Warhammer, I really didn't intend to form a second empire!

Not bad, this kid is definitely skilled enough to be sent out for an honor duel; at least his physical strength is quite impressive.

When charging into battle, a strong physique is very useful, especially after wearing a Terminator suit, which makes you even stronger, practically a human mini-tank.

If you encounter these "beasts" in a confined space, such as inside the bridge passage of a fleet, then no amount of skill can compare to the Terminator's powerful punch and savage ramming.

The power armor that can be called tactically fearless is not just for show.

Qin Qiong's impression of Abaddon improved slightly; the kid was alright, able to stand up even after being seriously injured.

Seeing Abaddon stand up, Qin Qiong also calmed down a bit, and his gaze became serious again.

He put away his power mace. Since the opponent's physical strength was decent, there was no need for him to waste the iron lump. Besides, he wanted to give Abaddon a fair chance to fight.

After all, he was already a relatively senior member of the Astartes, and playing like this was indeed a bit unfair to the young Abaddon.

Qin Qiong stood there waiting for Abaddon to recover a little. He could feel that the superhuman organs in Abaddon's body were working at an accelerated pace, and the life support device in the Terminator power armor was also working hard to stabilize his injuries.

Abaddon's gaze and fighting spirit sharpened once more.

The honor of the entire legion rests on his shoulders. How can he be so easily defeated by others? And in such a humiliating way?

He raised his longsword and slowly walked towards Qin Qiong. The Terminator armor, which should have been as light as a swallow for him, now felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

Qin Qiong also took a step forward, the living metal on his gauntlets gleaming with a ghostly green luster under the light.

Can we still fight? Then let's continue!

The greatest respect you can show to your opponent is to go all out and beat them to their knees!

Abaddon growled and quickened his pace, charging forward once more.

He abandoned his most familiar experience and used a direct thrust to aim at the center of Qin Qiong's breastplate, charging forward with all his might, trying to break through Qin Qiong's defense with speed and weight.

Qin Qiong did not dodge. Just as Abaddon's sword tip was about to touch his breastplate, he raised his huge power gauntlet and pinched the tip of Abaddon's sword tightly with two fingers.

No matter how powerful Abaddon was, he could not advance an inch at this moment.

His center of gravity was completely shifted by the block, and he staggered forward a step. As he tried to regain his balance, Qin Qiong's left fist had already slammed solidly into the side of his helmet.

With a muffled thud, Abaddon's head tilted to one side, and a fleeting afterimage of alternating white light and shadow flashed through his vision. His balance system was temporarily disabled by the impact of the attack.

He staggered back two steps to the side, barely managing to maintain his posture thanks to the power armor's servo system, but the side of his helmet was dented, and the sensor readings became somewhat chaotic for a moment.

Abaddon shook his head twice, trying to regain his vision, but Qin Qiong's second attack came right after.

This time, Qin Qiong didn't use his fist, but instead used his right shoulder to push forward, knocking Abaddon's body, which hadn't yet regained its footing, backward again, but he didn't let him fall to the ground.

Qin Qiong grabbed Abaddon's belt with his left hand, pulling him back to his original position the instant he leaned back. Then, his right fist struck upwards from below, landing precisely in the center of Abaddon's breastplate.

The power armor's chest plate dented inward from the impact, and the internal structure made a slight cracking sound.

Abaddon let out a muffled sound as he tried to look down at the condition of his breastplate, but Qin Qiong's next attack left him no time to observe.

At the edge of the arena, Horus stood in the shadows, watching the battle unfold, his fingertips lightly tapping the edge of his arm armor.

He could tell that Zhao Zheng's protégé had not yet used his full strength, while Abaddon had already reached his limit.

Horus was already hesitating whether to speak up and admit defeat for Abaddon, but he knew Abaddon's character better than anyone else. Even if he had only his last breath, this stubborn and tenacious son would not take the initiative to back down.

Taking the initiative to admit defeat for him is no different from killing him.

Qin Qiong stopped again during this smooth, slightly unforced combo. Abaddon had no chance left, and the duel had long since lost its meaning.

He turned to look at Zhao Zheng; if the fighting continued, Abaddon would really die.

It's normal for honor duels to result in death, but generally this doesn't happen, and Qin Qiong was also hesitant about whether to continue.

Zhao Zheng did not answer, but looked at Horus. He wanted to know what Horus would do.

Abaddon would certainly not surrender voluntarily; only Horus had the right to admit defeat on his behalf.

So, is it better to sacrifice one's offspring for the honor of the legion and one's own pride, or to sacrifice all of that for Abaddon?

Honor and face are absolutely more important than winning a war; that's just how the Warhammer world is.

Fortunately, Zhao Zheng managed to reverse this bad trend among his descendants; otherwise, they would probably have become obsessed as well.

Zhao Zheng's lips curled up slightly, his eyes filled with amusement. Looking at Horus's equally conflicted and hesitant face, he felt a sense of satisfaction.

For some reason, Zhao Zheng suddenly felt incredibly evil. How could he treat his own brothers like this?!

But it was really satisfying to see Horus looking so embarrassed!

Make a decision, Lupecal.

Choosing an heir was ultimately for the sake of a good reputation, to avoid giving Zhao Zheng a bad reputation for disrespecting or even looking down on his brotherhood.

"It's not over yet!"

Just then, a roar came from the dueling arena. Abaddon had thrown away his helmet, let out a roar, and charged at Qin Qiong again.

Still making money?!

It has to be said, Abaddon's health bar is really thick. He didn't die even after taking so many hits from Qin Qiong. No wonder he is a tough guy in the official history who could take a powered punch head-on without armor during the Great Rebellion and the 40K.

Judging from this posture, it's obvious that he's probably chanted "For the Legion and Primarch" countless times in his mind, just wanting to unleash a burst of power and turn the tide of battle.

The Warhammer universe is full of such cases. Abaddon himself created one. After all, in a world where both idealism and materialism exist, it's not unreasonable to suddenly give everyone a shock.

Unfortunately, standing before him was precisely the greatest nemesis of the idealistic world, the legion that specifically countered green-skinned bean sprouts of chaos and the warp. Abaddon's power surge was at most a final burst of energy before his death.

Qin Qiong blocked Abaddon's charge without flinching, standing as firm as a city wall.

"You've already lost, Abaddon."

"I haven't lost yet, I..."

Qin Qiong delivered an uppercut, and Abaddon instantly lost all consciousness.

Horus, having finally grasped the situation, stopped struggling. His paternal love overwhelmed everything else. But just as he was about to call a stop, the situation changed again.

Taking advantage of the moment Abaddon was pushed back, Qin Qiong took a half-step back, then with almost no warning, he cut into Abaddon's defenses from the side, his right hand outstretched, aiming straight for Abaddon's head.

Five fingers precisely gripped Abaddon's head, the living metal-covered knuckles tightly pinching Abaddon's spiky braid and face.

Abaddon was already unconscious and unable to resist, but the pain made him instinctively raise his arm.

The metal hand tightened, lifting Abaddon's entire head and body off the ground. Abaddon's body hovered in mid-air for about two seconds before Qin Qiong threw him away with a forward motion.

Abaddon's body slammed onto the deck with a dull thud, and he slid for more than ten meters before coming to a stop, motionless.

Qin Qiong stood in the center of the field, released his grip on the hand that was still in a clenching position, turned his head, and glanced at Abaddon's landing point.

He crouched down and planted his longsword about three inches from the side of Abaddon's head on the deck.

The deck was completely quiet.

Someone from Shadowmoon Wolf's side wanted to take a step forward, but was pulled back by the person next to them.

Asimand stood at the edge of the deck, his gaze darting between Qin Qiong and Abaddon. His hand unconsciously rested on the hilt of his sword, but he ultimately did not draw it.

Cyranus hurriedly ran over from the edge of the deck, bent down to check Abaddon's condition, and confirmed that he was only seriously injured and unconscious, which triggered the meninges of apparent death. He turned to look in Horus's direction, did not speak, and just nodded.

Qin Qiong didn't say anything, then turned around and walked towards Zhao Zheng.

"Let's go back and continue discussing the attack plan. What a boring battle."

"Is this what an honor duel is? It's not even as intense as your usual training. You call this an honor duel? Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you? You dare to have an honor duel?"

Zhao Zheng glanced in Horus's direction, then spoke, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the person on the other side to hear clearly.

Horus clenched his fists at his sides, his knuckles turning white from the force.

But he didn't say anything, he just had people carry Abaddon away.

"Oh, right, Horus, don't forget, Vengeance is already mine. Prepare another flagship as soon as possible. I don't like people telling me what to do on my warships."

"Oh, and another thing, someone like you should just go back to Terra and cling to the Emperor's coattails. Just stay put and be your chieftain. Is this battlefield a place for you?"

"The Shadowmoon Wolf can't even beat an alien under your command, and you have to send us to clean up the mess for you. And you still think you can take control from me?"

"I think you should hand over command of the Shadowmoon Wolves to me. I'll lead them to an even more glorious peak. As for you, you can just stay on Terra and provide gene seeds in peace."

"After all, that's about all you're good for."

These words were like a needle, piercing Horus's heart, which was already filled with rage.

He stood at the edge of the barge deck, his gaze passing over the distance between the two men and landing on Zhao Zheng's back.

"You won the duel, but that doesn't mean you can humiliate me and my legion here."

Horus spoke, his voice low, but a light had already ignited in his light gray pupils, like a piece of iron that had been repeatedly hammered turning red under high temperature.

"Your legion has been stagnant in the Merodo Sector for almost a year. I brought my fleet to help you clean up the mess, and instead of expressing any gratitude, you tried to seize control of the battle through a duel of honor."

"Your offspring lost without a doubt, and now you're trying to save face in front of me."

"Horus, you don't actually believe that your reputation in the Empire is something you earned on your own merits, do you?"

"Without the Emperor backing you up, what makes you think you can compare to me? Are you even qualified? If you continue to be so useless, the Emperor will eventually be disappointed in you! At that time, I don't think you'll even have the right to speak to me."

Horus's breathing became rapid, and his lips moved, but he did not make a sound immediately.

He stood at the edge of the barge deck light, the light in his light gray pupils growing increasingly intense, slowly burning away the suppressed anger.

Zhao Zheng heard footsteps behind him, heavy and powerful, each step seeming to crush the deck, followed by the sound of wind.

Horus charged forward immediately after Zhao Zheng finished speaking, without any response or warning. His right power fist, crackling with a red force field, slammed towards Zhao Zheng's head.

His speed was extremely fast, and the power of the original body was too great and authoritative. Even Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong did not react in time.

But the fist did not land on Zhao Zheng's head.

When the fist reached about half an arm's length away from his side, Zhao Zheng turned around, raised his left hand, spread his five fingers, and steadily caught Horus's fist in his palm.

Everyone on the deck was stunned. No one expected Horus to actually make a move, and even fewer expected Zhao Zheng to take his full-force punch so easily.

Zhao Zheng's hand was still holding Horus's fist. He turned his head slightly and whispered in Horus's ear.

"You are too slow, Horus."

Then he twisted his wrist, turning Horus's right arm outward, causing his massive body to spin half a circle, before releasing his grip and pushing it outward.

Horus retreated more than ten meters before he could barely stand.

"Whether it's the emperor's favor or the emperor's favor, you can only dream about these things. In the real world, you can never beat me."

"The Emperor will probably lose interest in you soon. After all, only Primarchs like me are his favorites. With enough taxes paid, and the efficiency of the Great Crusade far surpassing all of yours, then you, the Prime Minister..."

"Shut up!"

Horus's eyes were bloodshot, and his handsome face was gradually becoming distorted, his huge body trembling incessantly.

These were the words he least wanted to hear, and they were the deepest thorn in his heart!

Wasn't his great expedition all for the sake of fulfilling the emperor's dream of a great expedition and saving humanity?

Now that the attack plan has been thwarted and Zhao Zheng has mocked him, he is already consumed by rage and has lost his mind. No matter how much the people behind him, such as Seyanus, try to persuade him, they have even rushed over to try to mediate the conflict between the two.

Unfortunately, Horus was no longer listening at this point.

"What, you want to prove you deserve the title of First Return? Then come over here, our duel for honor has just begun."

Zhao Zheng no longer held back and unleashed a punch with a speed that Horus couldn't even react to.

The immense force sent Horus flying backward, and a large section of his white-gold armor began to shatter from his chest.

The Shadowmoon Wolves tried to come up and help, but they were all stopped by the Royal Guard. Their superior combat strength made them easy targets, and they were taken down in just a few moves, unable to provide any support.

"Cough cough cough~"

Blood trickled from Horus's mouth; the force of the punch instantly brought him to his senses.

He almost forgot that this was one of the few offspring whose strength was second only to his own, even his father had to admit.

"Go back and bring back the Vengeance Soul as soon as possible, then roll back to Terra and have a good cry with the Emperor. Maybe he'll give you a second Queen of Glory?"

"Let's go, don't waste time here. We still need to deal with the aliens in this sector. If we're too slow, the Emperor might not be satisfied and send people over to help us. That would be a huge loss of face."

Zhao Zheng boarded the Lishan with a mocking expression, and the guards followed him away, leaving only the Shadow Moon Wolves lying on the ground and Horus, who was already somewhat haggard, kneeling on the ground.

……

"Your Majesty, I dare to ask you a question."

Kongming was already waiting on the Lishan, and had watched the entire duel of honor from there using his psionic powers.

He now deeply regrets letting Zhao Zheng agree to this honor duel.