40k: Midnight Blade

Chapter 260 31. Crow’s Visit (End)

Alkas Farr maintained an extreme silence. It was obvious that he had realized something. But Corvus Corax would not simply let this go.

He had endured it long enough, and some things needed to be resolved after all.

In other words, there is far more than one thing to solve.

"Aren't you going to answer me, Arkas?" Corax asked in a steady tone. "Forget it, the celebration will take a long time to end, and we have enough time to solve many problems."

He turned around and walked towards his first company commander, his steps very steady.

Alkas Farr is encased in his Terminator and all systems are functioning properly, including the thermostatic system. Logically speaking, he shouldn't feel any degree of coldness. However, he was shaking at the moment.

Even close to trembling.

In his mind's eye, Corvus Corax was roaring.

"I have read the past battle reports of the Legion." The original body of the 19th Legion stopped, stood in front of his guards, and spoke slowly.

"You have preserved these paper materials very well, and I have read them all. Their thickness tells me that you have achieved many honors long before I returned. Each of you has a broader vision than me. I have no doubt, Even a recruit who has been in the army for less than three years has seen more stars than me."

He paused for a moment, his eyes scanning the faces of each Raven Guard like a torch.

".Have killed more people than I have. To that extent, I understand the protectiveness you feel towards me, Alkas. I understand where it comes from, but I don't like it."

"Actually, I'm quite disgusted by the protective streak you're displaying. I can accept good intentions, but I can't accept the thoughts you hide behind them. You speak for me to my brother because you don't think I can Answer his question?"

"No, you answered for me just because you think he is not apologizing, but testing. If I accept this apology without any reaction, it will change the relationship between the Midnight Blade and the Raven Guard. Eighth The Legion will prevail."

"Therefore, you must speak for me, and you must hint to him in a strong tone: 'The Raven Guard is not afraid of bloodshed and sacrifice.' Is that so, Alkas?"

Alkas Farr continued to remain silent. Not because he didn't want to talk, but because he didn't know what to say.

Corvus Corax dissected nearly every thought in his mind, word for word, every syllable cutting straight through his heart and brain like a scalpel.

Their exposure to everyone made his body tremble more violently. It will reach a tipping point eventually, but not now.

"Where did you come to this conclusion?" Corax asked softly.

His voice was soft but harsh, as obvious as blood slipping from between his teeth. No Darkcrow dared to look him in the face at this moment.

"Captain Alkas probably didn't mean that, Corax," Curze said at the right time. "Your words are too harsh for him."

"Maybe." The Lord of Crows nodded slowly. "Perhaps I am really mistaken. After all, I am still too young. I have only been in the stars for just one year. Far inferior to my legion. They have been fighting for mankind for many years before I returned."

He lowered his head and looked at Alkas. His gaze was sharper than a sword and colder than the abyss at this moment.

"Such as the Battle of Hell's Anvil," Corax said. "A small link in the great achievements of the 19th Legion."

The word he mentioned made Enric Barbatos frown quickly. He lowered his head and shook his head slightly at the Lord of Night, but his primarch gave him a calm look, indicating that there was no need to panic.

"Once again, you have cooperated with the Luna Wolves, why are you always with them? I won't mention this for now, Alkas. I want to ask you, are the descriptions in the battle report true?"

"."

"Is that true, Alkas?"

"It's true, Primarch." Alkas raised his head, and the Raven Guard Captain's face was extremely pale. But he did not stop narrating. In fact, his subsequent narration could even be described in detail, without any concealment.

"The Balarum were unwilling to surrender to the Empire. Their rulers were too foolish and short-sighted to see the consequences. So we went with the sons of Horus."

"Hell's Anvil was the name of a fortress so large that it even included tight underground defenses. Nerat Keeling came up with a plan during our discussions to use orbital bombardment from strike cruisers to trigger the geological formations Explodes to destroy Hell's Anvil's underground defenses."

"His plan worked, and part of the walls of Hell's Anvil collapsed, creating a breach, and then"

Corax gently took over what Alkas had said and continued to narrate in a chillingly rational tone. There was no trace of anger in his voice, just as there was no trace of sarcasm in his previous words.

However, everyone knew the true emotions of the original body.

No one is truly stupid enough not to hear what Corvus Corax is hiding.

"Then, you ordered three large regiments of the Zorosian Point Corps to fight in the breach. You asked them to face the Balatrum drones and ignored their requests for assistance. Not only you, but also the shadows The same goes for Yue Cang Lang.”

"You know very well what unmanned combat aircraft are, and you also know that the soldiers of the Jian Corps cannot fight them and win, but you don't care."

"You waited until all three large groups were sacrificed before entering the breach. At this time, the number of drones has been reduced a lot, and they are no longer capable of resisting you. Brilliant tactics, Alkas."

Konrad Curze lifted his shoulders at his brother's compliment.

"But that's far from the point. After entering the underground of Hell's Anvil, you discovered the plasma reactor and its guardian. In order to achieve your strategic purpose, you blew it up without communicating with the Zorosian Peak Corps in advance. When After the plasma reactor was detonated, Hell's Anvil fell, and the people of Balatrum surrendered unconditionally."

"But at what cost, Alkas?"

"Nearly 30,000 people were killed by the Sorosia Peak Corps, many of whom even died in chain explosions caused by the reactor. This battle has been recorded in detail by you, and the means of preservation are even more detailed. "

"You seem to really regard this matter as an honor, but I don't think so. This is not an honor, this is a shame. Has no one in the entire legion raised any objections? Doesn't anyone think that you should not let Sorosia be pointed out? Are the soldiers of the Corps going to die?"

Alkas clenched his fists in silence, pausing the trembling of his fingers for a moment. After a few seconds, he gathered his courage and spoke again. At this moment, his voice sounded as if someone had cut his trachea with a knife.

"Yes. However, war must involve sacrifices, Primarch. We will not escape from us, and those mortals should not escape from them. The soldiers of the Sorosian Point Corps also received awards after the war. The names of the victims Not forgotten."

"So, do you think they died willingly?"

"But we were victorious," Alkas Farr replied sternly. "We have been honored, Primarch, by Lord Horus himself."

"so what?"

“If a method is proven to work, and works many times, how can you say it’s wrong?”

Corax did not answer, but raised the corners of his mouth and looked at his company commander with a half-smile.

At this moment, he finally showed some kind of emotional reaction, but even Conrad Coates looked away at this moment and did not look directly at the face of the Lord of Crows.

The Lord of Night lowered his head thoughtfully and began to wonder why Alkas Farr mentioned the name of Horus so many times.

"It turns out that this is the reason why Colonel Saul of the Attila Expeditionary Force is unwilling to cooperate with us. It turns out that this is what you were like before I returned."

Corvus Corax raised his head and sighed softly.

"What an arrogant statement. Mortals should not avoid sacrifice. Your words of superiority and contempt for their lives are overflowing, Alkas. You have never disgusted me as much as you do now. Never."

"But they are soldiers, Primarchs! They go into battle to die and win!"

Alkas Farr's tone finally changed, and he finally revealed what he had in common with his original body beyond appearance.

There was a real fury in that face, as pale as Corax's, as alabaster. However, at the same time, he could never look directly at his primarch. Not once, not even though Corax had tried countless times to meet his gaze.

Anger and cowardice coexist paradoxically at this moment.

"Yes, that's true. You're right. But who are you to decide their life or death?"

The Lord of Crows asked in disappointment: "You are Astartes and they are ordinary soldiers? Then, if I banish you so that you can never return to the Legion, or even more cruelly, let you sacrifice. You What do you think?"

Alkas was stunned - like every person who has been on the wrong path for many years and only saw where he was walking by chance, he was stunned.

He suddenly discovered that the road he was traveling was not a broad road, but an impenetrable road from which he could not turn back. There are numerous bones and endless blood on the road. The words of Corus Corax revealed a possible future for him.

Alkas couldn't help but start to put himself into that situation, and then he came to a conclusion that he couldn't bear.

——He would not accept it, at least not willingly. In fact, he will be resentful. He will never accept that the honor he and his other brothers have built will be wiped out, nor will he accept the outcome of being exiled.

In contrast, being forced to sacrifice has become an acceptable ending. However, in Corax's words, this option was ranked last, and it was the 'more cruel' option.

This means that if Corvus Corax is truly disappointed, he will definitely choose to banish them.

In a sense, this was more difficult for Alkas Far to accept than death.

Trembling, he tried to speak, but Corax gave him no chance. The Lord of Crows has returned to his seat, and it seems that he no longer intends to continue this debate-style conversation.

As if being burned by fire, Arcas felt a complex emotion that he himself did not know how to describe. His eyes glanced around randomly, and he happened to see the eyes of the Midnight Blades.

Those eyes seemed to be compassionate and fortunate. The combination of these two emotions completely ignited Arcas's emotions - he could not help but take a step forward. He wanted to go forward and tell Corvus Corax, wanted to tell his Primarch everything.

Arcas wanted to tell him that the 19th Legion must cooperate with the Luna Wolves before he returned.

He wanted to tell him how long they had been waiting for him.

He wanted to tell him how difficult it was for a legion without a Primarch, weak power, and no base to survive in the Empire.

The hand of friendship extended by the Luna Wolves was purposeful, and Horus Lupercal's kindness was also deeply hidden. Arcas could see clearly, but the 19th Legion had no choice.

He wanted to do this, but he did not succeed. He just took a step, and a big hand with a cold breath was placed on his shoulder. The chill went straight through the armor and froze his soul.

Then, a voice sounded softly in his ear.

"Don't worry, the main event will come after the celebration of Captain Arcas Farr."

Update completed.

These days, I have updated 7k to 8k, which is a small challenge for myself ()

By the way, I recommend this book, Warhammer: Nirvana of the Purple Phoenix