Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 567 Nimrod fails the willpower test for the first time.

868.M30.

Solar System, Piraeus, Temporary Surface Base.

Arsène Dunn, holding a data tablet, reported to Ninglu.

“My lord, the ‘readers’ have reviewed all the reports of the Honor Guard members.”

"The 'reasoning trainees' combined the Auger matrix scan report and other reports for analysis."

"After reviewing the records, I identified fifteen anomalies. After comprehensive analysis, I ruled out twelve of them, but found three that I should report to you."

As the "Guardian of Knowledge" spoke, he connected the data panel to the Meditation Machine, and a green holographic image appeared in the Primarch's office.

Amidst the shroud of gray mist, there were red, heart-shaped, jewel-like tree-like creatures.

As the image zooms in, its front is smooth and delicate, radiating light, while its back is wrinkled like an old man's skin.

The entire tree was constantly and slightly contracting and expanding, as if it were breathing.

"Third squad, in area G-3, discovered this strange tree-shaped creature."

"Pharmacists cannot determine whether it is an animal or a plant."

"Stepping inside, the helmet's built-in positioning system will be interfered with, and static will appear in the communicator."

Ninglu immediately recognized it as the main material for the "Follower" pathway sequence 7 "Magician"—the Misty Tree.

The scene shifts to hundreds of leopard-like creatures of different colors, leaping, pouncing, and tearing at each other in the desert.

The next second, the fur of several of the leopard-like creatures suddenly changed color.

Yellow fur turns green, purple fur turns brown...

The changing colors are like a vivid magic trick of nature.

"The first team has discovered a leopard-like creature that can continuously change color in area C-7."

Ning Lu nodded slightly. This leopard-shaped creature was also the main material for the "Magician," the ever-changing leopard.

He gently stroked John beside him, thinking to himself.

[I just arrived in Piraeus and I've already gathered all the materials for "The Magician," which is a really good omen.]
As Ning Lu pondered, the scene shifted, revealing a bizarre sight.

On the lush grassland, there are rows of lifeless human figures.

Ninglu examined the screen, which showed officers standing upright with their arms raised, directing the advance.

There were also soldiers in a search posture, crouching warily, advancing with guns drawn.

The scene then shifts, and a member of the Honor Guard enters the frame, drawing his combat knife.

"As you can see, the human figures are indeed human corpses."

"After examination, the pharmacists found that they could not determine the time of death because the bodies were not severely decomposed, and some parts even still had body temperature, but their consciousness had long since dissipated."

"The strangest thing is that no one showed any surprise or pain on their face."

The "Guardian of Knowledge" gleamed and stated his reasoning conclusion.

"There are only three possibilities in this situation: one is that they died at different times and in different places, and were then moved here."

"Secondly, they died at the same time and turned into bizarre human figures."

"The last possibility is that they died at different times without their awareness, in their sleep or similar situations, and were then driven there by some force."

Nimrod nodded. Without a doubt, this plain was the most likely place where Kalugula, the Tear of Silence, was imprisoned.

[Yes, the manner of death was quite bizarre. This is why the Silent King Szalak forbade the use of the Tears of Silence by the Necromancers of the Dimension.]

Can the undead die in such a bizarre way?
Nimrod knew that creatures like the Nightbringers, Void Dragons, and the Burner Shards he had obtained were not forbidden by the Silent King.

The only Star God he knew who was forbidden from using his power was the Tears of Silence.

“Send five squads to hunt leopard-like creatures that can change color using arc projectile guns.”

Ninglu gave the order, and then selected extraordinary individuals with high spirituality, such as "Monsters" and "Sleepless Ones," as well as extraordinary individuals who could divine directions, such as "Diviners," to go and collect the Misty Trees.

He then took only ten people, including Alsena, Diana Pauline, and Luther, and flew to the grassland region aboard a stormbird.

Glenn Warsotto, the Chapter Master of the First Chapter of the Ultramarines, looked down through the viewing window at the endless mass of figures below.

Different human figures came into view with his superhuman vision, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

"Sir, the figures below seem to follow a pattern."

"All the portraits, sketching out..."

“The human form,” the “Keeper of Knowledge” looked at Wosotho with admiration.

“That’s right,” Ninglu said, pulling back his wandering consciousness and instructing the pilot.

"Nelson, fly toward the head."

“Yes, Father.” As a true “machine,” Nelson also calculated and deduced the overall image of the entire portrait area.

"Lower...stop..." Ning Lu commanded Nelson to hover in the head area at a height of 100 meters. After examining the situation for a moment, he gave the order again, "Open the hatch."

Ninglu flapped its wings and flew out of the Stormbird, slowly descending.

Thirty-six green-covered corpses were piled up in the shape of a teardrop.

The primordial gene astutely confirmed that the crispness had nothing to do with green grass.

He opened up a "subspace vision," where the green rose and merged into a whole—a teardrop.

It was a supernatural green, but unrelated to the subspace.

After a moment's thought, Ninglu decided to open the entrance in a cautious and respectful manner for the deceased.

Cremation.

Golden wings flapped behind him, and golden flames descended from the sky, landing on dozens of teardrops.

The Primogen's eyes narrowed, and its telekinetic powers spread, isolating it from the surrounding area.

With a crackling sound, the human-shaped corpse quickly turned to ashes.

Ning Lu's eyes narrowed as he saw an obsidian-like passage unfold before him.

He sent a thought pulse to Nelson, then stepped into the passageway and scrutinized the walls.

The Primarch's eyes narrowed; he keenly sensed that the material of the building's passageway walls was not obsidian.

Each black stone is a triangle of varying size, entirely black, yet its black core sparkles with starlight.

The entire rock resembles a night sky dotted with stars.

[Triangular Nightfall Stone, the primary material for Sequence 6 of the "Darkness" pathway.]
Ninglu, having collected another type of magic potion, thought with great interest.

I thought it would be on Nostramore, the homeworld of the "Midnight Lords".

Before even finding the fragments of the Tears of Silence, I've already acquired three potions, completing two potions in total. I'm really lucky.

Um……]
Ninglu's smile was fleeting.

Perhaps this is not a matter of luck?

Humans who sealed the Tears of Silence discovered the peculiarities of this planet, making it suitable for sealing? The Tears of Silence have been sealed here for thousands of years, and its power has subtly influenced us?
Wosotho stepped into the passageway, following the gaze of the Primarch.

"This could not have been formed naturally; the probability of that is only one in a billion."

Akulduna gently stroked the cave wall, saying, "It's magnificent and a masterpiece of nature."

Ning Lu walked forward, with the others following behind.
The passageway became wider and wider, and after going down more than 100 meters, it was wide enough for ten people to walk side by side.

After descending more than a kilometer along the passage, Wosoto gazed ahead at the seemingly endless, sloping downward passage and exclaimed in amazement.

"Even if it were built manually, the amount of computation would be immeasurable, even exceeding the total amount of computation of the Emperor-class battleship's Thinker."

The passageway built of triangular night-shadow stones seems to have no end.

In the dim light, only the sound of footsteps echoed.

Zaharel suddenly stopped and frowned.

"The passage of time gives us a completely different feeling than it actually is."

After being taught by Lord Nimrod and mastering the method to activate his innate psychic ability "Fear Vision," he practiced and fought countless times, developing a keen intuition for time.

“It seems…” Diana Pauline’s eyes quickly turned into golden vertical pupils. After careful discernment, the “hypnotist” said, “Some kind of supernatural force is affecting our minds.”

“For ordinary people, the time they experience is stretched infinitely, and they may give up or even break down during a long journey of months or even years.”

Lucius sheathed his sword and clenched his fist.

"A powerful enemy."

Balsa Kuturi, the think tank commander of the 19th Army Corps, gazed into the future with deep eyes.

He sensed a will as majestic as a mountain, yet as desolate as a swamp.

Balsa's body trembled slightly. "Perhaps... he... doesn't need to... show himself."

Balsa unconsciously slowed his speech; his will was being interfered with by an unseen force, and his thoughts became sluggish.

thump!
The think tank collapsed with a thud, and everyone looked around warily.

The dimly lit passageway resembled a deadly abyss.

“Don’t touch him.” Primarch looked at Balsa with scrutiny, sensing that he was in some kind of supernatural state.

Touching it carelessly could cause unpredictable damage.

[If I bring the Tears of Silence to the "Land of Chaos" as soon as possible, Balsa should awaken on its own.]
"Diana, you stay and protect them." Ninglu left behind the most powerful "hypnotist" in the field of mental manipulation, then looked around at everyone.

"Do what you can, and if you feel something is wrong, turn back on your own."

He then ascended to the first level of Thelma's state of mind and continued on his journey.

“I want to see what it is!” Lucius’s eyes lit up, and he was the first to step down.

The others didn't stop either; they couldn't let the Primarch venture into danger alone.

Diana glanced regretfully at the deep passageway and remained where she was.

Lucius strode excitedly, following closely behind Lord Nimrod.

He walked quickly, but after about sixty steps, he unconsciously slowed down.

With a bang, Lucius became the second person to fall unconscious.

“I’ll stay and take care of him.” Akulduna smiled helplessly. Although he was curious about what was happening below, he felt it was his duty to look after his promising brother.

Despairing and troubled by the need to keep the secret, Urian Bendreg fell the third.

“Zaharel and I will stay,” Luther, as the legion’s deputy commander, said.

Wosoto stared at the cave wall, the starlight reflecting into his eyes and accumulating more and more in Superman's brain.

Countless triangles suddenly began to move in his mind, and with each movement, the shape could be pieced together into a whole without any abruptness.

[How is this possible!]
The sheer number of triangles of varying sizes, pieced together, already constitutes an astronomical amount of calculation.

How can something that is constantly shifting in position at every moment still be considered a whole?

Wosoto's mind went blank, and everything went black.

"I'll stay," Arsena volunteered, taking on the responsibility.

Only Zo Sahar remained, following closely behind Nimrod.

His gaze was resolute, determined to follow Lord Ninglu on his journey.

He bit his lip until it bled; having survived the prison in Terra Hive, he was used to pain.

The two walked one after the other, climbing countless steps.

Suddenly, green mist rose, and Zo Sahar collapsed to the ground.

Ninglu looked towards the end of the passage. Now, no one was needed to guard it; the Tears of Silence lay just ahead.

He ascended to the third level of the Thelma realm, his golden wings gleaming, and flew into the dense green fog.

Golden flames rose, illuminating the surroundings.

Ning Lu saw the figure suspended in mid-air.

Golden light emanated from the silver living metal, swirling above his head.

He looked down with an arrogant disdain, his face stern, his features more exaggerated than those of an ordinary human.

His head was long, somewhere between a human and an elf, and his expression was more ruthless than either of those species.

Silent Tears' gaze lingered on the golden wings for a moment before she spoke.

"We are Kalugula, the Tears of Silence."

"We are filled with the power of our brothers and sisters whom we have devoured! We are Kalugra! We are a god!"

His voice was not as deafening as the Void Dragon fragments Nimrod encountered at the Jemenga Starry Sky Monument, but rather as crisp as water dripping from a rock.

The sound echoed in Ninglu's ears and seeped into his mind, striking the door of his heart like a splash on a lake.

We are indeed the Supreme Star Gods.

It's at least an aggregate of more than a dozen fragments, perhaps even hundreds.
"Surrender!"

Its luminous body shone with the power of an extinct star, causing the entire room to tremble.

The stone coffin binding him swayed and vibrated in the air.

I must... take him... to the "Land of Chaos" as soon as possible...

Um?]
The Primarch sensed that his thoughts were sluggish, and the golden flames involuntarily went out.

[horrible!
Is this... the Star God version of... silent... murmurs...?

I...failed...the...will...test...for the first time...
Since he created the third level of Thelma, he has never been unable to cope with a moment that tests his will.

[Refuge in... 'the disordered land'... able to... escape...]

But this... cannot... yield... the Tears of Silence...
(End of this chapter)