40k: Midnight Blade

Chapter 521 39. A table and six people

Like a gust of wind, Yago Sevitarion rushed into the conference room.

The gate made of Nostramo's magic gold was useless to him. The two doors did not even have any blocking effect, and let him pass through like a fluctuating water curtain.

Such a scene that violated any physical laws did not surprise the other four people in the room at all - this was not their first time on the Nightfall, nor was it their first time to talk in this "conference room".

In fact, things that were more beyond reality than this had happened to Yago Sevitarion before.

"Nice to meet you." Sevitar said.

When he spoke, he lifted the muscles on both sides of his cheeks hard, and his pale fangs protruded from his twisted lips, and his bright red gums were looming in it. This smile was not friendly in any way, but the other four people present had long been accustomed to it.

After all, this was the best "smile" expression that Yago Sevitarion could give.

And you'd better not blame him too much in this regard.

The last official who insisted on him practicing smiling before meeting Sanguinius is still working day and night in the personal staff of the Sigillite. It is said that he has undergone three life-extending operations and thirteen rescues.

As a court attendant in charge of etiquette, he should not have been qualified to join the staff of the Sigillite, but he was personally recommended by Sevitar.

It is said that Yago Sevitarion wrote a ten-thousand-word long letter for this purpose, with sincere words, and the reason for the recommendation was "extreme courage" and "complete rigidity" - it sounds like the kind of person the Sigillite needs.

His staff does not need to think, but only needs to work.

Sevitar looked around, deliberately slowed down his speech, and spoke slowly.

"But before we start, I want to talk about another thing."

Next, his movements were more than five times slower than the speed he used. This made him look like a machine servant with a program error, or a demon who took over the human body, and was not familiar with how to manipulate the fresh flesh and blood of the living.

In fact, the latter is probably closer to the truth.

Sevatar stiffly turned his neck and directed his gaze in the direction of Skaldrick. Throughout the process, his eyes were like gemstones, stuck in his eye sockets, without moving at all.

The Lord of the Scarlet Claw bowed slightly to show his "respect".

Sevatar grinned.

"It seems that you knew what I was going to talk to you about, huh? Didn't you, Rick?" he asked happily. "Did you make a plan on the way here? Did you try to imagine what questions I would ask you?"

"No, my lord, I beg you not to call me Rick. I have been saying this for 182 years." The Lord replied expressionlessly. "In addition, I swear to Eternal Night that I have not thought about any of the above."

"So, what were you thinking about when you were standing on the Batwing, waiting to board the ship, you damned, undisciplined, broken wooden head?"

"War." Skaldrick squeezed out a word from his teeth, and then another short sentence. "That's all."

"What kind of war?" Sevatar asked.

"The War of Atonement."

"What? Eternal Night, what crime have you committed?"

Sevatar looked at him in amazement, like a blind man who has regained his sight. Half a second later, he shook his head, sighed, and put on a gentle smile, even opening his arms to Skaldrick as if to embrace the world.

"I beg you, Skaldrick. For the sake of our friendship for so many years, please tell me, what crime do you think you have committed? To be honest, I am very curious about this matter."

"I killed an innocent person."

Sevatar said so.

The blood vessels on his forehead were bulging at this moment, like a blue-gray snake constantly beating and twitching on the surface of his skin as pale as a drowned person, making his whole face look extremely terrifying.

"Therefore-" He took a deep breath. "-I will find a successor after returning to the regiment, resign from my position, and start a crusade of atonement in my own name."

Sevatar kept smiling and hugging, looking at him motionlessly.

"Listen, Grand Prince, my good brother. If you continue, I may not be happy. I may even do something irrational, do you understand?"

"But, for you, a fool with a wooden head, I am willing to temporarily put aside my natural desire for violence."

"I will use the wisdom I gained from Conrad Curze's teachings - something you don't have - to explain to you why I am unhappy."

Sevatar put down his hands, restrained his smile, and the muscles on his face became stiff again. All the gentleness disappeared, leaving only a cruel coldness.

"Do you want to listen?" he asked.

The Grand Prince let out a low growl from his throat.

"Very good." Sevatar nodded. "First of all, a sin expedition involving only one person is tantamount to suicide. I don't care whether the opponent you choose is the alien, the traitor or the stupid demon without a butt, it doesn't make any difference."

"As long as you participate, you will die, and your death is worthless. Secondly, where the hell are you going to find a successor?"

"Did this man grow from the ground or fall from the sky? Who among the Scarlet Claws can take your place now? Don't tell me about your second company commander or others. In my opinion, they are Not qualified."

With a fake smile, Sevatar walked towards Scaladric, who was stiff and clenched his fists. He used his sharp right index finger to slide open the Maharaja's forehead. Blood flowed down, and soon his entire face was completely stained. red.

Then, he actually came close to the Maharaja's ear and began to apologize softly.

"Forgive me, brother. I'm very sorry for this. But if my actions or words hurt your young, pure heart that has not yet fully grown up, I will apologize twice for it."

"But your brothers are just not up to par, and none of them are as good as you. Finally, I have never heard of a Chapter Master abandoning his Chapter and launching a Redemption Crusade."

He smiled and stretched out his hands, gently put them on Scaradrick's shoulders, and changed his face to a sincere one.

"I have served for ten thousand years and have seen more strange things than your stone head can recognize, and I have never seen or heard of a Chapter Master doing anything like it."

"If you do this, you will betray the oath you swore when you became Chapter Master. You will betray your Chapter, your brothers, and everyone who has ever shed the blood of the Crimson Claws. You know why?"

He looked into Scaradrick's eyes, leaned closer again, and almost touched the Maharaja's forehead with his chin.

"Do you know why?" he repeated in a whisper. "Answer quickly, Scaradrick."

The Scarlet Lord twitched his face and uttered a Nostramo phrase, meaning shameful betrayal.

Sevatar burst out laughing, and then started clapping and praising him repeatedly.

"Yes! Because you abandoned them! You abandoned them and then went to pursue your own personal honor!"

"Ah, what a great Chapter Master. No doubt the Emperor will be disappointed in you, no, not only Konrad Curze will be disappointed in you. And of course, I - in fact, I I'll be so fucking disappointed in you, Scaradrick."

"If you really dare to do this, I promise you, I will declare you a traitor and drive you from one end of the galaxy to the other. When I catch you, I will whip you hard with the Book of Night Your face, until all the blood vessels in your ugly face burst into tears."

Sevatar gently exhaled a breath, took a few steps back, and returned to the door. He put his hands behind his back and stared at the Maharaja without a smile.

"Okay, I'm done." He said calmly. "Now it's time for you to come up with your excuses. Tell them, Scaladrick. Let me hear them. I want to know if they are bad."

"."

"Why are you silent? This is the moment when you should say something, brother."

".I have nothing more to say," Scaradrick whispered. "But will he really be satisfied if I say nothing?"

"Who?" Sevatar asked, taking a step to the left, as if giving way. A man in a thick black robe walked out of the darkness in front of them. His hands reached out of his wide sleeves and were covered with bandages. The blood had completely stained them red.

"Him?" Sevatar asked again. "Is this the person who just completed a perfect stealth in front of you? Who is he? I beg you to tell me, Scaradrick, who is he?"

".Instructor."

"What I want is a name."

Scarardrick took a deep breath and said, "Khalil Lohars."

Savita smiled and nodded: "Thank you, Mr. Smart."

He turned his head, looked at Khalil, bent down to support his knees, and whispered in his ear: "So, instructor. If Lord Scaradrick does nothing, will you be satisfied with it?"

Khalil raised his head and looked at him for a while before giving his answer.

"You've gone a little too far, Yago," he said very calmly. "This drama of good guys and bad guys is outdated. I don't think you should use this method to integrate me into the current Legion. No, the command level between Chapters."

"First, I have no such intention. Second, there is no sin in Lord Scarardrick. I have already made a special trip to explain this to him before setting off."

"My mental state is not stable, therefore, everything I say and do in a crazy state should not be taken seriously. I will work hard to restrain myself and try my best not to let things like this happen again." something happened.”

"In addition, Your Majesty, I want to apologize to you. It was my words that caused your reputation to be damaged, and I am very sorry for that. I will do my best to make amends to show my apology."

Sevatar raised his left hand, covered his forehead, and sighed softly.

"Are you serious?" He straightened up helplessly. "The drama of good guys and bad guys is outdated? Why do I think you are involved in it?"

Khalil glanced at him and suddenly raised his hand and hit him hard on the back.

A burst of ice instantly penetrated the power armor and penetrated deeply into Sevatar's flesh and blood, calming the pain caused by his resurrection from the dead and calming the twitching muscle fibers.

Savita couldn't help coughing, and a mouthful of sticky blood surpassed his control and spurted out, forming a crystal mist of blood in the air.

Sheikh Lenghun was stunned.

Kaiul Sahoura's eyes twitched, and he couldn't help but take a deep breath of cold air.

Scaradrick raised his trembling right hand and rubbed the center of his brow, his expression extremely indescribable.

Among the five Chapter Masters present, only the Hunter appeared completely calm. His cloudy white eyes were looking at Khalil unblinkingly. The scriptures hanging on the power armor moved automatically without any wind. The scarlet characters lit up for a moment, but then went out quickly.

"You can't have two bad guys in this scene at the same time," Khalil said slowly. "Now, I'm a bad guy too, Yago."

"What benefit does exposing me have to you?" Savita asked sincerely. "I was almost going to make Scarardrick realize his mistake, but now, how can I make him, a stubborn person, take the initiative to back down again?"

The Maharaja covered his face with his trembling right hand.

"It's no good. I just want to do this. Just like you obviously have a better and more peaceful solution, but you still insist on doing it this way."

Sevatar shook his head and dismissed the topic.

"Then - let's get down to business," he said with a sigh. "First of all, it's the problem of the Night Soul. I'm sorry for that, Kaiul. However, under the circumstances, I had no better way."

"What's the result?" asked the leader of the Shadow Knights.

He showed no emotion or thought, as if the familiar names on the list of dead were not from his warband, nor were they his brothers. There was only pure calm on his face, as if he already knew the answer.

Sevatar smiled at him.

"I'm sure you saw what kind of torture he was going through - so why do you ask, Caiul?"

"Because I'm afraid." Shadow Knight replied firmly and plainly. "I worry that the future I see will still have to wait."

"I promise you, it has come, just as I promised you one hundred and forty years ago. One day, the future you saw will become reality. Today is that 'someday', today is Erebus Time for retribution.”

"Then I have nothing to say," said Caiour. "The Night Soul died a worthy death. Not many battleships can retire with such honor as her. We will seal her name and find another battleship as the flagship."

"What kind?" Sheikh Lenghun interrupted and asked, he seemed to be very concerned about this issue. "If you need it, brother, I can contact some people here. I can at least make a list for you to choose from."

"No need, Grand Master. We act in the name of Talon, and it doesn't matter whether we have a flagship or not."

"What's more, we should use our own hands to fight for an honor that is enough to exchange for a powerful battleship. If this ship will replace the Night Soul as our new flagship, this must be done."

Kaiul said calmly, his tone as calm as if these matters had nothing to do with him.

Shehir was silent for a moment and then nodded. He would say no more, Kaiul had shown his determination, and he could see it clearly.

"Don't be so impatient yet, Caiul." Sevatar shook her head at him. "I must remind you one thing. The Night Soul and the Night Veil are both meritorious battleships with a service life of 10,000 years. Over the years, she has shared weal and woe with the Children of the Night."

Caiul looked at him, or rather stared at him. Like a servitor, the Shadow Knight shook out a short sentence heavily from his vocal cords.

"What's the meaning?"

"It means that if you call, she will answer." Khalil answered on behalf of Sevita.

As soon as he finished speaking, the surroundings suddenly became quiet. His voice began to echo in the conference room and gradually spread out, forming a dull echo in the darkness.

Savita stood under the pale incandescent light and turned to look at the vast darkness, with no sadness or joy on his face.

The Nightshade has undergone many modifications due to various needs over the years. Although there have been many objections, Sevatar still insisted on completing all these things. That includes here.

This is not just a simple conference room, but a cemetery. In the darkness, tens of thousands of blood-stained flags were waving.

Not all of these flags are from the Nightborne, nor are they no longer in use, but those who once waved them have disappeared in the long river of history.

They may be military flags, ship flags or the flags of a certain small company. Some are still intact, while others have been burned, torn, and beyond recognition.

Sevatar stared into the darkness. At this moment, his gaze passed through the cemetery and went straight to a certain flag. Its first and last flag bearer was the same man, named Bellows von Sharp.

If you call, will you receive an answer?

Sevatar smiled to himself and looked at the other flags. The ancient relics from the legionary period were clearly visible to him. They all stayed quietly on the walls, making no sound in the darkness.

The living should not call the dead.

"I, I don't understand, instructor." Kaiour stammered. "Reply, respond? How to respond?"

"We will discuss this later, Caiul. As for now, Yago has not finished his work."

"I have nothing more to say." Saiveta said with a smirk. "At best, there are only two things. The first is to announce that Erebus is dead, and the second is to announce the return of the instructor. That's it."

"Allow me to make some suggestions." Sheikh Lenghun raised a finger seriously. "These are two very important events. Dear Lord Yago Severtalion, are you going to skip them like this?"

"Otherwise?" Savita rolled her eyes at him and asked impatiently. "Raise an army and announce that Erebus has been executed?"

"Go to hell, as long as we and some of our cousins ​​know the news that this bastard is dead, it's best that the general public doesn't even hear his name, even just once."

"What about the instructor's return?" Sheher asked in confusion. "This should be a mobilization of troops, right?"

"Okay, then, how to announce it?" Sevita stared at him and shrugged. "Even ten thousand years ago, the existence of instructors was not widely known. We do not deliberately pursue secrecy, but it is the fact."

He stretched out his fingers and began to count his brother's fingers, as if he were a toddler who was babbling.

"Except for the Emperor, the Sealbearers, the Custodes, the Primarchs and some of their personal guards, not many people really know him. Do you understand?"

"And now, you want me to spread the news to everyone in the Ghoul Star Region and the Extreme Star Region, and tell them that an antique from ten thousand years ago has returned? What do you think their first reaction will be?"

"They will wonder who this old antique is." Khalil added.

With a smile, he patted Savita on the back again, but this time he was much gentler: "Then, they will turn around and forget about this matter, because this old antique has no reputation at all."

Sevatar turned back, smiled at him, and said boldly but quietly: "Why don't you tell all the originals?"

"Okay." Khalil said. "But I would tell them, this is your suggestion."

".Forget it." Savita turned his head and looked at his brothers. "Anyway, I've said it all, who has any objections?"

No one answered.

"Then let's adjourn the meeting for now. Clean the battlefield, gather the troops, and then send a request for help to the troops stationed nearby. It is best to find a group of Ultramarines. Come to me when you are ready. We all need to go back to Novo. Stramore.”

He said this, and walked out of the conference room with Khalil without looking back, and the demonized fine gold door once again fluctuated like a water curtain.

Sheikh Lenghun walked over without belief and pushed the door hard with both hands, but could not make it move at all. He frowned and stared at the door, tapping his breastplate silently.

At this moment, another person stepped past him, and the door fluctuated again, allowing him to pass in a completely abnormal way.

Half a second later, the hunter's voice slowly came from the communication channel, hoarse and low, but very polite.

".I'll take the first step, everyone."

"How did you do that?" Scheher roared towards the door. "Come back! Explain it to me!"

All he heard was a rustling sound coming from inside the communication channel.