Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 542 Lucius: I have a chance to catch a glimpse of Lord Nimrod's swordsmanship.
Lucius followed Akulduna to the bridge.

Before even stepping out of the elevator, he glanced toward the direction of the command throne.

He immediately found the black-armored, golden-winged giant on the tactical table in front of the command throne.

Lucius stared at the imposing figure, which resembled a marble statue, and suddenly understood why Akulduna had been buried in his cabin for so long.

He was flawless in every respect.

Lucius felt the Primarch's profound gaze upon him; his obsidian eyes were like two sharp blades, piercing through his armor and striking his very soul.

His mind went blank, and he stood there in the elevator, stunned.

The moment Nimrod saw the person behind Akulduna, he recognized him as Lucius, the future Slaanesh chosen one from his memories.

He had a head of neat white hair, a proud and high nose bridge, and purple eyes that exuded a captivating purple allure.

His handsome face rivals that of Hathor Matt and Ramsay in Astartes.

Nimrod recalled that Akulduna had been optimistic about Lucius for quite some time and had taught him that he had a "bright future," so he was no longer surprised that Lucius had brought soldiers onto the bridge.

He looked away and continued listening to the briefing.

Glenn Worsotto, Chapter Master of the First Chapter of the Ultramarines, examined the information on the data panel and spoke.

"Lord Ninglu, preparations for war are complete, our troops have been deployed, and we are proceeding according to plan."

Wosoto glanced at Diana Pauline, and as he formulated the plan, he deeply felt that the Shadow of Order was no less efficient than the Ultramarines.

As he pondered, Luther, who was in charge of the battle plan, spoke up.

"The sturdy fortress ships of the Skotians will serve as spearheads to pierce the artificial war satellites."

“Pilots of the ‘Ultraman’ and ‘Emperor’s Son’ will shoot down the alien drone swarm.”

"Finally, you will lead us to take down the artificial war satellite."

Akulduna, who walked to the tactical table, and Lucius, who was standing behind him, both had their eyes light up.

Balsa Kuturi scrutinized Luther, wondering what he had obtained from the Primarch that allowed him to suddenly possess the body of an Astartes five days ago.

This is not something a pharmacist could do.

Ning Lu nodded in satisfaction. "Execute the operation plan."

The ward commanders received the order within a second and dispatched more communication ships than usual to ensure the order was relayed.

Ninglu watched the bloody battle raging in the void through the viewing window.

Without deploying Ramirez-class star fortresses, the space dwarves' fortress ships, which are even more heavily fortified than those of the Empire and Randan, are a powerful weapon against artificial war satellites.

The fortress ship swam forward like a giant whale in a starry sea, while swarms of drones swept in like floating objects.

Their sheer number even obscured the light of stars.

Inside the giant whale of the star sea, the Hearthkins sang loudly, praising the name of their ancestors with great fervor.

The Ironborn were orderly, their mechanical arms moving gracefully.

Rows of shells swept towards the drone swarm like a torrent.

Dazzling lights flashed repeatedly as drones were torn apart.

The space dwarves unleashed a barrage of cannon fire, a deluge capable of tearing apart an entire main fleet.

The swarm of drones, however, seemed endless, with dozens breaking through the silent quagmire of firepower and crashing into the armor.

Their suicidal collisions left marks on the thick armor.

More and more drones broke through the fierce barrage of fire, crashing down on the cosmic behemoth in an endless stream.

The giant sea monsters were enveloped in layers, and they slowed their pace.

The Randan warship, covered in spikes and flails, swam over like a bloodthirsty shark, its Shadow Blasts leaving ominous black shadows on its armor as it rained down bolts of lightning.

Seeing that the fortress ship was blocked, Ninglu turned his attention back to the holographic tactical table.

He saw blue and purple runes flashing through the green path, leaving trails behind.

Wosoto stood before the Thinker, his hands flying across the buttons, distributing the enemy ship data packets identified by the Shadow of the Throne to the fleets of the Ultramarines and the Son of the Emperor.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the video screen light up, with blue runes jumping, followed by purple ones rising up.

Wosoto was filled with admiration when he saw the white runes light up in response.

[The "Shadow of Order" discovered the alien's falsified readings so quickly.]
As Wosotho pondered, Luther's voice rang out.

"It's time, flight formation, launch!"

Wosoto examined the tactical images, the words of the Father of Genetics flashing through his mind.

"Once the implementation phase or the initial state is initiated, we must exhaust all means to complete it: rapidly deploy overwhelming forces."

Primary state initiated.

As the order was given, swordtail interceptors and lightning fighters poured out of the flight deck.

In the blue flight formation, the heavier Lightning fighters made up more than half, while the purple formations were the opposite. One after another, steel birds swept past the Star Sea Beast.

The machine guns of thousands of fighter jets spewed out dense barrages of bullets.

The flames flashed, and the floating creatures swirling around the giant star sea beast instantly thinned out by one layer.

As if stirred up, they floated and surged toward the birds.

The Lightning fighter jet suddenly accelerated, shaking off the oncoming drone.

The swordtail interceptor darted left and right, dodging the swarms of enemy aircraft.

A blue iron bird, bathed in red light, sometimes soared up and sometimes swooped down.

As a red rune lit up on the screen, a piercing alarm blared through the helmet.

In the silent collision, the sword-tailed interceptor spun rapidly, trailing flames behind it.

Ninglu gazed at the holographic imagery, observing the performance of the two legion pilots.

The blue flight formation of the "Extreme Warriors" is as precise as a machine.

Even though the Lightning fighter and the Swordtail interceptor have different performances and different surrounding conditions, they still act as a whole when they come together or disperse.

The "sons of emperors" possessed exceptional individual skills, and even when surrounded by red, they could often outmaneuver their enemies with dazzling arcs.

Amidst phosphorescent flashes of light, the fortress ship strode forward, cutting through the obstacles, and crashed into the Randan ship.

The female captain, seated at a black brass control panel, issued orders.

The output power of the Kings Shadow's punishment-class reactor suddenly increased, shooting straight at the artificial war satellite like a drawn sword through the space torn open by the fortress ship.

"Prepare to board!"

Nimrod gave the order, and Lucius excitedly gripped the hilt of his sword; he was actually able to fight alongside the Primarch.

[I had the opportunity to witness Lord Nimrod's swordsmanship.]
Squads of black-armored warriors marched toward the flight deck from various locations on the upper deck.

Unlike in the past, there is not only an honor guard, but also 3,300 dark angels with winged swords painted on their chests.

The airdrop pods rained down on the artificial war satellite. Ninglu stepped onto the ground and immediately saw Lucius swiftly rushing towards an alien overlord.

As he ran, he raised his explosive pistol and fired a series of explosive rounds at his target who was dodging his final battle.

The alien bat's wings fluttered, and in an instant it spun and rose a hundred meters.

But every bullet Lucius fired hit its target with pinpoint accuracy. Although he devoted himself to practicing swordsmanship, his innate marksmanship annoyed the other imperial sons.

Before he could even swing his sword to attack, the alien overlord's personal energy shield shattered with a bang, and was immediately torn apart by a series of explosive bombs.

Lucius tucked the explosive pistol back into his waistband and charged headlong at the alien overlord, unleashing a storm of slashes and stabs.

He could switch between wielding the sword with one hand and two hands at will, sometimes swinging it with one hand like a club, and sometimes wielding it with both hands like a broadsword to slash.

Amidst the dazzling light, he savored every vibration and crack of the sword's edge.

Amidst a series of dazzling explosions, Lucius earned his first melee score. He licked his lips excitedly and charged toward his next target.

Ninglu stepped forward, raised his powered gloves, and simultaneously mounted a dual-mounted bomb gun and the plasma gun given to him by Peturabo, while roaring.

A dazzling beam of light leaped up, tearing through the alien overlord's shield, followed by a burst of explosives that shredded it.

He kept walking, his gaze sweeping over Akulduna.

The two sharp blades wrapped in silk sheaths on his legs were drawn simultaneously.

Timur's sword has a woven gold grip, a slightly curved blade, and a hilt shaped like a stallion's head with a wisp of black horsehair tassel.

Athena's sword is longer, with a straight blade and a narrow cross-shaped hilt. Abstract ancient Greek runes shimmer on its thin blade.

Both boning knives were forged by a master blacksmith in ancient Terra using unique rituals and alchemical techniques.

Owning one sword is the highest honor a swordsman can have in the legion, but he owns two, and no one questions his status.

Akulduna charged into the midst of the four overlords like lightning, his twin swords whirling like windmills.

The overlord roared and brandished his blade-like limbs, launching an attack on Akulduna simultaneously like eight swordsmen.

Akulduna calmly treads, parries, and attacks.

He had long been adept at moving among enemies, and no one had ever been able to leave a wound on him.

The blade spun rapidly like a whirlwind, dazzling even Zaharel.

[He is stronger than the Legion's First Swordsman, Kos Wayne.]
Zaharel examined himself and realized that he could never have been so swift without opening his "fear vision".

Akulduna, like a dancer, unleashed a series of attacks with his twin swords.

The personal energy shields of the overlords crackled, yet not a single one of their attacks grazed the magnificent armor.

Timur thrust straight into the body of the Overlord, followed by Athena.

Akulduna strode forward, and the four overlords behind him fell almost simultaneously.

(End of this chapter)