Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 349 Legion Champion
Inside the arena, the audience was still screaming and shouting.

Today marks the end of the festivities; the two-year-long military skills competition has reached its final stage.

In the VIP section, Bjorn of the Space Wolves, clad in winter-colored rune power armor, let out a fierce howl.

The little wolf quickly gathered his brother's ashes, put on his power armor, and hurriedly went to the arena with his cousin to watch the final match.

Amarans was beside him.

The scabs on the Blood Angel's burns fell off, revealing a handsome, fair face. His charred hair was shaved off, and his bright bald head stood out in the crowd.

Together with the nobles from the Nur constellation, they shouted and screamed for the final battle, raising their arms in celebration for the warriors in the arena.

In the grand arena, two tall warriors, shirtless and wearing only shorts to cover their bodies, stood facing each other, swords drawn.

John Wick. He is an undisputed powerful warrior who has reached the finals in the Primarch Guard competition. He only needs to defeat his opponent, and the title of "Legion Champion" will belong to him.

The person opposite John was someone no one expected.

He was known in the legion, not for his warrior prowess, but for a different kind of heavy responsibility.

Hippocrates—this Legionary apothecary had unexpectedly defeated many of his brothers and entered the finals undefeated, much to the surprise of all his comrades.

The servants quickly stepped forward and installed limiters on the backs of the two men, restricting their strength to the same level.

This was a last resort. Many of the Legion's warriors had surpassed the level of their original brothers in power due to their slaughter of demons, so some restrictions had to be imposed to make the honor contest as fair as possible.

On the high platform, Doom sat on the throne, with Harlan and others standing beside him, watching the final match together.

"Who do you think will win?" Harlan asked quietly, turning his head as he configured the limiter, a strange urgency in his eyes.

He watched the entire competition and knew that even with his experience, he couldn't judge who was better in this evenly matched contest.

Doom glanced at Harlan's anxious expression and, knowing his old friend's temperament well, instantly understood his urgency.

"You placed a bet?"

From the moment the selection for the Honor Guard began, casinos appeared on the outskirts, with nobles who came to watch the ceremony placing bets to increase their sense of participation.

Everyone knows that in order to enter the Primarch Honor Guard, warriors will go all out and there is absolutely no possibility of them throwing matches.

In an absolutely fair game, some people make a fortune while others lose everything.

Doom didn't expect that Harlan O'Gleevey, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, would also place a bet.

This is not surprising!

Over the past year, the Oglieve family has acquired many valuable collectibles at their mansion, apparently due to their windfall from gambling.

Doom didn't name names directly, but instead asked Harlan, "Who do you think is better?"

“John Wick,” Harlan answered without hesitation, “He’s very similar to me, practically another me.”

"Don't talk about that yet, tell me who will win!" The champion swordsman was anxious; the betting was about to close, and there wouldn't be many more opportunities to make money.

Not only him, but Sena, who was sitting next to the throne, was also restless, while the serious Erica turned her face away in embarrassment.

Doom didn't even need to think about it; every single person around him was involved in the gambling.

"A little gambling is harmless, but excessive gambling is harmful to health."

He sighed helplessly and said under the intense gazes of everyone, "John might lose."

Upon hearing this, some people's brows relaxed and they smiled broadly, while others' expressions changed and they immediately felt relieved.

Seeing the different emotions and feelings of the crowd, Doom nodded, knowing that they were just playing a small game and simply participating.

Harlan, however, looked indignant and quickly raised his hand to send a message, instructing his agent to switch to a different stock before the market closed, in order to minimize the losses.

Doom couldn't help but ask curiously, "How much did you bet?"

"all!"

Without a doubt, the champion swordsman became the center of attention. Everyone on the platform looked at him. Sena gave his old friend a thumbs up, while Erica looked at him with disdain as if he were an idiot.

“You guys don’t know anything!” Harlan said with a disdainful look as he busied himself changing his bets. “All-in is a kind of wisdom.” Seeing his smug look, Doom sneered and said, “Let me make it clear first, John is only ‘possible’ of losing, and Hippocrates is not guaranteed to win either. The difference in their strength is minimal.”

"When you lose everything, what do you think old man Xilan will do? He'll be eager to take his granddaughter back."

Harlan's smug expression froze, his face turning ashen instantly, cold sweat seeping from his forehead and trickling down the wounds on his face.

Doom's words pierced Harlan's heart like a sharp blade, plunging him into an icy abyss.

The champion swordsman was terrified at the thought of Xilan triumphantly taking his lover away. He looked to the crowd for help, but all he got in return was ridicule.

Just as the atmosphere on stage was lively, the competition began in the arena.

Harlan slumped to the ground in the stands. The betting market had already closed. All his assets were tied up in one person, and there was no chance to split them up to hedge the risks.

clang--!
Swords clashed amidst the roars of the crowd, igniting the passion of the arena!
Harlan instantly perked up, forgetting all his wealth, and threw himself into the competition. Such a fierce battle was rare, and even losing all his wealth was worth it.

John made the first move, his expression cold, the blade in his hand slicing through the air, the cold wind of December sweeping in with sharp frost.

In an instant, instinct and skill merged perfectly, and the twin swords struck out hundreds of times, transforming into cold stars in the wind, flashing and emitting the most dangerous cold light.

Ding~ding~ding~ding~
The ice shards carried by the fierce wind were like hitting a steel wall; though not overwhelmingly powerful, they did not achieve anything.

Hippocrates's face remained calm and composed, showing no sign of competitiveness. Yet, the greatsword in his hand moved with uncanny agility, precisely striking within John's storm of blades and deflecting the oncoming onslaught.

The two clashed so fiercely that the wind whipped up by their swords formed tiny tornadoes that twisted and swirled in all directions.

"it is good!!!"

The audience cheered for them. Although they couldn't see the specific sword moves clearly, the dense, locust-like sword light was clearly visible, giving a glimpse into how intense the battle between the two was.

Most of those present couldn't see the specifics of the exchange; it was all happening too fast.

Even the Night Guard's eyesight couldn't match it; only the Royal Guard and the Destroyer could see the moves clearly, yet they were still astonished by the fierce battle between the two.

On the high platform, apart from Doom, only Harlan was watching with great interest, while the others could not see the whole picture.

Needless to say, Doom is one of the pinnacles of the physical universe, and he can easily see through the two men's sword moves, even seeing their flaws.

As for Harlan Ogrivi, having drunk the primordial essence brewed by the ancient saints, his level of life was already extraordinary. Coupled with the many blessings bestowed by Khorne, his formidable fighting power was beyond imagination.

Amidst the roar of the audience, the two exchanged blows a thousand times, their swords clashing, creating a sonic boom like a surging tide.

"Why?" In the midst of the fierce exchange, a longsword pierced through his cheek, and a puzzled question came through the mental link: "Why did you choose to become a pharmacist?"

John couldn't understand why such a powerful swordsman had never shown his skills in the legion, but instead had taken the initiative to serve as the legion's apothecary.

Having dodged the incoming sword, Hippocrates raised his longsword, its cunning blade aimed directly at his brother's armpit, breaking the relentless onslaught.

"Swordsmanship is my hobby, and being a pharmacist is my duty."

Hippocrates slightly turned to dodge another incoming rapier and responded to his brother's mental question: "I only want to prove to the Primarch that I am capable enough to serve as an apothecary."

John abruptly retracted his twin swords, regrouped for an attack, and swiftly thrust out with one hand while slashing down with the other, combining attacks to block the opponent's movement.

“I don’t understand. As a Legion apothecary, I don’t need such powerful martial arts skills.”

“Quite the opposite, my brother.” Hippocrates’ expression hardened, and he launched his first counterattack, his greatsword slamming down with the force of thunder, forcing John to parry with both swords. “I believe I am not strong enough!”

"The battlefield is fraught with danger, and sacrifices can happen at any time. I must have the ability to snatch the genetic seed back from the clutches of danger."

His attack shifted immediately, the greatsword pressing down on the twin swords with a hissing sound, the immense power causing the limiter to sound an alarm. "I must ensure the legacy left by my brothers."

John remained silent, his rapier trembling slightly, unable to parry the powerful two-handed greatsword.

To achieve victory, he had to take risks.

With incredible speed, he drew a rapier from his parrying stance and thrust it toward Hippocrates' neck, hoping to secure victory with a fatal blow.

John was quick, but Hippocrates was even faster!
With his right hand pressing down on the heavy sword, his left hand transformed into a claw and slammed down. Amidst the audience's exhausted screams, the outcome was decided.

(There's one more chapter, but it'll be very late.)
(End of this chapter)