Emperor's Bane

Chapter 769 New Year's Eve Special: Slaanesh if Line Extra (Continued)
"By the way, Lord Luo Jia."

"I haven't had time to congratulate you on your great victory in the Fenris System yet."

"I heard that Horus cut off Leman Russ's head himself: on the Heracle Fenr?"

Even for the Great Speaker Luo Jia himself, it is not an easy task to walk in the palace of the Dawnbreaker, which has fallen to a certain extreme.

In the past days, Lorgar had witnessed the licentious palaces honoring the name of the Prince of Pleasure more than once: as the most powerful of the four Chaos Powers, Slaanesh's power is now strong enough to overwhelm his three brothers.

Even in the depths of the Chaos-centered Warp, the number of Daemon worlds that have fallen to Slaanesh is far greater than any other of their kind: greater than the total number of them.

The original balance of the Great Game had been irreversibly overturned. Slaanesh had been seen as the most promising of the brothers, the player most likely to win the Great Game: but no one expected that He would win so quickly.

In other words: No one expected Him to be so honest and...generous.

In the real universe, the situation has become extremely one-sided.

The successive fall of Avalon, the Five Hundred Worlds, and Nostramo, as well as their subsequent secondary expansion, dyed almost half of the galaxy with bright purple, representing joy, and indulgence in it was rampant. Every second, the number of Slaanesh's followers was growing unlimitedly by the billions.

Anyone loyal to the Emperor would faint with horror if they took one look at the current situation in the galaxy: the magnificent territory formerly known as the Far Eastern Frontier had turned into an insatiable purple-black color on the star map, and even the Eye of Terror had to admit defeat.

Beneath him, the once mighty Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar were completely torn into millions of pieces by the most successful expedition in the history of the galaxy, falling into an endless cycle of power, lust and nothingness.

The Queen of Avalon used the massive amount of Ultramarines seeds she had seized, and after Guilliman left in tears, she created a large number of twisted and deformed [New Ultramarines]: they obeyed the Spider Queen's instigation, and their hearts were filled with endless vanity and desire for power.

The utopia that the Lord of Macragge spent hundreds of years building became a rich and prosperous source of fat for Slaanesh: the deformed warlords and tyrants squandered the almost inexhaustible heritage of the Five Hundred Worlds, and with a series of flashy but futile campaigns, they transformed the former Second Empire into an inexhaustible granary for the Prince of Pleasure in the physical universe.

On the other hand, the people of Nostramo chose a more personal path of depravity: they rushed into the restricted area called the Ghoul Stars like madmen, built the most luxurious flesh and blood workshops, and created laboratories with star regions and galaxies as units.

Every day, a vast sea of ​​​​alien mutants, modified bodies and twisted flesh crawl out from the soil of Nostramo, and are pulled by whips and chains to the forge called Galaxy to join the holy crusade of justice.

The newly born Midnight Lords named these ugly monsters as soldiers, and they themselves were inspectors, judges and police inspectors, responsible for commanding these pathetic redeemed soldiers to practice the true meaning of justice in the galaxy.

In the past, the quest for justice had driven the Night Haunters mad, but now the situation was very different: under the guidance of Morgan and his Lord, the Eighth Primarch and his entire Legion finally understood the close connection between the Path of Slackness and the Path of Justice.

Since they are judges and are born with the standards of justice, why should they bother themselves and lower themselves to find suitable standards in prisoners: anyone or anything that goes against the thinking and ideas of them, the embodiment of justice, should naturally become the object that needs to be eliminated by justice.

Justice requires no thinking: it requires only execution.

With this idea in mind, the Eighth Legion eagerly threw itself into the plunder and devastation of the eastern galaxy: the newly born Thirteenth Legion was their biggest helper, but also their most important competitor.

After these two new legions' practice of the Way of Slaanesh, there are few worlds in the east of the Maelstrom that are loyal to the Imperium.

This was why Horus and Lorgar had been able to tolerate Morgan's absence: the Imperium had never been weaker, and when they laid siege to Holy Terra, they did not even need to worry about any loyalist reinforcements.

The north and west of the galaxy had already fallen into the hands of Horus and Lorgar, and the south was completely powerless to stop the scythe of Mortarion and the axe of Angron, who had completely lost his mind, due to the death of Corax.

As for the East?

The Spider Queen is working to transform the galaxy east of the Maelstrom into something more terrifying, more transcendent.

Even Luo Jia himself couldn't tell what Avalon was like today: he just knew that when he walked in it, he would instinctively feel very uncomfortable.

Especially when an entire squad of Dawnbreakers chose to go with him.

And the leader was obviously a chatterbox.

The Great Speaker frowned slightly.

But he nodded anyway.

"Yes."

"Both the defense of Fenris and the VI Legion itself were completely destroyed by the death of Leman Russ and the disintegration of the Heracles Fenr: this is enough to comfort the spirits of Magnus and the Thousand Sons."

"This is good."

Dawnbreaker just nodded. Luo Jia didn't like his arrogant attitude.

"Horus did a good job."

"But I heard that Jagatai Khan and his army took the opportunity to escape back to Terra?"

"..."

Luo Jia was silent for a moment.

"Please pay attention."

The Primarch's voice became much more gloomy.

"You are talking about the Warmaster, the commander of this great war, the one chosen by the gods to defeat the false emperor once and for all: you should call him [Master Horus] and give this name the highest respect."

"grown ups?"

Several Dawnbreakers stopped.

They looked at each other, and then laughed wildly and crazily: even the fallen knight who had been following them laughed like a human.

"I understand what you are saying, sir."

Dawnbreaker deliberately delayed for several seconds before uttering the last damn name.

"But please note: perhaps other gods did choose Horus."

"But Slaanesh: absolutely not."

Luo Jia frowned.

"Who are you to say that? The blessing of Slaanesh still lingers on Horus."

"Maybe."

Dawnbreaker waved.

"But our mother was not optimistic that Horus could defeat the Emperor."

"Slaanesh will not disobey her."

"Oh, or rather... He can't~"

This time, the smiles of the Dawnbreakers turned into a spine-chilling gloom.

"..."

Luo Jia said nothing more.

Although he still supported and respected Horus from the bottom of his heart: after all, the Wolf Shepherd God at this moment was one of the most powerful life forms in the real universe. He controlled the power bestowed by the four gods with a clear mind. From Istvaan to Betanjamon today, Lorgar had never seen him rest even once.

He was willing to follow Horus: but he could not speak for him here.

The Primarch closed his mouth, and the rest of the journey became exceptionally quiet: the Dawnbreakers were still guiding Lorgar, and from time to time a Dawnbreaker warrior would leave the team, and then another one would appear from nowhere to take his place.

But from beginning to end, Lorgar felt a strict discipline: a rigor and order that was almost impossible for the followers of Slaanesh to maintain for a long time.

Not only that, there are some places that also make the Great Speaker feel weird.

The first is the palace itself: not to mention how huge this palace is, they seem to have walked through a world, but still cannot see the end of the corridor.

But more importantly, its decoration is so... contrary to the teachings of the Prince of Pleasure.

Pure white marble and polished silver towers formed a monotonous corridor, and the geometric shapes of the Eldar architecture were integrated into it with the most perfect posture: so perfect that even these ancient aliens themselves could never replicate it.

Sculptures of alabaster, marble, and jade surround exquisite fountains adorned with jewels and velvet, while more precious gems adorn the walls in amazing density and arrangement, like stars in every corner of the field of vision.

Everything is so regular.

So neat.

So... normal?
Layak uttered the word slowly: although he was a hundred and twenty times reluctant in his heart, he had to admit it.

This palace is really normal: apart from being a little too monotonous and empty, it would not look out of place even in the Terra Palace.

But...

But this is not normal...

This is... the kingdom of Slaanesh?

Layak stared at the red gems and pale gold veins on the wall, as well as the neat white borders: tens of millions of square carvings like small stones distinguished each huge wall, like demons, attracting the dazed footsteps of the Word Bearers.

Before he knew it, he found himself standing in front of a wall.

An ordinary wall: he had walked past tens of thousands of walls like this in the past few hours, but the first and the last seemed to be no different.

Just... very ordinary?
With doubt in his heart, Layak touched it tentatively.

"..."

Cold sweat broke out on his face.

Why……

Why is it soft?

Are the walls soft?

But it is obviously marble?
and many more……

How did he know it was marble? When did he think of it?
But marble is supposed to be soft...

Etc., etc……

No...no!
Layak took a deep breath and touched it again with courage, trying his best to maintain his calm thinking.

He saw: it was indeed marble.

He felt it: it was indeed soft.

He thought: this touch, this smell, this familiar feeling.

That’s right…it’s not marble.

Layak recognized it.

……

This is human skin.

Living, human skin: its owner must still be breathing and thinking.

But…but where are they?
Suddenly, the Word Bearer's back and hair were soaked. He didn't notice how heavy his breathing was, nor did he notice that he had been separated from the main group. He stood there at a loss, like a child who had wet his pants.

Want an explanation: Come up with an explanation using his worldview.

They are alive, but how can walls be alive?
Their heads? Where is their brain? The rest of it... where!
He opened his mouth wide, and there was a strange sweetness in the cold air.

It seemed to be guiding him, pulling him invisibly, causing Layak to stumble forward and hit his head against the soft, warm wall: a strange feeling came from his forehead.

He looked closely and found that it was a perfect red cat's eye.

It's really...complete.

The Word Bearer, who had never felt wealth, was fascinated at this moment. He revealed an expression of unimaginable greed, and subconsciously grasped the gem tightly, and with a slight force, he pulled it out.

So beautiful.

Layak looked closely at the special black luster in the center of the cat's eye.

So thick, so charming.

It seemed to move.

……

Do not……

It's really moving!
It really moved and surged and blinked like a real eye.

They were all looking at him!
All the gems! The eyes! The things on the walls! They were all looking at him!
He felt it!
Layak sat down on the ground.

They were screaming: from the void left by the gem came screams, voices that sounded as if they came from the deepest reaches of the Warp.

Layak could hear clearly that it was a tortured man who was praying for a complete death, praying to be able to escape from this place, and praying that he could see the truth behind the veil of the warp.

He saw it!

They let him see!
Layak looked toward the wall.

White marble... No! It was skin that was so pale that it had lost its color.

Gems of different colors... No! Those were eyeballs that were plucked out alive and put back, yet they still retained their thoughts and power.

Neat borders...

No, those are teeth.

Those skins and eyeballs and teeth, they were mixed together: I didn’t know how many people there were, and I didn’t know what postures they were in, but they made up this room, this palace.

They were alive… He walked on their living bodies.

A living, crying body, an unknown object.

They fit together like bricks in a wall.

They... they...

Layak fell to his knees.

How could they be like this.

How could he be like this!
Where is this?
Reality? Or madness?
Is he still alive?
Is he still awake?
Is he still...is he still himself?

In the end...

"What are you doing?"

In his ear, a fairy-like voice dragged Layak out of his madness.

"..."

He turned his head away numbly, almost unconsciously.

Then he saw the most perfect face he had ever seen in his life.

A lady with pale hair and lavender eyes, her light skin was just the right shade, her features were perfectly set on her face, as if it was a galactic treasure carved by Slaanesh himself.

She knelt beside Layak, so gentle and considerate, so beautiful...

The brilliance of the gem just now is not even one-tenth as bright as that of this lady.

Oh my god…oh my god…

Was he in love? Was his great heart, once pledged to Chaos, lost?

This... this ecstatic heartbeat.

"me……"

Layak opened his mouth: the greatest messenger of God in the galaxy could not utter a word.

"I just……"

"Ah, I understand."

The lady smiled sweetly: her long skirt had the same sheen as her hair, and her waist was so slender, it seemed even smaller than Layak's wrist. She had no muscles on her body, but her long legs seemed able to hold anyone tightly.

When the Word Bearer stood up and discovered that the lady only reached his lower abdomen, he had to desperately suppress certain obscene fantasies that suddenly burst into his mind.

Reach out and pick up the gem.

"You were just being naughty, weren't you?"

She winked playfully and put the gem back into its place.

The sound disappeared in an instant.

Hundreds of millions of children had their souls sucked out alive, screaming, and disappeared.

The world has become quiet.

"Don't do this next time."

The Lady took the Word Bearer's hand: her strength was surprisingly great.

"After all, it is a huge project to sort out the network of these souls and meridians."

“It’s not easy to keep them alive.”

The lady walked to the fountain and scooped out fresh [spring water].

"After each destruction, we need to replenish enough souls in time."

"..."

Layak watched the lady splashing the fountain water on the wall.

He tried not to think about what the so-called soul had to do with the water in the fountain.

Just as he tried hard to ignore the lifelike little angel statues on the fountain, they were turning and looking at his eyes with horror.

He just looked at the wall again.

Ok……

They are marble.

Caress again.

This time, it's hard.

Layak remained silent. He would rather believe that what he saw was reality.

And just as he was silent, hurried footsteps came from behind him: it turned out that the Dawnbreaker and his father discovered his disappearance and turned back to look for the unfortunate Word Bearer.

Just as Layak was about to step forward, he discovered that the leading Word Bearers had already strode up to his lady.

He bowed before the gorgeous lady.

"Mr. Lana, why are you here?"

"My mother asked me to come and see why her distinguished guest hasn't arrived yet."

Lady Lana, the Spider Queen's only chief of guards, smiled.

"Ah, this..."

Dawnbreaker rubbed his head.

"I just want to show them around my mother's palace a little more."

"That's it..."

Ms. Rana smiled sweetly.

"In that case..."

"Snapped!"

A crisp sound.

Before others could even see what was happening, the leader of the Dawnbreakers had already been beheaded.

The silver helmet spun on the ground, and then the huge body fell down with a loud bang.

"Really."

Lana licked the blood on his hand, then took the axe blade handed to him by the person next to him.

"I told you, right?"

An axe.

"Get there as soon as possible."

Two axes.

"Mother has also told you about this, right?"

Three axes.

"I can't let you do whatever you want this time."

Four axes.

Five axes.

Six Axes...

"call……"

After slashing at the Dawnbreaker's body for nearly hundreds of times, until only a pool of fine flesh remained on the ground, Ms. Rana wiped the sweat from her forehead and stomped on the Dawnbreaker's head.

"Do you understand?"

"Zizi...Zizi..."

"Understood, Your Excellency."

The Dawnbreaker's meat paste rolled and sizzled like beef on a griddle, making sounds at an unimaginable frequency, and gradually gathered together visibly: just like the legendary slime monster.

The heart was looking for the lung tube, while the liver and kidneys grew hands and feet and hurriedly collected the rotten meat everywhere and then assembled it together: from time to time, they would make sharp roars to drive away the Emperor's son who rushed up to lick it.

"Ok."

Lana waved.

"I'll find someone to take your shift: remember to make up the lost time tomorrow."

"Yes, sir..."

This time it was the head that had turned into a mass of red and yellow that spoke.

"Really..."

Lana smiled apologetically at Luo Jia.

Then, looked to the other side.

"Hector: Next, you will lead Lord Luo Jia to his mother."

"Understood, Lord Commander of the Guards."

The dull sound was like rumbling thunder.

Layak, who had not yet recovered from the series of accidents, raised his head.

Then they saw that the knight mecha that had been following them all along had taken off its helmet at some point: a being named Hector, with a head larger than the entire torso of Blayak, smiled at Lorgar and his offspring.

"This way please, Lord Luo Jia."

"You will be able to catch the annual [Imperial Feast]."

(End of this chapter)