40k: Midnight Blade

Chapter 299 19. The show is on (2)

"Psychic power, witchcraft, dark magic" Mortarion slowly spoke out three words as a prelude.

There was a hoarseness in his voice that came from nowhere. Few people had heard his real voice. Most people in the amphitheater were more familiar with his appearance when wearing a respirator.

They didn't expect that the Lord of Death would sound so quiet one day.

"These words don't matter, they don't matter, they are essentially the same thing. They are evil forces that humans should not have control over, or even have access to."

"I have witnessed the world collapse and turn into scorched earth, and the common people have been reduced to food or slaves to be slaughtered. If you choose to trace the source like me, you will even find that the cause of such serious consequences may be just a village. A sudden whim of the wild witch doctor."

"Or maybe an untrained psyker came into contact with something inadvertently in his sleep, or else, if there is an error in the knowledge passed down from generation to generation by a witchcraft family, it will always go wrong, and it will always make things worse. One world after another went up in flames.”

"I know what I say may sound a bit extreme, but you might as well think about that terrible old night. What caused it? What caused this terror to sweep across the entire galaxy, causing human beings to be lost and scattered, suffering all day long?"

"I object!"

Magnus shouted loudly in his box. After all, the Crimson King couldn't bear such accusations.

His voice, amplified by psychic energy, became louder and seemed incompatible with Mortarion's quietness.

"You claim that psionics and their users are evil, Mortarion, but what about the navigators and astropaths? How do you explain that? Are you saying that they are also responsible for the destruction of the world?"

"I--"

"——The Emperor personally canonized them and gave them names and power!" Magnus shouted over Mortarion with an increasingly loud voice, interrupting what he was about to say.

"The accusations you make are simply outdated clichés. It's already the age when humans conquered the stars, Mortarion! Yet you still embrace superstition, and your numerology is as ridiculous as what you say!"

Mortarion narrowed his eyes and turned to look at Malcador. The master of the seal nodded calmly to him, and then hit the ground heavily with his scepter, a golden light flashed in his eyes.

"You will be given the opportunity to speak, Magnus. Everyone can speak freely and express their opinions in this meeting. But you should let Mortarion finish," you interrupted, trying to Overwhelm him - volume does not determine the correctness of the words, now sit down and let your brother finish his speech."

Magnus looked at the Sealbearer angrily and did not do as he was told.

"You are also a psyker, Malcador!" The Crimson King asked in a low voice. "Are you just willing to listen to him slander us like this?"

"My spiritual light only shines brightly where the sword of the Lord of Mankind points." The palmer replied slowly and coldly. "If the Emperor decides that psionic energy needs to be controlled, then I will no longer use it. If the Emperor decides that psionic energy can still be helpful in the cause of the Empire, then I will continue to use it prudently."

"But Mortarion is just slandering!"

"If it's true, wouldn't your father know?" The sealmaster shook his head and hit the ground with his scepter again. "Quiet now and let Mortarion finish his speech."

Magnus finally did as he was told. He frowned, his anger fleeting, and looked at the only high platform here with confusion on his face. But the Golden King sitting on the throne did not look at him, his face was still blurry.

The Lord of Death glanced at the Crimson King and spoke again solemnly and seriously. This time, he was not interrupted.

"Continuing with my statement yes, I do believe that psionics and witchcraft are a forbidden power, but that's the point."

He shook his head again, showing great restraint, and his tone remained gentle.

"Take the example mentioned by Magnus. Navigators and Astropaths have been trained for many years to use their powers to benefit the general public. Without them, communication between the two worlds would not even be possible. How can the expedition fleet cross the sea of ​​stars?"

"The Great Crusade has reached this stage, and it is inseparable from them. But how does this relate to my accusation? Navigators and astropaths can use psychic powers to have a positive impact because of their moderation! Anyone We all know how rigorous their training is, don’t we?”

His voice finally became passionate. Russ smiled with satisfaction and whispered to Jaghatai beside him: "This is the effect of wine, brother, can you imagine Mortarion saying so many words in one breath? ?”

Khan folded his hands, leaned on the pillar of the box and nodded to him expressionlessly: "It is indeed a good wine."

"Really? Why do I feel like you are just fooling me."

Khan chuckled and shook his head. On the observation deck, the Lord of Death continued, as if he wanted to express all his thoughts on psychic energy-related matters over the years in one breath. His speech speed became faster and faster, and his words became denser and denser, almost like a barrage of cannons. .

"And the country witch doctors, wild psykers, and witchcraft families I mentioned will become careerists with dangerous powers due to various coincidences. They will eventually use psychic powers to cause disasters and terror, because they I don’t understand awe at all!”

"They will use psychic powers without restraint until the world is destroyed, dragging everyone along with them to be buried with them."

Mortarion stared at Magnus, emphasizing the words "awe", "destruction" and "burial".

The Red King stared back at him heavily.

So Mortarion immediately turned his head and spoke loudly to the Space Wolves who were still in the field.

"So, back to what Oshervodmek said, he accused the Fifteenth Legion, is it because the Thousand Sons used psychic energy and magic to fight? Is it because he thinks there is something wrong with the victory obtained in this way? Rune Priest, is this what you mean?"

The Rune Priest who was still standing on the wooden pulpit responded loudly to his words: "Absolutely not, my lord! My accusation is because I witnessed the abuse of the Thousand Sons with my own eyes!"

"Yes, abuse"

Mortarion finally sneered, Magnus looked at him with disgust, and whispered to someone next to him in his box: "Look at him as a messenger of justice, Azek, he probably started to enjoy accusing us like this."

The Lion Guard called Azek stood straight, not knowing how to answer his Primarch.

"This word sounds harmless, doesn't it, everyone?" Mortarion shouted. "Then, let me tell you about the consequences of abusing psychic power!" "My legion and I once fought on a planet called Kayoel. We tried to make a group of humans who were still in a barbaric society submit to the empire. They didn't have any advanced technology, but my legion still fought on the surface of Kayoel for six months." "How can they do this? The answer is simple, because they abuse psychic power and witchcraft!" "This power permeates every aspect of their primitive social structure from top to bottom. Even a child may know how to make a flame to light a stove, but this is definitely not a good thing!" "The mountains and wilderness of the Kayoel people are so beautiful. The wild is full of disgusting beasts and monsters. They only appear at night, and they are wrapped in the stench of witchcraft and evil magic! If it weren't for them, we wouldn't have to fight so hard. But this is just the beginning, because almost all the Kayo people are wizards. "

"They can summon lightning, make the earth covered with flames, control others, and split mountains and crack the earth. Just imagine, everyone, is this power free? Can they be used at any time without paying any price? "

Conrad Koz nodded seriously and gestured to Corax: "Do you know that I told him this?"

"What?" Raven looked at him puzzledly.

"Just a joke." The Lord of the Night grinned. "I just think this sounds familiar, as if someone once said it. I really miss it. The price, Corax, the price. "

"."

Korus Corax was silent, and after a few seconds, he even walked away silently. Koz glanced at him and stretched out his hand to pull him back with dissatisfaction.

"Firing a gun requires bearing the recoil, and a swordsman needs to feel the cruelty of the blade cutting into flesh and blood with both hands. But such a power does not require any price? I don't believe this, so I found the answer in the city of the Kayols!"

"The price, they have already paid."

Motarion paused to pave the way for what he was going to say next. He looked around coldly, his eyes swept across every box and step of the amphitheater, but he did not look at Magnus' box.

After a few seconds, he spoke again.

"In every city of the Kayols, there is a building called a temple. Inside, there are countless bones. Countless civilians who have suffered cruel torture are wailing in the repeated cycle of life and death, paying the price for those wizards. This is the price they pay for using witchcraft, and what about the Thousand Sons?"

"The rumors that the 15th Legion uses witchcraft are not groundless, and Oshervodmaker's accusation is not slander. Like him, I have fought side by side with Magnus's warriors, and I have seen the Thousand Sons use witchcraft with my own eyes, summoning lightning and flames, causing the ground to sink and the mountains to collapse."

"The spells they use are exactly the same as those of the Kayols. This is what I am worried about, everyone."

Motarion closed his eyes and sighed softly, his voice becoming faint.

"My words today are not to accuse the Thousand Sons of using sacrifices to gain power like the Kayols, nor to accuse Magnus of condoning this barbaric act that may not have happened yet. I just want to say that any power has its price, and the use of psychic energy must be restrained." "That's what I want to say, I'm done." He opened his eyes, turned around, and bowed slightly to the Emperor. The latter raised his hand in response. The light surged, and a pair of golden eyes were looming, full of praise. The amphitheater was silent, no one responded to the words of the Lord of Death, and people just listened silently. Some gradually strange eyes have been cast on Magnus, and the Red King clenched his fists unbearably, and gasped in a low voice surrounded by the Lion Guard. Mortarion's harm to him is actually far less than the Emperor's response. That raising of his hand is the reason why he is now suffering from dyspnea. His thoughts gradually fell into a terrible suspicion, and his emotions were collapsing little by little: Why? Father? You actually agree with what he said?

"Next." In the center of the amphitheater, the seal holder calmly raised the scepter and knocked the ground. "Who will speak?"

——

Angel Tai felt that he was dying, he should be dead, but he was not yet.

This is a rather self-contradictory statement, enough to confuse anyone. However, he had been walking in the darkness for a long time. He could hardly remember anything. He only remembered clenching his right hand and holding on to a shadow.

He was walking, mouth dry, naked, and there was nothing left in the darkness except his bloody footprints.

Until a golden light shines.

Until someone appeared in front of him.

"My son." The man called him sadly. "You have to wake up, you are being reduced to a puppet."

update completed.