"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!!!"
Even Lorgar, worldly as he was and proud of his composure, was left speechless when he saw the dark muzzle of the Volcano Cannon aimed at Horus and heard Lion El'Jonson's brazen declaration of "no rules" over the loudspeaker.
The corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. His fingers tightened slightly beneath his golden pauldrons, and a trace of speechless disbelief appeared on his usually calm, gentle face.
He had expected Lion El'Jonson to have a "surprise," but driving a Shadowsword straight into the Duel Arena...
That went beyond a "surprise." It was downright outrageous, or, to put it simply, this was fucking cheating.
"Well? Horus!" Lion El'Jonson stood on the Tank's Turrets with one hand on his hip, his voice carrying through the loudspeaker with undisguised smugness and the excitement of a child whose prank had succeeded.
"Still planning to fight me for the title of Warmaster? Want to have a little chat with my 'baby' using those claws and that hammer?"
He patted the thick armor beneath his feet, producing a dull thud, and continued loudly, his tone even taking on a hint of "regret." "You should be thankful we're on Terra, right outside the Imperial Palace! Anywhere else, I bet I could enter the orbital strike authorization code before you even started charging!"
Like a male lion surveying his territory and displaying his sharp fangs and claws, he looked down smugly at the figure in the arena, who seemed much more "diminutive" beside the Tank.
Yet, to everyone's surprise, after his initial shock, Horus showed not the slightest fear at having the Volcano Cannon aimed straight at him. Instead, an even fiercer, more exuberant fighting spirit blazed in his eyes!
The smile vanished from his face, replaced by the excitement and focus