Battleships cast shadows from the grey sky, flames blazed, and over the continent the smoke rose in layers like a drifting ocean of ash.
The indiscriminate bombing continued. The ground beneath my feet could be felt to be shaking slightly. Small pieces of black stone were shaken off the tall tower. The tower was buzzing and black lightning was circling around it.
Hades was leaning against the black stone obelisk with an expressionless face, and the bloodstains that had been sloppily wiped off were faintly visible on his pale face.
The holographic projection in front of him was flashing violently, and the figure of Lord Medusa appeared.
Finus's eyes seemed hesitant, while Hades maintained a calmness after extreme anger, even with some fatigue, or perhaps regret for not beating the traitor's brains out.
Finus hesitated for a moment, remembering what he had just seen. Then the voice of the Lord of Medusa rang out amid the sound of gunfire.
[… Thanks for your hard work.]
Hades coughed violently. He didn't seem to understand what Finus was saying. He looked at him, and Finus looked at him firmly.
[Support from the Iron Hands is coming soon. We encountered some trouble in orbit over Cadia, but we are now able to drop airborne. The first batch of air forces has been deployed.]
Hades breathed a sigh of relief. The time he calculated was correct. The Order of Silence would be able to hold out until the support of the Iron Hands arrived. At least the "eternal nine hours" did not appear here.
"I will send you the topographic map of Cadia, please provide support as soon as possible."
Hades said that due to the Iron Warriors' indiscriminate and large-scale bombardment, the topography of Cadia is now changing every two hours, not to mention the power of Chaos' psionic energy that has also been cast on this continent.
Finus spoke,
[The Iron Hands may land from the side. The Iron Warriors' firepower bombardment of the area you are in is too fierce. The Iron Hands cannot gain air superiority in this airspace in a short time, but we will try our best to interfere with the Iron Warriors' bombardment of you. ]
Hades nodded silently, and seeing that there was nothing more to negotiate, with a crackling sound, the figure of Lord Medusa disappeared along with the particle light and shadow.
Hades glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw the golden-armored figure at the front line. If it weren't for the Imperial Guard Charon and the Sister of Silence Blackfa who came over in time to hold back the angry and roaring Hades, Hades thought he might have tried to chase Perturabo and his group again.
He felt his bones creaking, the huge pressure still pressing on him tightly, although the pressure was much lighter than when he just fought Perturabo.
Hades, who had just forced his way out of the siege under the pressure of the four gods' spiritual energy, also suffered a backlash. Hades silently smelled the blood in his mouth. Several of his internal organs were definitely broken. On the other hand, he was closely watching the movements on the battlefield.
After the chaos just now, Perturabo and Vashtor also showed signs of fatigue, and both sides were breathing heavily. Although Hades was very curious why the demon army of the Four Gods did not fill this vacant position - the buzzing black stone obelisk behind Hades answered Hades' doubts.
Unfortunately, Hades briefly recalled his previous battle scenes, and then realized that it seemed that he fainted after an outburst every time, and when he opened his eyes again, the ceiling of the medical room was staring at him.
At least this time Hades couldn't finish the battle early and fall down. He had to finish the battle and make sure the traitor on the other side was killed.
Hades was in deep thought. He controlled the Black Domain, paid attention to the developments on the battlefield, breathed in to restore his health, and waited quietly for the next war.
I can't be impulsive anymore, Hades thought.
————
Finus stared silently at the screen, which was the image of Cadia transmitted by the Iron Hand detector. On the blurred mosaic-filled screen, a large shadow could be vaguely seen moving forward rapidly.
That's... Hades
It was difficult for Fenumanus to describe what he witnessed. He saw his former brother, now traitor Perturabo, running with his upper body naked without hesitation, while the darkness on the other side was running towards the Primarch at a rapid speed.
But Perturabo was the Primarch after all, and the gap between them was growing wider and wider.
Then there was a phantom of green light, and a shadow of black. Fenus saw Perturabo fall, and darkness seized the opportunity and pounced on him.
Finus didn't know what happened in that small space shrouded in absolute darkness, but he knew that Perturabo was not dead. The next moment, a flying ship crashed down.
The image from the detector suddenly distorted and even began to scream. Finus frowned and stared at the noisy image - strange blue, charming purple, angry red, and light green colors gradually climbed up the screen to the four corners, and the whole space seemed to be distorted.
… Is this the real enemy they are facing
Fenu's brows were furrowed like a mountain.
A huge flame suddenly filled the entire screen. Finus subconsciously held his breath. Everything that followed was very chaotic. Finus saw a grinning metal monster slowly standing up in the smoke, and saw the traitor of the Empire, Perturabo. Then, he saw...
The sudden darkness rushed out from the fire and crawled towards the monster in a mad and twisted manner.
Finus swallowed and silently withdrew his hand that was trying to call Hades' communication channel.
He even began to doubt what he had seen. Could monsters also be frightened? As if seeing something extremely disgusting and terrifying, the metal monster chose to run away.
So... Fenus hesitated for a moment. What did they see? In the images transmitted by all sensors, Hades' position was always dark, but Fenus thought that darkness was not enough to scare those subspace creatures so much.
At the same time, the four colors that filled the four corners of the screen were always there. These strange existences even made Fenuus feel for a moment that Hades had no chance of survival.
But Finus stared at the figure that was twisting rapidly forward...
Fenus trusted Hades, and now, this trust became even heavier.
[Prepare to land.]
Fenus said coldly, let the Iron Hands end this farce called rebellion.
———
The twisted worms made of cables squirmed anxiously, twisting and squeezing into the gaps between steel and steel, causing sparks to fly.
Vashtor let out a hoarse breathing sound, and the Lord of Hearthfire stood beside a black stone obelisk that shone with a faint white light. The tide of the vast ocean washed over its body, and metal poured out like flesh and blood.
The fire was reignited, and Vashtor felt the power from the Future, which was rapidly filling him. To the Lord of the Fire's surprise, this power was more generous than what he had asked for before.
Why did they suddenly become tolerant
Vashtor thought with some surprise, and began to review the treaty carefully. If it gained more power from the future, it would prove that this [future] was the one that was [easier to come].
But... But what exactly makes this future more attainable? Vashtor and Perturabo had obviously lost a battle, so it stands to reason that they would become even less patient.
Originally, Vashtor had almost sensed the stench of the so-called "First Man's" psychic energy, and there were many more smells, the stench from the garden, the rotten books in the maze, the blood from the blood pool, and the fragrance from the palace.
Since Vashtor rejected the direct power of the Four Gods, after realizing that Vashtor might fail, Vashtor realized that they would choose to bet more and tear open the veil.
But now... all these auras are gone.
So, what exactly happened
Vashtor thought, everything was going badly.
When Perturabo forcibly interrupted the plan and chose to rush out foolishly, Vashtor almost screamed in anger.
For the sake of subsequent plans and for its own benefit, Vashtor had to rescue Perturabo before it was ready, and then successfully faced the thing it never wanted to face again in its life for the second time.
Although Vashtor will likely still have to face it.
Sparks spewed out of Vashtol's huge mouth, and the wheel of war continued to move forward. Vashtol smelled the stench of war, and now that it had received its due...
It looks like... it's going to have a pretty good future.
The metal climbed up and the flames reignited.
———
The eerie hazy mist reflected in his eyes.
Perturabo, lying on his back, staring into space, laughed.
He listened to the sound of Vashtor's body being recast beside the black stone obelisk in the distance, and the whispers of Lorgar who was treating him. The big demon named Ingelser was dripping with mucus, splashing dents in the soil.
[… You should be careful, my brother. ]
Lorgar whispered, his violet eyes looking worriedly at Perturabo.
Perturabo narrowed his eyes dangerously, staring at Lorga.
"I have no brothers. You are not my brother—and you are not Lorgar, demon."
Ingler's voice rang out in a low, whispering voice.
"Sir, be patient with it, it's eating away at him - they're merging."
Perturabo frowned.
[You mean, that guy named Uriah is merging with Lorgar? ]
[Yes,]
Luo Jia said calmly,
[But unfortunately, the ritual was destroyed, and the gods had to place their power elsewhere. I don’t know exactly how far it has progressed, but now, I have definitely experienced the past of the person named "Luojia".]
Lorgar stared at Perturabo, who was staring at him closely. The Iron Lord's iron-gray eyes were glowing with a dangerous bright yellow, which reminded people of the yellow cordon surrounding the dangerous scene - further in, it would be an extremely dangerous environment.
[Who are you? ]
Perturabo asked slowly, with a threatening tone.
[I can’t tell either.]
Luo Jia said sincerely,
[Uriah, or Lorca? I don't know. Uriah is a good believer. He is pious, humble and gentle, and so is Lorca.]
Luo Jia glanced at his hand, which was still twitching slightly. This might be the consequence of occupying a body by force. Integrating a new soul would always cause the original body to reject him.
[Time will eventually confuse all this.]
Luo Jia said vaguely.
Perturabo looked away, as if realizing that whoever Lorgar was was the religious wretch he knew, and became uninterested again.
But he will be a winner.
Perturabo thought, the thought burning in his heart, satisfying, he had what he wanted, freedom, from all control, the metal monster might not have realized yet -
With the help of Hades's Black Domain, Perturabo has broken free from the restraints that it thought it had hidden.
Perturabo chuckled softly. He was right.
Hades, or Vashtor? He trusted no one, he would just use them - no one could use him anymore.
Perturabo felt himself, felt everything. He was everything. He listened to the sound of the cells in his body dividing and producing prolifically, the sound of blood gurgling. His broken left leg still ached dully, but it didn't matter anymore.
Because Perturabo knew that this body was no longer a shackle that bound him.
He recalled the glimpse in the illusion, the twisted figure in the huge nutrient tube in the laboratory. That was him, himself, his original appearance.
Perturabo was still very weak. Adventure meant some risk and loss. The fire of his soul was weakened, but also brighter, closer to his original appearance.
Data, more data, particles of data pouring down from the vast ocean towards him. He is their true master, he feels every soldier, every vehicle of the Iron Warriors—
Now, he is them and they are him.
His consciousness was resonating, and he seemed to feel the subtle whispers of every thing. It was an extension of his will and a part of the container that carried his computing power. The stronger the legion, the stronger Perturabo would be.
He became his own true master.
Perturabo was satisfied.
Even though he was still so weak, even though his escape was extremely embarrassing and shameless - but for Perturabo, for a man who had been shrouded in the shadow of being controlled and used since birth, all this was worth it.
Perhaps he should thank Hades, Perturabo thought sarcastically.
What a "kind" person.
The sound of slow footsteps sounded by his ears, and Perturabo glanced arrogantly. He saw the armor soaked in pus, the originally bone-white power armor turned into a corrupt green, and some green things like bloated potatoes were growing legs and chirping.
He heard Ingler's sharp, leisurely greeting, heard Lorgar's slightly surprised voice, and heard in the distance, a burst of burning fire in Vashtor.
Perturabo turned his head, struggled to raise his upper body, and stared at the newcomer.
He saw a warrior wearing MK3 armor, with fungi pouring out from the gaps in the armor. Perturabo's eyes were inadvertently fixed on the pile of small bottles on his waist. The Lord of Steel saw clearly that there was the familiar rust fungus in them.
Laton bowed emphatically, then he began to breathe heavily.
"Hello, Lord of Disaster."
Perturabo raised an eyebrow, but he accepted the new title.
Laton laughed innocently.
"Praise be to the merciful Father, I am very happy to see you now. This means that there is one more deadly chip present, and victory is on our side."
Lorgar half-knelt silently beside Perturabo, his violet eyes thoughtful.
4.2, great!
(End of this chapter)