Horus saw Mefiston and the others leave through the opened path and intended to follow.
Alex blocked his way.
"Your enemy is me, Horus."
At this moment, Horus's body was filled with the power of the Four Chaos Gods, his physique massive, exuding an oppressive aura that could make the stars tremble.
"You made a very foolish decision to consider me an enemy."
"I rather enjoy doing foolish things," Alex said calmly, "If you want to keep your brother, you'll have to get past me."
"You are very much like my brother," Horus said, "You possess the same wings and wisdom as him, and there's no need to serve my foolish father."
"Serve your father??" Alex seemed to have heard something very amusing, "If it were for that, I wouldn't be standing here."
"I am different from you; you believe you fight for the Emperor, but I have always believed I fight for humanity."
"You have been deceived by him," Horus lifted his heavy Warhammer, "He has fooled everyone with lies."
"But humanity was saved because of him. No liar would bring such harm upon themselves. He has suffered greatly, and for his people and his promise, he continues to suffer. If a lie can be sustained for a lifetime, then it is true."
"He only wants to become a god; that is his disguise."
"If he wanted to become a god, he wouldn't need a disguise. You have gained the power of the Chaos Gods / The Four Gods and should have seen the future. Your father is the Dark King, the fifth Chaos God. Even without doing those things, he would become the Dark King."
Horus let out a low roar, the evil light on his body growing denser.
Words could no longer persuade him.
Having reached this point, if he were to admit he was wrong, he would instantly collapse.
The last shred of humanity had long been killed by his former progeny.
What sustained Horus in the Reality was only darkness.
Alex's body also radiated light, like a rising sun. This was a war between gods.
With rumbling footsteps, Horus, wielding his great hammer, charged towards Alex.
The Warhammer struck towards Alex.
This blow was immensely powerful, shattering space.
Alex spread the pure white wings on his back, holding a long spear to counter. With a clang, his spear and the Warhammer collided, producing a deafening sound.
Alex seized the opportunity to leap, his long spear glowing with an ethereal light, like the Spear of the Gods.
He spun two and a half turns, then slammed his long spear down, directly aiming for Horus's head.
Horus raised his giant claw, blocking it.
The terrifying impact created a massive wave that swept across the deck, momentarily dispelling the darkness around the Primarch and silencing the demons' whispers.
Alex, with even greater speed, kicked towards Horus's head.
This forced the massive Primarch to stumble backward.
"You were the Emperor's most beloved child; he gave you most of his love, yet you betrayed him."
Alex, holding his long spear, launched a continuous barrage of fierce attacks, like a torrential storm falling upon Horus.
They pierced the air, striking Horus's body. Each blow contained terrifying power, piercing through the protective evil energy and wounding Horus's physique.
Black, bile-like blood gushed out, splattering onto the ground, a gruesome sight.
However, any damage Alex inflicted was meaningless.
Horus's body recovered at an extremely fast rate.
"You cannot harm me."
Horus's voice was calm, "No matter how hard you try, it will be futile."
"I don't need to win; I just need to hold you back."
As his voice fell, Alex slammed his long spear into the ground.
A terrifying force erupted with a rumbling sound.
In an instant, a violent surge of power was unleashed.
Both the demons and Horus were thrown back by this force, crashing heavily in the distance.
"Awesome."
The Warmaster, who had been teleported with them, saw this scene and said in the communication channel, "When will it be our turn to show off in front of people?" Tenjiro said, "Every time, I just watch the Guide show off."
"Hahaha, aren't those small battlefields enough for you to show off? Every time you air-drop, you jump from the top of the atmosphere, practically screaming 'I'm here to show off' on your forehead."
The Players discussed and fought at the same time, forming a defensive line around Alex.
The Cursed Legion cooperated with them, firing flaming bullets at the demons, shattering their twisted forms.
All the enemies on the Vengeful Spirit converged on their position, while the loyalist forces did not come over, instead retreating along the multiple paths Alex had torn open, escaping the Vengeful Spirit, which was controlled by the Four Chaos Gods.
"Game over." Horus stood up again, his eyes burning with evil light.
His once noble face was bathed in an eerie bloody glow.
Alex swung his war spear to attack, but this time, his attack was blocked.
Horus grabbed his Warhammer and slammed it onto him.
It was an unparalleled force.
In an instant, Alex felt countless ribs break in his body, and his armor, which should have protected him, was shattered.
His entire body tumbled through the air, crashing heavily onto the ground.
"You are not my opponent."
Horus's voice echoed like a dragon's roar throughout the Vengeful Spirit.
He strode towards the fallen Alex, each step heavy, making the deck tremble.
Alex allowed the power of faith to surge into his body, mending his injuries, then leaped up, holding his long spear, and attacked Horus again.
Horus blocked the long spear with his giant claw, then, with his other hand, grabbed his hammer and slammed it upward onto Alex's body again.
His entire jaw shattered, and he was sent flying by the immense force.
"Holy crap!!"
"How brutal!!"
"It looks like the Guide is no longer the favorite son of the operations team; he didn't manage to show off this time."
"He's being beaten so badly; is Warhammer going to release a new Angel-chan?"
"I suddenly thought of something: if the Guide is beaten into a pulp by Horus, then none of us will escape!!"
The Warmaster and the other Players watched this scene, their hearts instantly turning cold.
If the Guide, with his immense combat power, couldn't handle Horus, then they, every single one of them, would be beaten into a pulp.
"Go support the Guide."
The Warmaster shouted, "Everyone, support the Guide."
The Players tried to move closer to Alex, but the demons and traitors would not let them have their way.
All the people from all past time points of the Vengeful Spirit had been sent here, becoming the Players' enemies.
The Chaos Gods had shown them the supreme power of manipulating timelines.
"Defend the honor of the Wolf God!" Loken shouted, glaring at the enemies before him.
He didn't know where these enemies came from, but a voice in his heart told him not to let them escape.
They had to be kept on the Vengeful Spirit.
"Cough! Cough!"
Alex coughed and spat blood, struggling to stand up.
Horus strode forward, his long-handled Warhammer striking again with immense force.
Alex attempted to block.
But with a bang, he was sent flying backward.
Then, he crashed heavily onto the ground again, continuously spitting blood.
The surrounding shadows writhed, mocking Alex's overestimation of his own abilities.
The ancient Chaos Gods watched this battle; they gave power to Horus to prove their might to the outsider.
Alex flapped his wings, attempting to fly high and escape the battlefield, to buy himself time to recover.
But Horus grabbed his ankle and slammed him violently onto the ground.
With a thud, the ground emitted a dull sound.
"Pfft~"
Alex spat out blood, struggling to crawl up. His once pure white wings were now stained with crimson blood.
"Surrender," Horus said calmly, gazing at the outsider.
"You wish," Alex struggled to get up.
Horus clamped him with his claw, lifting him from the ground.
The long spear in Alex's hand fell, hitting the ground with a crisp sound.
He reached out, intending to break free from the opponent's sharp claws, but he couldn't.
"You have no right to refuse." Horus threw Alex to the ground, then raised his Warhammer and slammed it down.
There was no skill involved, just like pounding meat.
Blow after blow, relentlessly.
The power of faith continuously poured in, mending Alex's injuries.
What was once his reliance became the cause of prolonged suffering.
Alex tilted his head, watching Mefiston and the others escape the Vengeful Spirit.
Sanguinius's soul, before leaving, looked back at him, his golden eyes filled with endless sorrow.
Go!
Alex spoke to him with his eyes, telling him to leave this place that had trapped him for ten thousand years.
When Sanguinius left and the passage to Reality closed,
"Enough!!"
Alex spoke through his still-intact vocal cords.
Horus clamped him and lifted him again.
"Are you surrendering?"
Alex spat at him, "Don't even think about it. I'm just telling you it's over."
Golden light erupted from Alex's shattered body, as if a sun resided within him.
Horus realized something, a hint of panic appearing on his face.
He wanted to stop it, but it was too late.
The demons of the Vengeful Spirit and the ancient beings surrounding the battleship all saw their grandmothers (if they had any) in the dazzling light.
Alex directly self-destructed. The terrifying explosion swept away everything. The entire Warp was filled with golden light.
Countless demons shrieked and fled, and even those incredibly ancient beings shrieked, terrified by this destructive power, consumed by immense fear.
The Players who followed Alex melted in the light, becoming one with it.
However, the next second, the light instantly vanished.
Alex and the Emperor had run away like hell.
The Four Chaos Gods, who had just been preparing to unleash their full power and jointly suppress them, stared dumbfounded at the empty Vengeful Spirit.
This outsider and The Cursed are exactly alike; they have no shame at all! If they can't win, they run away!!
During the Great Crusade,
On the Vengeful Spirit, one year after Horus's promotion to Warmaster at Ullanor.
"No!!"
Loken abruptly woke up from his bed.
He seemed to have had a terrible dream.
He dreamed that someone invaded the Vengeful Spirit, and he led the 10th Company to meet them in battle.
However, at the last moment, the opponent unleashed a terrifying energy that swept away everything.
In that energy storm, Loken gained memories of the future.
Horus betrayed the Emperor.
And he endured a series of hardships, eventually witnessing the duel between Horus and the Emperor on the Vengeful Spirit.
Horus fell, and the Emperor was gravely wounded.
And he was finally stabbed in the back by that scoundrel Erebus.
Loken tried to recall the details, but he found that the memories from the future were rapidly fading.
They should not exist at this point in time.
The universe was correcting the error in its own way.
"I must record Horus's betrayal; it might be helpful for the future."
Loken leaped out of bed. He wanted to find paper and a pen, but his room was empty; there was nothing.
For the first time, he hated his ascetic habits.
Without time to think, Loken ran out in his robe.
He ran through the Vengeful Spirit, trying to tell the truth to the first person he met.
No matter what, he had to warn the Imperium, he had to prevent Horus's betrayal.
However, the memories in his mind flowed like water, rapidly draining from his brain.
Before the memories completely faded, Loken saw a familiar face, the Chief Remembrancer, Kyril Sindermann.
"Sindermann, help me," Loken shouted.
"What's wrong, Captain?"
Sindermann turned, seeing Loken's startled expression.
Loken ran frantically, wanting to speak of his future memories.
But he suddenly tripped over something and fell forward.
"Are you alright?" Sindermann ran to Loken's side, asking anxiously.
"I'm fine, but I seem to have forgotten something very important."
Loken had forgotten why he was running, but he felt an uncontrollable sadness, as if he had forgotten something very important, something that concerned the fate of the entire galaxy.
"You might have experienced some kind of shock," Sindermann said, "Perhaps it's a post-war symptom, or something else."
"Can you keep this a secret for me?" Loken asked Sindermann, "Don't tell anyone about my current disheveled appearance."
Inside the Webway,
Rotigus, the Rainfather, was leading a plague army to attack a human defensive fortification.
The Death Guard moved with heavy steps.
Their bloated bodies covered in rusted armor could withstand more fatal wounds, allowing them to successfully cross the Imperium's firing lines.
They used sorcery to break the Imperium's defensive shields and released a large number of plague flies, spreading disease, causing the Imperial soldiers inside the fortress to fall ill.
Just as the defenders inside the fortress fell into despair, believing they could not hold the fortification.
The roar of engines sounded. Hundreds of jetbikes sped from the depths of the Webway.
They were incredibly fast, carving paths of death through the daemon tide.
An ancient Aquila banner flapped loudly at high speed.
On the lead bike sat a giant, a colossal figure, none other than Jaghatai Khan of Chogoris.
He appeared once again before the Imperium's citizens, fighting to save them.
Jaghatai Khan piloted his jetbike into the daemon tide, his sharp scimitar cutting down demons along the way.
"Go back to your hell," Jaghatai Khan's voice was very cold, proclaiming to the demons.