Lucius ran like the wind. His desire to clash with powerful xenos and his obsession with witnessing Nareth's swordsmanship drove him faster and faster.
His blade flashed. Xenos fell one after another. His pace didn't slow in the slightest.
Even so, the gold and purple armor ahead constantly reminded him of the gap between himself and Akurduana.
Akurduana moved calmly and gracefully, making Lucius suspect he was still holding back.
Lucius recalled the stories about Akurduana widely circulated in the Legion.
The young Akurduana, before he even possessed the transhuman body of an Astartes, had humiliated his instructor, the battle-hardened old Thunder Warrior, Tariel Collins.
Akurduana defeated his instructor again and again, effortlessly each time.
His combat skill was innate, as natural as breathing. He needed no teacher.
The unparalleled swordsman would enter a battlefield and charge straight for the most powerful enemy, weaving through the heart of the foe.
He had never been defeated. He had never even suffered a scratch.
He was the perfect swordsman, Fulgrim's proud firstborn.
As Lucius pondered, a figure of black, reflected in gold, suddenly appeared in his vision.
Lucius's gaze immediately fell upon the gleaming blue-white light.
Lord Nareth's blade turned, swift as lightning. As its edge flashed, energy ripples turned the surrounding dust into clouds drifting across the sky.
Lucius angrily kicked aside a xenos that barged into his view. The xenos he had just seen was already trapped in something like amber.
He angrily slashed his blade, tearing the xenos apart.
Lucius ignored the surrounding xenos. His gaze was fixed on the distance.
Finally, he saw Nareth's racing blade, lightning-fast, severing a xenos' crystal greatsword.
In a blur of rapid afterimages, he raised his power gauntlet. With a flash of blinding golden light, a Cerabvore, which he had only recently learned about, was bound in a prison.
Akurduana's twin swords spun. No xenos could block his view.
He calmly observed the battlefield. Every move Lord Nareth made possessed a natural, artistic quality.
A perfect balance of swift movement and powerful force, as brilliant as a painting.
The spark of inspiration burst within Akurduana's mind like fireworks.
To preserve the inspiration and imprint the image of Lord Nareth's painting on his mind, he charged towards a Cerabvore that had circled around the line.
Five meters from the Cerabvore, Akurduana's steps suddenly faltered.
Lucius, following close behind, rushed forward, but suddenly felt a bitterness in his throat and heaviness in his steps.
Lucius involuntarily slowed. He squinted, not wanting to witness the unparalleled swordsman's first wound.
Just as his eyes were about to close completely, he forced them open, bracing for the shattering of the myth.
He saw Akurduana's arm suddenly raise. The straight blade of Athena parried the crystal greatsword.
The curved blade of Timur followed, thrusting towards the curved arm.
As the blades crossed, Lucius keenly noticed Akurduana's movements were slightly slower than usual, as if spider silk clung to him.
Akurduana's eyes shone. For him, combat had always been as natural as watching a sunrise or listening to a melody.
Effortless, yet after a while, it became somewhat dull.
The melody was suddenly interrupted, giving him a new opportunity.
For the first time, Akurduana abandoned his combat instinct. Following the trajectory of Lord Nareth's blade, he swung his own.
Timur and Athena spun rapidly. With his twin swords, he practiced the imprint the blue-white blade had left in his mind.
The crystal greatsword was knocked away. The personal energy shield shattered.
Akurduana slew the Cerabvore. His body trembled slightly. He felt his steps grow lighter.
He abruptly turned his head, looking left.
A black-armored figure appeared and vanished in his vision in an instant.
It was Zahariel.
In one second, a Cerabvore's personal energy shield shattered, its body split into hundreds of pieces.
In two seconds, hundreds of xenos' bodies were torn apart.
After three seconds, Zahariel reappeared in view. His speed had noticeably slowed.
Zahariel's body grew cold. He saw a Cerabvore charging at him.
The "Midnight Poet" opened his mouth and recited a poem inspired by the book Meditations.
It was the work of the knight-poet and philosopher, Oreas, a favorite of his former mentor, Master Lamil.
"In the ancient pulse of the hushed forest deep, a veil of mist wraps secrets that sleep. The knight's steed crushes the dream of fallen leaves, armor gleaming like stars the night weaves."
"At his waist, the sword's cold light shines bright, concealing legends of valor, yet to see light."
"The knight's gaze, like a torch, pierces the forest's haze."
"The fearful knight seizes his faith, and loudly to the great beast he raises his challenge."
The soothing verses, softly echoing, brought a sudden daze to the minds of those who heard them, as if seeing tranquil moonlight, a calm, rippling lake.
The Cerabvore felt its body grow heavy, as if it could fall asleep standing up.
In his recitation, Zahariel revisited the memory of facing the lion-beast. Afraid, he had slain the mightiest beast.
Seeing the Cerabvore slow, the "Midnight Poet" continued reciting, simultaneously swinging his sword.
"Sword and claw collide, like thunder's crack. The knight's faith, firm as rock, in the storm he stands unbowed, his conviction, stronger than steel.
Fire lights the dark, courage makes the beast retreat."
Just as the Cerabvore regained awareness, the poem's atmosphere abruptly shifted, filling it with fear.
Zahariel was already before it, swinging his sword down.
Two Cerabvores attacked from left and right. Zahariel drew his sword, about to meet them, when two figures flashed out from beside him.
Balsar Kurthuri, Librarian of the 19th Legion, raised his hand, conjuring a psychic shield. Green flames clashed with crackling lightning.
Gren Vosotho, Chapter Master of the Ultramarines 1st Chapter, raised his hand, firing a burst of bolts at a Cerabvore.
Nareth's Honor Guard followed. With support, the knights looked into the distance.
He sensed an evil will suddenly appear far away.
The moment Zahariel's consciousness touched that will, he was struck as if by lightning.
He used his sword to support himself, just barely not kneeling.
Not far away, Balsar convulsed and knelt on one knee.
The Librarian was struck down by the evil will. Fortunately, he saw the Cerabvore before him also wilt and fall.
Vosotho casually killed the fallen Cerabvore with his combat knife, then looked ahead.
He saw Akurduana and Lucius had already pushed through the crowd, following Lord Nareth as they fought forward.
Lucius struggled to keep pace with Akurduana, engaging a construct.
The construct's tentacles casually extended sharp, bony blades, attacking like six swordsmen simultaneously.
Lucius's vision was filled with blades. Excitedly, he unleashed a storm of slashes and thrusts.
Blades clashed continuously. Lucius was forced to use the shield on his left arm to block the attacks.
Amidst the thunderous impacts, he suddenly leaped. His blade swept aside three bony blades. His shield blocked the other three.
His blade spun, severing the tooth-filled head.
In mid-air, Lucius finally saw the scene ahead.
He saw Akurduana spin, killing four constructs, and charge towards a worm-creature wrapped in a shroud.
Lucius's eyes widened in shock. He felt as if in a dream.
He saw the worm-creature swing its scepter. In the clash, it knocked Timur away.
Its other arm circled around Athena and grabbed hold of the power armor.
Akurduana was then sent flying.
Akurduana was wounded for the first time.
The unparalleled swordsman was instantly defeated.
The Slaugth Destroyer's slime tentacles, like pythons, reached for Akurduana on the ground. Suddenly, a blue-white light flashed.
Nareth flashed before Akurduana. He swung the Valhalla Sword, cleaving through a mass of worms.
The Slaugth Destroyer shrieked in pain. Its arm abruptly extended, swinging the necrotic scepter at Nareth's legs.
The "Baron of Corruption's" eyes flickered. The worm-creature's extending arm suddenly slowed, retracted by the power of "Distortion."
Akurduana stood, using Athena to support himself. He paid no attention to his wounds. His eyes were fixed on the spinning blue-white blade.
Nareth flicked his wrist. His blade, like unstoppable starlight, left gleaming trails on the Slaugth Destroyer's body. Shreds of worms scattered.
Each of Nareth's swings shone like a star.
The perfect painting, imprinted with a blue-white star.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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