Emperor's Bane

Chapter 705 Extraterrestrial Visitors
"You mean, the Emperor personally created an absolutely secret space in the deepest part of the Temple of Nikaea, and neither I nor Magnus can use psychic power to detect the interior of this hidden space?"

[No wonder I always feel like there's something missing from my range of perception.]

【……etc!】

【What are you doing now? 】

Rubbing her eyebrows instinctively and brushing her fingers through her increasingly dry hair, a certain Spider Queen did not notice that her tone had become quite impolite at this moment, but this was inevitable: being forced to welcome Magnus was already annoying enough, not to mention that the sudden call from the Master of the Seal did not bring her good news.

It's just a notification at most.

Then again, it seems that nothing good has ever come out of this old man's mouth: he is simply the harbinger of death for the Human Empire and Morgan.

The Spider Queen smiled and made a wry mockery of Malcador, who was at least tens of kilometers away from her: This distance was nothing for psychics of their level. If they were not afraid of causing misunderstanding, both Morgan and Malcador could project a genuine substitute next to the other with a wave of their hands.

Through the non-existent dimensions and spaces in the Sea of ​​Souls, these psychic projections with no inner qualities can even partially exert the power of the original body: even if they cannot accomplish great feats such as moving mountains and filling the sea, they can easily wipe out an army and a fortress, and even on a battlefield with planets as the front, they can play a role in turning the tide.

At least, Morgan was certain that Malcador could do it: in the few times they had spent together, the Sigillite had taught the Primarch, like a true senior and mentor, careful instruction in psychic techniques, and this precise long-distance projection was one of them.

To Morgan's surprise, this psychic master, who was one of the best in the entire galaxy, was particularly concerned about the most basic techniques and skills: he strongly required Morgan to review this elementary school knowledge regularly until these regulations became the most fundamental physical memory.

In Malcador's own words, the cause of death of more than 50% of psykers is not complicated at all: it is nothing more than that when they are about to make great plans, they find that they have unexpectedly forgotten some basic knowledge that they had already mastered by heart, but because they had not reviewed it for too long, they have unknowingly become unfamiliar.

In the most ambitious and dangerous of psychic spells, even a moment's delay or a misplaced finger can cause the caster to suffer nearly complete backlash: for a psychic of Morgan or Magnus' caliber, the effects can spread to at least one world.

"It is a common problem among psychics to be too ambitious and want to solve big problems."

"At the same time, he is also their mortal enemy."

"Every psychic I know has ultimately fallen to their own hubris."

The words of the Sigillite were as sincere as those of a real mother, and Morgan naturally kept them in mind, repeating them in her mind from time to time: This is what she is doing now. When the Primarch reviewed this important knowledge point once again, Malcador had already prepared the answer.

It only took him a minute to explain to Morgan what was going on.

[You mean, my brother Leman Russ brought an "alien visitor" here? ]

"His name is Hauser."

There was an unsettling sound of air vibrations echoing from Malcador's side: it was obvious that the Sigillite was in an enclosed space, and Morgan could use her psychic sense to detect the scent of the Emperor around him, as well as the scent of several familiar faces that made her eyelids twitch.

"To be exact: Caspar-Ansbach-Hauser."

【Bah! 】

【Hahahahaha...】

The Spider Queen, who was a little absent-minded at first, even thought that she had just heard it wrong. After quickly recalling the name, Morgan was stunned at first, and then she chuckled instinctively. After failing to suppress it, the sharp laughter attracted the attention of many people around the Original Body.

【Are you serious? 】

The Spider Queen hadn't had such a pure smile in a long time.

"of course."

Machado had anticipated this.

"I know it's a weird name..."

【strangeness?】

Morgan closed her mouth, but her shrill scream echoed in the warp.

[In Terran, this name literally translates to: a little boy holding a Trojan horse. This is not a name that can be described as strange. Either the person who named it was an irresponsible lover of classical history, or he was destined to serve something from the moment he was born.]

"Now it seems that it is the latter."

The solemn declaration of Valdor, the Lord of the Custodes, echoed in the background of Malcador, but Morgan could not hear the specific content. She only heard the dull response of the Lord of Mankind and the passionate speech of Leman Russ.

"Leman Russ told us that this Hauser was originally a narrator of the Third Company of the Space Wolves Legion and also a scientist affiliated with the Legion. There is nothing wrong with these identities in themselves, but through certain accidental events and investigations into his past experiences, the Wolf King and his Legion suspected that Hauser had another identity."

"He was a spy that Magnus used to spy on the Sixth Legion."

[Magnus's... minions? ]

The Primarch's tone was frivolous.

【These two words don’t go together well. 】

“In fact, it’s probably worse.”

Unlike Morgan, there was an obvious seriousness and fatigue in Malcador's words.

"Russ provided a lot of evidence. He tried to prove to us that the narrator's entire life was secretly controlled by the Thousand Sons Legion and their genetic father Magnus. Whether it was the death of his biological parents, or being given this strange name by his adoptive father, as well as a series of experiences he had afterwards, I will not elaborate on them one by one here."

"In short, Leman Russ has sorted out a complete framework for us, proving how the lives of this mortal and his entire team were manipulated by Magnus's psychic power: If this is true, Magnus has undoubtedly committed a serious crime, which is enough for him to be directly convicted on Nikaea."

[Are these serious? ]

Morgan frowned. She didn't agree with what Malcador said from the bottom of her heart.

Indeed, manipulating the entire life of a pathetic mortal for personal gain can be considered an evil act in any case, but from the level of the Primarch, this evil act does not seem to be a real sin: to put it bluntly, at least one has to maliciously manipulate the fate of a world in order for Magnus to be convicted on the spot in public, right?
Something seems to be wrong...

The Primarch touched her chin: She knew nothing about this alien visitor, and could only rely on the partial information from Malcador to roughly guess the situation on the Emperor's side.

[Are you still hiding something, Scepter? ]

"of course."

Machado admitted it directly.

"The situation here is a thousand times more complicated than what I told you, but it has nothing to do with you. Just remember that the Emperor and I need some time to determine whether the story of the aliens is true or false, and whether the Thousand Sons Legion is related to it. Before that, you have to hold on to the damn Magnus."

【no problem. 】

Morgan raised his brow.

【You are in a bad mood. 】

"Yes."

It was a hoarse and desolate tone.

"In any case, we have confirmed that Hauser's life has been manipulated, and he is almost on the verge of collapse. I am telling you the truth here, Morgan. Hauser is one of the most outstanding mortals I have ever met. The scientific research organization he is in charge of has been highly valued by Holy Terra and the Council of High Lords, and can have a huge impact on the entire human race. He should have been one of the brightest pearls of the Great Crusade."

"Like Rand over there with you."

Hearing the name, Morgan's face finally turned serious.

"But now, it's too late."

Malcador sighed helplessly.

"Even according to conservative estimates, Hauser has been under strong control since the moment he was born: If this is really Magnus's doing, the situation can still be controlled, but if it is not Magnus..."

【That's it...】

Morgan frowned. She naturally understood the hint of the Sigillite. Not her, not the Sigillite, not Magnus and the Emperor: Which other psychic is there in the entire galaxy? So, which psychic force can do such a sophisticated evil?
The Primarch raised her head and looked into the Eye of Terror, which she could not actually see.

At this moment, Morgan also hoped that this was just the result of Magnus's selfish interests.

【Please remember to tell me when the results come out. 】

In just a few words, Magnus's scarlet-painted Scarab King had floated into the airspace above the ground airport, circling constantly, looking for a place to land. Seeing this, Morgan cut off the communication with Malcador.

"no problem."

The last words of the bearer of the seal were a reassurance.

"Chagatai Khan is here too: I'll have him contact you when the time comes."

[Yes: That couldn’t be better.]

Hearing the name erased the last of Morgan's uneasiness: she could always trust Khan's assurances.

Morgan put down his fingers and adjusted his state slightly. Then he turned his head and saw Lana looking at him: the mother and son were just the right distance away from the others. If they wanted to whisper something here, no one would be able to hear what they said.

therefore……

[Rana. 】

The Primarch raised her head and looked in the direction of her brother with a smile on her face, but her private voice had already reached the ears of the Chief Guard, and it was icy cold.

[Do you have the confidence to participate in the erasure of a legion in this world? ]

"..."

Lana was silent for a moment.

It's not hesitation, it's simply thinking about the question raised by the mother.

"This requires some preparation, my lord."

When he looked up, Morgan believed that her most trusted offspring had already finalized countless feasible plans in his mind, just as she had taught him bit by bit in the past.

"I'm sorry, my lord, but I think we need a little more specific enemy intelligence."

Lana lowered his voice.

"Who? Where? When?"

【At least not today.】

Morgan seemed to be smiling, and when she looked toward the Scarab King's hatch and narrowed her eyes slightly, Lana at least knew the answer to his first question.

"They are troublesome indeed, my Lord."

Lana nodded.

"If we let them go down to the ground and engage in a head-on battle, there will inevitably be some casualties. However, the fleet of the Thousand Sons has never been known for its fighting prowess. As long as we can prepare well and contact the fleets of the Dark Angels and the Midnight Lords, and if possible, apply for some assistance from the Custodians, even if it means asking the Custodians to remain neutral, then we will have enough confidence to eliminate all the members of the Thousand Sons in the void."

“At minimal cost.”

Hearing the last sentence, the Spider Queen just nodded, and as she walked towards Magnus, who had already opened his arms, Morgan patted Lana on the shoulder vaguely: it was this action that made the Chief Guard not follow his mother's pace at the first time, but put his lips close to the hidden communicator on his wrist and issued a mobilization order to the fleet in orbit.

They would complete all tactical preparations in twenty minutes at most: then they would just have to wait for Morgan's order.

Thinking of this, Lana looked at Magnus as if he were looking at a dead man.

When the chief guard's eyes moved to Amon beside Magnus, his brows frowned quickly again: he and this old warrior had met each other a long time ago, and although the memory was vague, it still existed, so Lana could instinctively perceive that Amon seemed to have changed a little.

Some...very bad changes.

what is it then?

……

It is corrosion.

Even Rana, who had sealed his psychic talent at the Primarch's suggestion, could vaguely sense what was happening. How could his genetic mother not see it? When Morgan and Magnus embraced each other passionately, she didn't even need to look in Amon's direction to see through this poor soul.

How could he not see through it: the Pokémon that made the entire Thousand Sons Legion so proud had already clung to Amon's soul like a thorn in his flesh. It had long since lost its former disguise and kindness, revealing the appearance of a predator in silent madness: If Amon could see this scene clearly, he would probably scream in despair.

Morgan smiled, but she had no interest in changing these things: Amon's soul had been corroded without him noticing, and cracks appeared on his back, like a broken pottery jar, which was no longer worth saving.

So be it……

Just as Morgan absentmindedly sentenced the Thousand Son to death, her inner peace was suddenly touched: it was not some unnecessary emotion, but purely the monster that was parasitic on Amon's soul, the monster that had been absorbing his vitality and spirit for decades, the terrible demon in the subspace, seemed to be out of her own pure arrogance, or just simple curiosity.

Anyway, when it realized that a powerful psychic individual like Morgan was approaching Magnus and Amon, it hid behind Amon and glanced greedily at the Spider Queen.

This made Morgan frown, a subtle facial change that even Magnus hadn't noticed, but he casually raised a blazing silver-white flame in the waves of the warp: in the blink of an eye, the greedy little monster was swallowed up.

The sharp and painful howls sounded so harsh even in the deepest part of the warp. It called out, cursed, and begged frantically, struggling helplessly like a hare caught in the claws of an eagle. It asked for help from every companion it knew, but all it got was an extremely strange silence: There were Thousand Sons behind Magnus, but now, their souls were deathly silent. Those originally bustling rifts were like deserted valleys in the mountains, and one could even hear the terrifying sound of the quiet wind.

Standing further away, Morgan could sense more shivering disgusting bastards. She was too lazy to pay attention to these little things and just wanted to leave with the jubilant Magnus: until her steps paused.

The reason is simple: at the last moment before being burned to ashes, this little dark blue monster roared out a real name, a string of characters that could create ripples in the chaos of the warp. It was not a part of God, but a big devil as huge as a hive city, one of the most terrifying existences under the throne of the gods. It was awakened by the prayers of its subordinates and worshippers, and instinctively stuck out its two bird-like heads to see what was going on.

Finally, the Spider Queen felt herself becoming a little impatient.

She tilted her head, her eyes piercing through the never-ending waves in the warp space, and casually glanced at this tactless guy.

The next moment, all that was left in the direction of the big devil was empty fear and retreat.

This existence, which was placed with high hopes, did not even wait for Morgan's gaze to reach it: when it realized that it was about to look into the pair of blue-green pupils that made the entire subspace tremble, it did not hesitate at all and retreated back to its nest in a panic.

What a pity.

The Spider Queen glanced around her field of vision with an unsatisfied look, but there was only dead silence along the way.

Absolute silence.

There is no devil, no chaos: even the waves of eternity have become silent.

Became calm.

Finally, Morgan withdrew her gaze.

She glanced again at the hopeless soul of Amon within her.

There was nothing there: just like the souls of the Thousand Sons on Magnus, there was nothing left. Even the most greedy and arrogant guardian elves fled back to their nests in panic at this time. Before Morgan's breath completely disappeared, these bastards seemed to dare not jump out again.

So, there was only a pool of ashes, a pool of ashes that finally satisfied Morgan. Who would have thought that less than a second ago, this was a bustling hunting ground: it was no more difficult for the Spider Queen to prey on these demons than for these demons to prey on humans.

The Primarch nodded: There is naturally no sense of accomplishment in doing such a small thing.

But at least on Nikea: she could finally get some peace of mind.

(End of this chapter)