What Makes a Rising Star
The power of Law of Eternity roared inside his body, and Smart Atoms reorganized crazily in his bones to resist the impact that could crush everything.
His body was shaken and he took three steps back, each step leaving deep footprints on the metal surface of the battleship wreckage.
But the moment he retreated, Power Sword had already drawn an arc and slashed towards Blade Phaeron's neck.
That was the instinct he had honed through countless life-and-death fights - counterattacking at the moment of defense and attacking at the moment of retreat.
Blade Phaeron dodged sideways, and the sword edge brushed against his shoulder armor, leaving a shallow scratch on the surface of Necrodermis.
His movements were extremely precise, and every dodge was just right, with an error of no more than 0.1 millimeter.
His Dust Scythe recovered it, and then slashed it down again, this time from top to bottom, with a huge force.
Titus blocked the sword horizontally, and the sickle blade hit the sword body, causing a harsh metal collision sound.
His feet sank deeply into the wreckage of the battleship beneath him, his knees were slightly bent, and every muscle was fighting against the force.
The power of Law of Eternity roared inside his body, and Smart Atoms reorganized crazily in his bones to resist the impact that could crush everything.
He gritted his teeth, exerted force suddenly, and bounced Blade Phaeron's Dust Scythe away.
Then his Power Sword thrust out like a storm, each sword aimed directly at Blade Phaeron's vital points - the throat, heart, skull, joint gaps, and weak points of the energy shield.
Blade Phaeron's Dust Scythe drew a perfect circle in front of him, blocking all the stormy attacks.
His movements are precise and graceful, like a dancer performing.
Every block is just right, and every counterattack is deadly and sharp.
His Dust Scythe is like a work of art in his hands, not a weapon - it is the crystallization of 65 million years of fighting skills.
Titus's sword is getting faster, fiercer and crazier.
Every sword strike of his carries the determination to kill, and every attack he makes is with all his strength.
Law of Eternity's power boiled inside his body, pushing his speed, strength, and reaction to the limit.
His sword light weaved a golden net in the void, trying to envelop Blade Phaeron in it.
But Blade Phaeron's defense is like a wall, an insurmountable wall.
No matter how he attacks, he can't break through that line of defense.
Dust Scythe is like a shield in his hand, blocking all attacks.
The occasional counterattack is even more terrifying, and every time the sickle blade passes by, it leaves a deep mark on Titus's Power Armour.
The battle lasted for a long time.
Maybe a quarter of an hour, maybe an hour.
In this level of battle, time has lost its meaning.
Every confrontation between the two warriors takes place within milliseconds, and every attack and defense is calculated countless times.
Their speed has surpassed the limit of mortal vision, and their power has surpassed Material Universe's routine.
Titus's sword is already covered with gaps, which are the marks left after countless collisions between Dust Scythe and Power Sword.
His Power Armour was full of scars from the sickle blade. A corner of his left shoulder armor had been shaved off, and there was a deep ravine on his breastplate, which almost cut through the internal wiring.
There was a trace of golden blood at the corner of his mouth, which was proof that his internal organs were injured.
But his eyes are still bright, his breathing is still steady, and his fighting spirit is still strong.
Law of Eternity is running inside his body, Smart Atoms is working hard to repair his injuries, and golden and blue light flows around him.
Blade Phaeron's Dust Scythe is still sharp, his Necrodermis body is still perfect, and his energy shield is still stable.
But the sickle blade in his hand had already shown wear and tear visible to the naked eye, and the green energy light was a bit dimmer than it was at the beginning.
Every slash of Titus consumes his energy, and every collision wears out his Necrodermis.
But in his eyes, the green light began to flicker.
It was shock, confusion, and disbelief.
In 65 million years, his emotion simulation system has never produced such data.
This human being is too strong.
Dust Scythe is obviously inferior to him in all aspects of physical fitness - his strength is not as good as him, his speed is not as good as him, his reaction is not as good as him, and his weapons and equipment are not as good as his.
But he fought him on equal footing.
Every time he thought he was going to win, the human would burst out with more power.
Every time he thought he was going to chop off the opponent's head, the human would avoid it at an incredible angle.
Every time he thought the opponent was exhausted, the human would fight back even more crazily.
Blade Phaeron's battle array is operating at full capacity, analyzing this opponent.
He retrieved all the information about human Space Marines, all the records about Ultramarines, and all the battle logs about Titus.
Then he found the answer - will.
This human will is incredibly strong.
He is not fighting with physical fitness, he is fighting with will.
Every time he was knocked back, his will became stronger.
Every time he was injured, his fighting spirit became stronger.
Every time he is on the verge of reaching his limit, his strength becomes stronger.
That was given to him by Guilliman, it was not Law of Eternity, it was not Smart Atoms, it was not any technology or Psionic Energy.
That is a soldier's loyalty to Gene-Father, that is a son's trust in his father, and that is a human being's belief in Imperium.
Blade Phaeron thought of those Krork, and those battles that once made his blood boil.
Those Orks also have will, madness, and fighting spirit.
But those Krork are not so difficult to deal with.
He thought of those Ancient Eldar and those Psyker that made him feel troublesome.
Those Eldar also have will, determination, and spirit of sacrifice.
But those Ancient Eldar are not so tenacious.
He thought of those Primarch, and those demigods who made him feel threatened.
Those Primarch also have will, strength, and unshakable faith.
But he has never fought against Primarch.
The will displayed by this human being at this moment is already close to those legendary existences.
"You are very strong," Blade Phaeron said, with a hint of respect rarely seen in 65 million years in his voice, "You are the strongest human being I have ever encountered."
The corners of Titus's mouth raised slightly, and the smile was full of exhaustion and pride.
Golden blood flowed from the wound on his forehead, slid across the corners of his eyes, slid across his cheeks, and condensed into tiny golden crystals in the void.
"You're not bad either," he said, his voice hoarse but firm, "You are the strongest Necrons I have ever encountered in my life."
Blade Phaeron was silent for a moment.
Sixty-five million years of memories flowed through his core, and the faces of countless enemies flashed by like a revolving lantern.
Then, he slowly raised Dust Scythe.
The green light on the sickle blade lit up again, more intense than before.
"Come again."
Titus also raised his sword, and the golden light rekindled, even more dazzling than before.
"Come again."
The two rushed towards each other again.
The golden light and the green energy collided again, erupting into a more dazzling light than before.
That light illuminated the entire void, illuminated the countless warriors who were watching the battle, and illuminated the upcoming, more tragic war.
In the distance, those emotionless Necrons felt an emotion they had never felt before.
That was a shock.
Their optical sensors faithfully record every frame, their tactical arrays frantically analyze every set of data, and their core processors repeatedly confirm every conclusion.
This mere human being is really too strong.
It is obvious that all aspects of physical quality are inferior to their Phaeron, the weapons are obviously not as good as Dust Scythe, and the armor is obviously not as good as Necrodermis, but they are fighting on equal footing with Phaeron.
You know, Blade Phaeron is the top combat power of the Necron Empire, one of the strongest warriors under Silent King, and is the crystallization of 65 million years of combat skills.
A Necron Overlord murmured, with a hint of unprecedented fluctuation in the mechanical voice. "What kind of monster is this human being?"
The other overlord was silent for a long time, his optical sensors always locked on the blue figure and the sword burning with golden light.
Then he said, "Perhaps, this is why humans are called 'rising stars.'"