Emperor's Bane

Chapter 205 Ariman's Study Abroad Experience
I am Azak-Ahriman.

Now, I'm going to show you what it takes to survive in some of the most extreme and dangerous places in the galaxy.

I had to face a series of challenges: legends from Terra, monsters who took down strongholds by themselves, and a lot of fanatics who were willing to fight and die for the honor of their Primarch's toenails.

In this kind of place, without proper survival skills, you can't even last a day.

------

When Ahriman counted [946], the last psyker Astartes warrior belonging to the Second Legion finally walked away slowly from his side, and those silver-white armors bypassed Ahriman walked across the tarmac soundlessly, finally arrived at the dark corridor of the battleship, and quickly disappeared without a trace.

From beginning to end, they were all...

quiet.

Yes, be quiet.

There was no friendly greeting, and no malicious challenge as imagined, just like the rushing water bypassing the rocks in the river, the silver-white torrent naturally bypassed Qianzi.

It was as if there was some deadly virus from Prospero on his body.

Thinking of this, in his heart, Ahriman laughed helplessly at himself.

Of course, he doesn't care about these indifferent attitudes. He has never been a vulgar person who cares about these trivial things. His vision will only stay on those more practical or greater things.

Just like...

Ahriman blinked.

For the shortest moment, Ahriman stood alone on the empty tarmac, frowning slightly, and under the cover of the scarlet helmet, the sight from the Achaemenids was unscrupulously looking into the distance The Librarians of the Dawnbreaker weighed their strength, determination, and talent, and the likely outcome of the battle between him and each of them.

……

There is no strong one.

Memories of all the Dawnbreaker Libraries quickly sifted through his mind, only to make Magnus's proud son groan in disdain: just now, he felt no threat from any individual.

not a single one.

These Dawnbreakers under Morgan, they are experienced, they are passable, they are loyal, they...

But mediocrity.

Contemptuous laughter came from under Qianzi's armor, and quickly disappeared into the icy air. Ahriman moved his neck indifferently.

No, you can't think like that, Ahriman.

At the very least, you can't express this attitude too clearly.

In his heart, the commander of the Thousand Sons taught himself insincerely: to be respectful to allies.

And it was at this time that, accompanied by a few slow and familiar footsteps, he finally came to the tarmac, and Ahriman also waited for the two characters he had been looking forward to for a long time.

Zosimus, Mildin.

Ahriman smiled and greeted him.

He knew that these two seemingly unremarkable Dawnbreaker psychic masters were the undoubted leaders of the psionic group under Morgan's command, and they were also the sons of Magnus who were conducting his campaign against the Second Legion. When counting all psykers, the first two are the default.

Although, their strength is still far inferior to that of Ahriman: Ahriman can clearly judge all this with only one ceremonial handshake expressing self-cultivation.

In the self-estimation and deduction of the son of Magnus, he can completely fight against two, and only need to pay some time and price, he can kill the souls of Zosimus and Mildin .

It's not difficult.

According to the standards of think tanks, these two sons of Morgan are indeed very strong: but their strength is the kind of mediocre strength, which is gradually built up through repeated accumulation and following the rules, and anyone can achieve it. powerful.

That is the power of mediocrity, but not the power of genius.

Ahriman, on the other hand, is a genius.

------

Sure enough, just like at that time in Holy Terra, the only one in the Second Legion that deserves his attention and awe is the self-proclaimed knight...

monster.

------

Zosimus and Mirdin also brought in a third figure, one that Ahriman was delighted with: Balek-Uhisar.

This new star of the Thousand Sons Legion from the Tianxiao school, a native of Prospero, is the companion chosen by Ahriman's genetic father, and he will fight side by side in the next few decades Characters: They will spend a long time together in the Dawnbreaker Legion and under Morgan's Silver Throne.

After all, under the promise of Magnus, he agreed to Morgan's request almost without thinking: the two Thousand Sons will conduct a long-term mutual learning plan in the Dawnbreaker Legion until No The moment the .15th Legion returned to the Great Crusade, they would once again return to the ranks of the Thousand Sons.

At first glance, this seems to be nothing, but when you think about it carefully, this is an extremely long promise.

You must know that now is only the No.70 eight Terra standard years when the Great Crusade started, and as shown by the subspace timer, it is 876. M30
And although Magnus reunited with his Thousand Sons on Prospero thirty standard years ago, and succeeded in [saving] his sons, for 30 years, the Thousand Sons The progress of the children rebuilding the legion has always been very slow, and their enthusiasm for the Great Expedition is not that high.

Even if it is the most optimistic estimate, Magnus and his legion will not be able to truly return to the galaxy until one Terran standard year when the Great Crusade officially begins, that is, around 1. M900 of the Warp Timer. Fight for the great cause of the emperor.

In other words, even with a conservative estimate, Ahriman will have been in the Dawnbreaker Legion for more than ten or twenty years: this is not without precedent. Don't you see that the second company of the Emperor's Children Legion is almost Is the Iron Hands Legion a full-time employee?
However, that's not something Magnus would care about: he neither has the intention of being aggressive in the Great Crusade, nor does he have the task progress pressure from the Emperor. He wants to devote his experience and time to what he sees as barbaric and meaningless conquest and destruction.

As for Ahriman: Magnus even hoped that his proudest child would win glory for Prospero's ideas under Morgan's command, so that more people would realize that the path of the Thousand Sons is correct.

But, that's for later.

For Ahriman, the most important thing now is to establish a relatively friendly relationship with the two mediocre Dawnbreakers beside him. After all, he still needs the guidance of these people to help him familiarize himself with this battleship .

Fortunately, although he was facing an unknown environment, there were not many things that he really needed to worry about: Barek, who was traveling with him, stood behind him with self-knowledge, as if he was led by the Terra veteran, and Ahriman The slaves brought up their luggage very quickly: there was only a medium-sized package, not even one-fifth of the large and small rolls on the side of Barek.

Barek with a pale complexion is a guy who is easy to like. His attitude is gentle and he treats others politely. He is a rare diplomat among the descendants of Magnus. This is also a point that makes Ahriman quite satisfied: he But he couldn't imagine how he would spend more than ten years with guys like Hathor or Forsyth.

This new star of the Sky Owl School is obviously still a little uncomfortable: just a few Terra standard hours ago, he was still standing in the glorious light of Tizca City, responsible for receiving the hosts of the Dawnbreakers who came from afar, And in just a few hours, he became the guest of the Dawnbreakers along with an idea of ​​his own Primarch: and the time of being a guest seems to be a little long.

In an almost flustered gesture, Barek packed up his belongings, and the wine he was brewing by himself could only be entrusted to his comrades in the legion. He even envied Ahriman a bit: Ahriman's only luggage , that is, his staff and ancient scrolls, which recorded spells and decrees from the ancient Achaemenid Empire. Ahriman has always been committed to deciphering these sacred treasures.

The young Prospero stood behind Ahriman like a shy attendant. He kept looking at the ancient and dilapidated relief on the [Polaris], and pricked up his ears, listening to Ahriman's conversation with that A conversation between two psionic masters.

In private, through the special spell of the Thousand Sons Legion, under the eyes of the think tanks of the Dawnbreaker, he established a private psychic communication with Ahriman beside him to ask some questions during the conversation.

For example, the name Ahriman kept mentioning, intentionally or unintentionally, during the conversation.

"Bayar."

"Why do you care so much about him? Ahriman? Is there something wrong with him?"

The words from Barek echoed in Ahriman's heart, while the first company commander of the Thousand Sons just kept his smile, and on the surface continued to chat with the two Dawnbreakers, but in his heart, his words were brief and clear. Responding to Barack's question.

"Because it's dangerous."

"……Danger?"

"Yes, dangerous."

A few rays of light flashed in Ahriman's pupils.

"Maybe my next words are a bit worrisome and alarmist, Barek, but please remember: If in the next period of time, you find that I am forced to frequent the arena, please don't have the slightest doubt."

"Most of those Dawnbreakers, or all of them, can't do anything about me. I am the first company commander of the Thousand Sons Legion and the lecturer of the temple."

"Of course, except..."

"Except Bayard?"

"..."

"Yes, except Bayard."

"..."

"He's a total monster."

------

bayar.

In the ensuing chat, the young Tianxiao was almost out of his mind, thinking about this name that was enough to make Ahriman feel taboo and fear, as well as its owner.

And he himself seems to have entertained this perhaps very powerful figure in the previous dozens of Terra Standard Time: In Barek's impression, this Dawnbreaker was not only very kind and humble, but also lovable, and at the same time Aside from being a little strange, there doesn't seem to be anything worth noting.

Why should Ahriman fear him?
……

Can't figure it out.

Qian Zi's thirst for knowledge was on fire.

And when the two psionic masters of the Dawnbreaker temporarily left to deal with the business at hand, the duo of Thousand Sons, who was temporarily resting in the corner of the hall, finally ushered in the continuation of the question and answer.

"... Ahriman?"

The first company commander of Qianzi, who was resting with his eyes closed, opened his eyes. He turned his head and looked helplessly at the combat brother beside him. As always, he did not use words, but used the psionic communication channel between the two.

"You want to ask about Bayard?"

"Correct."

"That has nothing to do with you, Barek."

"I know, I'm just curious."

"..."

Ahriman sighed inwardly.

curious.

Well, in all fairness, if he stood in Barek's position, he would not be able to suppress his curiosity.

Curiosity seems to be the most ingrained part of Magnus' blood. It influences every move of the Thousand Sons at every moment, giving them unrivaled courage and determination to pursue knowledge and Enter the unknown world.

The captain of the Thousand Sons closed his eyes and remained silent for a while, as if he was recalling and taking a deep breath. After a while, just when Barek's patience was running out, Ahriman opened his eyes again.

"Bayar."

"He is a monster."

"You are not from Terra, so you may not know how terrible he is."

"...Let's put it this way, Barek, if you were asked to choose the most powerful Astartes fighters in your heart, what kind of answer would you give?"

"...doesn't contain psionic energy?"

"of course."

"Um……"

"Asteran of the Dark Angel, Akudona of the Emperor's Children, Sejanus and Abaddon of the Luna Wolf, Santo of the Iron Hands, Gage of the Ultramarines..."

All kinds of things, from the closed and closed mouth of Barek, dozens of names of more than a dozen legions spit out, each of which is a famous existence, a symbol of victory, conquest and legend.

Ahriman listened patiently and nodded from time to time: Every character that the young Tianxiao cites is from Terra, or the veterans of the earliest days of the Great Crusade. This is a matter of course. Although the warriors of the stars are also rising like shooting stars, they are too young after all, and they are far from the sophistication and fame of the people of Terra.

but……

Ahriman raised the corners of his lips. With a kind of arrogance unique to Terrans, he looked at the somewhat dazed Balek. The son of Magnus recounted the words recommended by his battle brothers bit by bit. Only those characters in the book gave their own answers unhurriedly.

"The ones you cited are indeed all big figures in various legions."

"Invincible, unstoppable, inescapable, invincible..."

"but!"

Ahriman smiled and motioned Barek to get closer so that his words could echo in the ears of these young sky owls.

"He, Bayard."

"He beat everybody."

"Those characters you listed, those from Terra and Cthonia, those from the Dark Angels and Ultramarines, the favored sons of the various legions."

"Bayar has defeated them all. He sent their swords flying to the ground, and made their arms bleed. They can no longer hold on to anything, but they can only swallow the bitter fruit of failure."

"Yes, you heard that right."

"On Terra, before the Great Crusade, that's what he did."

"Except for Akudona, the head of the emperor's son's court swordsman, no one can be Bayar's opponent."

"..."

Ahriman is very satisfied with Barek's current expression: with the most vivid strokes, shock and astonishment, absurdity and doubt, unquestionable and bewilderment are subtly blended into the same color, outlining Barek's expression. Lake's face now.

Apparently, his mind was filled with so many questions that he couldn't even think about it, talk about it, or pick out the one that he valued the most and confused him the most, and hit Ali on it. Manna's carefully trimmed shawl.

He stammered and hesitated, like a bewildered child rather than a proud warrior under Magnus: this lasted for a while, and then, with the heaviest of deep breaths, slowed down. Slowly moving towards subsidence.

with more doubts.

"...Are you joking, Ahriman?"

Ahriman didn't speak, but pointed to his serious face.

This kept Barek silent for a while, and when he raised his head, he involuntarily approached his battle brother, as if he was afraid that his words would be heard by someone who might be lurking in the shadows.

"That……"

"And what about Sigismund? The powerful new star of the Imperial Fists?"

"Then I don't know. Although Sigismund is also from Terra, he didn't join the Legion and became famous for a short time. He missed the heyday of the Second Legion. He and Bayar didn't have a direct fight. For the record, the few meetings we had were only for the sake of discussion."

"Then...then why, even though Bayar is so powerful, the Second Legion..."

"Because he is just an Astartes warrior: Although it is said that he is the No.1 Astartes warrior of the Second Legion, he is not a Primarch after all, and he cannot... use personal force to save Big picture."

"Nobody can do that."

"Except for the Primarch."

As if he had expected it long ago, Ahriman waved his hand casually before Barek's questioning was finished, answering the doubts of his fighting brother.

Immediately afterwards, he ushered in the last question, a question he had already prepared for.

"Ariman, you just said..."

"Except for Akudona?"

Barek's pupils were glowing, flashing a pursuit of blade and glory.

They are the Thousand Sons, they are the wise sons of Magnus, that is true: but beneath the veneer, they are also Astartes warriors, and would be drawn to any great duel, war. man of.

This point is common in any legion: strength, victory and defeat, real sword duel...

So far, no Astartes warrior has been able to completely reject these words from the bottom of his heart.

Qianzi is no exception.

And this is why Ahriman has such a deep memory of Bayar.

Because of that duel.

In the duel that he witnessed with his own eyes, he was the only one who watched the whole situation from beginning to end, and was fascinated by it, and remembered it till now.

The duel between Bayar and Acudonna.

------

It was the eve of the Great Crusade, and the years leading up to the end of the War of Unification on Terra.

The agreement with Mars has been signed, and the power of Luna and the Jupiter Federation has bowed to the mighty power of the emperor, and the human mother planet Terra, which was full of mutant warlords and technological barbarians in the past, has long since All surrendered under the throne of the Emperor.

Only a handful of recalcitrants, hiding in the cracks and shadows, trembling, became the first prey of the new army, the Astartes Legion.

It was a tense era, because the preparations for the Great Expedition were in full swing, and unimaginable logistical materials and weapons were pouring into the Emperor's cause through the furnace of Mars and the dock of Jupiter every day. In the grand scheme of things.

But it was also an easy time.For more than a dozen Terra standard years, none of the Astartes legions had any opponent worthy of their all-out efforts. Facing this sudden vacancy, many fighters felt at a loss. Training and rest obviously couldn't consume everyone's energy. Energy, so.Competition and competition between legions became popular at this time.

Which Legion has the strongest warriors under the Emperor?

This has become a topic of great concern to everyone.

It was also at that time that the Emperor's Children Legion, which selected soldiers from the noble heirs of Europa, ushered in a group of special guests.

They came from one of the two most powerful Legions of the Astartes at the time: the Second Legion.

The purpose of their coming was to participate in a real sword duel held by the Third Legion, which was jointly held by elite fighters from various legions.

The conference lasted for several months, and hundreds of legendary fighters competed with each other under the cheers and attention of everyone.

The competition between the Astartes is as fierce as wild beasts, but they always maintain rationality and humility. In the hiss of metal collisions again and again, the atmosphere in the arena is infinitely close to the real bloody battlefield, but it is always It is separated by a thin red line.

And a few months later, only two fighters stood on the final stage.

Bayar of the Second Legion.

With Akudona of the Third Legion.

At that time, they were recognized by all the Astartes warriors present, and they were well-deserved top figures.

In fact, as one of the hosts, Akudona did not devote himself to the competition at the beginning, until Bayar achieved a rather exaggerated record in the arena of the Emperor's Children.

With his own power, he knocked down almost all the court swordsmen in uninterrupted duels with real swords. Those who had achieved great fame in the war, under Bayar's double swords, also fell to the ground. It's just the difference between overnight, or a few rounds.

And when the number of court swordsmen defeated by Bayar's sword is about to approach three digits.

Akudona enters.

He gave Bayar a real break first, two of the greatest warriors of the Astartes in the arena, chattering incessantly until they both realized that the other was at his best.

Then, they drew their swords.

For the next twenty hours, everyone was mesmerized.

The silent confrontation, fierce fighting, unimaginable skill and determination, and the sword dance that was complex and swift enough to confuse the Astartes warriors: in the hands of the two top angels of death, this Everything is so easy, so taken for granted.

At that time, Ahriman was among the crowd of onlookers. He watched the entire duel meticulously almost with a pilgrimage mentality and piousness. Those powerful blade storms brushed in front of his eyelids and nose, but there was only the slightest distance.

He didn't even want to avoid it, because that would make him miss the excitement of the next second, the eternity of the next second, and the possibility of winning or losing in the next second...

------

"And then!"

Ahriman's sudden stop obviously made Barek feel a kind of dissatisfaction. The young Tianxiao school fighter was staring at him at this time, just like Ahriman had witnessed Bayar and Acudo. As he did, his face was occupied by an emotion called longing, staring closely at his fighting brother, desperately waiting for the final chapter of the story.

"So, who among them won?"

"Who is that person who is still standing twenty hours later?"

Ahriman smiled.

"Do not."

"None of them lost."

"It is evident that their strength, skill, and will are so great that their blades are not worthy of the noblest qualities in them."

"During another collision, the four swords broke at the same time, and the four most shining edges fell on the sand at the same time, making this duel come to an abrupt end just like my words."

"draw."

"In other words, there is no winner."

"Or in other words, we will die together."

"Just like the life-and-death duels and legends between countless great heroes in history."

"This is a regrettable, but regrettable ending."

"They were tied."

"Nobody wins."

……

"However, after that, the two of them fought countless duels."

"If I remember correctly, there were 49 games in total, and if you count the first game, 25 games were draws, and of the remaining 24 games, everyone won [-] games."

"And then, the process of the Great Crusade has spread to the point where the various legions had to act separately, and the Second Legion also fell into their lonely history."

"As far as I know, since then, Bayar and Akudona have never started their duel again."

"However, someday in the future, if ever."

"Then I will definitely go and see."

------

The retrospective of history and the emotion of the legendary story were carried out just right. When the last word in Ahriman’s mouth landed quietly, Zosimos and Mirdin also escaped from their temporary official duties and appeared again in the two In the field of vision of a Thousand Sons Warrior.

In this way, the group continued to move forward, and Barek silently followed behind Ahriman just like before, playing the image of his silent follower with An Xin, and he could also be immersed in what he just heard. In the emotion and remembrance of those legendary stories.

Ahriman, on the other hand, is striding forward. He and the two psionic masters are almost walking side by side. The distance of those who know.

When their steps gradually approached Zosimos' room on the [North Star], the topic of their discussion has gradually extended to some academic issues and some personal views on psychic power.

And in this field, there is no doubt that the recklessness of the Thousand Sons is definitely more dazzling, more radiant, and more complacent than the cautiousness of the Dawnbreaker. With emotion, he seems to have become the leader in the conversation.

From his endless knowledge, this proud son of Magnus picked out one or two viewpoints and theories that were somewhat dangerous but also of supreme value, and casually threw them to the Dawnbreakers beside him, and Full of anticipation, waiting for their emotion and desire.

But this time.He had to be disappointed.

Because when Ahriman's triumphant words finally reached the ears of Zosimus and Mildin, the sons of Morgan just looked at each other, and there was a kind of kindness in their eyes that Ahriman had never seen before. of light.

This kind of light obviously symbolizes some kind of information, a kind of information that can only be understood and used by the Dawnbreaker legion soldiers.

After a while, Mildin whispered to Ahriman with a convincing tone.

"I have to admit, distinguished guest from the Thousand Sons Legion, you have come a long way in terms of psychic power. Far ahead of every psyker in Dawnbreaker."

"The suggestion you just put forward is very practical and may be a very good research goal and direction."

"We will establish a project for this project, but before that, we must first compile this project into a report document, and indicate as much as possible its main research content, main purpose, research direction and possible dangers, and then Hand over to our Primarch, ask her to approve the project, and allocate resources and manpower to set up a project team."

"...Project approval?"

"Reporting documents?"

"approve?"

"Project Team?"

------

What are they talking about?

------

For the first time since Ahriman officially boarded the [North Star], he felt astonished from the bottom of his heart.

Because, although he could understand every word spoken by the Dawnbreakers in front of him, why did he feel so...

at a loss?

------

"Polaris, Polaris, this is the Mayflower, can you hear me?"

"Mayflower, Mayflower, this is Polaris, I can hear you, do you have anything to report?"

"We encountered a ship, which should belong to the Mechanicus. It claims to be an envoy of the forging world. It has the most important things and the most precious gifts to send to our gene mother."

"Forge world? Which forge world?"

"..."

"Reza."

(End of this chapter)