Chapter 32: The Execution (Part 1)

Barbarus, Northern Mountains, Xenos Overlord Necare Territory, Mountain Summit.

Now.

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On the highest peak of Barbarus, toxic fog silently swirled and lingered.

With a sudden rush of wind, Mortarion, the Primarch, crossed the half-court distance of a basketball court in a fraction of a second!

Silent, intense rage burned in Mortarion's eyes as he raised his war scythe with the momentum of his charge—

Clang!

Thunk!

Mortarion's full-force strike was blocked by Necare's massive scythe, Oblivion. 

Sparks flew from the clash of the two scythes, illuminating the fury in Mortarion's eyes.

Necare held his scythe with both hands, using the shaft to firmly resist Mortarion's blade. 

For a moment, man and Xenos were locked in a fierce struggle. Mortarion, channeling all his strength, twisted his scythe and struck downward with all his might, the solid rock beneath his feet cracking under the pressure.

Compared to Mortarion's seething anger, Necare, who was deflecting the blow, seemed almost amused by Mortarion's rage.

Taking advantage of Mortarion's downward strike, the towering Xenos Overlord crouched and withdrew his scythe, breaking the delicate balance of power between them in an instant. 

Mortarion quickly shifted his stance, swinging his scythe horizontally and then hooking it forward, but Necare had already anticipated this move. 

After retreating with his scythe, Necare leaped back, gripping his weapon with one hand while extending the other towards Mortarion.

A bizarre black-green psychic energy surged violently between Necare's outstretched fingers.

"My pitiful son!"

The psychic energy erupted, distorting the surrounding space. 

But unlike in his youth, Mortarion was no longer frightened. 

Instead, he laughed bitterly.

"It seems you never cared to find out what your child has been up to all these years down the mountain!"

Before Mortarion had even finished speaking, Necare suddenly felt the space around him grow oppressive. 

His connection to the Warp was weakening, and the physical laws of reality began to press in on him.

The psychic energy in Necare's hand exploded prematurely before it had reached the level of power he desired.

At the same time, Mortarion, who had anticipated this outcome, lunged forward with his scythe aimed directly at Necare's neck!

Necare was momentarily stunned by the unexpected turn of events but quickly regained his composure. 

With Mortarion's scythe already at his side and no time to dodge, Necare couldn't raise his own scythe in defense. 

Instead, he extended his hand to catch Mortarion's strike, taking the blow head-on.

Necare's right hand was severed, blood spraying, but he managed to block Mortarion's lethal strike.

Seeing that he had the upper hand, Mortarion immediately pressed the attack, his scythe raining down in rapid succession, forcing Necare into a desperate defense with no opportunity to counterattack.

Something's wrong! There's another person here!

And it's an Untouchable!

Necare finally realized that he had been outmaneuvered by Mortarion. 

The initial charge hadn't been out of anger from his taunts; it was to cover for a second person!

That person must be a mortal, unable to directly engage in their battle. 

That's why Mortarion created an opening for him to join the fight, catching Necare off guard when he attempted to use his sorcery.

He had been careless! 

Necare never imagined a mere human could reach the summit.

While grappling with Mortarion, Necare diverted a sliver of his attention to locate this Untouchable. 

Untouchables can shield themselves from being seen, especially by psykers, making them even harder to detect.

This meant Necare couldn't directly sense the presence of this second person. 

But if he didn't find and kill the Untouchable, Necare wouldn't be able to use his sorcery properly!

He quickly scanned the area, and finally, Necare detected a sickeningly strong presence behind him to the right—

There!

Necare "saw" him!

"Don't get distracted!"

Mortarion's scythe came swinging again, but Necare, having locked onto his target, sneered and took the blow with his severed right arm!

The right arm slid smoothly off Mortarion's sharp scythe, thick blood reluctantly trailing along the blade. 

Without another block or parry, Necare spun around in a massive leap, swinging Oblivion in a wide arc—aiming for the Untouchable!

He couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the Untouchable, but he gambled by exposing his back to Mortarion.

As long as Necare's next strike hits the Untouchable, and as long as Mortarion's next strike doesn't kill him, then victory will be his!

Thunk!

The feedback of power suddenly traveled through the scythe's shaft.

Necare smiled—he had made the right gamble.

Only by making direct contact with the "Untouchable" could Necare barely make out the blurred human figure.

The armor, already corroded and falling apart from the toxic gas, creaked. 

The small figure barely reached Necare's chest.

At this moment, the little one who had just ruined his plans was desperately holding off Necare's strike with a scythe.

But the difference in strength was too vast; they weren't even in the same league. 

The resistance lasted barely a fraction of a second—

Crack!

Hades watched helplessly as the shaft of his scythe snapped!

The massive scythe, Oblivion, of the Xenos Overlord Necare, descended straight towards his head—

So fast!

Hades, using his shorter height to his advantage, crouched and retreated, but even as an elite among mortals, he was still just a human, unable to match Necare's speed. 

The giant scythe struck directly at his helmet.

Necare's full-force strike, focused on a single point.

Hades was sent flying, his helmet sliding off in mid-air. 

Blood mixed with white bone fragments flew out, the vibrant red and pale white instantly turning gray and decaying in the toxic mist.

Hades felt like a broken, tattered ragdoll, tossed into the air and then floating lightly back to the ground.

The toxic gas quickly kissed his exposed head, the left half of his face sliced open by the giant scythe Oblivion, his left eye shattered, and his skull felt fractured.

He shouldn't have gotten so close.

Necare's psychic power was stronger than any Xenos Overlord Hades had encountered before. 

He could even feel his Black Domain being suppressed by the psychic energy across from him.

To better suppress Necare's psychic energy, Hades had taken a gamble, compressing his Black Domain to a seven-meter radius, carefully following in Necare's blind spot.

After Necare's right hand was severed, Hades positioned himself in Necare's right-side blind spot.

Hades knew Necare would eventually detect him and had been prepared for it.

But he hadn't expected Necare to be so reckless!

Abandoning all defense of his back, Necare was instantly slashed open by Mortarion's scythe, his entrails spilling from the wound!

Seeing Hades lying in the distance, on the verge of unconsciousness, Mortarion's rage turned even more frenzied.

But Necare was even more unhinged. 

The towering Xenos laughed maniacally, then raised the short stump of his right arm and struck downward—

A massive surge of psychic energy exploded around Mortarion, blowing apart his armor, fragments scattering with the psychic shockwave.

The suddenly intensified pressure of the toxic gas and psychic energy made Mortarion's vision go dark.

"Cough!"

He spat out black blood mixed with bits of flesh.

"Kneel!!!"

The enormous psychic force pressed down again!

—The situation instantly reversed—

Hades lay on the ground, his vision blurring. 

He saw Mortarion's figure, staggering under the overwhelming pressure of the psychic force.

So I really can't change anything?

Hades could no longer hold on; his consciousness gradually slipped towards the edge of the abyss.

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