The Undying King looked at Thanquol's shocked, terrified, and bewildered expression, a triumphant smile appearing on his face.
"I knew you wanted to use me, little rat. I also knew long ago that you had arranged for assassins to kill me after the deed was done. How could the same trick succeed on me twice?"
"You damned rats have betrayed me once already. Do you think I would let you betray me again?"
Nagash clapped his hands, and the assassins Thanquol had arranged walked out from the side. They looked no different than usual.
Only occasionally, a trace of green light would flash in their eyes. This was a characteristic that appeared only when enslaved by Nagash.
"I will never give you filthy, despicable creatures another chance to harm me," Nagash sneered. "I had already controlled them through soul manipulation. Didn't anyone tell you that I am proficient in the art of souls?"
Thanquol trembled all over.
He should not have underestimated a man who had almost ruled the entire world.
Nagash ignored Thanquol, who was sprawled on the ground, and instead, he exerted force, tearing apart the Avatar of the Great Horned Rat and absorbing all of its divine power.
An extremely angry roar came from the boundless ocean of the other shore.
But the key to entering the mortal world was in Nagash's hands, so what good was the Great Horned Rat's anger?
The Great Horned Rat only had the qualification to become a Chaos God, which didn't mean he could truly become one!
Now that the Skaven Empire was shattered by humans, the Great Horned Rat's ability to interfere with the real world had significantly decreased.
Nagash could find no reason to fear the Great Horned Rat.
His goal was to be on equal footing with the four Chaos Gods who had once appeared in this world.
In Nagash's eyes, the Great Horned Rat was, at most, a competitor.
Lightning crackled like a slave owner's whip.
Lashing at the silver lines of the grand array. The rumbling thunder almost shook the pyramid apart.
Nagash channeled the Great Horned Rat's power into the black pyramid and the Crown of Sorcery. The raging winds, bound within the vortex, roared, unleashing their power upon the sky and earth.
Nagash spread his hands, like a victor, as if to embrace the vast Aethyric ocean.
Udi, who had rushed up the tower, witnessed the avatar of a god being torn apart. Their mission was to prevent the Great Horned Rat from descending.
But it seemed that this mission was now accomplished.
Even without killing Thanquol, the Great Horned Rat could no longer descend into this world.
Nagash had used a scheme to steal the other party's power and divine fragments, so the Great Horned Rat could be said to have suffered a huge loss. Thanquol truly was a natural ally of the Skaven's enemies.
It always managed to completely screw over the Skaven empire and the Great Horned Rat. The fierce wind raged, and thunder roared.
Nagash was enveloped in endless radiance, appearing incredibly ethereal.
Brilliant and wicked light burst forth, appearing exceptionally evil and bizarre.
Nagash floated atop the pyramid, the light swirling around the Undying King like ribbons.
Udi made a very wise decision.
"Run."
The five-person team, who had rushed over to kill Thanquol, simultaneously wanted to turn and flee.
Nagash had already seized the Great Horned Rat's fragments.
His threat level had skyrocketed. They needed to go back and find reinforcements.
With a casual flick of his hand, Nagash conjured a wall from the ground.
It blocked the path of the five-person team.
Forcing them to face him head-on.
"The Imperium's pawns!" Nagash cackled, a playful look in his eyes, as if everything was within his grasp.
"Skeleton monster." Udi crouched into a fighting stance, his eyes filled with ferocity. Even facing Nagash, who was about to ascend to godhood, he showed no fear.
"Seeking death." Nagash could not tolerate such an insult. He let out a shriek, and terrifying magical power seemed to materialize, forming ripples of energy. The entire giant city trembled from Nagash's terrifying magical power.
The black pyramid slowly rose, erupting with an even more terrifying rhythmic resonance, activating more Winds of Magic. The vast Aethyric ocean became even more terrifying. Those dreadful figures appeared in the sky.
Nagash casually swatted Udi away.
In the powerful ocean of magic, the opponent was like an ant, at his mercy.
His armor cushioned a lot of the impact for Udi, but he still felt his internal organs churning, making him incredibly uncomfortable.
Gotrek charged forward, abandoning his Ancestor's Roar and instead shouting the name of the Emperor.
"In the name of the Emperor!"
He roared like a terrifying beast, leaping up, his battle-axe simultaneously erupting with a fierce glow.
With immense force and the impact of his descent, he struck the Undying King with a single blow.
A series of glass-shattering sounds echoed.
Nagash's outer shield shattered under Gotrek's violent strike. The battle-axe stopped just a few centimeters from the Undying King.
Nagash looked at the veins bulging on the Slayer, a playful expression on his face.
"Is that all the strength you have? How utterly weak."
This statement enraged Gotrek.
But no matter how hard he tried, those last few centimeters seemed like an insurmountable chasm.
Nagash casually waved a hand, and a terrifying magical force slammed the Slayer to the ground. The force was incredibly powerful, Gotrek's body smashing through the stone slabs beneath him.
Felix also charged forward.
But before he could reach Nagash, he was suddenly grabbed by an invisible magical force around his throat, lifting him into the air.
It was as if an unseen hand had seized his throat, hoisting him up.
Felix's face quickly turned red from lack of oxygen, his feet flailing in the air.
"I am your lost believer, I am your lost subject, O omniscient and omnipotent Emperor, please have mercy on me, please bless me!"
Harald shouted the Emperor's prayer. Then he slammed his double-headed eagle scepter onto the ground, and a brilliant golden light erupted once more.
"Purify!"
He shouted with all his might.
Nagash, who had been so sure of victory, let out a pained shriek.
A brilliant golden glow burst forth from Harald's center.
He was completely enveloped as if by a fiercely burning sun. That terrifying power swept like a tidal wave, igniting all magical energy.
Nagash quickly mobilized his vast, ocean-like magical power to extinguish it.
But it still caused him unimaginable pain.
His magical power experienced a brief stagnation. Theresa found an opportunity, and her short sword suddenly plunged into his back, causing Nagash to wail.
"Go!" Udi shouted, leaping out of the pyramid and using gliding to escape into the distance. The sound of booming artillery also rang out at this moment. The supporting airship descended onto the battlefield at this moment, dense artillery fire pounding into the Undying City, sending swathes of undead and Skaven flying.
Then it turned, and under Nagash's gaze, it carried the five-person team away. The airship's furnace core vibrated under the engineers' control. The runes placed around the hull glowed brightly.
In a few breaths, it completed its acceleration. The airship shot into the sky, leaving only a white contrail. The Undying King's roar echoed through Nagashizzar, shaking the countless tunnels beneath the giant city. Terrifying dark clouds rolled like a raging sea, and green lightning illuminated the wasteland for miles around.
But the heavily protected airship gave Nagash no chance; it fled at extreme speed.
Leaving the Undying King to rage impotently in place.
By the time Nagash recovered, he found that Thanquol, that despicable rat, had also disappeared.
He must have escaped through some rat hole. Those Skaven always did such things.
Mannfred led the undead to clear out all the Skaven in Nagashizzar and rushed to his master's side.
Nagash had calmed down by now.
He had obtained the Great Horned Rat's divine fragments; given time, he would surely ascend to godhood.
Using the unscattered magical power, Nagash awakened his vast army.
Under a bizarre light, countless ragged skeletons, holding spears, emerged from the dark depths of the earth. The dead clumsily crawled out of their graves and walked into the night.
From those ancient tombs and sarcophagi emerged kings who had slumbered for ages. They rode golden chariots pulled by bone horses, and their magnificent funerary legions marched in orderly ranks.
Hordes of ghouls and specters howled strange sounds, entering the mortal world from the ethereal other shore.
As long as they were dead, they would be controlled by Nagash. Those Tomb Kings who had once gained freedom were once again enslaved by Nagash.
"No being can stand in Nagash's way; this world will become a paradise for the dead." Nagash raised a hand wreathed in black smoke and covered in iron armor, his voice hoarse and cruel. "The Skaven empire has been shattered by humans, and the Great Horned Rat was severely wounded by me. They no longer pose a threat. Now, there are only humans, elves, and those damned dwarves left. It is time to bestow destruction upon them."
The Undying King looked at his loyal servant, green light shining in his hollow eye sockets.
Manfred bowed his head.
He was a scion of Vlad, the Vampire King defeated by those mysterious Imperial humans.
Upon learning of the vampires' and undead army's defeat, he fled to Nagashizzar, seeking the aid of the great Undying King.
"Go, Manfred. The time for vengeance has come; the doomsday of all living things has arrived. In the name of Nagash the Undying, conquer all."
Manfred nodded, indicating he would not fail his master.
He turned and walked down the black pyramid.
A vast undead legion followed him to the horizon's edge, intent on slaughtering in Nagash's name until the entire world became a necropolis.
Machines roared, the furnace core digesting energy stones, pouring the surging energy into complex energy patterns, driving the mysterious runes to enable the battleship to float.
Cough! Cough! Cough!
Udi coughed up blood.
Nagash's strike had wounded him severely.
"Nagash has returned. The undead army is highly likely to pour out from Nagashizzar. We must return quickly to inform the lords." Fix revealed a worried expression, holding a piece of armor with a dent in it.
He was almost choked to death by Nagash.
It had been truly perilous. The group of five was one step away from being wiped out.
Gotrek was polishing and cleaning his armor and axe.
His bare, strong, hairy body was also covered in various bruises.
Nagash's blows had made him suffer greatly.
As expected of the being hailed as the strongest dark necromancer in the world, Gotrek found it difficult to describe the oppressive feeling he experienced, like an ant facing a towering mountain. The airship was fast, weaving through the clouds, leaving a white trail of air currents behind it.
After a day and a night, the group of five returned to Middenheim. They had intended to seek out the Imperial lords immediately.
However, the scene they witnessed left them incredulous.
A terrifying rift tore open in the sky above Middenheim.
A colossal battleship, twenty kilometers long, was flying out of it.
It looked like a gigantic steel beast crafted from metal and rock.
After exiting the rift, a roaring sound emanated from the battleship.
It slowly ascended, flying towards the vast, boundless starry sky.
"What kind of war would require such a level of war machine?" Gotrek had once served as a dwarf engineer, participating in projects like dwarf airships and golems.
But when he saw that enormous battleship, his mind still buzzed with shock.
It was too enormous!
The caliber of its main cannon was comparable to a house.
Gotrek couldn't imagine what it would be like if such a colossal cannon fired a shot.
Dozens of miles around Nagashizzar would likely be annihilated in an instant. The Dwarves who had joined the Imperium and resided in Middenheim all looked up at the terrifying colossal battleship.
Several powerful dwarf warriors at this moment felt immensely fortunate that the Kings of the Mountains had not been stubborn and had made the wise choice to become allies of humanity.
If the two sides were enemies, they would have to face this behemoth.
A single shot from it could wipe out all the bulwarks they had built and completely erase majestic mountains. The airship docked at Middenheim's skyport. The group of five descended the tower back to the ground.
Middenheim was bustling at this time. The miraculous, colossal battleship, forged only by gods, attracted a lot of attention.
At this moment, everyone was discussing it, marveling at the mysterious, never-before-seen Holy Emperor's immense power.
Possessing such terrifying war beasts.
Even more terrifying was that there wasn't just one war beast, but hundreds.
Each one was so massive. The largest ones were tens of kilometers long, with heights reaching several kilometers. They could no longer be considered battleships, but rather mobile cities.
Even the smaller ones were several kilometers long.
Each battleship was equipped with various terrifying weapons.
Any single one could utterly destroy everything in this world. The people of Middenheim cheered until they were numb. The group of five marveled at the Imperium's terrifying power, but they did not forget their mission. They reported to their superiors and were soon granted an audience with a tech-priest.
After the tech-priest recorded the details of their mission, he dismissed them.
"There is nothing to worry about; everything will be resolved," the tech-priest said. "The Holy Emperor's angels have descended upon this realm. No matter how many pawns the gods have, they are destined to be unable to contend with us. Victory is already within our grasp."
The fleet of colossal battleships sparked an unprecedented frenzy.
Even the beggars realized how terrifying the power of the human race truly was.
In the name of the Holy Emperor, they would rule this world; whether it be the sky, land, or sea, all would be the territory of the Imperium. The sun and moon would also submit beneath humanity's feet, and all things in the world must obey their will.
Geisler was also one of the crowd. The once humble farmer, dressed in new, fitting clothes, cheered amidst the crowd.
His eldest son, Laurie, stood beside him, his young, tender face flushed with excitement.
Like everyone else, he raised his hands and cheered, shouting the Holy Emperor's name. The cheering people paraded a statue of the Holy Emperor through Middenheim.
Priests from the Imperium mingled among them.
Guiding them to complete a grand procession according to the rituals of the state religion.
On the palace walls of Middenheim, Cegorach, wearing a mask, watched the people reveling in Guilliman's name, his shock indescribable.
Guilliman's influence had transcended the limitations of time and space, exerting an impact on every corner the Imperium could reach.
Cegorach dared not imagine what extent Guilliman would reach in due time.
With so many people believing Guilliman to be a god, he was bound to become one in the end.
Perhaps, Guilliman was already a god now.
"Is this what an alien world is like?" Eldrad, standing nearby, remarked with a sigh. "The Aether concentration in the air is almost equivalent to that of the Daemon Worlds within the Eye of Terror. It's hard to imagine that humans could survive in such a world, let alone establish a rudimentary civilization."
"The Aether surging in the air has been purified and cleansed; it lacks the original ferocity and malice, so even at a higher concentration, it won't cause any fatal effects," Cegorach said, sensing the Aether concentration of this world and answering Eldrad's confusion. "Alright, there's no need to discuss these matters. We must set off quickly to collect the final piece of the puzzle."
This time, in addition to a group of powerful Aeldari warriors and Farseers, the Holy Emperor had also dispatched a formidable army comprising Custodians, Sisters of Silence, and Primaris Marines. The plan was to conquer the entire universe and make it another colony of humanity.
Cegorach and his group's tasks were, firstly, to seize the divine fragments of the Aeldari gods in this universe, and secondly, to gather the Aeldari of this world to prevent them from becoming enemies of humanity.
Neither task was particularly difficult.
It just required some time. The dark and malevolent Chaos powers were not observing this world.
As long as they moved quickly enough, they could take what they wanted before the Chaos powers reacted.
Cegorach wasted no time. While the people were still cheering for the Imperial army that had descended upon this world, he led a group of Aeldari warriors and Farseers to Ulthuan, the homeland of the elves.
He would summon the Aeldari gods there, and then slay them.