Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

Chapter 394 Intermission: A photo

As early as when the Lord of Mankind personally laid the first foundation and laid down the initial construction plan for his magnificent palace complex in the Himalayas, he personally told the then engineering manager a crucial matter.

He said that directly in front of the imperial palace, at the junction of the empire's power and the mortal world, a wide passage leading directly to the interior of the imperial palace's sacred area should be built. It should be one mile long and wide enough to allow the huge God's machinery roams here, and it must be sacred enough to display heroes who deserve to be remembered.

The Lord of Mankind ordered this, and he was satisfied: this passage appointed by the Emperor was one of the earliest areas to be built in the entire Palace of Terra. Long before the throne room and the Tower of Hegemony were completed, this passage had already It was put into busy use, and the king of the empire personally gave this heroic road a name destined to be legendary.

Door to eternity.

It links the Emperor's Golden Throne with the people he rules; it links the Emperor's Praetorian Guard with the Paladin Legion, Lucifer's Black Watch, and Katanda's Elite Troops, the garrison area of ​​Terra's Mortal Praetorian Guard; It connects the most sacred palace of the empire with the most ordinary and noisy city, and connects the country of gods and humans, legends and mediocrity, heroes and cowards.

Between these two countries, there are countless beautiful and lifelike sculptures, murals, reliefs, and resolute faces: only the banners and flags of the greatest imperial heroes can fly here, and among them The vast majority of them have paid their lives for it.

The requirements for being selected for this passage are more stringent than becoming a Forbidden Army. This strictness makes the two sides of the Eternal Gate seem a bit deserted at this time. There are only a few touches, but it also makes it impossible for anyone to despise. The greatness and holiness of these heroes: even the Astartes, even the Primarchs.

Rather, being able to place a statue of yourself, or the legion to which you belong, in a country that only belongs to heroes, in front of the emperor's throne, is something that every Astartes warrior can't even dream of. The supreme glory he desires: Even though the Great Crusade has been going on for decades, and even though many legions have captured countless glory among the stars, there is still no Primarch, or his legions, who can achieve the goal of defeating the Primarch. The names belonging to all of them are left on the stone wall of the Eternal Gate.

But today.

History has turned a new page.

——————

"Thousands of tons of white marble, said to be supreme treasures originating from the Aegean Valley, are enough to buy any ancient family with pure blood on Terra: Count Arcadia during the Emperor's inspection of the provinces of Europe At that time, these valuable tributes were paid to him, and everyone said that this cunning Boiotian wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to ask for the rule of his native province."

[Did he succeed? 】

"It can be considered a success, but it is definitely not the result of these stones."

The Wolf King rubbed his chin. Just when they could see clearly the spiers of the Terra Palace that seemed to pierce the sky, the Fenrisian suddenly stopped his explanation and let his eyes fall on Morgan and Conrad. De jumped back and forth, showing a certain kind of sly smile that wild wolves only show when they are successful in hunting.

"Let's leave the rest to Conrad to explain: he has been studying history very hard recently, especially in the history of Terra. He can stop me asking questions many times, which is impressive. profound."

【Is it……】

Morgan murmured confusion and looked at his other brother: At this moment, Conrad had just been dragged back from his wandering world by the call of Leman Russ. He faced this Fenris wolf who could not keep secrets. King, Conrad could only bar his teeth in dissatisfaction.

[Are you familiar with the past history of Holy Terra, Conrad? 】

Morgan raised her brows, and she was really confused in her heart: Although the Lord of Avalon knew that her brother had been studying hard recently, she never thought that her Nostramo brothers would actually treat the Holy Tai I have such a strong interest in the history of La.

This is not simple.

"..."

Midnight Ghost paused before reluctantly squeezing out an answer.

"Now that I'm used to seeing the future, I always want to look at the past again."

【……good. 】

[Then tell me, tell me about the past of these marbles. 】

"as you wish."

Midnight Ghost raised his chin towards Leman Russ, who was smiling, and snorted unhappily. Then, his expression became a little serious, and he continued Leman Russ's story clearly.

"Originally, the family that ruled the Boiotia region was named Yeselti. They had always used non-violent non-cooperation to resist the emperor's unification attempt. Our father even allowed this family to form a semi-autonomous country. The purpose was to allow them to integrate into the rule of the empire at their own pace and with as much dignity as possible: However, contrary to expectations, the Yeselti family insisted on their independent status until the emperor finally sent His Thousand Sons Army."

"And the family of the Earl of Arcadia took advantage of this battle to rebel, or to welcome the king, and successfully became the new ruler of the province of Boitia: As for these white marbles, they are just They were just icing on the cake gifts, but these stones were indeed exquisite, so the Emperor took them back to the Palace of Terra and piled them up in the Square of Heroes. Each time a Primarch returned, he used these marbles to build a statue for the new Primarch. New statue.”

[In other words, there are seventeen statues so far? 】

Morgan raised her head slightly, squinted her eyes, and looked at the palace wall in the distance: somewhere behind the wall was the Square of Heroes, and there was a statue of her standing on the square, opposite her Probably Jonson or Jaghatai Khan.

If they are arranged according to the serial number of the legion, it is the former, and if they are arranged according to the order of return, it is the latter.

"No, you are wrong, sister."

Midnight Ghost shook his head and showed his unique cruel smile.

"Sixteen of them: Don't forget, one of our brothers has lost the qualification to stand in the Square of Heroes. His statue has been shattered into pieces and turned into a pile of white stones."

【……】

[I thought they just covered it up. 】

"Maybe our father felt that covering him up wasn't safe enough."

Conrad's laughter was sharp, and Leman Russ's expression on the side was a little gloomy. The Wolf King did not respond to his brother's words. He just sniffed the decaying wind on Holy Terra and put on a dry expression. A disgusting gesture.

"Morgan, I heard that you proposed this to Quan's father?"

【……? 】

【It’s not me. 】

The Lord of Avalon shook his head and distanced himself from the matter: although she had no guilt or deeper feelings for the rebellious brother who had been excommunicated by the Emperor, she did not want to be with [Destroy Statue of Brothers] This impression is linked together.

[I just proposed to the Emperor that he could prepare the necessary honors for the Dark Angels on Holy Terra: Even the words Eternal Gate only appeared once in the corner of the discourse. I never thought about it. The Emperor will place the honor of the Dark Angels there. 】

"It's not just a matter of putting it there."

Conrad took over the conversation. He blinked and looked at their destination which was already close at hand: walk a little further and cross a kilometer long passage. Jonson and his heirs were waiting there. His brothers.

"What the Emperor gave you is beyond your imagination: and if our father hadn't told you, everyone would have thought that you fought for it for the Dark Angels."

"At least, that's what the Dark Angel definitely thinks."

【……】

"Do you think he will say it?"

[I don’t think he can. 】

——————

At the end of Eternity's Gate. Next to the front door of the palace, which symbolized the authority of the emperor, Jonson and his high-ranking knights were waiting for his blood brothers, waiting for the shocked expressions on their faces.

He waited successfully.

When the three primarchs finally arrived at their destination, even Morgan couldn't control the flash of shock in her pupils because of what she saw.

After a long silence caused by surprise, a sharp whistle from the Nostramo people pierced the vaguely proud smile on Jonson's face.

"Wow……"

Conrad sighed loudly and was amazed.

"I even envy you, my dear brother Caliban."

Next to Midnight Ghost, Morgan and Leman Russ raised their eyebrows at the same time. They carefully observed the scene in front of them, expressing their silent agreement with Conrad's words.

"..."

Jonson did not respond, and at the same time, he was extremely rare to have no emotions, let alone anger, towards Conrad's strangeness: in fact, the King of Knights of Caliban was in a strange and pleasant state at this time. , his back was still straight and his etiquette was still impeccable, but the faint smile on his face revealed that Zhuang Sen was not at peace in his heart at this time.

The same expression also appeared on the dozen high-level knights behind him. These armed lords with high positions in the First Legion are all important figures who can represent the entire Dark Angel Legion. They are like angels. Standing beside Zhuang Sen like wings, with the same serious expression, but also unable to suppress the faint smile.

Behind Zhuang Sen, in the place guarded by the Dark Angels, is the root cause of these strange scenes: it is an exquisite giant statue made of pure white marble. It is undoubtedly from those The most exquisite hands in all of Holy Terra, and these hands belong only to the clans of craftsmen who have served the Emperor and the Custodes for generations.

During the period when several Primarchs were advancing towards Terra, these master sculptors personally erased the sculpture of one of the Primarchs, and based on the raw materials of the sculpture, rebuilt a sculpture that was symbolic of the entire third century. A legion of great works of art.

This sculpture, this symbol of honor for all Dark Angels, is a giant statue about ten meters high. Although the armor is not gorgeous, the appearance does not have many facial features: in fact, it wears a helmet on the 1st. The most popular winged helmet within the First Legion is a set of armor that can be worn by any Dark Angel. The few decorations on the armor are swords and wings, double-headed eagles and roaring lions.

One of his hands is attached to the hilt of the sword, and the blade of the sword is straight into the ground, while the other hand is holding a strong shield tightly. The edge of the shield and the arm are hidden on the back of the sculpture. In the lifelike cloak.

This statue: it's not Jonson, it's not Corswain, it's not Astlan, it's not Arachos, it's not any of the Dark Angels who are famous in the galaxy, but it could also be Jonson, it could be Corswain. Swayne could be Astlan, Arachos, or any First Legion soldier who was either famous or unknown, still alive, or already sacrificed in the war.

He is no one,

He can be anyone.

He is not an individual, he is a symbol of the entire First Legion: the entire First Legion is a symbol of countless bloody sacrifices, countless gritted teeth and countless achievements that have gone through hardships but can never be recognized in the past twenty years.

It was placed in a position that could be boasted by anyone: at the very end of the Eternal Gate, on the side of the gate of the Royal Palace of Terra, above countless imperial heroes, it was on this great pilgrimage road, The last and most important existence, it is a guardian that can use its own sword, shield and eyes to guard the palace of the Lord of Humanity. Before that, only the Imperial Army could stand on the land under its feet.

While other Primarchs and Astartes warriors were still trying to carve the names of their legions into any section of the wall on the Eternal Gate, this nameless [Dark Angel] was already standing on this road. At the very end, he looked down at all of them, forever.

Of course, considering the width of the Eternal Gate and the splendor of the Royal Palace of Terra, even though this statue is so exquisite and huge, it is still incomparably small in the eyes of those mortals who can only look at the palace from a distance. It is even unnoticed. After all, few people are allowed to enter the palace through the Eternal Gate. Therefore, it is destined that few people will see the eternal honor of the Dark Angel Legion standing here. .

No one can record it, no one can remember it, but no one can match it: this was the Emperor's reply to the First Legion.

Now, Zhuang Sen and his heirs have witnessed with their own eyes how this reply was completed. No one can know what their mood is at this moment: maybe it is joy, maybe it is something else, but no matter what, They all accepted the answer.

"More exaggerated than I thought."

Conrad's hoarse voice murmured in a very low voice, as if he was defeated on an invisible battlefield.

"At the end of the Eternal Gate, in front of the Royal Palace of Terra, a new statue made from the statue material of another Primarch: I can't even imagine that this is the handiwork of our father."

"..."

Leman Russ nodded dazedly on the side, agreeing with Conrad's suspicion. Then, he blinked and turned his gaze to the Lord of Avalon who was next to him and in a similar state to him.

"Isn't this really your proposal? Morgan?"

【...I said it all! no! 】

Morgan gritted his teeth.

"It doesn't matter anymore: those Dark Angels obviously think so."

Conrad raised a brow, his voice a bit gloating.

"You should be lucky, sister, these Calibans are reserved guys: if you are full of gratitude to you now, you will not be able to resist a group of Fenrisians."

"Conrad is right."

【……】

Morgan didn't want to talk.

"Look, Jonson is waving to us."

【……】

[Go over there. 】

The Lord of Avalon shook her head, and she heard herself sigh.

"You guys are here?"

When the three Primarchs approached their brother, everyone could clearly feel that Jonson's fingers on the hilt of the sword were shaking unnaturally: just like his fingers that were trying to stabilize themselves. The faces are the same.

"Nice statue, bro."

Leman Russ grinned and laughed wantonly. He strode forward and hugged the Lord of Caliban tightly, as if they had not seen each other for a long time, while Jonson kept his The stiff posture passively accepted Leman Russ' embrace. He didn't look very angry because of this offense.

"I hope other brothers will not see this statue, otherwise some people will definitely feel jealous: in fact, I am already a little jealous of you, Zhuangson, I also want a big guy like this."

Leman Russ's joke echoed in the Lion King's ears, and Jonson showed a rare smile and responded to his brother with a smile.

"It doesn't matter, Riemann: I won't deliberately publicize these things, and I don't care about the rumors that are rolled up just because of a mere statue. If a person's entire pride is worth hundreds of tons of marble and the stones on it, It would be too pitiful to use false honor."

"The words are rough but the reasoning is not rough."

Conrad shook his head, and then Leman Russ came up, stretched out his slender arms, and hugged Zhuangson fiercely, as if this was some formal ceremony.

"Originally, you didn't get this treatment."

Taking advantage of the hug, Midnight Ghost came close to Zhuang Sen and whispered in his ear, speaking in a joking tone.

"Thank you Morgan: you lucky Caliban bastard."

"..."

"But you do deserve it: I reluctantly admit it."

"..."

"I know, Conrad."

"Thank you for your fair review."

"You're welcome, brother~"

Facing this brother, Caliban's posture was obviously stiffer, but he still greeted the hug with a cold face, raised a hand, and patted the Nostramo man gently on the shoulder. Clicked twice as a response.

When Morgan walked up, the lion was obviously stunned for a moment. He seemed to hesitate for a while on whether to accept Morgan's hug, but in the end, the reserved attitude took over the lion's thinking, and Zhuang saw Sen moved his somewhat stiff legs, took an active step forward, and stretched out a hand.

In response, the Lord of Avalon, who originally wanted to open her arms, only raised her eyebrows slightly, and then obediently stretched out her hand without any pause or surprise.

The two hands were intertwined and held tightly: Zhuang Sen spoke first.

"Thanks for the offer, Morgan."

Then, the voice was so low that only two people could hear it.

"I didn't expect that you would do this for the First Army: Please don't worry. Regarding the statue of Heydrich, I guarantee with my honor that I will not tell it. I will also supervise Riemann." and Conrad’s.”

【……】

【……】

【That's best. 】

Morgan originally wanted to explain something, but when the Lord of Avalon saw Jonson's sincere eyes, an inexplicable fatigue took over her heart. She sighed, responded to Jonson's oath with a smile, and then I'm too lazy to explain anything in vain.

Love is what it is, so be it.

[As long as you are happy, Zhuang Sen. 】

"This has nothing to do with being happy. Morgan: This is an honor and a responsibility. Although I don't really need this honor, since the responsibility comes to my shoulders, I will not refuse it."

Although the smile on the corner of his mouth was almost uncontrollable, Jonson's words were still cold and hard. When Morgan nodded and walked to his side, the Caliban also turned around and joined her. He looked at the senior Dark Angel officials gathered around the statue.

These Terran veterans are all figures who have experienced a hundred or two hundred years of hardships, but at this time, they are like a group of young people who are just starting out, surrounding this tall statue, while whispering about certain aspects of this statue. While trying to suppress the excitement on his face, Morgan saw an active color in their pupils that she had not seen on the Dark Angel for a long time. They seemed to be quietly reviving.

[Putting the statue here is both a recognition and a concealment: If there are no accidents, after this, perhaps only the Imperial Army and the Emperor will be able to observe your statue up close, Zhuang Sen. 】

"I don't care about these things."

Zhuang Sen's eyebrows were sharp.

"Compared with these, I hope that this statue can always stand here, standing in front of the gate of the Terra Palace, and guard the Terra Palace on my behalf."

[The Imperial Guards will be unhappy because of these remarks. 】

Morgan laughed softly. Following her guidance, Zhuang Sen looked to the other side: several forbidden troops of the Lord of Humanity were standing scattered on the other side of the gate, looking here in silence. They looked at the gene source. The eyes of the body and the Astartes warriors were neither sad nor happy, without any emotion, but there was not much respect either.

Zhuang Sen snorted lightly.

"They may not be better or more qualified than my First Legion, Morgan."

"After all, not everyone is the First Army."

"The Emperor chose these Custodes to defend his palace, and I respect his choice, but if it were up to me and my warriors, we would only do better: true guarding should not be limited to Terra. In the palace, we should use swords and fire to cleanse all threats, so that the flames of war will forever burn beyond the galaxy."

[Is this your point of view? 】

"Always."

【……】

Morgan snorted and narrowed her eyes, not knowing what she was thinking.

[So, after our trip to Terra is over, you will immediately start a new expedition: I originally thought about inviting you to sit in the Far Eastern Frontier, just like Guilliman invited me. 】

"Personally, I don't resist your invitation, Morgan, but in the darkness, there are still too many Dark Angel missions to complete: As for Guilliman? Don't listen too much to his so-called sincere invitation. Maybe he’s holding something bad in his stomach.”

As the statue was lowered for a moment, Zhuang Sen's words became a little more relaxed.

【That's it...】

Morgan sighed unintentionally. She said no more, and Jonson also said no more. The two Primarchs watched Leman Russ and Conrad commenting on the statue, and the high-ranking knights of the Dark Angels They lined up the team and discussed who should stand where: With the official completion of the statue, a waiter from the Royal Palace came in front of everyone with a video recorder to record this important moment.

"Come on, Morgan."

The Lion King reached out and patted his sister on the shoulder.

"Come and stand with me in the middle, beside me."

[This is a photo of you and your heirs as the subject. 】

"But, I also invited Leman Russ and Conrad to come together, didn't I?"

The Lion King curled his lips.

"Come with me, Morgan."

"Like I said: who are we as the First Legion if you don't stand between us?"

——————

When the shutter is pressed, everyone seems to be in a different state.

Zhuang Sen deservedly stood in the middle of everyone, and he was the one on this day. He is the protagonist of this moment, and on one side of him are his blood brothers, and on the other side are his most valued heirs.

Morgan stood on the right side of Zhuang Sen. She seemed to be leaning on the Caliban man. Her silver hair brushed the pure black shoulder armor, her hands were crossed, and her center of gravity seemed to be leaning towards Zhuang Sen. Sen, and it is worth noting that before taking the photo, Morgan seemed to remember something and put on a helmet.

Zhuang Sheng glanced at Morgan and frowned.

"Luthor's?"

[Well...he should be in this photo, right? 】

"..."

The Lion King nodded. He said nothing more. Then, he looked further away: Although Leman Russ was separated from him by a Morgan, the King of Fenris stretched out his arms carelessly. arms, holding Caliban and Avalon in his arms. The Wolf King's smile was the most open among all the people present, and Conrad on the other side was also held in his arms. Inside the arms, the midnight ghost really looked a little uncomfortable: this scene was faithfully recorded by the photo.

On the other side, the Dark Angels formed a neat double row: Coswein and Arachos were closest to Jonson, and the others stood in order.

But what’s interesting is that, no matter whether these high-level knights are famous or unknown, they all wear the same winged helmet at this moment: at first glance, all of them look the same as the huge one behind them. There is no difference between the statues, making it impossible to tell who each of them is.

These knights have erased their own identity and honor. At this moment, they symbolize the countless battle brothers who cannot come, and they symbolize the entire First Legion.

Astlan stood at the back of the queue, at the edge, so that he could leave an inconspicuous position next to him: he didn't know why he did this, but he did. I clearly remember that he promised someone that he would leave a place for him here.

He no longer remembers who that person is, but he remembers the oath he made: he is not going to break this oath, for the sake of the oath brother he can no longer remember.

When everyone stood and the waiter was about to press the switch, Morgan's psychic sense suddenly felt something. She raised her head and saw the direction of the statue's head: there seemed to be a mortal waiter. Holding a banner and trying to hang it over the head of the statue, his reckless behavior brought him into the shot.

And when Morgan squinted his eyes and took a closer look at the face of the reckless man, his cunning pupils and smooth forehead made the Spider Queen recognize his identity in an instant.

【……】

"What's wrong?"

Jonson sensed something was wrong with Morgan in an instant. He asked, and then they both raised their heads and looked in the same direction: and the Caliban man recognized the man's identity almost in the next second. , the brother who fought side by side with them but left quietly.

The Lion King was silent for a moment. No one knew what he was thinking at this second, but when he turned back and looked at the camera, he suddenly gave an instruction in a cold voice.

"Lift the camera a little higher."

So just like that, the reckless mortal reluctantly entered the camera.

He just smiled at that.

Just like that, all the guests had arrived, and all the preparations were in place. When the waiter finally pressed the shutter, maybe it was an illusion, or maybe it was a trace of illusion caused by the flicker of light: Morgan could feel it , there seemed to be a drop of tears slowly accumulating from Zhuang Sen's pupils.

There is only one drop, a tiny drop, like the dew in the morning, fast and dreamy, making people unable to determine and understand.

【Are you crying? Johnson. 】

"No, Morgan."

"Is that your imagination?"

【……】

[How many photos did he take? 】

"One piece."

【Is it……】

[Why do I think it’s two? 】

Morgan murmured to herself, when she walked to the waiter's side and took a look at the instrument: when she saw the second photo, the one with the shining light in Caliban's pupils, slightly When the invisible dewdrops appeared, the Lord of Avalon was stunned for a moment, then smiled briefly at Zhuang Sen.

【All right. 】

【Only one. 】

If you find that the last few paragraphs are garbled, please exit the starting point and refresh. This is the result of my accidentally pressing the wrong code.

Daily group number: 684947131

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like