The essence of a daemon weapon is the act of stuffing a living daemon into a weapon. It continuously pours the whispers of a Chaos God into its wielder's mind, dragging them toward the embrace of Immaterium powers.
This chainaxe had turned Razor from a living man into something akin to a Bloodletter. In the end, through a rather unimpressive sacrifice, it had even summoned Khorne's foremost Bloodletter, the one known as U'zuhl. These facts alone were proof enough that this abhorrent daemon-forged creation possessed terrifying power.
Now, this twisted daemon construct appearing in his own room was an omen that made it impossible to stay calm. More importantly, how had it gotten here? Had someone brought it back? Had anyone already been corrupted by it?
Yet over the past few days, during his close contact with people from the Cunning Hares, the Salamander had felt no discomfort whatsoever. The sacred marks on his face had shown no reaction either. Even now, with the chainaxe right in front of him, there was still no response. It was no different from the pile of steel beside it—lifeless and inert.
The crimson casing, brass embellishments, and mottled bloodstains on silvery metal reflected a cold sheen under the lights, mesmerizing the Salamander despite himself.
Ignis felt dizzy. He wasn't sure if it was because of his wound. He staggered violently, and the pain from pulling the injury snapped him back to awareness. Bracing himself against the wall, he steadied his body. Ignis suddenly realized that this weapon was calling to him.
That was not a good sign. While there were precedents among the Adeptus Astartes for using daemon weapons, such dangerous Chaos constructs usually required cooperation between multiple divisions—including, but not limited to, priests, Adeptus Mechanicus tech-priests, and Librarians. Only after complex exorcism rites, followed by repeated consecrations and blessings, would they be entrusted to warriors of unshakable will.
Ignis had none of that support. No personnel, no holy relics, no holy water—he didn't even have a purity seal on hand. Seeing this cursed thing in his room made his head spin.
Even if he wanted to melt it down into ordinary steel, he would still have to pick it up first.
At this point, there was only one option left—rely on the great Emperor.
Golden light surfaced over the Salamander's palm as he silently recited The Emperor's name, praying for the Master of Mankind's protection. To be honest, how effective this would be was hard to say. After all, this was a creation sent by the Blood God, and the extent to which his own limited psychic power could resist it was difficult to judge.
It was a beheading axe. For a newly inducted Space Marine, it would be a massive weapon requiring both hands. But for a Primaris standing nearly three meters tall, it was merely a slightly oversized one-handed axe. The ceramite haft was icy cold, and the saw teeth were fashioned from the fangs of some unknown creature. The faint gleam reflected from them alone spoke of terrifying sharpness.
It seemed quiet, showing no agitation in response to the Salamander's touch.
But that was far from enough to reassure Ignis. He extended his psychic power into the chainaxe, attempting to use the strength granted by The Emperor to test whether any trace of a daemon still lingered within.
He regretted it almost instantly.
The psychic energy he released was seized, and something flowed back along that connection straight into his consciousness. His vision turned blood-red, and whispers began to echo in his ears.
"Unleash your wrath!"
"Burn everything!"
"For revenge!"
The voices were low, yet unmistakably his own.
"Chaos filth! Destroy it! Revenge! Burn!"
Fragmented words and blazing fury surged together. Ignis felt his emotions slipping out of control as reason retreated rapidly, surrendering dominion over his body to this wildly growing madness. What coursed through his veins was no longer blood, but searing rage.
"Revenge for those who were harmed, killed, and broken! Righteous hatred! Noble vengeance!"
"Kill that daemon, and its followers! Cut off every single head! Let them know the price of angering the Son of Vulkan! Let the flames of hatred spread and consume! Destroy the enemy! Take their heads!"
No… it shouldn't be like this. My revenge isn't something so shallow.
Ignis's reason struggled to reclaim control, but the daemon weapon had found the hatred buried beneath his rational mind. As a fragment of Khorne, the daemon within was adept at stirring fury and hatred, inciting war and slaughter.
"Revenge! Sacred vengeance! Destroy the Chaos filth! Take their heads! Those soul-playing abominations must be killed! Take their heads! Burn their bodies!"
He's right. Those monsters must be destroyed. They've caused too many tragedies to be allowed to continue.
"Find them! Hunt them! Slaughter them! The Skull Throne needs more adornment! You need more vengeance to reclaim your honor! Kill them! Sever their necks and let the blood flow like rivers!"
"Offer eighty-eight skulls in exchange for endless power!"
Power? Yes… I'm still too weak. I need power!
"For those who were harmed… for the innocents who died from poison gas… for your lost honor! For… Iori!"
The image of that girl always appeared in his dreams. Her slender body marked with bruises, the fingerprints still visible on her neck, the forced composure. She had lifted her head stubbornly, clinging to the last scraps of pride and dignity, before breaking down and begging him to kill her.
And I did.
These hands, the same size as her frail body, closed around her neck. And before she died… she even said thank you.
Revenge…
Revenge!
Revenge!
All other voices vanished. Only a single thought remained in his mind. Cut off that Chaos daemon's head. Kill every human connected to it. Blood debts must be repaid with blood.
Amid the burning hatred, Ignis heard an ecstatic, learing laughter—filled with approval, anticipation, and satisfaction.
He wanted to move, to cut something down, to let the searing rage find release. Ideally, he wanted blood covering his body, enough to cool him down.
Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed into his mind, as if his soul had been struck head-on. His consciousness wavered. Something began to emerge from within the blazing fury.
「"Do not lose your true heart, son of mankind."」
A golden giant walked toward him, his voice stern and filled with authority.
「"Hatred is a double-edged blade. Remember who your revenge is for, and why you raise that weapon. Do not let its edge wound yourself, or the friends you trust."」
「"Be wary of extreme emotions. Think calmly."」
The golden giant stepped before him and raised his right hand. It looked as though he intended to slap Ignis, but in the end, he shook his head and sighed.
「"Do not let that thing exploit the cracks in your soul. Be strong…"」
At the giant's side, a golden spark flared violently, taking the form of a young girl.
It was Iori. There were no wounds on her body now. She wore a white linen robe, neatly tailored, and a green laurel wreath rested upon her head. Seeing the Salamander, she stepped forward and gently embraced him.
Thank you. I never hated you.
It sounded like a whisper, or perhaps a dream.
Ignis's consciousness snapped back into his body. The intense pain from his wound forced him fully awake. His body temperature was high, sweat pouring off him as the Salamander gasped for breath. Bloodfire burned around his right hand, and the trigger of the chainaxe in his grip had been pressed down. The weapon roared violently, howling for something to tear apart, craving blood and souls to fill its empty hunger.
"Damn it!"
Ignis marshaled all of his psychic power and drove it toward the daemon weapon. Golden light swiftly suppressed the bloodfire, pinning it down and extinguishing it within seconds. The Salamander regained control of his right hand.
He released the trigger, and the chainaxe's furious roar died away in reluctant silence.
"Open your mind! I will give you the power to take revenge! Kill those villains! Take their heads!"
The daemon's whispers rose again, but the Salamander's will no longer wavered.
"Daemon. I will melt you down into molten iron."
"Hahaha! Then try!" the daemon jeered. "I was forged in the Blood God's furnace! How could mortal flames harm me? Submit, human! The false god you worship will not help you!"
Ignis did not respond. Golden flames ignited in his hand and spread onto the daemon weapon itself.
"This—this is impossible!" the daemon screamed in fury. "My soul! My existence! How can you damage my very essence?!"
The Emperor's power—pure, absolute annihilation—returned all things to nothingness. A daemon weapon? Forged in the Blood God's furnace? That was merely birth. What it now faced was true destruction, erasing even the traces of its existence.
The Immaterium? A cold black sun awaited it there.
"Stop! Stop!" the daemon begged frantically. "Stop! I will become your weapon! I will submit! Don't burn me anymore!"
Ignis remained unmoved. He would never bargain with a daemon.
"Fine!" the daemon snarled, switching to threats. "Then I will detonate my own soul and tear open a rift here, unleashing the Blood God's host!"
A phantom of the daemon emerged from the chainaxe, its form cracking as violent Warp energy spewed from within. This was no bluff. If it self-destructed, the immense energy it contained would indeed be enough to rip open a breach in reality and allow Khorne's daemonic legions to descend.
This area was a slum district. Once the first wave of slaughter began, it would be only a single step away from becoming a daemon world.
Tch. Despicable tactics.
Ignis stopped the burning, withdrawing the golden psychic power back into his body.
"Listen, mortal!" The daemon's tone turned arrogant once more. "We can cooperate."
"With a daemon? Even if it's a Khorne daemon, I will not—"
"I crave blood, and you can use me to take your enemies' heads. That's a fair deal," the daemon said, its tone almost sincere. "The Blood God placed me in this weapon to grant you power. Someone like Razor was merely a tool to deliver me into your hands. I didn't expect him to retain some of his consciousness and actually flee the battlefield."
"I will be a fine weapon—durable and razor-sharp. I ask for little. Just the blood of your enemies. You have plenty of foes here. Give me some blood, and that will suffice."
"Think of that Chaos fog daemon. Those abominations wield plenty of Warp sorcery. Do you have methods to break it?"
"I do," the daemon continued eagerly. "I can help you deal with them, dispel their petty illusions. Their souls are useless to you, but invaluable to me."
"We make a deal. I help you kill your enemies and lend you power. In return, the souls of those daemons are mine."
"A fair trade. They're enemies anyway. Destruction is destruction."
In the end, the Khorne daemon did not forget to threaten him.
"Don't think of destroying me. My consciousness retains the ability to self-detonate. I can tear open a breach in this world at any time."
"Son of Vulkan, you wouldn't want to see New Eridu reduced to ashes, would you?"
Ignis fell silent, weighing the pros and cons. He truly could not destroy this weapon outright. The daemon bound within possessed immense Warp energy. If a rift were opened, he alone could not stop the Blood Host that would pour through.
Then… cooperate with it?
Working with a Khorne daemon? Even Ignis was startled by the thought. Just moments ago, this thing had been trying to seduce him and seize control of his body.
Could he trust it? It claimed to want only blood and daemon souls. But daemon souls were their very Warp essence. Was this thing planning to consume other daemons to free itself—or to attempt something even worse?
For now, the priority was to stabilize it and prevent self-destruction. Eliminating it would have to wait for a better opportunity.
"Fine," the Salamander nodded slowly. "I accept your proposal. But if you dare try to seize control of my body again, I will burn you immediately. Even if that turns this place into a daemon world, I won't care."
"As for daemon souls, that's acceptable—on the condition that you do your job properly."
"Given your special nature, I will forge a container to seal you within. Do not attempt to control anyone else. If I discover it, you will be destroyed."
The Khorne daemon let out a strange, rasping laugh.
"See? We can reach an agreement. This is what the Blood God wishes to see. He wants you to take me up. I accept all your conditions and will wait quietly for you to use me."
"Now, accept a small blessing from the Blood God, mortal."
Bloodfire suddenly surged from the chainaxe, engulfing the Salamander's body.
A daemon weapon was never a good choice—but it was the fastest way to increase combat power. This thing would certainly have side effects, and it would not be used often.
There were precedents among the Adeptus Astartes for wielding daemon weapons, but those were either purified beforehand or controlled by sheer brute will.
The final fate of this axe was already decided. It would walk the path of loyalty.
There was no helping it.
Loyalty, To The Emperor.
===BREAK===
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