Emperor's Bane

Chapter 286 The Man of Nirvana
"I'm genuinely shocked by your change, Luther."

"You're a lot stronger now than you were before: a lot."

"It was a fluke, Lord Abaddon."

"This kind of reason can't explain the changes in you, but I don't really care about the reasons for all of this: instead of discussing these scientific theories, the two of us might as well discuss each other, what do you think? "

"..."

"Happy to accompany."

"Hahahaha, good! Have fun!"

The loud laughter of the Shadow Moon Wolf could be heard clearly even though it was separated by the entire arena, and it attracted some eyes, but most of these eyes were withdrawn the moment they saw Abaddon. , obviously, many Dawnbreakers are already very familiar with this Son of Horus and his actions.

But even so, there are still people who are secretly paying attention to all this: specifically, they are paying attention to the old Caliban knight who had a fierce sword fight with Abaddon, after all, the changes in him are really... scary people.

"That Shadow Moon Wolf is still the same: his personality hasn't changed at all over the years. I thought he would become calmer on the battlefield."

On the high stands of the Legion Arena, in an inaccessible place with a very clear perspective, the two most valued sons of the Spider Queen are observing and communicating with each other: Lana and Bayal, the entire Dawnbreaker Legion A big name in China.

"He is a veteran who has fought for more than sixty standard years on Terra. He is one of the most valued sons of the wolf god. Since he has not changed in the past years, how could it be possible for us What has changed here?"

"Don't be so dead, Bayar: look at Ahriman, it has changed a lot, and now no one in the entire legion hates this son of Magnus, no matter what he did and said before, We still like him a lot.”

"..."

Hearing the reminder from the chief old guard beside him, Bayar, the second company commander of the Dawnbreaker Legion and the champion swordsman of the Spider Queen, was stunned for a long time, and then thought for a while before agreeing. nodded.

"That's true."

"That kid from Prospero looks a little bit lovable now."

Following Lana's guidance, Bayar saw at a glance that in a corner of the arena, Ahriman was happily competing with Hector. The moves of the Thousand Sons Company Commander are now very well organized. , seems to have gone out of its own way.

The competition between these two people is one of the most eye-catching focuses in the entire arena. Bayar could see many people surrounding them, watching the sword fight with relish. He even saw a few people in the audience. Master Swordsman of the Dawnbreaker Legion.

And Lana was also paying attention to the duel between Ahriman and Hector, but unlike Bayar who was a little distracted, he was more focused on the actual level of the two competitors, especially Ahriman's swordsmanship level.

"What do you think of his level?"

Lana looked at Aliman's fierce offensive for a while, then turned to look at Bayar: the latter may be the most well-studied masters in swordsmanship in the entire Dawnbreaker Legion and even the entire human empire One of the few, and one of the few, battle-brothers whom the Chief of the Old Guard can fully trust and admire.

Hearing this, Bayar raised his head and casually glanced at Ahriman's figure.

"The progress has been very fast, but there is still a huge room for improvement in the future."

"Do you think he can force you to be serious now?"

"..."

The champion swordsman thought for a while.

"If he can do whatever he can to fight with his life: then I may shed a few drops of blood."

"So, he's pretty good..."

Rana nodded, paying more and more attention to Ahriman in his heart. After all, according to Bayar's standards, his comment just now was already a very dazzling compliment: For a swordsman, bloodshed and death The distance is never too long.

"Then what do you think of the strength comparison between him and Hector?"

Lana once again looked at the fierce duel: the sword fight between Hector and Ahriman was like a brown bear and a lynx. It was the most direct competition between brutality and skill, and it was also a contest that could never be determined. Although Morgan The proud son seemed to have the upper hand, but he never really caught the trace of Ahriman. The son of Magnus had already replaced his mage robe, and wearing light armor, he was more flexible than imagined.

"It depends on the situation."

Beside Lana, Bayal seemed less interested in fighting at this level.

"If it was a purely strength duel, the final victor must be Hector. The current anxiety is just a process leading to this result: Hector's talent in terms of strength and physical fitness is unparalleled. Standing on his advantage in the physical confrontation, the power contained in his flesh can even make machines yield."

"In other words: if a weapon is used against warriors or infantry, then using it against Hector will most likely have little effect; but if it is the kind of weapon used to hunt monsters and armored vehicles, On the contrary, it will pose a considerable threat to Hector.”

"..."

Lana hesitated.

"Bayar, are these words of yours really describing...a human being?"

"The Milky Way is so big, there are so many wonders."

A few traces of nostalgia for the past flickered in the pupils of the champion swordsman.

"You don't know, Lana: After all, you joined the Second Legion after the Terra unification war, so you can't imagine that we encountered creations beyond imagination when we fought on the holy Terra. "

"I don't want to know either."

The Chief Old Guard snorted softly.

"Then tell me, Bayar: under what circumstances can Ahriman beat Hector?"

"The answer is simple: Have you forgotten that he is a psyker, and he is a very good psyker. If you regard him as a combat brother of our legion, then he should be second only to the original psyker. The psionic master of the body."

"Once he introduces the power of the sea of ​​souls into the battle, then Hector will not have much chance of victory: In any case, the almost unreasonable powerful power of psionic energy is an absolutely undeniable fact, it is so The charm and danger of the book are full of contradictions."

"Are you saying that if Ahriman suddenly releases his psychic powers during a sword fight, then he will definitely be able to defeat Hector?"

"That's true, but it doesn't have to be so rough, Lana: Take a closer look at Ahriman's current moves, have you noticed that every few rounds, his moves will be a little different?"

The old guard frowned, and he observed it more carefully: indeed.

"What is he doing?"

"He's practicing a dangerous but effective move. This guy has big ambitions."

Bayard smiled slightly.

"I've seen this move before, and it almost capsized the gutter: Simply put, do you remember that Ahriman is a psyker of the divination system, and he is combining his divination ability with his swordsmanship, but still Unskilled, but if he does, there are few Astartes warriors who can beat him."

"While using the sword, use the prophecy in your mind at the same time? Isn't this too busy?"

"So I said, it's hard, but the results are incredibly rich."

Bayar quietly watched Ahriman's every move, his pupils finally flickered with interest, and his fingers tapped on the hilt of his sword intentionally or unintentionally, as if he had a desire to step into the arena , but soon, this impulse dissipated.

The champion swordsman shook his head.

"Based on Ahriman's current level of swordsmanship, even if everything goes well, he will need at least ten Terra standard years to initially master this fusion of prophecy ability and swordsmanship, and it may take longer to master it, 30 or 50 years."

"but……"

"Based on my memory and understanding of the group of nerds in the Thousand Sons Legion, from now on, at most ten years from now, none of the so-called sword masters and battle masters in the No.15 Legion will be a match for Ahriman. : Even if they bully the few with the more, it's the same."

"They're vulnerable."

Lana couldn't help raising his brows at Bayar's evaluation. He looked at the chief swordsman of the legion who had been invincible for too long beside him, and even wondered if the latter's sword might be rusted. .

"Then, do you think that it will be possible for Ahriman to surpass you in terms of swordsmanship, Bayar, after years of hard training, or how many fights he has experienced?"

"..."

Bayar blinked, and he seemed to really think about this question.

"I think: probably when the whole galaxy is split in two."

------

left!

Luther's pupils flashed with light: his long fighting career allowed him to subconsciously judge the opponent's attack direction without even seeing the light of the blade, and quickly make the most appropriate response.

In an instant, Caliban's former vigorous knight seemed to be fluttering like a finch, and seemed to have been standing still: but in any case, he did dodged this powerful attack, and he didn't even stick to the dust. , causing many audience members in the stands to nod secretly.

A trace of pride passed through Luther's chest silently. He hadn't had this kind of pride sprouted from fighting for a long time, and it even made him feel a little strange: the Caliban who realized this couldn't help feeling Laughing mockingly at himself, he slowly retreated to the proper position, moving his wrist and shoulders a little strangely.

Luther was still a little uncomfortable with this body. Although this was undoubtedly his original body, compared to before, his arms and chest contained strength that he didn't even want to imagine or guess.

The Caliban even had a vague feeling: in the field of [mortals], some of his physical functions may have reached the upper limit, and if he goes further, those who are called [angels] Territory: Even now, Luthor would not expect to be able to set foot in that realm.

He has gained enough now, and he is still very satisfied with his mortal identity: although when he was in the Dark Angels Legion, he once felt sad about why he could not become an Astartes warrior, but in the Dawnbreaker The past few years spent in the legion have really washed away this resentment.

After all, it has been proved that even as a mortal, he can get real trust and recognition, cheers and respect from Astartes warriors and even Primarchs, and get everything that matches his ability and dedication. Why did he miss these before...

Luther never thought about this question, he was afraid that some answers would emerge.

"Not bad, Luther."

"I really underestimated you before: isn't it pretty good for you to fight?"

On the opposite side of the Calibans, the individual who was making a loud noise was the first company commander of the Luna Wolf Legion, the most trusted heir of the wolf god Horus, and the invincible leader on the battlefield:

Great Iron Knight Terminator armor, and its Operator Slave.

named Abaddon.

"Some of the experience accumulated from hunting giant beasts in the past is just nothing."

Facing the applause from the Shadow Moon Wolf, Luthor just showed a humble smile: he has a pretty good relationship with the Son of Horus in front of him, and he has had several good experiences of cooperating in combat. Although Abaddon Not often seen on Dawnbreaker's flagship, but he does make a name for himself on the fighting arenas.

"These are more than mere experiences."

The Son of Horus moved his body, and from time to time his pupils flashed a few wisdoms that were completely different from the barbaric appearance, but these wisdoms seemed to have never been valued, and had never been really used.

"Before this, I have never seen a character who can be so calm under my attack: you amaze me, Luther, your ability in combat is so good, if you are a shadow moon wolf, You are sure to rank among the greatest warriors in the galaxy."

Luther smiled and did not refute, because what Abaddon said was indeed true: even the sons of Morgan, who were watching here from the high platform, could not deny the fact.

At this moment, many people were astonished by Luther's performance: For example, Bayar and Lana in the stands, although they all knew what kind of good opportunity Luther got, they never thought that, The old knights of Caliban exude such power these days.

"I remember that Master Primarch told us that the genetic modification surgery she performed on Lord Luthor was not like the Astartes modification we have experienced?"

"Then why did it become like this?"

Lana raised an eyebrow at Bayar's question.

"Do you have any worries?"

Facing the rhetorical question of the chief old guard, the champion swordsman just fell silent for a while.

"No, I'm not upset, I'm just very curious: As we see now, Lana, although we are all sure that Luther is still a [mortal], but look at his performance. "

"By mortal standards, this is a bit too exaggerated."

Following Bayar's words and fingertips, Lana once again looked at the fight between Luther and Abaddon in the center of the arena: they had been fighting for nearly half a Terran standard hour, and this was not because of Abaddon. The reason for letting go is because it is based on Luther's own strength.

Although at first glance, the wrestling between Abaddon and Luthor was just a simple offensive and defensive battle, but real fighters can see the clues and horror in it: Although Abaddon in the Terminator armor has the upper hand, However, he has never mastered all the rhythm of the battle. His attack can only catch Luther's shadow, and his pace will always be constantly disturbed by the harassment and temptation of the Calibans. It could end the entire battle, but so far, Luthor's long sword left a few long white marks on the Terminator armor of the Shadow Moon Wolf.

This is not a crushing battle, nor is it a one-sided situation that Astartes warriors and mortals should theoretically have. Luthor is fighting Abaddon on an equal footing with the same perspective, although he seems to be the same as the final battle. The victory is still irrelevant, but no one can deny one point: at this time, Luthor, as a mortal, is engaged in a real, dignified and dignified battle with an elite Astartes warrior who is fully armed. The duel, and the head-on battle.

How terrifying the deep meaning of this sentence is, maybe only Lanar or Bayal, who are also Astartes, can understand a thing or two, and because of this, when their eyes turned to this During a gladiatorial fight, he never moved away.

They carefully watched every detail of the battle, and soon discovered many clues and oddities.

"Did you notice, Lana."

Bayar spoke first.

"Your Excellency Luther, although he can only evade and dodge constantly in the face of Abaddon's offensive, these evasion actions are not a hasty hedging behavior, but a retreat with the art of fighting, Or to stay out of the way: you know what that means?"

"Of course I know, Bayar: this means that Lord Luther can clearly capture Abaddon's movements, and will also leave enough time for his brain to think about the best way to deal with these attacks , referring to other mortals who can't even see our movements clearly, nor can they keep up with our thoughts, the transformation Your Excellency Luthor received is indeed very effective."

"After all, it is the transformation surgery performed by our genetic mother. Even if it is the same process and technology, the difference between the operators will bring unimaginable differences: You see, Luther did not avoid this move. , he met Abaddon's attack head-on."

"It was just a feint: Abaddon didn't use much force."

"But for mortals, it is definitely a fatal blow. Don't forget that Luna Wolf is now wearing a Terminator: Let's see Luthor...well, he didn't dodge, but used his The sword deftly parried the blow, taking away most of the power, but the rest is theoretically enough to kill him."

"But no, you see, he is still alive and well, just panting a few times."

"indeed so."

Bayar nodded, and he caught the exclamation of the crowd: Obviously, too many people were surprised by this. They are very aware of the gap between mortals and emperor angels, so they are shocked by the scene before them.

And when Caliban's old knight not only skillfully blocked Abaddon's attack, he even took the opportunity to temporarily restrain one of Abaddon's hands, and then launched a fierce counterattack, even leaving another scar on the right shoulder of the Terminator armor. When there was a long white mark, the Dawnbreakers onlookers even felt a kind of absurdity: Astartes who were counterattacked by mortals?

They didn't taunt Abaddon for this, because they clearly saw Luthor's performance in their eyes: if they were fighting the Calibans at this time, the result of the battle would be no different.

On the high platform, the chief old guard was already nodding while recording something.

"It seems that the transformation operation performed by Lord Primarch is more effective than we imagined: this can already be regarded as a battle, not the usual crushing of mortals by Astartes warriors, but a real one. It's unimaginable to fight head-on once in a while."

"And what's even more valuable is that even though he achieved such a feat, Lord Luther is still a mortal. He has not been dragged down the road of no return by this transformation surgery, and he is not fundamentally different from all living beings in the empire. "

"In other words: what happened to Lord Luther now may happen to every elite mortal auxiliary in Avalon in the future. Even if it is not as it is now, it is enough to make people imagine."

Bayard was thinking aside.

"Lana, I don't think we can ignore the shining point of Lord Luther himself: he is a veteran warrior who has fought against various giant beasts for decades in the world of Caliban, and his ability is obvious to all of us. , all kinds of fighting skills are just like ducks in water for him."

"what do you mean?"

"I mean: if other mortals can accept the same transformation as Luthor, then there is a high probability that their performance will not be so good: it is difficult for them to choose the best response method in the shortest time like Luthor, even Physically modifying them won't make up for that."

"Luthor's rich combat experience and this transformation operation complement each other. What happened before our eyes is probably just an example, and it is difficult to have a comprehensive reference value."

The tip of Lana's nose paused. He was thinking very seriously, and at the same time he was observing the aftermath of the competition in the distance.

Amid the cheers and applause of the crowd, he saw Abaddon carefully lifting Luther up from the ground, patting him on the shoulder, and showing a generous smile: Although he always maintained the fighting spirit, he was still fighting against the Terminator. After four or ten minutes of fighting with Abaddon by his side, Luther, who had not fully adapted to his new body, finally felt exhausted and simply admitted his defeat.

Of course, the Shadow Moon Wolf did not admit his victory: he still expected to fight Luther again one day. In fact, after being constantly passively beaten, Abaddon had gradually grasped Luther's fighting rhythm. , if this competition continues for a while, the sons of Horus will win a complete victory instead of giving up halfway now.

However, the Shadow Moon Wolf is not some Barbarus dung jar, he doesn't care about these insignificant things: on the contrary, he is more worried about his friend Luthor's physical condition, although the Caliban knight has repeatedly stated that own health, but the Son of Horus decided to send him back himself.

When the figures of the two disappeared at the gate of the arena, Ahriman and Hector also stopped their game almost at the same time: the break time has come to an end, and many Dawnbreakers still have their daily work to do. In the meantime, the arena, which was still bustling just now, has become a lot more depressed.

At this moment, on the high platform that was already empty, Lana was revealing the safe content to Bayar. Their topic revolved around Luthor's transformation operation: This is not such a serious secret, the first The Primarch of the Second Legion even secretly promoted the continuous spread of this news, intentionally or unintentionally.

"Based on every kind of transformation surgery she can collect, imitate and learn, Lord Primarch has integrated a new set of transformation surgery procedures. The purpose is to select a group of elites from the mortal auxiliary troops of the legion Shaped into warriors second only to the Astartes."

"Like Luther?"

Bayar couldn't help frowning and asked: The performance of the Caliban knights just now was really amazing. Even the well-informed Terra veterans can't imagine what it would be like to have such a mortal auxiliary army with superb martial arts skills. scene, and what will happen.

If millions or even more of these warriors could really be produced: What use would those Dawnbreakers have?

Seeing the worry that flashed in the eyes of the champion swordsman, Lana sighed in his heart that Bayar was not without fear, and at the same time easily dispelled the worries of the fighting brothers with firm words.

"Don't worry about it, Bayar."

"Think about it, what a grand event Luther's transformation surgery was: the original body performed the surgery himself and repeatedly performed every process. The number of clinical trials alone exceeded three digits, and the resources and equipment used were imported from Ava. The best products we can find throughout the country, nor any substitutes, are allowed."

"In addition to such prerequisites, it is also necessary to add that Your Excellency Luther himself has undergone a transformation operation to create the brand new Luther in front of us: Frankly speaking, such an act is too costly. It itself is a special case, and as a reward to Lord Luthor, it does not have the possibility of large-scale replication."

"and……"

Lana lowered her voice.

"I can tell you something: Your Excellency Luther's transformation surgery is actually quite different from the transformation surgery that the Primarch will launch next: in general, the current Lord Luthor is not really a good one. He is a mortal through and through, and he is actually at an ambiguous height in a certain field."

"You can say that he is at the highest peak of the mortal domain, but it is also okay to say that he has broken through the boundary between mortals and Astartes, and touched the domain that belongs to the emperor's angels..."

"Don't just study it carefully, mortals who undergo transformation in the future will not have this kind of treatment."

Bayar listened to these words, he nodded, his pupils flashed with clarity.

"That is to say, in the surgery on Lord Luthor, the Primarch actually used several steps similar to or even the same as the transformation surgery performed by the Astartes warriors?"

"I don't know that."

Lana shook his head.

"But there are a few things I can be sure of: from the words of the Primarch, I heard that Lord Luther can live for a long time now, and live with the vitality of a young man, instead of lingering like an old man. It's still obvious."

"indeed so."

Bayar nodded, his cheeks were even a little sour.

"I even think: maybe Lord Luther will live longer than us: except for that face and tone that are still obviously old, he still looks like an old man now, no different from a young mortal who is full of blood .”

"Are you jealous?"

Lana raised his eyebrows amusedly, surprised that this perfect knight in the legion, who has always been known for his calmness, would also have such an obvious sour tone in his words, and it was aimed at a mortal.

Apparently, one of the Chief Old Guards had forgotten what kind of fire was burning in his pupils looking at Luthor: it can only be said that, in this point of self-deception, Dawnbreaker is worthy of being the proud descendant of the Spider Queen.

"Not at all..."

The champion swordsman opened his mouth, still wanting to defend himself, but before that, Lana patted him on the shoulder, lowered his voice, and, with an annunciation-like tone, greeted his fighting brother Whispering.

"Actually, you don't have to worry so much, Brother Bayar: I can assure you that our genetic mother actually has a transformation plan for us, her real descendants: and it is more ambitious and serious than those of mortals. Most of her energy is focused on our reconstructive surgery."

"……real?"

"I will not lie to you."

Bayar laughed, and his face was once again so bright that it was no different from the title [Gentle Knight], but soon, when he looked at Lana, there was a hint of something wrong in his vision.

"But... why do you know what the Primarch thinks so well, brother?"

The Old Guard was quite calm.

"If you think our Gene Mother has made significant progress in this area, or has new ideas, if she wants to find a character like a guinea pig to conduct a relatively harmless experiment: she will find who?"

"...Understood."

Bayard nodded.

"That is to say, has the mother of our genes already started her transformation experiment?"

"At least part of it has already begun."

Lana stopped his footsteps. In front of his combat brother, the chief old guard lightly tapped the center of the breastplate with his fingers, with an uncontrollable pride on his face.

"At least, here in mine, there is a part of it."

"……what is that?"

"A new organ, so powerful that it looks like a product of mythology, it can turn us from the emperor's angels into Avalon's phoenixes, possessing the great power to resurrect us from the brink of death and regain our qualifications for battle."

Lana pointed to his chest, to the center of the two hearts.

"Right here, our genetic mother put it here."

"She called it that."

"The Heart of Nirvana."

(End of this chapter)