Academic Exchange

Inside the observation hall of the Luna base, the atmosphere was delicate.

Queen Liang Bing lounged carelessly in the seat of honor, one leg crossed over the other, her slender fingers tapping idly against the tabletop.

She had disdainfully pushed aside the Imperium of Man's energy drink. Instead, she was happily sipping from a can of carbonated soda she had produced from who knew where, bearing the label "Broad-Mouth Cola."

Evelyn sat opposite her, her body slightly tense. Deep within her starlike eyes lingered shock and an indescribable sense of discomfort.

Everything about this "Apocalypse King"—her manner of arrival, her words and behavior, and her excessive "enthusiasm" toward demons—made Evelyn, an Eldar seer, deeply uneasy.

She felt like a harmless little animal being curiously watched by an apex predator.

Valkyrie stood solemnly behind and to Liang Bing's side, maintaining the necessary respect, though her gaze was fixed on the tactical projection—the brutal battle outside Eternal Gate Square of the Imperial Palace of Terra was displayed there in vivid detail.

The golden defensive line formed by the Adeptus Custodes was steadily shrinking and breaking beneath the crimson tide. The blue marker representing Guilliman was entangled and besieged by eight scarlet markers representing Bloodthirsters.

The markers representing the Sisters of Silence and Obi-Wan were also under immense pressure.

"Commander!" Glory's voice, carrying a trace of barely perceptible urgency, broke the brief silence.

She elegantly pointed at the projection. The markers representing the eight greater demons had drawn extremely close to the Lion's Gate defensive perimeter at the heart of the Imperial Palace. "The Imperial Palace of Terra's defenses have reached their limit. All eight targets have converged. A breakthrough is imminent. Should we... intervene now?"

Liang Bing did not even raise her head, still sipping her drink as she mumbled indistinctly, "Intervene? Help whom? Those natives who sprayed me with water guns just now? Hmph! The fact that I didn't give them a Doom Judgment cleansing on the spot was already more than generous. And they expect me to work for free?" She rolled her eyes with practiced elegance, her tone brimming with displeasure.

A sharp gleam flashed through Glory's eyes. She stepped forward slightly and lowered her voice further, speaking with gentle persuasion. "Commander! The beings below called Bloodthirsters—their energy composition, lifeforms, even the nature of their souls—seem... exceptionally unusual. They are completely unlike the Abyss demons recorded in our database. They appear to have been shaped from pure emotional energy combined with the physical laws of the Warp. They possess tremendous plasticity and... research value."

The instant Glory finished speaking, Liang Bing's tapping fingers stopped.

She abruptly looked up, and her languid eyes erupted with a light as fierce as searchlights, filled with extreme curiosity and fervor! She even forgot to set down the half-finished drink in her hand.

"Oh?!" Liang Bing's voice rose several pitches, overflowing with excitement. "Unusual? Shaped from pure emotional energy? Highly malleable? Research value?!" With every repeated word, the light in her eyes intensified! She even leaned forward slightly, as if she wanted to see through those scarlet markers on the projection!

"Yes, yes, yes! That's it!" Liang Bing slapped the table excitedly, nearly knocking over her drink. "I knew it! Why else would this godforsaken place be so lively? So it was hiding treasures like these! They're completely different from those dumb, big, brutish things in the Abyss! This is way too interesting! Demons should be like this—fists pounding flesh, blades drawing blood. As for those tech-using ones, I've decided to kick them out of the demon club."

She sprang to her feet and paced around the round table, her long black hair swaying with her movements. "That old hag Kesha! All she ever talks about is 'order.' What's wrong with researching demons? Research helps us destroy them better! But she insists on keeping everything hidden, making it look like we're thieves! It's made me sneak around whenever I want to indulge in a little hobby!"

She suddenly stopped and pointed at the Terra projection, her face lit up with the excited smile of a child who had discovered a new toy. "Those are the ones! I'm taking them all away as specimens!"

Seeing Liang Bing rubbing her hands together, her eyes gleaming as though she were heading to an amusement park to grab plush toys, Evelyn felt a chill shoot from the soles of her feet straight to her scalp. She could not help shivering.

This "Apocalypse King's" attitude toward demons was not hatred or wariness at all.

It was clearly... the fervor of someone who had found rare experimental material! That was even more horrifying than a simple desire for destruction!

"Then... Commander, are we departing now?" Nimi could not help asking, battlelust flickering in her blue eyes as well.

"Depart! Depart!" Liang Bing swept a hand grandly, high-spirited. "We're going to snatch... ahem, conduct some 'friendly' academic exchange! And incidentally 'protect' the Imperium's little friends, so those reckless red-skinned brutes don't hurt them." Even she did not believe her own excuse, yet the smile on her face grew brighter. "If those natives dare to be so ungrateful again and spray me with water guns..."

The smile on Liang Bing's face vanished instantly. "...then I'll let them learn what a real Doom Judgment is. Perfect. Their planet can serve as a target range for the new weapon. The data will surely look beautiful." Her tone was casual, but it carried an absolute killing intent that froze the soul.

Terra, Eternal Gate Square.

The stench of blood and sulfur was so thick it could not be dispersed.

The golden Adeptus Custodes defense line, like a dam repeatedly battered by a massive hammer, finally developed a huge, irreparable breach!

Countless Bloodletters and Khorne Berserkers surged into the heart of the square like a flood bursting through a broken dam, howling wildly!

The Space Marines and Sisters of Battle were forced back again and again by the tide of demonic assaults, suffering grievous casualties.

Guilliman had already cut down three Bloodthirsters! Yet the remaining greater demons still had him entangled, their frenzied attacks falling like a violent storm. The golden radiance of the Emperor's Sword swayed fiercely beneath their siege, while Guilliman's armor was covered in scorch marks and deep gashes. Given sufficient time, he could have dealt with them alone, but the situation was urgent. Watching the demonic tide battering Lion's Gate without cease, Guilliman grew anxious as well.

Lion's Gate, the final grand gateway leading into the heart of the Imperial Palace, groaned under the demons' assault as though it could no longer bear the strain!

"Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!!" The Khorne demons roared thunderously, their bloodthirsty gazes fixed upon the tottering Lion's Gate and the Imperial Palace behind it, symbol of the Emperor's authority! Victory was within reach!

Just as the Imperium's defensive line was about to collapse completely, and the demonic tide was about to devour everything in a moment of utter despair!

Bzzzzz—!!!

An indescribable, terrifying pressure—as though spacetime itself had been frozen—descended without warning over Eternal Gate Square!

Time seemed to have had its pause button pressed!

The charging demons were frozen like insects trapped in invisible amber. Their savage expressions, raised weapons, and splashing droplets of blood all halted in midair! Their roars ceased abruptly! The burning flames solidified into eerie sculptures! Even the dust and energy particles drifting through the air became utterly motionless!

Guilliman's movements slowed, his eyes filled with incredulous shock.

Obi-Wan's Lightsaber stopped at a Khorne Berserker's chest, its blue blade less than an inch from tearing through ceramite.

The Adeptus Custodes, the Sisters of Battle, and every surviving Imperial warrior were all as if struck by a paralyzing spell. Even their thoughts seemed frozen!

Only the Bloodthirsters, relying on their powerful demonic essence and Khorne's blessing, could still struggle faintly!

But their movements had become incomparably slow and stiff, and they let out low growls of terror like rusted gears grinding together!

The sky was engulfed in blinding holy light.

Apocalypse One hovered silently directly above Lion's Gate Square like a throne reigning over the world, holy light flowing across its hull.

Beneath its prow, a massive energy focusing device slowly lit up, emitting a cold radiance filled with analytical intent as it precisely locked onto the Bloodthirsters below.

Inside the bridge, Liang Bing lounged against her energy throne, one leg crossed over the other. At some point, she had switched to a cocktail of strange colors.

Through the viewport, she watched the battlefield below, frozen by the Spacetime Stasis Field, with great interest. Her gaze lingered especially on the struggling greater demons, and her red lips curved into a satisfied smile.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Look at them—what excellent specimens. So lively." Her voice rang clearly across the entire deathly silent battlefield through the warship's amplification system, carrying a hint of teasing:

"Hey, you red-skinned brutes down there! This Queen has taken a liking to you! Come work for me—food and lodging included, excellent benefits!"