The son of the God-Emperor in Warhammer Fantasy

Standing once more before Geul, Ryan felt his lungs filled with the stench of death and sulfurous fire. The Lady of the Lake's chosen champion gazed at the towering and formidable figure of Geul, realizing the immense courage required just to stand before such a fearsome being.

Around them, the silver tide of knights swept through the left flank of the defending forces. Without Geul's command, the undead army was in disarray, crumbling into chaos. Ryan noticed this keenly, while Geul, consumed by his bloodlust, remained oblivious to the collapse of his forces. The champion of the four Chaos gods was wholly fixated on Ryan.

Geul was engulfed in a frenzy of bloodthirsty visions, yearning to offer every skull to Khorne in exchange for the Blood God's favor. Even in undeath, he coveted the rewards once bestowed upon him on the path of blood, an obsession that lingered with him beyond his resurrection.

Ryan, on the other hand, steeled his resolve, pondering why he and François, despite their combined strength—Ryan being a newly ascended Sanctuary warrior and François a high-ranking one—failed to defeat Geul.

It was ignorance. They had known nothing about Geul's origins, his power, or what protected him.

Fear stems from the unknown. When Morgiana revealed Geul's identity and the Lady of the Lake blessed Ryan's weapon, the enigma surrounding Geul was dispelled.

Blue soul fire burned in Geul's hollow eye sockets, ghostly whispers haunting Ryan's ears. The clamor of battle faded as bright psychic flames blazed from his warhammer, illuminating the surroundings.

In stark contrast, Geul was like a majestic yet raging brass storm, spewing molten lava and waves of fire. He raised his head, his silent roar driving those nearby into a frenzy of bloodlust.

The battle began with Geul's assault. The towering undead champion of the Chaos gods leaped forward, lunging at Ryan. Ryan tightened his grip on his warhammer, bellowing in defiance as their immense powers clashed amidst the throng of warriors.

With a surge of strength, Geul launched himself, and Ryan charged, meeting his attack. The clash of Ryan's Thunder Hammer against the black giant axe rang out with a deafening crash, the ground outside the monastery shuddering under the immense force. The impact drove Ryan back a few steps, barely avoiding Geul's follow-up strike. The razor-sharp black axe scraped sparks off Ryan's shoulder armor.

Ryan pivoted, recharged, and swung his Thunder Hammer, which was now wreathed in platinum flames, smashing it into Geul's chest with a resounding "Boom!"

"Ugh!" The force was enough to shatter steel and stone walls. Even Geul, as mighty as he was, staggered back a few steps. His chest armor, the blood-red Barros plate, cracked under Ryan's relentless assault.

Ryan's eyes lit up—Geul was not invincible!

Yet, the undead warrior retaliated with even greater ferocity. The black serrated axe, sharp and deadly despite its ancient age, turned Geul into a whirlwind of death, nearly engulfing Ryan. Each swing of Geul's heavy weapon was impossibly swift and lethal, forcing Ryan to fight defensively, barely managing to parry each blow.

Ryan was no novice. No longer the green warrior of his early days, he seized an opening, his psychic energy blazing in his eyes. He lifted his warhammer, summoning a silver bolt of lightning that struck Geul, forcing the undead champion to retreat several paces amidst the explosion.

"Psychic Storm!" Ryan's command unleashed dozens of lightning bolts, striking Geul's offensive. The Chaos god's champion, wreathed in lightning, roared in silent fury, his massive frame driven back by the relentless barrage. Before Geul could dispel the lightning, Ryan's Thunder Hammer struck again.

"Boom!" Geul blocked with his black axe, but the sheer force of Ryan's blow sent him sprawling. Ryan didn't relent, following up with a crushing blow aimed at Geul's head. The undead champion rolled aside frantically, grabbing Ryan by the throat, and they fell to the ground, wrestling and struggling to their feet.

"Psychic Blade!" Ryan invoked his power, slashing at Geul. Despite taking hits to his head and jaw and having his shoulder and arm armor gouged by Geul's black axe, Ryan's psychic energy-infused armor held. Geul, however, wasn't unscathed either. A psychic spear impaled his chest. Furious, he ripped it out, smashing it to pieces, dodging Ryan's psychic blade attacks.

In the ruins of the High Elves, under the night sky lit by fire, amidst the clash of warhammer and giant axe, Ryan and Geul's duel raged on, showing no signs of abating.

However, on the left flank, the battle was nearing its end. With the support of artillery and the relentless efforts of Alaric and Bellegar, the undead army without Geul's command was in complete disarray. The Barrow Guardians had lost half their number under the bombardment of cannons, deep forest scouts, woodland guards, Dwarf riflemen, and Veronica's magical onslaught. Without Geul's guidance, the undead fought chaotically and were easily defeated. Tomb ghouls and crypt ghouls were either slain or fled. Amidst the carnage, Alaric, the Wood Elf hero, methodically picked off undead commanders, his actions a deadly ballet that claimed at least five tomb ghouls.

"Come on, undead scum! Come here and die!" Bellegar stood atop his ancestral rune oath stone, his shield of resistance glowing. Empowered by the spirits of his ancestors, the Dwarven army pushed forward, shattering the undead's resistance. The addition of the Angrund Oath Keepers was decisive, their steadfastness intimidating even the emotionless and morale-less undead.

"Flame Storm!" Veronica, atop her light magic chariot—its ammunition depleted in the battle at Blackstone Fortress—continued to amplify and stabilize her spells. Her slender form was now wreathed in fire and light, with her dark brown hair ablaze. With the aid of her apprentices, she unleashed a colossal wave of fire that incinerated everything in its path. The undead caught in the inferno vanished without a trace, reduced to cinders as if thrown into a furnace.

The Garland Witch's magic decimated the undead forces, the survivors either destroyed or disbanded, and the remaining knights overwhelmed the scattered remnants.

Ryan's left flank had triumphed.

In a way, Ryan's plan was successful. Engaged in a duel with Ryan, Geul couldn't command his troops, nor did he care. His mind was consumed with thoughts of beheading Ryan for the Blood God.

As Angron would say, "Just chop. Who needs tactics?"

Kemmler, despite his knowledge of chaos, couldn't match Ryan's understanding as a Grey Knight Primarch, which was crucial to Ryan's strategy.

Now, in the middle of the left flank, the duel between Ryan and Geul continued. The Lady of the Lake's chosen champion was battered, his psychic power armor riddled with gashes from Geul's black axe, blood streaming from his wounds.

Geul fared no better. His blood-red Barros plate armor was dented, one of the massive horns on his helmet shattered by Ryan's hammer, and many of his bones crushed.

"Arrgh!" Geul's black axe carved a dark gash into Ryan's breastplate. In retaliation, Ryan's warhammer smashed into Geul's arm, forcing the undead champion to stagger back. Sensing the opportunity, Ryan swung his Thunder Hammer in a wide arc, smashing it into Geul's chest.

"Argh!" The sound of cracking ribs filled the air as the undead Chaos god champion fell to the ground. Seizing the chance, Ryan launched a relentless assault, refusing to let Geul rise again.

With blow after blow raining down, Geul could only barely defend himself. The hammer strikes shook his entire skeletal frame. Driven by instinct, Geul unleashed his final desperate attack.

He opened his mouth, spewing forth blue soul fire. The fiery vortex, reeking of sulfur and death, engulfed Ryan in a swirling inferno over two meters long and wide.

All eyes on the battlefield turned to this spectacle. Witnessing this, Veronica screamed, knowing the dreadfulness of that fire. The blue soul flames not only burned physically but could also destroy an enemy's soul.

But Ryan, ever resilient, rose from the flames. Amidst a roar filled with cold fury and deep-seated hatred, the Vengeance Goddess blade unsheathed, its silver edge burning with platinum flames. Ryan charged into the inferno, his blade cleaving through the soul fire with a single, sweeping strike.

Under Ryan's control, the Vengeance Goddess' blade pierced Geul's defenses, its runed edge driving into his chest. The gap left by the Thunder Hammer strike became its final resting place, sending platinum flames and the blade into Geul's body, the psychic light purging and devouring his strength.

Mortally wounded, Geul emitted a silent scream, retreating with his hand clutching his chest. The silver rift and psychic energy spread across his chest, culminating in a massive explosion: "Boom!"

The shockwave blasted across the battlefield. Ryan barely managed to raise his sword to shield himself, but the force flung him back, shaking the ground as Geul's form vanished.

Sensing Geul's defeat, Kemmler used magic to whisk Geul away, leaving behind two corpse wraiths to cover their retreat.

Ryan dispatched the first wraith with one punch, shattering its skull.

The second wraith met a similar fate, skewered by the Vengeance Goddess' blade, its body consumed by platinum flames.

Limping but resolute, Ryan stood up once more. He raised the Vengeance Goddess high, proclaiming his victory: "Aaaaah!"

"Champion! Champion! Champion!!!" The soldiers on the left flank, having witnessed Ryan's triumph, erupted in thunderous cheers. The Lady of the Lake's chosen champion never faltered! They had won a decisive victory!

The duel's outcome was clear: Geul had been defeated, and the undead army on the left flank was utterly annihilated. Ryan's forces, following his orders, began to shift their focus to reinforce the center, the freed-up troops tilting the battle's scales in their favor.

As the first light of dawn broke over the horizon, Bellegar gathered his troops and looked up at the sky: "The sun is coming up!"

...

Meanwhile, not far from the fiercely contested monastery, a well-equipped group of knights was resting about two kilometers away, concealed in a small grove atop a hill.

This band of knights, numbering just over two hundred, was led by a tall figure wielding a massive axe. The leader, with rugged features, greying temples, and a thick beard flecked with white, had recently lost considerable weight, bearing the signs of significant personal turmoil. After a period of self-imposed seclusion, far from women and wine, and following a long night's journey, his spirits seemed drained.

Despite the fatigue and dark circles around his eyes, he listened intently to the reports from his knights: "My Duke! Count of Glamorgan, the Lady's champion Ryan-Macado has won the duel! The left flank of the undead army is utterly destroyed!"

"Excellent!" The knight, smacking his thigh with enthusiasm, declared, "Well done! The Lady's champion never disappoints!"

This knight was none other than Duke Theodoric of Berleon, who had been exiled to the Lady of the Lake Monastery at Bastogne by Morgiana, the Fay Enchantress, for his scandalous liaisons with the wives of his vassals and knights.

Upon learning of Kemmler and his undead army's rampage across eastern Bretonnia, Theodoric saw an opportunity to atone for his sins. He rallied a small band of loyal knights and set out from Bastogne to the battlefield.

Theodoric and his followers had arrived near the monastery half an hour earlier, but he had wisely held back, knowing his small force, weary from the journey, would be ineffective in a rushed attack. He needed to bide his time.

Now, the moment had arrived!

Theodoric gripped his great axe tightly, an heirloom of the first Duke of Berleon, Baldwin, blessed by the Lady of the Lake. The holy aura surrounding the axe gave Theodoric a sense of redemption, a fleeting escape from his shame and setbacks, reassuring him that the Lady had not forsaken him.

The Duke immediately ordered his knights to prepare for battle. He mounted his horse and delivered a rousing speech.

"Brothers! The time is now!" Theodoric's voice boomed as he raised his great axe. "Our chance for redemption is upon us! François and Ryan are fighting bravely!"

"For our unwavering faith in the Lady!"

"Draw your swords, raise your lances."

"For the Lady! For Bretonnia!"

"Forward!!!"

To atone before the goddess, as the first rays of dawn lit the sky, Duke Theodoric and his knights charged into the fray.

_________________________

[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!] [[email protected]/INNIT]