Emperor's Bane

Chapter 15: Dawn Redemption ([-])

On the third Terra standard after the Steadfast Light landed safely, the Iron Warriors finally killed the last intruder on the outskirts of Carena.

The killing reports from various battalions and companies kept pouring into Perturabo's thinking cable, and those numbers symbolizing blood and death rose rapidly in the Primarch's brain, and finally reached six figures.

Very rarely, the Lord of Steel fell into a state of anxiety and uneasiness. He turned his head and looked at his blood brother.

"I think it's time to use your magical magic this time, Magnus."

"Besides psychic power, I can't think of any way to control hundreds of thousands of mortals at the same time, and make them so blind, bloodthirsty and crazy."

Magnus nodded, he was thinking the same.

"There may be a psychic entity that we don't know about lurking in this world. It is powerful, secretive, and full of outright hostility... Perturabo, my most reliable brother, I have no intention of hiding it from you: able to manipulate Mortals of this scale, even my best descendants cannot do it. Ahriman and Amon may be able to influence the thoughts of thousands of mortals, and even take the lives of tens of thousands of people, but they also cannot make these people unconditional Many people died for them, even hundreds of people were reluctant."

Perturabo listened calmly, and then he spoke slowly, with unquestionable authority.

"I remember the same thing happened to our brother Robert's Legion No. 13: they fought against the Osiris psionics, those horrible xenomorphs who can control entire galaxies and billions of mortals, and let them The formation of the Astartes Legion will also launch a continuous offensive until the last man, this madness even defeated the No.13 Legion at one point."

"There is also my Fourth Legion. Long before I returned, they had regained Venus in the solar system under the command of our father and wiped out the Stone Ghost Legion entrenched there. I have read the records of the Legion. What they destroyed Among the opponents are psykers called war witches, who control an entire planet, and it was our father himself who wiped them out."

"If your deduction is true, Magnus, then even if the monster is not as powerful as the Osiris psionic species or the war witch, sending our sons to search is simply death."

The voice of the Lord of Steel silenced the two Primarchs at the same time. Although they are the strongest who can shape and destroy the country by themselves, living demigods who walk in the mortal world, but in the face of such a level When they faced their opponents, the cloud of apprehension and hesitation still began to hang over their minds.

The Iron Warriors had already lost no less than fifty soldiers in the battle just now, and more than one team of the Thousand Sons Legion had lost contact. The two originals now did not want to lose their troops again for this disaster relief operation.

The emperor's sons stared at the busy restoration site in the distance, each planning countless plans, but they always gave up because of various defects. In the end, the safest one won their favor.

"We stay here?"

"Yes, almost all the people who are still alive in the entire Dawn Star are now within a radius of [-] kilometers of Carena City. As long as we hold on to this range, it will either take the initiative to crash into our defense line, or delay until it is separated from the world. Burn to ashes together—and now there is no second red dragon for it to use."

Perturabo's words were filled with a certain kind of anger, which was the raging anger of his son's worthless sacrifice, and now the Iron Lord is still a romantic who occasionally mourns for his son.

Magnus nodded, but he quickly thought again. The Primarch of the No.15 Legion looked at the buildings that had been set alight due to the invasion, as if thinking of something.

"Perturabo, my brother."

"Do you remember those [Sons of Sitan]?"

"Are you worried that they still have the last remnants lurking in the city of Carena, ready to revive?"

"No, I mean, do you think this cult is strange, they are always able to evade our strictest investigation, and keep emerging, regardless of composition, rich or poor, or even age, any mortal may It is its believers, as well as the Red Dragon Legion, their rebellion is definitely inseparable from this sect."

"...what are you trying to say?"

Although he had been skeptical for a long time, Perturabo decided to listen to his brother first.

"I want to say, Perturabo, even the most rigorous organization is almost impossible to achieve this kind of action, let alone a crazy cult...unless..."

Perturabo took his brother's words.

"Unless they're actually worshiping... some, god?"

"Son of Sitan... Sitan..."

"Referring to the world view of mortals, if there is a terrifying spiritual entity in this world, it will be regarded as a god. The truth of the empire is not worth mentioning in front of the power of these barbaric creatures."

Magnus's radical remarks made his brother frown. The Lord of Iron wanted to refute something, but his eyes were immediately attracted by another thing: Ahriman and Phryx were coming together, they He walked hurriedly, and seemed to have important information.

"A Mechanicus priest we rescued in an inland city has just woken up, my lord!"

There was uncontrollable excitement in Ahriman's voice.

"There is an important piece of information recorded in the data in his brain: in the previous months of observations and calculations, he has successfully deduced the origin of such a large-scale geological movement in the dawn star. These are the coordinates..."

Perturabo almost snatched it up, and he confirmed the location with just a glance: the Orchis Mountains!

The Iron Lord glanced at her side calmly, Morgan was standing aside, and next to her stood Magnus' think tank Forsis.

The Primarch of the Thousand Sons insisted on keeping the accomplished mortal with him, for her abilities were so impressive that in the depths of his consciousness Magnus trusted the mortal in some ways even than many of his sons.

Orchis Mountains...

Perturabo remembered this place, of course he remembered that, less than six hours ago, in the [Salimaves] fortress, he had adopted this very place when he was embarrassing that outstanding silver-haired female officer.

Thinking of this, Perturabo frowned.

Because as he said in the question he posed to Morgan at the beginning, it is the storm season in the Orchis Mountains at this moment. Thousands of kilometers of weather and electromagnetic fields.

The Iron Lord hesitated for a second, just for a second, his eyes were stubborn and never changed.

Then he looked at his brother Magnus.

"I will take my subordinates there to try to solve this trouble. You stay in Carena City."

Magnus didn't answer him immediately, the Primarch stared at the [Steadfast Light] in the distance, and after a while, he seemed to have figured out something.

"You can go there, Perturabo, but I can't stay here. I'm going to Zarukin too, to the place where my Atava team disappeared."

Ahriman suddenly felt it became difficult to breathe, because the atmosphere here was visibly deteriorating.

As a matter of course, this kind of foolishness ignited Perturabo's anger in an instant.

"Now is not the time to worry about a few people, we are responsible for the millions of people in Carena City!"

"I know! I'm in charge now!"

"You're being selfish, Magnus! You're abandoning the defenses here for a squad, that's the reality!"

The angry roars of the two Primarchs collided in the ruins. Both the tall Magnus and the shorter Perturabo were giants to look up to. When they clashed with excitement and anger, even if it was just The verbal rhetoric is also enough to make Ahriman and others tremble in place.

Although trembling because of the demigod turmoil, the company commander of Thousand Sons still moved aside, covering Morgan, who was also standing here watching, behind him.

But this couldn't stop the coughing voice from behind him.

【Cough...Because what's there in Zarukin, Your Excellency? 】

The voice was not loud and weak, but it attracted the eyes of the two Primarchs, like two searchlights with full power.

Ahriman's Adam's apple was rolling up and down, and he didn't know what to do for a moment, but fortunately, this question had already made Magnus regain his wisdom.

"Yes, Perturabo, my brother, I figured it out just now."

"Since there really is a [Xitan], it will definitely be waiting for us in Zarukin."

“How come you see?”

"Is there anything in this world other than [Zitan] that can silence a squad of Astartes? I've lost at least fifteen men in the last few days, some of them flying Accidents, some died from the rebels, but even if a whole team was wiped out, they were enough to send back the communication before they died, instead of being lost at all like Atawa and the others."

"..."

"It's an invitation, Perturabo. I can feel that guy waiting for me in Zarukin. The Atava team didn't send back any information, but their dead silence is some kind of signal."

"How do you deduce that, Magnus?"

"Intuition, the intuition of a psyker."

Ahriman only felt that the atmosphere became oppressive again in an instant.

Perturabo's face was ashen, he stared at his brother for a while, then suddenly lowered his head and sighed.

"Even if I don't agree, you will definitely go, am I right, Magnus."

"The correct answer is always born out of obstruction and unyielding."

Seeing Magnus looking up triumphantly, it took a while for the Lord of Steel to restrain his urge to pick up the hammer.

He knows Magnus's temper too well. As a pair of the emperor's heirs who have a good relationship, this is not the first time he and this Prospero have fought side by side. What kind of virtue is a guy who rescues books when attacking fortifications, besieging enemies, or even destructive battles.

Magnus was nothing like Perturabo, the Prosperian who would never learn the calm, dependable, serious and obedient advice from Olympia.

And he, Perturabo, was just such a person.

"Well, I hope everything is really as you infer, but Magnus, I also have my own conditions: you must leave enough strength to guard Carena, a mortal has only one life, and we cannot stand it." adventure."

"Of course, Perturabo, believe me, I will leave Ahriman to command, and order the entire Black Crow School to be stationed here, as well as the Sky Owl School."

"Then who are you taking with you?"

"Forsyth, and Morgan, that's enough."

(End of this chapter)