Warhammer 40k: Shattered Steel Soul

Fulgrim bent down and took the seven-layer veil that looked like mithril from Morse with doubt, letting the unknown soft material flow between his fingers.

When the light and shadow changed, the seven-layer veil was almost transparent in the bright place, and in the dark and light-proof place, it reflected the deep blue-black starry sky that seemed to be blocked in the silver veil. But no matter how bright it was, it could completely cover the existence of his fingers, just like melting muscles and bones into the Milky Way, gaining another unique and beautiful way of invisibility.

He put the veil on his shoulders, letting the stars and platinum-like long hair flow from his shoulders along the contours of his body, and couldn't help but raise his thin eyebrows slightly, with joy in his eyes.

"This is in your script..." Fulgrim guessed, but still hoped to get a personal introduction from the craftsman.

"Hades's invisible scarf, with this scarf, can be invisible from the mortal world - that's the setting. During the stage performance, in order to make the audience see clearly, I changed the form of invisibility." Morse said, sitting on the floating cushioned wooden chair with his legs crossed, flipping through his script. "On the way to deal with the Gorgon Medusa, entrusted by the god Kronos, our demigod dancer Salome needs two more artifacts..." He turned a page of parchment and continued to read: "Vulcan's winged boots, which can allow you to fly, and Magnus's mirror shield, which can help you reflect Medusa's image as a mirror to avoid directly seeing the Gorgon's petrified eyes; Vulcan's boots don't have to worry, Magnus?" Magnus slid down from Morse's shoulders, jumped onto the handrail, and crossed his hands on his chest. "You can't make up stories like this, Morse! I've read the Emperor's library! In the ancient Terra mythology, it was the hero Perseus who dealt with the Gorgon Medusa, it was Hermes who gave the boots, and the goddess of wisdom was not me, but Athena! Kronos shouldn't be here at all, and Salome... Salome's story is completely different!" "I know the goddess of wisdom is not you, Magnus, so you are the god of wisdom in this script." Morse replied leisurely, looking over the handwritten script, looking at Magnus on the armrest and said, "Don't you think you have enough wisdom in your heart? ?”

“I…” Magnus opened his mouth, trying to find loopholes in Morse’s words, and grabbed his red hair in frustration, “That is, you can’t just randomly adapt the myths of ancient Terra like this. This is part of an important cultural custom. I think that even if we are in an era of renewal after the Old Night, we can’t…”

“Don’t be like this, Magnus,” Morse said calmly, “As a life form before the Old Night, I still know more about the origins of some myths and legends. What do you think?”

“I…” Magnus sat down, still looking a little depressed. "So, do you want to be remembered as a background character in the first batch of Olympia plays, or do I remove your name from the script and save Perturabo the compensation for your reputation loss?"

"Then let's go to Magnus, the god of wisdom!" Magnus said the word awkwardly, letting the words slide through as quickly as if his tongue was burned, "Mirror shield, is it? Perturabo, can you give me a normal shield? My current body is not suitable for stirring the ether tide on a large scale, such as creating things out of thin air."

Sitting in the audience, Perturabo nodded slightly to the mortal guards. The four guards took the order and left.

"Thank you, Magnus." Fulgrim winked at the Primarch on the armrest, letting the seven-sided galaxy veil spread over his arm. "Everything is perfect... So, what happened after I set off with my three artifacts?" "You are a legendary dancer who thinks you are the best in the world, so you think your perfect dance is enough to conquer everything, and the terrifying snake-haired monster Medusa is another challenge on your way forward." Morse summarized the plot of his script, "You embarked on a journey, crossed the ocean, and finally found Medusa on an isolated island." Fulgrim glanced in the direction of Ferrus Manus, staring at the mirror-like silver-gray eyes of the Iron Hands Primarch, thinking that these unique eyes really have the ability to petrify living things: "Ferus, are you listening?" "I'm here." Ferrus nodded. "I can use a temporary metal body to create a silver snake."

"Very good," Morse said, and saw the data board on the table light up again, "Hello, Horus."

"Let me listen." Horus Lupercal adjusted the angle of the camera to make his face appear more completely on the screen, "Now, what stage have you made in your preparations?"

"It's time for me to meet Medusa," Fulgrim moved his feet and turned to Morse's side to talk to Horus: "Then what? How should I deal with Medusa?"

"Is this character named after Ferrus's home planet?" Horus reasonably inferred.

"In fact, it is the planet Medusa that has the same name as the ancient Terra mythology." Perturabo said, "I have studied this mythological history with Magnus and Robert Guilliman."

"This is very interesting," Horus replied with an unconcealed smile, "The brilliance reflected at the origin of human civilization can often penetrate time and suddenly appear in the reality we are in now."

"Your name is also an example, Horus." Morse said, "Perhaps in future plays, I will have the opportunity to write part of it. Well, I will continue to talk about the play. See you, the demigod Salome When I arrived at Medusa, I was shocked by the terrifying and sad image of the gorgon."

"Is it scary?" Fulgrim smiled at Ferus, "Can you play a scary character, Ferus?"

"I can," Ferus replied.

"Okay, you can." Morse said in a perfunctory tone, "No matter what, Salome was determined to complete Cronus's mission, and also to prove his unparalleled charm in dancing. He held the mirror shield in his hand and danced gracefully ”

"Salome used every turn and jump in the dance to dodge Medusa's petrified sight. Her phantom-like figure was difficult to observe, and the help of her wing boots made the dancer as light as a feather and as powerful as a flying phoenix. He He keeps getting closer to Medusa, and while he succeeds in getting closer, he is frustrated and sad that Medusa is not intoxicated by his dance. "

"I have to choreograph carefully," Fulgrim clapped his hands and his eyes fell into the void in the distance.

Morse's request is an important challenge to the dancer's posture, not to mention that he will have to cover his body with seven layers of gauze. In the stage play, he will rely on his posture to convey complex emotions, taking into account both beauty and affection, and add lines when appropriate... …Phoenix raised a smile on his lips.

Looking at the empty stage, he could already see his own shadow dancing in front of the stage.

Morse continued to read the script, "There is also the ending, Fulgrim. In one precise and swift movement, Salome moved forward with her sword and cut off the Gorgon's neck with a sword. Let the head fall into the mirror of the mirror shield. The petrified eyes will see your own reflection at close range, and the head will instantly turn into stone, symbolizing the end of the demon's fate."

Fulgrim's smile froze on his face: "What have I done?"

"This is a heroic script that will not have any impact on reality." Ferrus Manus said objectively, not being touched by the fact that his character ended up dead. "I can use holographic projection to fake this scene." The scene is highly feasible and can undoubtedly achieve the stage effect required by mortals, but if the emperor comes here, I am afraid that psychic effects will be needed to add authenticity.”

"The Emperor cannot arrive within a month." Rogal Dorn spoke when necessary. "He has other priorities."

"Who has a camera?" Morse asked.

"I have." Fulgrim recovered from his surprise, "You are right, Ferus, this is a drama."

Magnus added: "An ancient Terran Greek and Roman drama, with destiny waiting at the end... But why Salome? This is not the same thing..."

"This is an adaptation, dear original body." Morse continued, "Salome returned to the city-state with a petrified head and was appreciated by Cronus, but could not be immersed in the joy of victory. He realized that killing There is no point in killing a gorgon; whether he is perfect or not has nothing to do with his achievements.”

"After Medusa died, the blood from his neck was mixed with Salome's blood, and two brand-new monsters were created, Pegasus and Chrysaor, wandering on the island. Wait for the next demigod hero to come and gain fame, or die in the ocean."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw four guards carrying a huge iron shield the size of the original body and returning to the Olympia Theater, which was still closed for rehearsals.

"Thank you," Perturabo nodded briefly and habitually, and ordered the guards to place him in the background.

He then stood up, caught Magnus from the arm of Morse's chair, and carried him to the shield.

Invisible red gold words and silver-blue flames flashed on Magnus's hand.

The surface of the iron shield was melted and reconstructed in the iridescent firelight. Gradually, a mysterious pattern around the mirror was carved on the periphery of the oval shield, while the center of the shield became extremely smooth and bright, and the reflected picture was better than any mercury mirror. All are clearer.

"The mirror shield of Magnus, the God of Wisdom!" Magnus shouted. "Now we still need a pair of winged boots."

"It's very beautiful, Magnus." Fulgrim bent down symbolically and expressed his gratitude to the small Magnus on the ground.

Soon, Vulkan and Angron returned to the hall together, bringing with them a pair of exquisite silver wings used to decorate their ankles; with them came King Califon.

"I am Hebe, the goddess of youth, who is delivering messages to Cronus," the Queen said in a soothing tone, leaning on her crutches, "Why do you think you want me, an elderly person, to play the role of the goddess of youth?"

"You are immortal in spirit, my queen," answered Perturabo. "So, the actors for the first rehearsal have arrived."

Fulgrim stuck the silver wings on the ankles of his boots, lifted up the silver mirror shield, pulled out his flaming sword from his waist, pulled out a bright sword flower, and stepped on the drumbeats that sounded in his heart. He almost flew from the audience to the center of the stage, closed his eyes, and smiled arrogantly at where the gorgon Ferus was.

"You, a monster with an evil shape and a silver snake on your head, turn your soul into a dead stone based on your fearful eyes. But I, even though I am a dancer, stand here, it is not my own name. Thinking of the blessings of all living beings, God's decree, I swear to take your life today, and your atrocity will fall to the ground, and your sinful soul will sink to the underworld. Do you have any last words? Medusa, what do you have on your deathbed? Word?"

+Your character cannot speak, +Morse prompts.

He knew it was right not to write specific lines for them, because Fulgrim would definitely think that the lines he wrote himself were the most impeccable. He turned the script to the section where the goddess of youth appeared, and handed it to Callifon, who was sitting next to Perturabo, with his spiritual power.

Ferrus remained silent, watching Fulgrim as he stepped onto the stage.

The lights suddenly turned on, and the projection technology was set up to reflect the deserted stone beach of the island and the lingering miserable gray fog on the table.

"...According to the command of Cronus, you must kill this demon Medusa, bring its head back, and place it in the center of the altar. Don't be afraid of the hardships ahead, Cronus will guide you, and the gods will bless you. Ankang." Kalifon narrowed her eyes, familiar with her lines.

On the stage, the gauze flew and flowed with Fulgrim's every move. The flowing light and overflowing splendor were based on deep black. Under the light of the sword, the multiple gauze scarves transformed into thousands of postures.

The purple-robed phoenix closed its eyes, sometimes frowning, sometimes showing its face, immersed in the identity of the dancer.

The shadow of the sword harmonized with the melody, and the silver wings on the boots cut through the gray mist, cutting the solidified temporal ripples into circle ripples.

Time and light and darkness flow forward with every dance step he takes.

Only when his back was turned to Ferus, Fulgrim half-opened his eyes, looking at the fully dressed reflection of the snake demon Medusa in the mirror shield, and the gorgeous light and shadow effects that had been laid out all over the place, and listened to the accompanying string music. With the human voice, lightly open the light-colored lips.

"Why are you silent? What crime are you guilty of? If there is no grudge, why would I point my sword at your neck? Oh, you are speechless. Could it be that my dance steps failed to shake your frozen heart and soften it for a moment? ? If you do this again, I will have to behead you!"

The light moved in the silver mirror, the snake monster's silver light was blazing with murderous intent, and the faint death light shot out from the snake's eyes, shattering rocks and breaking beams and columns.

The fictional scenery of the stage changes with the pace of the two, accompanied by blazing blue fire and deep dusk songs. The dancer and the basilisk change positions one after another, just like two people dancing together, with blood spilled, light and sad, magnificent and lingering.

"Speak, Medusa, why did you become so evil? Where is your old appearance? Where is the old beauty gone? Who's fault has brought you to this point?" The dancer almost begged, and the sword edge approached the basilisk's throat several times. , and moved away quietly. "My dance steps can be used to kill people. Is this what I want? Today, I need to use it to decide life and death! Do you have no regrets in your heart and soul?"

No one answered.

The sword light flashed for an instant, and the accompaniment of the low-pitched lamentation stopped instantly.

As soon as the red gold rune lit up, a snake demon's head flew up and landed on the mirror shield. In an instant, it turned into a dead stone and rolled into the arms of the dancer who fell to the ground.

The dancers were silent for tens of seconds, then Fang put away her sword, held up her head, wrapped it in gauze, staggered out of the stage, and walked towards the deep shadows of the theater's backstage.

The gray mist almost dissipated, revealing the body of a snake demon. In the small area still surrounded by the blood mist, two snake shadows slowly swam out, one the color of mithril and the other the color of the starry sky.

"So, with the death of the gorgon, the blood from its neck merged with Salome's blood, and two more monsters were born, Pegasus and Chrysaor, who wandered the island all day long, waiting for the next demigod hero to come and find them. Chasing fame, or sinking into the vast ocean, fate returns to the netherworld.”

Hebe's voice sounded slowly, and the Queen walked out of the backstage and stood on the side of the stage. Her figure is specially magnified by holographic technology until, to the viewer's eyes, she appears to be as tall as the original.

"The prologue of "Theogony" comes to an end here, and the next chapter will continue to be written in this glorious theater. In the name of the Governor of the Olympia Star Cluster, and as the spokesperson of the Primarch Perturabo, I hereby Announcement: The first Olympia Games has officially begun!”

Fulgrim returned to the stage empty-handed, and Ferrus stood up from where he lay down, side by side with Fulgrim, and bowed to Olympia.

Throughout the theater, several Primarchs, hundreds of Astartes warriors, and tens of thousands of people applauded, and the cheers lingered in the theater for a long time.