Warhammer: The Worst Start There Is (40k) - Chapter 5: Slaying the Daemon

With the assistance of numerous Imperium heroes such as the Ultramarines Chapter Master, Calgar, the Black Templar Marshal, Amalrich,  along with many loyal soldiers of the Imperium of Man, Guilliman easily suppressed the invading chaos army. He swung the God Emperor of Mankind’s Holy Sword in his hand, reaping any enemy within his sight without restraint.

Whether it was the plague-ridden walking dead, dread fiends, or lone-horned Daemons, they all fell like wild weeds, casually harvested.

Bodies piled up in large numbers.

The fusion of a new soul into Guilliman’s Primarch did not weaken his power in the slightest; on the contrary, it became even more formidable.

Guilliman’s revival filled countless loyalists of the Imperium with excitement.

His Primarch, like that of a divine being, instilled courage and strength in their hearts, facing the terrifying creatures of chaos without fear.

Guilliman’s appearance boosted the morale of the Imperium’s forces, and even the archmagos dominus Kael of the Adeptus Mechanicus joined the battle. He silently recited the Hymns of the Machine God, picking off the chaos warriors attempting to surround him.

The powerful weapons embedded in his spine, powered by the energy core in his chest, unleashed countless devastating beams that annihilated the chaos army attempting to impede him.

The chaos army retreated step by step, and with the addition of Guilliman’s Primarch to the battlefield, the scales of victory continued to tilt in favor of humanity.

Wherever Guilliman’s gaze fell, Daemons and fallen warriors shivered with fear.

The burning God Emperor of Mankind Sword in his hand had become a symbol of the battlefield. Wherever it went, enemies were killed as if they were withering leaves.

Guilliman moved through the battlefield like a force of nature, and no enemy dared to confront him.

It wasn’t until a particular chaos Daemon appeared that his pace slowed slightly.

The Daemon had an enormous physique, with a face resembling that of an ape and broad horns.

Power armor crafted ten thousand years ago covered the Daemon’s sturdy, spiky body, and it wielded a chainsaw sword that burned with crimson flames in its hand.

Its crimson skin tightened with each swing of its weapon, and strange patterns adorned its blood-red wings.

A strong sense of anger emanated from the Daemon, resonating in the hearts of those on the battlefield, making them become furious and irritable.

Warriors attempting to stop it from reaching the Primarch were all killed.

Celestine and others attempted to intervene, but Guilliman stopped them; he wanted to personally kill this Daemon.

“I didn’t expect to see another Primarch on the battlefield,” the Daemon said mockingly, its hazel eyes filled with contempt as it stared at Guilliman. “But it’s a pity. The era of the Primarch has passed, and the Imperium of Man will also fall. What can the progeny of the Putrid God Emperor of Mankind do? You cannot stop the tide of chaos; this universe belongs to the gods of chaos.”

Guilliman frowned, recognizing the remaining emblem on the Daemon’s power armor – World Eaters.

It was a warband that had once served the Imperium but eventually joined the ranks of traitors.

Due to their Genefather, Angron, most World Eaters had chosen to join the Blood God,  Khorne, Faction.

The Daemon in front of him had clearly gained the favor of the Blood God, becoming a Daemon.

Staring at the traitor space marines from ten thousand years ago, Guilliman, who held the Emperor’s Sword, didn’t hold back his retort, “Traitors, to think you would dare to crawl out from the warp, it seems we didn’t deal with you harshly enough ten thousand years ago.”

The soul within Guilliman’s body had only merged recently, and due to retaining memories from the past. He still felt intense anger toward these damned traitors and wished to slaughter them all.

At the end of the Great Crusade in the past, the Imperium of Man was already stable, awaiting the success of the God Emperor of Mankind’s final grand project, the Webway.

Humanity was on the verge of an incredibly bright future, becoming the most exceptional race in the universe.

If it weren’t for Horus and the other Primarchs’ betrayal, humanity wouldn’t have fallen into the current dark state.

Humanity had long followed the God Emperor of Mankind’s vision, heading towards psychic ascension and collective transcendence.

All the beauty of their future was extinguished by the treachery of Horus and others.

The tumor of the warp had since deeply infiltrated the Imperium of Man.

After the God Emperor of Mankind ascended to the Golden Throne, humanity struggled bitterly in the dark galaxy for ten thousand years.

Every day they managed to survive came at the cost of countless soldiers’ corpses and blood, a price too heavy to measure.

Every moment in the turning gears of history was filled with the lives of countless heroes.

And all of this was thanks to these Chaos worshippers.

As Guilliman searched for the Daemon’s weakness, trying to eliminate this cursed traitor once and for all, he wanted to make it clear that even if they sided with the Dark Gods, they were still nothing.

“Your verbal provocations are useless. The Primarch and the Imperium will become a thing of the past. From now on, the galaxy will know only war and slaughter. The skull of a Putrid God Emperor of Mankind’s Primarch will be the greatest gift to my master.”

The Daemon snorted, emitting burning sparks from its nostrils.

The flames on its body burned fiercely, causing space to distort and glow due to the high temperatures.

“Go back and tell your master that his bloody throne will be my trophy. One day, I will cut off his head myself.”

Guilliman’s gaze showed no fear. With the Sovereign Template, he had absolute confidence in defeating the Daemon.

The soldiers and civilians on the Imperium’s side, upon seeing the Primarch, would become followers. The Sovereign Template would convert the beliefs of these followers into strength.

The more followers a god had, the more power they gained.

With the combined strength that he has as one of the 20 Primarch, combined with the beliefs of many followers, defeating a Daemon of Khorne was not a difficult task.

The Daemon, infuriated by Guilliman’s insult to the Chaos god he served, roared, causing the ground to shake, and thunderous echoes filled the sky.

The Daemon unleashed its power, instilling fear in the Imperium soldiers on the battlefield. Even those holding laser rifles couldn’t help but tremble. The chaos army rejoiced, praising the terrifying Daemon, hoping it would lead them to conquer this world.

The colossal Daemon moved with heavy steps, charging towards Guilliman.

It swung the giant sword in its hand, attempting to kill Guilliman and claim his skull as an offering to the Blood God’s throne.

“You’ve been asleep for ten thousand years, while I’ve been honing my skills day and night in the warp. Even if you are a Primarch, I will bring your skull to the Blood God!”

The Daemon roared, It swung its giant sword with tremendous force, aiming to strike Guilliman.

Guilliman wielded the Emperor’s Sword and blocked the attack. The collision between the two generated a shockwave that swept the surroundings.

The Daemon roared again, and Guilliman took advantage of the moment to deliver a powerful punch. The power field of his power gauntlet activated, creating crackling arcs of azure energy that tore through the air.

A sonic boom rang out, and an indistinct afterimage appeared in the air.

The Daemon was knocked to the ground.

Its massive body slid for over ten meters, crashing into a disused laser cannon before coming to a stop.

“Is this all the strength you have? It seems that your ten thousand years of training haven’t done much. But then again, it’s not surprising. Weaklings who bow before the warp can’t make progress. Go back and tell the Blood God Khorne to clean his neck because I’ll come for his head one day.”

Guilliman looked at the Daemon he had knocked down with a punch and casually activated his taunting mode.

In a fight against numerous Chaos gods and their minions, Guilliman couldn’t claim certainty of victory. But when it came to taunting and drawing hatred, he was an absolute master.

Back in the day, on forums and in group chats, he had been unrivaled, sweeping aside all challengers.

As for whether taunting the Chaos gods would lead to retaliation from any of them, the chance of that happening was quite unlikely.

The Chaos gods were restricted in some way; they couldn’t enter the material universe freely.

The laws of the universe limited these gods, and at most, they could only send their Daemons to act on their behalf. Plus, with the God Emperor of Mankind’s presence, the Chaos Gods couldn’t freely enter the material universe.

So, even if he delivers insult upon insult upon the 4 Chaos Gods, none of them can directly do anything about it.

“You dare to insult the Blood God!?!” the Daemon roared as it got back on its feet.

“I do,” Guilliman said, taking a step forward and leaping toward the Daemon’s head with a swing of his Emperor’s Sword.