The Emperor’s Angel of Death

Previously, Sotha Nul was able to lead the Bone Dynasty to the Howling Vortex with ease because he knew the enemy's exact location and could use the nearest Dolmen Gates for rapid maneuvers. However, Sotha Nul was one hundred percent certain that Menekh's lair was definitely not on Orpheus. Although he could also deploy the Bone Dynasty to Orpheus to participate in the battle, doing so was fraught with uncertainty and danger.

The Flayed Ones are not as easy to control as the Aeldari, who can be told not to clash with humans and they won't. Their uncontrollability is a double-edged sword, a plague of destruction for the Necron dynasties and an insidious specter for humanity. For them to be effective, it must be decisive—finding the core world of the Menekh Dynasty and delivering a fatal blow, or at least converting all their high-ranking members. Joining the Orpheus warzone would only stir up trouble.

Realizing that the complexity of this battle exceeded his expectations, Sotha Nul gave Valkul some instructions and quickly returned to Amarah Prime, only two days after his departure.

Talos was clearly surprised by his unexpected return, and Sotha Nul bluntly told him that he might not have any cards to play at the moment. To understand the situation of the Menekh Dynasty, he planned to take a risk—personally going to a fallen star system adjacent to Amarah to try and capture a few Flayed Ones and see what made them different.

To maintain secrecy, he also had to have Talos continue to manage affairs on Amarah, while he would only take Amnak with him on a fast ship.

Talos did not approve of Sotha Nul's approach of venturing alone into enemy territory, because the Menekh Dynasty's actions were indeed too strange, and it seemed to be able to grasp Sotha Nul's weaknesses in all aspects, preventing his powerful external forces from being brought into play. This indicated that there must be someone among them who was extremely familiar with Sotha Nul's current situation, making the adventure itself extremely dangerous.

But Sotha Nul really didn't want to sit and wait for death here, but Talos immediately pointed out another thought hidden in his mind—Sotha Nul actually wanted to use himself as bait to lure out Menekh's ambushes or trump cards, or even bigger fish.

Undoubtedly, this was extremely dangerous, and this was one of the very few times that Talos strongly opposed Sotha Nul's decision on a certain matter.

However, Sotha Nul was also determined. After arriving at Orpheus, he became increasingly uneasy, always feeling that something would happen. Even if this was indeed a risky move, he had to wade through this muddy water, otherwise, when the other party really played their cards, he didn't have much confidence that he could really handle it. After all, if Amarah really lost this battle, he wouldn't know how to fight later.

Besides, as a Space Marine, if he didn't even have the courage to venture deep behind enemy lines, it would prove that he was indeed 'corrupted' by power and status.

After making some simple arrangements, Sotha Nul and Amnak boarded a Nova-class frigate and sailed towards the McKinney system, the fallen star system closest to Amarah, under the guise of reconnaissance. Of course, it wasn't like he had no backup plans. The Royal Court had received instructions to dispatch a high-speed fleet to lurk near the McKinney system for support at any time.

As a star system close to the capital area, the McKinney system was once quite prosperous, but it was a star system that focused on agricultural output. All four inhabited planets were agricultural worlds, which in a sense were also Amarah's granary. After it fell, Amarah's food supply began to experience a serious crisis, to the point where it had to be transported from more distant regions.

The warship did not encounter any danger along the way, and after arriving in the orbit of McKinney Prime, it scanned the entire planet.

It had no hives, only a large number of scattered settlements and cities. The fertile land was covered with a large number of farmland and pastures, and huge fishery resource platforms were scattered on the blue ocean.

In the end, Sotha Nul chose to go to the planet's capital, a large coastal city near the equator. This city was built up of messy and disordered buildings and had the planet's only spaceport.

Sotha Nul and Amnak arrived on the city's beach by shuttle.

Apart from the sound of the waves, there was only deathly silence.

This was Sotha Nul's first impression of this planet. He had originally prepared himself to face any possible attack, but nothing happened.

"The road to apotheosis is long and arduous, so I have always advised you to try to cut off those unnecessary ties."

Walking on the soft beach, Amnak was in a very relaxed posture. Regarding the events that occurred at the Flayed God's shrine, Sotha Nul did not hide anything from him, and Amnak's point of view was also very unique. He believed that many of Sotha Nul's 'weaknesses' were created by himself, because Sotha Nul was always unwilling to give up his identity as an Astartes, so his thoughts and behaviors were very easy to predict and arrange.

For example, this Orpheus, Sotha Nul could have come later, or even not come at all, or just send someone else, but he would definitely come in person.

So the solution is actually very simple. Sotha Nul should show the awareness of a true high-ranking person and give up the values and sense of honor that belong to the Astartes, which are already a burden to him, and it will not be so easy for the other party to set up a situation for him.

Sotha Nul had no response to this, but Amnak's relaxed attitude relieved some of the unease in his heart. Perhaps things were not that serious.

At least, he could still deal with it with his power.

"Unless... unless someone forces me to do so."

Stopping, Sotha Nul responded to Amnak's question for the first time, and the other party turned around and looked at him playfully.

"It has to be someone who forces you?"

"This is a test for me, and also for them, for Him. I still accept everything they have arranged with the greatest patience, because I still trust those once lofty ideals, but if they prove that the so-called ideals are ultimately just the delusions of madmen and the recurring cycles that run through tens of thousands of years of human civilization, then I have nothing to say."

A smile appeared on Amnak's face.

"Then I am very confident. I know humans too well."

"Perhaps, but it is still too early."

The two quickly walked into the city center. Since the city was terraced, it was surrounded by various types of residences. Stone pillars and carved beams hinted at its certain wealth as the planet's capital. It seemed to have just rained in this area, and the ground was a little wet.

Even a glance could imagine its former prosperity, but now it only had silence and the stench of death that even rain could not erase.

The entire town was filled with the smell of corpses, a ubiquitous stench, a stench that permeated the soil.

But Sotha Nul did not see a single corpse, not even scavengers. It was as if a force more terrifying than death had spread throughout this dead city.

"Strange, why are there no corpses?"

Perhaps affected by the eerie atmosphere, Amnak's hand unconsciously pressed against the hilt of the sword at his waist, his eyes constantly scanning the dark windows and alleys of the surrounding buildings.