As the barrier between the Warp and the real universe gradually thinned, the scenes on the gameboard were also influenced by Khorne.
The surroundings were entirely filled with dispersing blood, a surging crimson tide capable of sweeping most people away.
The factories no longer emitted black smoke; they emitted red mist.
The sewage that originally flowed in the gutters had turned into blood under the power of Chaos.
Everything around was saturated with Warp energy, in the eyes of those with distorted perceptions, the entire hive city had even turned into a massive pile of skulls.
People howled and roared, offering perfect blessings to the Blood God.
Countless skulls were tossed into the sky, and they would summon even more Chaos legions, letting these demons enjoy this feast from the mortal world.
Around the cathedral, a golden light as thin as a cicada's wing protected the people there.
Their devout prayers had some effect after all, at least preventing the power of Chaos from penetrating directly inside.
"This is truly terrible!"
Seeing this scene, Lion was reminded of the time during the Caliban era.
Back then, due to the actions of traitors, his own planet had also turned into this wretched state.
Except the scene back then was even more hellish; there was not only surging blood but also constantly growing pustules and all sorts of disgusting flows of pus.
At that time, various sharp laughs filled with pleasure drifted around, and even birds in mid-air could turn into Chaos Spawn and crash to the ground.
Although the scene here was indeed more monotonous than before, this intense smell of blood still made Lion feel disgusted.
Within this endless realm of blood, she seemed to hear echo after echo.
It was a very familiar name, the constant shouting of a stubborn rock.
"I am Rogal Dorn, son of the Emperor!"
"I am Rogal Dorn, I shall never compromise~"
It sounded like just one repeated phrase after another, but Lion understood that this was her brother's constant shouting within the endless realm of blood.
Lion couldn't figure out the source of the sound, nor the direction it came from.
But in such a godforsaken place, hearing a brother's shout felt quite heartwarming.
"No, I must not show any psychological weakness!"
"No matter who comes next, I must cut them down!"
"Even if it's Sanguinius, even if it's Rogal Dorn—anyone walking out of the blood realm cannot possibly be my brother!"
Lion cleared her head significantly. She stared at the blood realm that had already turned into an abyss, seeing countless demons rushing toward her defensive line.
She also saw the way mortals collapsed under the influence of this endless blood realm.
"I can't take it anymore!"
An Astra Militarum soldier who had broken down at the front line suddenly began a mad slaughter.
He actually pointed his weapon at his former comrades and opened fire.
Laser weapons instantly pierced through a comrade's lung, knocking him to the ground; many mortal soldiers didn't even have time to react before being taken out by their companions.
"Hold steady!"
With just a heavy cleave, Lion killed several ordinary people who had already been influenced by the blood realm.
Even if they had once offered their loyalty, once they were influenced by this power, their subsequent actions were all acts of betrayal.
In the eyes of the other Battle Sisters, this Living Saint was extremely decisive.
Her faith was steadfast, and her style of action was swift and resolute.
Every one of her movements seemed to represent the God-Emperor's will, and even her image became sacred under that faint luster.
She possessed a naturally inherent aura, an aura that seemed to say she was born to be the God-Emperor's child.
Seeing that the Warp corruption had failed, Khorne's followers, interspersed with a large number of Bloodletter demons, began to assault the line.
They rushed toward the defensive line with melee weapons like greatswords and battleaxes; almost no human or demon chose ranged weapons, as they didn't particularly like them anyway.
"Fire!" Tyrian roared, commanding the Battle Sisters unit to fire at the enemy.
mortal-pattern Bolters could also unleash significant power, and the power armor they wore allowed the girls to use some heavy weaponry.
For a time, the swarming demonic tide was covered by this intense firepower.
Meanwhile, Caleb guided Lion, rushing toward critical points on the battle line.
Lion could fight automatically, it's true, but she didn't have a god's-eye view.
Some details could only be observed clearly using a god's-eye view, and only with this perspective could hidden dangers be eliminated in the shadows.
Wielding the Emperor's Shield, treading in adamantine steel boots, Lion raised her Knightly Sword from the Caliban era, moving through the enemy ranks like a dragon with waltz-like steps.
There was a voice guiding her toward the enemy's direction, and a mysterious will controlling her to strike the correct targets.
Every one of her movements was incredibly smooth, and every thought was perfectly clear.
That feeling was very strange, as if her Father were still by her side during the Great Crusade era.
"Get back!"
Lion raised the sacred shield, stepping directly in front of a Battle Sister squad, a heavy Skull Cannon shot smashed toward the position in a bizarre parabolic arc.
"Boom!"
The blood-red skull exploded against the sacred shield. Upon detonation, it even emitted violent blood realm energy.
This red mist was enough to drive an ordinary person into a frenzied state, yet miraculously, not only was Lion unaffected by the shell,
she actually became even calmer after being hit by the skull.
"Lady Living Saint!"
"Quick! Rally around her ladyship!"
The crowd intended to congregate, but Lion stopped them.
"Spread out, do not approach the mist!"
"Follow my lead in battle, that is an order!"
Tyrian, as the Commander of the Sister squad, originally wanted the sisters to surround the saint.
But this suggestion was rejected by Lion; at the moment of rejection, Lion actually launched a charge toward the distant Skull Cannon.
She was like a god of war, charging into the enemy lines alone. Even though many of the monsters around were taller than her, most demons' stats couldn't even withstand a single strike from Lion.
It was as if while others were playing a Souls-like game, Lion was playing a pure hack-and-slash game like Space Marine 2.
Of course, Lion's 'mowing' wasn't that slow, because the speed at which enemy units disappeared was measured in milliseconds.
The distance seemed far, but Lion took only a few strides to reach the front of the Skull Cannon.
Clearly, this daemon engine was still somewhat stunned, but soon, as Lion's sword came down, the daemon engine turned into bone fragments.
"The Wanderer, this skill is really useful!"
Watching Lion move as if in an uninhabited land on the gameboard, Caleb could only marvel that Lion El'Jonson's skill was just too damn useful.
Other pieces could only move obediently square by square, but as long as Lion waited for a cooldown, she could use The Wanderer skill to teleport directly.
In Lion's own eyes, it took only a few steps to close the distance between them; this psychic essence, akin to shrinking the earth, allowed her combat power to explode.
Theoretically speaking, this skill could be used to travel across star systems.
As long as there was an accurate location, Lion could step out and arrive on another planet.
However, clearly, the previous Lion had not mastered this Warp essence.
But the piece Caleb Designated was originally Lion who had awakened her Warp essence.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have required such expensive deployment points; if it were a normal Primarch, a few hundred points would have sufficed.
"Interesting!"
"I feel like I can use some incredible things!"
Lion's gaze toward the demonic tide had originally been heavy, but after realizing her own Warp essence, she was full of confidence.
Well, if she could move around at will, her battlefield mobility was maxed out. Even though she was in the vast Chaos Wastes, it would take only a few steps.
She could return to the position and continue holding her defensive line.
The Battle Sisters watched as Lion walked out of the jungle; everyone was shocked, never imagining Lion would use such a fighting style.
However, their first instinct wasn't to express amazement, but to look around to see if any members of the Inquisition were present.
"Heavens, Saint, your fighting style is far too dangerous!"
"It's a good thing no one from the Ordo Hereticus is here, otherwise they would surely accuse you of being a heretic!"
"Accuse me of being a heretic?" Lion felt as if he had heard a joke!
He had always been the one to designate others as heretics; how could anyone dare to designate him as one?
He hadn't even finished dealing with those traitors among the Fallen Angels, and yet someone had the nerve to call a Primarch a heretic?
"Hmm, interesting. It seems the current Imperium truly needs a solid and reliable faith," Lion remarked.
He could already sense that the current Imperium was on a downward slope. She now only wanted to find her children and then understand the current state of the Imperium.
However, at that moment, strange roars echoed from the distance.
A massive figure was tearing through the veil of the Warp. It was a Great Daemon of Khorne, it was preparing to tear open the veil of the Warp and join this feast!
"Curse it, no, we can't let that big guy out. We must take the initiative to attack, otherwise, we won't be able to hold this defensive line at all!"
At this time, Tyrian, following behind Lion, showed a hint of regret as she gestured toward the people around her.
It was as if she was using her eyes to remind Lion that her manpower was severely lacking.
"I know you lack manpower; charging would be no different from seeking death!"
"To slay a Great Daemon that hasn't fully manifested, I am enough on my own!"
"Your Excellency!"
"Wait!"
"We are willing to charge together! Only then will we have enough opportunity and time!"
The loyal Battle Sisters, even knowing this was a suicidal charge, were still willing to join the ranks.
Even the genestealers, who were there to ensure the World Eaters were fed, joined in, planning to win an opportunity for Lion.
Just like that, Lion actually planned to rely on a motley crew to slay and stop a Great Daemon.
And this motley crew was actually willing to follow Lion into the charge.
"For the Emperor!"
These fanatical Imperial cultists could actually burst forth with absolute courage, even though they might be hacked to death by a Bloodletter the very next second after shouting.
But they still chose to charge rather than cower in the back like turtles.
Brave crowds are also easily corrupted by Khorne; many people, in the heat of battle, wouldn't even realize they had become followers of Khorne.
However, that no longer mattered.
Because even if they became followers, they still charged forward to kill enemies like madmen.
This is the most interesting part about the followers of the Blood God; because they go into a killing frenzy, they will even slaughter each other.
Khorne doesn't care why you kill; as long as you kill, he will grant you his blessing.
Even if you shout 'Long live the Emperor' while hacking away on the front lines, you might still be blessed by Khorne.
The Blood God might even weave a blood-red illusion for you, making you mistakenly believe all your slaughter is for the Emperor.
In an instant, the entire motley crew fell into a bitter struggle, Originally, they could have relied on the solid defensive line to stall for some time, but once they came out, they were truly like lambs to the slaughter.
A mortal might have to sacrifice countless lives just to take down one Bloodletter.
Even for Battle Sisters equipped with power armor, facing these demons was exceptionally difficult.
Silently reciting prayers to the God-Emperor, they relied on that thin golden light to protect the entire group.
However, the golden light would eventually shatter; in Old K's domain, even the God-Emperor's influence was limited.
[Deployment cooldown has ended. Player, please deploy your selected units!]
"Can I finally deploy?"
Watching a group of ordinary people making a suicidal charge here, Caleb felt quite uneasy.
He excitedly picked up a pile of game pieces and deployed them.
What he held in his hand were no ordinary Astartes, but Terminators among the Astartes!
Heavy armor plus short-range teleportation allowed them to fully keep up with Lion's pace.
Moreover, each of these Terminators was a Deathwing, their combat capability was beyond reproach.
"Your Excellency, perhaps I can no longer run. Please, you must kill the demon and buy time for the others!"
With her body slashed open by a Bloodletter demon, Tyrian's aura gradually withered; she could no longer continue the fight.
Her body carried a faint golden light, but this meager power of faith was not enough to make her a true Living Saint.
Lion rarely turned around; after hacking down two demons about to charge over, he felt a rare sense of respect for a female mortal.
Because he felt the loyalty these mortals possessed.
"Rest in peace, I will take care of this daemon!"
"The Emperor, my father, will accept you!"
"Although I don't understand exactly what is happening, I know that my father likes those who are decisive and brave in the face of desperation!"
This Battle Sister's breath grew faint, as if her soul would return to the Golden Throne at any moment.
However, at that moment, series of explosions suddenly echoed from the sky.
A giant golden hand actually descended slowly from the heavens.
"Is that a miracle?"
The sisters who were still alive stared blankly at the sky; even the demons still fighting on the field couldn't help but look up!
Whether mortal or demon, all eyes were fixed upon the firmament.
It was a golden hand spanning several kilometers, seemingly clutching something as it slowly descended from the sky.
"Wait, are those my sons?"
"No, has my father really become a god?"
Lion hadn't yet reacted to what was happening, but the Terminator squad in the sky had already been deployed.
"Repent, heretics! Today shall be the day of your death!"
"For the Lion! For Caliban! For the glory of Lord Lion El'Johnson!"
Several Terminators landed, crushing the surrounding demons like runaway trucks.
Holding Thunder Hammers, they smashed down, instantly killing a large swath of Chaos cultists.
These veteran Terminators were accurately deployed around Lion El'Jonson, forming a circle with him at the center.
They cleared almost all heretical Chaos creatures within a radius of several miles.
Their precise marksmanship ensured that any enemy unit vanished as soon as it showed its head.
"Lord Lion!"
"We have arrived late!"
"The loyal Knights of Caliban will continue to be the sword in your hand!"
A knight captain clad in Terminator armor approached Lion El'Jonson; however, the moment he spoke, Lion almost lost his composure.
"Wait—"
The dying Battle Sister Tyrian stared in shock at the blonde young woman before her; it seemed she had stumbled upon a massive secret before her death!
She wanted to say something, but her mouth was covered by the solemn-faced Lion.
"Mmph, mmph!"
Her final breaths turned into muffled whimpers.
"Go on, die peacefully; take the secret to your grave!"
"Don't ask, don't say it out loud, or it will be embarrassing for me!" Lion said to Tyrian with a smile.
Tyrian passed away, her soul returning to the Golden Throne.
She looked like she had gone peacefully, with the kind of smile she and her sisters only had when they were gossiping.
"Phew!"
Seeing that there were no living mortals left around, Lion finally felt much more at ease.
Even the genestealers were all dead; it seemed these brave people had kept the secret with their lives.
"Lord Lion, this..."