Defeat

The blue blade tore through the air thick with blasphemous energy, humming like purifying holy fire!

Obi-Wan Kenobi became a streak of racing blue lightning, charging toward the deadly vortex of countless Tzeentchian chains that bound Guilliman!

"Stop him! For the Lord of Change!" Kairos Fateweaver's shrill scream shook the Void. Its massive arms of magical energy were fully occupied suppressing Guilliman, preventing it from acting personally, but its twisted will instantly spread through the minds of every daemon and Red Corsair.

More daemons swarmed out from the shadows and the lingering ripples of Warp rifts like a disturbed cloud of carrion flies, shrieking as they pounced upon that lone, valiant blue light.

The Red Corsair champions roared bloodthirstily. Power axes and Chainswords flashed with blasphemous light, forming a wall of flesh and steel meant to crush Obi-Wan in the path of his charge.

Yet a Jedi Master's blade was a deadly art.

Obi-Wan's gaze was sharp as an eagle's, the Force surging through him and becoming unparalleled perception and speed.

He was not charging recklessly. Following the rhythm of the Force's foresight, he weaved through gaps between gunfire, blades, and daemon claws. His target was clear: the daemons casting spells.

The blue blade in his hand was no longer merely a weapon, but an extension of his body, a manifestation of his will!

Hummm—shhk!

At an exquisite upward angle, the Lightsaber precisely deflected a descending power axe. It then swept back in a reverse cut, neatly slicing through the Red Corsair champion's heavy ceramite breastplate and the flesh beneath as though a hot knife through butter. The blasphemous runes vanished instantly beneath the pure energy, and the massive body collapsed limply.

Hum! Hum!

Two bolts of blasphemous psychic lightning from the side were instantly severed and deflected by the Lightsaber, their energy splashing faint ripples across the blade.

Obi-Wan did not slow. His body spun lightly like willow catkins in the wind, his Lightsaber drawing a perfect arc that cut three Pink Horrors lunging from different directions in half. They became filthy dust amid piercing shrieks.

His movements were swift, precise, lethal, and utterly without flourish. Every strike went straight for a vital point.

The power of a five-star unit was displayed in full at that moment!

Wherever the Lightsaber passed, whether heavy power armor or a daemon's psychic body, all were ruthlessly destroyed by the pure energy infused with the power of order.

The Chaos Space Marines were like clumsy targets before him. Their advantage in size vanished entirely before the elegance and efficiency of Jedi swordsmanship.

Daemon shrieks, Red Corsair roars, and the thunder of bolters could not drown out the steady, lethal hum of the Lightsaber.

Like a precise chisel, he forcibly carved a bloody path through the raging tide of Chaos toward Guilliman!

Behind him lay daemon remains piled like hills and shattered Red Corsair corpses.

The sight made every Imperium soldier struggling in battle draw in a sharp breath, their hearts filled with indescribable shock and awe—this seemingly refined Hilling envoy possessed such terrifying strength!

"Damn it! What kind of power is that?!" A Red Corsair champion driven back by Captain Carter watched his companion instantly vaporized by the Lightsaber and let out a horrified roar.

"Not within the threads of fate... a variable of Chaos..." Kairos's huge avian eyes locked onto Obi-Wan as he moved unhindered through its servants. Its chaotic thoughts were filled with astonishment and... greedy fervor. "No wonder... no wonder the prophecy went astray! The expedition fleet should have perished here, yet it has struggled on until now... You are the source! A puny human, yet carrying such... interesting power! The Lord of Change... will surely... surely love this gift! Capture him! At any cost! I want him alive!"

Kairos's command was like the maddest catalyst. More daemons and Red Corsairs abandoned their other targets and hurled themselves at Obi-Wan without regard for their lives.

Spell energy, bolter rounds, and blades formed a barrage of Destruction.

Obi-Wan's pressure surged abruptly! He danced as if upon a blade's edge, his Lightsaber becoming an impenetrable sphere of blue light as he blocked, deflected, and severed! He drove his Force perception to its limit, predicting every attack's trajectory.

Using wreckage as cover, he moved at high speed through the narrow space, and every swing of his blade was accompanied by another enemy falling.

But in the end, he was only one man.

The unceasing high-intensity battle, the constant resistance against Warp whispers eroding his soul, and especially the tremendous drain from maintaining a mental Bulwark for Guilliman earlier were rapidly exhausting his stamina and will.

His breathing grew ragged. Sweat mixed with blood and grime ran down his forehead, and the arm holding his blade began to ache and go numb.

Yet his struggle was not in vain!

As Obi-Wan continuously cut down the daemons forming the outer ring of the ritual array, the energy of the chains binding Guilliman visibly weakened! The soul-deep agony eased slightly, and Guilliman seized that fleeting opportunity!

"Urrraaaagh—!" A roar like that of a wounded lion erupted from deep within Guilliman's throat!

The muscles throughout his body bulged as the golden flames upon the Emperor's Sword surged violently, as though fuel had been poured over them!

Supported by only one knee, he erupted with strength that shook the deck, forcing himself upward inch by inch against the pull of countless chains!

Golden flames clashed furiously against the filthy blue chains, releasing a piercing hiss!

Beneath his helmet, Guilliman's eyes burned with unyielding resolve and boundless fury as he stared fixedly at Kairos, the one controlling everything from within the Void.

Celestine saw this and felt her spirits rise. Her great holy-flame sword cleaved through the fiery chains wrapped around her.

Hope seemed to blaze anew!

Yet an even more twisted and vicious smile appeared on Kairos's ever-shifting face.

"Struggle, insects! Before the great Lord of Change, all your efforts are merely... an added joke!"

Its massive arm tore sharply to one side!

A Warp rift even larger and deeper than before, radiating endless malice and insane knowledge, burst open on the other side of the bridge of Macragge's Honour!

This time, what poured forth were no longer ordinary daemons or Red Corsairs!

They were organized Tzeentchian daemon forces, armed with more powerful blasphemous weapons and radiating terrifying psychic pressure!

They unleashed deafening blasphemous roars. The instant they appeared, their powerful psychic waves nearly suffocated the nearby Imperium soldiers! Their objective was unmistakable—one group continued reinforcing the suppression of Celestine, Evelyn, and Spartan Squad, while the other surged like a tide toward the newly risen Guilliman and... Obi-Wan, who was sharing his burden!

Defeat was certain!

Endless enemies, like filthy waves, instantly flooded the space around Obi-Wan and Guilliman once again.

Obi-Wan's Lightsaber continued to move, every flash taking an enemy away, but the pressure surrounding him reached an unprecedented peak.

Bolter rounds exploded across the Adamantium deck, while blasphemous psychic shockwaves continuously battered his Force defenses.

His movements inevitably slowed, and blocking became difficult. Wounds began appearing on his body—one blast of blasphemous energy grazed his shoulder, tearing his robe and blackening his flesh; the edge of a power sword narrowly swept past his ribs, leaving a line of blood.

Guilliman's situation was equally perilous.

He had only just broken free of part of the chains when the newly arrived powerful daemons filled the gaps at once. Even fiercer attacks and weakening spells crashed down like hail.

The Emperor's Sword's golden radiance flickered violently under the relentless bombardment of filthy energy. His towering body was suppressed to one knee again, leaving deep dents in the Adamantium deck.

Guilliman caught sight of Obi-Wan fighting bloodily amid the layers of encirclement. He saw the mountain of enemy corpses at his feet, the fresh wounds on his body, and the arm that still swung the Lightsaber with unwavering resolve. A storm of gratitude, rage, and profound helplessness churned within his chest.

This envoy from another world had already done everything possible to help him, to help humanity's hope!

His strength, courage, and spirit earned the deepest respect of every Imperium soldier who witnessed it!

But reality was cruel. The disparity in strength had reached a level of utter despair.

Kairos's piercing, mocking laughter echoed through the Void, as though proclaiming the final outcome.

Obi-Wan sensed the overwhelming malice in the Force and the binding energy closing in upon him. His gaze remained calm, though a trace of resolve flashed deep within it.

He drew a deep breath and poured what little Force he had left into his Lightsaber, preparing for one final, most brutal outburst. The blue blade let out an unprecedented hum, illuminating his bloodstained yet resolute face.

Defeat was certain, but the battle was not yet over!