Chapter 25

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"You're dreaming. I will kill you!" the Plague Daemon bellowed, "I will imprison your soul and treat you with millions of bacteriophages, making you understand what it means to be worse than death."

"Do you think you can win?" Guilliman's tone was mocking, "Are you planning to disgust me to death with your nauseating appearance? That might indeed be a possibility."

"Enough, game's over, daemon. Time for serious business. What type of font do you prefer? I graciously allow you to choose a font and language you like," Guilliman stated. His Emperor's Sword swung down, a terrifying force erupting from within him, cutting the Plague Daemon's weapon with a powerful stroke.

The fire from the Emperor's sword made the Plague Demon cower, retreating several steps as Guilliman advanced, his Emperor's sword pointed at the demon.

"Tell me your name, demon." Guilliman rested his sword on the demon's heart. "Be respectful, or I might change my mind. I wouldn't mind killing you. You know what this sword can do, don't you? It will utterly annihilate you. Once I pierce you, not even the warp can save you. Instead, you'll burn in its golden fire, turning into a brilliant void."

The Plague Demon stared at the burning sword in terror.

It knew what this was: the Cursed One's weapon, capable of utterly destroying a demon's soul.

(Chaos Gods refer to the Emperor as the Cursed One.)

In the previous fight, many lower-level demons had been completely eradicated by this sword.

Gurlo, seeing this scene, tried to rush in to save the Plague Demon.

If the demon were killed, his plan would utterly fail.

The power of the Plague Father would wane, the warp storms would be quelled, and this world would not become a garden of Nurgle.

"Your enemy is me, traitor."

Sicarius blocked him, his power sword colliding with the other's battle-axe. The immense recoil made Sicarius' body tremble.

Gurlo also suffered, his fat, bursting Centurion armor body shaking even more violently.

Maggots fell from his body to the ground, and the flies that lay on the surface of his armor buzzed into a dark cloud.

A nearby Astartes pulled the trigger of his flamer, and a stream of fire burst forth, burning the flies into charred remains that fell to the ground, emitting a foul smell.

"Move!" Gurlo roared, his Plague Axe chopping towards his opponent's head.

"I'll let you do that. You're so round; you'll surely roll quickly," Sicarius parried the axe and continued to block him, buying time for the Primarch.

Watching the Emperor's sword slowly approach its heart, the Plague Demon ultimately chose to yield.

It didn't want to die.

"I am the Great Unclean One of Nurgle, the Slothful Ghat." The demon uttered its true name.

"Great Unclean One? With such a small size? Slothful Ghat, you truly are useless," Guilliman mocked.

Ghat seethed with anger but could only bear it.

It would have its revenge someday.

This time, it had merely been caught off guard and hadn't utilized its full power when entering the material universe.

Otherwise, it would not have been defeated so easily.

A demon's true name is its Achilles' heel. Control their true names, and you can enslave or banish them.

However, one must be cautious not to use a demon's true name recklessly.

Even uttering these names can corrupt ordinary people, transforming them into unspeakable abominations. There have been many such incidents in the history of the Imperium, where someone recites the name of a demon, only to be transformed into a monster themselves instead of controlling it. This occurs especially frequently amongst wild psykers.

The Ecclesiarchy, the Inquisition, the Grey Knights, and the Officio Assassinorum all seal off related knowledge of Chaos to prevent contamination. As a Primarch with Warp attributes and the power of control, Guilliman can convert human faith into strength without significant issue.

He can not only recite their true names, but also banish them with ease. "Very well," Guilliman swung the Emperor's Sword, severing the limbs of the Great Unclean One named Ghat the Slothful. "You can crawl back now. Remember to give Mortarion a message: I am coming for him. If he does not want to be found, he'd better hide as soon as possible."

With Guilliman's words, the limbless Ghat felt an invisible force pulling him. The material universe was rejecting his presence. "I will return," Ghat wanted to utter a fierce retort, but the look from Guilliman made it choke back its words. It was afraid that if it spoke out, Guilliman might change his mind and slay it with a single stroke.

Ghat, the Nurgle demon, was banished back to the warp. "No!" Gurlo felt the Warp power receding and cried out in despair. His long-planned scheme had failed, and Gurlo couldn't accept it.

Having dealt with the demon, Guilliman turned to face Gurlo, who was battling Sicarius. Sending the Great Unclean One back had its own plan. As for this leader of the traitors, there was no need to spare him. While Gurlo could hold his own against Sicarius, he stood no chance against a Primarch. His axe was instantly shattered by the Emperor's Sword.

"It seems that this planet still belongs to the Imperium," Guilliman declared, thrusting his sword into Gurlo's chest, ending his life. The remaining demons were banished or retreated back to the warp.

Even if they didn't retreat, they had no chance of winning. The Imperium had gained the upper hand, and staying wouldn't change anything. Keep in mind, even though demons cannot be completely killed by ordinary attacks, their destruction would necessitate a lengthy resurrection process in the warp, subject to the permission of Nurgle, the Plague Father.

Guilliman understood that killing Ghat the Great Unclean One was not particularly beneficial as Nurgle could recreate them. What's more crucial now is the consolidation of the Imperium to counter the defying Primarchs. While the Chaos Gods are still being held back by the Emperor, and their infighting is fierce, the problem isn't too significant yet.

Only when they recognize that the threat Guilliman and the Emperor pose is equally significant, will they band together to fight him.

Otherwise, the gods would merely target the Imperium while waging war against other malevolent gods.

Even if Guilliman were to openly insult Nurgle, the god wouldn't open a portal for a dedicated showdown. In doing so, his domain would likely be ravaged by the other gods and the Emperor.

The current, most substantial problem lies with the renegade space marines and the primarchs.

Demons cannot freely enter the real world; it's only through various rituals and sacrifices performed by cultists that they can inhabit physical bodies in our universe.

Only renegade space marines can readily enter the real world.

And only the primarchs have the time and inclination to plot against Guilliman.

If his memory serves him correctly, Magnus, Fulgrim, and Mortarion are the primarchs conspiring against him.

Exposing these characters early would be beneficial; it's disadvantageous to fight them in the dark.

Already struggling against numerous adversaries, their covert actions make the battle even more challenging.

"If it weren't for my precarious position, I would have summoned several loyal primarchs to assist me," Guilliman muttered.

The first Legion's primarch, the Lion El'Jonson, considered the Emperor's first instrument and prime contender for the title of Warmaster against Horus, is probably sleeping in the Tower of Angels, aka the Rock. However, it wouldn't be surprising if he's been cast adrift in the currents of time.

Such a useful ally, proficient in battle and resilient, would at least relieve some of the pressure if used as a shield.

The eighteenth Legion's primarch, Vulkan, the undying, should be on Nocturne. During the War of the Beast, he had a period of activity before meeting his end alongside the greenskin warboss.

Given Vulkan's immortal nature, he would never truly die. He'd merely spend some time in a state of death before resurrecting, even if his body were destroyed—a demon in all but name.

The most likely location for Vulkan would be Nocturne.

Unfortunately, Guilliman can't seek these primarchs, at least not until he has completely controlled the situation.

The primarchs are undoubtedly among the smartest individuals in humanity.

Guilliman fears they might deduce his identity, which would complicate matters.

Even the Dark Gods and the Emperor could potentially identify him and the changes he's undergone.

How long this would take is uncertain.

Before things get worse, he needs to gain control of the situation as quickly as possible.

Guilliman doesn't wish to stake his life—and humanity's fate—on the Emperor's and other primarchs' responses. A single mistake would lead to his ruin, and likewise, humanity's.

Another civil war would essentially mean the end.

The battle ended, and the soldiers cheered in victory.

The inhabitants of Sarum were overjoyed to tears.

"Clean the battlefield, execute all traitors, rescue the wounded, and check on the civilians. Have them send a representative to see me," Guilliman suppressed his inner thoughts and gave orders.