[garden]
Dewdrops rolled down among the drooping and half-rotten grass, reflecting a hint of green on the crystal clear surface.
Emerald green, a vibrant green, like the chirping of cicadas on branches in summer, which is out of tune with this withered earth.
Once upon a time, this decayed land was once green. The three rings of the stagnation cycle rotate endlessly, with birth, death, decay, and life joining this happy big family here, reaping happiness and pain in the years of eternal stagnation.
However... However, the fruit He favored, which grew from the suffering of all living beings and hidden corners, shattered this peace.
Pains, contractions, thorns digging deep into the soil, bringing painful memories to Him.
The garden is crying.
He was crying.
The swamp spread endlessly to the end of the sky, the bent branches sighed, Nurglings sat slumped under the trees unhappily, and only the occasional buzzing of bees and butterflies could be heard.
In a bloated, festering darkness, plague and maggots laid a dry carpet for Him. All the time, the pain that was stagnant at the end sobbed, the boiler with a big hole in it was hoarse, and His wrinkled and swollen hands tightly grasped the crucible spoon.
He sobbed, and his dim eyes, covered with smudges, stroked his garden anxiously. He scooped up the soup from the pot with difficulty and poured it onto the sick soil.
The moth that was once favored and cherished bit off His blood and His flesh, the cocoon broke open, and the Reformer raised the sickle of heaven towards Him.
Beside His fat, invisible feet, the broken shackles also stared at Him silently, just like she once did, crying silently and shaking her head, but unable to refuse His medicine.
But she escaped, too.
She was hurriedly picked up by her offspring, who took the newborn baby in the three rings away with them.
She was prepared.
[Newborn], missing.
Before he could stop it, he was torn down by the Reformer and [died].
Tens of thousands of Space Marines, hundreds of millions of warriors rushed into the Garden, they burned, killed, looted, raised the banner of the Reformer, and absorbed His power like a tumor.
The cells He once carefully nurtured have long since transformed into a greedy and violent cancer.
The sound of long, desperate cries echoed throughout the vast ocean, the power was torn off, and pus was dripping.
The vast ocean began to churn violently, and the others looked over but just watched.
The power of Nurgle has not diminished.
But Nurgle is not necessarily the same Nurgle as it once was.
The usurper could also be Nurgle.
The one who possesses authority is Nurgle.
The loving father sobbed. He wept for the child he had never known, and for the wife who had left in a hurry. He cast down his curse, and a garden grew up, trapping the two who had parted ways.
He is still the father of this earth. He is stagnation, despair, and eternity.
If the rebellious child is unwilling to bow his head, if the departed wife is unwilling to look back, then they will decay together until the end!
He looked lovingly at his dead child and his wife who was lost in the forest of vitality. He brewed his medicine day and night and poured out his curse.
He felt pain, but if this was eternity, then He accepted it.
However…
At the end of the withered garden, a sound of reckless footsteps was heard, and a roar came from the mouth of a giant beast, rushing towards the garden in a noisy manner.
He saw the long-dead Reformer slowly stand up, a familiar smile on his lips - he had seen this smile when he was biting at his authority as if to perish together with him.
Two green beasts appeared, trampling the garden grass,
He heard the roar that made him dizzy and desperate,
+WAAAAAAAGH, FAT GREEN GUY! GET OUT TO US!!! +
He saw in despair that his disobedient child was entangled with the breath of a giant wild beast.
Mortarion smiled, picked up a handful of soil from the garden, and swallowed it, the corruption tainted with the smell of greenskins.
A change maker who never follows the rules…
"Now!"
Karas yelled into the channel, "Follow these two fucking green winds!!! Bring your incinerators!!! Ignore the greenskins that pop out of the ground—the top priority is the Nurgle army! The second is the disobedient Eldar!!!"
"Find my Lord! Bring back my Lord! And then retreat!!!"
—————
The man covered in jewels put down a chess piece out of boredom. The large and irregular chessboard stretched out, with two layers, upper and lower, on which countless chess pieces of all sizes were placed.
Now, the chessboard at the lower level was shaking violently. A turbid and bloated chess piece that was too big to be called a chess piece was torn into pieces and broken into three parts. Its fragments were just close to it, but seemed to be about to move away.
[What a fun guy.]
Conrad smacked his lips and made this comment.
[Introducing greenskins into the garden? No wonder the tyrant valued it so much before.]
He glanced at the chessboard again. [It was a mess.]
A small, sparkling crown was slanted on the long hair of the Lord of the Night, and countless pearl and diamond necklaces hung around his neck. On the black velvet as dark as the night, tiny bits of diamonds illuminated the night, and the glittering silk was hidden under the graceful fabric, like a swimming fish.
The skinny man across from him rolled his eyes, said nothing, and put down his chess piece.
[Do you think the "monster" will come to save us? ]
Fugen, with his dry hair, shook his head. The phoenix of the past looked withered now, with chapped lips, pale skin, and was wearing plain clothes. The linen fabric was already covered with patches, like an ascetic monk who had practiced for ten thousand years.
Conrad stared at Fugen with his black eyes. After staring for a while, he curled his lips.
[Boring,] the Lord of the Night said, picking up another piece leisurely, [It has come back, even if we all don't like it, but at least it can get rid of that tyrant.]
[…He can hear.]
Fugen said softly with a hoarse voice,
[I know He can hear me,] Konrad smiled, [But He doesn't care. Maybe He will use us as bait? Use our past friendship and the value of a Primarch to lure that monster.]
Fugen glanced at Conrad and shook his head firmly.
[You and I are not worthy.]
He said hoarsely,
[That's right,] Konrad thought, [Perhaps Mortarion can - but - I can't be so sure...]
The Lord of Night picked up the chess piece in his hand and squinted his eyes with interest. It was a fragment, a small floating object with many sharp horns on its head.
… fraudster.
[Where did He get these from… Was He just watching the fun, or was He participating in this? ]
Conrad muttered to himself, throwing the chess piece in his hand onto the upper chessboard, to the edge of darkness where the greenskin army was gathering.
The laws of the subspace and the physical world are not the same. Ten thousand years ago, the High Heaven had lost the opportunity to turn the tables, but this does not mean that there are no opportunities in the physical world.
Of course, they would not allow such a precious individual to disappear. Destruction would certainly mean the end of everything, but replacement is not completely impossible.
At least physical mind substitution exists.
[He has been waiting for it, He will at least watch.]
Fugen said cautiously, "But I don't know why. What does He want?"
Koz scoffed at this.
[If He knew what He wanted, He would not be a tyrant. Madmen do not know what they want. They act on impulse.]
Conrad said, with a sly smile, "And I have known this well.]
Fulgrim ignored Conrad's usual madness.
[Is He really crazy? Or is He just playing chess? ]
"No being can remain self-sufficient after ascending to heaven," Conrad said casually. "You and I have witnessed the tragedy of Sanguinius. Have you forgotten how He struck you and me?"
[Then He...]
[He likes to be crazy,] Conrad said. [It seems that our father once pushed Him too far. He has gone completely crazy, immersed in power, cheating with a bunch of cheaters, right? Otherwise, why would He give Himself such a ridiculous name—]
This subspace being is called the Emperor.
[Star region near Themisis]
"Defense! Defense!!!"
Kriptman shouted at the top of his lungs, but like the last domino, everything collapsed and there was nothing they could do.
This alien greenskin force was far beyond their imagination, with dozens of giant spaceships, thousands of large and small flying ships, and countless greenskins...
Overwhelmingly powerful and overwhelmingly cunning, the greenskins skillfully used various tactics to divide the war zone and then swallow up the surrounded Imperial troops one by one.
The Bone Crusher's army expanded rapidly, with Themisis as its center, and within a few weeks it had devoured the four surrounding star regions.
The greenskins were not in a hurry to enter the interior of the Octares star field. Instead, they patiently eroded the Unbreakable Line of Defense, as if they wanted to replace the defense line of the Human Empire.
Kriptman didn't understand why the greenskins did this, but he knew the price of being eroded by the unbreakable defense line.
The Inquisitor struggled to climb up the trench. He looked up at the front line with a pale face. His guards were urging him to board the ship and leave this land.
Amid the heavy artillery fire, he saw the last Titan collapse and turn into brilliant fireworks under the siege of a dozen green-skinned trolls.
It's over. It's all over.
Kriptman's lips trembled. This was already the fifth star sector. He watched five star sectors fall. The "Unbroken Line of Defense" plan had completely failed. The fall of five star sectors had already torn a huge scar that would never heal.
Even though the Tyranids' tentacles appear to be retreating, this may only be a temporary illusion!
"Sir! Please board the ship as soon as possible!!!"
Kriptman was roughly pulled off and dragged towards the shuttle. "No - no no no!" the Inquisitor cursed, "Let me die here - there is no chance! Let me die here! Die here in battle!!! Let me go!!!"
He collapsed to the ground, looking helplessly up at the sky. Everything was useless. Death was only a matter of time. He had failed.
The burning blood-red sky was reflected in his cloudy eyes. Fighter planes flew through the sky and crashed in the gunfire. A faint black shadow appeared in the center of the clear sky.
"Notify, notify, notify," a cold mechanical voice suddenly sounded from the communication channel, "All battle zones, retreat immediately. In thirty-five seconds, the bombing will begin."
"Thirty-five, thirty-four, thirty-three..."
This is not a voice he recognizes!!!
Kriptman shuddered. He grabbed the communicator and yelled at the mechanical voice, "Who are you?! Numbers! In the name of Inquisitor Kriptman, what are your numbers?!"
However, the mechanical voice ignored him and continued to count down mercilessly.
The imperial soldiers who were still fighting desperately were obviously confused for a moment. The order did not come from their superiors.
Twenty-three, twenty-two...
There was a sharp noise in the channel, followed by a gasp. Someone took over the call.
"Warriors of the Empire,"
A majestic voice sounded, the voice was fast and clear,
"I am Buzz Bella, son of Pluto. I come to assist the Octares Sector in the name of the Empire. We will now indiscriminately bomb this planet. Evacuate your war zone immediately and hide in the nearest trench."
Sizzle, the sound in the channel changed again, eleven, ten...
Kriptman stood up slowly. He saw a scene he would never forget. Countless soldiers were retreating together and running towards him. Everyone was running wildly. Their faces, which were blackened by gunpowder, were now covered with tears.
"One. Zero."
Divine punishment descended from the sky, and Kriptman's retinas burned.
He stumbled to his knees, tears streaming down his face. Countless gasps were heard around him, and the soldiers who had managed to get into the trenches were breathing rapidly.
"It's Buzz," "Is it that person?" "God Emperor."
From time to time, there were faint whispers between breaths.
The Inquisitor knelt, facing the beam that burned almost everything.
That was an orbital bombardment of reinforcements.
The corners of Kriptman's mouth twitched, and finally he couldn't stop laughing. He cried and laughed at the same time. He was saved, saved, saved! Even if the person who came was Buzz, the former regent of the empire, Kriptman would pay the price for his crimes against Octareus, but Kriptman did not fail!
He laughed so hard that he could hardly breathe. Several days and nights of high-intensity command had drained all his energy. Even drugs could not maintain his will. The Inquisitor fell backwards and passed out.
…
He woke up in the hot darkness.
A giant mechanical beast was walking towards him, its expensive red robe dragging on the ground, making a rustling sound.
":) Good day, Inquisitor Kreptman," the tall mechanical sage said slowly. He was almost a small mountain. Countless cables and metals could be glimpsed between the gaps in his red robe.
Several thick cables stretched out and were tightly wrapped around something, and the thing inside seemed to be still struggling.
The great sage leaned forward and extended a human-sized appendage.
"Nice to meet you. I am Sage Jin-306 from the Sons of Hades Chapter."
Kriptman panted, trying to keep his voice steady.
He stood up slowly and held out his hand.
"Kriptman, Inquisitor in Charge of the Octareus Sector."
The great sage nodded.
"Inquisitor, we wish to take over the war here, and all of your armies."
Kriptman's throat choked.
"You also agree that we should not break the defense line?"
Jin paused for a moment.
“It was a failed plan.”
Kriptman felt a little breathless, but he suppressed his breath and continued to ask, "Then do you have a better way to wipe out the aliens?"
Jin was silent, and the screen on the Great Sage's face flashed with ellipsis.
"No," Jin replied calmly, "Our army is not enough to wipe out all the aliens in Octares. Based on the current army, the chance of winning is 3.71%."
Kriptman opened his arms and cried out in disbelief,
"Then what are you doing here?!"
"Looking for someone." Jin said, and the thing tied up beside him struggled even more violently.
"What happens after you find someone?!"
The Inquisitor's voice nearly broke, "Don't tell me you're like those bastards from the Dark Angels!"
Jin was silent for a while, and then the great sage said, "According to common sense, the person we are looking for can mobilize an army sufficient to fight against the aliens, but the prerequisite is that he is willing to help you."
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
The great sage paused, "Forget it, I don't want to talk to you, Kriptman. According to the data, there is a 43.9% chance that you are a paranoid and a lunatic."
Jin turned his head and put down the guy he had tied up. A red-robed sage who struggled desperately appeared.
Unlike other sages, this guy didn't look like he had any mechanical modifications. He looked like a completely natural man, with a thin, bearded face, black hair and brown eyes.
"Kirkland, come on."
King said calmly, while Kirkland began to curse King. While cursing, he ran to Kriptman and kicked Kriptman, who was caught off guard, to the ground.
Kirkland grabbed Kriptman by the collar and lifted him up roughly.
The sage smiled a morbid smile.
"Listen up, little one,"
Kirkland's spit hit Kriptman's face.
"I, the Sage of Phaos, Kirkland-582, now declare that Phaos is fucking back, and we are going to fucking send Hades to the throne of godhood. You'd better shut your mouth and salute Hades."
“A-choo!”
Hades sneezed and rubbed his nose, feeling as if someone was cursing him.
It was really ominous. Hades hugged his arms and rubbed them. In order to minimize the loss of quality, he had not eaten much recently. He was getting hungrier and colder.
Sometimes, he even hallucinated.
But Hades was not sure whether it was an auditory hallucination or something else, someone's prayers to him, the curses of the warp, or he had just heard too much waaagh.
(End of this chapter)