40k: Midnight Blade.

Chapter 423 149. Terra (twenty-three)

I am going to kill you. he said, and then he repeated. I will kill you from now until the end.

There are a lot of people who have said similar things and none of them have succeeded. Ambition can be turned into nothingness in an instant under your sword, and no lie can survive under the edge of the sword, but Ferrus Manus is different.

The reason those losers failed was because they were weak, but your brother Ferrus Manus is different. He can do this. He can really kill you and end all this.

But the thing is, he said he was going to kill you.

It is completely reasonable and completely in line with the law of development of things. He was supposed to kill you, wasn't he? Don't forget what you've done - Ah, yes, yes. I know you are going to argue that those things are not from your heart.

However, is this really the case?

Think back carefully, my gem. You kill him and you indulge in pleasure. At first you loathe yourself and feel that you don't deserve to be alive. As a result, you soon begin to learn to find happiness in this pain and guilt.

You begin to sink into a brand new realm. Many people have wandered in this happiness like you, but only you entered so quickly and fell so quickly.

You even start to evoke his shadow over and over again to experience this ultimate self-abuse.

No, I didn't lie, I didn't tell you a single lie.

Lies do have a place in the palace of pleasure, but I will not tell you lies. Because you are a gem, and I don’t like to let gems gather dust.

So here's the thing, he should kill you, and you willingly want this to end and be killed by him.

Until you see another self.

How beautiful.

I know, this is your first thought. You were shocked by him - you had admired your appearance in the mirror countless times, as early as when you were just 'Fulgrim'.

After becoming my gem, you became even more powerful. However, you know in your heart that you are not as good as him. He is something you can never be again. This alone will make you crazy with jealousy, let alone other things.

For example, he was still firm when swinging his sword, he went through pain and danger, and was bruised and bruised without betraying him, and he could still stand beside Ferrus Manus with his head held high.

He is far better than you. You were shocked, you fell in love with him immediately, just like you fell in love with yourself when you first saw the mirror.

Then, you start getting jealous.

But it's okay to be jealous, my love. Love is selfless, but love is also possessive. In the final analysis, what you are jealous of is not him, but everything he has - everything you once owned, but lost.

Feeling bitter in your heart? Do you think that if you go back to the past, you can correct it and never do it again? No, my love, some things only happen for the first time and countless times. You've tasted pleasure, and you know how addictive it feels.

So if you could go back in time, you wouldn't change. You only love yourself. When you were young, you saw the mirror for the first time, and Fulgrim was the only one in your eyes.

You love yourself more than anything else in the world. Don't refute. He who holds the sword of wrath can refute, but you are not worthy. You begged Ferrus Manus for forgiveness, but you only did it for your own sake.

You want to taste a new kind of joy, and you deceive yourself because you sincerely repent.

But stop lying to yourself, Fulgrim.

Your love for him was gone long ago, evaporated long ago when he refused to enter the chaos with you. What you love is just the phantom of the past in him, and what you love is just the self that was once perfect and stood side by side with him.

And I like this love very, very, very, very, very, very much.

Look here, Fulgrim.

Look - do you see it? See this gem? I found it for you. This is the memory of the Ferrus Manus you are familiar with, the memory before his death, the memory of him being killed by you, the memory of him returning from death and being killed by you again and again.

He hates you, and hate has its way. He is an upright man, so if he kills you, kills you completely, then this hatred will be over, and then he will feel satisfied for a moment.

And then it was my moment.

how? Do you like this plan? Do you like turning him into the person you knew and taking him away from you?

If you love this plan, let's get started, we have six minutes left. This is my time and I will do anything for you in these six minutes if you want it, my love.

In the darkness, the monster with a body and a snake's tail trembled and held up a mirror.

The face in the mirror did not belong to Fulgrim, the face in the mirror belonged to a monster, a monster that had long become the enemy of mankind in its joy.

It shed tears in pain, and it understood that it was no longer qualified to call itself that name, just like what its owner said. It's not asking for forgiveness at all, it just wants to experience a new kind of happiness

Even apologizing can be treated as a form of enjoyment, it’s really a despicable thing.

But, but.

The snake demon shed tears silently, slowly released his four hands, and smashed the mirror into pieces.

But I don't feel happy now, Master.

Cupid responded gently.

"I have already said that now, you are my master. So, make your decision."
-

Countdown: 06:00

The snake demon stood up from the ground.

It was faster than light, and its four arms danced in a straight line. It's dead, but it's alive. It had cut open its own chest with its own hands, but now its body was intact.

A god has created this wonderland with his endless desires, and he is using his power regardless of the consequences - so Ferrus Manus can see the dark gem.

It was not supposed to exist, it was really just a possibility that never happened, until now, until the god known as Slaanesh himself fished it out of the waves of Chaos. The gorgon held it in its four hands and thrust it deep into Gorgon's chest. No resistance, no resistance, nothing.

It's too late, it's too late. Time was distorted. The snake demon fell at 08:23, but it was 06:00 when it stood up.

At this moment, Fulgrim was still charging, Jaghatai was still drawing his gun, and their time had not yet passed - a burst of laughter sounded from the darkness, accompanied by soft footsteps, as if feathers were rubbing against each other.

"No need to thank me," He said politely. "There's not much use in keeping this time anyway."

Ferrus Manus fell on his back. He should not have been so fragile, he should have had the strength to resist - if the gem was not wrapped in four arms and buried deeply between his heart.

Many pictures and memories began to come to him. He didn't know how long had passed. In the physical sense, it was one second, but in the spiritual world, it was ten thousand years.

Like water flowing backwards, everything is starting over again. Fight the giant beasts, survive in the wilderness, return to the empire, lead the legion, and get acquainted with Fulgrim

He lay on the ground, a sharp pain in his chest, the basilisk murmured in satisfaction, Fulgrim roared in the distance, and Jaghatai drew his pistol.

He was standing side by side on a terrace with his best friend, looking up at the night sky together. His best friend has a childlike innocence, raising his arms and pointing at the stars above his head, telling his dream.

Everything is still silent, the breeze blows from the other side of time, and the long white hair of my best friend is slightly swaying.

Then everything fell into agony.

The flames of war raged, and the great ideals inherited from the Emperor collapsed in an instant. He was betrayed, he was killed, and his soul saw his empire crumble, his brothers die, his legion shattered, and go further and further down the wrong path.

People have lost their dignity and are living in the apocalypse of moral decay. He had tried his best to fight for more living space for the empire and mankind, but had to watch them sink into darkness little by little.

His father's painful screams could be heard in his ears. He could hear his father splitting bit by bit in the torture, but the murderer still shamelessly entertained himself with his shadow, sinking deeper into pleasure.

What pain can compare to these?

No, maybe there is.

Ferrus Manus opened his eyes.

Under the power of the evil god, the world before his eyes began to shatter. Love, hatred, and betrayal gripped him tightly and tore him apart alive. He saw a smiling face, a face filled with love—he saw Fulgrim of Chemos.

Boundless hatred began to boil in his chest.

How dare you appear in front of me? How dare you smile? How dare you act as if nothing has happened? You ruined everything, Fulgrim, you aided others, you turned your back on us. How many people have died for you? How many people are screaming in pain for you?

Tremblingly, he lifted the Forgebreaker.

Countdown: 06:00

The scraping of feathers began to get louder and louder.

"This is the moment," said Fulgrim, who had four arms. "But you must not kill me."

Countdown: 05:59

Countdown: 06:00

Ferrus Manus roared, and the Forgebreaker was raised high.

"Don't do it," Fulgrim said. "Killing me won't solve the problem."

Ferrus Manus swung down the Forgebreaker, but he failed to hit anything.

"There is only one way to truly resolve this."

Fulgrim stretched out a trembling hand. He wanted to touch Ferrus Manus, but he did not do so after all. He closed his eyes and burst into tears, falling to the ground drop by drop.

"There is only one way for me to forgive myself."

The god of love covered the heart of the body in the darkness with satisfaction.

"Do what you will, My love," He said, giving a certain permission.

Time began to collapse, and the power of the gods played with it unbridled, rounding and flattening it. The countdown that had been frozen had finally begun to flow.

Countdown: 05:00

Fulgrim lowered his head, his four arms slowly opened, and dark flames ignited under his feet.

The surroundings are still dark, and the musky mist and corrupt miasma pervade the dangerous battlefield, where wights and demons are baring their claws. The weapons on the suspended motorcycle were roaring, Ferrus Manus was roaring, Jaghatai Khan was speeding towards him, and there was also a man holding a pitch-black giant sword, his face twisted, and he was already in a rage.

And none of this has anything to do with Fulgrim. There is only one thing left for him to do, and nothing can stop him.

When all the depraved desires for pleasure and waves of selfishness were stripped away from him by the gods, he could finally call himself Fulgrim again. Although this is still under His control and His permission, does free will really exist?

It doesn't matter anymore.

In the heart of Hell, the once-fallen Phoenix begins to cry out for vengeance.

　Guess what happens?

　　

　

(End of this chapter)