The Bizarre Adventure of the Warhammer Guard

As the powerful energy released by the destruction of the energy core caused the main structure of the temple, constructed of rough stone and orcish craftsmanship, to groan under the strain.

The temple began to collapse, with huge cracks spreading along the floor and walls, and rubble and dust falling first from the dome.

"Retreat! Everyone retreat!" Kurland roared the order.

The Imperial Commander was in dire straits; his heavy Terminator armor was almost completely destroyed, riddled with countless cracks, and his machine spirit emitted a painful wail.

At this moment, more than half of the Astartes warriors in the decapitation squad had been killed, leaving fewer than thirty men, each bearing wounds of varying severity. Working together, they swiftly retreated, carrying their heavily wounded comrades.

Everyone's power backpacks were running at full capacity, their steps heavy yet swift, and the violent vibrations caused the already damaged floor to crack further, creating more ravines.

Elpis did not retreat immediately. He leaned on the Spear of the Moon, his eyes fixed on the energy pit that had devoured the Primarch and the beasts.

He knew that the Primarch possessed the constitution of an immortal being, capable of slowly resurrecting even after death, but he still wanted to see if the Primarch had any chance of survival, and also to confirm whether the Beast had truly been killed.

Within the deep pit, the raging Waaagh energy had not completely subsided. The green energy orb continued to churn, emitting thunderous roars, and an even larger energy pulse was brewing from the depths, about to burst forth.

"Vokhan," Elpis whispered, his voice drowned out by the deafening crash of the collapse.

Just then, the light at the center of the pit suddenly contracted inward, forcibly gathering and compressing all the dissipated energy flow.

After several tens of seconds of silence, a chilling green energy erupted from the deep pit, followed by another loud bang—the second explosion had occurred.

Centered on the burst of energy beams, a green hemispherical force field is generated outwards, expanding at a constant speed, destroying everything in its path.

The floor that was touched immediately collapsed, the solid stone pillars snapped instantly, and huge stones fell from above in large swathes, threatening to completely destroy the entire temple.

Elpis knew he had to go. He took one last look at the center of the contracting light, where the silver light flowed on the Spear of the Moon, and vanished the moment the force field was about to touch him.

The decapitation squad had withdrawn from the temple and continued moving towards the evacuation point. They sped along the collapsing road, dodging falling boulders and leaping over cracks in the ground.

Kurland looked up at the sky and saw that the Waaagh energy field that had been covering the orc palace had disappeared. He immediately contacted the troops still outside the palace via the communication channel and dispatched several Thunderhawks to pick them up and evacuate.

At the same time, he ordered the combat troops not to linger in the fighting and to prepare for a slow withdrawal, as their mission was complete.

Kurland didn't know how the beasts were doing, but he trusted the Primarch and believed that the Lord of the Dragons had dealt with the orcs' leader.

"Look at that temple!"

Sion's call drew Kurland's attention back to the orc temple they had retreated from in the distance. He saw a green energy beam shoot into the sky, followed by a green hemispherical force field that began to spread.

"Lord Elpis!" came another exclamation as Elpis's golden figure suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Is the beast dead?" Kurland rushed to Elpis's side and asked, "Did the Primarch kill it?"

"We can only trust him," Elpis replied, and continued moving.

The green force field extended for nearly three kilometers before rapidly slowing down and finally stopping.

As the massive green hemispherical force field perfectly balanced between expansion and contraction, the group stopped and turned to look at the edge of the force field, which was only a few hundred meters away from them.

Immediately afterwards, the force field collapsed inward rapidly. Within seconds, the entire temple, along with the surrounding orc buildings and the ground beneath it, caved inward amidst a chain of explosions and collapses, raising clouds of dust that blotted out the sky.

A massive crater, comparable to a small meteorite crater, appeared before everyone. Soil and rocks continued to slide down the crater walls, and green energy arcs occasionally flickered in the smoke and dust.

Everyone stared at the massive crater, silently observing the scene before them. The only sounds were the distant, chaotic cries of the orcs, now leaderless, and their incomprehensible howls.

At this moment, a point of green light appeared at the bottom of the giant pit. It was faint at first, but quickly became bright and stable, gradually forming a huge green light cluster.

The ball of light began to move, continuously rising, moving from the bottom of the pit towards the group.

A tall, imposing figure gradually came into focus within the green light. He walked slowly, each step leaving a footprint burning with green flames.

Then, he increased his speed, and the outline of the figure inside the ball of light became clearer and more complete. A moment later, he emerged from the giant crater, extending his right hand, which was surrounded by green light, and the Doomsday Tremor appeared directly on his hand.

"Primarch!" More than one person exclaimed in disbelief.

That was Vulcan, the great Lord of Fire Dragons, reborn from destruction. He seemed even larger and more powerful than before.

Just when everyone thought he would declare victory in a godlike manner, the light suddenly went out without warning.

The tall, imposing figure swayed, losing all support, and fell heavily backward to the ground with a muffled thud, raising a slight cloud of dust once more.

The crowd reacted quickly and rushed forward, gathering around the fallen giant. What they saw sent a chill down the spines of even these battle-hardened warriors.

Vulcan's body was almost entirely gone. His once magnificent form had lost all flesh and blood, leaving only a charred and broken skeleton.

The once powerful dragon scales had vanished without a trace, leaving only a few fragments fused together with the bones. Many bones were covered with fine cracks, and in some places even exhibited a strange crystalline state.

Only in the central area of ​​the chest cavity and inside the skull did an extremely faint, dark red light flicker, as if it might be extinguished at any moment, like a candle flickering in the wind.

"The life signal is extremely weak, but it exists." Kurland's voice was hoarse and filled with shock after a quick scan. "The Primarch is still alive."

After being subjected to an energy shock of this scale, the very existence of any life signal is a miracle, something that Kurland had never imagined.

"Take him away," Elpis said.

Elpis looked at the Doomsday Tremor, which only he could lift at this moment. He took a deep breath, gripped the hammer handle tightly with his right hand, and slowly raised it.

Elpis could feel the immense power contained within the warhammer. Only now did he realize the terrifying power of the Primarch. Even if he wanted to swing the warhammer with one hand, it was quite difficult for him.

Just then, the roar of the Thunderhawk gunboat's engine came from afar and clearly reached everyone's ears.