When he first logged into the game, Yuji was always talking a big game about taking Ahriman out and kicking Magnus, all to become the strongest psyker in the galaxy.
But beneath the bravado, Yuji knew exactly where he stood. Even if you tied ten of him together, he wouldn't hold a candle to Ahriman.
So when Ahriman popped up, his first reaction was pure dread, and he immediately hit the player channel to call his teammates, preparing for a good old-fashioned beatdown.
Azak Ahriman was born in the Middle East region of Terra during the Unification Wars, descending from the powerful nobility of the Achaemenid Empire. Fearful of the Emperor's power, the Achaemenid king wisely threw in his lot with the Master of Mankind. When Ahriman came of age, he joined the Great Crusade with his twin brother, Ormazd.
He was selected for the 15th Legion—the Thousand Sons—and became a Space Marine. With his personal charm, Ormazd quickly rose to a respected company commander, but sadly, he passed away not long after due to the genetic instability plaguing the Thousand Sons Legion.
This incident traumatized Ahriman, who vowed to find a way to rid the Thousand Sons of their mutations. Since then, Ahriman worked hard, rising to become the First Captain of the Thousand Sons Legion and the chief think tank of the Black Crow School.
After the failed Siege of Terra, Ahriman and the other traitors fled the Imperium and hid in the Eye of Terror. There, he studied Warp knowledge even more diligently. He not only devised the infamous Rubric spell to save the Legion from mutation (though it ultimately turned them into dust) but also ambitiously tried to ascend to godhood.
"Traitor," Yuji spat, pointing his scepter at the man. "You've got some nerve showing your face here."
"The Corpse King has you completely snowed, my brother," the voice replied calmly. "Join us, and we'll show you the truth."
"I don't waste my breath on heretics," Yuji shot back. He raised his scepter, aimed it at the businessman in the distance, and barked an order to the accompanying soldiers, "Take him alive!"
The accompanying squad immediately aimed their guns at the businessman.
"That was a boneheaded move," the Sorcerer muttered. The businessman extended his hand, and space twisted, tearing open a rift that pulsed with contradictory light.
Several Thousand Sons Sorcerers and Rubric Marines stepped out. They were clad in power armor—red with silver trim—carrying psychic staffs or Bolters.
"Open fire!" the action team captain shouted, giving the order decisively.
The soldiers opened up, their Gauss rifles and shoulder-mounted machine guns blazing away. A hail of bullets flew toward the enemy, forming a deadly barrage. However, as a surge of psychic power spread, the rounds abruptly froze in mid-air.
~Boom! ~Boom! ~Boom!
The Rubric Marines with their Bolters unleashed hell. The explosive shells roared, tearing through the soldiers' armor and shredding their fragile flesh. The Sorcerers also cast powerful psychic spells, releasing thunder, lightning, and summoning Daemons.
A pack of Warp Hounds, emitting black smoke and flowing magma, emerged from the Warp, tearing into the ignorant mortals. Violent flames and lightning flashed out of nowhere, vaporizing or burning the exoskeleton-clad soldiers to ashes.
It was a massacre; ordinary soldiers were powerless against these traitorous fiends.
"Get a grip!" Yuji cursed under his breath and joined the fight.
As he raised his hand, psychic energy surged, and fragments of the Warp, flowing with misty light, floated around him. He pointed his hand forward, and the crystal-like fragments poured down on the Thousand Sons Sorcerers like a violent storm.
Ahriman merely waved his hand. The incoming Warp fragments instantly turned into specks of light and dissipated into the air.
"Protection of the God-Emperor! Violent Thunder!"
Yuji released another dazzling bolt of lightning, instantly turning two Warp Hounds into ashes, and then rushed forward, wielding his psychic staff. Even though he was a psyker, he had spent enough time in the arena to be a formidable melee fighter.
A Rubric Marine tried to point his gun at Yuji, but Yuji hit the wrist with his scepter, forcing the enemy to drop the Bolter. Then, an elbow strike to the opponent's head made a hollow, metallic echo.
The brutal force caused the Rubric Marine to stagger back. Another one trying to rush him was hit hard on the helmet by Yuji's scepter. The scepter, covered with a radiant force field, smashed the opponent's helmet into pieces.
At that moment, Ahriman intervened. A terrifying psychic shockwave slammed into Yuji, sending him flying backward to crash hard onto the ground.
"Keep your shirt on, brother. We're not your enemies. Quite the opposite, we're your people." The trader's disguise fell away, revealing Ahriman, the Imperium's great Chaos enemy. He was clad in power armor—red with gold and silver accents—and held a scepter surging with psychic light.
Yuji used his scepter to support himself and stood up, checking the map built into his armor. Rigby and the others were desperately making a beeline for him, but it would take a few more minutes. He had to buy some time.
He looked at Ahriman. "We have nothing to discuss, you shameless traitor who betrayed the Emperor and ruined your comrades."
Ahriman's face darkened, and anger blazed in his eyes. The nearby Thousand Sons Sorcerers were also stunned: This guy has some serious cojones, talking to Ahriman like that. Will Ahriman tear him to pieces?
But Ahriman didn't.
A Thousand Son who was pure, uncorrupted, immune to the evil fire's backlash, and possessed powerful psychic powers was incredibly important to the Thousand Sons Legion, to him, and to the Primarch. This might be the key to lifting the Legion's long-standing curse.
He suppressed his rage and spoke calmly. "Pure as you are, you are the key to saving the Thousand Sons."
"Come with us and meet the Primarch. He will be very happy."
"Primarch Magnus? You mean the sunburned, one-eyed Ogryn with a shocking IQ?" Yuji replied, his voice dripping with contempt.
Ahriman stared at Yuji. "He is the Primarch, the source of your bloodline. He should not be humiliated by you like this."
"My loyalty is to the Emperor," Yuji stated calmly, "not some arrogant, one-eyed Ogryn. No offense, but that idiot is just a giant man-child who messes things up and then passes the buck." He added, "The Emperor is also the Primarch's Master, and I've never seen that one-eyed Ogryn show him any respect."
"You have been blinded by the Corpse King and cannot see the truth of this universe," Ctesias, a Thousand Sons Sorcerer, said from beside Ahriman. "We are blood brothers. Only together are we whole."
"Yeah, right, you haven't been fooled. Even after your home planet was stolen, you're still helping them count their cash," Yuji nodded frantically, dripping sarcasm. "You couldn't beat Horus, so you just took your anger out on the Space Wolves."
Ahriman's face darkened. This was a sensitive spot. When they learned the truth about Prospero's burning, they were already Tzeentch's followers. Horus was the Warmaster chosen by the four gods.
How could they have the qualifications or the strength to challenge him? After the Heresy, Horus died, and the Sons of Horus were shattered—they had no way to settle the score!!
"What's with the sour face?" Yuji looked at Ahriman. "You killed off your own guys, but I'm not allowed to mention it? You say you weren't fooled, yet just one Rubric spell wiped out the whole Thousand Sons Legion."
"The Sixth Legion really shouldn't have stormed Prospero. They should have just waited for you to do their job for them. After all, they killed fewer Thousand Sons than you did with a single red spell."
"You still want me to go back with you because you think I'm dying too slowly." Yuji looked at Ctesias. "Brother, take my advice: Trust the Emperor and you will be saved. Follow Ahriman and that red-skinned, one-eyed Ogryn, and you'll be screwed one day."
"Following the Emperor, your only worry is mutation. Following these two 'brilliant minds'? Forget mutation—you'll be scraping by most of the time. Check out how worn down your Power Armor looks!"
"That's enough!" Ahriman interrupted Yuji, his voice filled with burning anger. "I thought we shouldn't kill each other, but you keep pushing my buttons."
Yuji, however, was dismissive. He leaned over and grabbed a handful of ashes left over from the psychic battle. He stood up and held out his clenched fist.
"Know what this is, Ahriman?"
Ahriman frowned. "What is what?"
"This is our brother, Ahriman." Yuji slowly opened his hand, a small smile playing on his lips, and the ashes streamed down his fingers and drifted away.
The rage in Ahriman's heart suddenly rose, almost completely blotting out his reason.
"What are you trying to say?"
"What am I saying? Look, our brother is floating away." Yuji opened his hands and let the air flow blow away the smoke and dust. "If you put your ear to the Rubric Marine's armor, you should be able to hear their voices. Are they asking why Ahriman is like this? Didn't you say you would save us? Why did you turn us to ashes?"
Ahriman was shaking with fury. After that taunt, Yuji clearly felt the surrounding air temperature suddenly drop. Ahriman was clearly on the verge of exploding. Yuji was suddenly frightened, but he kept a calm front.
"You have been too deeply deceived by the Corpse King. When you meet the Primarch, you may change your mind."
Ahriman was about to use force when he heard Yuji suddenly shout, "Wait! It's not impossible for me to go with you. After all, I also have the gene-seed from that one-eyed Ogryn in my body, and I should go pay him a visit."
Ahriman stopped and asked, "Are you willing to come with us?"
"Of course, but there's one condition," Yuji said.
"What condition?" Ahriman asked.
"Take three steps to the left first."
Ahriman was completely thrown for a loop, but he complied. Yuji was surrounded, and Ahriman figured he had nowhere to run.
"Is that your condition? Are you coming along now?"
Yuji scoffed. "Are you kidding me? I was just pulling your leg, you fool!"
Ahriman could no longer suppress his anger and waved his scepter, trying to forcibly restrain Yuji and take him away.
~Boom! ~Boom! ~Boom!
Dense gunfire erupted in the distance. Warmaster, who had received Yuji's urgent message, arrived with the rest of the players. Armed with Bolters, Melta Guns, and Plasma Pistols, they immediately opened fire on Ahriman's group.
"Go for the MVP, guys!"
"Snatch Ahriman alive and get first place!"
They shouted various slogans and rushed over, excitement written all over their faces.
"You were stalling for time?" Ahriman looked at Yuji and finally realized why he had been talking so much nonsense. He felt both angry and frightened. Ahriman couldn't fathom why he, a former lecturer in the Temple of the Black Crow School specializing in precognitive abilities, had failed to foresee the arrival of these servants of the Corpse King.
"It's a pity you only caught on now," Yuji said sarcastically.
"Do you think you can deal with me like this?" Ahriman looked at the other Thousand Sons Sorcerers. "Form a Formation to deal with them!"