"Vox?!"
"Vox-senpai?!"
Vox fell straight down -
At the last moment, he saw two similar beings rushing towards him.
—————
Boots had never felt so helpless.
Obviously, Pluto's arrival in Macragge is a good thing.
It should be a good thing that the Death Guard commander Vorx, who had not been contacted for a long time, was suddenly found.
So... why can't he cheer up now
The smell of disinfectant lingered at the tip of their noses, the dazzling white light cast a halo on the armor, the sound of medical instruments beeping came and went, and the pharmacist hurried past them.
corruption.
The pungent smell of corruption was like the elephant in the room, lingering for a long time.
Buzz sat upright, silent, waiting outside the emergency room. Beside him, Pluto sat with a sullen expression.
Hades supported his forearms on his legs and half-hid his expression with his crossed hands. The darkness surged, making his expression even more unobservable.
The door was pushed open, and the pharmacist accompanying the Son of Pluto came out first. He was wearing a gas mask of the highest standard. The pharmacist nodded to Hades, and Hades immediately stood up and followed the pharmacist into the emergency room.
The pharmacist turned around, shook his head at Boots, and closed the door again.
Bang!
Buzz let out a long sigh. Pluto had left. He immediately changed to a more comfortable and decadent posture and lay down on the bench.
He hoped that Old Den of Vorx was alright—and that he wasn't taking up Hades' time on Macragge.
But - this is obviously not very realistic.
——————
Boots looked at Vox, who was lying on the bed in front of him, with a sad face.
To be honest, Vox is not in good condition. You don't even need to look at it. You just need to sniff the air with your nose - ugh - to know Vox's condition.
The mucus oozing from the wound left a dirty yellow outline of a human figure on the white bed sheet.
Most of Vorx's armor had been removed, and some armor fragments that had grown deeply into his organs and flesh could not be dealt with. He could only cut them and rebandage them while waiting for the body to get better.
It was as if he had been buried in the soil of a wet area for several years and then dug out... Three of his limbs had been corroded to the ends, and Buzz could even see the mottled bones of the Death Guard.
That half of the metal prosthetic brain had almost rusted into scrap iron, so the pharmacist had to take it off urgently and hastily replaced it with another one.
Buzz was sure that countless insects had probably crawled on Vox's broken body - but the brave and tenacious pharmacist had already cleared them away.
In addition to insects, there are also fungi. In the waste disposal bin, Buzz saw no less than 49 types of fungi, including green-skinned mycelium!
Why is there everything in Nurgle's Garden?!
Buzz sighed, but in this situation, this thought still could not relieve the heaviness in the air. Opposite him, Hades was taking a nap with his eyes closed, and he didn't look in a good mood.
The official documents have been approved temporarily, but Hades insisted on staying here.
Hades was like a statue. He was not just resting, he felt the ebb and flow of the black domain. He "saw" a tangled mess with green as the main tone. Taking a deep breath, Hades operated carefully, trying to remove the messy parts.
The moment Walker rushed in, Hades had already drastically cleared away the aura of Nurgle at the outermost edge of Walker's soul. Then, he followed the pharmacists to perform surgery to suppress the growths in Walker's body that had almost completely coexisted with him.
It was hard for Hades to describe what he had seen... and hard for him to imagine what Vorx had gone through.
Even Hades found it difficult to deal with Vox.
It's not that he has never experienced similar things. Ten thousand years ago, he "helped" Karas in this way. But ten thousand years later, the situation he faced was more than a hundred times more complicated.
Hades felt the weak light touched by the darkness - what surprised him, or was not surprising, was that he could not tell which of these messy lights belonged to Nurgle and which belonged to the Pale Lord.
Hades initially believed that the Pale Lord's psychic energy supported Vorcus' life, but later he realized that the two psychic energies penetrated each other, eroded each other, and coexisted and perished together - he had no way to separate them.
If they were all cleared out at once, Vox, who had no chance of surviving, would die immediately.
He tried again and again, countless times, and the only thing that made Hades happy, and even a little amused, was that he at least cleared the psychic energy of the greenskins.
It seems that the greenskin's psychic power really did affect Mortarion.
Hades pondered, opened his eyes again and looked at Vorcus, as well as the medical equipment - he couldn't trust the servitors, mortals, Ultramarines, or the Son of Pluto to take care of Vorcus.
It was impossible for Hades to leave Vox alone in the intensive care unit.
He was also waiting for Vorx to wake up and chat with him - or visit Macragge.
Or at least give Vorx a break... ask him if these ten thousand years were good and how he fared.
Now, there is still something in Vorcus' body, perhaps it is Nurgle's, perhaps it is Mortarion's psychic power. As for which side has the upper hand, we have to wait until Vorcus wakes up and ask himself.
But Hades was inclined to think it was Mortarion. The half broken stone in Vorcus's hand had been tied around his waist, and the unnatural texture of the stone looked like a misty white fog.
Why does he still keep this thing
It's been ten thousand years... but at least they are still alive... or immortal... can this really be called alive? But for Hades, meeting an old friend after ten thousand years is already lucky enough.
Although for them, it is not clear whether this is a joy or a sorrow.
The fanatical ascetic Kirkland, the apathetic Jin, the half-step plague warrior Vorx... and the starving him.
Alas, it seems that Vox is the worst off at the moment.
… He could hardly connect this old-looking man with the slightly youthful younger generation of the past. Vox seemed to have been gone for too long, too far.
To some extent, over the long years, the fate faced by Space Marines was far more cruel than that faced by Mechanical Magos.
Parts can be replaced, data can be backed up, and personalities can be uploaded. Hades is not sure how much of the two sages' selves are left in their souls and minds, but at least Vorx doesn't have that much of himself left in his flesh and blood.
There is a difference between immortality and longevity after all.
Hades wanted to sigh, but he felt it was not a good idea to do so in front of the patient, so he quickly changed his action and went to get the concentrated nutrient solution on the medical cart.
This is prepared for him, not for the wounded.
The disinfectant over there is for the wounded.
Hades's action startled Buzz. Buzz looked at Hades, and Hades signaled him with his eyes.
Do you drink
Buzz shook his head and refused to drink.
All right.
Hades blinked regretfully. He wanted to emphasize the importance of eating on time for combat and decision-making, but in the end Hades decided to respect Boots' wishes.
The only thing Hades didn't realize was that there was a possibility that Boots couldn't drink it at all.
They were the only two people within a hundred meters of the bed, and besides Vox, they were not wearing gas masks.
These smells have been rendered harmless by the Black Domain, but specifically by the psychic aspects.
After finishing one bag, Hades carefully put away the waste bag and went to get the next bag—
His hands trembled.
Hades was sure Vox's eyelids had just moved.
Under the white light, Hades stood still, staring at Vox, as if trying to confirm that the scene just now was not an illusion.
Vox opened his eyes in a trance.
The blinding white light shone down, and almost at the same moment, tears of rationality flowed from Vox's eyes. The world in front of him was dazzling and hazy, and he could only see a circle of white halo.
...Did he succeed... or did he fail... and fall into the endless nightmare created by the Warp
Vorx World dimmed.
He saw two heads above his world—"Vox?" "Vox?!" "Vox!"
Vorx's vision began to focus, and he tried hard to see clearly... Why did the Ultramarines carve their emblem into the ceiling
"Stop arguing..."
Vox said weakly, and then he saw two white-haired heads, one big and one small, looking at each other. The smaller one immediately rushed out to call the pharmacist, while the larger one grabbed his only intact arm and began to shake it with just the right amount of force to wake him up without hurting his body.
"Don't sleep—Vox, don't sleep yet!!!"
Vorx looked weakly at the Ultramarines emblem on the ceiling and felt despair.
At least it looks like Hades is still Hades.
"stop… "
Vox is almost only exhaling but not inhaling.
"I promise that I will not die when I close my eyes... Senior Battle... let me... rest for a while..."
"I'm glad you're okay—"
Hades breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Vox with concern. Vox closed his eyes again. Then a group of fully armed pharmacists rushed in. Pluto was tactfully pushed aside and watched the pharmacists operate.
Next to the door that was knocked open, Buzz poked his head out and quietly walked to the side of Pluto who was standing as punishment.
"How is it, my father?"
Buzz asked quietly, and Hades also lowered his head, but his eyes were still fixed on the bed.
"Looks good," he lowered his voice. "I'm so glad he still remembers me."
Buzz was speechless, but he didn't want to remain silent.
"My father, I also have a good relationship with Senior Vox. He once helped me and taught me some moves - all of which are ruthless and cruel."
Hades smiled.
"I can teach you a little bit, but maybe Vox has already taught you something better. You know... He and I were comrades in arms. We had a lot of sparring. Of course, he got hit the most by Garro, but it was those few battles that established his reputation as the most resistant to injury. You don't know that at that time, he was pinned to the ground by Garro—"
"I can hear you."
Vox said calmly,
"I can hear you, Battle-senpai."
The scene fell silent. Vox looked at the ceiling in despair, while Hades and Boots turned their heads to look at the bed awkwardly.
Finally, it was the black-armored pharmacist who broke the silence.
"You still have the energy to speak?"
The Death Guard pharmacist raised his voice, ignoring the Ultramarines pharmacist who was pretending to be a quail beside him.
"Then we can increase the dose. Come on, I'll help you remove a few pieces of armor in advance."
"Please leave if you are not necessary."
Hades and Boots were "asked" to leave the ward, and the two people in front of the door looked at each other.
"The first point of Death Guard pharmacist training is to not fear authority,"
Buzz said a little embarrassedly,
"And the training of pharmacists was once personally handled by Mortarion and Karas."
Especially the pharmacists who were sent by the Death Guard to provide friendly assistance to the Sons of Hades. The smiles on their faces were often inversely proportional to the joy within the Sons of Hades group.
"I understand. I understand."
Hades nodded. At least Vox seemed to be conscious now. Hades breathed a sigh of relief. This was all thanks to the pharmacist.
Hades glanced at the door, coughed twice, and after placing the black domain, Hades took a few steps back.
"Tell me in detail your impression of Vox?"
Hades winked, suggesting that Boots elaborate.
In the name of Hades, Boots would certainly not shirk his responsibility.
—————
[past]
On the balcony of the Terra Palace, a biting cold wind rushed in. Buzz, wearing a shining golden cloak, looked coldly at the countless ravines and mountains.
Footsteps were heard in the darkness.
With a blood-stained white helmet, Vox walked out slowly and stopped at the junction of shadow and light.
When the Protestant religion was first established, Terra was still in chaos.
"I never thought that the kid I pinned to the ground and beat him would end up like this."
Buzz blinked, his eyes sparkling. He looked back at Vox and held out his hand, as if inviting Vox to enjoy the vast snow-capped mountains with him.
"Heroes rise from humble beginnings. This is what you taught me back then. Why, have you forgotten?"
Vox didn't move. "I can't forget this sentence... It was also given to me by another person."
"Pluto?"
Booth said casually, "At this point... I'm not sure if I respect Him or if it's just a form of power."
The little thing becomes arrogant for a moment after gaining power.
"Do you want me to hit you on the ground again?"
Buzz smiled, bowed magnificently, his golden robe fluttering in the wind, looking so happy.
"I can beat you now, Old Deng - but respected Death Guard Commander, Imperial Regent Buzz Bella needs your assistance with the Death Guard."
Vox's eye sockets sunken, he glanced deeply at Boots,
"Appreciate your ambitions now... I hope to see you like this again in seven hundred years."
It didn't take that long. In ten years, this former imperial hero had all his edges smoothed out and learned how to behave himself.
And find Vox, apologize heartbrokenly, and tell him that he doesn't want to do this anymore.
That time, it was Karas who punched and kicked Buzz back to work.
—————
Vox began to regret it.
It wasn't that he regretted running away, the bed he was lying on was a million times better than the one in Nurgle's garden, but he did feel a sense of helplessness.
Vox realized that the image he had built was about to be shattered.
This was not an important matter, but Vox was not in a state to think about important matters at the moment. His energy was very low, so he let himself think about it.
He remembered that maybe he shouldn't be too close to that kid Buzz. There were many cases of Death Guard being betrayed by the son of Hades, and he was careless.
But no matter what, Vox's despair was only directed at Boots.
Hades... is still Hades.
Vox thought blearily that when Hades had hung the Macragge tapestry directly behind his office, he had anticipated this day.
But putting aside that identity, facing Booth who did the same thing, Vox immediately felt a hint of despair.
Vox was silent.
He realized that he had subconsciously held different standards... maybe he should treat everyone equally... maybe.
Vox suddenly realized with despair that Pluto and his son were birds of a feather.
(End of this chapter)