Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 238 Serving the Bet
News of the resistance spread like wildfire throughout Nocturne, and the news of victory was even more inspiring.

Nocturne is vast, with ceaselessly flowing lava, millions of continuously erupting volcanoes, and countless obsidian lakes.

The Nocturne Starry Night is very small, and humans live in fixed highland cities, engaging in farming and forging.

The story of a giant warrior who was born and defeated raiders to protect his homeland was carried to various cities by merchant caravans.

People gathered from all directions to admire the warriors' bearing and witness their magnificent feat.

In the town center, they encountered the raider, a beautiful yet dangerous female alien who remained haughty even while imprisoned.

Beside the steel cage hung a sign explaining the origins of the alien.

After interrogation, the Nocturne Star people learned for the first time that the alien women were "Witch Spirits" from the "Spirit Race." They were ancient beings who took pleasure in plundering and roamed the starry sea.

When people from other cities ask why they don't hang up the alien, humiliate her pride, and make the raiders pay the price, the natives will stand tall and proudly tell them about Vulcan's magnanimity.

The visiting guests were greatly astonished, and after visiting Vulcan, they were even more impressed by the giant's strength and benevolence.

Some people were unwilling to leave, so they built houses outside the town and stayed in the city where Vulcan was located, never wanting to return to their life of fear.

After several months of development, the town grew larger and larger, becoming the number one city on Nocturne.

People admired Vulcan's kindness and were willing to obey his leadership, living under the radiance of humanity.

A Primarch, imbued with humanity, unified the planet Nocturne without bloodshed, and made mortals willingly submit to him as their king.

Now, it is time to hold a grand ceremony for the great Vulcan and to try the guilty aliens.

"Aren't you going to see him yet?" Doom asked the Emperor across from him, sitting cross-legged beside the lava, roasting meat.

He relied on a giant beast, which the Nocturne aliens called a "fire lizard," and which had now become their food.

They had been on Nocturne for a long time. In order to avoid being discovered, they spent the night in the wilderness and wandered around the city during the day in disguise.

The emperor did not answer, but bit off a piece of the sizzling, oily thigh of the fire lizard and walked aside to close his eyes and divine.

He took out a tarot deck from his pocket, casually tossed it in front of him, and quickly selected three cards.

“Tomorrow is the perfect day for them to recognize each other.” After looking at the three cards, the Emperor revealed a rare smile. “It’s time to bring him home.”

"Hmph~" Doom scoffed at the charlatan-like Emperor and devoured the meat skewer in his hand.

Then, he gave a wicked smile, recalling something that had annoyed the emperor.

"Tell me," Doom said, his smile growing wider, "whether my brother respects my adoptive father more, or you, his biological father."

He asked this question deliberately because he sensed the emperor's fondness for this benevolent brother.

The Lord of Mankind loved Vulcan's humanity; it was a heartfelt and undisguised affection.

The Emperor devoted himself to nurturing Horus, considering him an important partner, and had pure affection for Vulcan.

Doom felt no jealousy; he simply wanted to annoy the Emperor and repay the kindness of the months spent "camping."

Over the past few months, the two of them have eaten every living creature on Nocturne, and the taste of them was indescribable.

Upon hearing Doom's question, the Emperor's fingers trembled, and he raised an eyebrow as he looked at the smiling man, his palm slightly clenching.

He remained silent, his dark face appearing even darker in the dim light of the lava.

The celebration was held as scheduled, grandly opening on a fine, sunny day when the dust clouds had just dispersed.

Vulcan, bound to his throne by the enthusiasm of the crowd, felt uncomfortable and tried hard to maintain a smile.

He was originally a blacksmith, but he was surrounded by the people of Nocturne and became the chosen king.

People offered him their blessings, expressing their submission to the giant seated on the throne with the most passionate and devout tones.

"The Great King—Vulcan!"

The celebration host, with an incredibly passionate voice, stood on the stage, holding a megaphone, and read the king's title to the crowd below.

"His mercy moved the stars to tears, and his power made the universe tremble."

Listening to the host's boasting, Vulcan tried his best to maintain his composure, praying in his heart that this awkward ceremony would end soon.

Unlike him, the crowd wholeheartedly agreed and nodded in unison.

"Wait a minute!" Just then, a discordant voice came from the end of the street. People looked over angrily and saw two people standing at the end of the street, one tall and one short, dressed in clothes completely different from those of Nocturne Star.

Those who were tall could only see his strong body; he was cloaked, revealing only his bright, piercing eyes.

When the Nocturne saw the tall figure, he couldn't help but turn around and compare the intruder to Vulcan, finding that he was shorter than the one on the throne.

They breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed the intruders were slightly weaker than Fulgan.

Then his gaze fell on the shorter man, who was dressed in a neat white robe, with very fair skin and an ordinary yet noble appearance.

The speaker was indeed him, a fair-skinned, short man. He looked at Vulcan on the throne and said, "Your benevolence is evident to all, but your power is not great."

He said with immense pride, "I can easily defeat you."

Boom~~~~
The outsider's arrogant words caused an uproar among the crowd. They looked back and forth, comparing the two, and then let out a disdainful chuckle.

The two ignored the warnings and slowly walked forward with unhurried steps, and the residents automatically made way for them.

Vulcan sat up straight on the throne, his face no longer stiff and imposing, but his dark cheeks were taut.

He sensed a threat; the two outsiders were indeed very strong, but he didn't feel any danger, and their attitude was strange.

The two continued forward, and as they passed the cage imprisoning the Spirit Race Witch Spirit, the Witch Spirit saw the mark on the back of the tall figure's cloak.

She shuddered, immediately composed her haggard face, and quickly combed her hair.

After tidying her face, Wu Ling rose from the iron cage and bowed to the tall figure with the most ancient and sacred etiquette of the Spirit Clan.

Her voice was no longer malevolent, but melodious like a lark, and she spoke in the Spirit Language with the utmost reverence: "It is an honor to have met the great Godslayer in this lifetime."

The Eldar perished at the birth of the Dark Prince, and even though the Dark Eldar have fallen to such a state, they still hate Him.

The roar of the Sea of ​​Souls and the oath of the Godslayer are still vivid in my mind, and the crimson mark is forever etched in the Warp.

That powerful will convinced the Eldar that the gods would one day die at his hands.

The witch knelt on the ground, expressing the most primal respect to the god-slayer, her posture humble yet elegant.

In ancient times, the Spirit Race would only perform such rituals when facing the Spirit Gods.

Doom merely glanced at her, made no comment, and walked straight down from the throne room.

The witch's attitude alerted the Nocturne Star People, who showed hostility towards strangers, and they did not know what the relationship between the two was.

In the past few months, the alien woman has only revealed her origins and race, and has not said anything else.

She spoke with great arrogance, and despite being a prisoner, she viewed humans with contempt and disdain, as if they were primitive monkeys.

Now she's showing such reverence to strangers, could there be some connection between them?
Could it be reinforcements?

With this sense of unease rising within him, the Nocturne retreated, ready to retrieve his weapons from his home at any moment.

"Where do you come from?" Vulcan asked from his high seat, his voice booming.

He keenly sensed that the two were definitely not Nocturne aliens, not only because of their clothing style, but mainly because Nocturne aliens were not that fair-skinned.

The Nocturne aliens have naturally dark skin, making them indistinguishable from humans in the dark. Their eyes are bloodshot and can capture images in the faintest light.

This is a genetic mutation caused by the environment; dark skin can withstand high temperatures, dust clouds block the sun, and eyes have evolved to capture faint light.

The short person has fair skin, while the tall person, although only their eyes are visible, has very fair skin around their eyes, even fairer than the short person.

"We come from the stars, having heard that an extraordinary king has come to pay homage, only to be met with arrogant flattery."

The emperor looked disappointed. He glanced around at the crowd and said, "So it was all just boasting. You are far less powerful than me."

Upon hearing the strangers' words, the Nocturne aliens had a complicated expression, but gradually surrounded them.

"Stop!" a low shout came from the platform. Vulcan stood up and raised his hand, stopping the crowd. His crimson eyes looked down at the short man and asked, "Then what do you intend to do?"

"Have a contest with me and prove that your people are not lying." The emperor smiled and challenged Vulcan.

"Alright." The black giant on the high platform nodded in agreement, accepting the stranger's challenge.

“However, I want to add one condition,” Vulcan then added: “The loser must swear an oath to serve the victor for the rest of his life.”

(End of this chapter)