40k: Midnight Blade

Chapter 571 89. Interlude: Horror Night in the Museum

"I am very interested in the empire." Trazin said, then he paused, took two steps back, and began to admire the golden sculpture in front of him.

The golden color of the Imperial Guards comes from their master. Of course, from a more realistic perspective, this is because they generally wear power armor made of radiant gold. Each piece is carefully crafted and is completely different from the assembly line products worn by most Astartes.

Trazin is particularly fond of special things, a love that does not stem from his profession but a recognition that borders on regret.

He wanted to preserve for other races—these young races—the special people, things, and things in their history. If these races were to become extinct one day, there would be at least one person in the galaxy who would remember them, and their entire history.

He and his compatriots would never have such an opportunity again.

They are just a group of dead souls, tracing back to their past personalities and memories, arrogantly imitating their appearance in life, thinking that they will create new glory and new epics. But the fact is that the Necrontyr race no longer has any future the moment the biotransformation technology is completed.

History is the most precious treasure left to those who come after us, but the Necrontyr are dead, and the Necron.

Trazin knew that some of his compatriots wanted to try to regain their physical bodies, but he had no hope of doing so and had long accepted his current appearance. He doesn't miss the physical body, nor does he like the so-called immortality now. He just accepts everything.

That's why he stood here, talking about the other side's empire to a forbidden army that had not yet been released from the stasis field.

Trazin shook his head and began to talk.

"But it's not the empire of your time, la. To be honest, the empire of your time seems very boring to me. I have never seen a race that is as fanatical about colonization as you. Considering your efficiency and reproduction speed, I think It's quite fitting that some of my countrymen view you as a germ."

"You conquer everywhere and use force everywhere. Anyone who doesn't follow will be destroyed. It's fine if you only attack the 'alien' you call them, but you don't even let your own kind go. This is really unique in the world. It’s rare. Although we also fight against each other, we have to go to court.”

He shrugged, laughed happily from his voice machine, then sighed again, stretched out a finger and nodded a few times at La Shake.

"But that great rebellion changed everything, didn't it, La Endymion?"

The undead overlord paused for a moment and began to remember.

"Here is the dead god," he couldn't help but sigh. "I really didn't expect that the civil war of a race could reach such an extent. Even the highest heavens participated in the war, and one of them even almost became a god in the material world."

"Did you know? My old friend Orikan took one look across half the galaxy and repaired himself for almost two thousand years."

Trazin smiled happily. He always liked hearing Orican's angry and incompetent roars. But the pleasure soon faded, as he remembered why he had moved it out.

He put his hands behind his back and paced for a while with his head lowered in front of this golden and angry statue, as if he was deep in thought, which was indeed the case. Trazin was thinking about a suitable ending.

Although La Endymion did not know his existence, he actually spent eight thousand precious years with this tribune. Even for a Necron overlord, this is not a number that can be ignored casually.

He will soon be separated from the most precious item in his collection, and an entire scene that has been arranged will also go with him.

Thinking of the time he spent with them and the cruel world they would face after they left, he couldn't help but slowly stopped, turned his back to La Endymion, and couldn't help letting out a dull sigh.

"The Empire is no longer the one you are familiar with, Tribune."

"It is like a huge and aging machine that is almost unbelievable. Every part must swallow human blood to continue to operate. Inefficiency, feudalism, death for those who do not believe in God, extreme conservatism, extreme xenophobia, etc. , am I complaining?”

The undead overlord turned around and couldn't help but smile again: "This is really——"

His voice died suddenly, for La Endymion had disappeared.

Trazin was silent for two seconds, and a storm of emotions swept through his neural pathways, making him almost subconsciously want to invoke the security protocol - but he did not do so in the end.

His maintenance technicians and head of museum security were out there doing their jobs, and through protocol, Trazin was able to keep tabs on their movements.

Judging from their usual efficiency, it would be a full eleven centuries before they reached the hall where Trazin was.

They cannot be allowed to know the real reason why the exhibits escaped. Trazin thought. Otherwise it would be too embarrassing.

He stretched out his right hand and summoned the Staff of Empathy Annihilation, then cleared the sounder, spoke again, and enabled the detection system.

"Tribune La Endymion, are you still there? I know you can hear my voice. Please listen to me. The exhibition hall you are in is a very complex independent area. Every scene in it is It took me many years to restore it.”

"I know every detail, from what kind of cover an Iron Warrior should be behind, to what kind of rage an Ultramarine should have when facing the Word Bearers."

"It is true that I have good intentions towards you, tribune. It is out of this good intention that I wake you up. Your empire needs you, do you understand? And now, I ask you not to destroy these grounds. My carefully designed scenes are composed of more than just your companions.”

With almost no warning, a cruel wind roared from behind him. Trazin caught it, but he did not choose to dodge, but let the two swords pierce him through the chest.

He fell to the ground, released his right hand, and let the Empathy Annihilation Staff escape from the shackles of his fingers.

Frankly speaking, he was really in pain right now. At this time, Trazin began to question himself as to why he had to retain a complex pain system. Is it just to have a more realistic feeling of being alive?

Cursing his past stubbornness, he coughed and spat out the green coolant, and then spoke hurriedly.

"You need not do this, tribune."

The tribune made no answer, and Trazin saw that his eyes were shining with a golden light.

what the hell--?

"Tarrazin the Endless."

The 'tribune' then spoke calmly and uttered a name that he should not have known.

The undead overlord's heart sank suddenly. He had probably guessed what was going on now, and the huge sense of panic that followed almost caused him to shut down on the spot.

He shouted: "No, no, no! Don't do this, Your Majesty! You must at least leave me some collection!"

The 'tribune' drew back his sword.

"I don't have this intention." He sheathed his sword and said slowly. "There are many brave people in your exhibition hall who should have died on the spot. Their lives were saved because of you. Although I don't like what you did, I must admit that you helped them."

Trazin held his breath - or temporarily stopped the operation of the reactor - and stood up shakily.

Coolant and the like spurted out from the wound on his chest that had avoided the reactor. He pressed it casually, inserted his fingers into it to block the leaking pipe, and hurriedly continued to speak.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! I really don't know what to say. Your magnanimity really makes me -"

A sword was placed across his neck.

"Don't push yourself too far," said the Tribune. "Your sentence is not over yet."

He took the sword that was unsheathed and strode into the center of the exhibition hall. Trazin hurriedly followed and began to argue. I don't know why, but he feels so comfortable doing this now.

"I understand, I understand. I know what I did seems to you to be a complete blasphemy, but, like you said, I saved them."

The 'tribune' gave him a cold glance in return, causing him to stop speaking. Trazin resisted the urge to sigh and followed him in distress. They began to walk back and did not stop until they reached the middle of the Olympia Defense Battle.

A dark rune slab rose from beneath their feet. The 'tribune' swung his sword and tapped the slab with its side, thus easily bypassing its permission verification and other settings. Trazin's voice began. echoed in the exhibition hall.

Yes, he pre-programmed the narrator. Of course, the museum must be equipped with a commentator, and considering the size of his museum, its numerous collections, and its long history, the responsibility of this commentator can only be performed by himself.

Trazin had come to this position with a troubled pride in the past, but now he wished he could go back in time and beat himself up.

"Ahem - Dear tourists, welcome to the Olympia Defense War Exhibition Hall. Please start visiting this exhibition hall from left to right, and remember not to touch any collection, otherwise you may become one of them."

"Okay, the rules have been explained. Now, I will tell you the ins and outs of this war for the lucky ones."

"In the year 048.M31 of the Human Empire's chronology, this war broke out on Olympia, a planet with relatively empty military power. If you did your homework as I recommended when you came, then you should know that this planet The planet is the home planet of Perturabo, the Primarch of the Iron Warriors of the Fourth Legion of the Human Empire.”

"According to my investigation, he has deep feelings for his hometown, but this does not stop him from issuing the following order. Please look to the right."

Trazin cursed herself silently, and then looked to the right as the voice said. A light green light curtain slowly rose, and a handwritten document was displayed on it.

"He ordered that seven of the ten standard camps garrisoned on Olympia be evacuated. His order set off a wave of unrest in the local society, and people began to panic, whether they were civilians or noble tyrants."

"They couldn't understand what Perturabo was doing. In fact, I think if they knew, they probably wouldn't understand."

"The Defense of Olympia began in such a social environment. The evil creatures in the High Sky and a group of Astartes called the Alpha Legion came here. Through investigation and some difficult visits, I came to a conclusion. "

"Their purpose is actually very simple. They just want to corrupt Olympia. But why corruption, not destruction? The answer lies in the geographical location of Olympia."

A star map rose to the right of the handwritten document, extremely detailed, with Olympia in the center, the surrounding planets labeled, and itself highlighted.

The glistening green light illuminated La Endymion's expressionless dark face, and also made Trazin's expressionless metal face look a bit strange.

"It is a planet with a very special geographical location, close to the home stars of many Primarchs, such as Chemos, Chogoris or Baal. I have reason to believe that they want to use this as a base to further encroach on the surrounding galaxies. And brought corruption to the home planet of those primarchs. However, judging from the final result, they obviously came to the wrong place."

Trazin glanced quickly at the 'tribune', who sheathed his sword indifferently and said: "Your investigation is very in-depth."

‘It’s an honor.’ Trazin answered him in a strange voice.

Above them, the explanation continued.

"Despite social unrest and a serious lack of military power, Olympians remained keen, and a few of them soon noticed that a rebellious tone that was different from the mainstream view was spreading throughout Olympia."

"Finally, Califon, the supreme tyrant at the time, issued an order requiring all city-states to enter curfew mode. Soldiers began to enter the city together with the Iron Warriors, arresting anyone who dared to promote such rebellious views, and conducting questioning ”

"But, instigated by those who have good intentions and those who are corrupt, this capture and questioning immediately led to resistance. People took to the streets and began to demand that the evacuated Iron Warriors return with Perturabo."

"They called for their primarch, hoping that he could return to Olympia and continue to rule here. At the same time, another group of people also began to criticize Perturabo. They believed that this primarch was simply a threat to Olympia. He is very demanding and only thinks of it when he needs it. At other times, he treats it as nothing."

"In this case, a civil war broke out. No one knows why parades and speeches developed into armed conflict, but even the Iron Warriors did not realize when this war started."

"The blood of innocent people spilled on the streets, and the formerly peaceful city-state was ablaze. Then, the premeditated demons and the Alpha Legion began to attack."

A burst of sad, solemn and gloomy music began to play, and a ray of light fell from the sky, hitting the Iron Warriors, illuminating their mottled armor and their angry expressions.

Then there was the demon opposite them, motionless but still terrifying. The hair and teeth are still entwined with the horror unique to unclean things.

The music began to advance, rising to a climax, becoming shocking, still sad, but extremely passionate, and the drums roared, as if a warrior was striking a shield with a long sword in his hand.

Trazin heard her own voice grow low after that.

"This war lasted for four months in total. The city-state was burned, the civilization was torn apart by brutal violence, and the Olympians fell under the butcher's knives of demons and traitors."

"The scenic spots and historic sites were used as fortifications, civilian houses were destroyed by artillery fire, and the clean and tidy streets were stained with dirty blood. The blue sky became dark, and the smoke obscured the sun. The fighter planes of the Human Empire competed with the flying ones. The demons grappled, the roar of the engines intertwined with the roar of the demons, providing another concerto to this tragic war."

The music stopped suddenly, a monotonous drum beat suddenly sounded, and a beam of light hit the front of the crowd, illuminating a human woman with a resolute face. She has a steel flower on her left ear, a gun in her hand, and is fighting the demon army head-on without fear.

"Unfortunately, dear guests, when I arrived in Olympia, this war had already come to an end. The surviving Iron Warriors were protecting the remaining civilians in the ruins and almost ran out of ammunition and food."

"But the demons are still coming in endless streams, but the Alpha Legion, one of the instigators, has long since disappeared, as if it has achieved its goal. They are angry, sad, desperate, but helpless."

"Unbeknownst to them, the White Scars' fleet was approaching at high speed. The eagle of Chogoris, Jaghatai Khan, learned of this through the prophecies of his legion's think tank. They would turn the tide, however, on Olympia People don’t know anything about it.”

"Everyone who is still capable of resisting is determined to fight to the end. Among these people, there is also the human woman in front of you. She is the Supreme Tyrant Califon, Perturabo's mortal sister."

"She and a remnant army of Iron Warriors protected one hundred and twenty-nine civilians. In their eyes, they were the last survivors on the entire Olympia."

"And the civilians are no longer afraid or angry. They are also prepared to die together. There is no longer fear or regret in their hearts, because they all learned the truth behind the order from Callifon."

"I have to say, everyone, a race like human beings can always burst out with amazing power when life and death are at stake. It is for this reason that I have preserved them."

"Visitors, what appears in front of you at this moment is a unit in the Olympia Defense War, and it is also a small microcosm of this war."

The announcement ended, the rune slate slowly returned to the ground, the lights dimmed, and darkness once again enveloped the exhibition hall.

Trazin looked hesitantly at the man standing beside him, who also looked over just in time, with the light in his eyes still shining brightly.

"I want you to release them," he said.

Trazin nodded quickly - he had expected this.

"I mean all of them."

"Excuse me, Your Majesty?" the undead overlord asked in astonishment, then quickly took a step back, opened his right hand, and the Empathy Annihilation Staff fell into his hand.

The reactor began to light up with a bright green light, and he tightened his grip on the long staff and growled: "This is impossible! I am an archaeologist, the Emperor!"

The 'tribune' looked at him expressionlessly.

"I respect your professional ethics." He said.

"Then, I lower my standards. I only want a thousand Astartes, as well as 10,000 auxiliaries and about 50,000 skitarii. Don't fool me, I know you have many backups. This exhibition hall stores Not all of your exhibits. Take them back to Sousa, and do it quickly, do you understand?”

"I - this -" Trazin felt her mouth go dry for a while.

"Otherwise, your museum will be burned to the ground today." said the 'tribune'.

The sword in his hand began to become hot.

"By agreeing to this proposal, I will allow you to continue to retain others and continue to turn a blind eye to your future actions. You can continue to shine in your profession, invest your passion, and save those who would otherwise die. "

"Remember, I'm talking about people who are bound to die. There are some things you'd better not do again, and take the time to send back those people you took away."

"You are a robber!" Trazin shouted. "I've never seen such an unreasonable bastard like you!"

The 'tribune' smiled.

He sheathed his sword and walked towards the depths of the exhibition hall with his hands behind his back, but his voice always echoed in Trazin's ears: "To each other, the Endless."