Emperor's Bane

Chapter 212 The Cobweb on the Iron Heart ([-])

After more than 6000 days and nights passed in a flash, when the original location and identity began to completely reverse, when Perturabo saw Morgan again.

Only then did the Lord of Steel discover in astonishment that behind the silver-haired figure, a layer of fuzzy phantom had already emerged, vaguely merging with the blue pupils.

That is, a round of icy sun.

------

Many years later, when Perturabo once again recalled what he encountered and saw on the [Tulle of Destiny], he would still fall into temporary confusion and still feel genuine hesitation.

Until that time, until it was too late, the Iron Lord still didn't dare to tell anyone what he saw that day, as well as the instinctive rebellious thoughts in his heart.

[North Star] visited on time on the No.16 Terra standard day after the grand palace of Perturabo was completely completed. It came with it and a whole brand-new expedition fleet. After their Primarchs got together for a few months, they regained control of the Second Legion of Courage and Hope. They gathered all their power clouds together, and in the huge moon of Reza, they got the best in the entire galaxy. Maintenance and replacement.

The 23rd Expedition Fleet, this is their code name in the vast military system of the human empire that conquered the galaxy. Now, this fleet consists of nearly [-] Dawnbreakers, millions of cathars, and about One-third of the [Warrior] Titan Legion: The Titan Legion still has one-third of its strength, and it is rushing from all over the galaxy to join this ever-growing Imperial Blade.

However, compared to the beginning, today's Dawnbreaker Legion has a little attrition: Cortez and Pizarro led some soldiers, temporarily left their genetic mother, and went to a place called Catachan. world in order to complete some of the [jobs] at hand.

But despite this, when the gray-white projection of the 23rd Expeditionary Fleet gradually appeared at the end of Perturabo's field of vision, the Lord of Steel was stunned for a moment, admiring the sheer size of this fleet: He couldn't imagine, How did my own blood relatives pull out an army front that could be the main force in any battle in just a few months.

Although it is far inferior to the Dreadnought Fleet of the Iron Warriors, and also inferior to the famous Void Battlegroups of the Luna Wolves, Holy Blood Angels, and Imperial Fists, it can be shown in front of Perturabo's orderly, solemn and steady , It was enough to make the Lord of Steel nod secretly in his heart, and had a better impression of his familiar and unfamiliar blood relatives.

What's more, it arrived on time: Overcoming the uniqueness of the galaxy, the uncertainty of time and the weirdness of the subspace, these two problems that even Perturabo could not do anything about, were skillfully overcome by his blood relatives or avoided.

The Dawn Queen's fleet showed up neither too early nor too late, and when the Iron Warriors' first welcoming fleet officially pulled a loose welcome line near Mandeville Point, the first Dawnbreaker ships It broke the curtain of the real universe and the subspace, and just rightly passed the joy of greetings to the public communication platform of the Fourth Legion.

Compared with them, the response from the Iron Warriors seemed somewhat unprepared.

The corners of Perturabo's mouth were raised in the lowest arc, revealing an almost non-existent smile: Through the projection and divination box, he can clearly see all this, and feel the ruling legion of his blood relatives from the most intuitive angle Timely rationality and planning.

Let people appreciate.

He couldn't help admiring in his heart, his slightly improved mood was accompanied by his almost habitual dull hum, which made the tridents and the battalion commanders on the side lower their heads, maintaining the most secure silence, so as to avoid any A small incident set off their moody father.

The Primarch completely ignored his heirs. At this moment, he was wantonly immersed in his own world, immersed in the thought palace that only a true genius could build at will. On the desolate ground of [Tulle of Destiny], although he was only standing at the end of the shutdown track carefully arranged by his descendants, his thoughts had already drifted away, he had already escaped from the shackles of gravity and reality, and he had already crossed the After crossing the long river of time and space, he arrived at the small piece of beautiful paradise he needed.

------

Perturabo remembered Morgan: he had always remembered, for 16 years.

This is not a manifestation of the Primarch's superior memory, but the impressive uniqueness of the individual named "Morgan": she is so unique that even if Perturabo only worked with her for a few days, even if they only worked together Some unremarkable papers were dealt with, and even that short time together, everything that had happened on the Dawn Star was at least sixteen Terra standard years old.

But Perturabo still remembers, and he even remembers more clearly and more beautifully. With the passage of time and the increase of experience, those early memories seem to have become some kind of dusty wine, more mellow and attractive.

In general, there is a rather obvious watershed in the memory of the Lord of the Fourth Legion's blood relatives: that is the day when the Lord of Humanity personally told him Morgan's true identity.

Before that, Morgan was an unexplainable mysterious phenomenon, an error code that disturbed the program, a dark cloud that covered rationality and cold calculation, and the memory about her kept interfering with the iron lord's contempt for mortals and Sadness forced Perturabo to remember the [Case of Dawn].

After the Dawn Star, whenever Perturabo was angry at the delay in his plans, whenever he looked with resentment and sigh at those Astartes warriors and mortals who could not meet their duties, he would contemptuously Feeling the fragility of these mortal bodies, feeling that as the Primarch, he is too obvious from mortals, almost like the gap between two worlds and two species.

But this kind of emotion can't last forever, because whenever he wants to give the final judgment of "incompetence" and "ignorance" to all living beings, those noble rationality and scientific thinking that originate from his bones will involuntarily raise a question .

How to explain the case of Xing Li, that mortal named Morgan?

She is obviously a mortal, she is a mortal body that is no different from these mediocre people in front of her, but she can defeat his best heir on the bloodless battlefield, but she can keep up with him in the realm of reason and art. His thinking and footsteps, but she was able to resonate with him even for a moment, short and precious, in the lonely fortress called soul.

She did all this: Even if she was just a mortal, Perturabo would never refute this truth. His admiration for science and reason made him so sincere, but it also put him in a sad predicament.

If mortal men are pathetic and ignorant, how is that Morgan, with whom he briefly worked at the Dawn Star, a man so fine and wise?

This is not a problem that can be roughly covered up by the so-called probability and special cases. Morgan's existence is like a sharp stone that is just right, shaking the perfect thinking fortress in Perturabo's heart time and time again: but In this way, the more he remembered clearly, the more unwilling he was to forget, the more he searched for suitable reasons and methods in his trust in calculation and rationality to try to solve this problem, and then returned without success again and again.

Like a virus entrenched in an electronic instrument, like a BUG hidden in the vast code, Morgan became an invisible frequent visitor for a certain period of time after the Dawn Star incident, a vague concept , an opponent who has never been absent: Whenever the Lord of Steel casts aside the burden of the secular world on him, he has to face that memory from Dawn Star, and face that simple and complicated shadow.

Over time, as things went on like this, he firmly remembered Morgan's name, remembered the wisdom and rationality symbolized by the bright silver hair and blue pupils, and remembered the soul that flashed by in the busy situation of Dawn Star Resonance: The Primarch firmly remembered these, but other details began to become blurred and no longer clear.

In this way, at a certain point in time, before he knew that they were his blood relatives, the name of Morgan became in Perturabo's heart, a symbol of something beautiful, something that was extremely out of place in this bloody world, but still The white sky that makes people want to approach subconsciously.

She has become beautiful, intelligent, and fits any heart of the Lord of Steel. The short memories of her and Perturabo, in the passage of time and subjective influence, have been continuously added more and more by the Primarch. The more content, in the end, even some unrecognizable.

She did those things, she did what even Kelly Fanny couldn't do: his nominal sister may indeed love him as she said, but her love was not what Perturabo wanted. What she needed, she couldn't give Perturabo what she needed.

Whether it's artistic insights, rational equivalence, or soul resonance, Kelly Fanny can't do it all. All she can do is what she said [love].

But what would he want with that useless ridiculous thing?
Kelly Fanny will only conform to him, but she will never feel the loneliness in his heart. She will never be able to say the appropriate adjective for any of his works or any of his situations.

Kelly Fanny is not good enough, maybe she is smart and playful, but she is no more different from those sad mortals: as she grows old and pedantic, even these only differences are gradually disappearing, making She became a part of the multitude.

It's... sad.

------

The Iron Lord shook his head. When he thought of this, a fiery breath came out of his thick nostrils, like a legendary dragon roasting a pretentious dragon slayer.

His gaze moved randomly, sweeping across the steel warriors who were silent like cicadas, and inadvertently captured a few familiar figures in his mindless vision, like a key that could help him unlock the dusty memory: he saw With his trident, he came up with another story about Dawn Star, he recalled that his son was defeated by Morgan, and his dignity was truly damaged.

The Lord of Steel snorted softly, his unkind gaze rose again because of what happened 16 years ago, and he unreservedly hit the two dazed tridents, which was more lethal than 100 million shells, making the The two tridents who knew nothing could not help but start to tremble. In the desperate situation of their hearts, they knelt down and surrendered to the moodiness of their genetic father.

And just when these unfortunate people were full of confusion and shivering, accompanied by obvious voices of displeasure, the Primarch's eyes moved away in time, and his anger came and went quickly, like a strange wave The evil wind rises from the ground and destroys the dead, but it disappears silently in the blink of an eye.

Perturabo was once again caught in his memories, leaving only the two tridents in dazed fear, and the expectant eyes around them: just because of the anger of the Primarch, too much The Iron Warriors, longing to climb the trident, to be closer to their genetic father, saw a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them.

And the Primarch didn't care about that: in his eyes, the trident was just a tool more in line with the situation, they were no more different in nature from the ordinary battalion commander, when the Primarch came to a new In the environment, a brand-new method is needed, or after he discovers a new star that can make his plan go smoothly, one of the Tridents will definitely leave his post and go to the place designated by Perturabo. Go up to the new location.

For example, right now, the Lord of Steel is thinking casually whether to let a warrior named Dantioch replace one of his tridents as his new advisor: As for the original tridents, Except for Flix, who has always been capable, the remaining two are nothing more than ordinary people, and they are by no means irreplaceable.

Such merciless calculations were running in Perturabo's mind, but it did not prevent his brain from continuing to search for those memories and continue to imagine those happiest times.

------

The Iron Lord only realized not long ago that the mortal Morgan, who was already synonymous with a certain kind of intelligence in his heart, was actually a Primarch with the same gene as him. When talent and strength.

That's what the Lord of Mankind, his father, told him personally: At that time, the First Expeditionary Fleet belonging to the Lord of Mankind happened to pass by a world that had been recovered by the Iron Warriors. The Alien Pirate Alliance there stopped their looting frenzy and ensured the safety and stability of the four surrounding star regions, although these star regions themselves knew nothing about it.

The victory of the Iron Warriors was tragic, especially for the six battalions devoted to landing operations and urban warfare, which paid an unimaginable price for other legions.

A large battalion failed to fully abide by the Iron Lord's plan, and because it was too deep in the battle, the entire army was wiped out. Their designation was directly erased by their furious gene father, and all honor and monuments were deprived.

The casualty rate of the other three battalions exceeded 60%. This was the result of their forcibly attacking the last fortress group with the densest firepower network, when the supporting firepower could not be deployed in time: because Perturabo could not Accepting that the alien remnants would have the slightest chance of escaping would make his victory a complete joke.

And even the Iron Lord, after the battle, also felt a bit of shame about his decision. He approved the rest of all the troops participating in the battle, and then ordered more recruits to be recruited from Olympia. Afterwards, he sat down Before the alien fortress that killed thousands of his descendants, there was a long silence.

He silently looked at the strong fortress built by aliens: more Iron Warriors died trying to capture it by force, even more than the defenders in the fortress.

No one dared to disturb the Lord of Iron: Until the Emperor came.

The Lord of Humanity is here to support: When the Emperor heard that the Iron Warriors responded to the call of the Holy Terra and took the initiative to launch an offensive against this alien pirate alliance, he only hesitated for a moment, and then ordered The distant 【Emperor Mirage】, changed direction to support his child.

Because the lord of mankind is very clear that it is not a powerful enemy that a legion can easily deal with. In the original plan, this alien alliance needs at least two legions to respond one after another before it will be truly put on the agenda to eliminate them: This has long been highlighted by the War Council of Holy Terra.

But Perturabo didn't see it.

Maybe he didn't see it.

And when the Emperor arrived, everything was over. The Iron Warriors destroyed their opponents and almost destroyed themselves in the shortest time. The battle report proudly presented to the Emperor by the Primarch was only It was the page that recorded the casualties, which was enough for the most respected and victorious general to be directly dragged to a military court.

But even so, looking at the alien fortress that was completely destroyed by the Iron Warriors, there will be no possibility of threatening the human empire, and looking at Perturabo who puffed up his chest in front of him, and the scarred soldiers of the Primarch. , but the same proud warrior, the exhortation of the Lord of Humanity lingered around his mouth, but it could only be dissipated in the air with a silent sigh.

Even the emperor could only feel sincerely in his heart that Perturabo had not failed his trust, nor had he failed those promises he made to himself on the summit of Olympia on the day the father and son reunited.

The one who can never tire, the one who can never give in, the one who can never have feelings...

Perturabo did it.

The lord of mankind is so emotional.

Perhaps it was the first time: the Emperor walked up to Perturabo, patted him on the shoulder with respect, and asked his heir what reward he wanted in as gentle a tone as possible.

A new conscription world?A specially approved rest, or a triumphant return?

But in the face of the categorical and firm declaration of the Primarch, these euphemistic promises were shattered into pieces. The Iron Lord lightly skipped the casualties of his heirs, and assured his father as much as possible: everything in front of him is for the Iron Warriors. It is said that even a drop in the bucket is far from being counted. Such a victory is only part of the Fourth Army's duties, and it does not deserve any additional rewards or special treatment.

The Emperor nodded.

He believed the words of his own children.

So he didn't mention anything about the monument and the triumph.

The Emperor turned around and began to give Perturabo new tasks and instructions. When he turned his back to his heir, even the Lord of Humanity could not see the startled eyes of the Primarch. , the trembling corner of the mouth, and the rolling Adam's apple and clenched fists, he hesitated to speak.

------

"Humph--"

When recalling this, Perturabo couldn't help but groaned angrily, causing countless uneasy eyes to quietly gather on his armor, and then quickly spread away.

In his heart, Perturabo was dissatisfied: Even if the object of dissatisfaction was the Lord of Humanity whom he absolutely respected, the Primarch dared to vent his dissatisfaction bravely in his heart when no one was around.

Again, always.

he thought.

His efforts were overlooked, his exploits forgotten, and the heroic sacrifices of his sons over and over again unresolved: the Iron Warriors protected four sectors at once, dozens of worlds from xenos raids, What a great feat this is. Could it be that the Shadow Moon Wolf and the Imperial Fist could produce such an efficient and important record?
What made his sons rush to the fort one after another?What made him lose an elite battalion?What made his legion so miserable?

Shouldn't his plans, his sacrifices, and the sacrifices of his sons be remembered and celebrated?Isn't it worth a triumph or a monument?
Why no one sees, why no one cares, why even the Emperor, even his genetic father, does the same, ignores these too: if the Emperor really cares, then he should be directly on those planets If the district arranges a triumphal ceremony, then he should directly send a monument instead of giving a meaningless multiple-choice question, so that the honor he deserves becomes the greed he asks for.

Perturabo was dissatisfied, in a corner where no one saw, he was dissatisfied bravely, his fists were clenched tightly, making creaking noises.

He took a deep breath quite heavily, once, twice, three times...

……

……

Forget it.

Finally, he sighed heavily.

All the dissatisfaction and anger disappeared unconsciously in front of that golden light and shadow.

Now is not the time, now is just that he has not been discovered, and now is just a short period of dark years when that bullying guy is temporarily showing off his power.

It has only been more than 30 years, and he has only returned to this great expedition for more than 30 years. He has just poured his talent and ability into the galaxy and won real victory and honor.

The days to come are still long, and this expedition will take a long time: 50 years, 100 years, or even longer.

As long as he continues to work hard, as long as he continues to develop his talents, as long as he continues to devote his enthusiasm and faith diligently, to take on those burdens that no one dares to challenge, and to touch those ignorant mortals with his noble dedication : One day, everyone will see his great deeds, one day, these bloody battles will be a thing of the past, one day, even the most despicable villain will have to admire and admit that Perturabo Of all the sons of the Emperor, the greatest.

All this is bound to happen.

Because they are taken for granted, because he will continue to bear and conquer those difficulties that no one dares to touch, until his dedication shines even in the darkest corners.

And in this process, all bloodshed and sacrifices, all casualties and losses.

All are necessary.

Opening his eyes, the loving father who was still heartbroken for his son just now looked at the bargaining chip in front of him ruthlessly.

Then, he heard footsteps.

That was Kelly Fanny's footsteps.

------

Compared with the appearance when she first arrived, after many days of rest and careful decoration, Kelly Fanny's face is now radiant, and even Perturabo couldn't help but take a look.

A little appearance is irrelevant, what really catches the attention of the Iron Lord is a certain kind of inner nobility revealed through those bright eyes and sincere joy, which makes Perturabo somewhat elusive , but he just glanced at it briefly and roughly defined it as useless.

"Morgan is here already?"

Kelly Fanny walked to Perturabo's side and stood very close, which was the privilege granted by the Lord of Steel.

"5 minutes and 13 seconds left."

The Primarch answered his sister in a low voice, and he gave another look before solemnly admonishing her.

"I allow you to meet her here, not because of the so-called friendship between you and her, but to allow you, as an official representative of Olympia, to join the official meeting of the two legions."

"I don't care how you guys will get along with each other in the future, but here, you have to recognize your position, Kelly Fanny, and don't do anything meaningless."

"I believe you can understand."

"I know."

Kelly Fanny waved her hands. She never showed even the slightest cowardice towards Perturabo, which even made the Primarch feel somewhat frustrated.

So, with a gloomy face, he simply closed his eyes and mouth, without saying a word.

But soon, the words from Kelly Fanny made the Primarch's ears move involuntarily.

"When did you know that Morgan is actually the Primarch?"

Perturabo was silent, he seemed to be searching for something in his heart and memory, when he finally opened his eyes, his pupils emitted a precise light.

"Fourteen Terra standard months ago."

"Fourteen Tara standard months, 22 Tara standard days, five Tara standard hours, plus 37 seconds: I heard this exact message with my own ears before the numbers added up by this time segment."

"Your memory is still so amazing."

Kelly Fanny sighed softly.

"I still remember that when you were in Olympia, you drew countless drawings, most of which no one could even understand. When you first saw the iron ore, Damex thought you would plan A set of indestructible full-body armor, the result? What kind of howitzer did you write and draw?"

"But in spite of this, although you have drawn countless drawings, and you can reproduce them exactly at any time, you are still not a prolific artist. The world sees more of the finished product."

"Because I don't have time."

Perturabo closed his eyes, and his voice was muffled.

"There are always more and more important things that I need to do."

"No time?"

Kelly Fanny laughed softly, her laughter so wildly ironic that the bravest Iron Warriors could not help but cower in their own armor.

"Are you sure you don't have time?"

"You could have done this meeting in Olympia, or another imperial world with culture and theater, instead of building a temple that would be used only once: with the time to build a one-off wonder, you could have done How much creativity on paper?"

"..."

The Iron Lord gritted his teeth.

"You don't understand! This is not something you will understand, it's too complicated!"

"I don't even bother to explain to you!"

Kelly Fanny smiled, she didn't chase after the victory, but fell into a polite and slightly sympathetic silence, but this silence hurt Perturabo's heart, he widened his eyes and concentrated on She looked at her sister anxiously, until Kelly Fanny sighed softly.

"When you know she's a Primarch."

"What do you think, Perturabo?"

Facing Kelly Fanny's gaze, Perturabo's breathing stagnated for a moment, and the words captured by his ears instinctively stirred up his memories and thoughts, even interrupting the surging resentment.

When it was known that Morgan was a Primarch?
The Iron Lord blinked. He didn't answer, and Kelly Fanny didn't expect his answer. She just raised her head and began to look forward to the arrival of her close friend.

On the side, only Perturabo fell into an eerie silence.

------

【My Lord of Iron, she is actually your blood relative, your kind. 】

[Morgan, she is a Primarch. 】

When the Emperor's unquestionable voice uttered these words, the Lord of Steel could clearly feel that a certain part of his heart was suffering an unimaginable attack and shock.

It was so powerful, so clear, so deep: he remembered it now, so vividly.

It was a kind of anger, a kind of shock, a kind of bewilderment, a kind of sudden realization, a kind of hindsight, a kind of inexplicable grief, a kind of shame and darkness...

Countless completely different thoughts burst out at the moment he understood the emperor's words, and the powerful brain capacity bestowed by the lord of mankind, which surpassed any computing device, made it possible for them to keep pace with each other. The possibility, the sea of ​​thinking that has never had any panic and confusion, rolled up a world-shattering storm in an instant, turning the orderly flow of water into a rush to eat people.

She is a Primarch?

She is a blood relative?
She is the same kind?

She... she is not a mortal!

she……

she……

She is cheating on him!
She is deceiving him!
She is concealing her identity, she is blurring her power, and she is using the real information and his trust to accomplish some purpose in her heart: it must be extremely despicable!
Her power!Her dedication!Her selfless evaluation and sincere words!The resonance she caused in his heart!The footprints she left in his memory and soul!
Do not!Do not!Do not!
That is bogus!That's vicious!Those are the golden apples of Eris!That's the Trojan horse!That's the most pathetic, despicable, abominable...

[Perturabo? 】

【What’s wrong with you? 】

The Lord of Humanity frowned, and looked at his son who lowered his head, feeling a kind of sincere confusion.

[Is there anything you don't understand? 】

The Emperor smiled, and a possibility quickly occurred to him.

Since he is his Lord of Steel, he must be worried about...

efficiency?

[If it's about Morgan's ability, then I don't think you need to worry too much, my Lord of Steel. 】

[Your blood relative Morgan, although she woke up very late, did not realize her own essence until the Ran Dan war, and completed the cognitive transformation from a mortal to a Primarch, but she is still a qualified Primarch, With sufficient strength and will, the pace and progress of the Great Crusade will not be delayed. 】

[You don't have to worry about the efficiency of the Great Crusade being affected, my Perturabo, that won't be a problem. 】

The Lord of Humanity smiled, patted his heir on the shoulder, and softly praised his victory and dedication, although there were only a few words: because even the Lord of Humanity could not think of anything worthwhile in Perturabo. Something to boast about.

But the emperor was very relieved to see that Perturabo quickly raised his head after being obviously stunned and dazed. He looked at the Lord of Humanity and asked a question anxiously.

"She was awakened during Ran Dan's war!"

"At that time, did she know that she was a primarch?"

【...Yes, indeed. 】

[I can swear to you with the trust of me and my heir, my Perturabo. 】

The Lord of Humanity was a little dazed.

But he still nodded.

Anyway, that's what Jonson told him.

What Jonson said...

It must be the truth.

------

"She is coming."

Kelly Fanny's voice had already become visibly active, and that joyful joy interrupted the Lord of Steel's thinking, pulling him back to reality once again.

He raised his head and saw a dark cloud composed of storm birds, slowly moving towards the end of his field of vision.

The Iron Lord blinked, his mind racing past the question before his blood relative stepped off the plane.

After knowing that Morgan is actually his blood relative, after crossing the watershed in his impressions and memories of Morgan, what exactly does he think of his unique blood relative?
The Iron Lord narrowed his eyes, and he carefully watched the largest Stormbird until it slowly stopped in front of him.

……

……

he does not know.

He doesn't know.

He couldn't come up with an answer, because the old impressions were broken, and the fragments of those memories could not support any arguments that could convince him again.

He needs... proof again.

To see again, to feel, to figure out.

To use the right way to build a high platform of rationality.

The Primarch of the Fourth Legion narrowed his eyes like this. When he saw Morgan again after spending more than 6000 days and nights, in a trance, he felt a somewhat cold light first, covering his eyes. vision.

His pupils, like his heart at the moment, were covered.

He thought so, but didn't panic at all.

Because, as long as the Iron Lord blinked his eyes, the light would disappear, and he could clearly see the silver hair, the blue pupils, and the just-right smile.

Everything that is familiar and unfamiliar.

He saw it again.

He, too, will once again...know.

(End of this chapter)