Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 545 I only wanted to "corrode" Akulduna, but I ended up with Lucius first.
The battles fought with artificial war satellites have left an indelible mark on the minds of many.

Luther and his followers reclaimed the glory of the Grand Knights in battle, and laughter occasionally broke the silence of the deck.

After failing to find the alien, Lucius buried himself in the training deck.

The scene of Akulduna's myth of invulnerability and invincibility ending at the same moment loomed over his mind like a shadow.

Lord Ninglu's sword, with its star-like blue and white light, continued to flash.

Light and darkness, stars and shadows.

They flashed and intertwined.

Lucius continued to swing his sword, chasing the starlight and dispelling the shadows.

A week of practice had rendered his training cage, made of Miguel steel and even more robust than the "Son of the Emperor," unusable.

Before Lucius stepped onto the training deck, he was surprised to see Akulduna dressed in magnificent gold and purple armor.

He met the chief swordsman for the first time after the war satellite war.

Lucius looked at the proud eldest son of Fugen and was surprised to find that there was not a trace of frustration on Akulduna's face.

He had a feeling that the chief swordsman was stronger than before.

Just as Lucius was about to request a match to prove his progress, Akulduna spoke first.

His smile was as warm as ever, without the shame of defeat.

"Lucius, today you will meet His Majesty the King's First Swordsman."

Lucius's eyes lit up. "Thieri Vieira?"

"Yes."

Lucius excitedly followed Akulduna into the Primarch Palace.

As soon as Lucius stepped into the asymmetrical black building, his thick, handsome eyebrows furrowed.

Although it wasn't his first time setting foot on the parchment, Akulduna was momentarily troubled by the irregular lines, just as he had been recently struggling to put his brush down on the parchment.

As they entered the banquet hall, the vivid yet blurry image in their minds instantly overlapped with the black-armored, golden-winged giant.

Akulduna and Lucius, having regained their senses, were then drawn to another giant.

The figure seated on the obsidian chair was beyond the reach of Astartes; even the largest salamander was not as tall as him.

His body, clad in black armor, contained a powerful, suppressed force.

Akulduna scrutinized Thierry, his gold-lacquered gauntlets touching Timur and Athena on his legs.

Nimrod, seated on his throne, took in the expressions of Akulduna and Lucius.

A barely perceptible smile appeared on his face. [The plan to "corrupt" Akulduna could now proceed to its final step.]
Lucius took his seat as a follower and enjoyed the court cuisine, which was just as perfect as that of his own legion.

The fish bones, fried until crispy, with snow-white flesh, mixed with caviar, awakened his taste buds.

The squid ink coating the plump geoduck filled his empty stomach after a sweaty workout.

Lucius followed court etiquette and savored each dish of food.

After drinking eleven glasses of violet vodka, he put down his glass, slightly intoxicated.

“Your Majesty, I have long heard of Lord Thierry’s skill in swordsmanship. I would like to learn from him. Please grant me permission.”

Ninglu narrowed his eyes and turned to look at Lucius.

[As expected of someone with a "promising future," I was just looking for an opportunity to bring it up, and you spoke first.]
Just as he was about to speak, Stevens, a member of the Honor Guard who had just been promoted to "Provocateur," stood respectfully to the side and said...

"Father, please allow me to go into battle."

The "Provocateur" looked at Lucius, and the image of a swordsman swiftly rushing into the alien and killing the enemy with superb swordsmanship flashed through his mind.

He instinctively pressed his hand against the Katachon fangs at his waist and opened his mouth in a provocative manner.

“Lucius, swordsman, defeat me and you will be qualified to challenge the Knight Lord.”

Proud Lucius, his purple eyes blazing with fire.

"It won't take long."

"I think this competition should be conducted in a completely new way."

Ninglu's eyes were deep; he knew that the future Slaanesh chosen one was exceptionally skilled in swordsmanship.

Even though he hasn't fully matured yet, Stevens at Sequence 8 shouldn't be able to compete with him unless he's in a combat environment that's favorable to his performance.

"This is a battle between Astartes, and you should not be confined to the training deck."

"You will engage in a battle of honor on the battlefield of artificial war satellites."

Inside the black Skyhawk shuttle, Arsène Dunn gazed at the approaching artificial war satellite.

"My lord, the great sage Ryan Ramirez has made some progress in his research on artificial war satellites."

"Although we have not yet fully mastered the manufacturing secrets, we can already perform most of its functions, such as moving and dispatching drones."

Glenn Warsotto, the First Chapter Commander of the Ultramarines, who served as Primarchs, gazed through the entire viewing window at the towering, dark cannon barrels.

He knew that without the Skotians' heavily fortified ships and without Lord Nimrod personally leading the boarding, capturing this man-made war fortress would not have been so easy.

“Let’s move it to the Caligum Gate. If needed, we can seek the support of the Space Dwarves.” After a moment’s thought, Nimrod decided to use the spoils to reinforce the vital hub.

The Primarch's servant noted down the order and carried it out immediately.

Inside another Skyhawk shuttle, which was flying smoothly, Stevens held his Katachon Fang, a demonic claw, in his left hand.

Stevens pulled a vial of liquid from his waist with his right hand. As soon as the bottle was untied, the red venom extracted from the highly poisonous plants of the Catachan plant community gurgled out with green bubbles.

Since his opponent was not an alien but an ally, he did not use highly toxic venom.

The shadows of order that died in the dangerous jungle proved that they were deadly venoms to Astartes' superhuman body.

Venom flowed across the Catachan alloy, and the half-filled mercury sloshed within the hollow blade.

Stevens stopped moving after he saw red mixed with green spots appear on the blade.

He stroked the green-furred Catachan wolf beside him and raised the bottle.

The Catachan wolf let out an excited howl, swallowed the liquid in one gulp, then squinted and lay down beside Stevens' boots. Stevens looked down at the approaching ground, the experienced "hunter" adjusting the position of his grenades and mentally planning his tactics.

A moment later, Zaharie, who had stepped off the deck, asked Balsa Kuturi, the strategist for the 19th Army Corps.

"Who do you think will win this duel?"

Balsa glanced at the white-haired warrior in magnificent purple armor, then at the black-armored warrior in camouflage.

"If this were in the training cage, Lucius would win easily."

“Here…” Balsa looked around at the rubble and collapsed buildings of the battlefield.

The think tank member had deep eyes, an ethereal tone, and a voice that seemed to come from another world.

"He is naturally faster than most of my legion, and he will still win, but it won't be easy."

The silver-haired Primarch, representing Nimrod, stands between Lucius and Stevens.

"To foster friendship between the Shadow of Order and the Son of the Emperor, Stevens will engage in a duel of honor with Lucius."

"I hereby declare the duel of honor to begin!"

The "Provocateur" raised his hand and brandished his explosive pistol, "provocatively" firing a bullet at the magnificent purple armor.

Lucius's white eyebrows furrowed, and he instantly drew his sword, charging towards his infuriating opponent.

Stevens' eyes widened; Lucius's speed was even faster than he had ever seen before.

He retreated towards the seven o'clock direction, which was the most complex area he had observed before landing.

Lucius kept moving, wanting to find a nasty opponent and defeat him decisively.

Suddenly, his right foot stepped on the soft soil and he immediately realized something was wrong.

The diamond warhead burst from the ground, and the explosive detonated before it touched the purple armor.

Lucius quickly rolled forward, and with a loud bang, a hole the size of a finger was blown into the sole of his right boot.

The moment Lucius's shoulder touched the ground, his handsome face changed. He raised his left fist and slammed it into the collapsed, leaning pillar.

With a loud bang, he rolled to the side.

Wosoto followed Lord Nimrod up a hillside with a wide view.

He gazed down at the rising shockwaves of the explosions and exclaimed in amazement.

"Lucius's speed has been restricted."

“Stevens thinks faster than Lucius; he’s a seasoned hunter who anticipated Lucius’s reaction,” Balsa remarked.

“Before he became the shadow of order, he was a Catachan.” Thierry glanced at Akulduna, showing great interest in the first court swordsman who was renowned throughout the legions.

"It was a cruel world of death, and he grew up there to become a seasoned hunter."

Akulduna nodded to Thierry, knowing that such a trap would be useless against him, who relied on instinct to fight.

"The final battle has begun."

With those words, Stevens, who was carrying explosives and grenades, launched a final battle.

He and the Catachan wolf charged at Lucius at the same time.

Lucius's purple armor was covered in dust.

His handsome face was scratched by the shards.

Although it wasn't serious, Lucius was still annoyed.

The repeated "provocations" made him abandon the idea of ​​defeating his opponent in a spectacular fashion.

[I'm going to trample you under my feet! I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget!]
As Lucius's anger was ignited by the "provocation," the Catachan wolf sprang up silently, its bright red teeth speckled with green, biting into the purple armor.

As the venom crackled, Lucius twisted his body and thrust out his sword.

The moment the sword tip sliced ​​through the thick green fur, Lucius drew his sword.

Not only because it was a duel for honor, not a fight to the death, but also because he sensed danger behind him.

Lucius turned swiftly and swung his sword.

The blade sliced ​​through the power armor and struck Stevens' shoulder.

Katachon's fangs pierced Lucius's ribs, and venom seeped into his body.

Lucius trembled as if he had been electrocuted, and his body collapsed with a thud.

He tried to get up, but felt completely powerless.

Lucius stared in astonishment at his opponent, who was bracing himself with his sword; he hadn't expected to fall.

He was defeated by the obscure Honor Guard before he could even stand before the knight lord.

Stevens glanced at the deep sword wound in his shoulder, where his shoulder bone had been severed, and said admiringly to Lucius.

“You are very strong. My carefully prepared hunt…” He paused for a moment before continuing.

"It only resulted in a Pyrrhic victory."

"Without the strength my father gave me, I would lose."

Lucius's purple eyes lit up as he turned to look at the giant on the hillside.

[The power bestowed by Lord Nimrod.]
The Primarch keenly sensed Lucius's gaze, recognizing many similarities within it.

From Luther, Zaharel, Alkahas Far, Nerat Kielin...

[I only wanted to "corrupt" Akulduna, but I ended up with Lucius first.]
As Ninglu pondered, Akulduna's voice rang out.

Thierry.

“Lucius is no longer able to fight; I will continue this duel of honor with you.”

“Okay,” Thierry readily agreed.

(End of this chapter)