Unexpectedly, the Death Guard showed an indifference that was almost cruel.
Horus looked out the porthole and saw the Death Guard's sleek fleet floating quietly in the distance. They kept a certain distance from the Night Lords, like wild wolves following a flock of sheep.
They presented an orderly formation, forming a harmonious contrast with the obviously chaotic fleet of the Night Lords.
Thinking of the previous scene, Horus once again took a deep breath.
He tried to make some sense of the chaotic scene, but strong emotions always prevented him from returning to that day. He heard Curze's screams, he heard Mortarion's roar, the smell of blood, and the screaming crew members who fled.
Then there was a Night Lord, Sevatar, whom Horus knew, who stood there, his gauntlets bloodied, silent and trembling, blocking his way.
Horus took another deep breath and lowered his head. He must have lost his composure then. The wolf god could only remember the screams of his brothers, one furious and the other screaming at the top of his lungs.
Then Horus' memory trembled, and all was quiet.
The empty corridor became silent again. Horus could hear the beeping of instruments in the cabin. He heard muffled sounds as people fell down or knelt down, and the sound of bones hitting the ground.
After a brief moment—
The horrible, long-drawn laughter, accompanied by the screams, sounded again, like the screams of the dead crawling out of their graves.
Horus watched, looking at the room at the end of the corridor, where sound and fear, along with light, spilled out and onto the carpet in the corridor.
He gripped his sword tightly. He wanted to check what was happening, but the high pressure in the air told him that if he took one more step forward, he would reach the forbidden zone of life.
He just stood there helplessly, waiting, and could only wait—
When the terrified beast dragged its tail back into the room, the Wolf Shepherd God rushed out immediately.
He rushed over, he saw blood, he saw the remains of armor scattered all over the ground, he saw, he saw.
Horus paused for a moment.
He seemed to understand Ruth a little, no, he even sympathized with her a little.
Brothers killing each other, swords drawn, this... this is unimaginable, the murderous intent in their eyes... No... no... just a little bit... just a little bit! If he was a millisecond later! No, no no no no!
Even though Horus did not allow his thoughts to slip into the abyss, in the dark corner of the wolf-shepherd god's heart, certain possibilities were opened up.
Before this, this lock was covered by morality, family affection, and all kinds of justice and light. He never thought about it, and never gave it a second thought.
He still didn't think about it now, but he had witnessed it. This meant some kind of beginning, a new start, and now, even the Wolf God himself would not realize it.
He will only be troubled by the bad current situation.
The star message asking for instructions from Terra has been sent, but the transmission of information and the mobilization of ships still require time. The Wolf God does not believe that they can receive assistance from the Empire in a short time.
Surely, Konrad Curze, his brother, needed to be brought to justice, or to be torn from his legion
Horus could not judge the severity of the punishment. He only knew that this was not the first time that Curze had quarreled with many of his brothers. Dorn, Guilliman, Magnus. Did they fight? Or did they just have arguments and conflicts? Horus did not know the details.
But this time—it was clear that Coates had crossed the line.
The Night Lord had crossed the line. Horus didn't know what Curze was doing. What on earth was he doing? But his actions had completely angered the Death Lord, and Horus knew that Mortarion would make Curze pay the price.
The Wolf God felt it was a difficult situation. After all, he was not a cold-blooded lion, nor a Gorgon known only for efficiency and results. To some extent, he still had necessary emotions for some of his brothers.
By now, both the Death Guard and the Night Lords had communicated individually with Horus - but not as Legion Master.
Garro of the Death Guard calmly told Horus that due to the personal circumstances of the Legion Captain, the Death Guard could not immediately participate in this joint operation.
At the same time, he hopes that the Luna Wolves and the Death Guard will surround the Night Lords' ships to prevent them from taking irrational actions again.
This was a reasonable request, and Horus naturally agreed.
On the other side, Sevatar, on behalf of the Night Lords, apologized unilaterally to the Luna Wolves and the Death Guard with an expressionless face.
He also said that the legion commander was in poor condition and could not respond to news from the outside world.
Both sides said they needed time to ease the tension, so Horus returned to the corridor again. He had no other choice.
The wolf god began to wait desperately, like a wild beast trapped in one place, turning in circles.
———————
The Death Guard fell silent again.
The dim cabin and the silent space make people drowsy.
Mortarion sat in the darkness, his armor scarred and bloodstained.
He said nothing, and refused any attempts by the Death Guard to communicate or treat him.
Mortarion sat in the darkness for a day and a night, facing the door of the treatment room, the Grim Reaper holding his scythe, hunched over in silence.
The next day, when the pharmacist, who had been providing emergency treatment all day, opened the door, he saw only dried blood on the seat, and the Lord of Death himself had long gone.
On the third day, Mortarion came out of the apothecary room, breathing heavily and panting under the mask of the Lord of Death. No one could see his eyes clearly under the shadow of his hood.
He found Vox first and gave his orders.
Next, he went to Hades' office.
The previously bustling office became eerily quiet. Mortarion silently glanced at the food Hades had placed on the table, then looked away.
The Lord of Death opened Hades' government cabinet with ease. He took out the necessary documents, sat in Hades' seat, and began to make changes and sign.
Then he pulled out a blank sheet of paper and started drafting the document.
Mortarion finished his work quickly, although the pile of documents piled up at the Deathlord's feet, already reaching his knees, gave away the magnitude of the project.
Vorcus came in, and the son of Barbarus silently and responsibly collected the documents signed by Mortarion.
Mortarion sighed.
He looked up from this position and stared at the huge Macragge rug, stupid blue and bright.
Mortarion skillfully pulled out a light blue and white letter paper from Hades' collection of papers, with the recipient address already written on it.
He sneered at himself and began writing a letter to his brother Guilliman.
Some necessary instructions. Some foolish hopes, but if Hades believes in Guilliman so much, then he can also
"grown ups,"
Vox finally broke the silence.
"Do you really want to do this?"
Mortarion's hand paused as he wrote, leaving a small black dot at the end of the letter.
[You can't fall down.]
He said briefly,
Vorcus seemed to stagger, but this was probably an illusion, for he remained standing firmly before Mortarion, holding the document Mortarion had signed.
He just watched his father quietly as he sat in front of him and worked.
Soon, Mortarion finished.
But he still felt that this was not safe. The Lord of Death thought for a moment and recalled the brothers he had met.
Finally he chose Horus again, and he began to write, concealing, distorting, deceiving, revealing the truth, everything that could ensure that the Death Guard Legion would receive help in the future.
He finished both letters at a speed he had not expected.
Now, two letters were neatly placed on the table, one in blue and the other in white and gold.
alright.
It's done, Mortarion thought, and we can go.
He stood up and left without any reluctance. Vox received his instructions and followed him out.
They went to the armory, where the warriors that Mortarion had asked Vorcus to prepare were waiting for them. There were not many of them.
They don't need many people, just Mortarion is enough.
They walked through the dark corridor and headed towards the port. The Fourth Knight was already waiting beside the Endurance. The gray horse knight, who symbolized death, knelt quietly on the side of the huge ship, waiting for his master.
Mortarion stopped and looked ahead in silence. The light of the sea of stars poured in from the beginning of the corridor, illuminating the darkness and faintly outlining the outline of the armor.
[Garro, leave here.]
He said.
Garo knelt on one knee, a battle-hardened warrior, without a helmet, with a heavy, blunt sword lying flat in front of him.
"Please think twice, Commander."
Jialuo lowered his head. This combat captain rarely kneeled.
[No longer,]
Mortarion said irritably,
[You are now the acting legion leader, Garo. If Hades doesn't wake up, then it will be you.]
Jia Luo still lowered his head, without any sign of moving.
"That's not realistic, my Lord."
Jia Luo pursed her dry lips.
"Please at least consider the unconscious commander. Lord Hades will not be happy to see this."
As soon as Garro finished speaking, Mortarion began to breathe like a dying man. He was laughing.
[I have thought about it, Jialuo.]
He said softly and sarcastically,
[Otherwise you will now see a sea of stars engulfed in flames. ]
The Lord of Death paused, and continued in a voice that he rarely used, almost gentle,
[Garro, you did a great job, which is why we chose you. You can take on the responsibility of a legion, no matter what the legion shapes you into.]
[I appreciate this, I admire you very much, Jia Luo.]
[Now, get out of here, Garo.]
Then he raised his sword,
Facing Mortarion.
"Excuse me, father."
This was the first time Garro called Mortarion father.
The Lord of Death laughed, his laughter hoarse and deep beneath the gas mask.
[Enough courage, Jialuo, I admire this. ]
[What do you want? Besides stopping me, I reward you for your courage. ]
Jia Luo spoke calmly,
"Can you become a qualified legion commander?"
Mortarion's laughter suddenly turned cold. He stared at Garro intently, his breathing becoming sharper and sharper.
And Garo still stared at his genetic father calmly, without any trembling of the sword in his hand.
But Mortarion finally looked away.
I will. I will.
The Lord of Death whispered, then his voice rose again,
[Vox.]
He said.
Vorx stepped out from beside Mortarion, his scythe raised.
The First Captain's combat skills were not as good as the Battle Captain's, and in the past years of Vox, his superb combat skills had always been accompanied by Garro's beatings.
Until now, Vox has not truly defeated Galar.
In the entire Death Guard, besides the Primarch, there is only one who can defeat Garro.
But Vox was not afraid. This man who used to follow Hades or Garo every day as a recruit had already honed his skills among the Death Guard.
"Excuse me, Senior Jialuo."
The sparks from the collision between the sickle and the heavy sword suddenly lit up in the darkness, and Garo let out an angry roar.
Garro was entangled by Vox, while Mortarion and his party were unimpeded. They boarded the ship and listened quietly to the roar of the engine.
Mortarion turned on the comm.
——————
Horus received an urgent communication from the Death Guard.
The wolf-shepherd god, who had not had a good rest for several days, quickly turned on the communication, and Mortarion's pale face instantly appeared in the crackling radio waves.
"Are you all right, my brother?"
Mortarion's eyes turned away dryly. He did not answer Horus' question, but spoke to himself.
"I need to go to the Nightfall to settle some... personal grievances."
Horus was obviously stuck.
"Now? We can wait for the Empire to arrive. They will make a correct and just judgment for this unfortunate incident."
"I swear to you, Conrad Curze will be punished."
Horus emphasized his tone, held out his two hands, and tried hard to persuade Mortarion.
"Conrad Coates, he will receive the severe punishment he deserves, and you don't have to go and talk to him in person."
Mortarion shook his head.
"For criminals,"
He said softly,
"The cruelest and most horrible punishment must come from the victim's closest relatives and friends."
"He committed a crime, and I am his punishment."
Mortarion stared at Horus. He said the craziest words, but there was a calm silence in his eyes.
"I want him to taste despair, pain, and fear."
"I want him to feel the pain he caused me, a thousand times over."
Calmly, as if the words spoken by a corpse sounded hoarsely, speaking the eternal truth in human history -
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."
Horus's anxious voice sounded from the other end of the radio wave.
"But how do you get there? The Night Lords' fleet is still on alert, they won't allow—"
"I'm already here."
Mortarion said calmly.
Horus suddenly opened his eyes wide and looked at the bird servant. A small dot marked with "Death Guard" appeared among the cluster of "Midnight Lords".
"Horus, my brother, this is just a notification."
Mortarion said,
"If the Night Lords' fleet tries to flee, or forcibly board the Nightfall, help me contain them. The Death Guard will also assist you."
"besides,"
Mortarion paused.
"Horus, you are a good man. You are the first brother who warmly welcomed me after I entered this empire, but because of me... I am sorry."
"In you, I saw for the first time the possibility of brotherhood."
"None of this is your fault. You tried your best to help us, but—"
“There are always people who don’t need salvation.”
The communication was forcibly cut off, and Horus collapsed on the chair, feeling weak all over.
He silently covered his eyes.
[Don't blame yourself.] Mortarion's last words still echoed in his ears.
—————
Mortarion boarded the Nightfall with a cold face and in silence.
The few Night Lords stood in front of the port to welcome them, or rather to guard against them.
Mortarion could recognize it. It was a Black Guard.
"Hello, sir."
Sevatar stood in front of him, wearing his helmet, with the wings of the Nightbat spread high beside his helmet.
"If you wish to speak to Lord Curze, I will lead the way for you."
[Now lead the way.]
Mortarion said,
[Don't play tricks, little bat.]
[You remain silent, and my wrath, the wrath of the Death Guard, will not fall on others. ]
He spoke loudly, making sure the guys in hiding could hear him.
The Night Lords could certainly detect that the Fourth Knight was already loaded with explosives, plenty of them.
As long as it is detonated at a critical location, it can take away an entire ship of the Queen of Glory's explosives.
The special model and engine of the Fourth Knight also ensured that it could accelerate to its maximum speed in a short period of time, which was what crashed into the knight of Galaspa's main nest.
Sevatar calmly led him into the dark corridor.
"We also sincerely hope that you will just talk to our father, sir. This is also our father's will."
"The Nightfall is also loaded with enough explosives, and the fuse is father's life."
Mortarion chuckled.
[But you let me in, little bat, which means you think I can't beat him. ]
Sevatar did not answer Mortarion.
The smell of blood grew stronger, darkness followed them, and Mortarion felt the malice in the darkness.
Cowards, all cowards.
Only the weak will hide in the darkness and pretend to be powerful in the darkness. They dare not stand out and expose themselves to the enemy.
They stopped in a dark and empty hall, and Mortarion could see huge torture instruments laid out haphazardly, with tiny lights gleaming off the metal spikes.
There was a hissing sound in the darkness.
Mortarion calmly reached for the alien pistol, the Dark Lantern, at his waist.
Sevatar spoke calmly.
"My Lord, I still—"
The next moment, the hot and bright light of the Dark Lamp pierced through Sevatar's chest.
The bright light illuminated Sevatar's disbelieving look back, and also illuminated the desperate expression on Curze's face—
Mortarion laughed.
No more for today! This is a three-in-one chapter! 8k new chapters today!
More updates due 6/14
Good
(End of this chapter)