Emperor's Bane

Chapter 576: The Thousand Sons Legion is advancing

For a long time, Azak-Ahriman was troubled by a problem.

This is a piece of little-known fact that may sound incredible: as one of the earliest soldiers of the Thousand Sons Legion, a veteran of Terran descent, and one of the most trusted sons of the One-Eyed King, Ahriman actually never fought under Magnus.

Yes: not once.

This helpless truth is made up of a series of misfortunes and coincidences: In fact, long before the Thousand Sons reunited with Magnus, Ahriman had already occupied an important position in the Fifteenth Legion. When he first met the Primarch, he was a company captain, and soon became Magnus' close attendant.

But this lofty position did not bring Ahriman the supreme honor of fighting alongside the Primarch, because almost at the same time when Magnus reunited with the Thousand Sons Legion, the flesh and blood mutation swept the entire legion.

Although the Great Wizard succeeded in suppressing it in the end, the Fifteenth Legion did not participate in any large-scale military activities for the next sixty years. They stayed on their new home planet Prospero to recuperate and accumulate strength again.

During this period, the few attacks made by the Thousand Sons Legion were all to rescue those endangered rare collections, or to respond to some humanitarian rescues: the most typical example was the Dawn Star Incident, where Ahriman met Morgan.

True, they did encounter some resistance on Dawn, but for the Primarch and the Astartes to view these tiny opponents as war experience was ridiculous: what Ahriman really wanted was to participate in a real war under the command of Magnus.

But unfortunately, before this simple wish could be fulfilled, he was seconded to Morgan's Dawnbreaker Legion: this long study abroad journey lasted for sixty years, which occupied at least one-third of Ahriman's entire life so far.

During these sixty years, Ahriman personally witnessed the growth of Morgan and the Dawnbreakers: he came to the battleship of the Second Legion in the first year when the Spider Queen took over the legion, and then worked hard for the establishment of the Far East Frontier. He won the respect of almost all the Dawnbreakers in an unbearable way, gained precious friendships, and worked hard to find his own position in the new think tank system established by Morgan, and has been making tireless contributions until now.

This kind of hard work and achievements directly led the vast majority of Dawnbreakers, and even battle-brothers from other Astartes Legions, to regard Ahriman as an outstanding representative of Avalon and the best sixth man of the Second Legion: many of them directly called Ahriman the Dawnbreaker.

This phenomenon always made Ahriman feel a little amused: before he knew it, the traces he left in the Dawnbreaker Legion far exceeded those left in the Thousand Sons Legion, and he could not even tell where he belonged.

To date, all of Ahriman's achievements: whether it was his great reputation in the arena, or becoming the mentor of countless think tanks, or the title of Sword Master that was enough to impress the Primarchs, were all accomplished by Ahriman in the Dawnbreaker Legion. In comparison, he achieved nothing as a Thousand Sons.

As for brotherhood, the situation is even more comical: after all, more than three-quarters of the Dawnbreakers were selected by Morgan after he established the Far East Frontier. In their minds, Ahriman was the non-mainstream legendary predecessor who had always stood in the corridors and arenas of the Aurora, wearing distinctive bright red armor. He was naturally included in their legion.

On the contrary, in the Thousand Sons Legion, with Ahriman's long-term absence and the inevitable marginalization of the original Terran veterans after the continuous expansion of the legion, Ahriman, the former captain of the first company, became ignored. The new recruits were familiar with his armor and glory, but were at a loss for his face.

At this moment, Ahriman could somewhat understand those who returned home.

But fortunately, not everyone has forgotten the former Captain of the First Company: when Ahriman followed in Magnus' footsteps and set foot on the Shrike Star where the smoke of war had already risen, his colleague in the Black Crow School, Amon, who had temporarily held the position of Captain of the First Company for the past sixty years, was already waiting for him in the newly established command center.

The ruins beneath his feet were named Crow's Nest No. 93, and they were destroyed along with the more than 8,000 defenders inside. Less than 300 Thousand Sons warriors slaughtered these slender, feather-cloaked defenders without any loss. They were deployed on the hidden cliffs in the mountains, and were as fragile as blank paper in the face of the Black Crow School's skilled psychic prophecies.

But such a victory was obviously not enough to satisfy Amon.

"Long time no see, Ahriman. I thought the Primarch wanted to keep you for a while longer."

"Obviously, this library on the ground is more attractive than me."

“It’s really no surprise.”

Amon took a few steps forward, eager to shake hands with Ahriman. Above their heads, thousands of Imperial fighter planes roared past, heading for the smoke-filled battlefield in the distance: the Space Wolves' Thunderhawks were fierce and violent, the World Eaters' Stormbirds were as conventional as the Legion, but the Dawnbreakers' air force was not included, because their numbers were so large that they could independently shoulder the battle line in another sky.

Compared with these comrades, the Thousand Sons' air force is pitiful, but they excel in swift action, and most of their pilots are experienced psykers. Their prophetic and mind-reading abilities make them invincible in air combat, and they can always avoid danger in advance.

But this time, the Imperial air force encountered a terrible opponent: the Knights of Shrike were divided into groups of two, one rider and one archer, riding those huge Shrike birds and rushing into the battlefield like a whirlwind. The claws of these huge birds of prey under them could smash stone pillars, tear apart the power armor of the Astartes, and then use their sharp beaks to peck open the skulls of the Emperor's Angels, or simply smash the entire Imperial fighter plane, killing several Astartes warriors.

God knows how these carbon-based creatures are fed to this level.

Along the way, Ahriman saw countless cases of casualties caused by this: the First Society under Amon alone had paid the price of more than eighty deaths, because these huge shrikes were so numerous that even the most experienced prophet could not avoid all the possible deaths they brought.

not to mention……

“We are no longer what we once were.”

Amon shook his head.

"As a Black Crow, I don't know if you feel the same as I do: our ability to predict is declining over time. Five or six years ago, I could predict almost 90% of the future in battle, but now it has regressed to less than 80%. The decline of other people in the school is even more serious than mine."

"..."

Ahriman frowned.

"But I don't feel that way, Amon. I am also a member of the Black Crow School."

"Yes, we do."

Amon nodded.

"So, the entire Black Crow School is waiting for your return, Ahriman: We are waiting for you to take charge of this glorious organization again, lead us back to the pinnacle of the Legion, and regain the favor of the Primarch, rather than being left here alone to eat dust: Your powerful strength is our greatest confidence now, brother."

As he spoke, Amon spread out a 3D map of Shrike in front of Ahriman, allowing him to clearly see the current direction of the war: all legions were acting according to their original division of labor, and jointly launched a fierce offensive towards Phoenix Cliff.

Leman Russ and his wolves had razed the upper areas of the city to the ground and were searching for the remaining kings and nobles, while the armored forces of the World Eaters had already crushed the broken walls of the Valley Gate and planted their flags on the land of the lower areas. Behind them were groups of prisoners of war, ruins, and not much blood.

The Dawnbreakers surrounded the military area outside Phoenix Cliff, using more powerful air force and Morgan's own psychic powers to force the arrogant Shrike Knights back to the ground and capture as many of these precious assets alive as possible. The Thousand Sons followed the gap opened by the Dawnbreakers and took the opportunity to pour into the core area of ​​Phoenix Cliff, becoming the legion with the fastest progress in reality.

Magnus and his descendants were now moving methodically toward the top along a marble-paved road. Their ultimate goal was a silver pyramid: a huge library that was six hundred meters high and two thousand meters wide, carrying everything on the Shrike.

Magnus desired it, for he did not wish this branch of human civilization to be wiped out by a war.

This was the Primarch's consistent style: unlike his brothers' bloodthirsty ideas, Magnus always believed that the Great Crusade was a magnificent epic that would reshape the glory of mankind, and that this great epic should not only include content from Terra, because mankind's original footprints and glory were far more than just Terra.

They should collect as many long-lost unique human civilizations as possible and redecorate them on the flag embroidered with a double-headed eagle: Even if we take a step back, the ancient human civilizations in this world have survived the haze of the era of strife with courage and perseverance and have tenaciously come to this day. Shouldn't this nobility be solemnly remembered by them?

To this day, Ahriman feels that there is nothing wrong with this statement, and the Thousand Sons would have no objection: thousands of elite soldiers were assembled, and Ahriman could stand on a high place and see their bodies as they fought bloody battles.

What's more, there was Amon to explain it to him.

"You are lucky. We rarely see this kind of large-scale collective combat."

Amon pointed to the fiery red ocean on the marble road and explained the tactics of the Thousand Sons to Ahriman with a smile.

"Twenty-four years after you joined the Dawnbreaker Legion, Magnus led us back to the Great Crusade and gradually figured out the tactics you see in front of you: the five major schools and the Spire Guards are the absolute core."

"As for the five major schools, I guess I don't need to tell you any more, right?"

"Let's talk about it."

"also."

Amon nodded.

"We of the Black Crow School are able to detect what is about to happen in the future, so we are always responsible for pre-battle analysis and guidance. The Primarch used to be in our formation, but this favor has become less and less. He now prefers the Fire Phoenix School."

"Inside the Falcon School, there are masters of force field manipulation. They are deeply influenced by the Luna Wolves and are very good at both offense and defense. Therefore, they are also responsible for defense and advancement in battle. They are the strongest wall behind the spire guards."

"…behind you?"

"what happened?"

"No...just continue."

"The Bright Feather School likes to use their psychic powers to manipulate anyone's body. They are as annoying as the Emperor's Children. They are the support troops on the battlefield, responsible for burning the enemy's blood or healing the wounds of friendly forces. But you'd better not count on these selfish guys. They care more about their appearance than your safety."

"Look over there, it's the Sky Owl School, our traditional ally. They can read other people's minds or instill their own thoughts. They will provide intelligence to our Black Crow School, and we will predict the future based on this intelligence. At other times, they are also responsible for stabilizing communication within the legion and boosting the morale of the soldiers: by reciting hymns in your heart."

"Finally, there is the Fire Phoenix School. Each of them claims to be the incarnation of the God of Fire. They are now the most powerful group of guys in the legion. Their fire is the main output force of the legion, but at the same time they are also responsible for everything related to machinery: armored units, automatic robots, and even those scattered Titans. In theory, they are all under the command of Carlophis of the Fire Phoenix."

"During the battle, our entire legion will be divided into four large formations. The first formation is naturally the spire guards, who are responsible for facing the first wave of enemy troops and helping us find out how many cards the opponent has."

"With your life?"

"What else can I use? Eyeballs?"

"Then the force field shield masters of the Falcon School are responsible for defense and advancement. They are the only school that occupies an array. We, Black Crow and Bright Feather, are in the third array. This position ensures that we can support everyone. Protecting us behind us are Sky Owl, who ensures communication, and Fire Phoenix, who is responsible for output."

"The entire legion is like a huge ancient Greek phalanx. Relying on our psychic powers, we don't need to hide here and there on the battlefield. Instead, we can advance steadily like line infantry. We can deal with any emergency by making small changes." "As the Primarch said: eternal change makes us indestructible."

"..."

Ahriman nodded. He felt a little uneasy about this smug look, but wisely did not speak immediately. Instead, he patiently observed the situation on the battlefield.

He saw Fusis-Taka, and his men held up invisible force field shields to block the heavy attack of the Shrike Knights, and then violently broke through the towering fortress in front of them.

He also saw the elites of Hathor-Mat's Bright Feather School, who were maliciously playing with the enemies in front of them: burning their blood or draining every bit of water from their bodies, or simply sealing their lungs. These disgusting ways of killing made Ahriman frown. He actually preferred to give his enemies a clean and quick death, which respected them as well as himself.

He also saw Carlophis of the Fire Phoenix School controlling those uniform automatic robots with ease. There were special crystals in the minds of these machines, so even without tactical chips, the Thousand Sons Legion could command them with the power of psychic energy.

Psychic power, psychic power, um... psychic power again.

Ahriman shook his head secretly.

He saw the steeple guards.

……Um?

The next moment, Ahriman frowned as he watched the spire guards: he found that these elite mortal troops were somewhat overwhelmed by the Shrike Knights' swift and bloody air raids, and the Thousand Sons' focus was on the distant Great Library, and they did not put much enthusiasm into these flanks, so the casualties of the spire guards were somewhat ugly.

"Are the casualties of those spire guards a little too high?"

After thinking for a moment, Ahriman tactfully mentioned this to Amon beside him, and this warrior, who was always very humble in his impression, indeed listened to his words patiently, then observed carefully and nodded.

"Ah, a little bit."

Afterwards, Amon did not say anything and continued to look at the library in the distance.

"..."

Ahriman frowned, trying to ignore this matter. He began to look for Magnus on the battlefield, and soon saw his Primarch: he was as invincible as the god of death who came to the world.

Magnus blinked, and hundreds of Shrike Knights turned into blazing torches under the power of the ether. Those resistance fighters who tried to jump off their mounts were forcibly connected to their mounts by the Primarch, and could only fall in mid-air with endless wails.

Then, the Primarch waved his hand again, and the Aven soldiers on a whole street found in despair that the guns in their hands exploded, and the broken limbs and dying wails echoed at Magnus' feet, but did not stop the Primarch's pace for a moment: the Scarab Order wearing Terminator armor followed behind the Primarch, and their cavalry crushed the remaining wails, so that Magnus was no longer disturbed.

"My Lord seems to have become much stronger..."

Ahriman whispered that he always had an indescribable strange feeling, while Amon next to him was proud of all this.

"Yes, Lord Magnus is getting stronger almost every moment, but his power has been particularly dazzling in recent times. I believe that the treasures in that library will speed up this process. I can't wait to see his greater power."

"……hope so."

Ahriman smiled, he just felt a little uncomfortable all over: although those familiar battle brothers and the Primarch whom he had not met for a long time did make him inexplicably excited, both their rigid tactics and the cruelty they showed inadvertently made Ahriman feel very uncomfortable.

…relax.

Maybe it’s just… not adapting to the local climate?
He comforted himself, forced a smile and said goodbye to Amon, intending to directly participate in the great conquest below to offset the discomfort in his heart: maybe he just needed time to adapt.

Re-adapt.

Amon did not stop him, but when Ahriman actually arrived at the battlefield, he found that another trouble was waiting for him: standing in front of him was Hathor, the disgusting chief of the Bright Feather School, and facing him was Ahriman's good friend Hector.

Why is he here?

Ahriman took a step closer and heard the argument between the two men: Hector and his company came to ask for reinforcements, and they hoped to get support from the nearby Thousand Sons Legion, but Hathor said that they were really short of manpower and the library was not far away.

"Are you in any trouble?"

Ahriman asked directly, and Hector looked helpless.

"It's the Space Wolves. There's a small problem over there: a large number of dignitaries from Shrike have fled into the library and the surrounding high-end residential areas, and the bloodthirsty wolf pack is following closely behind them. If they take over the place, the consequences will be disastrous."

"Yes."

Hathor agreed loudly.

"They'll burn the books."

"..."

Hector and Ahriman simultaneously gave Hathor a strange look.

"So, this is the situation. Lady Morgan can't get here for a while, so she ordered me to come to the Thousand Sons to request reinforcements to jointly defend the high-end residential area. There are many technical officers and families of Shrike Knights living there. If we can save their lives from the battle axes of the Space Wolves, it will bring considerable benefits to the Empire."

“But we don’t have enough people.”

Hathor shook his head incontrovertibly.

"We still can't figure out the movements of those Space Wolves. Who knows whether they are heading for the library or the residential area? Our forces can only protect one of them."

"That's why I came to you: I want you to come with us to the residential area."

As soon as Hector's voice fell, Qianzi widened his eyes in astonishment.

"Are you mad? This is an entire library of priceless treasures! You're going to leave it exposed to the Space Wolves?"

His questioning only elicited an even more astonished response from Hector.

"Are you crazy? That's thousands of fucking lives!"

The two looked at each other in bewilderment. In the end, neither of them could come up with a clear answer: Hathor obviously had no interest in continuing to tangle with Hector, and Morgan's son did not seem to intend to go over the head and ask Magnus for this matter. He turned around and hurriedly left with his company, heading towards the residential area in the distance at full speed.

"What a bunch of pathetic creatures."

Hathor muttered something, then looked at Ahriman properly.

"Ah, and you, brother. My heart aches for you as I think of how long you have been with them. Ahriman: will you join us? The Primarch is almost at the great library, and you can bask in his glory once more."

"I……"

Ahriman hesitated, his eyes gradually jumping between the domineering Hathor and the gradually receding Hector. He stammered with his thick lips, looking at the huge and magnificent library in the distance, and then at the residential area that was crumbling in the war.

"You go ahead, Hathor. I have to go check on the Dawnbreakers, lest..."

"Because they can't cause us any trouble."

"Ah, too."

Hathor smiled.

"You are very thoughtful. I would never have thought of such an insignificant question."

"You'd better go and come back quickly, so as not to miss the most exciting part of the whole war."

"I try my best."

Ahriman nodded.

For some reason, when he left the arrogant red of the Thousand Sons and ran towards the silver of the Dawnbreakers, Ahriman suddenly felt a long-lost sense of tranquility in his heart.

"..."

He likes this feeling.

(End of this chapter)