Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 299 Saving Vokhan Without Abandoning the Prey
At dawn, as the sun shone on Nocturne, the Spear of Dionysus suddenly appeared in Nimrod's hand.

Holding the spear, I felt the intense heat.

Ninglu continued forward, heading towards the location of the powerful life form detected by "Subspace Insight".

After a busy night, we harvested numerous extraordinary creature corpses at Sequence 3 level. This trip to Nocturne Star was worthwhile.

Even if Volkan finds the biggest fire lizard, I will not suffer any loss. It was Old Man Huang who swore an oath of allegiance, not me.

If I really lose, Old Huang will probably break the contract, since it's not the first time.
As Ninglu pondered, the Spear of Dionysus cooled to normal temperature, and he inserted the spear into his back.

He then drew the sword he had forged himself. Before him lay a massive fire lizard, as large as a mountain range, about the same length as the smaller Ironscale Kraken.

Its menacing maw contained sharp teeth like spears.

A ring of thorns grows from the back of its head, extending to its tail.

The golden light reflected in the salamander's slightly narrowed eyes, and it suddenly opened them, looking at the intruder who had disturbed its slumber.

Roar!
The fire lizard straightened its body, opened its mouth wide, and spewed flames at the bold black-armored "little man".

Ning Lu neither dodged nor avoided the molten inferno, charging headlong into the blazing torrent.

Flames enveloped his body, then vanished instantly.

Ninglu leaped onto the fire lizard's head and brandished his golden longsword.

The longsword pierced the salamander's head, breaking through the protective shell formed by its thick scales.

Ning Lu pulled his wrist back, and the sword in his hand stopped.

He killed the fire lizard without harming the eyes and teeth of the potion-making component; the golden longsword pierced the brain, which was not a potion-making component.

Ning Lu sheathed his sword and hung it at his waist. He walked to the fire lizard's corpse, used his arms to lift it up.

At the same moment, Vokhan smashed the protective shell on the salamander's head with his silver hammer.

He hung the hammer on his waist, picked up the salamander, and walked outside.

Beneath Vokhan's feet, a world serpent, having just created a new dream of fire and now comfortably fallen into slumber, swayed its body and crawled through the cave.

Suddenly, a figure with black armor and golden wings flashed through its mind, appearing like lightning in its previous dream.

The largest world serpent in the group was pierced through by a long spear.

In the World Serpent's remaining memories, the flashing spear was repulsive and possessed destructive power.

In an instant, it shattered the dream, killing the oldest, most senior, and largest elder of the clan who had lived for countless years.

The memory of the nightmare made the World Serpent writhe in terror.

The entire dead volcano trembled and flames erupted.

On the ground, the walking Wokan suddenly felt the ground shake, rocks slid down, and plunged into the lava.

Vokhan stretched out his right arm and grabbed the edge of the cliff, while holding the salamander he had hunted in his other hand.

Time passed by, and after eight days of fighting with Ninglu and searching for fire lizards in the mountains, Wokan felt the fire lizard, which was as heavy as a small mountain in his hand, getting heavier and heavier.

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, but fueled by his competitive spirit, he did not give up the fire lizard in his hand.

Wokan looked around, desperately searching for a way to escape.

Suddenly, his eyes, blazing with flames, flashed. He saw Ninglu walking down the mountain, holding a fire lizard, on the other side of the molten lava.

Vokhan noticed that the salamander was larger than the one he had hunted.

Ninglu discovered the other party earlier than Wokan, and he couldn't help but marvel at the coincidence of fate.

I remember when Old Man Huang and Wokan were having a salamander hunting contest, Wokan was trapped on the edge of a cliff because he refused to give up his salamander hunt due to a volcanic eruption.

Old Huang threw the larger fire lizard he had hunted into the lava to use it as a bridge to save Wokan.

Upon returning to the village, the elders of the noble council announced that Wokan had defeated the old man Huang, who was empty-handed.

But Wokan knelt before Old Man Huang, declaring that the true champion is one who puts the lives of others before victory.
Ninglu's eyes flashed. "[Wokan possesses the constitution of an immortal. Only lightning-struck rock can completely kill him. Even if he falls into lava, he can be resurrected.]"

But resurrection takes time and involves enduring the pain of being burned by flames. Since I've encountered him, there's no need for him to suffer.

Unlike Old Man Huang, I didn't have to give up my spoils to save Wokan.
Ninglu put the fire lizard down while he was thinking. Its mountain-like body crushed a small hill.

With a flap of his golden wings, he flew to the opposite cliff edge, stretched out his hands, and supported Wokan's flanks. Ninglu felt his hands sink, the weight far exceeding that of the much larger fire lizard he was supporting, and his body plummeted several meters downwards.

[Vokhan's body was even heavier than a fire lizard, though not as heavy as a world serpent.]
When Wokan saw Ninglu come to his rescue but was in danger, the kind-hearted man immediately felt uneasy.

He immediately decided to abandon his prey and shouted.

"I'll drop my prey, you toss me up, and you'll be able to fly."

“No need.” The potion ingredients couldn’t be wasted. As Ning Lu spoke, his golden wings burst forth with dazzling light, illuminating the entire Death Volcano.

The power granted to him by the Burner Shard allowed him to lift Vokan, along with the salamander in his hand, and send them to the top of the cliff.

Wokan looked at Ninglu and said in surprise:

"You're so strong, how could you possibly lose to me in an arm wrestling match?"

Ninglu released Wokan: "Although the golden wings are integrated with my body, they are not strictly speaking my power. I do not want to rely on them in my competition with you."

He added, "But the power it gives me is a power that I have complete control over, like when I throw a punch or kick. I don't think this is using external force."

Vokhan's lava eyes peered at Nimrod's golden wings from a blacksmith's perspective.

His bald head shook, and a wave of heat gushed out from his mouth.

"No, of course it's not about using external forces."

"Even if you use the power of the golden wings, it is not by relying on external forces."

Wokan's lava eyes gazed at Ninglu, and he spoke with admiration.

"Ninglu, your pursuit of fairness and your risky rescue of your competitors are admirable."

After the two Primarchs spoke, Nimrod flew back to the other side of the cliff and raised the salamander.

They descended from both sides of the cliff.

Inside the village, Alpharis saw the two Primarchs returning from afar, before the people of Nocturne.

He said to the emperor before him, "You are right, Ninglu has won another victory."

The emperor smiled and said, "That's only right."

The Nocturne aliens in the village also saw the two competitors returning a dozen minutes later.

The moment they saw the two giants, they immediately recognized the victor.

The fire lizard that the outsider Ninglu was carrying was clearly several sizes larger than that of Vokhan.

After the two giants entered the village, the elders of the noble council walked up to them helplessly and made a bitter announcement.

"The final competition, the victor..."

"Nimrod."

“Ninru is the champion of the competition, and I wholeheartedly acknowledge him,” Wokan said. “According to the previous bet, I should pledge my loyalty to the outsider.”

He knelt before the pale-skinned outsider, saying, "I will serve you as my master."

The next moment, a dazzling golden light burst forth.

The Nocturne aliens saw that the pale-skinned stranger had instantly changed his appearance.

He was clad in golden armor, radiating the same dazzling light as when Nimrod, the champion of the competition, forged his weapons.

"My son, welcome back to the Human Empire."

The celebrations continued, shifting from commemorating the defeat of the Twilight Shadows to celebrating the arrival of the Lord of Mankind and the return of Nocturne to the Empire.

On the third day of the celebration, the fleet of the Eighteenth Legion arrived at Nocturne Star.

Ninglu smiled as he saw Cassian Vaughn meet his genetic father ahead of time because of his presence.

[I also changed Vaughn's fate, preventing him from seeing Vaughn on his deathbed.]
That night, in Vaughan's blacksmith shop, he and Vaughan sat by the furnace and talked.

"What? You're saying that Nimrod possesses fortress-level energy shield technology, which you saw in Sepra Mandy, capable of protecting the entire hive city."

(End of this chapter)