In the dimness, the warning light lit up with a shrill red light.
The white helmets stepped on the ground, causing the floor to tremble. The sickles scraped across the ground, creating faint sparks. In the silence, the respirator let out a heavy breath, and a red light flashed across the body of the bolter.
Claws and boots trampled the ground, and a rough roar sounded. Under the thick fur, a cold light brushed across the blade. The wolf barked softly, and the battle axe hung down, with a hard axe blade.
The drop pod is in place.
The Lord of Death raised his head and silently raised his scythe; the Lord of Winter lowered his head, roared and clenched his battle axe. Below the fleet, the faint light of Prospero shone through the porthole, coating the primarch with a faint cold glow.
The emperor held his sword in his hand and lowered his eyes.
"Let's get started."
He said.
[… I can, I can. ]
Magnus took a deep breath, and touched the microphone in front of him with his big hand in a daze.
Is this real-time
"no."
Hades the Watcher answered him calmly.
[All right.]
Magnus gave a wry smile, then he took a deep breath—
The warm sea breeze blew, carrying a slightly salty smell. The scholar was walking with his daughter on the way to the Great Library of Ftep Pyramid. The sandy yellow streets were spotless. In the distance, the crystal on the top of the pyramid library was shining brightly.
As if sensing something, she raised her head and squinted her eyes slightly at the bright blue sky of Prospero.
My people,
When the majestic voice sounded, her legs softened and she knelt down with her hands on the child.
"mom?"
The child looked back at her in confusion, but her mother quickly covered her mouth tightly, saying, "Shh, she was too young to understand what the primarch meant."
She saw people on the street waiting in panic or joy, some kneeling down and saluting to the sky.
As a prophetic psychic, her heart skipped a beat.
[… I’m sorry.]
Magnus sat in the small, cramped cell with his hands folded together, and Hades could see blood flowing from between his fingers.
Magnus tried to open and close his mouth, but his voice was hoarse and no sound came out.
You have to tell them the truth, Magnus.
You can't... You can't let him down again.
I once claimed that I healed the Thousand Sons, just as I rebuilt Prospero.
She held the child tightly in her arms, her body shaking uncontrollably.
[I still remember Prospero was a wasteland at that time. All the towns except Tizca fell.]
Magnus kept clenching his fists, twitching and then unclenching them.
[It was me who led you to recover the lost land and rebuild our homeland and our city-state. ]
[I will always admit that Prospero is my pride.]
[but…]
Magnus opened his mouth again in vain. He felt blood seeping from his vocal cords. He struggled to speak.
There was a long silence.
The Emperor's lips moved, and Hades raised his speaker. He frowned.
"You have to give him some more time."
As if hearing the whispers of Hades, the words struggled to cough out of Magnus' throat.
[…The psychic array surrounding the entire planet is wrong, and it may explode at any time.]
The Scarlet King squeezed out these words from his mouth. No, it wasn't the psychic array, it was... its psychic energy, but he couldn't say it.
[In the name of Scarlet Magnus, everyone, do not resist, shut down Prospero's defense system, stay away from the summoning array, and go to the square to wait.]
[The Empire promised me that if I don’t resist, I won’t be defeated—]
The crackling sound of electricity stopped and the recording was unilaterally cut off.
Magnus' face turned pale and his body swayed.
Outside the cell, Hades turned on the channel and yelled at the other end,
"Just let him finish his words! Why not just cut out that last sentence?"
The Emperor raised his hand calmly, and he watched as a thin layer of light appeared in the sky above the entire planet, and then quickly faded away.
"Let death and winter come."
He said.
The next moment, tens of thousands of flames streaked across the void.
The scholar looked up into the sky, and she saw the sky begin to bleed, people were screaming, roaring, and the Scarlet King's last words were repeated harshly in the air.
[Everyone, do not resist...]
She looked at her daughter blankly, and her daughter was also staring at her. The next moment, the child burst into tears, and the dessert in her hand fell to the ground with a snap.
The first airdrop pod crashed into the streets of Tizca, and sickles and fangs bared in the thick smoke.
———
Prospero is burning.
The earth cracked, night fell suddenly, lightning exploded, and heavy rain seemed to fall from the ground into the sky, falling into an endless hell.
Dark raindrops splashed at his feet as the Emperor stepped expressionlessly on the steps of the Great Pyramid of Ftep. The black rain, accompanied by sharp lightning, howled in his ears and tore at his golden helmet.
He climbed the stairs.
Below the howling wind, the Emperor caught a glimpse of the shivering people in his peripheral vision. He saw the Thousand Sons, who had been possessed by the "Guardian Elves", bursting with ghostly light, wolves howling around them, and flames piercing the darkness.
That is a necessary sacrifice.
He continued upwards, the flames of the Emperor's Sword gleaming on the golden helmet, and the raindrops were evaporated before they came into contact with the flames. At the top of Prospero's largest pyramid, where the Warp and the physical world were now mixed, he heard sharp mockery.
The waves of the vast ocean hit him, and he saw the turbulence suddenly accelerating. The ghostly blue shadows were distorted and laughing loudly, the galaxy was burning, the stars were falling, and the huge waves of psychic energy hit Terra. The distorted river of destiny was about to flow back to its original position under the hands of Chaos.
He saw Horus, the hollow shell of Horus, he saw Astartes slashing swords at Astartes, he saw the Scion trapped in place by the turbulence of the Warp, he saw Magnus wailing at him miserably.
[Father, father—I have never betrayed you! ! !]
The winter wind whipped at his face.
The lion is imprisoned by desire, the phoenix falls into a broken heart, the steel is rotten, the horse's feet are bound, the wolf roars and rushes towards its former comrades, the watcher collapses in the forgotten corner, the madman mocks the nobles in the night, blood and laurel wreaths are worn on blonde hair at the same time, and those who despise flesh and blood will eventually be bitten back.
Those who broke free from fate were dragged into its whirlpool again, those who firmly believed in the prophet took the path again, the king was bitten by his people, the sinner finally cut open his stomach to prove his innocence, the loving one was broken by betrayal, the devout drew his sword before the gods, the dragon hid deep in the earth, and the raven cried as its wings were plucked out one by one.
+Fate—oh! What a wonderful fate! +
The sharp, blood-curdling laughter cut his flesh and stung his nerves. A blue shadow seemed to be singing beside him. The Emperor raised his sword and flames burned.
+It's time for you to join the game! You don't have time! You who defy fate! You will pay the price! +
"lie."
The next moment, golden light suddenly appeared.
The flames swept up and the darkness disappeared along with the phantom. Rather than being expelled, it was more like they left on their own accord. The last scream still echoed in his ears for a long time, but he never listened to the lies of liars.
The light drove away the deep night, and he saw the last painful screams of those whose souls were infected at his feet. Some people escaped, and some died there. The wind tore at him, and he heard calls, far away, calling him.
[All-Father!!! All-Father!!!]
He lowered his eyes and saw his son breaking through the strong wind and heavy rain, climbing up the slope of the pyramid desperately, trying to reach his feet. What was reflected in the wolf king's sharp eyes that was enough to make him go to protect his father at all costs
The Emperor blinked.
"No problem."
He said calmly, and saw the wolf king grinned and tried to smile.
This also made him feel a little relieved.
He stared at the wolf king who was still struggling to move forward, but at this moment the wind was not so violent, and the rain was not so heavy. Under his light, they all fled far away. He watched the wolf king begin to relax.
The Emperor raised his hand and opened it. Magnus's single eye was staring at him from his palm, and raindrops were falling like tears.
He looked towards the Wolf King, recalling the bitter winter wind.
The Emperor held out his hand, motioning for Leman Russ to take it.
He let go, and the Eye of Magnus fell from the top of the Pyramid of Ftep into the hand of Leman Russ.
"Here you go."
He said.
There should be
(End of this chapter)