Emperor's Bane

Chapter 255 Father's love, but the emperor
"Morgan, my daughter."

"Come to me quickly."

he said.

"We're going to have a good talk."

The guards of the Lord of Men brought these words: it was a request, a summons, and, of course, an irresistible command.

At least, the Primarch of the Second Legion could clearly read a certain arbitrariness and indifference in the Emperor's Guard who wrapped himself in golden armor.

This envoy, who seemed to have a high status in the Imperial Army, did not have the slightest caution when facing a heir of an emperor. After he solemnly threw the order of the Lord of Humanity in front of the Spider Queen, he stood there. In the same place, waiting for the Lord of the Second Legion to leave with him, the light shining on the Seiko Power Halberd seemed to be able to counteract the silent indignation of more than a dozen Dawnbreaker elites present at the same time.

Morgan was not angry at this silent offense. After calming down the restless heirs around her for a moment, she turned and left to put on her own armor: the most formal set of armor, which was made by the Holy Terra The family of craftsmen who served the emperor in the past generations, tailor-made orphans for each Primarch.

As early as the day when she formally reunited with her legion, the Spider Queen accepted the records of her various body data by the chief craftsmen on the [Imperial Illusion], and this short-lived compromise has been obtained today a few years later. The richest reward: A suit of tailor-made power armor was delivered to the Lord of Avalon just as the fleet of the Dawnbreaker Legion and the Emperor's own army had just joined.

Morgan was pleased with the creation: whether it was the bracers, armor, and synthetic muscle tissue, or the gold decorations and military accessories on the gauntlets, greaves, and breastplate, all carved by the emperor's heraldic artisans, A favorite of the Lord of Avalon, especially when, after a cursory inspection, she found that she could still do something with the armor.

For example, install a hood, or a snow-white cloak similar to a hooded robe: the Lord of the Second Legion likes to hide in the hood, this may be her knight king with Caliban A microcosm of the constant mutual influence.

In the joy brought by this exquisite gift, the little rudeness of the imperial guards was not taken into consideration by Morgan, and he changed his armor rather lazily, letting the emperor's army stand upright After a while, the Primarch chose two heirs, and went with her to the [Emperor's Mirage] where the Emperor was.

The voyage was short and fast, and the darkness in the void was dispelled by the gorgeous light emitted by gold and steel. The ship of the Lord of Humanity soon appeared in Morgan's eyes. It was so huge that it seemed that it should not exist in the real universe. The hull of the ship is covered with numerous weapon belts and formed ablative armor. The weight comparable to the stars makes most ships have to stay away from it, making it look like a mighty king sitting on his throne. , enjoying the glory and power of being a loner.

It is lonely, because the original Queen of Glory class warships that could be side by side with it have now left, and with Conrad's return, the Primarchs are gone and continue to stay in the Nostramo star area The reason is that after receiving the Emperor's order, they must once again devote themselves to their tasks.

Only the Second Legion did not receive an order from the Lord of Humanity, and Morgan's blood relatives certainly knew what this meant: Although a little surprised, the Phoenix and the Lord of the Word Bearers of Chemos quickly found Morgan, He told her in some detail what she needed to know about getting along with her brother.

And the Primarch of the Third Legion also vowed that once Morgan encounters any unsolvable problems in the education of the Midnight Ghost, he can always count on his help, and he will bring the shepherd who is like the sun God, come together.

Speaking of which, after presenting their own gifts to Morgan, several Primarchs left one by one: the Primarch of the Imperial Fist was the last one to leave, because he spent a few days roughly sorting out Take some of your own experience in architecture, and donate it to the Lord of Avalon.

Through the glass porthole of the shuttle, Morgan was able to witness this colossal military creation once again, and at this moment, a rather rebellious, but very tempting idea, could not help but be thrown by the Lord of the Second Legion. flashed through my mind.

If she really needs to face such a void engine one day, how can she fight against it, and even let the emperor's pride completely fall in the battle?

Even the emperor's rebellious daughter couldn't help being stunned for a moment by this absolute rebellious conception, because there was a genetic resistance shivering with her blasphemous thoughts, and it was constantly in her body. It echoed deep inside.

You cannot defy him, he is your genetic father, your creator.

How can you have such blasphemous thoughts of betrayal?
Morgan blinked her eyes, she could feel her lips trembling abnormally, her already extremely pale complexion seemed to have lost all blood color at this moment, let her droop down to cover her pupils with long black eyelashes of different colors It looks very dazzling.

She knew that this ghostly retort was not the play of any malevolent power in her head, much less the Emperor's will playing tricks: the voice came from something more instinctive, such as Her subconscious and even her genes, there is no doubt that each of them is written into unconditional loyalty to the master of mankind.

……

She really deserves to be her genetic father who can use her genetic offspring to illustrate various biodiversity.

Morgan covered her face and kneaded her brow bone gently. A drop of sweat quietly appeared from between her eyebrows and accumulated on her fingertips.

This scene even attracted the attention of the guards on the side, but after witnessing the direction Morgan was looking at, the personal guard of the Lord of Humanity said nothing and kept silent.

And right next to him, after the only drop of sweat on the eyebrows was silently wiped away, when Morgan looked up at the Emperor's Ship again, she already had an opponent who could fight against it. plan.

It seems a little unsafe to rely on the Queen of Glory class battleship of the Second Legion, and the prestigious giant battleship [Mountain Array] of the Imperial Fist Legion is as difficult to obtain as the sky: but the Spider Queen is After a brief recollection, another method quickly came to mind, a message she had received from her Eldar friends.

She clearly remembered that in the last words of more than one friend of the spirit race, a void creation in the legend of the spirit race was mentioned: unlike the illusory legends of other races, the Ada spirit race who once touched the edge of the gods, they The legends are often true, and it is the stubborn fragments that have been scattered in the long river of history by Edna's exaggerated technology to the point of madness.

And that creation, too.

Morgan knew it and remembered it, thanks to the continuous piecing together of countless memory fragments of the Eldar to form a complete treasure map and manual. The Lord of the Second Legion could even roughly point out the location of the creation. Name its initiation steps, and some of the powerful forces that may lie in it.

And the only question now is how to get them quietly.

After all, those are some big guys.

Morgan thought so, and smiled.

And when the shuttle faithfully completed its mission this time, it sent the Primarch and her supervisor into the hatch like the membrane inside the eggshell, and landed with a rumbling sound and fragrance. At the same time, the Lord of the Second Legion was also whispering the names of those mythical creations, the titles of those future assets that belonged to her.

[Blackstone Fortress. 】

She knows them.

She would have them and make them docile for her use.

However, I wonder if these relics from ancient times can really compete with the proud creation of the lord of mankind?

------

Morgan walked through the long corridors of the Emperor's Mirage decorated with gold and marble and all kinds of priceless works of art, through an ocean of mortal servants who bowed to her and held various titles. The so-called artists, everything she saw made her mistakenly think that she was actually walking in a huge art subspace, not the most terrifying war weapon in the entire human empire.

But when she passed through the real door that symbolized the boundary, when all mortals were blocked by the cold eyes of the Custodian, such thoughts disappeared, because the real realm of the Emperor appeared in the Second Legion. In front of the Lord, it is a cold country made of countless blessed sacred steel, covered with countless long and short wires and tall instruments.

The air is filled with the smell of wet pen and ink mixed with nutrient gel. The cool cabins look indistinguishable from each other, and can only be distinguished by the labels and names on them, while their doors are engraved with All kinds of golden runes and gothic lights.

Efficient, pure, sanctuary, these are the adjectives Morgan can think of when she witnesses the private realm of her genetic father.

The Emperor's personal guard led the Primarch to a door much taller than both of them put together, and at the same moment the words of the Lord of Men came from within.

"Let her in, Diocletian."

The Custodian loudly answered his lord's order and faithfully carried it out, his icy gaze behind his golden visor giving the Primarch a final warning before stepping out of the way as Morgan passed by the For a moment, he could still clearly hear the deliberate sound of steel rubbing against the power halberd as the gauntlet kneaded it.

……

Her genetic father really gathered a group of wonderful people to help him fulfill his crazy dream.

Such thoughts flashed through the mind of the Lord of the Second Legion, and when she saw the situation in the room clearly amidst the dull sound of the door being closed, any thoughts in her mind were instantly replaced by the scene in front of her eyes. The sight dissipated.

Her genetic father, the lord of humanity, wrapped himself in a protective suit for working in high-risk conditions. He worked alone in this laboratory that was comparable to a great hall, and only those who accompanied him Horrible organs stuffed in cylinders filled with nutrient-rich gel, and various ancient books, yellowing scrolls, and wet Post-it notes scattered around.

Everything is chaotic, but everything is full of order in chaos, as if strictly following a layout known only to the Lord of Humanity, which can maximize his work efficiency: The moment she realized this, the image of Guilliman flashed through Morgan's mind.

It appears that a certain ruler of Ultramar did receive a biased gift from their common genetic father.

A faint sourness rose from the depths of the Lord of the Second Legion's heart, but she didn't stay for long, because her eyes were quickly attracted by the figure in the middle of the room.

It was Konrad, her somewhat impolite brother, sleeping, on the operating table before the Emperor, his tall and thin body naked, covering only what was necessary, a pair of primarchs Arms that were too slender by even standard standards hung on the ground, allowing Morgan to clearly see the countless scars between his muscles.

The Lord of Humanity turned his back to Morgan, and his attention was being attracted by the display screen with numbers and biological data constantly scrolling on one side. A low sigh escaped from the Emperor's mouth before Morgan realized it.

"Long-term malnutrition that has not improved since the brain's thinking began to function. The last food displayed in the stomach pouch is iron filings, dust, and completely rotten meat."

"Severe mental exhaustion has initially affected learning ability, thinking ability, and even other parts of the physiological structure, which can easily cause various typical symptoms of emotional loss."

"There are also scars, scars and unhealed wounds all over the body, including at least [-] knife wounds and the same number of gunshot wounds, seven blades remain and five bullets have not been completely removed."

"This is Konrad-Kurz, my genetic son, my eighth creation."

"And your brother too."

The Lord of Humanity put down the tool in his hand, and slowly stood up straight. He still turned his back to Morgan, so that the Spider Queen could not see clearly the face under the operating light, and maintained a long silence.

Morgan also responded to her genetic father with silence. Regarding this powerful existence that she has never understood, the Spider Queen maintained the most cautious and low-key attitude. Determined to answer the Emperor's inquiry with brief silences followed by thoughtful words.

At the same time, inspired by some blood and kinship, Morgan couldn't help parting his eyes, looking at Conrad's hanging arm, only in that thin, full of weird muscles. On the limbs, she roughly counted all kinds of scars and torn wounds with no less than three digits, which made the cold heart of the Spider Queen feel unspeakably touched and sad.

"How are you getting on with your brothers?"

Just when the Lord of the Second Legion fell into a rare sorrow, the Lord of Humanity had already left his position slowly, pulled off his white gloves, put them aside, and then picked up a book he didn't know. A note of what was recorded, while looking at it, while asking.

Morgan averted his eyes and began to focus on his father.

【is acceptable. 】

[Each of them...is a rather different and unique individual. 】

The Emperor nodded, not seeming to care about the answer to the question.

"What do you think of Don?"

【A trustworthy comrade in arms, his evaluation and words are priceless. 】

"That's the opposite of what most people think."

【You still think your daughter will be a normal person, father? 】

"..."

"If in the future, I arrange for you to fight side by side with Dorn and his Imperial Fists in some operations, do you have any opinion on that?"

[No, Dawn will be a very reliable comrade-in-arms, worthy of trust and trust. 】

"He's going to be unabashedly critical of everything you do."

[It's okay, so am I. 】

The Lord of Humanity was silent for a while, then nodded, and did not speak for a long time, until Morgan's eyes drifted to the sleeping Conrad again, and the emperor's words sounded like dull thunder.

"You can spend a lot of time with Dawn, which is good for you."

[I'm afraid this is a bit difficult, my respected father of genes, after all, the Far East border you ordered me to garrison is far away from the area recovered by the Imperial Fist Legion. 】

"Then when the more distant Dark Angel Legion calls to you, will you refuse them?"

The rhetorical question from the Lord of Humanity made Morgan silent from the bottom of her heart. When she realized the answer in her heart, the Lord of the Second Legion blinked and decided to change the topic.

[If you want me to move around more with my blood brothers, you shouldn't have assigned me such a huge garrison mission on the Far East border, it will cost me a lot of energy and attention, as well as time. 】

"Can't your maids solve this problem?"

【! 】

A drop of cold sweat rolled down the forehead of the Lord of the Second Legion, but when she focused her attention on the face of the Emperor, she found that her genetic father was still absorbed in the book in his hand, as if all He was indifferent to both the question and the answer.

He didn't even look up, never looked up, and only answered Morgan with a little casual comfort.

"There is no need to be so alarmed. Although what you have done does not comply with the rules, it has not touched the red line I set for you. It is a little secret that can be tolerated."

【…】

[May I ask, where is this so-called red line? 】

"You know it yourself."

【…】

"In addition, there is your country: I don't care what you do in the Far East, you can be bold, don't always be delimited by the so-called country and rule, I have given you the same power as Guilliman, but you Your power will have some small but important differences because of your personalities."

"After all, Guilliman is a feudal lord who will be dragged down by his five hundred worlds, but you are different, Morgan: in the depths of your heart, there is a burning desire to go to the holy Terra .”

"You will go to Holy Terra after all, whatever your original purpose."

Morgan lowered her head. She didn't dare to respond to such words, and the Lord of Humanity didn't dwell on this issue for too long. He wrote and drew in his book, thinking about something, and asked the next question by the way.

"And Ferrus and Fulgrim, what do you think of them?"

[Very reliable brother. 】

"Be more specific."

[Ferus is an overly heavy iron stove, and his inside is burning with raging fire, so although it looks cold, if you get close enough, you can still feel his sincerity from the heart, and the iron stove itself Strong and determined, he is also destined to be unafraid of all obstacles, and to temper all difficulties into fruitful victories. 】

[But on the contrary, if he gets too close rashly, he can't control his own fire, and may scald people with the scalding furnace wall, and as a cold and heavy steel creation, he It is almost impossible to express the apology that surges in my heart for this. 】

"..."

"And what about Fulgrim?"

[Fulgrim is a shining glass phoenix, his existence and light alone are enough to light up the darkness in people's hearts, and become a de facto bright light, and the same flame is burning in his heart , although not as hot as Ferrus's, it was enough to warm everyone close to him. 】

[However, glass is glass, no one knows what kind of performance he will have in the face of real tempering, and as an existence that can reflect the surrounding light, how much of Fulgrim's light is his own, how much He borrowed it, and it is also an unknown. 】

Once again, the lord of mankind bowed his head and remained silent for a while. He continued to write and draw on the books. The blank paper was almost occupied by lines of exquisite ancient characters. His next question came from Morgan. It is even later than imagined, and it is also more direct.

"What about Luo Jia, what do you think is wrong with him?"

【…】

Morgan blinked, making sure he heard correctly.

[I originally wanted to say that his so-called belief was more like a preconceived moral kidnapping, but considering that the empire seems to have banned the existence of belief, then I don't need to say more about this aspect. 】

[Luo Jia, I think his biggest problem is that I can't see which side of you he represents: even I symbolize your coldness and hypocrisy, but Luo Jia, I really don't see him inheritance. 】

[Perhaps the existence of Luo Jia is just a simple explanation: you are not perfect? 】

"..."

Finally, the Emperor raised his head.

He glanced at the retreating Morgan, neither angry nor smiling.

"You can take a look at the book that Luo Jia gave you. Some things in it are valuable to you."

"Other than that, you don't need to get along with Luo Jia too much, let alone learn from him."

"Here's the point: Right now, you absolutely can't imitate him."

Morgan looked down, aware that the conversation was coming to an end, as the Emperor had closed his book, held it in his hand, and returned to Curze's operating table, once again turning his back on the Lord of the Second Legion.

The Lord of Humanity looked at his scarred offspring, and from time to time used his fingertips to spread ultrasonic waves on the skin of Midnight Ghost, trying to find out how many pain-sensing nerves in his offspring could fully function, and how many in Nostra Mo's twilight and Midnight Ghost's own rough wound treatment process fell into partial or complete necrosis.

Judging from the muscles pulled by the raised brows and eyes of the Lord of Humanity, this number must not make people feel comfortable.

After a while, his voice came back to Morgan's ears.

"You have a problem and want to ask me for help."

【...Yes, father. 】

"Two questions?"

[One is the ordeal I am facing right now, and the other is the hidden danger that may affect the entire human empire in the future. 】

"Second, you don't need to think about it."

"I'll take care of it."

[Those sleepers? 】

"To be more exact, they are nothing more than a bunch of dead people, a bunch of sad descendants who can't find rest because of their own desires and stupidity, but can only be trapped in the void, whose civilization and hope have dissipated in the most distant past. Exhausted, leaving only those killing weapons that justify their atrocities, that bring blood and tears to present civilization."

"But right now, it's not the time we need to worry about them, they're not at the top of all the things I need to deal with, but it's definitely a good idea to add some unexpected distractions to their long layout. action of value."

"You don't need to pay attention to them. In the final analysis, they are just a tombstone, a group of dead souls, a pile of dead bones, a living proof before us, telling us the fate of believing in the words of the gods."

"I'll deal with them, at least the one you're concerned about."

【…】

【Thank you, father. 】

There may be a trace of sincerity and volatility in Morgan's words, but the Lord of Humanity has no interest in listening carefully. While sorting out the body report of Midnight Ghost, he issued a new announcement to his daughter.

"So, let's talk about the real problem."

"The trap you fell into in the Attila galaxy, and the gods it attracted."

Morgan lowered her head, she didn't dare to speak too much about this topic in front of the Emperor: because at this very moment, at such a close distance from the Emperor, she could still clearly hear the God of Pleasure talking to her. A chuckle in the ear, and a muffled complaint about the Master of Humanity.

"She's still by your side, isn't she?"

The Emperor looked unsurprised.

【Yes, father, from Attila...】

"No, not at that time."

The lord of humanity turned around.

"From the beginning, He has been by your side. From the moment you became a failure, I can see His claws tightly holding your arm."

"Morgan, my daughter, before you have consciousness, you are just a weak product struggling to survive on the verge of being qualified. You are a failed operation that I am unwilling to give up my hard work and efforts to save."

"I don't intend to hide from you: for a moment, even I doubted whether I could succeed in getting you back, and for a while, I actually gave up on you, but after creating your remaining brothers, I found that I still have enough strength and ideas to exert on you."

"And He also chose to join this remedy at this time. His power is crucial to saving you from failure, and His purpose is quite obvious: I need to spend more time and energy to be able to recover." banish you from his influence."

"But before I actually acted, I suffered a betrayal, and I lost almost all my works, including you, and the possibility of your complete recovery."

"Frankly, my daughter, I was prepared for the possibility of losing you after hearing about you, but when you stood in front of me, you were better than I thought: just like A crude program that was never expected to actually work."

"But even so, your future is full of dark points of disagreement."

【…】

Morgan took a deep breath. Looking at the natural face of the Lord of Humanity, she subconsciously bit her lips.

She thought she would be angry, she would rant and accuse, she would be furious: but in fact, none of this happened.When she hadn't expected the slightest affection from the Lord of Humanity, all these words had already been expected by her, and they could no longer affect her Gujing Wubo.

Let him be, she is not like her brothers, she does not care for the Emperor's light.

She only cares about one thing.

[What should I do, father? 】

The Emperor didn't answer Morgan's question right away, he just turned around, covering his face in the light, and at the same time covering up the emotions in his words.

"Think of it as a trial."

"You know what to do."

【…】

Morgan lowered her head: The book that was just held tightly by the Lord of Humanity had been tightly held in her palm at some point, and the Primarch could even smell the ink that was not completely dried on it. fragrance.

【But in the galaxy, only you can be with them...】

"No, Morgan."

The Emperor turned his head sideways, and the few glimpses of his leaked gaze silenced the Primarch.

"The real core of solving the problem does not lie in me: indeed, I am your creator, and I am far stronger than you imagine. I can even save your body and life, and preserve your soul in many cases."

"However, even I can't make decisions for you, and I can't decide or even affect your choices where you disagree. You are my creation, you are the Primarch, and you are far more powerful than the limit of ordinary people's imagination. Terrible and noble creations of wonder."

"Only one kind of person can decide where you end up going."

"That's yourselves."

【…】

"So, go for it."

"Take it as a trial."

"Get over it, or face the hordes of the Dark Angels and Space Wolves."

"And at the same time, you have another task to complete."

"Conrad-Koz, your brother, he will be by your side for the next period of time, and try your best to influence him. In the next dozen or so standard years from now on, I will not let the Eighth Legion assemble, you have plenty of time to try your ideas."

[Where is Nostramo? 】

"Conrad is extremely proud of his efforts and rule. This is his home planet. You don't need to intervene for the time being. Let us see what kind of future he creates."

Morgan nodded, and in a kind of resignation and the slightest resistance, she took up the task: the Primarch knew that even if the Emperor did nothing, as long as he gave a real order, then she must Spent ten years with Conrad.

But nonetheless...

Sure enough, I'm still a little upset.

Morgan lowered her eyebrows, and she didn't let the real dissatisfaction in her heart affect her judgment. After accepting this task sullenly, the Spider Queen's rational thinking quickly began to turn.

[Then, father. 】

[Since I need to teach Conrad, I must first get some... help. 】

"There will be."

[Okay, other than that, I need to know: What expectations do you have for this teaching?What do I need to teach Conrad?Let him learn something?Or what kind of time do you spend? 】

The Lord of Humanity seemed silent for a moment.

After a while, he sighed softly, stroking Midnight Ghost's dirty hair.

"Morgan, my daughter."

"I hope you……"

"To keep Conrad alive and well."

[I see, this is a very basic requirement. 】

Morgan nodded, this most basic request did not exceed her expectations.

[So, what then? 】

"..."

"..."

【…】

【! 】

The white light flashed past, causing the Primarch's pupils to startle a little. When she captured the vision in front of her again, she found that she had been teleported outside the door. Expressionless.

……

……

So……

and then?
Just this one?
(End of this chapter)