40k: Midnight Blade.

Chapter 443 169. Interlude: Reignition ()

"Murder," Bjorn said suddenly.

"What?" Ahriman asked.

"Murder," Lone Wolf repeated. "You've at least heard threats, huh? Blind man? You've definitely heard 'I'm going to kill you.' It's a cliché, to be honest, but what if someone said I'm going to murder you? ?”

He plunged his fist blade into the river of blood with great interest, and after stirring it up, he picked up a piece of metal armor that didn't know where it came from.

Bjorn shook it in his hand and wiped it again. After confirming that the blood on it had been wiped off, he picked it up, put it on his face, and began to pretend that he was The person who said this. He even made his voice grow louder, but Ahriman could not see his movements at all.

Mind you, he's blind.

"I have decided that I am going to murder you." Bjorn said seriously, and then immediately laughed. "How does that sound to you?"

"Very cold-blooded." Sol Tavitz commented on the side. "The verbal statement that I want to kill you may just be a moment of anger, but if someone suddenly says this to another person, I think he has probably made thorough plans and preparations."

"Yes, that's exactly it, Tavitz."

Bjorn whistled, and then threw the piece of metal armor into Ahriman's hand, and it landed exactly within the palms of his open hands.

"So, before those demons come again, I want to tell you a story." Lone Wolf stood up, moved his legs, and spoke seriously.

Thunder was the first person to respond to him. The golden-armored giant plunged the giant sword in his hand into the blood river, then leaned on it, smiling and making a gesture to invite him to speak.

Sigismund opened his eyes from meditation and became the second person to join them. Thus, this story officially kicked off.

"There is such a person." Bjorn scratched his cheek, grunted and kicked the blood river with his foot. "Let's call him Icebreaker. We gave him this nickname later. He is not a Fenrisian, he is an officer, an officer responsible for ship engine maintenance."

"When you hear his position, you probably know that this person is not the same as us. We have similar positions on the ship, but we would not use this description. However, for about three years, he and his The boat did move with us.”

"I can't tell you the specific details of this matter. It's confidential. But Icebreaker is indeed a good person, from all aspects. He manages the place he is responsible for in an orderly manner. He never made a mistake in three years."

"He is also one of the few people who can drink with us -"

Bjorn suddenly laughed, with the gentle mockery unique to wild wolves.

"——He tried drinking mead, and he took a small sip. As a result, he lay down for two days before he recovered. Anyway, that's the end of the introduction. I'm going to get to the point."

"Well, like I said, he manages the place he is responsible for very well, but he is not the captain of that ship after all. However, even if he becomes the captain, I believe he will allow the crew to stay on the bottom The deck operates a black market or something like that.”

He spread his hands and shrugged at his companions, walking back and forth with the ax hanging from his waist as if there was a fire before him.

"Every ship has a place like this, right? It's something that can't be eradicated over and over again."

Sol Tarvitz nodded, agreeing with his theory.

"Yes. There are people in our fleet too. They like to buy and sell small items. Use throne coins, or simply barter. I've seen them buy and sell art, books, weapon modifications, and some beasts that don't know where they come from. Meat."

"And your photos." Sigismund suddenly added.

Tavitz turned to stare at him and was silent for several seconds before asking back: "What?"

"Your pictures," Sigismund repeated. "Lord Fulgrim's can be sold for an unlimited price, and then the company commanders, or some of the new recruits who have just joined the army, have the highest prices. They have a special place to trade these photos, and they are outside the black market."

The Emperor's Son looked at him blankly, as if he had forgotten how to speak Gothic, or where he was.

"I didn't lie." The Imperial Fist repeated seriously, even raising his right hand. "Remember the half year when I went to your fleet to participate in a sword fight? I got permission, and in my spare time, I walked around your flagship. And then I found out about it."

"No, no." Tavitz raised his hand, his expression indescribable. "You said they were trading our photos? How did they take them?"

"Diplomatic meetings, internal speeches, interviews, narrators." Sigismund began to count them one by one. "Anyway, that's probably it. I think Lord Fulgrim knew about it, but he didn't say anything."

Bjorn immediately laughed wildly, and Thunder turned his head silently without making any sound. Ahriman lowered his head and began to turn the book seriously, pretending to be reading.

". Let's just skip this," Sol Tarvitz said with difficulty. "I believe my primarch had his own intentions in doing this, and a few photos are nothing. Go on, Bjorn."

Bjorn laughed for a full minute before continuing.

"Anyway——"

He uttered two words and laughed again, but he quickly suppressed his laughter due to Tavitz's expressionless face.

"—The point of the Icebreaker story is the black market, you guys, the damn black market on that ship."

"Most of the people in charge of black market operations are veterans. They know very well what can be touched and what cannot be touched. Weapon modifications can be touched, but the entire weapon cannot be touched. A small amount of stimulants can be touched, but a large dose of stimulants can be touched. Placebos are not allowed. Wine is allowed, meat is allowed, but it cannot exceed a certain limit."

"You see, they know better than the officials of the Ministry of Justice which things can be turned a blind eye and which things are absolutely prohibited. However, there will always be some people who try to cross this limit."

He was silent for a while, and his expression suddenly became serious.

"These are people who don't know what awe is." Bjorn shook his head. "They're going to want to keep drinking, keep using placebos, and then they're going to drag everyone else down with them."

"Icebreaker accidentally entered the black market behind such a man, and then he saw a sudden death. A man shot up the black market because he had not had a drink in more than two weeks, and There was still no wine this week—no home-brew, no substitute, so he went crazy.”

"He killed forty-one people. This incident quickly alerted the military police on the ship and Leman Russ."

Bjorn smiled again.

"Ruth is a meddler, well, actually, we all are."

His tone suddenly became quieter and no longer playful.

"And this incident is simply a huge scandal, can you imagine? During the war, such a bloody massacre broke out on an auxiliary warship traveling with the legion. The trial was quickly carried out, and the military police served as court guards. The captain Ruth was the judge in the courtroom, and we sat on the jury."

"The icebreaker himself was one of the witnesses, but before he had a chance to speak, the evidence was already very conclusive from the accounts of the previous witnesses. The complete chain of motives was also clearly visible, and the murderer himself even confessed."

"The captain pronounced the verdict in advance. The murderer received the death penalty and was not even worthy of being transformed into a servitor. But Icebreaker raised objections at this time. He believed that according to imperial law, as a witness, he was not given the opportunity to narrate evidence and his own thoughts. In this way inappropriate."

"Everyone was confused, except Russ. The alpha wolf didn't react at all, not even surprised. I still remember his expression at that time. He folded his hands, covered himself with a fur cloak, and kept smiling, as if he had known it for a long time. What does the icebreaker do.”

"Then the captain gave the icebreaker a chance to speak. Do you know what he said?"

Bjorn said as he took the ax out of his belt.

Sol Tarvitz stood up and slung his sword over his shoulder.

Thunder quietly pulled out his giant sword from the river of blood, and the blood washed down, falling into the boundless blood stain.

Sigismund touched his forehead with his long sword, closed his eyes and breathed.

Azek Ahriman stood up with great effort, holding the ancient book in his hands automatically.

He pointed in a certain direction.

"Over there." The blind man said in a low voice. "over there."

Some growling sounds came from the direction he was pointing.

"Do you want to hear it all?" Bjorn asked.

"It seems like a good story," Thunder replied in a booming voice. "So, yeah, I want to hear it all."

They began to walk slowly in the direction pointed by Ahriman. There were still some demon corpses on the ground that had not melted, but the air had already begun to burn. The bloody river flooded their knees, and waves came from afar.

It began to heat up, slurping, and became as hot as lava. "Icebreaker said that he believed that the man was guilty of a heinous crime and deserved to be executed, but he also said that since they are walking with wolves now, far away from the Empire's borders, and Leman Russ is watching. So-"

Bjorn said as he stretched out his hand behind him. A bolter was handed into his hand by Ahriman.

"——Why not use the laws of Fenris to resolve this matter?"

He started to fire, and the black mist swept in from the end of the blood river. The demonic tide surged, and the roar of the demons even drowned out the sound of bolter gunfire.

"Then what?" Sol Tarvitz asked.

He had raised his sword, the double-headed eagle-shaped gauntlet resting against the rusty gauntlet. The blade of the sword was no longer bright, and blood stains wrapped around it, becoming a trace that could not be covered up.

The decomposed stance still faithfully responded to Tarvitz's call, and with a buzzing sound, arcs of electricity immediately wrapped around it. He raised his sword high, walked away from the team slightly like a leisurely stroll, and smashed down the sword in his hand, smashing a demon hiding under the river of blood to pieces.

"Ruth agreed," Bjorn said with a grin. "Then he stood up. The captain wanted to make a last-ditch effort. He didn't want a primarch to be deeply involved in this matter, but Russ had already made up his mind. That's how he is. As long as he makes a decision, he will never do it. I won’t be shaken by anything again.”

Thunder stepped past him, lightning wrapped around the giant sword, and the frighteningly thick sword was now completely black. Lightning escaped with his breath, creating jumping arcs in the air.

The demonic tide came quietly, with wings on its back, and the demon in armor rushed out with a wild laugh. The giant ax in his hand slashed at his head, but he was guarded by the thunderous sword.

He began to struggle with it, fighting back and forth - but even so, he did not forget to continue asking Bjorn's next story.

"What next, lone wolf?"

He barked questions, paying no attention to the name of his opponent. The demon roared angrily, bloody heat emerged from under the brass armor, and a string of skulls on its neck began to shed tears of blood.

"And then." Bjorn suddenly chuckled, and quietly extended his fist, staggering a bat-winged demon that fell from the sky and rushed towards Ahriman.

A flash of sword light then flashed, and Sigismund held it expressionlessly in front of Ahriman. Sol Tarvitz came from behind, and Bjorn threw the bolter and three magazines to him, and the responsibility of covering fire was naturally handed over.

Everything was in perfect agreement, they had done this tens of thousands of times, maybe hundreds of thousands of times - that's how they should be in agreement.

Ahriman held the ancient book in his hand, and its pages moved without any wind, as if they were being read.

"Then."

Bjorn swung his axe, and he sliced ​​open the jaw of a scrawny goat-hoofed demon. He pounced straight forward, and the fist blade that had already lit up with electric light immediately stabbed into its brain.

A bent sword fell from above his head, and a deformed, fat short demon laughed at this, as if he had seen what happened to Bjorn's head when it fell to the ground. But it itself had been cut in half by Sigismund before.

Lone Wolf stood up with his face covered in blood, wiped his face, and began to continue talking.

"Russ said that the laws of Fenris are quite simple, even barbaric. He asked the Icebreaker, can he accept it? The Icebreaker nodded, so Rus said that the laws of Fenris are to kill for life. If If someone is killed, then the deceased’s relatives, brothers, and friends can seek revenge against the murderer.”

"Turn," Ahriman murmured. "Turn here"

He had no eyesight at all, but the ancient books in his hands began to get hotter and hotter. He couldn't see anything, but he knew someone was turning the pages for him.

No, maybe not a human being, just an innocent soul.

His nose began to bleed, as if under some weight, and he began to speak in a language he had never learned. So Bjorn also began to speak in this language, which is called Uvik on Fenris.

And, somehow, they all understand.

"Icebreaker turned around and told the murderer that he would meet him on the lower deck tomorrow morning at six o'clock armed with a knife. He decided that he was going to murder him legally and legally."

"The captain asked him why he did this. After all, the murderer should have been executed. If it was postponed to tomorrow, he would even be allowed to live for half a day longer. The icebreaker did not give an explanation. He just looked at Russ and asked, Should killing be punished with life?”

Bjorn arrogantly put the ax on his shoulder and waved at a group of demons who were condensing their bodies in the fog.

"Ruth said—" he growled, raising his axe. "——The murderer deserves to be punished with his life. Anyone can avenge their brothers, sisters, relatives and friends!"

He rushed into the demonic tide, followed closely by Sigismund. Sol Tavitz stood in front of Ahriman, with a sword in one hand and a pistol in the other, and began to clear away the fish that slipped through the net.

"The Icebreaker completed his revenge. He resigned as an officer, joined the wolves, and died in battle on a winter day!" Bjorn roared inarticulately. "And now you too are walking with the wolf!"

"What's the point of this story, wolf cub?!" Thunder roared back.

He was still fighting the demon, which was at least eight meters tall and whose every blow was as heavy as a battering ram. The sword and ax collided with each other, cutting out a uniform piece of blood. Dark lightning and bloody flames swallowed each other, spiraling together, hatred and killing going hand in hand.

"No point, Thunder!" Bjorn replied loudly. "I just wanted to tell you-"

Before he could finish his words, with a loud noise, he flew back in an extremely embarrassed state. His armor was completely broken, and he was lying face down in a river of blood, his life and death unknown.

Sigismund frowned and immediately returned to the team, holding his sword in front of Ahriman. Saul Tarvitz dropped the bolter that had been drained of bullets, held the sword in both hands, and made a serious starting gesture.

All of them could feel the trembling in the air, and they knew something was coming.

Something extremely barbaric, extremely terrifying.

A huge figure began to condense in the blood mist. The blood river stood high and rolled up the waves. The demons screamed and were melted or slaughtered by their own weapons. Their flesh and blood rushed into the blood under the coercion of blood. In the fog.

At the same time, the demon that was fighting Thunder suddenly roared and spit out a name, a name that you could understand how to pronounce without knowing their language.

"Kabanha—!"

It swung its ax to drive back the thunder, and roared loudly with unprecedented fury: "Go back! This is my massacre!"

"You don't deserve it," the thing known as Kabanha sneered. "This massacre no longer belongs to you. You are a loser, defeated by the experiment abandoned by the cowardly god. This is about to become my killing field, and I will tear off the angel's wings here. "

It began to take a deep breath, and the blood mist rolled away, being swallowed up by this huge creature. Its true appearance is revealed: sheep's hooves, horns, wings, and brass armor

On the surface, it may be no different from those powerful demons that have appeared in the past, but its obsidian-like teeth are tightly biting the corpse of a demon that is being shattered into pieces.

It is devouring its own kind, something that has never happened before.

"It calls you an unwanted experiment, Thunder."

Bjorn, who was lying face down in the river of blood, suddenly straightened up and joked like this. He stood up slowly with his back to them, and pieces of armor slowly fell from his body. The bent arms and twisted ax face proved that he had tried to resist.

He resisted, but failed.

Lei Lei did not answer, but a storm lit up in his eyes. He caught up with the demon who still wanted to say something, and cut off its head with a giant sword in a desperate posture, at the cost of being pierced by the demon's claws in the chest.

But he didn't care at all, he just swung his sword again, cut off the sharp claw, turned around with the head, and threw it at Kabanha's feet.

"Your name is Kabanha?" Lei Lei spat out a mouthful of blood and asked calmly.

"Yes." The devil whispered with a ferocious smile. "What's the matter with you, experimental subject? Does it make you feel sad to fight alongside your successors?"

"They are my brothers," Thunder said. "But you - who did you just call cowardly?"

He raised his sword and charged at it, followed by them. Only Azek Ahriman limped to the other side holding the book.

"I just want to tell you that I'm honored." Bjorn muttered breathlessly as he charged. "I am very honored."

And behind them, very far away, there was a continuous sound of artillery.

　5.5k for this chapter, and one more chapter to go.

　　

　

(End of this chapter)