Chapter 990, Tzeentch is out of the game.

Chapter 990, Tzeentch is out of the game.
Before Gu Jing's eyes, an ascension ritual unfolded and was completed swiftly.

Among the knowledge he had acquired in the past, it was mentioned that the ascension ritual was a very dangerous process. Accepting the blessing of an evil god seemed easy—simply falling into corruption—but in reality, the price paid was enormous, and the vast majority of those who received the blessing could not survive it. Even for the Chaos Champions who had gone far enough down the path of pleasing the evil god, the success rate after receiving the blessing was pitifully low; it was uncertain whether one in a million would become a Demon Prince.

Those qualified to receive grace are few to begin with; one must accumulate enough merit to please the gods. Even so, failure is still the vast majority, and the consequences of failure are tragic—reincarnation into mindless, chaotic eggs. It's possible that those obsessed with worshipping evil gods might see this as a good thing.

However, looking at Galardore's ascension... it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it effortless.

It is said that whether or not one can successfully ascend to demonhood depends on the ascensionist himself, but it is now quite clear that as long as the powerful beings in the warp desire it, then ascension to demonhood can be successful.

Otherwise, why would this Galadriel be able to ascend to the rank of Demon? Is he more powerful and more devout than those millions of Tzeentch Champions?

It's simply because his position is important, and his role in this incident is significant enough to annoy the human empire, so he succeeded.

But Gu Jing wasn't worried about anything.

His initial concern lay only with the true Warp-space powerhouses. But after the appearance of the lightning that pierced through the Warp, that concern was no longer necessary.

Gu Jing only has to deal with Galardor, who has ascended to demonic power.

What's there to be afraid of?

Even among demon princes, there are differences.

Ascending to magic level doesn't necessarily mean you're that powerful.

Someone like Magnus, originally a child of God and the most powerful psychic among them, possessed combat strength after ascending to demonic power that nearly overwhelmed Robert—even wielding the Emperor's Sword wouldn't be enough; he would still be overwhelmed. During the lunar campaign, without Gu Jing's presence and the support of numerous Silent Sisters and Spellbreakers, Robert alone would have been powerless to drive him away.

But Gallardo is not that kind of devilish prince.

Before his promotion, he was neither an invincible warrior, a champion, nor a psionic master, possessing extraordinary talent and control over psionic energy.

He was just an ordinary person, at most clever, cunning, scheming, and adept at plotting and scheming.

These are all traits that Tzeentch appreciates and likes. However, even if these traits are greatly enhanced after Gaalard's ascension, it will only make him a more skilled schemer, and at most give him some supernatural abilities that will help him do these things.

Regarding the enhancement of direct combat capabilities?
For Galardore, who was originally just a mortal, that was of course enormous. It transformed him from someone 'utterly powerless' into someone capable of tearing apart Space Marines with his bare hands.

But it's just tearing apart ordinary Space Marines.

If he were to encounter a champion from another faction, he might be able to overwhelm them with sheer strength through unprecedented growth in physical attributes and spiritual power.

But if we go any higher, Galardore, who has almost no combat experience or skills, will expose his biggest weakness: he simply doesn't know how to use his strength.

As for the grand words he uttered in front of Gu Jing earlier?

That's more like utter nonsense!

And what about Gu Jing?

Gu Jing was definitely a seasoned veteran. Since he reached a certain age and started working, it's undeniable that he received a great deal of help from his father, but his numerous adventures and brushes with death were undeniable. He had honed himself to an exceptional level through these experiences.

Therefore, at present, with Tzeentch only able to successfully help Galardore ascend to a higher level, and unable to provide further assistance due to Gu Hang's obstruction in the warp, Gu Jing is currently dominating Galardore.

Gallardo's initial euphoria at gaining power far exceeding his expectations was quickly worn away.

He has indeed become incredibly powerful, but so what?
On one hand, he discovered that Gu Jing, the son of his enemy, was on the same level as him in terms of power.

It's even a little stronger.

On the other hand, Galadriel clearly possessed a strength level roughly equivalent to Gu Jing's, yet he couldn't even touch Gu Jing.

He was completely outmaneuvered by Gu Jing's psionic techniques. The shockwaves he painstakingly built up were unleashed with ferocity, but often the target was just a decoy set up by Gu Jing. Gu Jing's attacks were varied and dazzling, making it impossible for him to distinguish the key points from the illusions. He could only resist haphazardly, but often he made one mistake after another.

His initial feeling of invincibility gradually turned into surprise, and then into frustration.

Now, all that's left is fear.

The power bestowed by the evil god is not inexhaustible. The power he can draw upon now is significantly less than what Gu Jing dispelled during the battle.

Even if Gallardo had no concept of combat, he could sense that he was going to lose.

But what can be done?
He couldn't think of a solution.

He was like a caged beast, roaring fiercely and intimidating, endlessly unleashing his power towards the open space and the cage beside him.

Gu Jing, on the other hand, was like a cunning hunter holding a spear outside the cage. He constantly teased and lured Galadriel into wasting his 'energy,' then seized every opportunity to deliver a sharp blow.

Not deep, not ruthless, but blood is drawn every time.

As he was constantly bled out, Galardore grew weaker and weaker, and even his howls and intimidation became feeble.

Was he faking it?
Gu Jing realized it—it was true. This guy seemed to be using this show of weakness to set a trap, trying to deceive Gu Jing and then seize the opportunity to strike back.

But... he's really not very good at it.

At least in this level of combat, his plans were seen through by Gu Jing at a glance.

Furthermore, Gu Jing could see even further that the flaw left by Galardo was a hole he himself couldn't fill; and that so-called backup plan was also a very minor threat.

Given that, what's there to hesitate about?

Behind Gu Jing, two jet-black wings emerged.

It no longer takes the form of the ever-changing Demon Lord, but rather possesses the power of Komo, the God of Despair from the Spirit Race.

These wings carried him at breakneck speed toward Gallardo.

Galardo's thousands of eyes, which had mutated all over his body, opened to their maximum size at the same time, shining brightly.

Thousands of beams of light tore Gu Jing's figure into pieces.

But before he could even feel happy for a moment, he saw another Gu Jing coming at him.

His smile froze; he tried to muster the strength to block, but it was too late. A divine sword appeared in Gu Jing's hand.

Its appearance is exactly the same as the Komo Divine Sword, the treasure of the Dark Elf Clan in the past!
With a single sword strike, Gallardo's body was cleaved vertically in two.

The two severed pieces of the demon prince's body were still writhing on the ground, trying to glue themselves back together.

However, the despairing annihilation power attached to the cut surface prevented the two from merging, and as Gu Jing, who was standing not far away, chanted a spell, it continued to erode in the opposite direction.

Just a few breaths later, this newly promoted demon prince vanished completely from this world.

Faintly, Gu Jing also heard a scream of resentment echoing from the subspace.

Tzeentch lost and was the first to be eliminated from this grand drama of Holy Terra.

……

Tzeentch is a deity symbolizing intrigue, change, curiosity, and a thirst for knowledge.

But that doesn't mean He is rational.

Does rationality still exist in the subspace?

nonexistent.

Even though Tzeentch was out of the game and knew he had no chance of turning things around—he had run out of pieces to play with—he remained enraged and continued his erratic behavior. Amidst the malicious mockery of the other evil gods, he tried to overturn the entire chessboard.

Gu Hang felt immense pressure.

Every time he confronted these four annoying people head-on, he was repeatedly taught a lesson: he had not yet reached the same level as them.

No matter how close you get, if you don't cross that threshold, you haven't crossed it.

Here, Tzeentch is clearly not going all out.

On the other side, the eternal war between Him and 'Merciful Father' Nurgle never ceased. At the border between their divine realms, Nurgle's demonic army cheered and mocked Tzeentch's defeat, intensifying its offensive; Tzeentch's demonic army roared to wash away the Lord's shame, launching a fierce counterattack. The two evil gods' tactical maneuvering never loosened.

Throughout the entire universe, countless conspiracies and schemes are unfolding or brewing, all driven by the will of the Lord of Change, and many of them are being closely watched by Treachery.

While this grand spectacle in Holy Terra is certainly important, it is absolutely impossible and unthinkable that Tzeentch would be sent to fully commit to it.

Even so, Gu Jing found it quite difficult to cope.

However, even in such a sorry state, there was no other being in the entire physical universe who could withstand the wrath of an evil god and persevere until the other party found it boring, tedious, and meaningless, and thus gave up.

Regardless, the outcome was ultimately good.

Although Tzeentch was the first of the four gods to fall from the grand drama of Holy Terra, Gu Jing actually believed that his schemes and plans were the most dangerous among the four gods.

The other three evil gods' main deployments were primarily concentrated on the surface. Although Khorne had corrupted the ground armies, Nurgle's plague had spread extensively among the common people, and Slaanesh had corrupted many nobles and wealthy merchants... for Holy Terra, this amounted to all-encompassing destruction in progress.

Ultimately, however, these problems can be solved, provided sufficient effort and resources are invested.

It also needs to be fast enough.

However, Tzeentch's greatest threat lies in his corruption of the Navy and orbital systems, and in his disruption of peace talks between the Solar Fleet and the Expeditionary Force.

If he succeeds, then we're doomed.

Holy Terra possesses the most powerful orbital defense system and naval cooperative defense capabilities in the entire universe, originally intended to counter humanity's greatest enemies. If these weapons were to be directed at the expeditionary force, the trouble would be immense.

Even if the loss of the moon, the fact that the palace is still under the control of the Imperial Guard, and the existence of many loyalists, among other factors, mean that the entire orbital defense system can only exert 30% or 40% of its power, it is still terrifying.

Even if the entire expeditionary fleet were to be deployed, it's uncertain whether they could successfully capture the city.

If the conflict drags on, the coalition's ground support will become very uncontrollable, and the overall situation on Terra will become more unpredictable.

Now, I've finally gotten through this ordeal.

With Gallardo's death and Tzeentch's defeat, the remaining Tzeentch corruption posed little threat.

The Holy Grail, a vital space fortress, was brought under control by a powerful assault by one hundred Grey Knights and Black Cross Legion soldiers. With the arrival of more landing ships, it has now fallen completely into the control of the Allied forces.

Therefore, after persuading or forcibly taking control of many surrounding fortresses, armed space stations, and starports, the entire orbital airspace could be considered safe for the coalition forces.

A few days later, the ships of the Solar Fleet that had left with Marshal Song Min and assembled at the designated location underwent a full inspection by Robert. The entire command and combat system was restructured, and loyalty checks and personnel reassignments were carried out on key parts of the ships to ensure that the entire fleet could be integrated into the Allied command chain.

They were then reassigned to the task of controlling the orbit of the Holy Terra.

The whole process was like a falling domino, or a rolling snowball.

The beginning was the hardest, but as more and more Imperial Navy forces sided with Robert; more and more orbital airspace defenders changed their flags; and more and more Chaos traitors who were obstructing the way were caught, eliminated, and purged...

Those who remain, unable to see the situation clearly, wavering, and ambitious individuals with ulterior motives... will increasingly be able to figure out what choices to make next.

Although, in recent days, people have been dying every day in the orbit of Holy Terra, small-scale battles have broken out every day, and many Allied fleets, or solar fleets and orbital space stations that were not clear about the situation, have been destroyed...

But in general, no matter how intense the battle, it is short and localized.

Compared to waging a full-scale orbital naval war, this cost is negligible.

And it's very fast.

In less than a month, the entire outer orbit was under the control of the coalition forces.

As for ground support, that began three weeks ago.

Robert and Gu Hang did not forget their promise to the Imperial Guard.

Before they could even fully control the planet's orbit, they had already risked deploying a significant number of reinforcements to the ground.

(End of this chapter)