"Not good! Blazing Shield!" Veronica quickly pulled a scroll from her bosom and tore it open. Red flames formed a protective barrier, shielding her and Laine.
"This mere fire, this mere fire cannot harm me!!!" The roar of the Fallen Hunter echoed through the orphanage. The blazing shield was shattered with a single axe blow, and Laine immediately swung his warhammer, engaging Belte once more.
"You... sliced through the flames?!" Veronica's eyes widened. The witch backed away, her face pale, yet she was ready to cast another spell.
"My master has not abandoned me!" Belte forced Laine back with a Tornado Slash, laughing wildly: "What a splendid battle; my master has noticed me! From today forth, there is no Belte, only the Champion of Khorne, the Life Taker!"
With those words, Belte, his body charred and revealing scorched wounds and organs, suddenly drew a longsword, slashing a wound on his left flank.
Then he slashed another wound on his right shoulder.
From these wounds, an unconceivable torrent of blood sprayed out, surrounding Belte after spiraling in the air.
Laine was still eager to attack, but Veronica quickly pulled him back: "No, Laine, there's explosive energy inside that thing!"
"Damn it! As expected! Belte's actions have drawn the attention of the Blood God!" Laine was forced to halt.
Within seconds, the crimson color receded amidst the explosion.
Iron-gray replaced his original skin; two giant horns sprouted beside his head, and a bone spike pierced out from the middle of Belte's skull, rising high, with the skull of his mentor—the Demon Hunting Master Jacob—dangling from its tip.
His aura had risen from Legendary Middle-tier to Legendary High-Tier.
One of Belte's hands transformed into a massive talon, while the other wielded a giant axe taller than a man. His muscles bulged all over his body. He swung the axe towards Laine, the blade breaking the sound barrier and landing heavily on Laine's warhammer. Yet as Laine prepared to counter, Belte stopped.
The Fallen Hunter Belte, no, the Champion of Khorne, the Life Taker, said arrogantly: "The path to glory is bloody and long; every battle is a step to the top. At the end of this road lies rewards unimaginable by mortals, owned only by the brave and blessed by the Blood God himself. You are unworthy; I am!"
"Mortals, do you wish to be as powerful as I? To have infinite honor and blessings as I do? I offer you a chance; if you join my master's embrace, I will spare you and this witch."
"..." Laine was silent. He suddenly whispered to Veronica, "Veronica, step back a little."
"Laine?" Veronica nodded gently at Laine, and they exchanged a glance.
Thus, the Jialan Witch slowly retreated while Laine reached for the hilt of the single-handed longsword behind him. Chapters first released on NovєlFіre.net
Veronica's beautiful apricot eyes were filled with the reflection of the man.
Laine seemed to deliberate over his choice; the Life Taker did not attack. The Genetic Primarch pulled out the Holy Water given by the Lake Fairy, which immediately took effect. In the Subspace, it formed layers of mist, blocking the Evil God's sight.
"Endless rifts of Subspace and the surging Power of Chaos within are the eternal nightmares that haunt the Prime Material World. The Evil Gods and Demons tear away the fragile veil between Chaos and reality with fear. The great Emperor foresaw that, left unchecked, countless beings would soon suffer, and innumerable glories would become ruins. The Chaos Evil Gods will return to the world, bringing unending and eternal nightmares." Veronica gently recited a scripture in her mind in High Gothic Language.
This scripture recorded secrets about Laine's lineage and surname.
"At this dark hour, the Emperor found his most loyal servants—the Demon Pattern-Macado, who crossed layers of blockades to fulfill this impossible task."
"The Grey Knights were born; they pierced through the darkness with brilliance. They are humanity's last and ultimate salvation, the final gift from the Emperor."
Laine grasped the hilt with his right hand, and under his supreme will, the single-handed longsword was drawn, resonating with a pleasant sound between the blade and the sheath.
"I always feared using this sword because I once felt unworthy of it. I once felt that what it brought me was too heavy, more than my shoulders could bear." Laine muttered, as if speaking to the Life Taker.
"So, you have chosen to fight?" The Life Taker understood Laine's choice.
The longsword emerged, gripped firmly in Laine's hand.
This single-handed longsword measured about 1.3 meters; its entire body was bright silver, engraved with mystical runes, sacred and imperious. The entire sword was enveloped by nearly transparent white flames, emitting a faint blue glow.
"But now, I will embrace my destiny!"
"I am the Primarch! I am the Grey Knight Laine Macado!!!" Laine raised the longsword to the sky.
The world changed colors.
The single-handed longsword continuously resonated as if responding to Laine's words, with the white flames along the blade growing increasingly intense.
Outside the orphanage, Schultz and Odrich were waiting for the battle to conclude. They vaguely sensed the vast energy flowing within the ruins of the orphanage. The Duke of Marinburg sighed, "Laine, what an extraordinary young man."