Warhammer 40: Shattered Steel Soul

Chapter 511 Shadow Crossing the Sky (End)

"What essence?" Fulgrim asked urgently, his heart beating wildly, the fire on the surface of the Silver Lake growing weaker and weaker. The Solar Spear grimly ate away at their strength.

"As a product of the warp, your power will serve as a sacrifice for the stability of the Silent Realm and the rebirth of our Lord at the Crossroads."

Constantine spoke in a low voice, not sparing in stating the truth, though unlike the Emperor, he was unconcerned about how the truth might stir up the emotions of the Primarchs.

"As for your minds, fate will determine whether you can find a lasting support."

The iron thorns brought by Ferrus Manus still spared no effort to hinder him. This gave him time to explain, otherwise Fulgrim doubted whether he would have acted without saying a word.

At the same time, the whispers in the darkness also spoke: "... no longer the Lord Commander of the Custodes... a traitor... an accomplice of the treasonous Perturabo..."

Fulgrim looked down into Ferrus' mirrored eyes, and saw his own confusion, and Ferrus's sorrowful plea. His heart ached.

"One side is lying, my brother!" Ferrus said painfully. If his broken essence still had arms, he might have reached out to Fulgrim's pale face. "Do you think that a strong man like the Emperor will die one day? The Lord Commander of the Custodes came to kill us, Fulgrim! No matter what the reason is! We should be loyal to the Emperor, not let ourselves be killed in lies."

Constantine paid no attention to Ferrus's emotional fluctuations, his logic working coldly: "You have been tainted, the corruption is irreversible. Offering your death to our Lord will be your final loyalty." He paused for a moment, looking at Ferrus: "At least, Ferrus Manus is irredeemable. As for you, Fulgrim..."

Through the eyepiece of the golden armor, Constantine's eyes evaluated the purple-clad phoenix he saw: "This is not something I can decide. Whether you can retain your power depends on the final decision of my Lord."

Fulgrim's breathing became rapid, and he subconsciously stepped up his protection of Ferrus. He took a breath and said, "Can this save us?"

"What is salvation?" Constantine said indifferently.

"Fulgrim?" Ferrus asked quietly, struggling to speak. "You listened to a lie that defamed the throne?"

He could not understand why his brother, Fulgrim, who had once fought alongside him and sworn to defend the glory of the Emperor, was so hesitant at this critical moment, and even... might have deliberately stood on the wrong side.

"No," said Fulgrim, "the Throne's voice is the lie. Constantin Valdor sees the truth, Perturabo sees the truth. If either the Warmaster or the Lord High Lord of the Custodes doubts the Throne, then all is uncertain. But they cannot both be wrong."

"Fulgrim..." Ferrus' voice cut through the silence of the lake like a knife. "You... the throne has been betrayed. Have you betrayed it too? Tell me you have not, my brother."

He breathed hard, and every word seemed to drain away his remaining strength.

Fulgrim's lips trembled slightly, but he did not open his mouth to refute. He knew he could not refute.

"Ferrus, I..." Fulgrim's voice was low. It was impossible for him to convince Ferrus Manus to give up his loyalty to the throne and his trust in the Emperor... or was it that during his late arrival, Ferrus' soul had been polluted too seriously by this space, as Constantine said, "irreparably", so that he could not see through the throne's deception?

"I do not want to hear your excuses anymore, Fulgrim." Ferrus growled in a low voice, with unspeakable pain. "I believed in you... I thought you would fight beside me until the end. But now, you show me a deceived traitor! Really? Are you sure? Fulgrim, I wish I could believe you!"

Ferrus' words came like a whip, piercing the depths of Fulgrim's soul. Each word cut through him like a knife, piercing the defenses of his heart.

His arms loosened slightly, as if he couldn't bear the heavy blame from his brother.

Memories flooded back to Fulgrim's mind - the days when they had fought side by side, the glorious days when they had fought together for the Emperor. But now? All of this had been cast into the darkness of the Abyss, and there was no way to recover it.

"My brother," he said in a deep voice, "please listen to me. Something must have gone wrong with the Emperor. We must stand on the right side. I beg you to think carefully. Constantine Valdor is the Emperor's messenger!"

Ferrus' eyes flashed silver, through a mist of anger, his voice was cold and sharp: "From the moment the throne was betrayed, he was no longer!"

"I do not lie to you. I can see the truth. Ferrus..."

"So, you want to offer me to him and let him kill me?" Ferrus roared, his face flushed with despair, and the flames of anger burned in his silver eyes. Even though he couldn't move at all now, those eyes seemed enough to tear Fulgrim to pieces.

This moment awakened Fulgrim's evasive thoughts. He had been trying to convince Ferrus, but ignored a cruel fact - the real purpose of Constantine Waldo's trip was to execute them.

Fulgrim turned his gaze back to Constantine, the struggle within him growing more intense. He could not... he could not let Ferrus die.

Constantine was still approaching step by step, the Solar Spear in his hand flashing a deadly light. The tip of the spear gently knocked on the outer shell of the silver cocoon. He had already passed through the thorn bush and arrived in front of the two people. The flames of the phoenix were burning slightly around them, hesitating.

"Open it, and the Spear of the Sun God will bring you pure liberation." He said that this shell was not easy to open, so he turned back to deal with the steel thorns that were chasing him.

Ferrus shouted angrily: "Traitor! How dare you tarnish the honor of the throne! I still hear the throne's guidance, Fulgrim! Do not listen to him!" His voice burned with unquenchable rage, like the clanging of steel.

Fulgrim looked down in surprise; he did not hear the "guidance of the throne" that Ferrus still spoke of.

A trace of despair spread in his heart. Yes, the degree of corruption suffered by the two of them was probably indeed different.

"Constantine..." Fulgrim murmured, took a deep breath, and his eyes wandered between Constantine and Ferrus.

He lowered his head and looked at his brother. Ferrus's face was still stubborn, and his eyes burned with unshakable loyalty. That was the strength that Fulgrim once admired, but now it made him extremely painful.

"We have lost ourselves in the darkness..." Fulgrim's voice began to waver.

He turned to Constantine, his eyes revealing a tired and determined light: "But Ferrus is my brother... I don't want to see him die."

"So, how are you going to save him?" Constantine responded coldly and patiently, without a trace of mercy in his voice.

"Do you really believe that the Emperor's fate is so hopeless?" Fulgrim almost shouted. "We are his sons, his own creations, brought to life by him. Can we allow our power to be sacrificed?"

Constantine remained unmoved, maintaining his grim attitude, "You trust my identity, Fulgrim, but you resist my decision."

He stretched out his hand, and the palm covered with golden gauntlets covered the outside of the iron cage woven by Ferrus Manus. There was an invisible barrier in the gap between the fences, blocking his progress. He could certainly waste time to stab the Solar Spear into it - if he hadn't felt the coldness of Samus's arrival.

The emissary of the Dark Throne was approaching, forcing him to change his mind and persuade Fulgrim, who had already wavered, with words in order to avoid being attacked from both sides.

"You have been corrupted," he emphasized once again, "therefore, you have only one ending. I have met your three brothers, and I did not ask for the execution of any of them. They are alive and have made greater contributions than death - and you are the opposite."

A wisp of phoenix fire spread over the cage, and Constantine retracted his five fingers. The phoenix was still not convinced by him.

Fulgrim spoke bitterly, if it was Chaos contamination, then there was still a chance of turning around.

"We are loyal to the Emperor, Constantine. You can remove the corrupted part of us and let us weaken! However, as long as we can get out of here, we are always willing to serve our father. Anyone can help us. If my father is in trouble at this moment, then at least Mag..."

"Magnus is dead." Constantine Waldo interrupted him coldly.

Fulgrim's flames shuddered for a moment. "Who! Who did this!"

“No one,” Constantine said softly, with a hint of respect in his voice. “The Crimson King bought my Lord a way out. Besides Magnus, Artisan Mors and Regent Malcador stepped into the Astronomican. No one can save you, and your existence has become the source of the tainted Legion.”

Fulgrim was stunned. Constantine's words were like an icy sword, piercing into the deepest part of his heart.

"The Primarchs and the Astartes are inseparable. In the outside world, your Legion is corrupting, Primarch. Only death can preserve the final purity of you and your Legion." Constantine paused, and the judgment fell as coldly as iron.

Fulgrim was in a trance. It was the first time he felt so shaken since he entered this chaotic space.

How many times had he imagined that he could take Ferrus away from all this, escape from the darkness and corruption, and regain their former glory and faith?

Was all this just a dream? he asked himself.

He had persisted all the way here, holding on to the hope that someone would come to rescue him and Ferrus, and looking forward to the arrival of his real father...but was all this just a thin bubble?
And have the two of them already begun to bring disaster to their own legion? Those descendants who were looking forward to him and trusting him?

"Don't listen to him, Fulgrim!" Ferrus's advice came from his arms, still with cold and hard tenacity. Perhaps Ferrus still believed that Fulgrim could be persuaded by him.

"Fulgrim, do not grieve over his betrayal. Join me in banishing him. Answer the call of our father, of the throne. You hear it, do you not? Despite his thousand lies, despite his having been the Emperor's right hand, his betrayal was evident when he spoke of the Emperor's death. Will you be deceived by him? Do not grieve over a lie, my brother!"

Later on, Ferrus' emotions had become agitated. His belief in the throne had almost become a kind of stubbornness... or perhaps, he had just once again made the most loyal choice at a certain moment, and Ferrus Manus had never been a person who would waver.

Fulgrim was silent. He stroked his fingers across Ferrus's frown.

"No, Ferrus. Constantine Valdor tells the truth," his voice was ethereal and distant, and sometimes he thought of their Legion, sometimes he thought of the Emperor, and sometimes he thought of Ferrus. Familiar scenes flashed through his mind, and each memory was weighed against the other on some invisible scale.

"The Emperor is no longer... our father. And you, your will is indeed seriously damaged... otherwise, you should not be unable to sense it, and you should not have mistaken the one to whom we are truly connected by blood."

"Fulgrim..."

"Ferus, stop talking." Fulgrim bowed his head gently, his silver hair sweeping across Ferrus' injured face.

"No, Fulgrim..."

Fulgrim had never seen such anxiety and pleading on the stoic face of the Iron Hands Primarch. The steely expression shattered, revealing an emotion he had never shown before. It took Fulgrim a moment to realize what it was, he recognized the hue of fear and despair... not fear for his own fate, Ferrus Manus was not afraid of death, he was afraid that Fulgrim would make a mistake, step into the abyss, and his wings be covered with dust.

He feared that Fulgrim would lose his glory.

But he probably didn't know that he was the one who was wrong - he probably didn't believe that Fulgrim, who had tried his best to save him, hesitated at the last moment whether to give up their bright future together.

Fulgrim thought, he himself could hardly believe it. He raised the corner of his mouth.

"Fulgrim, do not be deceived again! Do not stray into the path of betrayal! This is not meant for you!"

Fulgrim's hands trembled slightly... but he had to make a choice, at this moment, as a brother, as a child of the Emperor.

And Constantine Valdor saw only one path - to end the Primarch's corruption and gather what remained, in order to pave the way for the Emperor's resurrection.

Constantine watched coldly, and dark eagle claw marks began to appear on his real body. Samus's approach made him feel the urgency of time. Rogal Dorn could not stand facing two demons alone for long... His body was being injured, which affected his spirit here.

Between tearing apart the iron cage that Ferrus had built with all his efforts and resisting the invasion of darkness, he quickly chose the latter.

"Choose your decision now, Fulgrim," he said coldly, "or we perish together in the darkness."

Fulgrim whispered, "Ferus, I do not want to lose you." Ferrus did not respond, his silence spoke for itself. His silver eyes flickered with anger and pain.

"You still betray me," he said in disappointment. "And I am powerless to kill you for the throne, Fulgrim."

"Betrayal? No, Ferrus... I leave the final decision to you. Tell me, what should I do?" asked Fulgrim.

"Never fall," Ferrus said, his eyes brightening as if Fulgrim's question had stirred up some hope. "See our path clearly, Fulgrim."

"At any cost?" asked Fulgrim.

"Any cost. Anyone who dares to stop and resist us will only become ruins under the chariot." Ferrus spoke in a deep voice, so sincere and full of expectation.

Fulgrim blinked, and the Phoenix flames continued to converge and sink into his body, like a dying blood-red star in the center of a galaxy, on the verge of disappearing in the depths of the universe.

"Then that will be my choice as well, Ferrus," Fulgrim smiled. "We will pledge your loyalty to the Emperor as well as mine."

"Constantine... I will end this." Fulgrim's voice suddenly became low and calm. He shifted his gaze from Ferrus' face to Constantine's back.

The Spear of the Sun in Constantine's hand flashed with brilliant white light, constantly dispelling the darkness approaching around him. From his back, Fulgrim discerned some martial arts from the Emperor. His father was proficient in all kinds of combat skills accumulated by humans for tens of thousands of years... But what was more similar?
In his aura, there is a similar breath that comes from the emperor...

Constantine did not respond, but he must have heard it. He did not care about Fulgrim and Ferrus' hesitation, he only wanted results.

"My brother..." Fulgrim murmured, the words almost coming out of his mouth. He wanted to ask for Ferrus' forgiveness, but swallowed the words at the last moment.

"Take our essence," Fulgrim said to Constantine, "if that is the price of loyalty."

This was the last thing he could do for Ferrus Manus, because this was Ferrus's choice.

Loyalty at all costs.

His brothers were loyal to a throne he could no longer see - and he had heard what the Emperor wanted from them.

Fulgrim bowed his head and passed the silver hand gifted to him by Ferrus Manus across his brother's forehead.

The five fingers of his silver hand merged together and turned into a silver sword, with a cluster of flames covering the blade.

Inappropriately, he recalled the drama he had performed with Ferrus in Olympia many years ago. Everything was so far away, yet it appeared so clearly before his eyes. Thinking about it now, thinking about it now...

"Just listen, and accept that I am in such a vicious state that I want to take your life! Ah, you are speechless..."

He sang softly, his eyes locked deeply with Ferrus, looking directly into Ferrus's murderous eyes. Before he took action, his own heart might have been pierced by Ferrus's eyes. He thought quietly.

His silver hand brushed against the bridge of Ferrus' nose.

The last time he took his head, it was with the hope of saving him and freeing him from the constraints of his iron body, so he did not hesitate.

Now, his sword approached several times, then quietly moved away.

He sang in a low voice, revealing a ridiculously soft smile: "Where is the former beauty? Where is the old beauty? Your gift has become my skill to take your life! Is this what I want? What do you have to say at the moment of death?"

Ferrus stared at him intently, for he too remembered the drama. Fulgrim's face burned in his eyes.

"My heart and soul will always be filled with deep hatred," he said coldly.

The sword flashed, and the world seemed to become silent. The Gorgon's head fell from his ethereal body and fell into the silver mirror-like lake. In the blink of an eye, it solidified into steel. Fulgrim almost subconsciously fell to the ground and held his brother's head tightly in his arms.

The silver cocoon that protected them collapsed in an instant as Ferrus's consciousness ended, scattering into large pieces of silver flakes. Constantine immediately seized the opportunity and inserted the Sun Spear into the lake. The silver flakes gathered into a butterfly-like storm and poured into the spear.

Ferrus' body also quickly turned into nothingness, part of it rose up as clear silver light, and part of it fell to the ground from where he was originally, dissolving into the deep darkness.

The darkness was probably irreversible, because after Ferrus's protection of him ended, Fulgrim once again heard the sharp laughter in the depths. It finally got something after all. In this long delay, it finally gained something.

Soon, the silver light completely dried up, leaving only the Phoenix's flame, which was like a veil draped over the Phoenix's crouching body, gently and gradually melting away.

Constantine turned his gaze to Fulgrim. "Time is running out," he said, and before he knew it, deep black scars appeared on Constantine Valdor's golden armor. The demons of reality still existed, and Rogal Dorn was still fighting them.

"I know," Fulgrim said hoarsely, the flames folding around him like a veil against a cold that was not there. "I, too, am a tainted soul."

Constantine said nothing, but raised the Apollo Spear.

Fulgrim closed his eyes.

-

He could still hear that childish voice.

+That's enough. +The voice said.

Then, he woke up from the nightmare...

Fulgrim slowly woke up from the depths of consciousness, feeling as if he had struggled out of the abyss.

The flames and silver lake around him had dissipated, leaving only the cold real world. His body fell to the ground powerlessly, and he still felt a weight in his arms. He lowered his head and finally saw what he was holding.

In his arms was Ferrus's silver head, sealed in steel. His eyes were still open, filled with endless pain and sorrow, still immersed in the betrayal of his brother.

Fulgrim's hands gently stroked Ferrus's head, his fingertips sliding over the hard, cold metal surface.

He no longer thought about his physical weakness, nor did he seek answers to the tangled questions in his heart... He just felt an odd calm, as if the torrent of fate had completely swallowed him up.

The Emperor's voice confirmed that he had made the right choice, and no matter what the reason was, he opened his eyes to reality again.

He helped his dearest brother to get rid of the temptation and dedicated everything to the Lord of Humanity to whom he was loyal.

Although, Ferrus Manus wouldn't know that.

There was a strange atmosphere in the air, accompanied by mysterious whispers coming from afar. Fulgrim turned his head and saw Rogal Dorn still fighting fiercely with the demon.

The demon's form loomed in the darkness, its six arms wielding blades, as if given more vitality, its shape becoming more concrete... When Fulgrim looked, he was sure that the demon also turned his head to look at him.

Suddenly, a realization came to him: there was a connection between them...

He looked at it, and from its blurred face, he gradually recognized some features... Perhaps he should be surprised, but he had nothing in his mind. He didn't want to speak, nor did he want to react. He distinguished the information sent to him, silently and rationally guessing.

All kinds of speculations flashed through his mind. Whose fighting posture was it similar to? Whose face was it modeled after? Whose prototype was the weapon it held, the blade and the hammer... Every swing, every movement...

What was powerful enough to create a new demon, one that could have fought Dorn for so long... Fulgrim still remembered how much he had fought in the Corrupted Garden...

That was his reflection.

No, not just his reflection. It was Ferrus's reflection, too.

It was a shadow of the two of them, something pieced together from the power that had been taken away...

It was the thing Fulgrim had first seen in the Warp, a variation of the iron machine. Its face and arms were Fulgrim's, its body and weapons were Ferrus'. The blood they had lost in the darkness had given rise to such a creation.

A being that should not have been born.

An incomplete fallen demon.

But it was strong enough, and could be even stronger. Because it was not complete, it still instinctively longed to be complete, to possess the essence and mind of Fulgrim and Ferrus Manus, to fill its missing strength and mind.

The dark shape twisted gradually, as if preparing to approach Fulgrim.

Constantine stood up, bleeding all over. He pulled out the Solar Spear from the ashes, and the weapon that symbolized truth was shining with a faint light.

Constantine glanced at Dorn who was fighting, shook his wrist, and the Spear of the Sun drew a silver light in the air and flew towards Dorn.

Dorn reached out and caught the flying spear without hesitation. The spear in his hand fell like a thunderbolt, pointing directly at the demon's chest.

The dark form began to disintegrate under the burning of the silver light, like a torn shadow. Before it was completely shattered, it suddenly disappeared, and with it went the influence of the subspace cast here.

After the tide of darkness sank into the veil, losing its last anchor, Chaos gave up maintaining its infiltration into reality and faded away in an instant, taking away something it coveted.

Dorn looked down at the spear in his hand, a strange light in his eyes.

He frowned, reciting the truth that the Solar Spear had brought him: "This demon... it is not just a servant of Chaos... it comes from the power of Ferrus and Fulgrim, it is their creation... a prince belonging to one of the Four Ancients."

He raised his head and looked at Fulgrim, his face grim: "It will hunt, Fulgrim, and it will never let you go."

Fulgrim did not react much. He even had time to wonder if he was being too indifferent. The feeling of emptiness made him feel strange. He still held Ferrus's head, his eyes fixed on the broken face.

But Ferrus Manus is free, he thought, answering Rogal Dorn's words in his mind.

Suddenly, a hearty laugh burst out from the depths of his throat.

(End of this chapter)