40k: Midnight Blade.

Chapter 703 Christmas Extra: Emperor's Ascension Day on the Battlefield
379.M39, during the infamous 'Tide of Heresy'.
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Traveling against the current, retreating if not advancing.

Fulgrim reached out for his sword - but wait.

Before it actually cuts off the head of something or someone, please look at it first, look at its rough blade, its unpolished edge, as blunt as the tip of a training sword. Is such a crude weapon worthy of being held in the hands of Emperor's Son Fulgrim?
The answer has been sought by many, and Fulgrim rarely gives an answer.

The sword blade fell, or rather smashed down.

Although it was a 'sword' like an iron rod, Fulgrim still wielded it with a unique precision and power. It smashed a head off the body and sent it flying back dozens of meters.

In fact, it had been smashed into a hot and wet blood mist the moment it came into contact with the blunt sword, but this did not prevent the broken bones inside from tearing more flesh and blood like bullets.

Phoenix raised his sword expressionlessly and smashed it down again, then smashed it down, smashed it down, and smashed it down.
A few minutes later, there was no living thing around him, only a vast expanse of blood. Broken limbs and arms floated in the blood that had soaked his ankles. It was a cruel and horrifying scene, but because of his presence, it had a bit of strange beauty.

Yes, who can deny his beauty? The shining silver hair, handsome features, and well-proportioned muscles
If these were all, it wouldn't matter. At best, it would just be a beautiful appearance. But he is not just about his appearance. His inner self is as beautiful as his outer self, and may even surpass it.

However, it is interesting to say that everyone who has not seen him praises him as being as handsome as a god, and that the roads he walks on will turn into gold and the water he drinks will turn into milk - but what about those who have actually seen him?

They would all forget his appearance and be captured by the power of his will, which was so strong, so pure and completely transcendent.

Few people know that this willpower comes from the most extreme pain.

Fulgrim slowly sheathed his sword - or rather carried it - and then turned and left, not caring at all that doing so would stain his long hair with blood.

If you were like him and had been fighting in the world of Bluelarks II for four consecutive days, you would not bother to care about so many things.

Today, this war has developed to a degree far beyond everyone's expectations. Even its initiator, the mysterious traitor who is said to have bewitched more than three star governors at the same time, could not have thought of such a thing in advance.
Although this person is indeed a good man, and knows how to cover up what he really did in the early stages by using the guise of seeking political benefits, this alone is not enough.

Fulgrim stopped, looked up, and glanced at the sky above Bluelarks II. It was night, and he could clearly see every meteor that flashed across the gorgeous night sky, as well as the flashes of explosions that gathered and dispersed.

This means that the naval battle is still going on, and all the loyal naval forces in the entire Larx sector are doing their best to kill the traitors. Compared with the ground, their situation should be slightly better, and the anti-rebellion forces in the nearby star sectors have joined the battle six Terra hours ago.

However, considering that the rebels have three fleets and an entire Forge World, it may take some time for this rebellion to be completely resolved.
The Phoenix continued to walk, its strides stirring up the river of blood, and the ground shook faintly.

A loud and resounding noise was heard from the plain not far away. Bombs fell to the ground, the nest collapsed, and some of the radiation mutant creatures that were driven out to survive in the wild had a full meal, while others were smashed to pieces by the completely different gunfire from both sides.

The war machines marched forward with their heads held high, colliding with each other in this huge grinding wheel of flesh and blood with the determination to fight to the death. Humanity was crumbling, and life became just numbers. Everything was slowly moving in a direction that Fulgrim was very familiar with.
He was familiar with it, but he never wanted to see any world suffer that fate again, even one percent of it.

The Chemos man unconsciously tightened his grip on his sword. Some old and dark impulse returned at the right moment, grabbing his heart tightly.
It would have been a bone-eating poison, sending him on a path he had once mistakenly taken - if he had not strangled it with his own hands.

He paused with a gloomy face, and the blunt sword slipped from his shoulder and smashed into the river of blood, staining half of his armor red. Blood flowed down, and Fulgrim silently raised his hand to grab the helmet at his waist, gathered his silver hair, and then slowly put it on.

The cold analytical perspective of the tactical eyepiece took over the normal vision in an instant, and the information in the communication channel poured through like a stream of water.
Looking at the continuous good news, Phoenix finally calmed down a little.

He and his army came to Bluelarks II to hunt down the second most important figure in the rebel forces, a so-called marshal promoted by the rebels. This man was just an ordinary major in the past. He had been in office for many years without any achievements or mistakes, and his personal style was not clean.

Fulgrim could not understand why the rebel leader wanted him to be the military chief, but he did not care. As long as he killed this man, he could deal a heavy blow to the morale of the traitors who were still resisting.

Thinking about these things, he became calmer, and the dark impulse he had previously felt finally calmed down. However, all these feelings were completely dispelled when he stepped into a position.

Thirty-two minutes and forty-eight seconds ago, he left here after receiving supplies, using the tactics commonly used by the Emperor's Children after the Great Heresy to stop a small group of enemy forces that attempted to attack from the side.

At that time, there were still two infantry regiments holding their positions. Their original tactical task was to hold the positions, but they were not satisfied with this. On this basis, they pushed the front line forward for several kilometers before giving up, directly opening a precious gap in the stalemate on the plain.

If we just hold on for a few more hours and wait for the mechanized troops to arrive, victory here will be within our grasp.

But now, there were only broken corpses left here, which was even more horrific than the horrific scene he had just created.

Fulgrim walked in with a gloomy face, trying to piece together the evidence from the corpses. With his experience, he soon realized that the attacker must be cruel and brutal, and this creature was not like most Chaos creatures who liked to eat human blood.

He shifted his gaze to the shell casings on the ground, and saw two heavy machine guns that were twisted into a ball but had no scratches on them, emerging from the mud.

Phoenix bent down and took them out, examining them carefully, frowning more and more - it was no secret that demons were carrying the evil power of chaos, but the way they gained power was also the shackles that bound themselves.

Logically speaking, a creature so cruel that killed all the people in a frontal assault should not have such means.
Just as he was thinking about it, a chill rose from behind him.

Phoenix narrowed his eyes slightly, and without haste, he tilted his head to the right as if he had foreseen the future to avoid being stabbed by something sharp. Then he shook his right hand, and with a twist of his wrist, the blunt sword flew back like a living thing, as agile as if he was holding a rapier.

Feeling the heavy blow coming from his hand, Fulgrim bent his knees and turned around, naturally spinning a circle, and placed his left hand on the end of the blunt sword, exerting force again and slashing fiercely.
The thing was hit by him, but it was Fulgrim himself who retreated. His face under the helmet had become extremely serious, not for anything else, but because the thing in front of him was a completely unfamiliar demon.

It did not have the characteristics of the Four Gods' lackeys, nor did it have the dark flames that were unique to it. In fact, it looked more like a dark shadow whose shape was difficult to describe, with a surface color like asphalt.

It seemed insignificant, but it was enough to make Fulgrim feel a needle-like pain.

Dangerous, extremely dangerous. But why?
The appearance of such a powerful demon requires sufficient deaths and a qualified ritual site. This rebellion does not have too much chaos power mixed in, and its intensity is not high. How can such a monster break free from the shackles of reality and come to the surface of Bluelarks II to carry out massacres?

Could it be that there is a biased god standing behind it?
Fulgrim felt it was ridiculous, but his hands did not slow down.

While he was issuing orders through neural connections to the two hundred legionnaires who were fighting separately on the surface to be alert to the demons, he drew his sword and stepped forward, ready to fight immediately.

Unexpectedly, the demon seemed to have lost the desire to fight, and scattered in all directions, like a giant net covered with meridians, blood vessels, bones and densely packed black eyes, drifting away with the wind.

Fenghuang wanted to chase him again, but he knew that he could not catch up with him, and even if he did, he would not necessarily have the upper hand.
He could only watch it go away, then took off his helmet and took a deep breath in anger but control.

However, today seemed destined to be an extraordinary day, or perhaps the Creator, whose existence was still unknown, was deliberately playing a joke on him. Once again, without him noticing, a voice sounded from behind him.

"Fulgrim?"

"."

Phoenix turned around silently and saw a pale and familiar face.
-
"We came after it," said Corvus Corax.

He seemed to have not spoken to anyone for a long time. His voice was extremely dry and he paused several times in a short sentence, as if he was not used to it.
"It? The demon?"

The Lord of Crows nodded, pulled something out from under the right shoulder of his mottled and weathered armor, and handed it to Fulgrim.

But it was not until Phoenix held it in his hand that he realized it was a rolled-up parchment scroll. The hard shell formed by solidified blood had dyed it a dull black, which also served as a natural camouflage.

He looked up at his brother, and after getting the latter's permission for the second time, he used his fingers to break the hard blood stain, and then slowly spread it out.

There is no doubt that the writer of this parchment was a mortal, both in terms of size and the size of the words on it, and what he wrote was actually very simple.

He first introduced himself, his date of birth and death, his name, and his family background, and then immediately moved on to the main point.
The nobleman, named Lavil Dent, described in great detail the true appearance of a demon he called the 'Shadow of the Crows'. Although there was some exaggeration in his description, it still allowed Fulgrim to understand the truth.

The Chemos man looked up in disbelief and sadness, looking at his pale and silent brother.

"Is it true, Corax?"

The latter nodded wordlessly.

"This..." Phoenix took a deep breath. "I only know that you have no news. Why didn't you come to us for such a thing in all these years? What about father? Have you asked him?"

He had used great self-control to stop himself from asking more questions. However, the Lord of Crows still seemed to be overwhelmed by these questions and didn't know how to deal with them. He was silent for a long time, and finally a stiff and bitter smile appeared on his face, as if wearing a mask.

"He came to me, but this is my fate." He answered hoarsely. "As for you. Like I said, this is my fate. This demon is the result of my sin and incompetence, and it must be crushed by my own hands. Besides, you are not having an easy time either, are you?"

Phoenix thought for less than half a second before deciding to lie.

He raised the corners of his mouth deliberately, with the kind of proud but not arrogant smile he used most often in the past, to add some credibility to what he was about to say.

"I'm not the same person I used to be, man."

In response to his deliberate witticism, Korvus Corax merely gave him a calm gaze. Only when Fulgrim's smile gradually grew stiffer did he finally deliver the final blow, shattering the lie completely. "Do not lie to me, Fulgrim. I hunt in the Warp, it is true, but the demon is always attracted to similar tragedies and bloodshed, and so are we. It is one side of us, and it has devoured many innocents over the years, and I have traveled many worlds. I know that you have reformed Chemos, but it is still extremely difficult to recruit your legion-"

"--that is not the case," Fulgrim whispered back. "The Emperor's Children will do everything in their power to help you, if you agree."

"Fulgrim."

"."

"Look at me, Fulgrim."

Korvus Corax raised his hands, grasped his brother's hands, which still had human body temperature, and placed them on the blurred Skyhawk on his chest. His dark eyes stared at Fulgrim without blinking, and the face was reflected in them.
"Please tell me the truth." The Lord of Crows gently asked. "How many people did you bring with you to deal with this rebellion?"

".Two hundred men," Fulgrim answered painfully and honestly.

"How many people are there in your legion?"

"Four hundred and seventeen."

Corax did not speak again for a long time, and Fulgrim did not even dare to look at him anymore - how could he describe the feelings of the Chemos people right now? To be honest, he himself was probably not able to explain it clearly.

At this moment, he felt both anger as his sore spot was touched and happiness as the truth was finally revealed. However, his greater emotion was guilt.

In the past, when he was unable to fight and was like a useless man, it was the Lord of Crows who patiently persuaded and helped him. In fact, without his help, Fulgrim would probably have died in the horrible palace called the Spirit of Vengeance.

However, now, when Corvus Corax needed help, he was unable to provide any strength and was even seen through by the other party at a glance.

Thinking of this, he could not help but let out a long sigh, and finally threw away the meaningless so-called brotherly pride, and spoke with self-blame and pain.

"I once fell into madness, and it was my father who saved me with his last bit of strength, but he was unable to do more. My blood was changed to a certain extent because of this, and the gene modification surgery became very difficult. Most reservists would even die from various side effects during the vaccination stage. Only one in a hundred people could survive."

"In order to prevent such a tragedy from happening again, Thor personally asked me to let him take charge of this matter. He did a very successful job, at least much better than I did, but we are still..."

Phoenix stopped talking, his hands were shaking, he didn't know how to go on.

Over the years, he had striven to prove that the Emperor's Children were still an efficient, swift and powerful striking force, and that the children who had carried his blood through those hellish trials had lived up to that trust.

But why should they bear this heavy trust and honor of their predecessors? You know, he, the father of genes, didn't give them anything.
In the early stages of vaccination, they had to endure countless hallucinations, and even their hearts would stop beating. Even if they could survive by willpower, the blood that had deteriorated due to his incompetence and stupidity would bring countless pain to these children.

In every operation after the vaccination, they had to watch the pharmacist cut them open and feel every bit of pain.
His blood made the usual use of anesthetics a luxury and made these children silent at an early age, and they were always worried that they were not doing well enough.

They had experienced a hundred times more suffering than others, but they could not be like the other Astartes. The monastery of Chemos was always empty.

How much have they paid to maintain the glory of the so-called Emperor's Son?

Fulgrim closed his eyes and berated himself for his incompetence. Unbeknownst to him, Korvus Corax was considering two things.

Firstly, it was a very important strategic intelligence. Secondly, he thought that now was not the right time, and he had not yet verified the matter with the Emperor, but he really could not just sit there and watch Fulgrim do nothing.

Even if it's a false hope -

The old phantom of Conrad Kurtz came into view, smiling.

—It’s still a light in the darkness, isn’t it, Corax?

The Lord of Crows reached out and touched the side of his belt, his jaw muscles tensed, and waves gradually surged on his marble statue-like face.

"Listen to me, Fulgrim," he said slowly, the dryness from before gone.

Fulgrim opened his eyes in confusion.

"You are suffering because of my coming, and I don't like this. You don't have to be sad about what happened to me. My legion is still there, and my justice is still there - the same goes for you. Everyone knows the nobility and power of the Emperor's children, isn't it? You have done the best within your ability, and so have your descendants. So, don't blame yourself anymore, we are all just doing our best."

He paused, and his eyes suddenly lit up, as if he suddenly remembered something.

"That's right," he said. "Do you remember what day it is today?"

Fulgrim was slightly startled, then quickly reacted - he couldn't help laughing, laughing at himself for having been immersed in this war.

"How could I have forgotten this?" he whispered. "Today is the Feast of the Emperor's Ascension."

"Yes, the Day of the Emperor's Ascension. I want to tell you two things, Fulgrim."

"What?" Fulgrim asked, puzzled by his sudden seriousness.

"The first is about the rebellion you are dealing with. As I said, I was called here - for vengeance and justice, both of which men always crave. The Warp is a place beyond reality and reason, and I have been there for so long that I have a vague idea of ​​things you cannot know."

He looked Fulgrim's eyes very seriously.

"The traitor, the traitor who started this rebellion—" he said slowly. "—he came for the demon I'm hunting, and he's trying to cover up his past with scheming and worldly ambitions. You know who he is, right?"

Fulgrim was silent, then nodded without another word. It was not that he did not want to utter the bastard's name with hatred, but that he could not.

That name has long become a curse.

"Very well, so next, I want you to hand over the surface to us. He is not on the surface, but is watching. Find him and kill him, Fulgrim."

The Chemos man was not moved by such a tempting suggestion. When he spoke again to break the silence, his tone had become cold.

"You guys?" he asked.

Faced with this question, Corvus Corax smiled gently. His pale and clean face no longer had the cold indifference, but only the warmth of his past life as a human being.

He raised his cloak, and the shadows twisted and scattered like living things. Just like that, hundreds of shadows gradually stood up on this battlefield. Each one was unusually tall, with scarlet eyepieces that were extremely eerie and murderous.

"We will hunt down all traitors and evildoers here." The Lord of Crows raised his hand, his claws gleaming with cold light. "And you only need to do what you are supposed to do, Fulgrim."

Faced with this scene, the Chemos people smiled helplessly.

"It looks like I have no choice," he said softly. "Only, Corax, what's your second thing?"

Without hiding anything, the Lord of Crows immediately told everything.

"It's simple. Several decades ago, I was summoned once on Nocturne, and I met Vulkan. He told me that he had not left his homeland for many years. I asked him why, and he told me that he was forging a treasure that was so important that he could not leave for even a step."

Fulgrim hefted his sword and issued orders to his brood through neural links, while the crows gradually faded into shadows and vanished.

But the voice of Korvus Corax still echoed.

"I was puzzled, for his forge had long since died. But he told me that he had built a new forge, and that forge was in his heart. So I asked, what was he forging?"

"Vulkan said, Horus."
-
In 319.M39, the 'rebellion' that had triggered a series of chain reactions was ended by the swords of two hundred Emperor's Children and Primarch Fulgrim. The conspiracy was finally revealed, and the source of the rebellion was the treason against Erebus.

It is worth mentioning that during the rebellion, soldiers aboard the Brularx II submitted many sightings of the supernatural entity "Raptor" and the Primarch of the 19th Legion, Korvus Corax, after the war.

No matter what the report or description was, they all mentioned one word.

"Never again."

(End of this chapter)