Warhammer: Start with a dog.

Chapter 781 Is this the solution you came up with?
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Loken did not consider himself a person who enjoyed killing.

As a Shadowmoon Wolf and an Astartes, he was unusually thoughtful and eager to learn, and now he had come to understand the taste of fear and knowledge.

Therefore, he should have become more calm and rational than his brothers—when he followed Ramizane to find the person they were looking for, he felt an uncontrollable, pure killing intent arise once again.

The chief priest of the Word Bearers Legion, with his humble yet kind face covered in alien script, appeared before them.

There seemed to be some dark circles under his eyes from overworking at his desk. Loken looked past Irebas's silhouette and saw the mountain of files and documents piled up on the desk behind him.

Perhaps in the past he would have admired, like others, this chief priest who set aside his own interests to help the Sixteenth Legion and the Warmaster handle their busy affairs, considering him a model of assisting the Primarch, just as he had done as Logar's mouthpiece.

But now, Loken's mind is filled with only the four words the Iron Lord once told him, which he believes are the best description: "A great villain who appears loyal."

"Ah, visitors who grace my humble abode with their presence. It is an honor. How may I do you any favors?"

The chief pastor said that his high Gothic pronunciation and word choice were very authoritative, with a deep, persuasive tone that easily caught people's attention.

The narrators followed at the back, trying to minimize their presence. Loken clenched his fists: Erebas's gaze, when it fell upon the mortal incarnation of the Iron Lord, was filled with greed, longing, ecstasy, and even a hint of… anticipation?
He hesitated, looking back and forth between the two.

...The Iron Warriors and the Word Bearers don't seem to have any particularly mentioned relationship, do they? Besides, logically, Irebas wouldn't know who's really behind this disguise either—

Loken's head throbbed with uncertainty at the thought of a certain Emperor's son who was now active in the Spirit of Vengeance, especially among the Chroniclers: Lucius, whose style and appearance had drastically changed, was now, thanks to the favor and indulgence of one Primarch, had sown up a hostility like mushrooms after rain in the Sixteenth Legion and his own.

But the problem is that he is really... very strong.

Although Loken himself never fought again, he heard that Lucius, who was inexplicably healed and whose black hair turned white and green eyes turned purple in a mysterious instant, was now invincible against three legions with a longsword in his hand. Azeroth's undefeated record was only because the chief company commander had not yet fought, although he was said to be preparing himself in order to defeat Lucius.

It is said that famous heroes of the Great Crusade, such as Radoron of the Blood Angels and Azcalon, also returned defeated, and the enraged Commander-in-Chief Eldoron and his many swordsmen also gained no advantage.

"It's like he doesn't want to stay in his own legion anymore!" Torgarden told Loken after watching several matches among the Sons of the Emperor. "I admit he's the best swordsman I've ever seen, the most experienced! But his behavior is... is just mocking his brother! I have no doubt that Edoron will later accuse Lucius to Lord Forgrim and demand that he be court-martialed."

The Steel Lord's reaction was, "What? You still have military courts at this point?! Have they ever actually been used?! Which Astartes have they tried?!"

Loken was speechless.

Meanwhile, Irebas had already ushered the group into his private room.

This was the officer's quarters assigned to him, consistent with the structure of Loken's own quarters, consisting of two main rooms: a bedroom and a private armory that would normally be used by senior officers, but which Iribas now apparently uses as an office.

Ignas stood amidst the piles of paper rolls and sniffed: "What's that smell...?" Messati nudged him with his elbow, and the poet immediately shut up.

Loken's sense of smell told him more; it was a scent that shouldn't be present on the Soul of Vengeance: the smell of stone, smoke, burning, and spices, reminiscent of a dry desert and the braziers of ancient, mysterious ancestors.

“You should indeed wait here for a while instead of going in,” the Iron Lord told them. “It’s not that there’s no need to take notes, but it won’t do you any good for your mental state. Also, don’t even think about peeking; I know how curious you recorders are.”

“We promise we won’t try to peek, sir,” Messadi immediately stated.

"You can't just run out or rummage through things in the house."

After the narrators solemnly assured them that they would stay put and not move, the blue-eyed man nodded.

“Eri… never mind, that name isn’t appropriate. I’ll just call you Chief Priest.”

"Whatever pleases you," the other replied with a smile. Although Eribas had the physique of an Astartes, for some reason he looked more like a mortal priest standing there, extremely attentive.

The bedroom door closed behind them.

Loken looked around the room. The bedroom was so "clean" it seemed deliberate, with no trace of habitation.

The chief pastor repeated the question again.

"How can I help you, sir?"

"You put me in your sanctuary without even knowing it, Chief Priest?"

The light in the room seemed to dim instantly at the use of a certain word by the Lord of Steel, and people shuddered.

“I believe that your power is so great that we don’t need to question it,” the chief pastor said tactfully. “We just need to follow the revelation you have given and accomplish it.”

The Lord of Steel seemed to chuckle. "Did you say the same thing when you tried to comfort your Primarch, Lorgar, or Yuri?"

"Lord Loka is unaware of your... change at the moment. If he knew, I think he would be very happy to come and see you."

“That’s not necessarily true.” The Lord of Steel nodded. “Actually, it’s not a big deal, especially for an evil…warp scholar like you. I need you to perform a summoning spell for me this time.”

The Korchis blinked.

"that's it?"

"that's it."

"Then why don't you perform it yourself, sir? Perhaps it would be more... professional and convenient for you to perform this little ceremony yourself than to have me do it?"

Loken blinked. Did Eribus seem to be mistaking the Steel Lord for some other being? He then recalled the Steel Lord's strange instructions from before.

"If he asks you why you were there, just do as I say until we're out of his sight. Can you swear on Horus Lupecal himself that you can do that?"

Of course, Loken swore the oath without hesitation at the time. Well, now he felt increasingly uneasy, and he really should have asked the Iron Lord what he wanted him to do before swearing the oath.

"Fool." Both Loken and the chief priest were startled, but the former was simply surprised that the Iron Lord was suddenly scolding the other party, while the latter seemed somewhat delighted.

"It is precisely because of your shallow knowledge and insignificant strength that you will not blow away the soul of this ant."

The atmosphere in the room subtly changed... No, Loken suddenly realized, the room... was distorted...?
A gust of wind swept through from the deepest part of the ship, and the boundary between light and shadow began to blur and become uncertain. For a few moments, Loken felt as if he were standing in front of the bridge, looking through the porthole at the scene of warp travel, separated from the very uncomfortable view by only a thin, almost invisible Geller Field.

The sensation of the cabin floor beneath my feet gradually became strange—no, it should be said that it was strange in all four limbs. It was as if the gravity, temperature, and other factors in each area of ​​my body were becoming inconsistent. It was hard to describe the feeling; it was like endless pain mixed with endless pleasure, endless compassion mixed with endless cruelty. It was as if I had flown to the clouds of the universe and then fallen into the abyss of gravity. My body was split into countless pieces in an instant, but my soul clearly told me that I was still one.

Then, in the next second, that eerie feeling vanished as if it had never existed. "Ugh! Ugh!!"

Clearly, he wasn't the only one who felt that extraordinary moment; the chief priest had already collapsed to the ground, dizzy and nauseous, lying there in a miserable state.

Loken also felt like vomiting, but because of some strange determination to be stronger than the other, he stood there, suppressing his dizziness and nausea.

“Oh, that’s definitely how it works when the puppet is controlled.” Ramizan patted Loken on the shoulder in a mocking manner. “Kneel down.”

For a moment, Loken felt an urge to feel absurd and angry, but he remained silent, knelt down, which conveniently concealed the fact that he was actually unsteady on his feet.

As Erebbas crawled to the edge of the basin, grabbed a towel to wipe the filth from his mouth, he turned to look at the expressionless but obedient 10th Company Commander, revealing a look of sudden realization.

“It was my fault for offending you…” The sight of the chief priest kneeling deeply before the Primarch, who had transformed into a mortal, momentarily stunned Loken. However, he regained his composure with his iron will and continued to serve as a dutiful puppet servant.

"A wonderful puppet, isn't it?"

“Indeed,” Eribus’s eyes flickered. “You wouldn’t have guessed it at all in normal times… I thought he would be the biggest obstacle on our path to seeking the true original truth and bringing the false god down from his pedestal.”

"The darkest place is under the lamp, which is the ideal situation, but there is nothing better than when the universe begins to turn upside down and our people are already everywhere among our enemies."

“Indeed.” Even Eribas couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction at the thought of such an evil and dramatic scene of betrayal and sacrifice. “The warrior associations in the Legion were born out of this. I was worried that Targost’s development in the Sixteenth Legion would be hindered or attract too much attention because of Loken’s joining. Now it seems that I was overthinking it.”

The name revealed by the chief priest shook Loken to his core, and he used all his strength to control himself so that he did not show any unusual behavior.

"He still doesn't seem very obedient?" The chief priest keenly observed Loken's wide eyes and twitching facial muscles. "Perhaps we should brainwash him?"

"Sacrifices that are too docile are less valuable. This one is extremely valuable. His main role today is to act as a blood donor." The Iron Lord's voice sounded utterly evil and cold. "You should have already realized that the effect of a voluntary offering is not even a fraction of what the Tragedy of Betrayal yields."

The chief pastor nodded in agreement. “Indeed, I have experienced it in many sacrifices.”

"Very well, then let me see how much you know about the warp and demonology, Chief Priest of the Word Bearers."

The Lord of Steel placed the skull in Loken's hands and ordered him to pass it on to Erebas.

The other party respectfully accepted the skull and placed it on the ground, then took out an ancient dagger and made a deep cut on each of Loken's outstretched palms.

Crimson blood dripped onto the ground, and the engraved marks gradually appeared as the blood was injected: it was a so-called magic circle, drawn on the floor of his cabin, cleverly concealed by a thin layer of dust.

As the incense burned, during the incantation ritual of Eribas, Loken saw something distorted like a bubble phantom gradually rise from the skull.

“Look,” said the being named Ramizam, “I don’t even need to breathe on him; his breath alone is enough to make him completely disappear.”

"Indeed very fragile, sir."

"So let's not waste time, let's just ask one question."

Who killed you?

The ghost, which had lost most of its form, emitted a terrifying gurgling sound before it was strangled to death.

"I……"

"It's a Shadowmoon Wolf, right?"

"Yes……"

"His name?"

"I……"

"You don't know the employer's name?"

"I...I have a hard time saying."

“Ah,” Ramizam said, “I really hate this expected outcome.”

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Episode:
Peturabo learned that Ramizann had taken Loken to Eribas:

"What were you thinking, letting Loken go in and then making him pretend he was under your control?! Or were you thinking of going to see Irebas in private?! You can't..."

"Uh, isn't this a great way to show off how strong and mysterious you are and get him to reveal his secrets? And to be honest, I'm really afraid this guy will jump up and attack me. If he stabs me, who will pay for the workplace injury?"

"...He does not currently possess a ritual dagger or a nemesis blade."

“But we can’t take the risk. His swordsmanship is enough to defeat Togden and Tavitz. I don’t think it’s safe for me to be without a warrior like Loken by my side.”

"……and you……"

“We’re almost at Zenobia, so shouldn’t this guy be starting to steal the Nemesis Blade by now? I need to find a reason for Eribus to tell me after he steals the Nemesis Blade.” The other person said matter-of-factly, “Although I initially wanted to follow him to see how he steals the Nemesis Blade, we need to ensure the chain of evidence is complete. Just seeing the scene isn’t enough to catch this cunning thief; we also need to see what he plans to do in the end, otherwise I feel he will definitely find an excuse to back out.”

“Alright…” The Primarch, who had the appearance of a brother, frowned so deeply that he could have trapped two flies. “Then, next time you should at least tell me in advance.”

"So you can rush in and save me anytime, right? So thoughtful, Peipei!"

"...Yes. That's right. So next time, please make sure to tell me before you act."

"Okay, I'll remember."

"..."

(End of this chapter)