The Bizarre Adventure of the Warhammer Guard

Forgrim retracted his tail, shook off Guilliman, his face contorted in pain, his four arms flailing wildly in the air as he staggered backward.

The hind half of the Primarch's body had melted away, exposing the filthy flesh and organs inside. Its gleaming armor and ornaments, unable to withstand the powerful energy attack, had all fallen off. Had it not been for the churning warp energy in the hall, the Primarch would have long since disintegrated and been banished back to the depths of the warp.

Upon seeing the severely wounded Primarch, the fallen Emperor's Sons warriors abandoned their attacks on the Ultramarines and returned to his side to protect him from enemy attacks.

"Primarch!" Andros roared in anguish as he saw Guilliman fall. "Get to the Primarch!"

Guilliman collapsed on the stage, plunged into darkness, illuminated only by the lights from his own offspring's armor. He was limp, speechless, and his senses were fading. A sharp pain shot through the wound on his neck.

Guilliman's consciousness gradually faded. He felt himself lying in his childhood garden, with his adoptive mother, Mrs. Euton, and adoptive father, Connor, beside him, enveloped in happiness and joy.

A voice was calling to her; it was Ms. Eudon, who was preparing her favorite snacks while telling her to take a break and not overwork herself.

Everything seemed beautiful.

Lies! Guilliman's rational mind kept reminding him that everything in front of him was a trap.

Lies! My own children need me, the human empire needs me, my father and brothers need me. I cannot fall here!

Guilliman forced himself to shatter the illusion of beauty before him and opened his eyes. He found himself lying on the ground, the deadly poison in his neck corroding and decaying his body.

"Let's go." Guilliman felt someone pulling on his armor and dragging him outside. He looked up and saw Elpis, who had saved him earlier.

"Cover! Cover! Fire on the enemy!" Guilliman recognized the voice; it was Hill. He had successfully reached Guilliman's side, protecting his father, the Gene Father.

"Emergency teleportation! Hurry, we need to retreat!" Andros roared.

"Get out." Elpis quickly dragged Guilliman away. "Escape the hall! The warp energy here will interfere with emergency teleportation."

The enemy's attack continued. The sonic attacks that tore through space crashed into the humanoid walls made of blue terracotta steel. As one fell, another immediately took its place.

"We've withdrawn!" Andros roared. "We can activate emergency teleportation immediately and hold the line!"

"Courage and Glory!"

After Elpis put Guilliman down, he stood in front of the group, flanked by Terminator veterans, together resisting the enemies rushing out of the Heliopolis Hall.

"Teleportation lock complete!" Hill called to those around her, urging them to move closer to the Primarch. "Activate! We need to go back."

As soon as the words were spoken, a dazzling light flashed, and the valiant warriors, along with their Primarchs, returned to the Grip of Power.

Just before the teleportation, through the shimmering white light, Elpis saw a slender figure emerge from the shadows of the Emperor's Pride. She was looking at Elpis, a smile playing on her lips, like a child seeing their beloved toy.

"You can't escape death!" In a daze, Guilliman seemed to hear his brother's roar.

He had failed, Guilliman realized. Neither his brother nor himself. Fulgrim had failed to kill him, and he himself had been blinded by rage.

"Make way, everyone." Andros's voice echoed once more aboard the Grip of Power. "Apothecary!"

The Ultramarines called for the apothecary. A cold potion was injected into Guilliman's body, resisting the corrosive effects of the chaotic toxins on the Vorgrim's blade.

"Father." The Ultramarines around him called out to Guilliman, who was in a daze.

Then, Guilliman slowly returned to normal. He saw Andros, Hill, his other children, and Elpis standing to the side.

"My children, are you all alright?" Guilliman's voice was weak; the Primarch had never been so weak. "How is the battle going?"

"Father, we're safe." Andros took over Guilliman's question. "Our fleet is breaking out. The Imperial Pride has been severely damaged, and the remaining enemy ships can't stop our retreat. Once we shake off the enemy, we can begin warp travel."

"My lord, your condition is very serious," the apothecary said with a worried expression. "Your body's regenerative abilities, combined with healing potions, can barely resist the corrosive effects of the Chaos Toxins. But these toxins are very strange; they cannot be eradicated, nor can they be weakened."

"What does this mean, bro?" Hill said from the side.

"This means you may need to continue receiving injections indefinitely. And," the pharmacist paused, "your body cannot tolerate too much exercise or exertion. Otherwise, these toxins will immediately damage your body, and eventually even the treatment may become ineffective."

"This..." The apothecary's words drew gasps from the surrounding warriors.

"It's alright, children." Guilliman's voice was still weak, but unusually firm. "I'm still alive, aren't I? There's always a way. Even if we fail in the end, I still have time to deal with things."

"Andros, Hill, help me up." Guilliman felt his strength returning and immediately gave his order, "Back to Macragge first."

The Primarch felt his body weaken, and the chaotic toxins were still lurking within him. Guilliman realized that his time was running out; it was a slow death.

This vast empire, the countless humans in the galaxy, the aliens and heretics constantly encroaching on the empire's territory, the demons in the warp, and so on—all of these require his attention.

At this moment, the Primarch seemed to understand what his father had done.

Guilliman is finally back alive. Elpis breathed a sigh of relief, followed by a wave of exhaustion.

Having fought the Primarch in the space between reality and the Warp, and having used too much of the power of the Moon, Elpis needs to take some time to recover.

He then contacted the light cruiser that had come with him to the Thesala system via the communications channel, instructing them to return to the Blue Star system first, while he would go to Macragge with the Primarch.

"Elpis." Ignoring his children's advice, Guilliman came to the command room, sat down in a chair, and said, "Thank you so much for your help. You saved my life, and I owe you a favor."

"It's my duty." Elpis remained standing before the star map, watching the fleet gradually break free from the enemy's encirclement. "There's something you can do for me."

"What's wrong?"

"I need something."