Dante, leading a massive force of Primaris Blood Angels, quickly reached the core of the tomb complex. It was a colossal chamber with a high vault. In the center hovered a massive holographic projection of a star system composed of eldritch green energy, representing the Gateway to the Underworld system.
Beneath this projection stood a Necron Overlord, proud and haughty, clad in ornate armor inlaid with countless models of miniature stars.
The green light in his eye sockets was cold and filled with rage, his hand gripping a staff flowing with magma-like searing radiance. This was the Overlord of the Mephrit Dynasty, Zarathusa.
"Arrogant primitive organisms! How dare you desecrate the holy grounds of the Mephrit Dynasty!" Zarathusa's voice sounded like rusty gears grinding together, carrying a metallic, icy echo.
He waved his staff. The floor and walls of the tomb chamber were instantly animated. Phase-shift traps activated, attempting to divide and devour the Blood Angels.
Simultaneously, several massive Necron constructs armed with heavy weaponry known as Lychguard, along with a Lokhust Destroyer Lord flashing with dangerous red sensors, emerged from the shadows to block the path to the Overlord.
The Necron units engaged in fierce combat with the Primaris Blood Angels. At this moment, these Astartes were far more powerful than the original Space Marines.
Not only could they wield the power of the Holy Light, but they could also unleash the changes brought by Sanguinius's gene-seed, transforming into the War Angel form.
The Blood Angels all activated a berserk state, transforming into powerful War Angels. The curse of the Red Thirst was absent, replaced by the gift of their Father, Sanguinius.
"Attack! Sons of Sanguinius, do not fail the grace of our great father!"
"This is a great war, and the great Father is watching us."
Roaring with fury, the Blood Angels launched a ferocious assault on the Necrons.
The Necron Overlord in the rear had also been spotted.
"Target confirmed! Capture him alive." Dante's voice was as cool as ice.
Ignoring the distorted space beneath his feet, his power pack flared, propelling him like a crimson lightning bolt straight at Zarathusa.
His chainsword collided violently with the Overlord's staff, which contained the power of a star, erupting in blinding energy sparks and a deafening boom.
Dante felt an immense force transmit through the weapon, but his Primaris enhancements and the underlying power derived from the Tree of Might allowed him to forcibly withstand a blow that would have shattered a Leman Russ tank.
"Insignificant insects, you dare step into the domain of a great Overlord. You dare to return," Overlord Zarathusa roared.
These disgusting human vermin. Back then, if not for the need to deal with the Tyranids, he would have exterminated these humans living in his territory the moment he awoke.
Later, out of necessity, he allied with these vile lower lifeforms to fight the Tyranids. But in the late stages of that war, he and Anrakyr had unhesitatingly detonated the star, killing everyone indiscriminately.
He thought these disgusting lower creatures would not return, yet they dared to initiate an attack.
"Insignificant insects, you dare trample upon my domain. You seek your own death." Zarathusa waved his weapon, continuously clashing with Dante.
Dante's combat experience was extremely seasoned. As the oldest living Space Marine, his battle prowess was beyond the reach of others.
The Overlord was surprised to find this human was not weaker than his own mechanical body and even held a slight upper hand.
How is this possible? These lower creatures...
"Who invaded whose territory exactly? This is the domain of humanity. Since we humans stepped into the galaxy, we have settled here. You are nothing but antiques from sixty million years ago. You abandoned this land yourselves and curled up on this uninhabited planet." Dante huffed coldly, directly refuting the Necron Overlord.
Since humanity stepped foot here, this had been human territory. These Necrons were merely hateful, evil Xenos.
"Shameless wretches! I intended to spare you humans, but you are so ungrateful. I will destroy your home. I will destroy every human world I see." The Necron Overlord roared, intensifying his offensive, while more Necron units surged out from the tomb complex.
Several Necron Chronomancers joined the fray. Their bizarre temporal technology instantly posed a massive threat to the Blood Angels.
Many Blood Angels hacking at Necrons were suddenly enveloped by strange fields and froze in place.
"Brothers, be careful! That is Necron temporal technology," Dante shouted.
"Do not worry. Leave it to me," Chief Librarian Mephiston declared.
Mephiston's psychic energy swept through the chamber like a raging tide. He forcibly stabilized the agitated spatial phase traps while simultaneously launching a powerful psychic shock aimed precisely at the consciousness cores of the Chronomancers.
The cold logical thinking of the Necrons was instantly disrupted, causing a momentary lag in their movements. Dante keenly seized this fleeting opening. Several Blood Angels in Terminator armor charged forward with their Chapter Master, tearing the Chronomancers on the battlefield to shreds.
"For the Mephrit Dynasty! You shall not prevail!" Zarathusa let out a furious roar.
The miniature device at the tip of his staff suddenly erupted with blinding white light. A terrifying stream of superheated energy was about to burst forth, intending to turn the entire tomb chamber into a furnace.
This was a miniature manifestation of the star-destroying technology the Mephrit Dynasty prided itself on.
Powerful stellar energy was compressed within a small technological device. If necessary, the energy could be detonated to create a localized solar flare within an area.
Although this would kill some Necron units, it did not matter.
All Necron units could be resurrected through reanimation protocols, whereas the humans would not be so lucky. They would die within the solar flare.
As the violent stellar energy was triggered, all the Blood Angels were shocked, and even Mephiston and the other Librarians exerted themselves, trying to stop the eruption.
However, their psychic power was insufficient to block a solar flare.
Judgment of Holy Light! A beam of golden radiance descended.
In that critical moment, the entire tomb world, and even the planet Perdita itself, seemed to be enveloped by an incomparably grand, holy, and majestic golden light. This light pierced through thick rock strata and living metal, descending directly into the core tomb chamber.
Time seemed to freeze for an instant.
Immediately after, a colossal sword of light composed of pure golden holy flame fell from the heavens like divine punishment.
It was not solid, yet carried the will to sever the void, striking precisely against the torrent of destructive energy bursting from Zarathusa's staff.
Simultaneously, golden energy wrapped around all present Blood Angels, protecting them unharmed amidst the stellar energy outbreak.
This golden energy was Sanguinius's holy light combined with Axis's Ki. The barrier formed by the union of these two powers successfully withstood the solar flare.
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a silence of absolute annihilation.
The stellar energy stream, capable of vaporizing adamantium and melting planetary cores, met the sacred light sword and vanished like snow meeting boiling oil. It was purified, disintegrated, and dissipated into nothingness.
The aftershock of the light sword even swept past the Lokhust Destroyer Lord blocking Zarathusa. The incredibly durable Necron construct didn't even have time to shriek before being reduced to a pile of smoking, molten slag.
The green light in Zarathusa's eyes flickered violently, filled with disbelief and horror. The stellar technology he was so proud of had been dismantled so easily and thoroughly?
As the light faded, two figures hovered in the air of the tomb chamber like deities.
Sanguinius slowly furled his flawless, gigantic wings. The holy sword in his hand still held a faint golden glow, his gaze calm yet containing supreme majesty.
Axis stood casually beside him, his body radiating suffocating waves of energy, as if that earth-shattering strike just now was merely a wave of his hand.
Their gazes, like tangible shackles, locked firmly onto the Necron Overlord below.
At this moment, Necron Overlord Zarathusa stared wide-eyed, looking at the two figures before him in disbelief. Is there a mistake?
The solar flare he just released was strong enough to destroy a planet's surface, yet it was blocked by these two individuals.
Just who are they?
"I apologize, Great Father and Lord Axis. I have disappointed you and forced you to descend personally," Dante said, kneeling on the ground with a look of shame upon seeing Sanguinius and Axis.
He felt he had failed the mission to capture the Overlord alive and almost faced total destruction. If not for the Father's Holy Light and Lord Axis's Ki barrier...
"There is no need for self-reproach, Dante. You have done well. A solar flare is not something you can withstand," Sanguinius said, nodding to his sons.
"Correct. I admit I underestimated these Necrons slightly. The Mephrit Dynasty specializes in manipulating stellar energy; they are indeed not easy for ordinary people to deal with," Axis added.
A Necron Overlord could release stellar energy attacks with just a staff; the dark technology of these Necrons was indeed substantial.
"Who are you? State your names," Overlord Zarathusa demanded.
"I am the Primarch of Humanity, Sanguinius."
"Axis." The two stated their names together.
"Why do you invade our territory? This is the sacred soil of the Necrons," the Overlord roared.
At this point, he also realized these two were dangerous.
"Your territory? Sacred soil? No, no, no, you are mistaken. This is now the territory of the Imperium of Man. You are the invaders," Axis laughed.
"There is no need for further talk. Let us test your true worth!" Sanguinius scoffed, directly unleashing potent Holy Light power. The Necrons illuminated by this light instantly collapsed, losing all signs of animation.
Sanguinius's light affected these Necrons much like the Holy Light affects the undead in fantasy worlds.
Axis also released his Ki, directly obliterating the surrounding Necrons.
The Archangel wasted no words, appearing behind the Overlord. With a wave of his holy sword, he severed all four of Zarathusa's limbs. The Overlord, who had just been fighting on par with the Primaris-enhanced Dante, was instantly incapacitated.
The descent of Sanguinius and the overwhelming power displayed by Axis's casual strike completely crushed the resistance of the remaining Necron forces.
The Blood Angels erupted with sky-shaking war cries, morale soaring as they quickly purged the remaining holdouts.
Zarathusa, reduced to just a head and torso, attempted to initiate a phase shift to escape, but Mephiston was prepared. A powerful psychic cage formed instantly, acting like invisible shackles that not only restricted his physical movement but also jammed his connection to the tomb's underlying protocols.
Simultaneously, several Blood Angel Terminators equipped with the latest gravity restraint devices charged forward, clamping specialized energy-suppression shackles onto the Overlord's limb stumps and torso joints.
These shackles flashed with blue light, continuously emitting fields to interfere with Necron reanimation protocols.
Axis slowly descended, walking up to the suppressed and immobilized Zarathusa. He looked down from above at the Necron Overlord, whose green eyes flickered with humiliation and shock. His voice was calm but carried a tone that brooked no refusal.
"Now, Overlord Zarathusa, we can have a proper talk. Tell me everything about Trazyn the Infinite. Every single detail you know."
"This is of vital importance to you and your remaining dynasty, for it concerns whether you will survive," Sanguinius added from the side.
Zarathusa's cold metal head raised slightly, attempting to maintain his final shreds of dignity, but Axis's foot stamped down ruthlessly, crushing the Overlord's last pride.
These beings have combat power comparable to the C'tan... No, they are even stronger than the C'tan.
The Necron Overlord fell silent for a moment, finally making a decision. Trazyn the Infinite had a terrible reputation among the Necrons anyway, so betraying his information didn't matter.
He actually hoped these two powerful beings would kill that despicable thief.
"...The Infinite... Trazyn... that unpredictable exile... He was last observed... on the edge of the Sautekh Dynasty's territory..."