Emperor's Bane

Chapter 987 Thirsty Reinforcements and Moro

"So, just as you've seen."

"While you are fighting for the galaxy."

"I am also fighting for my [Legion]."

Alpharis, of course, would not mention the existence of Omega in front of Chagatai Khan.

What Hydra presented to the White Scar Lord was an answer he had carefully researched. This answer was truthful and detailed enough to tell Alpharis's experiences and difficulties over the past period, but it was also clever enough that even if the Khan read this story a thousand times, he would not be able to find any trace of Omega in it.

It is even less likely that this could be traced back to Hydra and thus pose a threat to the latter.

Of course, Alpharis knew that Chagatai would most likely disdain plotting against or extorting him. The barbarian king's inner world was actually exceptionally noble: even his rebellion in support of Horus, when traced back to its roots, was motivated by public interest rather than personal gain.

At least, more than what could be gained from the shattered and rebuilt grand order, Chagatai was concerned with how a new peace would return to the human empire.

In this respect alone, he is at least better than Mortarion and Forgrim, whose support for Horus was tainted with self-interest, and also better than someone like Sangilius: the archangel's weakness and inaction are fatal from another perspective, for either side of the war.

Of course, these reasons alone are not enough to make Alpharis open his heart to Chagatai Khan: at least at this time, the Khan is not someone Alpharis can absolutely trust.

The reason he chose the White Scar Lord as the confidant was simply because Chagatai Khan was the most likely point of attack for the Horus faction.

He was smart enough to see through the mystery.

They have a broad perspective and understand right from wrong.

In terms of personality, he is also independent enough and has the courage to break through the bond he once had with Horus.

Moreover, and most importantly, Chagatai Khan possessed one of the most vigorous mobility among the Primarchs.

He never hesitates; once he recognizes reality, he goes all out: this is exactly what Hydra needs.

Alpharis originally preferred the Archangel Baal as his partner, but Saint Gilles' attitude disappointed him somewhat: the Archangel's attitude remained ambiguous in the face of Hydra's sincere invitation (at least from Alpharis's perspective).

He did not come as invited, but he did not outright refuse to contact Alpharis either: Hydra was always able to deliver letters to Baal with precision, and he was always treated with courtesy and returned safely when he delivered the letters, but every letter he sent seemed to disappear into thin air, remaining undelivered by Sanguis.

He remained silent when asked to gauge Horus's attitude.

When asked about his views on the Holy Terra, he fell silent.

It was as if the Archangel Baal had already decided to maintain a detached stance in this war, even being extremely stingy with his verbal pronouncements: given the brutal nature of this war, as well as Saint Gilles' reputation and the crucial geographical location of the Ninth Legion, this decision inevitably made the Hydra Lord somewhat look down on his brother.

You must know that Baal is an archangel with an illustrious reputation, and no one would be foolish enough to ignore his voice.

The territory of the Holy Blood Angels stands proudly between the Wolf Kingdom and the Far Eastern Frontier, like the last chip on a scale. With just a slight gesture, it can overturn the situation in the galaxy: whichever side it leans towards will gain the initiative east of the Great Vortex.

Not to mention, the Ninth Legion's formidable strength is entirely worthy of their current status. Neither side will treat them as pawns to be manipulated; on the contrary, they will regard the Archangel as one of the most important allies in the galaxy and will do everything in their power to win him over.

After all, a Ninth Legion stationed on the border was enough to keep the resilient Zhuang Sen awake day and night, and enough to make Horus in the Solar System constellation feel constrained: at that time, even if Saint Gilles asked for an exorbitant price, both sides, deeply embroiled in war, would have no choice but to grit their teeth and agree.

Despite holding so many good cards, Saint Gilles responded by staying home and acting like a coward.

Not to mention engaging in any subtle or overt competition between the two factions, he wasn't even willing to reveal his interest in getting involved, thus unilaterally diminishing the prestige of the Ninth Legion.

This is truly contrary to the name of an "angel".

Whenever he thought of this, a hint of contempt would rise in Alpharis's heart.

Once upon a time, Morgan also told him that Saint Gilles was the bravest and most fearless of all the genetic brothers.

Looking back now, I realize that even someone as wise as the Lord of Avalon can make a mistake.

……

Of course, AlphaRes is not an idiot who judges others based solely on subjective impressions.

If that were truly the case, he wouldn't have lived this long.

In fact, after realizing that Sangilius's condition was very different from that during the Great Crusade, even though he was deeply involved in the war with Omega in the Maelstrom, the Hydra Lord still gritted his teeth and dispatched an elite force to help him find out the situation on Baal's side: Surely the archangel couldn't really be too cowardly to intervene in the situation of the galaxy?

Or is he in other trouble now?
If that's the case, then something's not right.

Amidst the turmoil of the Hydra Lord's mind, this elite team was gone for a year.

Not long ago, they finally revealed the truth after suffering more than half their losses.

Just as Alpha feared, the Ninth Legion's sluggish performance in this war was not merely due to Saint Gilles' personal feelings; there was a more realistic reason behind it.

That is: they are in real trouble now.

Thirst.

This nightmare, which nearly destroyed the entire Ninth Legion before Saint Gilles' return, has returned with lightning speed and a brand new look after decades of lurking and dissipation. Just when everyone thought he had been trampled underfoot by the newly born Holy Blood Angels, he once again declared war on the offspring of Archangel Baal.

The timing of the outbreak of this war was so coincidental it was almost frightening.

Despite the Hydra's investigation, the problem of blood thirst has never been completely resolved. However, thanks to the encouragement of the Father of Genetics and the self-efforts of the Holy Blood Angels, the bloodlust that once swept through the entire legion has now become a tragedy that only occurs in extremely rare cases. It is precisely because of this that Saint Gilles has been able to barely conceal the Ninth Legion's flaws from the public eye.

But at the same time the Terra crisis erupted: when Sanguis boarded the Soul of Vengeance and traveled to Holy Terra with his closest brother, Wolf God, to question the High Lords about the Emperor's safety, Bloodthirst, which in his eyes was no longer a threat, once again swept through the entire Ninth Legion after he left.

At first, no one cared: it was just that a few fighting brothers were behaving too wildly in the arena, accidentally injuring their comrade in a real sword fight.

Then, the artistic tastes of some of the fighting brothers seemed to undergo an inexplicable transformation: although they still insisted on the art of splendor and dedication, their deliberately sharpened teeth and slightly scarlet pupils made the veterans of the Legion's Terra murmur in private.

They had all lived through that dark period, and their memories of the past were still vivid.

Therefore, when some restless fellows in the legion suddenly started drinking strangely flavored beverages, when the drained corpses of mortal crew members were discovered on the lower decks, and when chilling howls echoed from the shadows of the ship, the Terra veterans, led by Company Commander Amit of the Fifth Company, leaped up like wild beasts whose wounds had been punctured.

Instead of pinning their hopes on the self-deception that it was all just a coincidence or a prank, they quickly assembled and armed absolutely trustworthy men, and then united to pressure the interim legionary commander, Radolon, demanding that he declare a state of emergency for the entire legion: warriors who could prove their resistance to bloodshed were now in power, ready to nip this returning nightmare in the bud.

These heavily armed Terran veterans didn't care why Bloodthirst had re-emerged: that was a problem for the Legion's apothecaries. Their task was simply to control the entire Legion territory before it spiraled out of control, ensuring that all patients were isolated as soon as possible.

In fact, according to Hydra's investigation, Amit had proposed a more radical plan during the meeting.

For those brothers who are completely out of control, they can do what the father of genetics once did: give them peace.

Naturally, the suggestion was overwhelmingly rejected at the company commanders' meeting.

But perhaps fate decided to prove Amit right in the most honest way. Despite the Legion veterans, led by Radolon, doing their best to control the situation and trying everything to awaken their brothers who were trapped in the bloodbath, these methods, which had successfully saved the Legion under the Primarch's guidance, were no longer so effective this time.

More and more blood-drinkers are being imprisoned, but the number of deaths shows no signs of abating. The attackers are not only content with dark places such as the lower decks, but also dare to wreak havoc in public places. Even in the fortresses stationed on the ground, uncontrolled blood angels escape in the middle of the night, spreading the terror of blood-drinking demons in the residential areas of mortals.

The most alarming situation was that of outposts located in remote areas, guarded by only a few or a dozen Astartes warriors and a few hundred mortals: these isolated places lost contact with the Legion one after another, and Radolon sent men to investigate what had happened.

All they saw were corpses scattered on the ground: both Astartes and mortals, all drained of their blood.

In the short few months since Sanguis left, the situation has deteriorated to the point of being almost out of control. Radolon didn't even dare to report to his genetic father, because that would mean the risk of the information being leaked. He could only do his best to maintain stability with Amit and others.

Capture all mutants and enforce the strictest curfews and population controls in every world: even equip the teams capturing mutants with live ammunition, allowing them to act with minimal cost when necessary.

This did indeed result in casualties: at least several hundred out-of-control Bloodthirsty individuals were killed on the spot, the vast majority of whom were from Amit's company.

This man who tore apart flesh firmly believed that this was the only way to maintain the stability of the legion.

In a sense, they succeeded.

Despite the growing panic within the Ninth Legion, the outside world remained completely unaware of the changes within the Legion until Sanguis returned from the Terra crisis.

Even AlphaRes didn't know.

But apart from that, all that awaited Saint Gilles was news that felt like a nightmare.

The Ninth Legion, which had a full strength of less than 200,000 men, had more than 5,000 missing persons and confirmed cases of blood thirst when Sanguis returned to Terra: not counting the unfortunate souls who died at the hands of their brothers.

Moreover, the number of people infected with blood thirst is growing catastrophically at an exponential rate.

The report received by Hydra did not specify Saint Gilles' state of mind when he heard all this, or what he said afterward. Alpha only saw this much and did not care what the archangel would do next: because he knew that Saint Gilles was powerless.

Before the legion's troubles are resolved, even a crisis powerful enough to destroy the entire galaxy would only rank second in the Archangel's eyes.

It seems the Holy Blood Angels Legion is destined to miss out on the current war.

With that in mind, Alpharis turned his gaze back to Chagatai Khan.

While he was reminiscing about the Ninth Legion, the Lord of White Scars was also processing the news he had just received.

With the wisdom of Chagatai Khan.

He should have figured out the logic behind it.

Now: it's time to lead him down the path of Hydra.

May the Emperor bless him.

……

The emperor certainly wouldn't protect him.

Chagatai Khan was well aware of this.

He was not the emperor's favorite son, and their relationship was too cold to be described as warm. He had never relied on his father's power. Therefore, when he decided in his heart to rebel against the emperor with Horus, Chagatai did not experience much internal struggle.

After all, his choice to follow the Emperor was simply to escape the mundane routines of Chogris and to pursue his dream of saving humanity: since he had never been loyal to the Lord of Mankind, how could he have betrayed him?
Chagatai could be like this.

But Horus shouldn't be.

Horus was undoubtedly loyal, and he and the Emperor undoubtedly shared the most genuine father-son bond—something anyone could see. If the mutual betrayal between Chagatai and the Emperor wasn't news, then the mutual betrayal between the Wolf God and the Emperor was absurd to the point of being laughable.

Even Zhuang Sen wouldn't believe such a thing.

"Then what makes you think you can convince me with this?"

In response to Alpharis's well-intentioned advice, Chagatai Khan threw back his most pointed question.

“Even if Horus’s act of raising the banner of rebellion against Macardo and the Council of Highlords was wrong, we all know that he could not possibly rebel against the Emperor. Even if the Emperor returns and chooses to support the Shaper and the Highlords, Horus’s punishment would only be three cups of wine as punishment and the relinquishment of power. After all, in essence, it was the perverse actions of Macardo and Terra that triggered this war, wasn’t it?”

"Or, Alpharis: do you also believe that Horus was the one who dared to order the bombardment of Terra?"

"No, on this point, I believe in his innocence."

The lord of Hydra shook his head.

“Here, I want to point out another mistake you made, Chagatai Khan.”

"Remember what I said before: You did something stupid at the Nicaea Conference back then."

"..."

"I know."

The Khan remained silent for a moment before nodding.

“I admit it was a stupid thing to do: I shouldn’t have aroused Horus’s interest in psionic powers.”

"That is a dangerous ocean."

"The Wolf God should not venture deep into it."

"He hasn't had time to learn the proper way to deal with the power of the Warp, and as a Primarch, he possesses some of the most outstanding talents in the entire galaxy. If he goes too deep into the ocean of the Warp, becomes intoxicated by the ease with which he can obtain great power, and his mind is warped and his ambition inflated, things will indeed become very bad."

"But at least it's not that bad yet."

"Is it really that bad?"

Alpharis smiled and asked in return.

“You cannot discern a Primarch’s mental state solely by what you see with your own eyes, Chagatai.”

"This is also a foolish thing to do."

"Rotting is a process that occurs from the inside out."

"When stains appear on the peel, the core has already been eaten away by insects."

These words silenced Chagatai Khan.

If AlphaRes's previous remarks were still somewhat unclear, then this statement is all too obvious.

"What are you trying to say, Hydra?"

The Khan's voice turned cold.

"Are you trying to tell me that Horus is already decayed?"

"Has this war changed its nature?"

"Or……"

"Yes."

The Hydra Lord nodded, then watched with satisfaction as the prairie eagle's face grew increasingly gloomy.

This kind of scene isn't something you see every day.

“Then let me tell you, Chagatai: the way things are developing is indeed the direction you feared the most.”

Alpharis took a step forward.

Then, slowly and deliberately, word by word, he stripped away all of Chagatai Khan's psychological defenses.

"I know where your confidence comes from."

"Your faith has only two points."

"First, Horus's loyalty is well-known, and no one believes that the Warmaster would betray the Emperor."

"Secondly, the Sealholder and the High Lord Council have indeed caused widespread resentment throughout the galaxy over the past fifty years."

“Even if we go to court, you are in the right.”

"It was precisely because you recognized these two points that you dared to raise the banner of rebellion: after all, even if the Emperor returns, he will have to acknowledge your legitimacy."

Chagatai Khan remained unmoved by Alpha's analysis, which was clearly tinged with sarcasm.

This is a secret that everyone knows.

"So, what you're trying to tell me is that the reasons the War General's side gave for starting the war are untenable?"

"of course."

The Hydra Lord maintained his smile.

"Have you met Makado?"

"Do you think that kind of person would do so many stupid things if there weren't emperor's demands?"

Upon hearing this, the Khan paused for a moment.

"You mean those taxes, those oppressive policies..."

"Yes."

Alpha nodded.

"Given your view of the emperor, these things shouldn't surprise you, right?"

"……Yes."

The Khan closed his eyes and sighed.

"I'm not surprised."

"I don't want to ask why: Alpha."

“After all, he thinks I’m not qualified to know, right?” “You’re always so smart.”

Alphas responded with a smile.

"If I were you, I would be even more panicked."

Why should I panic?

The Khan raised his eyelids and gave him a disdainful glance.

"Are you trying to tell me that the emperor is going to punish the war generals for his exorbitant taxes?"

"He probably hasn't forgotten how Horus risked his life to save him in Ulanor."

Do you really think the emperor needs someone to save him?

"So you think the General's fearlessness back then was fake?"

"No matter what you say, Alpha, the Wolf God, could never betray the Emperor: he knows this better than we do."

"If he insists on disregarding reality and, for the sake of his own oppressive rule, strangles his loyal offspring and kills his most beloved son in the Great Expedition: then I have nothing to say."

“You’re only half right, Chagatai.”

Alpharis shook his head.

"Horus is indeed loyal: the Emperor has absolutely no reason to execute his most loyal warlord."

"But have you ever thought about this: people change."

"Weren't the emperor's sons always elite troops?"

Was Magnus not also wise and humble?

"Why shouldn't the same changes and regressions occur in the War General as well?"

"He was indeed loyal in Ulano."

But now, who can guarantee that?

"Don't forget what I told you, Chagatai: the rot of fruit begins from within."

“You may not see anything, but a father’s vision is always deeper than yours, brother.”

"And once Horus is no longer loyal: what reason does the emperor have to forgive him and his followers?"

"..."

The Khan slowly narrowed his eyes and raised a finger.

"Your reasoning has only one problem."

"Tell me: what could have caused Horus to become disloyal in just fifty years?"

"what."

Alpharis chuckled softly.

Then he squatted down and grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground.

Do you know why I called you into this world?

"Here, Aryan: Chagatai, do you think there's anything special about this world?"

"No."

The Khan shook his head.

"It's a wild and untamed world, the only thing worth mentioning is its rich mineral resources."

"Perhaps centuries from now, the empire will transform this place into a mining world."

"Yes, if all goes well."

"You see, that's how it is."

The prototype spread the soil in its hands.

"Fundamentally, we know nothing about this world. We don't know what's hidden inside it. We just see the rich resources hidden on the surface and rush over to settle down and make a living, turning its power into our own."

Does this look familiar?

"..."

The Khan did not respond.

"But in reality, Chagatai: something far more dangerous lies buried beneath the Aryan lands."

Alpharis stood up.

"I can tell you, this is a world of crowns."

"Do you know what this means?"

The Khan nodded.

"Those space undead?"

"I thought they were just legends."

"It won't be like that in the future."

Alpharis brushed the dirt off his hands.

"This is the core territory of a space necromantic dynasty called Nephilek. It is incredibly wealthy and powerful, and has committed countless crimes in the annals of history. When their emperors and overlords awaken from their slumber, the cities on this land will suffer annihilation because of their ignorance and greed: they are enemies they cannot even imagine or understand."

"Now you understand what I mean, right?"

Chagatai Khan nodded.

"You want to tell me that the warp is like this land."

"It seems to be rich in resources; all we need to do is overcome the dangers of this wild world to gain endless power."

"But in reality, deep within this land lurks a powerful enemy we never imagined: one that could bring annihilation upon the unsuspecting settlers."

"And Horus... was that settler?"

"That's what I meant by being on Nicaea."

Alpharis nodded.

“I know, Chagatai, the subspace is already very dangerous in your eyes: but I’m telling you, it’s actually more dangerous than you think.”

"Do you think that the things in the warp can only passively affect those who are deeply involved in it?"

"No, people like Magnus, even if they are only willing to stay on the fringes, their powerful energy and talents will still be targeted. When that happens, as long as their will wavers even slightly, they will be seduced and gradually dragged into the deepest depths, and then suffer that kind of fate."

"The reason this problem didn't surface during the Great Crusade and earlier is simply because these things, like the space undead beneath our feet, were in a state of kind of slumber."

"But now, they've awakened."

"And Horus was wandering before them."

"This is not something that is happening now: these things happened decades ago."

"When you saw him again: he was no longer the Horus of the Great Expedition."

"Perhaps he himself didn't even realize it."

"But that's precisely the cunning of the warp: that way, the altered Horus can perfectly deceive you."

"He has changed so that you won't notice."

“Tell me, Chagatai.”

"Now: Do you still feel that the War General is safe?"

Do you still think the Emperor lacks the resolve to kill him?

"..."

"That's just your side of the story, Alpharis."

“I admit that Horus has indeed changed somewhat since the Great Crusade, but I trust my eyes more than your baseless speculations. I trust what I see with my own eyes.”

After a long silence, the Khan finally spoke, his voice already much weaker than before.

"I know this won't convince you."

The Hydra Lord seemed to have anticipated Chagatai Khan's rebuttal: he simply smiled.

"This is also the second reason why I chose the Aryan region as our meeting place."

He picked up a stick and slowly drew a circle on the soil in front of him.

"This is the Aryan realm."

Then he drew another circle.

"And not far to the north of Aryan, there exists a world of knights called Moro."

"If you recall it, at some point during the Great Crusade, the Emperor personally led a massive army to subdue this world of knights."

"At the time, many people felt that this was unnecessary."

"But we all know that our fathers would not do anything meaningless."

"You mean: the answer lies in Moro?"

Chagatai Khan asked tentatively.

"Then there are at least things you don't know."

Alpharis threw away the stick in his hand.

"If you saw those things with your own eyes, you would know that what I said was not a lie."

"Of course: it's dangerous there."

Even for people like you and me.

"So, if you don't mind, I can go to Moro with you."

"However, if you don't like me, you can go there yourself at your own pace: but be careful."

"Extremely: Be careful."

"……snort."

After a moment's thought, Chagatai Khan gave a soft hum.

"Let's not talk about this for now."

"But from what you're saying, you seem completely unconcerned about the turmoil within the Alpha Legion?"

"Because I have already gained initial control of the situation."

Hydra swallowed the contempt from his brother.

“That’s right, the rebellion of my offspring did cause me a lot of trouble.”

"I was on the verge of collapse."

“But since I can stand here and have enough time and patience to negotiate with you, it proves that at least the land of the Great Vortex is still in my grasp at this moment.”

"The internal turmoil within the Legion persists."

"But they have been expelled from the vortex: they are just gathering their remaining power at the far edge of the galaxy."

“It’s very impressive.”

Chagatai Khan nodded.

Would you mind telling me how you won?

There's nothing to be proud of saying it out loud.

Alpharis gazed at the horizon to one side, and his sentiments sounded genuine at that moment.

"At the beginning, the mutiny within the legion did catch me off guard. I lost a lot of territory, as well as many key fortresses and troops."

"But my opponent quickly made a mistake."

"He thought he had driven me to the brink of despair, and he thought that I had no allies left in the land of the vortex."

"He overlooked a heavyweight being: and at the same time, he overlooked the possible covenant between me and that being."

"……who is it?"

"Morgan, Lord of Avalon".

The hydra looked at the eagle with a smile.

Chagatai Khan, however, seemed to be deep in thought.

“Morgan does indeed wield power in the Great Vortex, and I have no doubt that Riza is her staunchest ally.”

But why would she help you?

"Ha ha ha ha……"

This question made Alpharis laugh.

“Look, those who betrayed me, they didn’t understand this problem either.”

"So when I got enough aid and strength from Morgan and Riza and came back, they were completely unprepared."

"And so, this is how things turned out."

"I stand before you as the victor."

"And my enemy lost the war."

"At least we lost this part of the whirlpool."

……

"But in another place, he won."

"where is it?"

"..."

"Terra, Holy Terra."

"When I killed the rebels of the Great Vortex."

"He took advantage of my carelessness and killed the Black Templar."

(End of this chapter)