38: Chapter 38 Imitating Sword Control

Even more astonishingly, no foul-smelling bodily fluids erupted from the severed surfaces.

All the blood, internal organs, and even the soft tissues beneath the carapace were completely frozen by the extreme cold the moment they touched the blade, manifesting as a bizarre solidified state of mixed ice crystals and dark purple.

This frost power far exceeded the effects shown when Liang Chengping wielded the sword in the past.

In Chengping's hands, it manifested more as an incidental low-temperature field capable of freezing water vapor and slowing movement.

But in Fulgrim's grasp, this chill seemed to possess a life of its own—highly condensed, extremely aggressive, and capable of instantly freezing the very essence of life within.

Perhaps this was the Primarch's soul, deeply bound to the Warp, exerting its idealistic power to permeate and sublime external creations.

When he accepted the sword and viewed it as a part of his own "perfection," his will and psychic energy began to quietly permeate and enhance the cold properties within the blade, which originated from "Cold Nether Iron."

At the core of the xenos defensive line, an exceptionally large "Iron-Spine Beetle King" with a dark gold carapace and compound eyes flashing with rage and cunning noticed this invincible purple god of slaughter.

Enraged by the tragic deaths of its subjects, it let out a deafening screech and moved its six thick limbs, charging toward Fulgrim like a moving hill, knocking aside several Emperor's Children warriors who couldn't dodge in time.

Watching the violent approach of the xenos leader, a cold smile brushed across Fulgrim's perfect lips.

Instead of stepping forward to meet it, he performed an action that caught everyone by surprise.

With a flick of his arm, he tossed the [frost greatsword] high into the air!

The greatsword spun as it ascended, but instead of falling upon reaching its peak, it hovered in defiance of gravity. Its tip adjusted slightly, pointing directly at the charging Beetle King.

In the next moment, an ice-blue sword light flashed!

The [frost greatsword] was not thrown; instead, as if pulled by invisible threads, it transformed into a chilling stream of light and shot forward of its own accord!

Its speed was astonishing, trailing a series of ice crystal afterimages in the air. Any ordinary Iron-Spine Beetles in its path, whether through thick shells or fragile joints, were easily pierced and torn apart, leaving behind rapidly freezing corpses.

This was naturally not some telekinesis technique.

Rather, it was a simple application of Fulgrim's vast psychic power—using pure mental strength to control the weapon from a distance, with which he had already established a deep connection.

Against these xenos who possessed no psychic resistance and relied solely on brute force and carapaces, such a method was akin to a dimensional strike—magnificent and efficient.

Of course, Fulgrim knew in his heart that if he faced an opponent equally proficient in psychic powers, such a direct method of sword kinesis would be easily disrupted or the greatsword might even be seized.

He did not rely on this technique; he merely used it in this situation to add a touch of cold elegance to the conquest, fitting his current aesthetic and mood.

The ice-blue sword light shot unhindered toward the thick-skinned, roaring xenos leader.

The ice-blue sword light and the dark gold Beetle King's charge collided thunderously in the center of the battlefield!

The expected scene of the blade piercing through did not immediately occur. This xenos leader clearly possessed combat instincts and defensive capabilities far beyond its kin.

At the last moment, it jerked its body aside, using the thickest part of its shoulder—a carapace covered in metallic protrusions—to head-on resist the flying sword.

Clang—!!

The ear-piercing ring of metal on metal echoed across the battlefield, the shockwave kicking up all the surrounding dust and debris.

The flying sword was knocked off its original trajectory toward the head by the massive force. Its tip scraped across the carapace, plowing a deep furrow that was instantly covered in frost, but it failed to penetrate completely.

Stung by the pain, the Beetle King roared with increasing fury, swinging its massive forelimbs to whip up a foul wind and swat at the flying sword in the air.

The sword light swiveled nimbly, dodging the blow and stabbing at its compound eyes once more.

In an instant, the ice-blue sword light darted up and down around the massive dark gold body, the sound of clanging impacts never ceasing.

Every strike left a frozen wound on the thick carapace. As the cold continued to erode it, the Beetle King's movements gradually slowed, and the frost on its surface grew thicker and thicker.

But this xenos leader's vitality was astonishingly tenacious. Ignoring the pain, it suddenly opened its tooth-filled maw and spat out a wide-reaching spray of highly corrosive purple-black acid, blocking most of the flying sword's escape routes!

Fulgrim's eyebrows rose slightly as his thoughts shifted. The flying sword abruptly halted its assault and retreated rapidly, while its blade spun at high speed. The resulting cold wind and sword light formed a small frost vortex, blocking, freezing, and deflecting most of the acid.

A few drops of acid still splashed onto the blade, making a "sizzling" sound and leaving several faint, dull corrosion marks on the pale blue edge.

The flying sword's luster seemed to dim slightly, and its nimble trajectory showed a barely perceptible sluggishness.

"An interesting attack," Fulgrim murmured to himself. He seemed unconcerned about the damage to the blade, instead finding the xenos's move somewhat novel.

He no longer controlled the sword from a distance. With a wave of his hand, the [frost greatsword] flew back like a homing swallow, tracing a graceful arc into his open palm.

The moment he gripped the hilt, a more surging and harmonious chill flowed from the hilt into his body and then fed back into the blade.

Under the wash of the surging cold, the few acid corrosion marks on the blade were quickly covered and smoothed over by ice crystals, its luster restored in the blink of an eye.

"Imitating the moves of mortals is interesting, but it is ultimately just an imitation," Fulgrim said with a slight curl of his lips. "Now, let me show you how its true master wields the sword."

Before his voice had even faded, he moved.

There was no buildup, no starting stance. He simply took a single step forward.

Yet the ground beneath his feet instantly exploded into a web of ice cracks! He transformed into a pale blue lightning bolt that tore through the air, carrying endless cold and irresistible power as he shot straight toward the already sluggish Beetle King!

Too fast! So fast that the Beetle King had only just raised its forelimb when the sword light was already upon it!

Fulgrim did not choose to clash head-on with the thickest part of the carapace. He tilted his body mid-sprint, circling behind the Beetle King's flank like a phantom.

The [frost greatsword] seemed to lose all weight in his hands, becoming a precise and lethal cold light.

A vertical slash!

There were no ornate techniques, only speed and power condensed to the extreme, along with a piercing cold capable of freezing the soul!

The blade sliced into a gap in the carapace.

This time, it did more than just leave a frost mark.

Crack—!

A tooth-grating sound of shattering erupted. The thick dark gold carapace, along with the muscles, tendons, and bones inside that were instantly frozen stiff by the cold, was sliced open cleanly by this single strike!

A massive, smooth, frozen gash ran from the Beetle King's flank straight through to its rear abdomen!

"Hiss—!!!"

The Beetle King let out a world-shaking wail of agony, its massive body twitching violently. The foul, ice-crystal-mixed purple fluids were frozen again by the extreme cold spreading from the wound before they could even erupt.

Its movements completely seized up, its life force like a candle flickering in the wind.

Fulgrim's figure had already appeared on the other side. Without stopping, he flicked his wrist and delivered a horizontal sweep with the greatsword!