Kingdom Come: Deliverance, but Warhammer 40k

A shower of trash fell from the stands.

Inferior wine bottles, empty metal cans, and moldy synthetic starch lumps.

In addition, several pairs of worn-out military boots that had just been taken off were smashed down on Balu's head.

He frantically ran up the steps, clutching his bald head, shouting loudly:

"Everyone! Let me explain! That big guy has heatstroke and is lying in the hold foaming at the mouth!"

But the roar of anger drowned out his explanation.

"I bet half a month's rations on that idiot winning!"

"Pull that lump of fat out, even if it means dying on stage!"

The fervent emotions quickly reached their peak of spiraling out of control.

A scream of agony came from the front row of the stands.

A gambler who had lost everything slammed his knees on the iron plate, frantically scratching his scalp with his fingers, tearing out clumps of hair along with his scalp.

Beneath his bare skin protruded countless fleshy growths, with thousands of worms scurrying about in his blood vessels.

"God Emperor—!"

A dull thud echoed as flesh was torn apart, and several barbed tentacles brutally pierced through his breastplate.

The lenses in his eyes bulged outwards, and his entire body was twisting and expanding in a way that defied common sense.

The surrounding thugs were stunned.

Immediately afterwards, more than a dozen different kinds of firearms were fired at the same time.

Bang bang bang! Rat-a-tat-tat!

The dense flames intertwined, blasting the unfortunate fellow, who was still in the process of mutating, into a pile of mangled flesh.

Blood splattered all over the people around them.

People casually wiped the bits of flesh off their faces and continued to yell and curse.

"What bad luck, I almost got splashed in the mouth."

"Who brought them?"

"Unregistered resident, I don't know them."

"Ignore him, let the bookmaker lose money!"

Henry watched the farce unfold.

The world is crazier than he imagined.

But I don't just have to survive in this kind of world...

  

After dodging the two rusty steel pipes.

Baru finally gave up trying to reason with those desperados.

He turned around and helplessly spread his hands towards Henry.

That's just how people are here.

"Their enthusiasm is unbearable."

"What exactly do you want?" Henry asked.

"Don't be so nervous."

Balu grinned.

"Actually, I just wanted to chat with you."

"Chatting shouldn't be done in places like this."

"I know that too."

Balu scratched his head.

"But regardless of whether you're a Cavalier or not, someone who gets punched by Eugen usually doesn't survive."

"So everyone decided to let me play instead."

"Strictly speaking, I also saved your life."

"Should I say thank you?"

"If you'd like."

Balu gave a simple, honest smile.

Then he lowered his voice.

"By the way, I'd be even more grateful if you could let me win later."

Why?

"Because I owe the owner here a lot of money."

Balu looked around.

"And those gamblers have already bet their entire fortune."

"If I lose too badly."

"They might go crazy."

"After the madness, people will start praying again."

"Praying might attract something."

"You know what I mean."

"The subspace has always loved excitement."

Henry remained silent.

"What does this have to do with me?"

Balu sighed.

"Well, it seems you're not a traditional knight."

"We only have one more fight left."

As soon as he finished speaking, he launched a fierce attack.

Its massive body unleashed an agility far beyond its size, the mechanical prosthetic's engine roared deafeningly, and the hydraulic system operated at full speed.

The iron fist tore through the air, heading straight for Henry's face.

"The fight has begun!"

"Smash him on the head! Smash him on the head!"

Excited shouts immediately erupted from the stands.

Henry quickly dodged.

They avoided the fatal blow.

But before he could even establish a firm footing...

Balu has already used his size advantage to force his way into the inside.

Shoulder strike, knee raise, elbow strike—a series of fierce and practiced movements.

Clearly, he has been tempered through countless real-world battles.

The sturdy knee pads pressed into his abdomen without any frills, directly draining the air from Henry's lungs.

The excruciating pain spread from his ribs outwards, before he could even catch his breath.

The second punch had already landed, followed by the third.

A barrage of heavy punches rained down.

boom! boom! boom!

The steel prosthetic body bombarded the armor plates again and again.

The sound of metal being struck echoed continuously in the center of the arena.

Those gamblers who were just moments before considering whether to seek refuge in Chaos to escape their debts have rediscovered their faith in the Emperor.

"Crush him, Balu!"

"Yes! Break his legs!"

"I've staked all my future health benefits on you!"

Hearing the shouts and cheers from the crowd, Balu felt a chill run down his spine.

He knew very well that if he were to lose...

Those lunatics would definitely rush down from the stands and tear him to pieces first.

With this in mind, Balu decided to end the battle quickly.

His prosthetic body propelled itself at full power, its heavy iron fist stretching backward, and the hydraulic valves hissing.

"Fight back, knight!"

Balu roars

Are you looking down on me?

Henry had barely raised his head when the punch arrived.

boom--

A long-prepared uppercut forcefully broke through Henry's defense, striking him squarely in the jaw.

The world seemed to tilt in an instant.

Henry's feet left the ground, and he was thrown several meters backward.

It crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The entire venue erupted in cheers.

"it's over!!!"

"Hahaha, the bookmaker paid out! Me!!"

"What kind of bullshit knight is this? Is that all he's capable of?"

Balu slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

The force of that punch was enough to send any ordinary person without armor protection to meet the God Emperor.

Henry is expected to remain in a coma for a long time.

The noise in the stands gradually subsided.

People assumed the farce was over.

Henry, who was lying on the ground, slowly opened his eyes.

A strange sound came to my ears.

thump—

It resembles a drum, or perhaps a giant heart beating slowly.

thump—

The second sound rang out.

Henry was slightly taken aback.

The cheers around them suddenly began to fade into the distance.

Vague.

It's like looking through a thick fog.

The arena lights began to distort.

Steel, pipelines, grandstands, gamblers...

Everything in reality is gradually fading, like a painting soaked in water.

thump—

The third drumbeat sounded.

The world around us was suddenly transformed.

A clear blue sky came into view, warm sunlight shone on my face, and a warm breeze swept across the noble heraldic banners interwoven with crimson and gold all around.

In the distance, the towering castle of Bohemia stands quietly atop the hill.

The wooden stands were filled with well-dressed lords and cheering commoners, while knights in magnificent robes rode by on their warhorses.

The crowd erupted in a thunderous cheer.

Is it just another hallucination?

Such a familiar feeling.

The knightly world that exists in all his fantasies.

The world that belongs to Henry.

He looked down and found himself back in his plate armor, a longsword hanging at his waist, and soft mud beneath his feet.

Directly in front of him stood a burly swordsman clad in half-plate armor.

He held the broadsword in one hand.

Sunlight shone on the blade.

A cold, icy glint appeared.

thump—

The drums sounded again.

Suddenly, a small crack appeared in the sky.

Crimson light slowly seeped out from the depths of the crack.

It was as if some enormous being was looking down on all of this.

blood.

victory.

Use the enemy's skull to prove your worth.

Countless whispers surged in from all directions, overlapping and seeping into my mind.

It tempted him to commit murder.

Unconditional killing

Killing for the purpose of killing!

The sounds grew more numerous and louder, urging him to quickly raise his weapon.

This wasn't the first time Henry had been tempted by the warp.

But this time, Henry knew exactly what had happened to him.

Khorne turned his gaze toward him once again.

And in front of Henry.

The half-armored swordsman moved.

The broadsword suddenly thrust out.

At the same instant, Balu's iron fist in reality also arrived in front of him.

Two completely different images overlap in the field of vision.

Henry tilted his head almost instinctively.

The sword's edge grazed his cheek.

They ruffled his messy hair and cut off a few strands.

A real-life iron fist also grazed past my ear.

The cheers from the stands mingled with the war drums from the training ground.

Blood!

Blood!!

The babbling in the subspace grew increasingly excited.

The half-armored swordsman continued his advance, changing his tactics repeatedly.

The sword sweeps, slashes, and thrusts.

They pressed on relentlessly.

In real life, Balu is also throwing punches like crazy.

Their attack was watertight, giving Henry no chance whatsoever.

During the stalemate, the system panel was suddenly opened.

[Unlock or not?]

[Wrestler]

[Master's Strike]

Henry hadn't even reacted yet.

A force invaded his consciousness, and his body was no longer under his control.

His vision turned crimson.

Someone made the choice for him.

【confirm】

【confirm】

Both talents are activated simultaneously.

A wealth of fighting experience and techniques poured into his limbs and bones like a flood bursting its banks.

A skill that would take an average person several years to master

It became instinct.

The half-armored swordsman swung his sword down again.

Henry raised his hand.

Blocking, deflecting force, stepping, impacting.

clang--!

Sparks flew as the sword blade was deflected by the arm armor.

The half-armored swordsman's stance was thrown into disarray, and he lost his balance.

In reality, Balu was also thrown off balance, and his massive body staggered forward.

A gasp erupted from the audience.

"Hit!!"

"By the Divine Emperor, the outcome is now uncertain!"

In yet another confrontation.

Henry seized the opportunity once again.

The half-armored swordsman's sword missed its mark.

The body stiffened briefly.

In reality, Balu's movements were also slowed down by half a beat due to the overload of the mechanical prosthetic body's power output.

Right now.

Henry slammed his fist into the sword.

clang--!!!

A deafening roar echoed throughout the entire training ground.

The longsword trembled violently.

The first crack appeared on the sword.

In reality.

The joints of Balu's prosthetic body also emitted a piercing noise.

Click.

A tiny crack appeared.

Engine oil mixed with sparks gushed out.

Balu's expression finally changed.

"etc."

"Henry—"

But Henry could no longer hear.

He laughed wildly, so wildly that even his shadow became distorted.

The drumbeats grew louder and louder.

The cracks in the sky are getting bigger and bigger.

That scarlet gaze became burning and greedy.

He is waiting.

Looking forward to the next punch.

Looking forward to the next bleeding.

Looking forward to the final slaughter, a perfect ending!

The half-armored swordsman swung his sword again.

Henry met him again.

boom!

The second punch.

Cracks spread across the sword's blade.

boom!

The third punch.

The longsword groaned under the strain.

in reality.

The mechanical prosthetic shell cracked one after another.

Large sections of armor were blown away.

The hydraulic hoses burst one after another.

Balu has begun to retreat.

In the training ground.

The half-armored swordsman also kept retreating.

Two figures.

Two worlds.

They gradually overlapped.

Until the final blow landed.

Henry clenched his fists.

It slammed down hard on the sword's edge.

boom--!!!

The longsword shattered completely, sending countless pieces of iron flying into the sky.

On each fragment

Everything reflected in Henry's bloodshot eyes, and his smile...!

His contorted posture.

In reality.

Balu's expensive mechanical prosthetic body also exploded at the same time.

Metal fragments flew everywhere.

The war drums beat as densely as a torrential downpour, and the scarlet cracks in the sky continued to expand.

That gaze grew increasingly intense.

Kill it.

End it.

Cut off its head and present it on the throne.

The audience was silent.

That being was so excited; it was about to reap a brand new chosen one.

A perfect butcher.

The half-armored swordsman was already kneeling on the ground, having lost all ability to resist.

His neck was so fragile that Henry could break it with just a little force.

All that's needed is one last blow to finish off the prey.

Then you can win the favor of the evil god.

The victors deserve to be rewarded.

Henry raised his hand high in a chop.

A blood-red longsword vaguely appeared in his hand.

The whole world held its breath, awaiting an execution.

However, the ethereal longsword did not fall.

His chop stopped just before Baru's throat.

Red droplets of fluid seeped from the torn skin.

Warm blood slams into the iron plate under the force of gravity.

Point out the red flowers one by one.

"It's all over."

"But I still have a revenge to take, so I cannot give you my soul."

Henry spoke with difficulty.

Then, the surrounding illusions began to gradually crumble into destruction.

The colorful flags that hung high turned to ashes.

The sturdy castle in the distance crumbled like a sand sculpture.

The clear blue sky was cracked open with several dark fissures.

The "King" of the subspace also lost interest in Henry.

The crimson light receded inwards.

The frenzied whispers accompanying the killing and bloodshed receded like the tide.

The ruler seated on the throne withdrew his gaze.

It lost interest in a soul unwilling to embrace violence.

It is also impossible to fulfill the unrealistic wish of a fool.

The ancient war drums have fallen silent.

Disordered fragments of spacetime peel away.

Henry could see the scenery before him clearly.

Balu slumped to the ground.

He stared blankly at the gears scattered all over the ground and the broken hydraulic lines.

The once expensive mechanical prosthetic body has been reduced to a pile of scrap metal.

The mercenary's face was deathly pale, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat.

Without hesitation, he raised his remaining left arm to surrender, a gesture so practiced it was heartbreaking.

They were terrified that speaking even a fraction of a second too late would cost them their lives.

"I'm not fighting anymore! I surrender!!!"

The shouts drowned out all the noise from the stands.

The news spread to every corner of the arena.

Henry, however, looked down at his bloodied hands as if he were an outsider.

Fresh blood seeped into the crevices of his palm, a striking red.

A belated sense of lingering fear crept up my spine.

His hands were trembling uncontrollably.

The emperor, who sits high on the golden throne, is in dire need of his own safety and cannot respond to the prayers of mortals.

Only chaos can provide immediate and noticeable power.

Only the subspace could fulfill his wish.

but……

Salia!