The strongest astral army in Warhammer 40K

Chapter 346: If you can't beat them, call the parents?

Russell's golden pupils contracted sharply, and the ground beneath his feet cracked into a spiderweb of holy blood runes. He raised his arms, the "Blood Drinker" entrenching tool hovering before his chest, and thousands of golden lightning bolts erupted from his pores, weaving into a roaring eagle totem above his head. "Come, wizard! Let me show you the flames of judgment bestowed by the Emperor!"

Ahriman's mechanical eye spun rapidly, ninefold Tzeentch runes lighting up at the tip of his staff. A warp rift opened its maw behind him, unleashing countless blue fire runes like a swarm of locusts, which coalesced in mid-air into three colossal, world-devouring serpents. "Naive!" he sneered, and the serpents, wreathed in a poisonous mist capable of corroding reality, swooped down. "Your soul will become a new treasure in my vault!"

The first collision plunged spacetime into an eerie silence—

The golden eagle's talons tore apart the python's head, while its blue flame fangs seized the opportunity to gnaw at the eagle's wings. The instant the two psychic energies annihilated, the shockwave vaporized all the rocks within a three-kilometer radius. The holy blood runes beneath Russell's feet suddenly glowed, channeling the backlash energy into the Earth's core; Ahriman, meanwhile, gracefully ascended the runic staircase, the shattered python head transforming into three hundred tracking fireballs.

"A mere trick!" Russell clasped his hands together, and his entrenching tool split into twelve light blades that spun into a wheel. As the golden light wheel crushed the fireball, he stomped his foot—a thousand-meter-high crystallized rock pillar suddenly rose from the ground, carrying him straight towards Ahriman.

The wizard's staff emitted a cold, mocking hum. He drew a circle with his left hand, and the shattered blue flames suddenly reformed into a cage; his right hand formed a hand seal, and twelve spatial folds sliced ​​towards the rock pillar like blades. Russell leaped up before the cage closed, his entrenching tool reforming in mid-air into a battering ram, crashing down on Ahriman's face with a flare of light.

"Interesting!" Ahriman's robe sleeves burst open, revealing a mechanical arm inlaid with nine hundred psionic gems. The gems lit up simultaneously, forming a hexagonal barrier in front of his nose. The instant the golden hammer collided with the barrier, seven hundred and twenty arcs of psionic electricity shot out, carving two nearby mountain peaks into lava waterfalls.

The shift in power occurred in a fraction of a second. Ahriman's barrier suddenly softened, enveloping the golden hammer like liquid metal, while his staff pierced Russell's throat from a tricky angle. In that life-or-death moment, Russell suddenly released his weapon, and a concentrated golden cross erupted from his palms—a psionic grenade specially made by Arya.

"Despicable!" Ahriman's right cheek was blasted away, revealing mechanical bones beneath flowing runes. Enraged, he summoned a nine-ringed array of runes, each ring unleashing a different subspace calamity: the first ring rained acid that corroded his armor, the second summoned a soul-tearing shriek, and the third began to distort the laws of reality...

For the first time, Russell's golden psionic energy showed signs of fatigue. He knelt on one knee, his entrenching tool plunging into the ground to deploy a hemispherical shield. Acid rain burned smoke from the shield's surface, and a shrill scream caused golden blood to seep from his ear canals. As the fifth ring incantation activated, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the shield—Ariman had amplified the gravity within a ten-kilometer radius by a thousandfold!

"Now!" Carrion's roar tore through the psionic turbulence. The wings of twelve super angel warriors formed a prism array, refracting starlight into spears of light that pierced through the spell array. Ahriman's magic circle appeared and momentarily faltered; Russell seized the opportunity, drew his entrenching tool, and leaped into the core where gravity was most violently distorted.

At this moment, the golden psionic energy underwent a qualitative change. Russell's blood boiled and vaporized under supergravity, transforming into golden mist burning with hymns. He became a humanoid sun, smashing through the nine-layered spell ring at a speed that defied the laws of physics. Ahriman's staff snapped in response, half of his body engulfing the Tzeentch runes in a frenzy of golden flames.

"You have defiled this duel!" The Chief Wizard of the Thousand Sons roared amidst the blue teleportation light, the final incantation from his broken staff tearing three super-angels into a warp rift. Carion's wings ignited with purifying fire, burning holy blood patterns into the polluted sky: "Next time, remember to bring enough burial goods, wizard!"

As the blue light completely dissipated, Russell collapsed on the molten battlefield, his entrenching tool still firmly embedded in half of Tzeentch's staff. The clouds within a hundred miles were dispersed by the aftershocks of psionic energy, and the starlight of the Milky Way fell like the gaze of an emperor—there were no victors in this duel, only the burning faith still flickering in the ashes.

…………

Ahriman's figure gradually solidified within the vortex of warp space. Traces of golden psionic energy still lingered on his mechanical skeleton, and fragments of his runic robes drifted through the void. He knelt on one knee, his voice carrying a rare hint of reverence: "Master, I bring you some interesting news."

Magnus emerged from the depths of the warp, his red skin appearing eerily glowing in the light of chaotic energy, his single eye gleaming with a mixture of intelligence and madness. His voice, like ancient thunder, echoed throughout the warp: "Speak, Ahriman, what has brought you to such a wretched state?"

Ahriman looked up, Magnus's figure reflected in his mechanical eyes: "A mortal named Russell, who possesses a golden psionic energy never seen before. His power... can even rival mine."

Magnus narrowed his single eye slightly, a meaningful smile playing on his lips: "Golden psionic energy? Interesting... very interesting. The Emperor's creations always bring me surprises."

Ahriman's voice carried a hint of resentment: "Master, although his power is great, he is not invincible. However... he is accompanied by a group of super angel warriors, whose strength should not be underestimated."

Magnus waved his hand, warp energy flowing between his fingertips: "It's alright. I'll go and meet this Russell myself and see if his golden psionic energy is as miraculous as you say."

A hint of surprise flashed in Ahriman's mechanical eyes: "Master, are you going to take action personally?"

Magnus’s voice carried a hint of mockery: “Why not? I haven’t encountered an opponent who interests me in a long time. This Russell… might provide some enjoyment.”

…………

A rift in warp space tore open above the Blood Raven Chapter's fortress, and Magnus slowly emerged from it. His red skin appeared eerily bright in the starlight, and his single eye gleamed with a mixture of intelligence and madness. His voice, like ancient thunder, echoed across the entire battlefield: "Russell, your golden psionic energy intrigues me. Let me see if it can withstand true psionic power."