Emperor's Bane

Chapter 937 Vulcan: Playing Big

For a long time, the Lord of Fire Dragons has maintained a subtle distance from his blood brothers.

At least that's what he thinks.

During the 150 years of the Great Expedition, although he made a small contribution to the great revival of the human empire, he never found a reliable friend.

He was not estranged from any of his brothers, and there were no enemies among the Primarchs.

You should know that this is not easy.

Even a Primarch like Morgan, who is known for her social skills in the public eye, is not able to get along well with all her Gene brothers: for example, the relationship between the Spider Queen and Feralus is too optimistic to even describe as cold, and her long-standing struggle with Mortarion, the Lord of Death, is an old topic that is an open secret among the Gene Primarchs.

The only one who could surpass Morgan was perhaps the shrewd and resourceful Midnight Ghost. But even the Midnight Ghost had places he couldn't visit. For example, Roger, who had a kind face but refused to see any outsiders, never received Conrad like his other brothers.

But aside from that, Conrad does get a smile and a cup of hot tea from most of his brothers, and a semi-permanent place to live when necessary: this is already an exceptionally good reputation among the Primarchs.

Vulcan, on the other hand, was somewhat less fortunate. Although he didn't have many semi-permanent residences, he was at least able to maintain a nodding acquaintance with most of his brothers, and he never lacked smiles or hot tea.

Even Mottalian and Chagatai Khan, who were known for their eccentricities and unconventional ways, maintained a fairly good relationship with Vulcan.

During the Great Expedition, the former visited the planet Nocturne at the invitation of the Lord of Fire Dragons. He praised the noble character of the local people of Nocturne for being able to create a good life in such a harsh volcanic environment, describing them as the greatest people in the entire galaxy, second only to Barbaros.

At least in Mortarian's eyes, this was the highest praise he could possibly receive.

As for the latter: the Khanate of the White Scars, as a neighbor that has long bordered the territory of Vulcan to the north, has always maintained a peaceful state of not interfering with each other. Even though Chagatai Khan chose to side with Horus during the Terra crisis, and the Salamander Legion has always been a loyal subject of Holy Terra, the border between the two sides has not caused more friction due to this difference in direction.

Even now, this tacit pacifism continues to benefit both sides of the border.

Unlike Mortarion, Chagatai Khan did not need to leave half of his legion's strength to guard his borders. He only needed to leave a small force to guard the border with the Far East. Meanwhile, the main force of the White Scars, numbering over 200,000, would become a major threat to Dorne on the eastern front under the command of the Primarch.

On the other hand, the Lord of Fire Dragons did not choose to openly support Terra. Although this was largely due to the malicious and brutal behavior of Makado and others during the Terra crisis, which indeed chilled Vulcan's heart, it also ensured that he was not currently under military pressure from the Warmaster and could confidently bring the vast majority of his forces into the Web War.

However, Vulcan knew very well that this did not mean that the tacit understanding between him and the Khan was particularly deep: if the Lord of the Fire Dragons chose to stand on Terra's side after the outbreak of war, the White Scars' mobile cavalry would not hesitate at all, and they would tear apart the peaceful world that had gradually forgotten war and bloodshed under the Lord of the Fire Dragons' long-term protection with lightning speed.

These worlds are as fragile as the friendships between Primarchs.

This is especially true of Vulcan's.

As mentioned before, although the Lord of Fire Dragons was not estranged from any of his brothers, conversely, he did not have any life-or-death bonds with any of them.

If Vulcan were to choose a best friend, he might choose Horus: but Horus is a universal option, and the Lord of Fire Dragons is well aware that his relationship with the Wolf God has not been as close since Ulanor. Although Horus has always tried to maintain their connection, Vulcan always feels that the Warmaster's smile is no longer pure.

He became too tired and overthinking.

This Horus made him uneasy.

Similarly, he found himself increasingly unable to understand certain implications and ideas in Horus's words.

However, this was never his forte.

From the moment he met his first brother, Vulcan realized how difficult communication was for him; he could never understand the obvious veiled meanings in the other Primarchs' words: this problem has not been properly resolved to this day.

For example, when Morgan expressed her hope that the Lord of Fire and Angron would not harm her new toy.

The Lord of the World Devourers merely responded lazily, while the Primarch of the Fire Lizard seemed much more serious.

When Morgan went to retrieve the toy, Vulcan deliberately went to a more secluded spot, lest his clumsiness break something delicate.

Until he saw Morgan return.

And what she held in her hand...

"..."

"Is that an iron chain?"

"It's specially made."

The Lord of Fire Dragons was still staring blankly, while Angron, used to such sights, lowered his head and began wiping the dust off his armor.

"You mean Morgan's toys are people..."

"No, it's not that bad, but it's not that good either."

Angron raised his head.

He was not surprised to see the smiling Queen of Avalon slowly walking towards them, her right hand wrapped in an iron chain, the other end of which was tied to a fragile neck: a figure emerged from the shadows, slender, healthy, and with a face that, by human aesthetic standards, could be described as beautiful.

The only problem is that the ears on either side of this face are not round like a human's, but rather repulsively sharp.

"Is it the Spirit Race?"

Unconsciously, Vulcan's words became tinged with anger.

"And he's a Dark Elf."

Angron, on the other hand, was more composed. He merely glanced at his bare wrists and ankles, briefly identifying some exposed tattoos and piercings, before giving a positive answer.

So the Lord of the World Devourers straightened up a bit.

He could roughly guess why Morgan had brought this toy over in such a grand manner.

【Please introduce yourself to Lilith.】

During the conversation, the Spider Queen returned to her brothers with a smile on her face. In addition, she did not forget to leave her toy and daughter out of Vulcan's wrath.

"She...is she your toy?"

The Lord of Fire Dragons felt somewhat annoyed: once again, he had failed to grasp the hidden meaning in his blood relative's words.

But soon, he stopped caring about it.

When Vulcan's somewhat angry gaze swept over Morgan's toy, he saw something on that long, slender face that made the Lord of Fire Dragons hold his breath: the eyes of the Eldar before him.

It couldn't be more obvious.

"She's dead, isn't she?"

After staring at him for a second or two, Vulcan looked at Morgan.

“I can see no life in those eyes.”

Why should I let her live?

Morgan simply responded with a smile.

Or rather, isn't it a bit too cruel to let a toy that's been played with live?

This left Vulcan speechless.

He felt there was something wrong with what he said, but it also seemed to make no problem at all.

Meanwhile, Angron, who had a deep understanding of all Eldar races, stroked his chin: the name Morgan had just mentioned sounded very familiar to him.

“Lilith, I’ve heard of her.”

The Lord of Devourers lost focus.

"If I remember correctly: she should be the most famous killer in all of Comoros."

She truly deserves this honor.

Morgan beckoned, and Lilith, whose pupils were devoid of any life, stood up numbly and efficiently like a robot that had received a command, and walked to the Spider Queen. Although she was considered tall and strong among the Dark Eldar, compared to the Primarch, even compared to Morgan, who was the second smallest among the Primarchs, the former Queen of the Comoros only reached the Spider Queen's chest.

Morgan could easily lift his hand and pinch Lilith's chin, slowly admiring his creation.

She is strong, swift, and possesses the pride and experience of a true warrior.

Until she messed with the wrong person.

The Primarch traced circles on the Dark Eldar's cheek with his fingers.

She attacked me, harmed my offspring, and sought to make my legions her next trophy: though all the arrogant Eldar who dared to participate in this operation have already surrendered their lives and souls to me forever, Lilith is different. She is the most prominent, the proudest among them, and therefore, my affection and punishment for her will be different.

Instinctively, Vulcan sensed that Morgan's phrase "life and soul" was not merely a metaphor.

"I think I know about this."

As the Lord of Fire Dragons narrowed his eyes at the sight before him, Angron was preoccupied with another question.

“I heard that in the early days of the Great Crusade, shortly after you and your legion reunited, you had an encounter with a group of extremely powerful Dark Eldar and suffered considerable losses in the battle. Nevertheless, you annihilated the invading Dark Eldar. However, this battle was never recorded in the official military records of the Great Crusade.”

I don't need to report everything, do I?

"So, you turned it into a doll?"

The Lord of Fire Dragons then asked a question.

His brow never relaxed from beginning to end.

Vulcan had mixed feelings about Morgan's actions.

On the one hand, he did not think it was cruel to punish the invading Eldar. The hatred between the Lord of Fire Dragons and these ancient alien races was far more complex than imagined. Not to mention the battles with the Dark Eldar on Nocturne, Vulcan had done two things during the Great Crusade that seemed completely out of character for him.

Once, after a fierce battle, Vulcan burned a genuine Eldar child to death with flames: although it was proven to be more of an unintentional act, the Lord of Fire still took the blame upon himself.

The second time, things were much clearer: after determining that a group of human colonies, ruled by the Eldar for thousands of years and whose minds had long been enslaved and who had no desire to accept the Empire's rule, were beyond redemption, the Lord of Fire Dragons signed one of the few extermination orders of his life, and did not forget the alien races that were the instigators.

With these things as a prefix, Vulcan certainly didn't have a good opinion of the Eldar.

But, then again.

"..."

The Lord of Fire Dragons glanced at Morgan's toys.

It must be said that even among all the Primarchs, Morgan's craftsmanship is among the best. Her meticulousness and ingenuity as a woman make her works more vibrant than those of geniuses like Peturabo or Firus. Although she is not well-known to the outside world, the Spider Queen can indeed create miracles with her own hands.

A lifelike miracle.

Even by Vulcan's standards, Lilith before him was truly a breathtaking gem. The smoothness of her skin and the coordination of her limbs showed absolutely no trace of death. The aura in her eyes and the texture of her face, after the Primarch's subtle adjustments, had gradually shed the cruelty of the alien creature, replacing it with a softer beauty that was more in line with human aesthetics.

She is indeed a beauty.

A beauty sculpted by Morgan himself.

Despite knowing that she was just a doll, a creature whose soul had long been cruelly extracted by Morgan, and who, in the final moments of her life, remained conscious and underwent a living transformation, perhaps only dying in endless pain: even worse, a part of her soul might be imprisoned by the Spider Queen, still crying and wandering in this cage built by her own body.

Even so, as long as those eyes were covered—those eyes that Morgan had deliberately left unclosed—Vulcan still felt that the Dark Eldar before him seemed to breathe and move.

She was still alive. But she was also dead.

She is still a life.

But she's also a toy.

"..."

The Emperor is above.

Even aliens shouldn't be subjected to such torture.

So, is she still alive?

That depends on how you interpret it.

Morgan simply chuckled.

If living is merely defined as preserving memories, preserving senses, and preserving the right to perceive pain and sorrow, then...

Yes, she is very healthy.

She can even hear you, Vulcan.

[If she hasn't been driven mad by torture yet.]

"..."

The Lord of Fire Dragons trembled.

He decided not to delve any further into the topic.

While speaking, the Lord of Avalon did not look at her brothers; her attention was entirely on Lilith. Morgan's fingertips absentmindedly traced the face of the Dark Eldar, brushing past the back of her ear, lightly pressing a vulnerable spot on her neck, and finally grasping the eyelid above her eyelashes, lifting it up, and examining the lifeless pupils with the same scrutiny as if they were a machine.

"What...are you doing, Morgan?"

This behavior aroused a feeling of nausea in the Lord of Fire Dragons, almost like a physiological reaction, especially when he thought that one of them was actually his trusted blood brother. This absurdity was so great that Vulcan didn't have time to think about anything. But Morgan's actions and attitude were unusually serious, not like he was playing around, but more like he was dealing with a matter of life and death.

Vulcan felt his brain wasn't quite up to par.

But Morgan answered him quickly.

I'm checking, bro.

She smiled at Vulcan.

Just like I said.

She's still alive, and a living alien is not to be trusted.

Every now and then, I have to check on her; after all, she still has a very important task to complete.

"Task?"

Vulcan was somewhat puzzled, but Anglon, standing to the side, had already figured out all the causes and consequences.

"Of course, Brother Vulcan."

"How do you think Morgan was able to pinpoint the exact location of Comoros in the Webpath? What could be more familiar with the path to Comoros than the Dark Eldar, who once reigned supreme in the Comoros arena?"

"You mean: for all these days, we've been moving forward under the guidance of this Eldar."

"When it comes to achieving great things, the bottom line can be more flexible."

The Lord of the World Devourers stared expressionlessly at Morgan and Lilith.

"And what Morgan did wasn't particularly strange."

"You call this not strange?"

"Oh, my Vulcan brother."

"You've obviously never been to a slave arena."

"You have no idea how outrageous the shows those slave owners came up with to keep the audience entertained before or during the duels."

"Believe me, you only need to hear one or two of them to be unable to resist killing every slave owner in the galaxy."

"Just like me."

After saying that, Anglon looked at Morgan.

The Spider Queen bent down, pressing her cheek tightly against that of her most lowly daughter. The Primarch's lips rested near Lilith's ear, breathing softly.

Even from several meters away, Vulcan could almost smell the cloying sweetness that Morgan hadn't had time to wash off.

"What are they doing now?"

He didn't ask any questions because he instinctively realized that Morgan couldn't be disturbed at this moment.

"I am not sure."

Angron shook his head.

"But I suggest you turn around."

"what?"

“I said, turn around and go to the balcony to see what the Astartes are doing down there?”

"You can also wave to them and chat with them or something."

"In short, stop looking, Vulcan."

"..."

The Lord of Fire Dragons did not approve of this suggestion.

He soon regretted it.

Because in Vulcan's wide eyes, the Spider Queen's next move was clearly depicted: Morgan blew a few breaths of hot air into the numb Lilith's ear with an ambiguous attitude, as if quietly activating some mechanism. With a crisp metallic sound, the Spider Queen's finger was deeply inserted into Lilith's ear canal, penetrating it little by little until almost the entire finger was inserted, and bright red blood oozed from the crack.

"..."

Vulcan had nothing to say.

He watched as Morgan's fingers exerted a slight pressure, lifting half of Lilith's face and her entire head.

Before the bright red, pulsating brain appeared in the air, the salamander's genetic prototype turned away without hesitation.

"Thank you for your suggestion, Brother Angron."

"You're welcome."

By the time Anglon replied, Vulcan was already standing behind the railing, looking down at the legions below.

Honestly, this makes things a lot easier.

On the outskirts of this impossible city, Astartes warriors from three legions set up their makeshift tents, laid out supplies, and built a sturdy military fortress. The combined strength of the legions exceeded 500,000 men, stretching as far as the eye could see, far beyond the Primarch's field of vision. But even the details at hand were enough to warm one's heart.

Although there hadn't been much contact before, both the Dawnbreakers and the Salamanders were gentle and outgoing, and the World Eaters had a good relationship with these two brother legions. Therefore, after the Dawnbreakers arrived, the three legions quickly became close friends.

Although the various legions' camps were generally set up separately in order to maintain order, this did not prevent them from visiting each other and colluding during their leisure time.

Especially after the Dawnbreakers arrived, the excitement level instantly rose to ten or even nine points.

Vulcan had no idea how they did it: it was a crucial battle concerning the life and death of the galaxy, and the Dawnbreaker Legion seemed well-prepared and taking it very seriously, but after they set up camp, the Sons of Morgan, who had come to mingle with the Salamanders and World Eaters, suddenly pulled out some small items that Vulcan had never seen before from some obscure corner, confidently found their brothers from other legions, and began bartering out of interest.

In the blink of an eye, a small market was born under the watchful eye of the Primarch: the whole process took less than five minutes.

When several Dawnbreakers had already set up a makeshift auction stage using their transport vehicles and crates filled with supplies, and the Salamanders and World Eaters were happily mingling in the audience holding up signs that appeared out of nowhere, Vulcan suddenly awoke with a start.

But for some reason, the Lord of Fire Dragons did not feel disgusted by this behavior that delayed military discipline.

On the contrary, he was quite happy watching from the sidelines.

They could even forget the strange licking sounds coming from behind them.

That sounded like the tongue brushing against the brain.

"..."

Just as the salamander's Primarch was silent, he suddenly realized that Angron had appeared beside him at some point.

He also looked outside.

In response to Vulcan's astonishment, Anglon only said one sentence.

"Actually... not everything is available in the arena."

"..."

After this exchange, they fell silent, the only sounds in the air being the enthusiastic shouts of the Dawnbreakers and the rising waves of bidding from the Salamanders and World Devourers.

"..."

"Angron".

"Why do your descendants possess so many Spirit Clan artifacts?"

"It's spoils of war, brother."

"However, I am also curious, Vulcan, why are there so many Eldar artifacts among your offspring: they even appear to be Comorian."

"..."

"Sorry, brother, I shouldn't have asked."

------

It wasn't until a month later that the Human Lord's army of the Net Path arrived at the Impossible City and joined them.

------

Yeah, I felt nothing when writing about the nice guy and the ruthless killer; even I found it dry and uninteresting.

After much thought, I realize that the emperor truly has the most charisma.