Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 279 Seal the Great Demon
Ahriman stared at the bloodthirsty madman before him, psionic runes flashing around him, and the eerie blue psionic flames clashed violently with the demon's crimson evil light in the space.

The Great Demon roared, raising its black flame battle axe high before slashing down—the air twisted and burned as the axe blade sliced ​​through it, as if even the very fabric of reality was about to be torn apart by this strike.

Ahriman clasped his hands together, and a psionic barrier suddenly appeared, forcefully blocking the battle axe's strike.

Energy surged, the ground cracked, and his power boots sank deep into a pool of blood.

But he did not back down. Instead, he took advantage of the situation and raised his hand, unleashing a blinding bolt of psionic lightning from his palm, which struck the demon's chest.

“Thar’gazh!” Ahriman shouted, and the ancient incantation of the Thousand Sons reverberated in the air.

The psionic lightning transformed into countless chains, binding the bloodthirsty berserker's limbs and forcing it to its knees.

The demon roared and struggled, its bronze armor sparking as it was bound by psionic energy, but the runic chains tightened their grip, even beginning to burn its flesh.

Just as Ahriman was preparing to further suppress the demon, a dark figure leaped out from the shadows—a man wearing a tattered gray robe, his face hidden by a hood, revealing only a pair of cold, gleaming eyes.

He held a bone fragment inscribed with ancient characters in his hand, his voice low and hoarse:
"Its real name is—Khar'zath the Bloodreaper!"

The moment his true name was uttered, the bloodthirsty monster let out a deafening shriek, as if his soul was being torn apart.

Its form began to twist, its flesh and blood dissolved like molten wax, the black flame battle axe trembled violently, and the skull embedded in the back of the axe emitted a mournful wail.

Ahriman seized the opportunity, forming hand seals, and psionic runes wrapped around the battle axe like chains, forcibly sealing the essence of the demon within.

In the end, the bloodthirsty demon's form completely collapsed, turning into a crimson beam of light that was absorbed into the battle axe.

The black flames on the axe blade suddenly went out, replaced by eerie blue psionic patterns flowing across the axe surface, as if the demon's soul was still struggling within them.

The man in the gray robe took a step back, seemingly unwilling to linger.

Ahriman turned to him, his psychic senses trying to penetrate the other's hood, but he only felt emptiness.

"Who are you?" Ahriman asked in a deep voice.

The man didn't answer, only chuckled softly, his figure vanishing like smoke into the blood mist, leaving only his last words echoing in the air: "This axe will crave more..."

Ahriman looked down at the battle axe in his hand; the blade trembled slightly, as if whispering. He knew he had just created an extremely dangerous demonic weapon—but sometimes, to fight chaos, one must harness the power of chaos itself.

He gripped the axe handle tightly, psionic runes flashing in his palm, temporarily suppressing it.

The battle is over, but a far greater conspiracy is just beginning...
-
After Ahriman swiftly and decisively dealt with the summoned bloodthirsty demon, the rebellion in the entire hive city came to an abrupt halt, as if it had been choked.

Or rather, when the Supreme Wizard of the Thousand Sons truly unleashed his power, the so-called "rebellion" was nothing more than a farce that could be easily wiped away.

As the undisputed number one human psionicist in GW, Ahriman's strength, while not comparable to the old man on the Golden Throne, the silver-haired boy pretending to be old, or even the one-eyed, sunburned Oglin, is undeniable. Even without the power of a true psionic being, suppressing a rebellion on a planet is still quite simple for him.

No need for fleet bombardment, no need for Space Marines to drop in; his vast, ocean-like psionic power alone is enough to plow through every inch of the earth—rebels, civilians, and even mutated creatures underground will all be reduced to ashes in this psionic storm.

But such "efficiency" will inevitably attract the attention of certain entities.

Ahriman knew very well that when the killing reached a certain point, the one on the bronze throne would cast an approving glance, which was the last thing he needed at that moment.

After all, for the Blood God, a spectacular massacre is the best sacrifice, and whether the butcher himself is willing or not is completely irrelevant.

Although, in common sense, massacring unarmed civilians would hardly win the favor of the Blood God, since such a tedious massacre lacks the glory of a warrior.

But when you kill enough, enough to flood the entire continent with blood, enough to pile up skulls into a towering structure, Khorne will make an exception and cast an approving glance.

This kobold on the bronze throne is an anomaly among the evil gods: he doesn't need complex schemes like Tzeentch, he doesn't impose twisted compassion like Nurgle, and he doesn't pursue the pleasure of depravity like Slaanesh.

In a sense, he is even the most "pure" and "generous" of the four Chaos Gods. As long as you offer enough blood and slaughter, he will grant you power. It's simple, direct, and honest.

But it is precisely this “generosity” that is most deadly to non-Chaos believers.

Throughout the history of the Milky Way, countless warriors originally fought only for justice, but because they fought too bravely, they unknowingly gained the "favor" of the Blood God.

You might simply want to protect your homeland and fight bravely on the battlefield; you might just be carrying out an extermination order and faithfully eliminating every heretic; or you might just be unleashing astonishing fighting power in despair.
But when you come to your senses, you find your skin turning red, your lips unconsciously chanting the holy name of the Blood God, and the eternal war horn echoing in your ears—congratulations, Khorne has unilaterally declared you his demon prince.

This kind of "forced sale" blessing is exactly what Ahriman is trying to avoid at this moment.

As a Thousand Sons wizard who was well-versed in the nature of the warp, he knew better than anyone else that a deal with Chaos was never something you could decide when to start, but once it began, it could never be stopped.

Although Ahriman was just a pawn and wouldn't actually fall into depravity or die, he didn't want to face such a fate.

Therefore, Ahriman carefully controlled his power output, acting like a precise surgeon, only striking at the most crucial moment.

When the tide of war began to turn in favor of the Empire, he immediately withdrew, leaving the task of eliminating the remaining enemy forces entirely to the Inquisition and other Imperial armed forces.

He himself, under the pretext of needing to further seal the demonic battle axe, returned to the headquarters of the Holy Church in the Upper Nest sector, attempting to use the power of the Imperial Faith to suppress the demonic weapon.

However, while suppressing the demonic weapon, Ahriman was also thinking about who the mysterious person he had encountered earlier was, and why he knew the true name of this bloodthirsty monster and helped him seal it away.

This clearly indicates that there may be deeper secrets hidden behind the rebellion that broke out in the Mariupol sector.

(End of this chapter)