by regret.
He is the Gladiator King of Nuceria, the Gene-Father of the World Eaters, and the Twelfth Primarch who shook the galaxy ten thousand years ago!
A sweeping tomahawk attack!
The trajectory tore through the air, leaving a blood-red crack that lingered for a long time!
Guilliman did not dodge.
He didn't even raise his weapon.
He just--
Open your arms.
Like welcoming.
Like an embrace.
"Clang--!!!"
The first axe blow struck his left shoulder!
A ferocious blow, powerful enough to cleave through the armor of a capital ship, struck his flesh and blood, producing a deafening metallic clang!
His body remained completely still!
"Clang--!!!"
The second axe blow struck his right arm!
He withstood the sweeping attack, powerful enough to flatten mountains, with his arm bone!
His expression didn't even change!
"Clang! Clang! Clang--!!!"
The third blow!
The fourth axe!
The tenth axe!
The twentieth axe blow!
Angron descended into utter madness, each axe strike delivered with all his might, each strike enough to severely injure and force an ordinary Primarch to retreat!
His offensive was like a storm, like a raging sea of blood, like the total outburst of all the anger and pain that had been suppressed, distorted, and betrayed for ten thousand years!
And Guilliman—
He just stood there.
He stretched out his arms like a reef in a vast ocean, letting the raging waves crash against his body.
His gaze remained calm, fixed on Angron's irrational crimson eyes, and on the four Butcher's Nails that spun wildly and emitted piercing screams.
step.
He took a step.
Another step.
Amidst the raging storm, that hand, as steady as the rotation of a star and as resolute as the laws of matter themselves, inching closer and closer to Angron's skull.