Anger, complete anger, surged like a rolling wave in the flagship of the Fourteenth Legion, and darkness and pain enveloped everything in the world.
The poisonous fog rolled in without wind, and the psionic power of Nurgle was mixed in it, corroding the souls of all living things.
The thick yellow-green mist seemed to liquefy, brushing against everything in between. The smooth power armor of the Death Guards was already covered with sputum-like droplets.
[Mortarion] stood in the center of the poisonous fog, his black compound eyes like a fly flashing an ominous and strange green light. The poisonous fog rolled up his broken black turbid cloak and slowly floated in the poisonous fog.
Green psychic energy was entwined around his body, and scale powder on his strange moth wings was glittering. Psychic energy was raging, completely different from the psychic energy surge just now!
Opposite Mortarion, Mortarion held his scythe tightly against him, while Hades quietly used his Black Domain to treat the Death Guards afflicted with the plague under Mortarion's cover.
[It seems that our conversation can no longer continue.]
The gas mask buzzed, and Mortarion's hoarse but gnashing voice rang out.
[You stupid and short-sighted scum, you fool who can't even tell the truth, you are about to die and will only beg for mercy under my sickle! ]
[But I will not grant you my mercy! ]
[Mortarion] suddenly laughed, as if [he] had seen the fate of those dying people, as if he had turned into the benevolent legion commander again. His hoarse laughter was like a dying lung cancer patient, struggling and cursing all the beautiful and healthy creatures.
Completely ignoring Mortarion and Hades on the opposite side, Mortarion shifted his gaze to his scythe, Annihilation.
A lantern-like cage creaks on a sickle entangled with vines and buzzing with flies,
[Look, my masterpiece.]
[Mortarion] narrowed his eyes, looking at Mortarion as if smiling, but his eyes did not fall on Mortarion, but on something farther away.
[I think you will recognize him.]
[He is, our father.]
Psychic energy surged, flies buzzed and flew around the lantern. At Mortarion's signal, the green-headed flies madly hit the lantern, awakening the creature inside. The alien that had fainted in pain now let out a painful hiss and cursed -
"Motarion, my most failed experiment!!!"
"You are a loser! Coward!!!"
"You are the same in every world!!"
"Live on what's left of your ego! Live on holding on to the past and torturing your father! That's all you can do!"
Mortarion had heard the curse from the weak father thousands of times, but he was not annoyed.
[It took me a long time to catch his soul,]
[But the good news is, it doesn’t look like it will take that long to catch you.]
[Struggle in my plague!!! Experience the endless pain!!]
As soon as the vicious words fell, Mortarion raised his scythe and rushed forward. Mortarion, who was well prepared, immediately responded to the enemy.
The bright yellow sparks were so conspicuous in the green fog, penetrating the darkness, and the teeth-grinding friction sound burst out, striking the soul directly.
“A very good idea.”
Mortarion looked into Mortarion's eyes, his gas mask hissing.
"Unfortunately, unlike you, I didn't kill him in the end. I have already killed my adoptive father."
Mortarion smiled.
[You are a coward who has never experienced real pain! What do you know?! ]
[Mortarion] swung his scythe directly, and a figure several times larger than Mortarion shuttled through the fog, swinging his scythe in an unpredictable manner.
Disease and plague clung to the chain blades, and an extremely strange purple glow shone in the mist.
Compared to the already enraged Mortarion, Mortarion's response was particularly difficult. The gap between him and the opponent was not only the thousands of years of practical experience, but also the gap of Nurgle's curse.
Mortarion's scythe danced faster and faster—
Although Mortarion had the upper hand in the conversation, at this moment in the battle, the balance of victory was indeed slowly tilting towards Mortarion!!!
Mortarion gritted his teeth, his gas mask working laboriously, and threw himself into the battle with his other self.
However, Mortarion turned sideways, and his wings and sickle flew towards Mortarion. Mortarion could only barely block the sickle.
A gunshot was heard and flames were burning!
The tiny scales burned and turned to ashes in the mist.
Mortarion ignored what was behind him and immediately seized the opportunity to counterattack!
[A despicable person who shot from behind. ]
[Apart from your physique, you are useless. ]
While dealing with Mortarion's scythe, [Motarion] stared behind Mortarion.
After settling the others, Hades stood behind, muzzle smoke drifting away.
"It's better than relying on your garbage curse."
Hades' calm voice sounded, but the shooting in his hand did not stop, and flames gushed out.
Hades' gunfire matched Mortarion's attack skillfully.
The bullets would either hit the same spot together with the sickle, or take advantage of the stalemate between the two to shoot at the weak points in Mortarion's armor.
Or a hit to the face to cover for Mortarion's next attack.
For a moment, the situation seemed to be reversed.
However, Hades' brain was calculating frantically. Although the situation was improving now, they were no match for Mortarion at the moment.
In other words, if they delay any longer, they will lose!
What made Hades uneasy was that since the Death Guard came under attack, no astropathic call for help had been sent out!
The waves of the subspace surged, and all the star language that tried to call for help were swallowed up.
Hades looked at Mortarion. He certainly knew what Mortarion was thinking.
Ever since another Mortarion came on board, Mortarion no longer thought that he could survive!
Mortarion summoned some of the Barbarusian Death Guard and ordered them to disperse among the other flagships, spread out, and snipe at the enemy ships that rushed into the Death Guard.
But Hades knew that Mortarion was actually giving other Death Guards the right to survive in disguise!
As the lead ship, the Endurance would attract the enemy's main firepower. If they took advantage of the chaos, the rest of the fleet could escape and seek help from the Empire.
Not only that, just before the battle, Hades received a communication from Enrique, the Death Guard's master forger.
"Hades, Lord Mortarion once ordered the Foundry to produce a large amount of Alpha-type explosives suitable for flagship explosions."
"And the area that its full explosion could reach is exactly the size of the Endurance."
Hades was silent.
"I see."
He said.
"So what do you mean?"
"The Death Guard cannot live without their Primarch."
The voice of the First Company Captain Barasin interrupted their communication channel.
"We have tried to persuade him, but Lord Mortarion is determined to stay."
"But if all the Terran Death Guard remain, we can delay him and allow Lord Mortarion to wait for reinforcements."
Hades sighed silently. That's right. Compared to confronting the enemy directly, blockade and retreat are the wisest strategies.
In fact, he was originally thinking about whether he would be able to fight against Mortarion after he ascended to the demon realm, but now the situation is very clear.
But the Primarch chose to stay and participate in his "fateful battle".
He has chosen death.
"The entire think tank is on standby."
Fernando's voice rang out.
"Hades, when Lord Mortarion decides to detonate, please be sure to place the Librarian's marking beacon on Mortarion's power armor."
Yes. If the other side can teleport to the Endurance, then... they can do that too.
Hades really wanted to ask "Is it reliable?" After all, the waves in the subspace are extremely turbulent now. Can the think tanks who use psychic power really use short-distance teleportation without any risk of failure
But he knew that there were some things he could only choose to believe.
Hades chose to trust the level of the Death Guard think tank.
"good"
So they didn't speak anymore.
Enrique didn't say that in order to ensure the perfect detonation of the main bomb, he was now leading other technical sergeants to guard near the bomb. If Mortarion detonated the bomb, they would be the first wave of Death Guards to be killed.
Fernando did not speak. The talisman array drawn by the think tank was shining brightly. In order to ensure the safety of this transmission, all the think tanks would sacrifice their lives.
Barasi did not speak either. He was busy deploying the positions of other fleets. Currently, there were no soldiers of the Barbarus descent who could do this job.
So he must live, a heroic death is not his,
Hades did not speak either. They all knew that even if the Librarian's teleportation could transport more than one Primarch, Hades's physique made it impossible for him to perform psychic teleportation, and Hades had to stay away from Mortarion at the first moment of placing the beacon.
He took a deep breath and continued to shoot at Mortarion steadily.
Hades looked speechlessly at the two Mortarions fighting in front of him. It could be said that neither of them left any way for the other to survive!
After seeing the corrupt figure of this ascended demon, Mortarion chose to die to prove his integrity.
Either he kills [him], or he blows up the Endurance, causing them to die together!
But the Death Guard chose to keep their Primarch!
Hades swallowed, this was the connection between the Primarchs and their offspring, he vaguely recalled the books he had read, the stories of the victorious Ultramarines who sacrificed their lives to buy time for Guilliman.
Now, it's the Death Guard's turn.
As time passed, the fog became thicker and thicker, the helmet display sounded an alarm, and visibility became lower and lower.
Mortarion's movements became more and more strenuous, and a mixture of sweat and blood was splashing everywhere. Before the water hit the ground, it was corroded by the poisonous fog, making a hissing sound.
Poisonous mist rushed in madly from the broken armor hit by the sickle. Hades was sure that he saw pus and redness.
Compared to Mortarion, his other self, [Mortarion], seemed much more relaxed, like a cat playing with its prey, [he] began to tease the opponent with ease.
[Weren't you quite talkative just now? ]
[He] raised his eyebrows and looked at himself in a good mood.
[Why don’t you say anything?]
[Mortarion] slashes with all his strength!
The only thing that answered him was Mortarion's labored breathing. Without time to distract himself, Mortarion felt his vision blurring and a constant dull pain coming from the wound. It climbed up his spinal cord and flowed through his blood.
Sure enough, he is still too weak
[Don't worry, I am still merciful even though I have lost my way. I will take your head and grant you a merciful death.]
[And everything you have is mine.]
[Plague and disease will bless all of this.]
[It's a pity that you can't enjoy the sight of your offspring struggling and screaming. ]
[Motarion] With one easy slash, Mortarion was knocked back.
Mortarion half-knelt on the deck, breathing laboredly.
He is dying.
Hades hurried forward, but it was obvious that not everything brought by the plague could be swallowed up by the Black Domain - the damage was irreversible.
"I am not you."
Mortarion said,
[Yes, I am not as weak as you who can only rely on mortals to defeat the enemy. ]
[You who can't protect anything.]
Mortarion's relaxed voice sounded, he lowered his scythe and walked step by step into the fog.
Death has come to reap life.
"I am not you."
Mortarion muttered to himself as if unconscious.
His hand touched the sickle of Silence, where a button disguised as a pattern lay quietly.
"I am not you, because—"
"I will never fall!"
Mortarion pressed on.
At the same time, all Death Guard channels received a message from their Primarch:
"Thank you, and I'm sorry."
explode!
Everything has been eclipsed.
Mortarion opened his eyes wide, and his gas mask hissed as if he was cursing something.
[Mortarion] still swung his scythe at Mortarion in vain, however, in the dazzling light of the explosion, Hades turned and pounced on [Mortarion], and the obituary directly hit [Mortarion]'s annihilation, preventing [Mortarion] from attacking further!
Blue psychic energy so weak that it could be ignored surrounded Mortarion, whose consciousness was gradually becoming blurred.
A huge impact reached the hall and everything was engulfed in the flash.
The silent and gorgeous explosion engulfed everything. The streamlined flagship of the Endurance was suddenly broken, and huge black and moss-green fragments exploded. Countless tiny objects were washed out of the flagship in the turbulence and were ruthlessly thrown into the universe.
The other Death Guard cruisers that had received orders long ago started up one after another, their azure plasma engines roaring. Some ships rushed towards the enemy ships, while others took advantage of the flash of Endurance's explosion to quietly leave.
For a moment, beside the broken body of the Endurance, the fleets that were like swimming fish were exchanging fire, but the tiny flames seemed so powerless and ridiculous next to the mother who was slowly sinking in the background.
[Mortarion] Raise Hades.
Mortarion's condition was not very good, it was simply terrible. The beautiful and luxuriant diseases, plagues and parasites on his body were listless, and his burnt wings lay limply to the side, with black holes very conspicuous.
[I hope you can play your part.]
At the last moment, Mortarion used his wings to save the two people directly from the shock wave.
But... [Motarion] narrowed his eyes, a unique and untouchable person.
This will be useful.
(End of this chapter)