The Chainsword roared, the Imperial Aquila upon it gleaming.
Scalding blood had drenched the blade. Eighty-eight mighty enemies had lost their heads to this ordinary, standard-issue Imperial weapon, and the once-unremarkable Chainsword now radiated a terrifying red glow.
Its cutting power clearly had not been that great, yet now it could easily tear through armor forged with ancient technology.
And now...
The savage Ork roared. He was far larger than an ordinary Ork Boy, so large that even an Astartes could easily stand on his shoulder.
In Ork society, they were usually called "warbosses," leaders of their own bands and the strongest among their kind.
He had heard that somewhere in the Warp lay a red place full of WAAAGH!, where only the strongest Orks, those unafraid of fleshy horrors, could venture.
But now, for once, he felt fear.
Bona flicked the blood from his hand. Not far away lay the Ork Warboss's severed arm.
Now Bona was staring at him, his eyes red, as though he were looking at some interesting prey.
"You stinkin' humie! You dare hit me!" the Ork Warboss roared, trying to hide his fear.
Bona approached step by step, even switching off his Chainsword and simply wiping the blood from it with his hand.
"WAAAGH!" the Ork Warboss roared, raising his heavy hammer and swinging it at him.
The heavy iron hammer came crashing down, but Bona blocked it with his Chainsword.
Bona kicked the Ork Warboss in the knee, shattering it outright. The Warboss dropped to his knees in agony.
Bona pressed his Bolter beneath the Ork Warboss's chin.
Boom!
The enormous body toppled.
The spectators all cheered.
Bona stood atop the Ork's corpse and looked toward the gate opposite him.
The gate remained tightly shut, without the slightest movement.
No enemies?
Bona grew restless and looked around.
"Is there no one left? You cowards!"
The spectators fell silent as one. Even the Bloodthirsters shrank back.
He had cut his way through eight arenas, not through mighty psyker power or overwhelming strength.
It was his terrifying ability to learn.
He learned far too quickly.
He had learned to use psyker power from the Aeldari, to wield strength from the Orks, and all manner of survival techniques unique to the dark regions of space from his human opponents.
Toward the end, perhaps only the Bloodthirsters who had fought in the Warp for countless millions of years could still surpass Bona in experience and technique.
But... they did not dare!
Bloodthirsters liked charging headlong into battle, but they were not stupid. Hadn't everyone seen how blindingly bright the golden Aquila on Bona's Chainsword had become?
In theory, a blow from this Chainsword, imbued with the Emperor's power, could inflict permanent damage on these Warp Daemons.
They did not know whether a single blow would kill them, but permanent maiming was probably inevitable.
The desire to drink deeply of his enemies' blood battered his mind, while the roar of the Chainsword in his hand seemed to urge its master to hurry and take more heads.
Bona drew a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the violent urges within him.
He put away his Chainsword, then turned and walked back toward the gate through which he had entered. It now stood wide open.
A Bloodthirster had been waiting there for a long time. He took a deep breath before approaching.
"Bona, our lord is busy. He instructed us to let you do as you please. If you wish to see him, simply go to the castle at the center."
Bona turned those eyes toward him. The Greater Daemon swore that Bona was absolutely considering whether to cut him down. He was certain of it!
But Bona merely shook his head.
What was wrong with me? I even wanted to cut down a noble knight who maintained order.
"All right, thank you."
He bade farewell to this seemingly weathered knight and left.
During his time here, he had completed the "Trial of the God of Courage and Justice."
He had to admit that he truly felt he had learned a great deal. There were many different kinds of powerful warriors here, and some were even stronger in combat than the Adeptus Custodes.
Fortunately, Uncle Malak had taught him quite a lot beforehand.
But he no longer had time to stay here. He still had to visit the next deity's domain to learn.
From afar, he offered the figure seated high upon the throne a Thunderhawk warrior's salute, then departed.
At least, Bona felt that the figure was pleased.
The Warp was so mercurial that neither space nor time had any fixed form.
So much so that Bona felt he had barely taken a few steps out of the Red Sanctum when another, pink-and-purple Sanctuary seemed to draw up beside him, bringing him straight into another deity's domain.
A voice as gentle as a mother's echoed in his mind.
"Hello, little one. Come along. I'm waiting for you inside."
"Mm."
Bona entered the First Ring.
In this place haunted by the specters of greed, the mask of pretense was finally torn away without mercy, revealing its avaricious nature. Before him, gold piled up into a vast, boundless golden plain, like nature's most generous bounty, yet more dazzling than nature itself. The gold stretched greedily upward toward the mosaic marble vault of a treasury, studded with countless gems and as brilliant as a rainbow. Every jewel shone with its own unique light, mingling with the rainbow's radiance.
Bona bent slightly and scooped up a handful of gold coins from the ground. Some were coins he had only ever seen in ancient records.
But Bona went no further. He took only a few, treating them as collectibles.
Afterward, he spared the mountains of gold and seas of jewels no further glance.
And when he stepped out of the First Ring, all the wealth behind him turned to dust, while those who embraced it became heaps of bleached bones.
He arrived at the Second Ring.
Exquisite wines formed lakes, and delicacies found only at the banquets of royalty and nobility were fit for nothing more than appetizers here.
Countless beings cheered, stuffing fine wine and sumptuous food into their mouths.
Seemingly in consideration of Bona's Terran origins, most of what appeared before him suited human tastes and culinary sensibilities.
Bona picked up a piece of cake made from thirty-two kinds of sweets and spices. Its intensely rich aroma assailed his taste buds.
But Bona merely frowned slightly, then sighed.
"If this food could appear on Terra, people wouldn't have to kill one another over a mouthful of clean water."
Then he left without looking back.
Behind him, the feast grew increasingly grotesque. Those gorging themselves swelled like balloons, then burst, producing still more food.
He arrived at the Third Ring.
Soft grass and alluring gardens filled this place, with pavilions standing throughout the beautiful meadow.
The laughter of young women rang in his ears.
Bona looked over and saw that numerous dancers had appeared at some point. Some wore plain clothes, others lavish garments, but their beauty carried an incomparable allure.
They surrounded Bona, brushing against him with seemingly accidental touches and breathing floral fragrance into his ears. Their clothes began falling away, revealing skin as delicate and smooth as milk cream.
Seeing Bona's slightly dazed expression, the lead dancer reached out a slender hand to undo his clothes, only for him to catch it.
"I'm sorry, but I still have responsibilities."
Bona lowered his head slightly in apology, then pushed past them and left.
Ignoring the plaintive cries behind him, enough to shatter anyone's heart, he entered the Fourth Ring.
Behind him, the girls who had been as beautiful as heavenly maidens gradually twisted into beasts with sharp fangs and vicious maws.
Step by step, he climbed a towering mountain and reached its summit.
In the distance, prosperous cities stretched endlessly, forming a great empire.
Before him, countless subjects cheered below the mountain, tiny as ants, while mighty armies stood arrayed at the front.
Everyone fervently cheered Bona's name. Even the proud Adeptus Custodes loudly sang his praises.
Under Bona's leadership, humanity would become the greatest existence of all. Even the once-mighty Aeldari Empire bowed and scraped at his feet.
Bona shook his head gently.
"I am my father's son. I won't enjoy the fruits of his hard work without doing any work myself."
He descended the mountain.
The mighty Imperium of Man instantly crumbled into a heap of sand.
He arrived at the Fifth Ring.
Countless words of praise sounded softly around Bona.
He was humanity's greatest scholar, general, and painter.
Countless awards were merely stepping stones to Bona, and calling him one in ten thousand was an insult.
If there were stars in humanity's sky, Bona alone would be that star.
Bona merely glanced from afar at the podium filled with glory and praise. Everyone was waiting for him to step onto it.
He had no interest whatsoever.
If he earned such things, they would only be incidental achievements along the path to fulfilling his father's dream.
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard a voice he had not heard in a long time.
"My child."
Bona stopped. He looked back and was stunned to see that radiant figure.
"Father?"
In disbelief, Bona walked over.
The Emperor smiled faintly.
"You've already done very well, my child. You've been wonderful."
Bona froze for a moment, then a happy smile appeared on his face.
"Really?"
"You are my greatest pride. You always have been."
"I..." Bona was suddenly so excited that he did not know what to say.
"Come, give me a hug. I'll take you to witness the glory that belongs to you."
The Emperor spread his arms, but Bona's excitement vanished in an instant.
"Father, what... did you just say?"
The Emperor continued to smile faintly.
"You have glory of your own. You deserve it."
But Bona's expression turned furious, and countless bolts of lightning appeared in his hands in the blink of an eye.
"You bastard! You dare impersonate my father!"
In an instant, powerful Psyker Power lightning surged out and tore that Emperor apart.
The entire space shook violently. The podium, where millions had just been singing his praises, shattered. Numerous cracks even appeared, allowing the Warp outside to pour freely into this place.
Had Bona not stopped, the entire Fifth Ring would probably have been destroyed.
Bona coldly glanced at the creature he had blasted down to a mere wisp of soul, then continued onward.
He arrived at the Sixth Ring.
He stared at his surroundings in astonishment.
This was his room.
Overwhelming exhaustion washed over him, and his long-overtaxed body began to cry out.
Outside the window, lights began going out one by one, and the Adeptus Custodes began their routine nightly patrols.
Yes, I should rest for a while.
The journey here had been exhausting.
Bona walked to the bedside. The bed seemed to beckon him.
Just sleep for a little while...
Bona saw the Imperial Aquila statuette on his desk. His father had given it to him.
Something exploded in his mind.
At this very moment, Grandpa Malcador was still staying up late handling official business, and Father was still fighting on the front lines.
Humanity's great undertaking remained unfinished. Even the most ordinary civilians were working hard.
Why was I still thinking about resting!?
With that thought, Bona took out a small knife and cut his finger, letting the pain dispel a little of his drowsiness.
He left his room without hesitation.
Behind him, the haven of comfort collapsed, turning into fragments of bone and grains of sand.
Before you continue