Warhammer 40k: Melee Warriors

Even though he was prepared, Komi's body still trembled involuntarily. The pain of being burned by the Emperor's Golden Flame was etched into Otto's flesh and blood, and it would not dissipate until Otto's body was destroyed.

"Come on, Harald, let me see what other tricks you have up your sleeve." Komi closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and slapped the trade license hard against his face.

At that very moment, Komi suddenly heard Ezekiel's voice echoing in his mind.

"Wait a minute, Saint Otto! This is a conspiracy!"

"conspiracy?"

Before Komi could ask any questions, the trade license, which had been given with a firm resolve, was slapped onto his face. In just an instant, the Emperor's power flowed out and spread throughout Komi's entire body.

Indescribable pain engulfed Komi's consciousness, rendering his body immobile and his thoughts paralyzed, leaving him only able to rigidly endure the infusion of the Emperor's great power.

This thing... it gets stronger the harder you use it! It wasn't this strong last time!

He suffered greatly, and in reality, this suffering was given a sacred manifestation.

His filthy merchant coat, stained by the flames of war, now gleamed with a shimmering but not blinding golden light, instantly adding a touch of warmth to the hellish environment of Ironstar.

"The Savior answered the Sage Otto's prayer! He showed mercy!"

The soldiers standing beside Komi watched with immense excitement as the golden light emanating from him grew ever brighter. They knelt in prayer, wept bitterly, and even cut their wrists with daggers to draw blood and demonstrate their devotion!

The fervor of religion made reason increasingly insignificant. At this moment, only Kranka had his own thoughts amidst the fervor. He looked away from Gujian and berated the orc soldiers, telling them to stand up and protect the saint's safety!

The warships hovering above the position also caught sight of the miracle on the ground. Even the most depraved and vicious scum of the Nest City shed tears, staring blankly as Jin Guang regretted his past.

Soon, many voices questioning Harald's decision arose within the warship. The busy sailors in the macro gun compartment stopped what they were doing and gathered together to ask the mechanical clerks who served the macro guns for an explanation.

"By the Emperor! We almost killed a true saint!" The sweat-soaked sailors said, still shaken. They dared not imagine how the Emperor would scrutinize their souls if their cannon had been fired.

They will be more despicable, hateful, and deserving of death than unclean demi-humans, mutants, or even aliens!

Chapter 564: I've been waiting for the moment you would use his power.

The golden light temporarily halted the war on Iron Star. Harald's officers and the bishops appointed by Imaran looked at Harald, who sat on the command throne.

Some of the milder-mannered individuals frowned and questioned Harald's orders with their eyes.

Some hot-tempered men slammed their hands on the table, stood up, drew their sidearms, aimed at the calm-faced Harald, and loudly questioned him.

"Harald! You've made us do something unforgivably stupid! What really happened with the deaths of Saint Imaran and the Battle Sister?! You must be hiding the truth from us!"

Faced with the threat of losing his leadership and even his life, Harald instead revealed a meaningful smile.

“You really believe that thing to be a miracle of the Lord of Mankind? It’s just a lie created by Otto with his little tricks. You’ve been deceived by him and you’re still going to speak up for him? This really breaks my heart.”

"You're still trying to deny it!"

Several laser beams shot out from the pistol, all aimed at Harald's limbs. It was clear that the shooter wanted to capture Harald alive and find out the truth.

However, these lasers were blocked. An invisible energy shield had appeared in front of Harald at some point, and after blocking the lasers, it created inconspicuous ripples.

“It’s truly disappointing. Not only do you lack the capacity for independent thought, but you also lack the patience to listen to my explanations.” Harald wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of his eyes with a sorrowful gesture, then casually waved his hand twice and said, “In that case, let Saint Imran and his nuns explain it to you personally.”

"What? What did you say?"

The sound of the hatch opening came from behind them. The senior officers and bishops turned around and saw a group of people who had long since died standing at the door.

“I…Saint Imaran.” A bishop said in a trembling voice. The Saint Imaran who was once uncompromising and strictly enforced the Emperor’s will now looked like a dark messenger from a heretical land.

He wore a black robe covered in unknown symbols written in blood, which looked so painful that it felt like your eyes were on fire.

His face was gaunt, his pale skin clinging to his bones, making the outline of his skull clearly visible. His lips were tightly pursed, and his eyes were completely black, with no white showing.

Standing behind Imran were the missing battle nuns, faceless and smooth as pebbles found in a riverbed. Keen observers could see that their armor wasn't worn, but rather nailed to their bodies with sharp spikes.

Imran, who resembled a dead man, and the faceless battle nun—all of this proved that Harald was the traitor who betrayed the Emperor.

"How could I have been so blind as to follow your orders! Die!" The officers and bishops fought back desperately, but it was all in vain. Harald yawned as he watched Imran and the Faceless Sisters slaughter them all, then stood silently in place awaiting new instructions.

Watching the golden light grow ever brighter and the Ironstar's corruption fade, Harald suddenly smiled. "This might be the closest we've ever come to his power. We're so lucky..."

......

Komi finally regained some control of his body from the immense pain, and he wondered what Ezekiel's warning really meant.

Was he reminding himself not to use the Emperor's power? Did he foresee something that prompted him to say that?

Komi gritted his teeth and slowly opened his eyes. Harald's fleet did not fire. He was surrounded by soldiers praying fervently. The assassins, in awe of the emperor's power, did not appear, waiting for the moment when the golden light dissipated.

Having already used everything he had, Komi decided to do something more. He moved his somewhat numb tongue, opened his mouth and spoke slowly. Although his voice was soft, it resonated in people's souls like thunder.

"Harald deceived you, the death of Saint Imaran..."

Before Gu Jian could finish speaking, a voice refuting him came from above.

"No, Otto. You are the one who killed me. You twisted the will of the Lord of Humanity, tricked him out of his power, and cruelly killed me when I discovered your plot. Now I have returned from the dead to expose your lies!"

Imaran? Is that Imaran's voice?

Koji was startled, and then felt a huge suction force locking onto his body. The pain and golden light that swept through his body gradually faded, and the Emperor's Blood on the trade license began to lose the enormous power it contained.

The sudden change left Komi completely dumbfounded. His ability to borrow the Emperor's power was deeply related to the blood-written proof on the trade license. If something went wrong with the blood, the trade license would only have historical value left.

How can I resist this suction force? Who has the audacity and ability to steal the Emperor's power? Isn't he afraid of burning himself to death?

Komi was about to remove the trade license when the assassins who had been worrying him finally appeared. They were not the threat Komi had imagined, but rather people waiting for their chance.

A malevolent buzzing sound arose around Komi, omnipresent and impossible to pinpoint by hearing. Then the temperature plummeted, even causing the moisture from the Iron-Cutting Star to condense into white frost on the soldiers' armor.

The ground cracked and creaked, and the flashlight beam flickered unpredictably. The orc soldiers sensed the impending threat; their thicker hairs stood on end, and their frantic breathing amplified their growing sense of helplessness and panic.

hissing and buzzing...

Clusters of shadows came to life, transforming into human form before the soldiers could react, and charged towards Komi. The daggers, engraved with green curse runes and carrying an almost incurable poison, pierced Komi's chest with a shrill whistling sound, attempting to stop him.

They are Mandela, the shadows of the sub-realm Irenedrach, the most hostile and terrifying assassins in the tormented city of Comoros.

The orc soldiers couldn't stop these assassins who could turn into shadows, and the two demons residing in Komi were unable to come out to help him under the Emperor's Light. Komi could only rely on himself, but his body had already been burned by the Emperor's Flame once. Even though the pain had lessened considerably, he was not confident that he could survive so many Mandra assassinations.

At this critical moment, a bolt of lightning, unlike Mandela's sinister aura, suddenly exploded beside Komi, followed by a disdainful and angry roar.

"You filthy alien, get away from the saint!"

A power sword swept towards Mandela's chest. The disintegration field emanating from it, glowing with a ghostly blue light, forced Mandela to consider defense. Reluctantly, they uttered syllables that some people could not produce, making the green light on the dagger even brighter, thus blocking the power sword's strike.

Chapter 565: Stealing the Emperor's Power

Ezekiel! Dark Angel!

Komi was also surprised to see the person who saved him. Ezekiel's warning was indeed not a hallucination, but rather that he and the Dark Angel had arrived near Ironbreaker and sent him a psionic communication.

Ezekiel noticed Komi's surprise and confusion. He stared intently at the Mandela assassins wandering around and said to Komi, "I made a prophecy and saw you trapped in a vortex of lies and conspiracies, so we have come to help you!"

Komi was somewhat touched; as long as you didn't touch the Dark Angels' little secrets, these guys were truly reliable. However, at that moment, Komi's mind went blank. Instead of thanking the Dark Angels for their support, he removed the trade license and asked a question in a low voice.

"You didn't just come from the battlefield, did you? Who did you abandon this time?"

Hmm...who did I leave behind?

Ezekiel and the other high-ranking members of the Dark Angels had abandoned their comrades countless times before, so when asked by Komi, he didn't even blush. He replied calmly, "We set a trap with the Grey Knights to expel the Archmage... If they are as powerful as they claim, they should be talking to Chapter Master Azrael about something else right now."

Komi shook his head, inwardly marveling at how high his status was in the eyes of the Dark Angels. Ezekiel had foreseen that something would happen to him, and immediately abandoned his comrades to travel thousands of miles to come and support him. Among the Dark Angels, only fallen angels, who were considered to have a dark past, could receive such treatment.

"Hiss..."

The Mandela assassins spoke in an incomprehensible language as they swarmed forward, attempting to breach the defenses formed by Ezekiel and the Dark Angels to kill Komi.

"Filthy aliens!" Ezekiel cursed, gathering psionic lightning in his palm while unleashing other psionic spells.

The Dark Angels who came with him through the Gate of Infinity were enhanced with psionic energy, increasing their strength, perception, and speed. This allowed them to easily detect Mandela's astonishing speed even while wearing power armor.

The chainsaw sword hummed as if it were trying to outdo Mandela's dagger. The Dark Angel killed one of Mandela's assassins the instant they engaged. His lifeless body did not remain in reality, but turned into a wisp of black smoke and vanished with the wind.

Komi struggled to recover from the aftereffects of the trade license, while also feeling sorry for the loss of the Emperor's blood. At that moment, he heard Ezekiel's psychic message, in which he explained his prophecy in detail.

“I see a web of conspiracy woven by Chaos and the Alien that binds you tightly. They have reached a consensus to use you as a springboard to steal something.”

"You mean the Emperor..." Komi almost blurted out, then quickly corrected himself, "...the power of the Savior?"

“That’s right. The destruction of the Planet Killer inspired those damned guys. They came up with a blasphemous plan to lure you into praying for the power of the Savior, and then steal that power with their artifacts! I wanted to stop it all, but it seems I was too late. They have already stolen a portion of the Savior’s power.”

"What do they want this power for?" Koji continued to ask. He didn't think Abaddon had the ability to distort the Emperor's power. If that was the case, then it must be the Dark Eldar, who were allied with Abaddon, who wanted the Emperor's power.

Komi could understand the latter.

After all, the Dark Eldar's stronghold is Comoros in the Webpath, and that massive city is crushing the Webpath's structure. Demons occasionally enter Comoros through the cracks and cause trouble.

Sometimes the Dark Eldar would abandon areas that were too difficult to maintain, cutting them off from the Comoros in terms of space. But this was like drinking poison to quench thirst; it was mortgaging the Comoros's future in exchange for their survival today.

Therefore, the Dark Eldar living in Comoros always had a sense of impending doom. This sense of impending doom became even more severe after the Great Rift opened in the future. Comoros was practically built on broken glass, unable to withstand even the slightest fluctuation.

So they decided to carry out a bold and crazy plan: to infiltrate Terra, obtain a portion of the Emperor's remains from the Golden Throne, transport it back to Comoros, and then build their own Golden Throne to stabilize the situation in Comoros, just as the Emperor used his body to plug the massive gap that Magnus had created in the Web Project that led directly to the warp.

Comoros is relatively peaceful now, but the Dark Eldar's covetousness for the Emperor's power is no less than it will be in the future. Komi realized at this moment that being targeted by the Dark Eldar was not just because of personal grudges.

This is absolutely damn...

Koken was furious about the trap set by the Dark Eldar to steal the Emperor's power. He told himself that he had to get back the stolen Emperor's power, even if it meant attacking Comoros.

As they pondered these things, the battle between the Dark Angel and Mandela was nearing its end. Ezekiel's psionic powers rendered Mandela unable to use his abilities. When they merged into the shadows, Ezekiel used his psionic power to condense them into jelly-like entities that could not move, leaving them only able to watch helplessly as the chainsaw sword came crashing down on them.

In the end, half of Mandela who assassinated Komi turned into black smoke and dissipated, while the other half successfully disappeared into the shadows.

Ezekiel deactivated the disintegration field of the power sword, then said to Komi, "Now we must leave this place quickly. You have no idea how many traitors I saw surrounding you in the prophecy."

“Perhaps the entire Child family are traitors,” Komi said coldly, adding Fritz’s name to the list of suspects.

Ezekiel said expressionlessly, "No one can be trusted until we are safe. Now let's go and rendezvous with Chapter Master Azrael at the Infinity Gate!"

Ezekiel waved his hands, creating a psionic portal that led directly to the Dark Angels' attack on the cruiser. Komi asked him how long he could hold out, and Ezekiel, understanding that Komi was reluctant to abandon the soldiers of the Lord's army, replied in a deep voice, "If it is your order, I will hold out until the moment my life ends!"

"Thank you." Gu Jian said his thanks, then took out a few bottles of his own concocted psionic brew for Ezekiel to drink, hoping that these magical drinks would make his psionic energy more abundant and prevent him from having to overdraw his life force to complete this mission.

The Savior's Army didn't dare to delay for a moment. Thousands of them rushed into the Gate of Infinity in an orderly and rapid manner. Fris's troops stood aside, not daring to move, because the other Dark Angels were aiming at them with their explosive guns.

"Halt yourselves, members of the Child family! Your loyalty is highly questionable. If you don't want to be executed as traitors, return to your positions!"

Chapter 566: You think you can leave without hitting me?

The Dark Angels' warning was quite intimidating; their voices were amplified by the megaphone grilles on their helmets, transforming into an undeniable roar that echoed through the hearts of Fris's troops.