[Somewhere in Storm Star Region]
"We're... trapped?"
Tis stared at the porthole in disbelief, the intense burning light of the star sprinkled on her face.
They had warped out of the Octareus Sector and successfully left the Warp - but they now looked like they were wandering in the physical world.
It has been more than a week since they jumped out of the warp. Logically, they should have arrived at Barbarus long ago, but now they are still drifting among the stars, and have even returned to the place where they originally migrated out of the warp.
The noblewoman shouted a few words angrily, then turned back and scolded her crew, ordering them to find out the problem as soon as possible.
Behind Tis, Tianshi, who was silent and folded his arms, stared at the huge star outside the porthole, thinking slowly,
Tis smiled and asked with a slightly distorted tone,
"I think... this is not the trouble caused by that adult? I mean, someone doesn't want us to complete the mission of Hades?"
Barry remained silent, and Des quickly made a prayer gesture.
"Is this related to those beings in the subspace?" The noblewoman asked quickly and softly, but this time, Tianshi shook his head firmly.
"It's not the Warp," Barry said, frowning. "I don't detect any psychic fluctuations, but..."
Tianshi paused, "I feel like my psychic powers have weakened—but it could also be because of Hades."
"The enemy is from the physical world?" Deece asked. "Can you find him, Barry?"
Tianshi shook his head again, "I don't know," he said hesitantly, "but I think there may be no enemy at all, or the existence that restricts us is not here."
"I don't understand?"
"If he could easily make us lose our way," Barry said, "then maybe he should have killed us long ago, or maybe he was busy with something else, or maybe he was just having fun with his prey - I don't know, but I've seen too many of these things."
This statement startled Tis, and the noblewoman asked cautiously,
"Then...then...how about we give up on completing the mission first?"
"No," Barry said, "worthless prey will die faster, Tis," Tianshi sighed, "Be prepared to be lost for a long time. Let's try to contact the Death Guard first. We have arrived at the star zone where they are stationed. According to the patrol habits of the Death Guard, we may be saved."
——————
[Barbarus]
The ceiling was not low, but it was as low and cramped as a tomb. The dim light drifted weakly in the fog. No light source could be seen, and only a deep cold could be felt.
Squeak—
A sharp sound of the door opening broke the thousand-year silence, and two Death Guards hurriedly stepped into the tomb of the living. One of them was tall and silent, with scars all over his white helmet, and the other held a staff, and a lantern emitting faint green light was shaking on the top of the staff.
Their footsteps raised mist. Deep in the tomb, in front of the last door, the tall warrior in the lead stopped, and the gravekeeper behind him also stopped silently.
They stood outside the door, waiting as if they knew what would happen. After seven breaths, an old and extremely impatient voice came from behind the door, like a sigh, but also like a scolding.
"Come in… "
The leading warriors hurried in. They pushed the door open cautiously and respectfully, and entered the completely dark main room. A man with metal prosthetic limbs was sitting in a coffin with a frown on his face.
Karas took a deep breath.
"Old rules,"
The soldiers saluted.
"Respected Undead, now M41.899, I am Morag, the current commander of the Death Guard, and he is the current chief think tank Kun."
"Morag..." Karas said slowly and in a low voice, "It's the same name as someone I once knew..."
Typhon fell into a brief memory, his cloudy eyeballs covered with a thin layer of white mist. Some people said that he was simply old, while others said that it was a gift from the Pale Lord.
No matter what they said, Karas would beat them.
After a moment of distraction, Karas regained his composure and stared at Morag, asking him with his eyes why he had woken him up.
"The Pale Lord..." Morag swallowed, "We have detected the activity of the Pale Lord - this is the first time since the Crusade that my father has responded to us. It is very weak, but it is definitely from him."
"What?"
Karas stood up suddenly, and the liquid tubes fell off one after another. He was wearing a simple hospital gown and stumbled towards the two people.
The legion commander hurried forward to support Karas, but was impatiently pushed away by the undead. Karas stared at the chief think tank leader, who immediately understood and handed the staff to the elder.
Profane, soft spells like the fluttering of insect wings came out of Karas' mouth. Karas held the staff in one hand and reached out to the lantern with the other. The bright green light in the lantern flowed down like a living thing.
There was a bright green glow in Caras Typhon's eyes, and he looked dazed. For a moment, the undead seemed to be deep in the garden.
The strange green swayed, making harmonious and discordant sounds...
Bang!
The lantern exploded, and Karas suddenly returned to Barbarus. He blinked and irritably thrust the broken staff at the Librarian.
Under the expectant gazes of the two Death Guards, Karas said angrily,
"It's him."
Typhon continued irritably, "He is calling us. He wishes to gather his forces and attack."
"Fuck, why now?"
Typhon cursed in a low voice, "Old man."
"Now?"
The legion commander asked carefully, "The last time you left the truth, it was still 'This will be forever', but now... what has happened?"
The elder cast a cold look at him. Morag stopped talking at the right moment, waiting for the undead's answer.
Angry at the incompetence of the younger generation, Karas said angrily,
"Of course the subspace points to eternity - but have you forgotten that exception? That idiot, it must be that idiot, that idiot is back."
Karas almost gritted his teeth and said,
Mortarion's psychic power also showed him this, that man had returned,
"He still has the nerve to come back? Can he come back?"
"And the first thing he would do upon his return, I imagine... would be to try to find Mortarion."
Typhon turned his head sharply and roared,
"Has the Legion received news of Pluto's return?!"
They both shook their heads, and Karas immediately cursed again,
"Set up the formation! I need to calculate again! Now, immediately!"
Under the roar of the undead, the two visitors almost crawled out of the tomb to prepare the altar.
And Calas Typhon was wandering around anxiously, frowning and muttering to himself,
The transmission of messages has a lag, and the idiot's return must be earlier, but why didn't the Death Guard receive the message
The idiot has the time and energy to go find Mortarion, but he doesn't have time to come directly to the Death Guard
Something was holding him back, slowing him down
Or does he not want to see the Death Guard
Karas frowned, trying to recall what Mortarion had told him before he left.
Mortarion, who had almost completely transformed into the Warp, sat listlessly in front of him. Behind the Lord of Death were several strange Eldar with hostile expressions.
[Karas... Next... I'll leave it to you.]
"Are you so willing to die?!"
Karas asked incredulously, "And you're going to die without taking me with you???"
Mortarion's eyes evaded for a moment.
[I just...] The Pale Lord exhaled a breath of mist, [One of the three of us has to survive.]
"Then you can't wait until that idiot comes back before you start?! You have to start now?!"
Mortarion stared at Karas calmly, with a hint of sadness in his calmness.
[Do you really believe he can come back? ]
Mortarion sighed and said, "People need to save themselves. Are you always counting on others to help them?"
[I can feel... the power of the subspace is getting stronger... They are regaining their strength... Someone needs to interrupt this process.]
[And...] Mortarion said calmly, [I am sure that the worst result will be a draw - I will perish together with Him.]
Karas was almost pissed off and laughed.
"What is your ideal scenario, Mortarion?"
Mortarion coughed lightly, as if mocking himself for Karas's ridicule.
[Two false gods have fallen...] Mortarion said calmly, [Besides... I can also find out the troublemaker.]
"But we know," said Mortarion, "that the death of a false god is the best that can be achieved."
Karas sneered, "Why don't you kill all four?"
Mortarion opened his hands innocently.
[One Primarch, for two false gods, this is already my limit. ]
Karas was silent, and Mortarion opposite him also quieted down at the right time. Karas felt himself trembling, he didn't understand - why was he always the one left behind
He couldn't even die properly!
As if realizing that something was wrong with Karas, Mortarion blinked and said casually,
[And you know... I'm already at my limit.]
Mortarion raised his hand casually. It was definitely not a human hand. Mist and ash were falling from under the broken insect scales. It was in tatters.
Karas remained silent, "I have already reached my limit."
Mortarion waved his hands feebly. "I believe you, Karas," the Pale Lord said. "You are the only one among us who has experienced a long period of depression."
[And... ] Mortarion raised his head again, as if searching for something. [I'm worried that he has reached his limit. ]
"Him? That idiot?"
Karas uttered a frivolous sneer, "The galaxy exploded and that idiot can still eat his meal."
[No...] Mortarion shook his head. [I have some very bad inferences. Have you forgotten how I lost control last time, Karas?]
"You?" Karas choked. "What does this have to do with that idiot?"
[My loss of control, the Archangel's loss of control... More power is not always better. ]
[Perhaps I should have understood earlier why the Lord of Mankind did not choose more power—he knew what the price was.]
[No one is immune...]
Mortarion sighed, "I can still seek help from the dead, but what about the dead?"
"He is different from you," Karas sneered, "Do you think that kind of thing can obey the laws of the warp?"
Mortarion just shook his head. The Primarch was silent for a moment before speaking again.
[Karas, remember what I brought back from Mars,]
[If he comes back, remember to tell him.]
Karas's face changed, and finally, he had to agree.
"Why don't you let those oil guys do it?"
[Those in power are confused, so they are more easily confused... and more likely to surrender. ]
Mortarion said, looking increasingly tired.
[… But if Hades is not in the right state… not the person you are familiar with… do not give it to him… conceal its existence… Karas… use your own judgment… if necessary… tell the Custodians about it. ]
Mortarion reached out and took Dreadnought's hand,
[You must remember... Karas... This is why one of us must be awake... I must leave you behind... Remember his true appearance... Just in case... Only we will not be deceived by appearances... ]
[Vox trusts him too much... Only you can... ]
The face of the Pale Lord became increasingly blurred, and was finally lost in the long river of memory.
Could it be... Karas pondered, that idiot is no longer the same person he knew
Also, Karas' memory began to deepen. He recalled the last words that the Lord of Death entrusted to him, the thing from Mars...
In 132.M31, Mortarion and Angron, Lord of the Red Sands, went to Mars and defeated the fragment of the Void Dragon. Afterwards, the Lord of Death brought the fragment back to the Tempest Segmentum and imprisoned it somewhere.
Seriously wounded in battle against the Void Dragon, Angron fell into a deep sleep.
…Star God, this unfamiliar word popped up in Karas' mind. He didn't know what the idiot had experienced, but judging from Mortarion's performance, this seemed to be something that made the idiot even more powerful.
Similar to the power of faith.
But what if he's not in the right state - not him? What does that mean
Karas frowned tightly. Could it be that Hades was also attacked by the power of faith? Could that kind of existence be attacked
But he recalled the scene when Mortarion once lost control, and cold sweat subconsciously flowed down Karas's head. No matter what, he should be more cautious in this regard.
Karas paced back and forth, took out the government board, and began to browse the current situation of the Death Guard and the situation of the Empire.
No, as long as the idiot comes back, the Death Guard will immediately obey him. Even if Karas objects, it will be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
The top priority now is Mortarion. Karas once again calculated with numerology that the Pale Lord is summoning them, the Death Guard must set out, and notify as many trusted allies as possible.
If the idiot was good, then he definitely wanted them to get Mortarion back; if the idiot was bad, then Karas must get Mortarion back.
And... Karas calculated, the power of the Corrupted Sky is already weak, very weak... Two of the three rings are missing... Mortarion has not failed.
Urgent footsteps sounded in the corridor. This time there were more people. Karas looked up calmly at the stern-looking Death Guard management.
"Calling order," Karas said, "The highest order, call all successor chapters back, and the Legion is ready to enter the warp to fight."
"Inform Phaos and Graeae and tell them that their master has returned - let those lunatics go find the fools."
"Don't help Faos hide it. Tell Huron to stay put and let Terra know what's going on over there."
"Terra won't care - they won't send anyone to ask. If there are spies, don't bother."
As a veteran in government affairs, Karas immediately issued his orders.
Karaston paused, no... he also needed someone to explore the way who would not be confused by the so-called Primarch, Pluto, black hole, moth monster, authority and bloodline.
At this time, Karas began to feel sad about Gala's departure.
"Contact the Ultramarines and tell them that the nearest warp needs to be alerted,"
Karas said impatiently, "Also, tell them to release that bastard Buzz. The Death Guard needs him."
"Tell that kid to get up and work."
With hurried steps and slowly rotating Barbarus, it was destined to be a sleepless night for the Death Guards tonight.
The revived Karas stood on the Endurance with a complicated expression, staring at the dark starry sky... Where is that existence
Now that he's back, why doesn't he contact the Death Guard
And... were Mortarion's worries just unfounded
The huge giant slowly stood up from the grave, and there was a disturbing restlessness in the bright sky.
And Hades was still unaware of all this, just like he didn't know that the greenskins were WAAAAGH coming towards him.
He threw the Magnus Stone casually and shot the greenskin in front of him in the head.
"Okay," Hades said, "It seems that letting the greenskins shout for Hades doesn't make me more WAAAAGH... But... Does it feel good to devour the greenskins' psionic energy?"
He scratched his head, raised his head from the pile of green corpses, and searched for the next suitable planet with his mechanical eyes.
"Black!" Hades shouted, "We will make some preparations, and then we will go to the next planet to upload the Mortarion Cult!!!"
Hades raised his arms.
"WAAAAGH!!!"
Blake also raised his battle axe, but this time Mingzi held it in and didn't shout out.
Finally, Hades decided to have a taste of the greenskins before leaving.
Otherwise, he was afraid that he would not be able to control himself and swallow Magnus with the Black Domain.
(End of this chapter)