From within the decrepit building above the secret laboratory, loud banging sounds echoed, shaking the entire structure as if it were trembling under the intensity of the battle.
Boom—
Suddenly, the ceiling of the old building was violently pierced, and a golden figure flew out at high speed, crashing hard into the nearby ruins, sending debris flying everywhere.
Cough cough!
Eden lay in the rubble, coughing. His armor was damaged, with a small dent in the chest plate.
He struggled to stand, using his chainsword for support.
Just as he managed to get back on his feet, the dilapidated building ahead collapsed with a loud crash, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Through the dust, an ominous glow shone, and the sound of sharp limbs tapping against the ground grew closer.
It was the Horror of Tzeentch, crawling out from the laboratory!
"Good, you're pretty fast," Eden gritted his teeth, grabbed his chainsword, and charged back into the dust cloud. "Let's see you handle this!"
Clang, thunk, Duang!
A chainsword flew out of the dust cloud, and a moment later, Eden came flying out even faster, crashing into the ground and carving a deep trench.
"Governor!"
Carter, who had been coordinating the defensive line, saw the Governor crash down ahead of them and immediately rushed over to help.
"I'm fine, just give me a hand…"
With Carter's help, Eden stood up, his body marked with several wounds, looking somewhat battered.
His whole body trembled slightly, his muscles ached intensely, and he could no longer fight.
As expected, this body's physical condition and combat awareness weren't strong enough.
But this was already the limit of what he could achieve for now.
After all, not long ago, this body was so weak it could barely walk, and now, after being strengthened by the power of hope, it had reached a point where it could stand against the Horror of Tzeentch in direct combat.
The speed at which he had grown stronger was already fast enough.
Besides, combat wasn't his true strength in the Warp.
His abilities were better suited to staying in the back, developing his power, and letting his warriors fight for him.
Hissss—
The Horror of Tzeentch hissed as it approached, covered in injuries of varying sizes, with part of its massive claw missing.
Its numerous eyes glowed red with anger.
That pesky golden insect had managed to hurt it, even if only slightly, and that was absolutely intolerable.
No matter where this little insect hid, it would catch him and devour him piece by piece!
In the King's Court district, various forces had finished dealing with their respective targets and had regrouped to build a defensive line to stop the Horror.
The soldiers trembled at the sight of the terrible creature, its evil flames glowing in the distance. Just the aura it emitted was enough to terrify them.
Yet, not a single person retreated. They were prepared to die, determined to stop this monstrous Chaos beast!
"Open fire!"
Eden coldly commanded, his eyes locked on the Horror.
Zzz—
Kaes, leading the long-range sniper team, fired an energy cannon, and the beam struck one of the Horror's limbs, halting its advance.
The energy beam left various wounds across the Horror's body.
Then, a dozen armored tanks charged forward, their turrets firing continuously at the creature.
"Die, you damned monster!"
Arye, with one foot planted on a tank's turret, wielded an oversized machine gun, spraying bullets at the Horror's eyes, his massive muscles glistening in the sunlight.
The Horror noticed Arye and spat a ball of malevolent flame in his direction.
But the fireball narrowly missed, just grazing Arye's head.
???
The Horror was baffled. Why had that sure-hit attack missed?
Arye, unfazed, continued to have the time of his life, jumping off the tank and charging directly at the Horror with his machine gun.
"Ahhhhhh! Immortal Arye, charge!"
He roared as he sprinted beneath the Horror, spraying bullets continuously, the massive shell casings clattering to the ground.
Though the bullets did little damage, they infuriated the Horror.
How dare this little insect provoke it!
This attack had fully drawn the Horror's hatred away from the defensive line. It stopped advancing and turned its focus to Arye, the ground shooter.
Crush this annoying bug!
The Horror glared down at Arye, lifting its sharp limbs and stabbing fiercely.
But Arye rolled out of the way, and the limb slammed into the ground, missing him entirely.
The Horror became even more enraged, rearing up and stabbing wildly with a dozen limbs.
The sharp limbs turned the ground around them into rubble.
Finally, the Horror paused, expecting to see the pesky insect dead.
Bang!
A shotgun blast hit the Horror's face.
Arye stood there, holding a shotgun from who-knows-where, a trail of smoke rising from the barrel.
The Horror froze, staring blankly at Arye, the atmosphere suddenly awkward.
...
Soon, a visible expression of anger appeared on the Horror's face.
Its features twisted, and smoke began to rise from its mouth.
Hissss—
Malevolent flames erupted from the Horror's mouth.
The evil fire spread, covering everything in the area, scorching everything it touched.
No mortal could survive such a concentrated attack!
And yet…
"For the Governor!"
Somehow, Arye had climbed onto the Horror's body, roaring as he hacked away with his chainsword, slashing wildly at the creature.
Whoa!
Even Eden couldn't help but be impressed by Arye's fearless display. This guy was going to become a future legend for sure.
Seeing this, the soldiers' morale surged, and they launched an even more ferocious attack.
But unfortunately, Arye's strength was still lacking, and he couldn't inflict significant damage on the Horror.
The Horror seemed to grow tired of dealing with this annoying insect, throwing Arye off with a violent shake before charging straight toward Eden.
It could sense that consuming this golden insect and absorbing its energy would allow it to evolve to an even higher level.
The Horror could barely contain its excitement!
It flipped over the armored tanks in its path, its malevolent flames scorching the soldiers on the front lines.
Nothing could stop it!
"Governor, we must retreat!" Carter urgently requested Eden to fall back. The Governor's safety was paramount.
But Eden refused.
The upper hive was already sealed off, and there was nowhere to run.
If they abandoned their position now, it would be even harder to mount a defense later.
Besides, the Horror's target was him. If he fled, the creature would follow him to the King's Court district, causing even greater devastation.
The best course of action was to finish it here.
Though this so-called Chaos-blessed Horror of Tzeentch was terrifying, Eden still had a trump card.
After all, he was a "god."
Even though he wasn't at his peak, he still possessed part of a "god's" power.
Before entering the secret laboratory, he had accumulated one million points of hope energy, which he used to bless a powerful warrior.
All Eden needed to do now was hold off the Horror until that warrior arrived.
Whoosh—
A sharp sound pierced the air.
Eden looked up toward the sky and saw a strike ship hurtling in from the direction of the King's Court district.
He… had arrived!
(End of Chapter)
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