The Slayer's gaze locked precisely onto the closest group of Flesh Hounds that had erged from the warp rift. He did not roar—he simply advanced in silence. His massive body turned into a dark green afterimage as he charged into the tide of daemons.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The super shotgun roared in rapid succession. Each blast was short, explosive, and relentless, forming a destructive torrent of sound. Instead of ordinary muzzle flash, burning steel spheres and destructive energy sprayed out in a fan, wrapped in flas of annihilation.
Chattering, terrifying daemons with bodies of twisted colorful blocks had no ti to scream before they were completely shattered and evaporated like stained glass struck by an invisible giant hamr.
Stronger Tzeentch vanguard units tried to weave magical shields with their tentacles, but the shotgun shells carrying pure destructive power pierced the chaotic energy barriers like a hot knife through butter, spraying their eye-and-beak-covered bodies as sticky fragnts.
Doom was like a cold killing machine. There were no words—only heavy breathing from his helt's vox. With every trigger pull, his muscles and armor's servo systems moved in unison with a faint click.
What daemons feared most was that those killed by the End Tis warrior would be permanently erased and never resurrect.
Doom wielded not only the super shotgun but also his personal weapon—the red greatsword Judgent, engraved with hellish runes. One swing could pulverize even the largest daemons.
Where the Doom Slayer passed, mountains of severed limbs and the despairing screams of daemons remained.
anwhile, Datch had not been idle. He first opened the Room of Requirent and released Dark Angels and Black Sanctuary mbers, including Mordachi.
"For the Naless One! For the Emperor!"
They roared as they charged the enemy, firing guns and tearing daemons apart with lee weapons.
Then Datch took out a Poke Ball and summoned Skarbrand and other summoned beasts.
ROOOAAAR—
Skarbrand's earth-shattering roar rang out. This greater daemon of Khorne swung his massive axe, each swing producing a sharp cry that seed to tear space itself. Tzeentch daemons in his path were rcilessly ripped to shreds. Everywhere they went, a blood-soaked path of death was carved.
Zarhulash, who commanded shards of the C'tans, floated in the air, his eyes shining with terrifying energy. This war, which had reached even the ever-changing realms, gave him the illusion of once again participating in celestial battles.
Zarhulash reached out and lightly tapped the area where daemons were most concentrated. In an instant, the spatial structure of that region twisted and folded violently. The daemons collided, crushed one another, and collapsed into chaotic multicolored dust like dough kneaded by an invisible hand.
A Masque of Slaanesh perford an enchanting dance on the battlefield. Her movents were captivating. No matter where she went, even the most cunning and evil daemons could not resist her charm and either stood frozen or began fighting among themselves.
The Changeling chuckled and casually hurled magical flas at forr colleagues. Since receiving the blessing of faith, his power had grown continuously and now rivaled the famous greater daemons. Given ti, he might surpass cunning itself and beco the new ruler of change.
As a being from the warp and the greatest master of shapeshifting, the Lord of Change's throne should rightfully belong to him.
That cunning thief must have stolen my position through so unknown ans.
"Traitor. Shaless traitor."
A terror daemon roared and charged the Changeling. The spirit raised one hand, instantly manipulating the space around the opponent and immobilizing him.
"The loser is the traitor, the victor is the revolution. Watch—I am the true ruler of all change."
As soon as he finished speaking, the spirit clenched its fist and destroyed the terrifying daemon.
Many ever-changing greater daemons witnessed the scene. Their expressions were subtle.
Has Changeling beco this ambitious after all this ti? It must have been influenced by Roboute Guilliman. Even the once incredibly loyal Changelings had been corrupted by humanity's influence.
Tzeentch's face darkened. "That damned Changeling! A wolf in sheep's clothing! He actually wants to usurp the throne!"
…
Plop plop.
Pugh sat on the shoulder of the Life Angel Orange, clapping his hands continuously while radiating overflowing life energy. Charging Tzeentch daemons froze under this power, and countless flowers and plants sprouted from their bodies. The floral and plant industry continued to expand.
This was a naked power struggle.
After releasing the summoned creatures, Datch took the Emperor's Armor Transformation Belt from his inventory.
When he fastened the belt, a light crystal appeared in his hand. He inserted it into the golden Taiji summoning slot at the center of the belt. A chanical click sounded as it locked.
Datch placed his right hand—fingers together, palm down—onto the belt.
"Emperor's Armor, complete."
A dazzling light burst forth instantly. Datch beca the center of attention on the battlefield. The next mont, a warrior clad in majestic gold, silver, red, blue, and black five-colored armor appeared in the center of the battlefield. The armor was grand, with dragon-head pauldrons, radiating a sacred and powerful aura that inspired overwhelming pressure.
"The Emperor's Armor symbolizes the will of Heaven and punishes all evil!"
Datch roared as he joined the fight. One strike felled daemons—they either fell asleep instantly or were torn apart under his fists.
At that mont, the space around the battlefield fluctuated violently, and flaming rifts appeared. A legion of cursed warriors marched out in unison from the fiery cracks. Leading them was a tall, ancient heroic phantom carrying the tattered banner of the Shadowmoon Wolf Legion. He raised a burning sword and silently pointed it at the surging daemon hordes.
The next instant, these brave warriors unleashed the Emperor's wrath upon Tzeentch's greater daemons.
With the Emperor's will intervening, this war beca extraordinary and escalated into a battle of gods.
From the lowliest terror daemons to powerful ever-changing greater daemons, countless daemons instinctively stopped moving. They all turned their gazes toward the deepest part of the ever-changing world—the center of the Crystal Labyrinth built from infinite knowledge, endless lies, and all possibilities.
One of the ever-changing greater daemons couldn't help but ask the cunning villain:
"My lord, is the fact that the Naless 'absurdity' and the cursed ones were allowed to join forces and step into our sanctuary… also part of your grand plan? To bring about even greater change?"
Deep within the Crystal Labyrinth, the colossal entity composed of countless overlapping lights and whispers—the true will of Tzeentch—heard the family mber's question. For a mont he was stunned and unconsciously began complaining in his heart.
Plan? What plan? This is clearly an unplanned disaster!
Would any kind-hearted person invite such an absurd fool? That man is far more dangerous than the cursed ones.
I like change, but I'm not an idiot!
Tzeentch did not reveal his true thoughts. He was the Lord of Change, the god of sches and deception. All daemons—and even the other Chaos Gods—implicitly acknowledged that every action he took carried deep aning and was part of a plan.
This was utterly ridiculous. Everyone thought he was a master strategist, but in truth even he often didn't know what he was doing. He was just a pitiful Chaos God, not the Creator. What could he possibly know?!
But if he denied it now, he would be admitting that everything happening was unplanned—which indirectly acknowledged his own incompetence! One incompetent Chaos God would definitely beco a laughingstock and be pinned down and thoroughly humiliated by the other Chaos Gods. Even Chaos Gods had their own troubles!
After a mont of hesitation, Tzeentch's voice echoed in the hearts of his daemons:
"Yes, all of this is part of the plan."
Tzeentch's words instantly caused frenzy among the daemons. Their initial confusion turned into fervent worship.
"Praise the Lord. All is under the Lord's dominion."
"Supre wisdom—behold, this is supre wisdom."
"Change never ends. Praise the ever-changing Lord."
"…"
They chanted various praises to the God of Change and, in even greater frenzy, charged toward Doom Slayer and Datch's army of destruction.
However, their actions were like moths flying into flas—leading only to their own destruction. Neither Datch, transford into the Emperor's Armor, nor Doom the Slayer, were opponents they could face. Vast numbers of daemons were harvested, and the count of fallen corpses continued to rise.
In fact, the more change there was, the greater the benefit to the one who controlled all change. The appearance of the Naless had prevented the forces of Chaos from attacking the Human Imperium, but in the process Tzeentch's power had grown even stronger. Tzeentch had now successfully replaced Khorne as the strongest among the Warp Gods.
The war grew increasingly fierce, but Datch and the Slayer steadily advanced through the ever-changing battlefield.
On the other side of the battlefield, Titus and his n watched in disbelief as the Naless One led his subordinates into the Realm of Change, slaughtering daemons until corpses littered the ground and rivers of blood flowed.
The situation had taken an unexpected turn. Titus had thought the battle for Derium was about stopping warp daemons from invading realspace. Who could have imagined it would develop into an unknown entity seizing the chance to invade the ever-changing realm?
This was the classic case of a mantis stalking a cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it. A series of interconnected conspiracies was unfolding.
"Lieutenant Titus, what is your situation?" Captain Acheran's voice ca through the vox.
"The situation is complicated. Our current mission is to defend Lutz's Aurora facility and prevent the enemy from destroying the warp rifts," Titus explained.
His words silenced Acheran and the other sergeants of the 2nd Company.
What? Defending the Aurora facility to prevent the enemy from closing the warp rifts?!
Shouldn't we be actively destroying the Aurora facility to close the rifts and end this invasion?
Is the "enemy" you speak of the Imperium itself?
"Is he a traitor??" the company chaplain Landros, stationed near Acheran, roared.
"I knew he couldn't be trusted. He even deceived the Naless One. He must be punished."
"We cannot let him tarnish the honor of the Ultramarines!"
Landros's agitation was understandable. The Human Imperium had long been on the defensive against the warp. Maintaining the warp rifts ant allowing daemonic invasion—equivalent to betraying the Imperium and the Emperor.
"Lieutenant Titus, explain what is happening!" Acheran was also furious but held back, giving the other party a chance to explain.
"It is the Naless One. He is leading a force invading the Lord of Change's realm and has ordered us to defend the Aurora facility to prevent the enemy from cutting off our retreat," Titus explained.
Upon hearing this, the warriors—who had initially been filled with anger and suspicion—showed faint embarrassnt and guilt. They had just been planning operations to eliminate Titus and protect the Ultramarines' honor.
The company chaplain Langos paused for a mont before speaking: "It was my misunderstanding. No one can match Titus's loyalty."
"The 2nd Company will fully support Titus and defend the warp rifts."
Surprise also appeared on Acheran's face. He had not expected the Naless One to lead an invasion into a god's realm.
The shock quickly turned into excitent. Did the Naless One's invasion of the Realm of Change signal a shift in the power balance between the Human Imperium and the Chaos Gods? Humanity was no longer rely passive victims—they could now launch attacks of their own.
"The 2nd Company will fully support Titus. Issue orders to all squads: defend the Aurora facility at all costs and prevent the warp rifts from being destroyed."
"For the Emperor, for the Naless Ones—show the foolish gods the power of humanity!"
Captain Acheran gave the order without hesitation. The receiving officers saluted and shouted "For His Majesty the Emperor!" before setting out.
...
Planet Derium was a graveyard world filled with countless tall tombs built to bury innurable Imperial soldiers and pious believers. Under the Emperor's power, the sleeping soldiers and believers transford into warriors and threw themselves into fierce battle.
As the war intensified across the planet, heroic souls and the living fought side by side against the warp tides, resulting in chaotic and destructive combat.
The instigator Imura looked at the current situation in complete despair.
It was over. Everything was over.
For decades he had urged Lutz to complete the Aurora Project. Using this project, he could open warp rifts and turn many Imperial planets into daemon worlds, offering sacrifices to the powers to gain greater strength and status.
But now it was all finished. He had led the Naless One into the ever-changing realm, where countless daemons were perishing without even the chance to resurrect. He would undoubtedly be held accountable later.
"How did it co to this…"
"My plan was perfect—how could it end like this!!"
Imura muttered in despair.
The ticulously planned conspiracy and step-by-step instructions had ultimately brought a great disaster upon the Lord of Change.
"Your Highness," the diviner who had previously tried to dissuade Imura spoke again.
Imura looked at him, a trace of regret rising in his heart. If he had listened, things would not have co to this. It was all Magnus's fault—his gene-seed had made him arrogant and foolish.
The diviner continued: "Master, I tried to persuade you, but you wouldn't listen. This is the result."
"The holy land of the Lord of Change has been invaded by absurdity and the Corpse Emperor. No matter the outco of this battle, your actions constitute unforgivable blasphemy and dereliction of duty."
"Now there is only one way to atone for your mistake."
Imura's eyes lit up instantly. "What way?"
"Stop the Aurora Project, destroy the warp rifts, cut off that foolish lord's escape route, and trap him in the Realm of Change."
"If Tzeentch can capture the King of Absurdity, all your mistakes will be forgiven."
Upon hearing this, Imura almost wanted to kowtow to the diviner. If he could really do it, he would not be punished—on the contrary, he would be rewarded.
"You think I wouldn't have thought of that?" Imura's attitude changed again, becoming arrogant once more.
The diviner felt a wave of terror. Following such a useless lord must have been due to greed blinding him. Once this problem was solved, he would definitely leave. For now, he could only endure and wait.
"Of course, you possess wisdom far beyond ours, so naturally you can think of everything," the diviner said.
Imura nodded in satisfaction, imdiately summoning Red Letter Warriors and Daemon Engines, swearing to destroy the Aurora Project and atone for his mistakes.
The assembled forces under Imura's command bypassed the Naless One and his subordinates who were wreaking destruction. They entered realspace through another rift and hurried toward the underground research base with the goal of destroying Aurora-related facilities.
They did not dare invade through the base's main rift—they feared a surprise attack from the Naless One and his minions, which would an certain death. Entering through other rifts and infiltrating the underground base was the best plan.
Titus and his Ultramarines built defensive lines during this ti to ensure the stable existence of the warp rifts.
The mont Imura's assembled forces charged into the base, Titus and the Ultramarines launched a swift counterattack. The two sides clashed, and the battle grew increasingly fierce.
Titus decided to confront the Thousand Sons sorcerer with his sword.
"Titus!" Imura stood on a magical disc, roaring as he fired terrifying sorcerous fireballs from his staff.
Titus rolled to dodge, charged forward, and slashed at the sorcerer's waist with his power sword. The blade easily cut through the body, but it was only an illusion that shattered into countless points of light.
"You have no idea how powerful I am!" Imura appeared nearby. "This is your last chance to surrender. As long as you submit to the Lord of Change, I will spare your life."
"First, let's pray that the Lord of All Things survives the Naless One's fierce assault. Today I'm a little worried we might actually defeat a Chaos God," Cairon mocked while pulling the trigger.
"Oh, so this guy worships the God of Change? I thought he was a spy the Emperor sent to infiltrate the God of Change's camp," Gadriel said mockingly. "Otherwise, why would this respected Thousand Sons sorcerer help the Naless One open the path to the Realm of Eternal Change?"
Imura deployed shields to block the explosive rounds fired by Cairon and Gadriel. Their words shocked and enraged him.
You damn bastards, stop talking nonsense!
Slander is the main role of all change! This is blatant slander! They are slandering ! Don't believe them!
I stand firmly against the Human Imperium and the false Corpse Emperor.
…
…
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