The Emperor’s Angel of Death

The moment Soshjan uttered that almost contemptuous word, Mardel began to roar hysterically.

"Are you mad! No one dares to be so arrogant, no one dares to make me kneel! I am an apostle of the Eightfold Path, I am the Crown of Knowledge, the Language of Slaughter, the Breath of Pleasure, the Immortal Soul! I—"

"I will not say it a third time. Kneel."

Mardel seemed to be burning all over, the eyes on its body turned bloodshot red, and the eyes in its huge sockets were spitting fire.

But under Soshjan's cold gaze, it finally roared, released its staff, and its knees slammed heavily on the blackstone rock. It supported itself on the ground with both hands, and its wings slowly folded.

"Ha."

Soshjan chuckled, paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, and sighed:

"So, those who fear death are very pragmatic."

Mardel's claws scraped against the ground, making a sharp sound. Its body seemed to swell, but Soshjan wanted to completely destroy its so-called self-esteem, although he doubted whether it still had any.

"I have to say, even by daemon standards, Mardel, your purity is too high. First, you betrayed your blood relatives, subordinates, and people in exchange for life, then you betrayed your race in exchange for immortality. First, you were a dog of the Star Gods, then you became a dog of the Ruinous Powers, and now, haha, alas."

Just as Mardel was about to explode with anger, Soshjan added:

"Ah, change back to your previous image, I don't feel comfortable looking at this one."

"Soshjan, you are de—"

Mardel suddenly raised its head, but stopped roaring the moment it met Soshjan's gaze. After glaring at the other party tremblingly for a while, it lowered its head again, its figure quickly shrinking and changing, and finally turned back into the withered and thin Necron image.

This was also the old man Soshjan had seen in the previous illusion.

"Well, that's much better."

Soshjan stopped in front of the other party, looking down at this withered and haggard ancient being.

"Now, let me explain the rules. I ask, you answer. Do not try to make any deals or propose any conditions. If I detect that you have lied, I will not hesitate to crush the Hellfire Stone and destroy you. You know, I have the ability to do so."

Mardel just knelt on the ground without saying a word.

"Then, first, who was your first master?"

"Salanoga the Mad Light, or you can call it the Outsider."

"Salanoga the Outsider."

This name surprised Soshjan, because the Void Dragon also mentioned this Star God and told him that this Star God was still alive, or rather, still existed completely.

"Do you know that Salanoga is still alive?"

"Yes."

"What happened to it?"

"It fell for the trick of Cegorach, the Harlequin God of the Eldar. It thought it could devour its own kind and strengthen itself like the Enslavers, but it did not have the ability to digest the Star God's consciousness core. This behavior caused its consciousness to be constantly in a state of internal struggle. After the War in Heaven, Salanoga, who had completely gone mad, was lured by Kurnous, the Eldar Hunter God, to a lightless area on the edge of the galaxy and trapped using Heaven's Shackles."

"So, your second master was the Enslaver, right?"

"Yes, and no. At that time, it was called Asuryan."

Soshjan watched the other party's back expressionlessly. This was somewhat different from Kaien's statement, but he thought what Mardel said should be true. Kaien and the others might not have a true understanding.

From Soshjan's own understanding of time, the Eldar pantheon only came into being after the Unshattered One became Asuryan. That is to say, when Salanoga was tricked by Cegorach, the Unshattered One must have already become Asuryan.

"Tell me everything you know about Asuryan, or the Unshattered One. Remember, be clear. I know far more than you think. Any lie you tell could put you at great risk."

Mardel pursed its lips and remained silent for a moment, then began to hoarsely recount the story of gods and destruction from that distant era—

"The original Star Gods did not have actual bodies. As pure energy beings, they simply absorbed the energy of stars like animals. However, some of them, due to accidental factors, broke away from the stars and wandered throughout the galaxy, unconsciously absorbing large amounts of souls of those who died in the first conflict between the Necrons and the Old Ones. Their essence changed accordingly, and some individuals underwent unique transformations. This gave the Star Gods, who had long fed on stellar energy, inspiration. They realized the fundamental difference between psychic energy and physical energy. These Star Gods were the most powerful ones in the future, including the Outsider, the Nightbringer, the Deceiver, the Void Dragon, etc."

"And the Enslaver was the fastest to progress. It formed a complex self-awareness very early on and began to secretly attack lone Old Ones and devour their incredibly powerful souls. At some point, some weak Star Gods suddenly disappeared. The most powerful beings among the Star Gods immediately discovered that their fellow had undergone a special change. It could actually undergo a certain degree of warp travel and its power had increased to an incredible level. Without a physical shell, it still had the power to extinguish stars, becoming the strongest Star God in the galaxy. Thus, the Star Gods, fearing the fate of being devoured, united to kill their strongest member, who was about to lose control. They set a trap in the center of the galaxy and lured the Enslaver into it. In the end, the Enslaver was seriously injured and barely escaped by relying on its warp travel ability. Nearly half of the Star Gods died in this infighting. The warp rift in the center of the galaxy, which humans call the Maelstrom, was torn apart by the Enslaver's full-strength blow in that battle." (Personal headcanon, do not take it seriously)

Although Soshjan didn't show it, the slight raise of his eyebrows revealed the shock in his heart.

The Eye of Terror was formed by the terrifying energy that tore reality when Slaanesh, one of the Ruinous Powers, was born. The fact that the Enslaver, as a Star God, could create a similar effect with a full-strength blow in realspace is unbelievable.

"But the Old Ones caught the Enslaver, who was trying to recuperate in the warp. The Old Ones, who had defeated the Necrons, discovered the Enslaver's special nature. Thus, they wanted to transform it into a powerful weapon, a weapon that could protect them and fight against new threats that might arise in the future. So, they strengthened the Enslaver's warp attributes and twisted its consciousness core, using a substance similar to living metal but even more mysterious, creating a being that could freely enter and exit the warp and realspace, named Asuryan. Then, they created the Eldar and made Asuryan the leader and inspirer of the Eldar."

"How did you get involved with Asuryan?"