Chapter 140: Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [140]

The golden emperor's avatar appeared once again. This time, the damaged armor on his body had been completely restored, regaining its former majestic and domineering aura. Even his height had changed, now reaching 48 meters. The previously severed arm had also regrown, as if he had never suffered any injuries. However, the Grey Knight captain was nowhere to be seen; in his place stood a fully intact, golden-armored giant. The Ace Killer could analyze the powers of Ultraman, allowing it to acquire their beam abilities and other skills. Over this period, the Chaos Daemon Slayer, aside from providing a bit of light energy for three scientists to study, had been staying inside the system space. Beside him stood the statue of a dark giant. After obtaining permission from his master, the Chaos Daemon Slayer had once interacted with the statue of this dark giant. However, because it was in a statue state, the dark energy hidden within its body could not be extracted. As a result, he did not gain any beam abilities. Still, after spending a long time alongside the dark giant's statue, the Chaos Daemon Slayer learned certain uses for the timer on his chest. The timer on his chest had been designed by the Yapool people, modeled after Ultraman warriors. It could store energy like Ultraman's, and even absorb and convert energy. The Chaos Daemon Slayer mastered a technique that allowed him to absorb a normal human into his timer. This was not the same as Ultraman's human host but rather temporarily absorbing a human into the timer. To some extent, this could also influence the person's senses. The Chaos Daemon Slayer reported this discovery to Rhodes. The Ace Killer himself was not an Ultraman warrior but was instead a high-level replica whose body structure was very similar to Ultraman's. Without this similarity, his body wouldn't have been able to store so many of Ultraman's beam abilities. Thus, Rhodes wanted to conduct an experiment: selecting a human with light in their heart to see if they could become the Chaos Daemon Slayer's host. If a suitable host could be successfully chosen, Rhodes would have much greater flexibility in his plans. The attempt with these Grey Knights was one such experiment: to let them experience both despair and hope and see if they could comprehend the light. However, to be honest, this light was still not strong enough—not pure enough. The Grey Knights did indeed possess steadfast beliefs and unyielding, tenacious combat awareness. But their hearts harbored darkness. The Grey Knights would indeed fight daemons but would also use the souls and blood of innocent psykers for enchantments, even slaughtering innocent civilians. The Grey Knight captain, Calern, seemed to have established a very close connection with the Chaos Daemon Slayer. Although he could not achieve the same one-heart, one-mind fusion as Ultraman and his human host—where the bond could exponentially enhance their combat power, or even unlock new transformation states—he could still slightly improve the Chaos Daemon Slayer's combat experience. After being absorbed into the timer, through sensory binding, the host could control the giant's body in battle. After the battle, the Chaos Daemon Slayer could merge back into the host's body and leave them a suitable transformation device, which could take the form of anything. To enhance the effect, Rhodes strengthened the Chaos Daemon Slayer, creating a dazzling display of golden light that repaired his body and made his form appear even taller and more imposing. The Grey Knight captain felt something extraordinary—a warm, radiant light enveloping his entire body. His senses were infinitely amplified. He couldn't describe this feeling; it was as if he had entered a fantastical world, an unknown space filled with light. His perspective shifted, and everything seemed so small. The once terrifying purple daemon before him, towering like a mountain, now seemed not so tall after all. "Emperor's avatar, what just happened?" Calern asked. "My body can no longer sustain combat, but yours can. Your fighting spirit has reignited the Emperor's light. Now, you can control my body to fight," the Chaos Daemon Slayer explained the current situation. "Though I still don't understand everything, from what you're saying, I can give that guy a good beating, right?" Calern said, moving his massive body. "Yes!" The golden-armored emperor's avatar once again drew his longsword and pointed it at the purple daemon, who was now a full head shorter than him. "Now, you don't seem so tall anymore!" The purple daemon snorted coldly, raising his rune-enchanted sword and charging toward the emperor's avatar. "Come on!" The golden-armored giant let out a roar, but the voice was none other than that of the Grey Knight Captain. The golden greatsword and the purple greatsword clashed together once more, unleashing a terrifying shockwave centered around the two combatants. The golden sword and the purple demonic blade intertwined relentlessly, moving so fast that it was impossible to follow with the naked eye. "I thought you'd be stronger than this, daemon! Is that all you've got?" Controlling the body of the Chaos Daemon Slayer, Calern felt an unparalleled sense of power. The strength the purple daemon had displayed moments ago was so overwhelming that it crushed any will to resist, instilling unimaginable despair. But once he began fighting as the Emperor's Avatar, Calern realized that the purple daemon was not invincible after all. Its speed was somewhat lacking, and its swordsmanship was unimpressive. Having lived for over 300 years and served as a Grey Knight Captain for more than a century, Calern possessed an unimaginable wealth of combat experience. His mastery of swordsmanship was unparalleled, wielding the golden greatsword with extraordinary precision and skill. In just a few exchanges, the purple daemon was pushed into a dangerous position. Its purple armor was ripped open in huge gashes, with numerous fragments falling to the ground. Blocking the opponent's purple greatsword, Calern swung his golden fist and slammed it into the daemon's chest plate. The punch shattered the chest plate entirely, sending the purple daemon flying hundreds of meters away before it crashed heavily into the ground. Not giving the daemon a moment to catch its breath, Calern rushed forward, bringing the colossal golden sword down in a deadly strike. The purple daemon barely managed to twist its body to avoid the fatal blow. It reached out to grab the nearby runic demonic sword, but the Emperor's Avatar stomped on the sword's hilt, pinning it to the ground. Then, with a swift and brutal kick to the daemon's face, he sent it flying once more. Leaping into the air, Calern caught up to the purple daemon mid-flight, grabbed it by the throat, and swung his golden sword to sever one of its arms. "Finish him off!" came the voice of the Chaos Daemon Slayer from deep within. He was concerned that if the fight dragged on any longer, this new ally might be torn apart into pieces—and repairing a disassembled companion was no easy task. In terms of combat experience, these new Ace Killer couldn't hold a candle to the seasoned Grey Knights. The enemy's combat experience was terrifyingly vast, and their skill with the greatsword far surpassed his own. At equal size and strength, there was no way he could compete with a Grey Knight. "Then, the final strike!" The Emperor's Avatar raised the golden sword high, infusing it with a dazzling golden energy. The greatsword became enveloped in a layer of golden light and then suddenly extended, transforming into a kilometer-long blade of energy that pierced the sky. The entire planet was bathed in golden light as the massive energy sword shimmered brilliantly, its sheer size and power giving the impression that it could pierce through the entire world. "Die, demon!" Calern roared, his voice resonating through the heavens. In the timer's countdown, the Grey Knight Captain made his next move, and in the physical realm, the Chaos Daemon Slayer brought the kilometer-long sword crashing down. Golden light exploded, and the purple daemon let out a bloodcurdling scream. "This can't be possible! I'll be back!" it snarled before dissolving into a purple light and retreating into the void. "Did we succeed? Did we banish it?" the Grey Knight Captain, Calern, asked. "No," the Chaos Daemon Slayer replied. "It wasn't a true demon, so it couldn't be banished. It just fled." Calern nodded in understanding. The Grand Master had mentioned earlier that the enemy wasn't a greater daemon but rather something like a chosen champion or a demonic avatar. As the golden light faded, the golden-armored giant disappeared, and in Calern's hand appeared a golden scepter of divine radiance. "Let's work well together in the future!" a voice echoed in Calern's mind. "Emperor's Avatar, where are you? What is this thing?" Calern asked, bewildered. "I'm inside your body! I've been gravely injured and need to recover within you. In the future, when you face daemons, you can transform into me to fight," the Chaos Daemon Slayer explained. Recovering inside my body? Why does that sound so strange? "So, you're saying I can transform into you to fight?" Calern asked, incredulous. "That's right! Simply raise the divine light scepter in your hand, and you can transform into me to battle daemons! Together, we'll slay countless heretics in the future!" As per his master's orders, the Chaos Daemon Slayer had disguised itself and planned to remain dormant inside Calern, emerging only when daemons were encountered to stretch its metaphorical muscles. The transformation device, a golden scepter, was also part of the master's instructions. Rather than having a bunch of random beings drag it around searching for daemons, it made far more sense to stay with the Grey Knights, whose ability to hunt daemons was leagues ahead. At that moment, a group of Grey Knights began to rise from the ground. Even those who had lost limbs or been on the brink of death were now standing up, fully healed by the golden light. Their bodies were unscathed, though their damaged power armor and the battlefield debris reminded them of the ferocity of the battle. Despite the intensity of the fight, not a single Grey Knight had perished. "This... this is a miracle of the Emperor!" "We're alive? None of us died?" "Where's that purple demon?" "Captain, what just happened?" Calern looked at the golden scepter in his hand. How was he supposed to explain this? Was he now the Emperor's living saint? Or something else entirely?