Yuki's words were remarkably sincere.
"Yes, you can take a small note of it. When you return to the Golden Throne, you can introduce me to the Emperor. Though... he probably already knows who I am."
Calgar took a few nanoseconds to think before abandoning any attempt to understand such tedious matters. Every problem has a simple solution: solving it with his fists!
Calgar's power fist, larger than a human head, roared forward. Yuki lunged to the side to dodge, not forgetting to hurl taunts to draw aggro.
"Calgar, you're too ponderous. Do you really think such pathetic attacks can hit me? Who could such an attack ever save? Where is the real Calgar? Where did the former master of the Chapter Master of the Ultramarines before me lose his life?"
Calgar's expression turned grim. It was no secret that he carried the name of his fallen best friend, and he had no intention of hiding it. But how did the monster before him know this?
This confusion disrupted Calgar's movements. Yuki seized the opportunity, his spike lunging directly at Calgar. However, the relic armor worn by the Chapter Master flared with power; Yuki's spike failed to penetrate, and the opening allowed Calgar to counter-attack.
Calgar shattered one of Yuki's appendages with a punch, followed by another blow to Yuki's chest that blasted his thoracic cavity wide open. Amidst intense pain, Yuki clawed his heart back from Calgar's gauntlet and pressed it back into the gap. The Ultramarines seized the chance to open fire, sending Yuki flying backward.
"Damn, why is Calgar this strong?" Yuki felt conflicted; this was truly embarrassing.
On Yuno's side, Tigurius's psychic powers were formidable, yet they should have been no match for her. However, the reality was that Tigurius and the other Librarians were actually managing to trade blows with Yuno.
The reason was simple.
"That damned Master of the Toilet," Yuno spat.
She watched as her attacks were neutralized with the assistance of the Emperor of Mankind. Her main force was still outside the galaxy; within the Milky Way, it was the Emperor's home turf. Once he decided to oppose her, a stalemate was inevitable.
"Yuki! How is it on your end?"
"Working on it!"
Yuki's body recovered rapidly. He charged back through the storm of bullets. Dozens of warriors brandishing chainswords surged forward with Calgar in the lead, only for Calgar to be punched flying away by Yuki.
"I have more than just two hands, Chapter Master."
The remaining dozens of Ultramarines were easily dispatched by Yuki. His objective was clear: as long as he could eliminate Calgar and the remaining high-ranking officers, victory would be theirs. He clenched his fist, coating it in psychic energy; this punch was intended to shatter both matter and spirit. As long as there was no deus ex machina, Calgar was doomed!
Yuki's fist slammed into a hammerhead wreathed in flames.
The recoil snapped Yuki's arm instantly, and the massive warhammer swung upward, smashing into Yuki's chest.
"Ugh!"
Yuki was launched into the air. He controlled his descent and dove toward the flaming—headless warrior?
Golden flames erupted as a large number of warriors clad in flaming armor and wielding powerful weapons appeared. The Legion of the Damned. Originating from the War in the Webway, they were composed of the souls of fallen warriors summoned by the Emperor of Mankind. They returned from the Warp carrying invincible loyalty to the Emperor and infinite hatred for his enemies, aiding their kin whenever the Imperium faced dire peril.
Yuki felt a sinking sensation. This isn't right. The Great Rift hasn't opened yet; how can the Emperor summon the Legion of the Damned on such a scale?
If this was the case, then the recorded troop numbers of the Imperium were completely unreliable. Every time they were about to lose, the Emperor could just exert his power and pull an army out of the Warp—no, he could pull out a Great Daemon of the Emperor. How was one supposed to fight that?
Before Yuki could fully process his shock, the giant's next hammer strike arrived. Yuki's head was sent flying. If his and Yuno's bodies weren't so resilient that fatal wounds failed to destroy them completely, this single strike would have forced him to go back and swap bodies.
Yuno was furious.
She unleashed a massive psychic scream. Tigurius—or rather, the Emperor utilizing Tigurius's body—failed to react in time and could only use his power to shield the surrounding Astartes. Everyone else within a five-kilometer radius was affected by the scream to varying degrees; almost the entire Honor of Macragge was hit by the shockwave.
"You want war? Then I shall give you war!"
"Stop acting crazy."
Within the Warp, the energy of the Hive Mind and the psychic power of the Emperor clashed head-on. Countless daemons flocked to the sound, cheering at the spectacle. Khorne was ecstatic, immediately ordering his followers to start hacking people—it didn't matter who, as long as blood was flowing, he was happy.
Tzeentch's followers began to boast that this was all part of the plan. Slaanesh was as depraved as ever, finding even more pleasure in the battlefield's arousal. As for Nurgle... he was likely at home brewing soup. The Warp had descended into its usual chaos.
Yuno's psychic scream killed a vast number of crew members on the middle and lower decks. The void shields of the Honor of Macragge failed as a result, and the Tyranid warships immediately prepared to destroy the flagship. The rest of the Imperial Navy realized the danger and closed ranks to protect it.
The headless giant with the silver arm wielding the warhammer hesitated for a moment. Yuki seized the opportunity. His body expanded rapidly, losing its human form and morphing into something resembling a Lictor.
The two collided. The headless giant's strength was so immense that he could pick Yuki up and hurl him away.
"Dammit, this strength is just too terrifying."
Yuki's expression turned to one of excitement. A vast number of Tyranid organisms flooded in. Under the cover of these creatures, several of Yuki's other bodies arrived. To fight a Primarch, one naturally had to use size and strength comparable to a Primarch.
If such power couldn't be obtained, then they would have to use numbers to stall for time. As long as they could hold out until Yuno was free from her fight, they could win.
Holding firm was the only way.
Yuki looked back at the headless giant. The invisible pressure he radiated made Yuki feel nervous for the first time. It's truly frightening. Is this the pressure of a Primarch?
Yet, Yuki felt a spark of excitement.
"I know you could have killed Fulgrim. You just weren't being serious."
Yuki stared at him intently.
"Am I right, Ferrus Manus?"
Ferrus charged!