Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 428 Azek Ahriman and Hathor Matt engage in a struggle
After the Fifteenth and Fourth Corps ended their fighting with the Skot Alliance, they took a short break.

Subsequently, the two legions were once again ordered to conduct a joint operation, heading to Dawn Star to rescue the local population.

In 853, the 28th Expeditionary Fleet arrived at Dawn Star.

Azek Aliman led his entourage to the ruins of Zarujin.

Although he has not yet complied with the new system established after Primarch Magnus returned to the Legion, which requires every candidate for company commander to be seconded to another Legion, he still has more than a hundred followers as the former de facto leader of the Legion.

Ahriman was not worried about getting the position of company commander. The Father of Genetics did not arrange for him to be seconded to a legion simply because no suitable candidate had appeared yet.

What worries him now is the vacant position of Director of the Think Tank. As the Temple Chief of the "Black Raven School," he can foresee that this position is far more important than those of the other legions because of the Father of Genetics' preference for knowledge and psionic power.

Even though Lord Nimrod was the first to persuade the Emperor to agree to the establishment of the Think Tank, Thomas of the "Shadow of Order" was not the second person in the Legion.

Sanchez, the Reaper's successor and a man of great military achievements; Bukayo Arshavin, who discovered many key worlds such as Sepra Mundi; and Howard Finder, who carried out his work in establishing order and rebuilding territories such as the Osiris Sector, are all obviously more central figures.

Another Primarch who advocated the use of psionic powers, Saint Gilles, did the same in his legion.

The Fifteenth Legion is different; the think tank director is the legion's second-in-command.

Ariman has always believed that he is the only one suitable to be the head of the think tank.

Although Amon was his father's mentor and was deeply trusted by the Primarch, he remained hidden in the shadows and was clearly unsuitable to be the leader of the Legion.

Based on what Ahriman knew, most of the Qianzi believed that he should rightfully become the director of the think tank.

But recently this situation has changed. Hathor Matt has suddenly risen to prominence. His performance, especially the knowledge of the space dwarves he brought back and several rare runes that condense warp energy, has greatly elevated his status in the eyes of the Father of Genesis.

Although his father never explicitly stated it, Ahriman had already foreseen that this operation on Dawn Star would be the stage for his showdown with Hathor.

The best performer among them will become the director of the think tank.

Ahriman wanted to win this victory. So far, apart from Cesar of the Eleventh Legion, all the legions that had reunited with the Father of Gene had their commanders become the second person under the Primarch.

He did not take the brief lead of Hathor, who was closer to the Primarch, to heart in the first council he had held earlier.

But the position of think tank director is different. Once you obtain this position, you can use the power you have to control a large number of people.

In order to win, Ahriman chose Zarujin.

Staying here in the face of the impending magnetic storm would be reckless, even for Astartes.

But in order to win, Ahriman was willing to take risks, as he sought to grasp the precious knowledge that generations had painstakingly accumulated in a lost era.

His consciousness drifted with the wind, merging into the pale ashes swept by the gale, howling through the collapsed ruins and shattered buildings.

The marble columns are pitted and uneven, and the glass glitters between the grand buildings.

The rugged mountains of Zarujin stretch out along the wide river valley, with ravines so straight they look unnatural.

As Ahriman wandered through the ruins, his gaze piercing through time. He realized that the city had not been inhabited for thousands of years.

Nature has reclaimed its territory from its ancient concrete canyons and broken streets, and the buildings it has passed through are in the style of the old night.

Their styles are unique and varied, lacking the typical modular aesthetic characteristics of humanity's rapid expansion among the stars in later times.

Dawn Star was inhabited as early as the beginning of the golden age of human exploration, and Zarukin was one of the earliest cities on the planet.

"Is this the place where the first king of Dawn Star established his capital?"

Ahriman asked, studying the playful movement of the particles in his palm, watching them spin in increasingly complex iterative patterns.

The particles of iron oxide shimmered with bright, fragmented light; these ancient metallic relics, long since turned to dust in this desolate city, were now awakened, dancing under the control of the Black Raven's artistry.

Ahriman seeks meaning in patterns and designs, listening to the echoes of the past.

Predicting the future has always been his focus, and now he wants to find the hidden past in the depths of the vast ocean. Both are equally challenging for him.

"Now is the time for us to open our hearts to each other and communicate."

Ahriman ascended to the second level of his mental state, releasing his mental barriers and allowing his consciousness to sink into the vast ocean, communicating with the consciousness of this place:

Why is it that only your world has survived the touch of madness and the old night?

"Why did Dawn Star survive, but your capital fell and perished?"

"Is it your greed that's causing this, or your arrogance? Or is it simply a matter of time?"

Nine breaths later, Ahriman suddenly ascended to the third level, trying to capture the trace he sensed that had been swept across the vast ocean.

The vast ocean flowed into his body, like water cascading down a series of complex channels, guided and shaped by the thoughts constructed by the third layer of his mind.

The unknown has become the known; possibilities that were never seen or written about are now being revealed.

Ahriman trembled, overwhelmed with excitement at his discovery. A breathtaking image took shape in his mind.

He glimpsed a dreamlike city standing atop the world, its spires melting as the world burned.

[Is this what the end of Zarujin looked like?]
Is this the end of Zarujin?

At the same time that Ahriman was unleashing the Black Raven Arts and uncovering the mysteries of Dawn's history, his only rival, Hathor, also led his Third Society and a portion of the "Bright Feather School" that had not been assigned to a Society onto the surface of Dawn.

On the left shoulder armor of everyone in the group, the curved surface is decorated with the serpentine star-shaped emblem of the "Thousand Sons" Legion, painted in a pale ivory white against the crimson power armor.

A shimmering feather has been added to the emblems of Hathor and hundreds of others.

That was the symbol of the "Bright Feather School," which Hathor controlled as the Temple Chief.

The Thousand Sons, each adorned with bright feathers on their shoulder armor, were noticeably more handsome than their battle brethren.

Every single one of the Liangyu was handsome; in this respect, they were comparable to the sons of emperors.

Most of them were not this handsome when they underwent the transformation surgery to become Chiko.

But they used their Radiant Feather technique and psionic powers to repeatedly alter their flesh and blood, giving themselves marble-like faces, and eventually won Hathor's approval.

Hathor himself was even more so; even standing among a group of emperors' sons, he would stand out remarkably.

Rumors circulated within the Fifteenth Legion, with many, including the Father of Genesis, believing that Hathor should be seconded to the Third Legion, where he would surely gain Lord Forgrim's favor.

Although the Thousand Sons felt regretful about this, they were happy that Hathor had been valued by Lord Nimrod and even given precious runes, so they were glad that he had been transferred to the "Shadow of Order".

Hathor had already guessed his rival's thoughts from Ahriman's decision to go to the ruins of Zarukin.

He did not choose the ruins, for no ruin has a history surpassing that of Zarujin, and his ability to extract information from them is far inferior to that of Ahriman.

Hathor knew that his only chance was to make good use of the abilities Lord Nimrod had given him.

Therefore, he chose the largest city on Dawn Star, the stage where he could best demonstrate his abilities as a "psychologist".

(End of this chapter)