Emperor's Bane

Chapter 710: Mortarion's Ambition.

"Nice opening, bro."

"Your captain's performance far exceeded my initial expectations of him."

When the entire amphitheater of Nicaea fell into a dead silence that was enough to send chills down anyone's spine because of the Death Guard's unbridled speeches and corrections, in the stands closest to the offense, the Primarch of the Space Wolves excitedly bared his fangs and tried his best to lower his voice with his last bit of rationality.

The ecstatic mood turned into heat, which kept hitting the face of the Lord of Death beside him.

"I remember this kid is called Typhon, right? I'll remember this name."

"His name is Karas."

Hiding most of his face behind his hood and respirator, Mortarion was able to conceal his disgust from his brother and temporary ally.

He quietly took a step back to avoid being contaminated by the stench of the barbaric world, but at the same time he could not wait to speak and stubbornly corrected the tiny mistake in the wolf king's words.

"Karas-Typhon."

The Primarch insisted on speaking his full name.

"He is not some little boy, he is the captain of the 14th Legion, the leading figure of the entire Death Guard, brother: you should have remembered his name a long time ago, just like I knew the old captain of the Space Wolves who liked to contradict you decades ago."

"Yes: he is not dead yet, and is tougher than an ape on the Fenris tundra."

Leman Russ seemed to be completely oblivious to the Lord of Death's sarcasm. He shook his huge head triumphantly, and his carefully braided beard became a tangled mess.

"But apart from being tough, that old guy doesn't have any other advantages. He's always against me. If he can talk one-tenth as well as your kid, I'll drag him to the field and let him have a good fight with Magnus."

"..."

Mortarion narrowed his eyes.

He was a little unhappy.

"Typhon is not my son: he is my most trusted brother and friend, Leman Russ."

"Like my wolf?"

"of course not."

Mortarion raised his chin.

"Typhon is the first kindhearted life I met on Barbarus. It is his existence that tells me that there are still elements of friendship and sincerity in this world. The bond between him and me is definitely not comparable to that between you and two four-legged beasts, brother."

"He would go through fire and water for me, even giving his life without hesitation."

"Beasts cannot do these things: bonds and friendships are treasures that only exist in civilization."

"..."

Hearing these words, the Wolf King of Fenris neither refuted nor responded. He simply smiled, as if he was ashamed of Mortarion's accusation: when he shifted his gaze in another direction, an inadvertent question floated in the air.

"He would lay down his life for you: at least that's what you believe?"

"It's not about believing: it's about us already doing it!"

“Death and life: the meaning of this is beyond your comprehension.”

The voice was raised half a tone: at a time when no one dared to speak, it seemed a little harsh. Thousands of eyes were cast on the two primarchs who were whispering, but their attention was soon diverted by the changes on the field: Karas was performing his last round of performances, he once again performed exaggerated etiquette and bowed deeply in the direction of the Lord of Mankind.

"What an exaggeration."

On the other side, even Zhuang Sen, who had remained silent, couldn't help but shake his head.

"Even Lorgar's perfect city would not bow like this before the Emperor."

"Of course they don't."

Conrad chuckled.

"They would just lie flat on the ground: in ancient Terra that's called prostrating yourself."

The lion's brow twitched, but he said nothing. His emerald eyes turned to stare in the direction of Magnus: the rules dictated by Malcador told the lion that it was Magnus' turn to attack next, but his keen war intuition also warned Jonson that according to the current situation, Magnus had better not say anything.

"Whatever he says is wrong: and certainly out of place."

The lion commented dully.

"Typhon is obviously not the only killer Mortarion sends out. He is just the vanguard of the Death Guard. Look at the people behind Mortarion. They are obviously not qualified to enter here because of their clothes. They look at Magnus as if he is an enemy."

"It is obvious that these mortals are the accusers that Mortarion brought into the meeting. They are the Witch Hunters under his command."

"Looking at this number, Magnus will have to endure their heavy bombardment in the next three or four hours. If he is really stupid enough to confront these consumables one by one in court, then he will definitely lose this war."

"Oh my god..."

Farther away, Guilliman sighed softly so that only the five brothers could hear it.

"Even Jonson can see that... I hope Magnus isn't even more stupid."

"..."

The lion king paused noticeably.

"But compared to this, is there really nothing we can do to help Magnus? Morgan?"

Such pure words seemed destined to be spoken by Corax, the Primarch of the Raven Guard, the only remaining conscience among the five people. This brother who was happy to hide himself hid his figure behind Morgan and Guilliman. He was also one of the few people present who was really worried about the outcome of this meeting.

[At least not now.]

Morgan sighed softly and focused her attention on the refreshments beside her: As one of the few people who knew the true meaning of Nikea, Morgan had already shifted her gaze away from the field since the moment Typhon came on the field, as she knew that staring at it would be a waste of time.

But when facing Corax, the Spider Queen is still willing to say a few more words.

[Have you ever wondered why Mortarion let Karas be the vanguard? ]

"To separate Magnus from us, the think tank's supporters."

[Yes, and I have to admit that Typhon completed this task very well: he not only planted seeds in the minds of bystanders, paving the way for subsequent attacks, but also disrupted the unity of our think tank factions, which can be said to be killing two birds with one stone. ]

“Our unity?”

Corax looked around.

"Morgan, haven't you been preparing for this moment decades ago?"

[That's right, but even if I work hard for this for decades, I cannot change the most basic fact: the entire think tank faction exists to maintain the interests of the think tank system and all imperial psykers. The personal interests of Magnus and the Thousand Sons Legion are not the most fundamental interests of the entire think tank group.]

[In other words, most of the supporters of the think tank system, including our brothers, are willing to sacrifice Magnus to preserve the overall interests of the entire think tank system: Mortarion knows that he cannot fight against a huge interest group that is deeply rooted in the entire empire, so he chooses to break through Magnus's weakness first. ]

"Our...brother?"

Obviously, Corax had not heard the second half of the sentence, because he was shocked by something Morgan was implying: Would any of them choose to betray Magnus? Choose to betray their own blood brother?
"How can this be?"

The Crow King gritted his teeth: betrayal was the most taboo red line in his heart.

【Why is it impossible? 】

Morgan asked back with a smile. Under the frightened gaze of the Crow King, the Spider Queen's sight gradually turned to a brother next to her. Corax looked over and found a face that made him most unbelievable: that person was also looking at them.

"Robert!"

The Crow King opened his mouth wide.

"You... there is still you?"

His fingers were shaking.

"Of course I have, Corax."

Guilliman simply nodded.

“It’s not just me: I’m just a tiny component of the vast majority.”

"You all decided to give up on Magnus?"

"First of all, this isn't giving up."

The Macragge shook his head.

"Secondly..."

In turn, this time it was Guilliman's turn to stare at the Corvenant King.

"Speak with your conscience, brother."

"Don't you think that Magnus's arrogance and ambition have indeed gone too far? He does need a proper punishment and warning, even if it's for his own good: to let him know that he can't be so reckless in the future, otherwise he will harm all of us sooner or later."

"A timely punishment?"

Corax did not even notice that his tone of voice had become distorted. The Raven King looked around quickly: the Emperor was at the top, Malcador was in the center of the venue, all the Primarchs and legion representatives were lined up on both sides, and the tens of thousands of representatives from all over the Empire were just a tiny part of this venue.

"If Magnus were to be knocked to the ground in such a place, there is no way he would be meted out with a timely punishment: he would surely be excommunicated by the Emperor, and only the most severe consequences would be worthy of such an occasion." "Quite the contrary, brother."

Guilliman simply blinked.

"If nothing unexpected happens, a citizen assembly like this will not push Magnus into a desperate situation. Don't forget that we are ultimately a monarchy, not a democracy. Ostracism doesn't work well in the human empire. The bigger the scene, the milder and more harmless the outcome."

Then the Primarch shook his head, raised his hand and patted the Raven King on the shoulder.

"You know, brother, if the Emperor really wanted to punish Magnus, He would have no need to go to all this trouble: He could have simply found the most ridiculous excuse, quietly moved the Thousand Sons to a world, and summoned a few of His most capable blades. Perhaps Jonson and Leman Russ, with the occasional Morgan or Konrad, for a less-than-jolly family picnic."

"And then? Then you will never hear the name of the Thousand Sons again, and you will not even remember that they once existed: Of course, if Magnus is lucky, he may be able to escape from this punishment. I witnessed a similar incident with my own eyes."

Having said this, the Macragge man's face froze for a moment. He seemed to be sighing, or sighing.

"Take my word for it, brother. I have known the Emperor's wrath firsthand. I have witnessed true cruelty in the galaxy. I know how the Emperor treats those who fail him: an experience I never wish to relive again."

"Robert, you..."

"That's just bullshit!"

The Raven King opened his mouth and was about to respond, but on the other side of his brother, or on the other side of Conrad's Wall, a contemptuous sneer tore the only remaining brotherly warmth in the air to pieces: the objection filled with Caliban's accent made Guilliman's face turn red all of a sudden.

"Nonsense, you have no idea how harsh the galaxy is, nor do you know how the Emperor's wrath will be released. You just live in your own world and think that what you see is the cruelest. Don't mislead our brothers here. You are just a child in a greenhouse, Robert."

"..."

So, you see.

When the Macragge man, enraged by the intrusion of a certain lion, quickly turned around and used the blazing fire in his pupils to fight an invisible battle with Jonson on Conrad's face and scalp, Morgan took his place in order, spread his hands, and smiled helplessly at the Raven King.

[We can't even reach unity on these little things, how can we collectively support Magnus: you know what kind of people your brothers are? You also know what kind of people those mortals are? The latter is a thousand times more difficult than the former. ]

"Hey... okay."

There was a long silence, and Corax ended his confusion with a sigh.

【Besides, my little crow: this is not all bad for us. 】

"what?"

The Raven King raised his head again.

"This... can you profit from things like this, Morgan?"

[It’s not a benefit: But I finally have a clue in my mind. At least now I can finally determine what Motaria’s goal is in this meeting? ]

"Really?"

The Raven King was a little surprised, because he was completely unaware of this, and then he instinctively looked at the other brothers, such as Jonson and Guilliman who were spitting at each other, and a Midnight Haunter who let the saliva of the two conquer each other on his facial features: their performance seemed to be similar to Corax's.

"And how did you know that, Morgan?"

[Reasoning plus a little luck: Do you want to know the goal of the Lord of Death? ]

"think."

The Crow King nodded immediately.

"What on earth does he want to do: what on earth does he want to accomplish on Nikaea?"

------

"It's very simple."

"Not those things: my goal on Nikaea is a range."

In front of Leman Russ, Mortarion didn't mind speaking freely.

"The lower limit of this range is that Magnus gets the punishment he deserves, and the upper limit is that because of Magnus's punishment, the Imperial psyker system will be implicated and uprooted by the Emperor's choice in one fell swoop: As long as it is between the upper and lower results, I can accept it, Brother Leman Russ."

"But more importantly..."

The Primarch smiled slyly.

"I will stand firm and undefeated throughout the entire Nikea Conference."

"The convening of the meeting has already foretold Magnus's final fate, so even in the worst case scenario, my minimum goal can be guaranteed to be achieved: I will only gain victory, great victory, or an unprecedented epic victory on Nikaea."

"Win! Win more! Win big!"

“These outcomes were already determined long before the meeting took place.”

As the Primarch raised his head and triumphantly stated his point, Mortarion naturally ignored the gleam in Leman Russ's downcast pupils.

"How will you ensure that Magnus will be punished, Mortarion?"

“It’s a complex system.”

The Primarch gestured triumphantly.

"Let me tell you, to ensure that Magnus will receive the punishment he deserves, I have prepared a complete set of execution steps for him, which is divided into seven steps in total, and Typhon is just the first step. Similarly, the accusers of Magnus that you see now, who are ready to take the stage one by one, and the aliens that you prepared for the Emperor in advance, are also part of this seven-step plan."

"You were here, and I brought the aliens here. Did you make this plan after that?"

"No, fate and divination have already told me about the aliens."

Mortarion shook his head.

"I have been planning this for a long time and have collected countless information and intelligence."

"Don't worry: this time, Magnus and his Thousand Sons will be defeated."

"After Magnus falls, the so-called think tank system will not exist for long."

"So what do you mean?"

The wolf king raised his eyebrows, with a displeased light flashing in his pupils.

"Aren't you specifically planning to separate Magnus from the entire think tank?"

“Yes, that’s the way it is here.”

Mortarion nodded.

"But in the final analysis, Magnus is the representative of the Imperial Psykers. Morgan and his people cannot deny this reality. After the matter of Nikaea is over, we have enough time and opportunity to make people believe this again, at least to make the next generation of mortals believe it. By then, Magnus and his Thousand Sons Legion will once again become the weak spot of the Psykers."

"Think about it. Now that we are able to punish Magnus's legion, what reason do the other think tank supporters, the primarchs and their legions who support psychic power, and those organizations composed of mortals have to continue to occupy the golden medal of immunity from death?"

"Being the first is a great power: if even the Primarch can be punished for it, then no one can escape the final judgment: the Librarians may be glad that their Nikaea abandoned Magnus's final decision, but this is exactly the scythe I have prepared for them."

"Our victory against the psykers is nothing more than coming a little later: we may not be able to win on Nikaea, but there are countless Nikaeas waiting for us in the future. One day we will win, even if that will be decades later, even if we need to cut off this huge tumor that has contaminated the entire empire bit by bit."

"But I can wait."

The Lord of Death slowly clenched his fists.

"Patience, perseverance, planning, waiting, one blow after another, and a final blow that weakens the enemy so much that they can never avoid it: this is the way of the Death Guard Legion."

“That’s also my way of fighting.”

Having said that, it seemed as if the ancient memories had brought back some emotions for him, and Mortarion suddenly smiled sentimentally.

"You know what, Leman Russ."

“In my life, I only admit to failure once.”

“That failure was caused by my recklessness: I planned to fight to the death, but without sufficient preparation and patience, I recklessly launched the final challenge to the powerful enemy. That’s why I had to swallow the bitter fruit of failure.”

"..."

"I promise you, brother."

"There will never be a second failure like this."

"I will defeat them: defeat these damned psychic wizards."

"Defeat them little by little."

“Let them despair.”

“Make them crazy.”

"Let them seek their own death."

"Starting with Magnus."

"Keep an eye on him: in a few hours, I will show you how a psychic like him can bring about his own destruction."

(End of this chapter)