Nareth watched Akurduana walk down the slope, memories surfacing in his mind.
In the original Gardinaal Campaign, Akurduana, in his invincible form, had swept through all the Iron Hands' strong warriors except Ferrus in the dueling arena.
The former Legion Master, Storm Lord Amadeus DuCaine, and 1st Company Captain Gabriel Santor, were all easily defeated by him.
Among the other Legions, only a handful like Sigismund could match him.
Abaddon, without the blessings of the Four Gods, would not have an undefeated record against Akurduana either.
Nareth's gaze then fell on Thierry. He had no doubt that even without using abilities like the "Dawn Knight's" "Hurricane of Light," Thierry would win.
With a whistle, Timur and Athena leaped from their silk scabbards.
Akurduana stared at the massive, gleaming power sword in Thierry's hand, and the other blade, long by Astartes standards, but a short sword for Thierry.
"Excellent blades."
"Yours as well." As a seasoned "Weapon Master," a single glance allowed Thierry to see the admirable forging skills in the twin swords, along with runes he didn't recognize.
"Begin the Honor Duel," Arsena said succinctly.
The First Sword of the Palatine of the Emperor's Children and the First Sword of Shadows of Order charged towards each other simultaneously.
Twin swords met twin swords. Akurduana immediately felt his arms go numb.
Had he not been prepared, borrowing strength with his superb skill and flicking his wrists, his twin swords would have already been knocked from his hands.
Thierry clearly possessed strength matching his giant physique. Even the powerful Salamanders could not compare.
Akurduana didn't panic. Thierry was huge; he would use his own agility.
He took an oblique step, rotating his body. A swing, seemingly casual but as swift as the wind, aimed for Thierry's back.
Thierry channeled his faint psychic power into the psychic sword forged by the Kassai master-smith and swept it diagonally backward.
Lucius, lying in the rubble, heard Akurduana and Thierry exchange words, followed by the clash of blades.
He felt an itch in his heart, like countless insects crawling.
Lucius sprang up from the ground, then stumbled upon landing.
The numbness in his body had receded somewhat. Regaining partial mobility, he staggered towards the dueling ground.
Lucius saw Akurduana's swift footwork. Even with his eyes wide, he could barely follow the dazzling blade-light within the purple-gold storm.
Fulgrim's Firstborn was attacking even faster than before, faster than he ever had in the training cage, faster than against the xenos recently.
He was stronger.
Lucius gripped his own sword, examining himself. How long could he last in that storm of blades?
Before he could reach a conclusion, his attention was drawn to the black-armored giant.
Thierry's blade, leaping like a storm, pierced the purple-gold tempest.
His twin swords swept, raising clouds of dust, churning brilliant light all around.
Lucius was astonished to find Akurduana trying to avoid direct clashes, launching wave after wave of attacks with slashes and thrusts far faster than his own natural speed.
But he couldn't completely avoid the collisions. Where the blades met, fine sparks leaped.
The heavy power sword and the narrow short sword moved as if they were part of Thierry's body.
His control over the twin swords was even more effortless than Akurduana's.
The clash grew more frequent, like continuous ringing bells.
In the blade collision, the one losing ground was... Akurduana.
Fulgrim's Firstborn. First Sword of the Palatine. Leader of the Two Hundred Swords. Champion of the Palatine Blade...
Lucius could hardly believe what he was seeing. Another Astartes's swordsmanship surpassing Akurduana's.
Akurduana had always been the unparalleled swordsman. His defeat by the xenos was a matter of power disparity.
Nareth and his own father were Primarchs; their superior swordsmanship was only natural.
But today, he saw another Astartes completely overwhelm Akurduana.
Stevens's words echoed enduringly in his ears.
"Without the power bestowed by Father, I would have lost."
Lucius couldn't help but look up the slope, towards Lord Nareth.
'The power bestowed by Lord Nareth!'
A sharp crack brought his gaze back to the battlefield.
Lucius saw Akurduana sent flying. Upon landing, he hurriedly leaped back to evade the following blade.
Akurduana retreated repeatedly, struggling to parry Thierry's attacks.
His strength, his prized speed, his natural combat instincts, all were inferior to Thierry's.
He had heard of Thierry's name before, but never imagined his swordsmanship was so outstanding.
Even with his utmost effort, victory was impossible.
Akurduana watched the dazzling blade approach and raised his twin swords to meet it.
He knew they would be knocked away, but he had no other choice.
Just as the blades were about to clash, starlight burst in Akurduana's mind. The image of Nareth's blade piercing the xenos flashed brilliantly within him.
Akurduana's twin swords suddenly spun, unleashing a continuous barrage of thrusts.
Lucius's eyes couldn't follow the rapid thrusts.
Thierry, however, saw clearly: it was the Otsberg-Vaya 16th Form, which he had practiced since childhood.
Akurduana's attack far exceeded the limits of the Otsberg-Vaya 16th Form. Even after becoming a "Warrior" and then a Shadow of Order, Thierry himself couldn't have executed such a swift attack.
Admiringly, he swung his psychic sword to meet the rain of thrusts.
The gleaming blade suddenly expanded, enveloping the twin swords like a net.
As they passed, Akurduana was stunned to find his swords swept away by a tremendous force.
The moment his swords left his hands, he snapped back to reality.
The force sweeping away his swords wasn't Thierry's immense strength, but some skill beyond his understanding.
Balsar Kurthuri and Gren Vosotho stared in shock below. Akurduana had been so easily defeated by Thierry.
Luther and Zahariel exchanged glances, understanding that Thierry must have relied on the power bestowed by Lord Nareth to defeat the powerful Akurduana.
Akurduana stood stunned for a few seconds before coming to his senses. He stared at Thierry.
"How did you do that?"
"It originates from the Kssai sword arts. They call it the Gekuafu-style, pulling back from the brink." Thierry sheathed his sword, looking admiringly at Akurduana.
"But being able to train it to this level is all thanks to my Lord's bestowal."
Akurduana nodded. He looked up the slope at the black-armored, golden-winged figure and declared loudly,
"Lord Nareth, I wish to witness Your power."
He longed to experience it himself, to clarify the vague image in his mind.
Nareth's golden wings beat once, and he landed on the ground.
"Very well."
Nareth watched Akurduana retrieve his twin swords, recalling from memory how Ferrus had earned his loyalty, and how Akurduana had died to prevent Ferrus from being struck by the Gardinaal's ring weapon.
Akurduana had already witnessed his swordsmanship firsthand. Now, he would use absolute power, surpassing Ferrus's, to complete the final "corrosion."
Akurduana spun his twin swords. He feinted with Timur, drawing Nareth's attention, then thrust Athena at the Primarch's right leg.
The "Baron of Corruption's" muscles bulged. His waist and back twisted. His arm swung, launching a strike like a Titan's missile.
The masterwork sword forged by the Terran smith shattered.
The ancient runes shattered.
The power armor's chestplate caved in. The Imperial Aquila was smashed into two ragged halves. Golden feathers flew, shattering in mid-air.
Before Akurduana's senses could register the pain, he was already flying, then crashing heavily into a collapsed structure.
The force broke more of his bones, driving his body like a bulldozer through the debris.
Amidst the sky-filled dust, a mixture of fear and exhilaration flooded Akurduana's entire being.
He slammed into the hard metal surface of the artificial war satellite and skidded dozens of meters before stopping.
Five days later, Akurduana awoke on the Apothecary's bed.
He opened his eyes, unfocused. The approaching fist lingered in his mind.
That massive fist held irresistible power, shattering the masterwork-forged Athena.
Then the blue-white light leaped, the starlight piercing the xenos flashing brightly.
"My Lord, are you alright?"
Lucius's concerned voice sounded in his ear, snapping Akurduana back to reality.
"I'm fine."
Akurduana rose and said to Lucius, "Come with me."
Moments later, Lucius exchanged nods with Stevens and followed Akurduana into the Primarch's Office.
"You're awake." Nareth leaned back on his throne, speaking with a smile.
"Yes, my Lord," Akurduana replied, then knelt.
"My Lord, I will lead the Second Company to swear fealty to You."
Lucius hesitated for a moment; he wasn't part of the Second Company, then followed Akurduana and knelt.
Nareth looked at the "corroded" Akurduana, a similar oath of fealty to Ferrus echoing in his memory.
'Ferrus, sorry for snatching your little fanboy first.'
'Fulgrim, sorry for taking your most beloved firstborn.'
'Slaanesh... well, nothing to apologize for there.'
As he pondered, he rose from his throne, walked before them, drew the Valhalla Sword, "stole the concept" to transform it into a knight's blade, and rested it on the shoulders of Akurduana and Lucius in turn.
"I accept your fealty."
"I will grant you power, making you even finer swordsmen."
Ten minutes later, the newly promoted "Warriors," Akurduana and Lucius, knelt again.
"Thank You, my Lord, for Your gift."
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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