113: Titus has fallen? Astartes' ultimate attack was crushed with a single hand!

Zhang Yuan raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the sand table and toward the deepest part of that flesh-wrought manor, as if he meant to meet the violet eyes upon the throne.

"Now..."

"It is your turn."

Inside the central hall, the scorching air and cloying fragrance collided violently, stirring up an invisible vortex.

The playful smile on The Keeper of Secrets' face slowly faded, replaced by a cold scrutiny, as if its pleasure had been interrupted by an ant.

It moved.

The throne, constructed from the twisted, screaming bodies of countless living beings, let out a bone-chilling squirm and groan.

As The Keeper of Secrets rose, those bodies acting as "decorations" were stretched and compressed, emitting horrific sounds of bones shattering and flesh being torn apart.

Its movements, however, were the complete opposite of the hideous throne beneath it.

The tall, elegant, androgynous figure rose slowly from the entanglement of flesh and gold with the grace of a ballerina.

Its four slender arms stretched out naturally, as if welcoming a long-awaited performance.

Inside the command vehicle, all of Zhang Yuan's attention was focused on the first-person feed transmitted back by the thor mecha.

Just then, a voice rang out directly in his mind without any warning.

It was not through any communication device, but a pure psychic transmission that transcended physical distance.

This voice was composed of countless overlapping audio tracks—at times a man's magnetic whisper, at times a woman's seductive temptation, and at other times a child's innocent murmur—but its core was a bone-deep, playful malice.

"Have you finally arrived? My interesting Mr. 'UP Master'."

Zhang Yuan's pupils constricted in an instant.

"Let me see if your 'update' is worth me giving a 'triple-like'."

"UP Master"? "Update"? "Triple-like"?

These terms from another world, which should absolutely not appear here, struck like a heavy hammer deep into Zhang Yuan's soul.

There was no time to ponder; the humiliation of being toyed with and the sense of crisis from being exposed instantly turned into cold killing intent.

"Open fire!"

Zhang Yuan's voice was transmitted through the command system to the fire control cores of the two thor mecha.

The moment the order was given, the symphony of war played its most violent movement!

Hum— The reactors on the chests of the two thor mecha flared with light, and all weapon systems were unlocked.

The "punisher" cannons began to rotate, their barrels illuminated crimson by the electromagnetically accelerated energy, emitting a dull roar.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Two torrents of steel, composed of high-explosive armor-piercing rounds, instantly tore through the air and surged toward The Keeper of Secrets at the end of the hall with an aura of total destruction!

The "Javelin" missile launchers on the mecha's shoulders opened simultaneously.

Swish, swish, swish— Dozens of small missiles trailed white exhaust, like a swarm of bloodthirsty bees, carving out lethal arcs from different angles to seal off all space for The Keeper of Secrets to dodge.

Finally, there were the "Chogoria" shock cannons located on the mecha's arms.

There was no muzzle flash, no trajectory.

Only two visible, distorted masses of air, like invisible heavy hammers, smashed fiercely toward the target!

In that moment, the entire magnificent and profane hall was completely transformed into a sea of death and fire.

The barrage and shockwaves wove into a net, tearing the decorations of mixed gold and flesh on the ground into shreds, while the sturdy load-bearing pillars snapped inch by inch in the explosions.

Any corporeal body would be instantly vaporized in the face of this storm of steel.

However, facing this saturation attack sufficient to raze a small fortress, The Keeper of Secrets merely let out a soft chuckle.

The laughter was both pleasant and grating.

Its four arms traced a graceful and mysterious arc in front of it.

A translucent psychic barrier, shimmering with pink and purple radiance, appeared out of thin air.

The barrier looked incredibly thin, like a soap bubble, yet it was indestructible.

The first high-explosive warhead struck the barrier.

No explosion. No roar.

That shell, along with the kinetic energy and explosives it contained, was like a clay ox entering the sea; it caused a small, brilliant ripple to spread across the surface of the barrier, then vanished without a sound.

Immediately following were hundreds upon hundreds of shells and dozens of missiles.

Countless ripples spread and overlapped crazily on the barrier, rendering that pink-purple curtain of light into a bizarre and fantastical piece of art.

The violent explosions and raging shockwaves were all swallowed up effortlessly by that seemingly fragile barrier.

Not a single scratch could be inflicted upon it.

Inside the heavy command vehicle, Zhang Yuan's heart sank as he watched the unmoving red target marker on the tactical screen and that eerie energy barrier.

Just then! Boom—!

A wall on the side of the hall exploded!

Amidst the flying rubble and smoke, a black figure, like a cannonball fired from its chamber, crashed out while enveloped in boundless rage!

"For the Emperor!"

A roar, suppressed to the extreme, rang throughout the entire hall.

It was Titus!

The black Deathwatch power armor he wore gleamed with a cold metallic light in the firelight of the explosion.

He kept his body low, his jump pack running at overload, spewing blue flames, his speed reaching the extreme!

The power fist in his hand was already charged to its peak.

Blue electric arcs, like a swarm of violent spirit snakes, coiled around the massive metal fist, emitting a hum that tore through the air!

From the thor mecha opening fire to attract attention to him breaking through the wall, it was all done in one fluid motion!

This was a perfect decapitation tactic, practiced countless times, and the kind at which an Astartes excelled!

The Keeper of Secrets seemed not to have expected that under such a storm of attacks from the front, such a lethal killing intent was hidden on the flank.

Its violet eyes showed a hint of surprise for the first time.

But that was all.

In the blink of an eye, Titus's thunderous punch, capable of collapsing city walls, had already struck toward the side of The Keeper of Secrets' face with an aura of total destruction!

The Keeper of Secrets' reaction was faster than physics could account for.

It didn't even turn around.

Of its four arms, one of the lower ones, a giant claw glistening with metallic luster, raised upward at an incredible angle.

Precise. Elegant.

It blocked exactly in the path of Titus's fist.

The next instant! Fist and claw collided with a boom!

Zzzzt—!

An incredibly shrill explosion, as if to tear one's eardrums, rang out!

Blue energy arcs and pink-purple Chaos psychic energy collided and annihilated each other crazily at the point of contact, erupting into a blinding ball of energy!

Centered on the point of impact, a visible shockwave expanded violently, blowing away all the broken bricks, stones, and bloodstains on the ground!

Titus's mightiest punch, fueled by his full strength and capable of piercing a tank, was actually... easily caught by the opponent with one hand!

Under Titus's helmet, his eyes widened.

He felt as if his fist had struck an impregnable mountain.

That seemingly slender giant claw contained a power he could not understand, a power so brutal it defied reason!

He wanted to pull his hand back and retreat.

It was too late.

The Keeper of Secrets' other free giant claw, carrying a hint of annoyance at being offended by an ant, turned into a pink-purple afterimage and swung down!

That movement was not an attack; it was more like swatting away an annoying fly.

Titus only had time to cross his other arm in front of him to block.

Bang—! A dull, heart-stopping thud.

Titus was hit, as if struck head-on by a battering ram moving at full speed.

His body, weighing hundreds of kilograms and forged from alloy and ceramite, was sent flying by an irresistible force!

His black power armor traced a desperate parabola in the air, crashing heavily against the hall wall dozens of meters away.

Boom!

The sturdy alloy wall was forcefully impacted, creating a huge, concave crater, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading wildly in all directions.

Titus's body was embedded in the crater in the wall, sliding down slowly, and finally kneeling powerlessly on the ground.

The arm he used to block was twisted at an unnatural angle, and on the gauntlet of his power armor was a clear, deep claw mark several inches deep.

One blow. Just one blow.

The battle-hardened Space Marine, former Captain of the Ultramarines, elite of the Deathwatch, Titus, was defeated.