40k: Midnight Blade

Chapter 696 78. Resurrection (End)

How will these things end? Based on experience, the end can only be chaos, death and blood, nothing else.

You can't find anything else. This bastard world can only give you this shit. It doesn't even have a good penny. It's so stingy that it makes people hate it.

Khalil frowned and threw these darkness out of his mind. He didn't know where they came from. He just felt annoyed and agreed a little bit.

The hunter knew nothing about this and was leading the way. His steps were steady and precise, just like a program with set running rules. The training of any war group would not involve this aspect, but it seemed reasonable to him.

They were walking in a corridor, long and deep, with sensor lights stuck between the bricks and stones as light sources. The light flickered, and the roar of machines and the collision of metals came faintly from deep in the wall. The dull sound was getting louder and louder, as if someone was trying to tear the world apart with it.

They walked to a stone door. The door was tall, about ten meters high, but there was no relief or decoration on it. It was severely weathered. A dent the size of an Astarte's fist was on the wall to the right of the door, strongly announcing its presence to everyone.

The hunter walked forward and put his hand in it. He gently pressed the metal against the stone, making a sour creaking sound. His hand was slightly larger than the dent, but it seemed that it could still trigger some kind of mechanism.

There was only a buzzing sound, and a faint blue light came out from the gap between the wall and the stone door. Then, the door slowly slid open, as if the rotten air from the inside of an ancient tomb was coming in with dust. Like a bullet fired from a gun, it hit the two people accurately, making them look dusty in an instant.

"Where is this?" Khalil asked while wiping the dust off his face.

After he did this, he realized belatedly that he should cough. But it's too late now. If we do it again, it will seem a bit clumsy.

"Fortress No. 5." The hunter stepped into the door and answered. "No one has set foot here since the day it was built. You and I are the only visitors, instructor."

"Then where does your authority come from?"

"Actually, it belongs to Taros Valkolan. After his death, it was passed down from generation to generation along with his eyes."

Khalil nodded silently.

The faint blue light behind the door was changing, and soon it turned into a soft white light under the operation of the machinery, completely illuminating the room. Judging from the scale and decoration, this should be a command hall. The center is designed to sink, and a throne covered by black cloth is waiting to be unveiled.

On its right, there are rows of sophisticated and huge thinker arrays, which have been activated together with the opening of the stone door. A tsunami-like data stream flashed frantically from the overview screen directly above them.

Khalil took a few steps closer and observed carefully. Although it was a little difficult, he still figured out something with his outdated knowledge from the 30th millennium.

"Is this a military fortress?" He asked in surprise at the end.

The hunter shook his head to show that he knew nothing, and patted his shoulder armor. It seemed that he cared more about whether the emblem of the regiment was stained than the dust on his face.

Khalil withdrew his attention and stood there for several minutes without saying a word. Finally, he reluctantly concluded that this was a military fortress, and it was a fortress with self-production capabilities.

From the data flow, these thinker arrays are connecting and self-checking with as many as hundreds of different weapon positions, casting lines, raw material production machines, etc.

He looked at it for a while again, but this time he didn't see anything more, and even had a headache because of the endless data, codes and mysterious abbreviations, so he had to turn to the left side of the throne.

Compared to the complex and huge array of thinkers, this place seemed a little too empty. There were only two black display cabinets standing alone, like tombstones, one larger and the other smaller.

Beyond them, there were five flags hanging from the ceiling. Five stone platforms, belonging to Nightblade and their respective subgroups, were quietly waiting under their respective flags.

Khalil narrowed his eyes and ignored the two mysterious display cabinets, but strode towards the stone platform.

They seemed to sense his arrival. Before he could really get close, the inside of the stone platform could be heard from the click of gears, followed by a series of muffled sounds.

The surface of the stone platform was turned over, and a blood-red liquid gushed out from it, but it quickly dried up in the hissing corrosion sound.

When all this was over, they disintegrated with a bang, which was so logical that it seemed a little too much. Among the stones on the ground, five short blades, some rusted and some damaged, lay quietly. Khalil bent down and picked them up one by one. They were extremely cold.

He pulled out a blade with the Night Blade mark on the end and squeezed it hard. Many images came to his mind one after another, mercilessly impacting his senses.

After a few seconds, his fingers, which had always been as steady as cast steel, suddenly trembled. The blade reluctantly slipped out of it, and the rust rubbed against his fingers intimately.

The hunter stretched out his right hand as expected and caught it.

"What did you see, instructor?" He asked in a tone of knowing the answer.

Khalil looked at him, took a deep breath, and then calmed down, but still did not answer. Instead, he looked down at the other four blades in his arms, and a bitterness appeared on his pale face for the first time.

"How much preparation have you made?"

Faced with this question, the hunter thought carefully before answering.

"Collecting the fragments is one part, and passing on the sacrifice of ten thousand years in a ritual and sealing it in these five blades is another part. In order to deal with the possible loss of humanity after your return, we have indeed made a lot of preparations. Generally speaking, it is not much, but not too little."

Khalil stretched out his hand to him.

"Instructor?"

"Please hand me the knife, thank you." Khalil glared at him. "I want to carry them with me."

The hunter couldn't help but twitch his mouth, and then immediately kept silent very wisely, and handed over the rusty blade in his hand.

Khalil took it and put them one by one into the simple armed belt built into the judge's coat. This useful design had been vacant at first, and it was only now that it was really put to use.

After doing this, he pointed at the two display cabinets and asked, "What about them? What are they filled with?"

The hunter shook his head again: "I can't know everything, instructor. I am at best a second-rate prophet, and I have not inherited the original master's talent in this regard."

"You seem to have inherited his advantages in another aspect." Khalil said, and he emphasized the word "advantages".

For his compliments, the hunter chose to avoid answering, and even put on his helmet with his backhand. Seeing this, Khalil had no choice but to walk towards the display cabinets himself.

Fortunately, they, like the stone platform, have some special sensitivity. As he approached, the dark covering the outer layer of glass quickly faded, and the true appearance of the two display cabinets, one large and one small, was revealed.

In the larger one stood a piece of armor, with two colors all over, black and white entangled and mixed together, presenting on the surface, as dense as blood vessels. The smaller one displayed several weapons, short knives, single knives, power swords, two-handed greatswords, and a black pistol that Khalil couldn't tell the specific model.

They all fit his current body size.

He looked back at the hunter in confusion.

"I really don't know what they are, instructor." The hunter, who had put on a helmet, replied in a muffled voice.

The breathing grid changed his voice, but if he didn't want to, this would not happen.

Khalil sighed, and the index finger of his right hand on the display cabinet tapped unconsciously: "I can see that the armor is a specially modified power armor, but where did these weapons come from?"

"Maybe Lord Dorn prepared it for you."

"Do you really think so? You might as well say that he designed this hall."

"No." The hunter shook his head. "It was Lord Perturabo who designed this place - I mean, he designed and laid out the entire fortress himself. After confirming that it could bear this responsibility, he officially revealed its existence to us."

Khalil pondered in surprise. After a few seconds, he reached under the small display cabinet and pressed the opening button. With a slight sound, the glass and metal frame sank down together, like a mud cow entering the sea, and disappeared into the dark cabinet, never to be seen again.

He reached out and picked up the black pistol, and soon saw the personal seal of the Lord of the Fourth Legion at the bottom of the grip. Coincidentally, the other four weapons were the same.

The man in the Inquisitor's uniform couldn't help but chuckle. Holding a sword and a gun, his waist was bulging.

"Isn't it necessary, instructor?" The hunter asked lightly.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Khalil glanced at him, reached out and took the scabbard of the power sword from the cabinet, hung it on his waist, and then sheathed the sword. As for the gun, he put it back.

The hunter seemed to want to comment on this, but he held back the words. It was unclear whether it was because the Thinker array behind them suddenly sounded a prompt or because of Khalil's seemingly casual glance.

They hurried back to the front of the array, and the hunter quickly entered the state.

With the relevant knowledge reserves of the 40th millennium, he surpassed the useless and old mind of the other person present. He took over one of the Thinkers with the authority of the first generation of soul hunters and began to classify and summarize various data in manual mode.

Soon, a series of messages were projected on the overview screen.

[Highest level information, source: Fortress 004, Steel]

[Malcador said you are back, Khalil Lohars. I hope you are satisfied with your "grave". I designed this place myself. According to the original plan, you should be resurrected here, but the current situation may be better. ]

[I will not explain the specific situation in detail, you can check it yourself. The command seat can unlock the teleportation permission. I have made a plan in advance. You can use it to teleport to the reserved teleportation beacons of every planet in the solar system. 】

【By the way, there is a gift from Vulkan and I next to the throne. It can be regarded as a gift. If you don't like it, just throw it away. It doesn't matter. Before midnight, there will be wine in my private reception room. You can choose any kind. 】

【Rogal Dorn will also be there. 】

【Highest level information, source: Fortress 007, City Wall】

【When they told me that a miracle we had been waiting for for a long time really came, I still didn't believe it. Based on rationality, I think the probability of you returning safely is less than one percent. 】

【I raised my objection to this matter in the meeting many centuries ago. Even if you can come back, there is no guarantee that you will be the same as before. Even worse, the person they brought back after all the hardships is not actually you. 】

【Yago Sevitarion hated me for at least a thousand years, until I woke up Sigismund and the matter came to an end. He can never keep calm when it comes to you and Conrad. But I think I shouldn't blame him too much. 】

【By the way, I have time before midnight tonight. If you like, please come to Perturabo's private reception room. I have a lot to say. They may be of some help to your physical condition. 】

【Highest level information, source: -——】

【Finish your work as soon as possible. You are a member of the Inquisition, and I still have a lot of backlogs for you to deal with. 】

【Also, don't worry about Lion El'Jonson. Like you, he has been reborn. Come to the fortress of the Inquisition in five days, and he will be there. This trial that has been delayed for ten thousand years must finally come to an end. ]

[By the way, help me drink more mare's milk. I lost my sense of taste a long time ago. ]

[Highest level information, source: Fortress 002, Guards]

[Welcome back, Caril Rohals. The Ten Thousand is ready to accept your orders. ]

[I know you like to act alone, but this is the order of the master. For at least the next ten centuries, every mission you perform must be accompanied by a guard. No discussion. ]

[I don't have anyone to recommend for the time being, so I suggest you take the time to come to the fortress. But I know that you probably don't have time, so I recommend myself. ]

[Note: The Spear of the Sun God will be very helpful to your current situation, and I am its only user. 】

Khalil smiled, this smile was natural and pure, overflowing with pure happiness - for anyone, it is a precious treasure. And the hunter knew that for him, this has actually far exceeded the scope of treasure.

"How is it, instructor?" Once again, he asked knowingly.

"Want to go to the cocktail party with me?" Khalil asked.

"No. I still have to wait here for the brothers who will arrive in the solar system with the joint fleet. Due to the temporary notice of the seal holder, I took some not-so-good ways to arrive in Terra in advance. I have to do some work temporarily to report to Lord Sevata, so that he won't put a knife across my neck again."

"Why didn't I realize that you talk so much before, hunter?"

The hunter shrugged calmly, walked to the side of the throne, and stretched out his hand to pull off the black cloth.

"Please." He said to Khalil.