The strongest astral army in Warhammer 40K

The Emperor's Sword flashed like a supernova explosion, its blinding golden light instantly engulfing the entire dueling platform. Mortarion's compound eye sensors overloaded and ruptured, pus gushing from the broken visual tubes.

**"you--!"**

Guilliman's fist had already landed on his face.

The disintegrating force field of the "Emperor's Wrath" power gauntlets exploded, and Mortarion's rotting visor shattered like dry tree bark, revealing maggot-infested, decaying flesh beneath. The impact of the punch caused the Death Guard Primarch to stagger backward, and Guilliman seized the opportunity to grab his left bony wing—

**Click!**

With a sickening cracking sound, Guilliman ripped off half a rotting wing, splattering viscous green marrow onto their armor.

"This time—" Guilliman gasped, slamming the broken wing against Mortalian's head, "it's for the children of Kos!"

Mortarion roared and pounced, this time leaving the giant scythe "Silence" aside. The two Primarchs tore at each other like ancient beasts, the muffled thuds of their fists hitting flesh echoing through the observation fleet's communication channels.

- **First Punch:** Mortalian's bone claws slashed across Guilliman's throat, scraping sparks from the adamantite neck guards.

- **Second Punch**: Guilliman's elbow strike slammed into Mortalian's respirator, causing yellowish-green mist to leak from the crack.

- **Third punch:** Both men struck each other in the chest simultaneously, the recoil causing them to each stagger back three steps.

The platform's metal twisted and deformed beneath their feet. Guilliman's tactical goggles were shattered, and blood streamed from his forehead into his left eye. Mortalian's breastplate was caved in, revealing his irregularly beating heart—the organ blessed by Nurgle was frantically regenerating its damaged tissue.

"You've gotten weaker, Robert." Mortalian spat out a mouthful of putrid pus and blood. "The old you could at least break two of my ribs."

Guilliman wiped the blood from his face and suddenly laughed: **"Who said I was aiming for the ribs?"**

Only then did Mortarian notice—

A thin needle made of black stone was embedded in the base of his torn wing. The tip of the needle had melted and was flowing along his decaying blood vessels toward his heart.

"When...when?!"

Guilliman raised "Emperor's Wrath," black stone fragments still clinging to the gaps between his gauntlets: **"You thought I tore your wings out of spite?"** He panted as he assumed a fighting stance, **"It was to drive 'Coffin Nails' into your psionic circuits!"**

A strange cracking sound emanated from Mortarion's body, as if something had driven a wedge into his soul. He tried to summon plague energy, only to find that his connection to the warp was being severed.

In the spectator stands, the Space Necromancer Lord suddenly stood up: **"Technology theft! That's our Sotek Dynasty's psionic confinement technology!"**

The sage of the Black Mechanicus recorded: **"Confirmed: Lord Guilliman used the archaeological relic 'Void Nail,' source: Martian underground chamber, Sector 13."**

Mortarian knelt on the ground, three of his seven hearts had stopped beating. But a hideous grin spread across his decaying face:

"You think... this is enough to kill a Primarch?"

The entire dueling platform suddenly trembled violently, and a warp rift tore open behind Mortarion. Countless Nurgle arms emerged from the rift, grabbing their master and dragging him backward.

Guilliman tried to give chase, but was stopped by Typhons who suddenly appeared—the first company commander of the Death Guard used himself as a human shield to take the fatal blow of "Emperor's Wrath".

"Next time..." Mortalian's voice faded as the rift closed, "I'll bring enough coffin nails... for you."

…………

**Imperial Fleet - Tactical Observation Deck**

Guilliman's fingertip paused on the holographic star map, where tactical dots indicated a wild planet labeled **"K-1149"**—its surface was covered by two distinct shades of crimson.

- **The Orcs' WAAAGH!!! Energy** surged like a boiling green tide.

- **The Khorne Legion's skull mark** is as glaring as a burning brand.

“Interesting.” Guilliman’s voice was calm, almost cruel. “The Blood Gods are fighting the Greenskins for territory.”

Russell's tactical eyepiece magnifies the image—

In the crimson desert, a **Khorne Berserker** and a **Orc Warchief** were locked in a one-on-one duel. The Chaos Warrior's chain axe cleaved the greenskin's chest, while the Orc's blade simultaneously pierced his abdomen. Even in their dying moments, they continued to tear at each other's throats until they perished together. All around, thousands of similar battles were unfolding.

"This is not war..." Katosikalius's visor emitted hot air. "It's a sacrifice."

Scan data shows:

1. **Energy Reading:** A subspace rift with a diameter exceeding five kilometers has been detected at the planet's core.

2. **Anomaly:** The blood of the fallen is seeping into the ground, forming a vast network of blood vessels.

3. **Historical Records**: This planet was originally named "Balsa" and was once the genetic forge of the Dark Mechanicus.

Guilliman suddenly pulled up an encrypted file: [**Red Sands Protocol**] —

"A forbidden experimental field left over from the Imperial Age." The Primarch's fingertip traced the image of decaying parchment on the screen. "They mixed orc spores with the genes of Khorne daemons... attempting to create controllable weapons of war."

The hologram suddenly flickered, revealing a black pyramid in operation at the planet's north pole, its surface covered with scab-like runes.

"Found it." Guilliman's pupils contracted. "The Blood God is retrieving his toys."

Three options pop up on the tactical screen:

1. **Orbital Bombardment**: Vitrify a planet with cyclone torpedoes (simple but could trigger a subspace rift).

2. **Ground Assault**: Send a Terminator squad to destroy the pyramid (High risk, high reward)

3. **Watching the Tigers Fight from the Mountain:** Wait until both sides are exhausted before reaping the rewards (this may result in missing a golden opportunity).

Russell's entrenching tool suddenly hummed, and the blood groove on the blade glowed with a dark red light.

"Let me take the Super Angel down." He pointed to a faint outline at the top of the pyramid. "Something's watching us there...it recognizes the 'Blood Drinker.'"

Carleon's wings suddenly unfurled: "Psionic signal confirmed—it's **the Great Demon Khorne, Skabrand**! It's orchestrating this 'game'!"

Guilliman slammed his fist on the control panel: "Prepare the Thunderhawk gunships. I need to send Blood God a 'return gift.'"