Clonto tightly held Carrie, closing his eyes as he braced for the crushing charge of the headless knight. The weight of regret filled his heart. Why had he indulged his sister's wish to explore the town while their father was on duty?
If they had stayed home after buying snacks, they would never have encountered this monstrous knight, let alone faced such peril.
But… nothing happened.
Clonto realized he was still alive. The sounds and vibrations ahead spurred him to cautiously open his eyes.
What he saw made his heart skip a beat.
Between the headless knight and the gathered civilians stood a new giant, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
This figure was clad in elaborate, regal armor that radiated an air of invincibility. A lion-emblazoned cloak draped across his back, and his right hand gripped a massive sword engraved with similar lion motifs. To Clonto and the others, he seemed like a legendary "paladin."
However, this towering figure wore no helmet, revealing a handsome face framed by golden, slicked-back hair and a full beard.
This imposing warrior was none other than Lion El'Jonson, the Primarch of the Dark Angels and third son of the Human Emperor.
The townsfolk, including Clonto and Carrie, didn't recognize him as a Primarch. Though the Empire had introduced concepts of the Emperor and his demi-god sons through the Codex Humana, most residents had only a vague understanding.
The sheer number of Primarchs and their unique traits made it difficult for these newly integrated citizens to distinguish them.
"Wow!"
Carrie, ever innocent and impressionable, exclaimed in awe. "Brother! He's so handsome! You should become an Imperial Angel too! Then you'd—mmpf!"
Before she could finish, Clonto clamped a hand over her mouth, silencing her.
The last thing he wanted was to attract the giant's attention with his sister's remarks. In his mind, the best course of action was to remain silent and observe.
From Clonto's perspective, there was no guarantee that this newcomer was on their side. The townsfolk shared his unease, holding their breath as they watched the standoff unfold.
To their surprise, the headless knight, previously advancing with relentless intent, had stopped dead in its tracks upon the giant's arrival. The tension was palpable.
Meanwhile, the auxiliary troops, tasked with evacuating the civilians, quickly saluted the Primarch. Though their helmets concealed their faces, their hurried movements betrayed a mix of shock and awe.
None had expected their gene-father to appear so suddenly.
Lion El'Jonson's cold gaze briefly swept over the gathered townsfolk. His eyes lingered on Carrie for a moment, as if perceiving something unusual about her.
Though he lacked the pure psychic mastery of his brother Magnus, Lion possessed unique psychic talents that allowed him to sense the potential within others.
Satisfied with his assessment, Lion shifted his attention back to the headless knight, issuing orders to the auxiliary troops without turning his head:
"Continue evacuating the civilians. Inform all departments that no one is to interfere with the Dark Angels' operations. Do not alter the original plan without my direct orders."
Without waiting for a response, Lion strode forward, closing the gap between himself and the towering headless knight.
"Move! Quickly! Go!"
"Run and don't look back!"
The auxiliary troops, technicians, and Inquisition operatives redoubled their efforts, herding the townsfolk away from the cathedral square.
They knew all too well what could happen if a Primarch fought without restraint. Not just the cathedral, but the entire town could be obliterated.
Among them, agents who had fought corrupted Greek gods under the Inquisition's banner understood the devastating power of the Emperor's sons. When Sanguinius and Horus defeated the fallen Olympian gods Artemis, Poseidon, and Zeus, their battle caused the mighty Olympus Mons to quake violently, nearly triggering a volcanic eruption after millions of years of dormancy.
Now, with Lion stepping in to confront an opponent seemingly on par with Satan, the Empire's forces felt a mix of relief and apprehension.
As Lion approached the dazed headless knight, his eyes briefly flicked to the two downed squad guards, who remained motionless but alive.
He paid no mind to the seven fallen Greek demigods scattered across the square, their fates irrelevant to him.
Lion's expression was unreadable, but those who knew him well—his father, the Emperor, and his adoptive mother Alexia—would recognize the subtle signs of anger.
The repeated defeats suffered by the Dark Angels' elite in Universe 13 rankled him deeply. Lion prided himself on his legion's prowess, believing them to be the most formidable in individual combat among all the Emperor's forces.
He could excuse Garan Clovis and the 1st Company's losses to Satan, as such an outcome was "within reason."
But now, this headless knight, a lesser entity, had humiliated his warriors once again. To Lion, this was unacceptable—a blow to his pride.
Having monitored Trench Crusaders from the Doom universe where he had been overseeing the expansion of his legion, Lion had anticipated the Church's retaliation.
When informed by Garan, Soap, and Athena that the Empire planned to lure the Church into revealing itself, Lion sought his father's approval to intervene directly.
The Emperor, with no objections, granted his son the authority to act.
Lion wasted no time, personally leading his elite Honor Guard—a 300-strong unit of Terminator-armored veterans—to Universe 13's forward base.
The Honor Guard, also known as the "Lion Paladins," were handpicked by Lion for their unwavering loyalty and exceptional combat skills.
Equipped with custom-crafted armor and weapons forged by dwarven artisans from Terra, each Lion Paladin was a one-man army.
Though his guard remained stationed at the base, Lion activated his power armor's stealth mode and infiltrated the border town alone to observe.
Watching Garan's footage of Limbo, Lion immediately understood the sinister link between Heaven and Hell. He surmised that the Church had likely sacrificed countless fanatics to summon this headless knight, a being of extraordinary power.
As the knight shifted its focus toward Carrie, a girl with latent psychic potential, Lion decided to reveal himself and intervene.
Now, as he closed the distance, the headless knight struck.
Wham—BOOM!
The massive sword swung with devastating speed, creating shockwaves and deafening sonic booms as it sliced toward Lion's neck.
But—
Clang! Screech! Slice!
In two swift motions, Lion's Lion's Sword cleaved through the knight, splitting it in half along with its ornate armor.
Thud. Crash.
The severed halves of the knight collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
A faint red glow emanating from the corpse dissipated, drawn into the blade's glowing edge. Unlike a typical physical kill, which would merely banish the knight back to the Heavenly Realm, Lion's sword absorbed its essence entirely, transforming it into psychic nourishment for the Emperor.
!!!
The hundred-strong Greek demigods who arrived at the scene were stunned. They had only seen a flash of silver light before the battle was over.
How fast was that?
The demigods stood in awe of the Primarch's overwhelming power.
Ignoring their reactions, Lion sheathed his sword and turned to the technicians now cautiously approaching the square.
"Collect the body," he ordered curtly through his communicator before striding away toward the town center.
The technicians, emboldened by the confirmation that the threat had been neutralized, moved in to retrieve the knight's remains and tend to the injured squad guards and demigods.
Meanwhile, the townsfolk, including Clonto and Carrie, were directed back into quarantine for further screening.
Above, a Phoenix-class support vessel belonging to the Dark Angels' 1st Company deployed Pelicans and Albatrosses to transport additional personnel and medical supplies to the town.
Amidst the activity, a black-and-green Thunderhawk gunship, larger than standard models, descended onto the central square.
The gunship carried six Lion Paladins who disembarked to escort Selene, who stepped out to confront Lion.
Looking up at the Primarch, Selene's glowing violet eyes met his.
"Based on the characteristics of this anomaly," she said, "it aligns with the Book of Revelation's description of the Horseman of War.
Judging by the Inquisition's records, the Church must have sacrificed a significant number of believers to transform that nun into a vessel capable of summoning it to this realm."
"Hmph, sacrifice."
Lion, unsurprised by her analysis, stepped into the gunship and said with cold finality:
"Then let's sacrifice all God's believers on Earth in Universe 13 to open a portal to the Heavenly Realm."
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