The long and narrow tunnel was dark and silent, as if nothing existed.
"Bang!"
In an instant, flames exploded in the passage, dust suddenly rose, smoke rolled, bone-white helmets and boots stepped out of the hazy dust, flames burned through the armor, and a strange glimmer flashed on the sickle.
The Lord of Death strode onto the battlefield that belonged to him, and the Death Shrouds and the Soulless followed closely behind their monarch.
There was a noise in the channel, and Mortarion slightly turned sideways. A missile just brushed past him and rushed forward. The bright flames drove away the ignorance and illuminated their way forward.
The tension of exploring the tunnel was long gone, and with the Death Guard Zero Company's reserves fully utilized, the previous illusion was nothing more than a trifle.
Mortarion walked to the second door expressionlessly. He paused slightly, and the Soulless received his signal. They stepped forward and placed the explosives.
"Bang!"
Mortarion stepped straight into the door. Fenuth Manus was leaning on his Hearthbreaker warhammer. In front of the Primarch was the corpse of a basilisk lying on its side. The blasphemous corpse was lying headfirst on the steps, and on the high platform was a chair that looked like the one a king or monarch would sit on, with gorgeous and intricate patterns.
From the moment the Lord of Death forced his way into the door, everything in the illusion, except for the two primarchs, stopped at that moment, and the pool of blood under the corpses no longer grew.
Fenus Manus seemed unaware that Mortarion had come in. He had his back to Mortarion and was still staring at the corpse.
The room was deep, and in the darkness above, twenty-one sculptures were watching them silently.
After confirming that there were no other threats in the room, Mortarion casually placed his left hand on the Dark Lamp at his waist, and leaned on the sickle of Annihilation with his right hand.
[My brother, Warmaster candidate, can you return to your battlefield in the desert? ]
Finus Manus then slowly turned around, and Mortarion secretly tightened his grip on his sickle, ready at any time -
Finus turned around. At least he didn't have anything strange growing on his head, but his expression... He looked like he had suffered some shock, and his usually expressionless face showed some abnormal twitches.
Finus also made a gesture to prepare to attack, but after seeing Mortarion, he seemed to be relieved, and his shoulders unconsciously relaxed, although he was still as tense as a piece of steel.
[Mortarion... you are here too? ]
Finus spoke tentatively.
[Why can't I be here? But you, Fenus, you should have stayed in the desert with your offspring, why did you run to the tunnel under the rainforest? ]
Mortarion asked provocatively, but this did not arouse the anger of Fenus as usual. Fenus just paused, and the expression on his face hesitated.
[I can't explain this to you. There are beings on this planet that we can't imagine... I met two Eldar, and they led me... here. My decision was wrong.]
Mortarion spoke naturally.
[One has a pointy ear and the other has protruding teeth? ]
[Have you encountered this too?]
Mortarion chuckled twice.
[The cunning aliens... They dare not stand in front of me directly, because they know that I will tear them into pieces. What I met was just the shadow left by the cowards. ]
Fenus paused and blinked stiffly. It was a stupid expression, and Mortarion swore that Fenus would never be willing to make such an expression in front of him - unless he was really confused and encountered something.
Mortarion had been in this situation before, and it was familiar to him.
Mortarion's gaze passed through Fenus and he looked at the serpent demon's corpse, but then Fenus moved, blocking Mortarion's gaze.
A dangerous move, Mortarion narrowed his eyes, staring at Fenus, poison gas spewing out of his mask.
Realizing Mortarion's doubts, Finus spoke up.
[Did they tell you anything? I mean the Eldar prophecies.]
Mortarion laughed dryly.
[My brother, the most useless and harmful thing in the world is prophecy - let alone a prophecy from a foreign race. If you insist on that stupid future, I can recommend our crazy "brother" to you.]
[Fenus Manus, Warmaster Contender, I believe you are known for your rationality and efficiency, and you will not be shaken by a few simple words from the aliens, right? ]
Mortarion thought his words were effective, and now Fenus looked like a living man, and the familiar fire of anger lit up in his eyes again.
[Mortarion, put away your useless sarcasm.]
Finus said,
[It wasn’t just language, they showed me… certain possibilities.]
And then he saw... Fate... Fulgrim... No...
No, it was just a crude fake, a malicious prank.
But when Finus thought of his best friend, the snake demon he had just fought began to overlap with that perfect figure.
No, Fulgrim has a holy beauty. He is the first mottled spot on the marble statue at dawn, the first cold light on the sword of the Night Watch Knight at sunset. He is a holy ascetic, he is a loyal paladin...
… The shimmering snake scales floated in the faint light, and a familiar smile appeared on the beautiful and seductive face. He looked at him, and while laughing, he gently scratched his neck with his pointed nails.
[What is behind you, Fenus?]
Mortarion's cold words brought Fenus back to his senses, and Fenus realized that he had just fallen into the river of thoughts again.
His lips moved twice, but no words came out.
He saw clearly the alarm rising in Mortarion, and Fenus should have been angry, but he was too confused right now.
He stood there, his expression probably looking stupid.
[… a terrible monster. ]
Finus said.
Then he saw Mortarion was silent for a moment, and the Lord of Death pulled out a grenade from his waist, which was a rather strange move.
[Excuse me, let me guess... Finus, did you see a familiar figure on that monster—? ! ]
The next moment, Fenus found himself in front of Mortarion and trying to punch him in the face.
Mortarion, who had anticipated this, immediately crushed the grenade and tightly grasped the fist of Fenus that was aimed at his face, and dust floated between the two primarchs.
[I am right, am I not, Fenus?]
Under the hood, Mortarion's bright yellow eyes were staring at Fenus with a smile, but the coldness in his eyes could not be concealed.
Finus relaxed his grip on his arm, his mouth stiffening.
"I am not rational right now, Mortarion, and I do not want you to try to provoke me, even if you enjoy doing so."
Mortarion smiled and loosened his hand, as if to confirm that Finus was still normal.
[The Eldar are always cunning. This is not a place for conversation. Vulkan and your descendants are still waiting for us. We should leave.]
[but,]
Mortarion said slowly,
[Would you mind letting me take a look at the monster behind you, my brother? ]
Finus said nothing. He walked coldly to Mortarion's side. He stared at Mortarion out of the corner of his eye, waiting for the Lord of Death's reaction.
Mortarion tilted his head and saw the snake demon's face tangled in messy hair and blood, but the iconic eyes still allowed him to recognize who it was.
... Fulgrim
Mortarion had never actually met Fulgrim, but he had seen portraits and sculptures of his brothers—especially those who liked to promote themselves.
The answer was as expected. Mortarion himself had seen the illusion and the feeling was unforgettable.
Mortarion opened his mouth.
[It turns out that you have a good relationship with Fugen. I have heard about this before.]
In response, Fenus's eyes suddenly widened, and Fenus was obviously confused and surprised by Mortarion's indifferent reaction.
Mortarion spoke calmly.
[Excuse me, let's go find Vulkan first. Time is running out. A candidate for the great warmaster, experiencing this kind of thing... there is no need to panic. ]
No more, yay!
(End of this chapter)