Warhammer 40k: Shattered Steel Soul

Chapter 487 Leaving the Valley

Prospero will be the grave of the Fifteenth Legion, at least of their past.

Ctesias thought nonchalantly as he nodded with the Iron Warriors who hurried to the top floor of the Great Library and were entering and exiting here.

He was waiting outside the door, which was open. Looking inside, he could see several temple lecturers from the 15th Legion sitting together, most of them sitting in the usual order of discussing Taoism. The lecturer of the Fire Phoenix School was absent-minded, and he had been so since he knew that his pyramid was destroyed. The seat of the Black Crow was still vacant, Azhak Ahriman came to the first place, but he did not sit down.

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Opposite the Thousand Dust Sun were strange warsmiths, none of whom Ctesias had ever met. Kaidomo Frix's armor was taken away as a relic by the Iron Warriors themselves. Ahriman watched the whole process, the whole thing reflected in his eyes, and he did not interfere.

Ctesias moved slightly and scanned the dark traces left by the ashes on the ground that made the lecturers feel like they were facing a formidable enemy. They all felt that this was the mark left by the Dark Lord, but Azak Ahriman warned them not to ignore the other force that was standing in the way - even if it left no trace.

"A cunning and changeable force has set its sights on us, seeking separation and suffering." Ahriman said.

One of the Iron Warriors answered him, "I have seen the suffering of your people here," his sadness was restrained but still clear, "I have also seen that the current empire cannot allow you to exist here. Of course we have Fortresses, but castles cannot hold out forever.”

"You have returned from Terra, so are there any other legions interested in participating in the campaign?" asked another warsmith.

"Any legion may obey the emperor's will, and the seventeenth legion is the most ready to do so." Ahriman replied, "Besides, the more loyal one is to the throne, the more one is our enemy."

He paused, "If you want to avoid suspicion in front of the throne, you can also tell the Empire that you are under the control of the Sky Owl. Iron Warriors, you have done enough."

"No amount of oaths can solve the fact that the Fourth Legion has hidden 30,000 Astartes. What's more, we have heard that the Human Empire has long been suspicious of the choice between the Iron Warriors and our Gene Father. Such words we You have heard enough, say no more, Lord Ahriman.”

Ahriman looked at him, then nodded. He was about to speak when he narrowed his eyes and looked at the passage guarded by Ctesias.

Here, some red shadows are coming up from the winding stairs, their steps are hurried and urgent. The color of their armor was once bright, but now it has been dulled by the unpleasant battle, like a dried blood-red shell. The scarabs on their chests are slightly reflective.

"Azhak Ahriman, we are here." A vicissitudes of voice entered among them, and every word seemed to fall from a parchment scroll that was constantly falling with debris. Amon appeared in the corridor along the steps, and the staff in his hand made a hollow echo in the corridor.

"Amun," Ahriman nodded, "come, I am about to tell you what I will do next."

"Defeat the Luna Wolf?" A slightly angry light flashed in Amon's eyes, as if the Luna Wolf was being crushed between his teeth.

"That's not the case." Ahriman raised his hand to invite him in. "Even if we kill all the wolves of the Sixteenth Legion, what will it do? If there are no Luna Wolves, there must be Space Wolves. The person on the throne is no longer the Emperor we know, but not many people know that.”

Amon looked at him: "So, what are your intentions when you come back, our chief? Our hatred is inextricable: between us and the Luna Wolf, between Prospero and Corsonia, Our Dead and the Empire of Man.”

The staff he held in his hand gently fell to the ground again, and a cloud of dust fell.

Ahriman put down his hand and placed his palm on the top of his helmet on the table: "I will take our people away, Amon. I will lead the Prospero people out of the shadow of the empire, into the wilderness, into In the galaxy, go to a no-man’s land, a place that can protect Prospero in troubled times.”

"Azhak——"

"We are warriors, we are psykers, we are sorcerers in the eyes of the mortal world. We are the ones who can truly stand against the Empire, and we are the ones who should bear this responsibility. And our people, the Prosperos, have endured enough Yes, this is the guardian's dereliction of duty..."

"I can't let Prospero be destroyed before my eyes, Azak." Amon said, a hint of psychic energy ringing in his voice.

His voice echoed in a scale beyond the boundaries of the Great Library, gently sweeping over the Great Tizca. His face became even paler, both from anger and from being spiritually imprisoned.

He continued: "If you want to leave our home behind, leave the legacy of Magnus behind, and let us ride on an ark of salvation and never return, then I can only refuse you, Ali. Man. You know what that means."

"Me too, no one can leave his homeland." Ahriman said softly, "But there is still a way there, Amon. We don't have to abandon Prospero and go far away."

"What road?"

"Amon, why not take our homeland with us? We can protect the entire Prospero through the torrent of the warp, to the border far away from the center of the empire. We don't need to give up anything, we just need to pay strength and imagination. We don't need to disgrace our mission, we have to take it up."

Amon was stunned.

"How can we do it, Azak? Who can take the entire planet and our remaining millions of lives to the far end of the galaxy? Besides, where can we go? Where is there a safe shelter in this holy land of the empire?"

His voice trembled again. Even though he asked urgently, he was moved by Ahriman.

Does everyone really have to shed the last drop of blood to protect Prospero? The Luna Wolves, and all the Prosperos?

Perhaps people are willing to do so. Amon was willing to do so before, until the hope of regaining peace suddenly lit up a faint light in Ahriman's words.

"As long as we shed enough blood, it will be enough to carry our home."

Azak Ahriman said calmly, his voice cold: "There is no lack of power in our 'ka'. This torrent is even enough to carry... the rebirth of a powerful entity, so why can't we take our home away?"

The senior generals under the seat looked over one after another. There was no ambiguity in Ahriman's words. Even the Iron Warriors could understand Ahriman's meaning, and that was why they were surprised.

"If my father were here, he alone would be enough to summon a star. We can't compare with him, so we have to settle for the next best thing."

Ahriman's voice gradually added a calm majesty.

"The magic is described in the "Book of Magnus" written by my father. I have brought this book back. Now is undoubtedly the time to use the secret method.

"And the power required, isn't it in our souls? The more than 20,000 warlocks we still have are more than enough to take Prospero to the edge of the galaxy.

"We will connect as one, condense all our minds into one idea, wrap our Prospero, and act as an artificial Geller force field. We are all excellent psykers. After the warp storm dissipates, navigation is not difficult."

Ahriman's words, Amon finally stepped into the room. He paused for a while beside the Black Crow's position, and then sat down.

More than a hundred years ago, he solemnly handed over the position of Black Crow lecturer to his most outstanding student. Rituals, status and power are closely related in mysticism. Now he has returned to his former position, looking up at Azak Ahriman standing at the top, as if he is firmly remembering his appearance at this time.

"I can be the host of the ceremony. If you don't have this confidence and ability." Ahriman continued, "Is there anyone among us who is unwilling to participate in the ceremony?"

"Even if you ask every Thousand Dust Sun one by one, you will not get a negative answer." The head of the Sky Owl School answered, his eyes seemed to be enough to cut open a person's outer skin and see the shape of the mind itself.

Several Iron Warriors watched all this in silence. One of them seemed to remember something and moved his fingers hesitantly on the table.

"Do you have anything to say, sir?" Ahriman asked.

"Have you decided where to go?" The Warsmith stood up and said.

"We still need to discuss. I have selected several expansion areas. We may face more disasters, but we don't need to fight the Empire anymore."

"No need." The standing Iron Warrior said, "I heard that there is a region where humans have lived in peace and stability for a long time. They are legitimate allies of the Empire, regard Chaos as a great enemy, and are especially friends with us Iron Warriors. If you have nowhere to go, take Prospero there. Their kindness will not be rejected."

"Please go."

The Iron Warrior nodded: "Human Federation, Interrex."

Ahriman thought for a moment and nodded first: "I agree with your idea. If the Iron Warriors are willing to take Prospero in, I will no longer resist on behalf of anyone. Do you have any other ideas, my brothers?"

"I can't think of a better place." Fusistaka said, and Tubek next to him smiled lazily, "I agree."

The remaining Thousand Dust Suns expressed their approval in their own way.

The Iron Warriors' generals looked at each other and soon nodded one by one.

"We couldn't make a promise on behalf of our father," one of them said, "but we can never reject the son of his best friend on his behalf. Besides, I believe in you... just think of it as the days you took us in, warriors."

Amon took a deep breath, calculated the time, and prepared to leave in a hurry: "Then, it's settled. When you confirm the feasibility of the ceremony, call me again, Azak."

He took time out from command to rush here, always worried about the battle situation at the front of the fortress. What if in this short moment, the Shadow Moon Wolf broke through the Valperin Fortress and entered the Sanctuary Mountain? He couldn't accept it.

"No," Ahriman lowered his eyes and looked at the table covered with a long cloth, "Before that, there is another ceremony to prepare... Let's go to guard the defense line first, and each of us must organize the warriors in our respective schools and inform everyone to prepare to welcome us... the ceremony of leaving the valley. After I have verified another ceremony that must be performed first, I will come to you alone with the calculation results, Amon."

——

Eulanius Persson watched Morse send the ashes left by Erda into the howling wind, and soon he still pinched the cross on his chest and turned away.

Several other people present did not move. John Grammaticus raised his eyebrows and waved goodbye to his old boss. These immortals will always have to say goodbye to the world one day, and today is Erda's.

"Let's talk about Erda's last words," Morse said softly, turned around, and walked into the cave under Waldo's gaze and acquiescence. "What did Erda mean when she said that the Emperor came to Moro to find a successor, and then he was changed by the warp? She emphasized that he saw a 'him' in Moro. Who was that?"

Eulanius was the man whom the Emperor asked Constantine Waldo to wait for. This was beyond Morse's expectation, but it was not beyond his understanding. No one knows what revelations the Emperor received on the days when he issued his final orders. They can only pursue his pace as always and complain about doing the part they are willing to complete.

Orr shook his head and nodded hesitantly.

"When we came to Moro, I think Neos actually received some guidance... He didn't tell anyone else, not even Erda, but I do know some details."

"He had nothing at all at that time, except for some fantastic ideas," Orr smiled nostalgically, "What did he have to inherit? Not to mention his immortality?

"So when he mentioned it, I knew right away that he was seeing that shadow again."

"shadow?"

"The shadow on the cave," Orr sighed. "That's where this metaphor comes from in human history.

"Nios had seen the shadow on the dark cave a long time ago, but he had not seen the real thing. At that time, he thought the shadow was a real thing... He asked me about it when he was in Nineveh, and I had not seen it. What he saw, he knew the shadows spoke only to him."

"After a long time, he asked me this question again. Only then did I know that he came into contact with witchcraft out of curiosity, or in today's terms, he explored the subspace."

Perturabo frowned. Morse tilted his head at him. "This is your father's courage."

Orr continued helplessly, "He confirmed that they were projections from the subspace, but he never found their main body. His trust in the subspace may also have something to do with this, Remus... Just like you sent it for him As written in the letter, he believes that there must be other beings outside the universe to guide us and protect us... I believe that some beings have good intentions in their hearts. "

"He didn't tell me." Morse crossed his arms over his chest.

"He is a man of few words, you know." Orr defended the emperor. "I have only heard him mention these two times. But I am sure that his coming here is related to those shadows. I also believe him I saw the truth about it here and had more exchanges... At least before that, although he knew about the Webway, he didn't care about it so much. "

"What happens after that?"

"Same as you, Remus, we parted ways later, and I didn't hear anything more." Orr said, reaching out and touching the blood-stained cave wall. Fresh traces of battle extend all the way, thanks to Constantine and Erda.

"I knew it once," Constantine said dryly, glancing at Perturabo. "In the laboratory where you were born."

"Oh?" Morse prompted him to continue.

"The Lord said that the creation in the cultivation cabin spoke to him," Constantine looked unhappy. "After that, the Lord announced that he would leave a palace in the palace for you, Primarch. And Name it. He said that you have proved that you are not only a tool, but also a container. I am sure that this is the same thing as Pesson."