Warhammer 40k: Shattered Steel Soul

Chapter 506 Phoenix in the Mirror (3)

And just as he was lost in thought, the mechanical gears around him made a low clicking sound, as if the entire maze was silently approaching him. The fragrance in the air became stronger, and the silver-shining mirror seemed to swallow him up. However, he just went towards his memories.

There were always some people who were curious about why he and Ferrus became the best partners. He knew that even some Primarchs had asked the Astartes around him behind his back, curious about the real reason. Fulgrim and Ferrus Manus, they seemed to be two different people...

No, that was too wrong, they were the same kind of people. At least Fulgrim thought so. The same pursuit of perfection, the same similar qualities, made their souls seem to be able to melt in the same furnace and be quenched together.

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He saw himself in Ferrus, or what he hoped to be. A long time ago, he did see it this way.

Earlier, he always looked for his own image in every mirror to determine where he was. Otherwise, he simply couldn't find where he should stand, and couldn't find which reality his existence was reflected in.

Purple Phoenix is ​​a person who stands out from the ordinary world, but his extraordinaryness comes from some God-given things, which are superhuman qualities that suddenly increase with his growth or his birth.

When his excellent and resolute but rare descendants waited for him, when the light of the emperor descended on Chemos, or even earlier, when he stepped up from the bottom of Chemos step by step to higher steps and entered the palace and the court, did he live in fear of being exposed?

When he was proud and satisfied with his achievements, did he worry that when he woke up one day, his workshop leader knocked on his door and told him kindly that someone had made a mistake with his gains and now they have been properly taken away?

Because he was so extraordinary, he was so unusual... On the gray continent of Chemos, he lived like a beautiful dream of humble origin. He was a bird with gorgeous tail feathers, and no other flying bird was as charming as him. He was proud of his achievements, but he couldn't help wondering if his patterns were drawn with ink? He waited for a rain to wash away his decorations...

Nearly two hundred years ago, when he returned to the Empire, things changed... The world in Fulgrim's eyes suddenly became different, from a gray-white space to a vast sky of infinite glory - the world was so vast that it almost caught Fulgrim off guard. His heart, which was both worried and proud, still had these two emotions, but their sources had changed.

He grew up on a very desolate planet, and he unified it, but that was all. His extraordinaryness became so ordinary among his brothers, and the planet and legion he owned seemed ordinary in comparison with other brothers.

Compared to Horus and Rus who returned earlier, he does not have time; compared to Perturabo, Dorn and Guilliman, he does not have a kingdom; he is not a psychic master, his craftsmanship is not in the forefront, he does not have natural affinity, his swordsmanship is exquisite but not invincible...

He is proud, but he cannot find the foothold for his pride. He has achieved many achievements, but these achievements are not more than any of his brothers.

Does he have a proof that can always prove that he is as good as others think? Will he expose any flaws that may make him look wrong?

I am not good enough. I am not outstanding enough. I am not perfect enough. Do I deserve such a position? Are my defects my hidden dangers? I cannot prove that no one can replace me in a certain aspect. My existence is not taken for granted. I don't want to reap failure. My imperfect existence has been exchanged for gifts that exceed my value.

Am I still a mortal in Chemos?

So he always looks for his own existence from the confirmation of those around him. He pursues perfection and a mirror that can prove himself.

And Ferrus Manus - a legend from Medusa, a pure man who seemed to be immortal forever. His planet was more desolate than him, but he never wandered or panicked like him.

He knew his mission, he was a gun under the Emperor, and he was loyal to his existence and desire.

So Ferrus Manus was a shining and firm steel, a mirror that Fulgrim needed. His approval seemed to prove his perfection and the value of his pursuit.

What a wonderful mentality - it should not appear in the Primarch. Thinking about it now, Fulgrim himself wanted to smile from time to time... But at that time, who taught a proud man who looked so glorious to be a person who did not need a mirror?

He reflected a flawless shadow, a flawless face and a proud legion. While he was busy improving his legion and perfecting his Chemos, he needed such comfort to prove that he could safely own his current success.

But... but. When he looked back, when he saw all he had, when time and love flowed through him, was he still so afraid?

His children loved him, and Ferrus was his best friend. If he still used a mirror to reflect his gorgeous phoenix feathers, then the name of that mirror had long been mutual love. He was always flying, just as those around him told him, and they were right.

Yes, why does he resist and dare not think? He had obviously figured it all out long ago. He clearly knew how to proudly listen to the true joys, sorrows, and sorrows in his heart, and trust his own choices - he just had to think about it, what was there that he couldn't figure out?

He chooses to fall, and he controls his own direction. He has such a belief, and enough joy and persistence to support him in doing so.

His thoughts quickly flew back to reality, and he seemed to faintly hear the powerless curses in the darkness... He should be filled with resentment and never return, so why did he go so frivolously...

It almost made Fulgrim want to laugh.

"So why are we friends?" Fulgrim coughed and asked on a whim.

"I don't know, it's already." Ferus said coldly, as if this was something he was very proud of. "Which of us defeated whom?"

"Oh, victory and defeat are often exchanged. Sometimes I catch up with you, and sometimes you catch up with me." Fulgrim said, "Your iron hand is my mirror, and my fire wings are my mirror." The light shining in the mirror always makes me feel great."

"I don't understand the last part of your sentence, Fulgrim."

"Because you have lost your memory, my brother." Fulgrim said softly, feeling gradually tired. The artillery controlled by Ferus Manus also relied on his own strength, but it was Ferus's brain. "Sooner or later I'm going to have to find out why you're here," he said.

"I'm sorry," Ferus said dully, "I've made it more difficult for you."

"Oh, you did."

"You lose a part of yourself."

"right."

"An arm and part of a leg?"

"Next time you are fooled by something, think of my hands and legs, Ferrus!" Fulgrim teased. "I'm really here to fight for you, my friend."

Ferus said nothing.

"Say something."

Ferus said slowly: "You start telling me why I am here."

"Yes, because this is the trouble you caused me, Lord Iron Hand. Although I don't know what happened, when I found you, you were trapped in the middle of a bunch of sacrificial rituals."

"I'm sorry."

"You said this before."

"Okay. It's my fault (Mea culpa)."

"High Gothic... It's best not to let me know what excuse you used to trick you here, otherwise I will be in trouble with that excuse." Fulgrim snorted and couldn't help but said, "Take care of it." Take care of your heirs.”

"I understand." Ferus paused, "What is my heir?"

"Your clans, your warrior legions. Now I doubt that you came to Cadia and had something to do with them."

"Really?" Ferus quieted down thoughtfully.

The sharp laughter hidden in the darkness seemed to be much quieter during their conversation, only returning to Fulgrim's spirit during those gaps, and the fatigue of the battle and the pain that he had deliberately ignored truly surged into his heart. Torso, clutching at his heart as if he was suffering from a mortal heart attack. The darkness continued to deprive and erode him. He relied on his superb battle memory to maximize his strength and avoid staggering - he fought as freely as if he had drunk alcohol, or it could be called staggering.

After a while, he calmed down.

"I feel a little tired, Ferus." He said, sharing with Ferus seriously, "Fortunately, it doesn't hurt much, my senses are dulled. But I can't keep fighting."

"No one can do it." Ferus replied very objectively, "Do you have a way to get out?"

"I'm just waiting for our companion, Rogal Dorn, a very serious guy, betting that he can find someone to solve the problem. For example, he might be able to summon the Golden Throne. It was the Emperor who found me last time ”

Ferrus did not answer for a moment, either because he was considering various possibilities, or because he was wondering who Fulgrim was talking about.

"I always feel that I don't have time to talk everything over with him. Tell me, if I come later, will you still be able to wake up?"

"I'm not sure."

"I'll just pretend that I saved you at the last second, Ferus, so that I can be happy."

"Okay." Did Ferus smile? Maybe.

Fulgrim complained: "I feel like my bones are going to be broken, and my knees are so weak. Ferus, you'd better not laugh."

"I don't."

Ferus was quiet for a while, "I can't make any suggestions. You don't need my assistance in melee combat."

"Talk to me and help me cheer up. Wait for a turning point, I believe it will come."

"Until then, you want to keep fighting?"

Fulgrim took a breath and heard the glassy parts of his body crackling, like sparks exploding in a furnace. The silver flowing steel covered him in an instant, filling his entire mouth. He seemed to have become a living candlestick, with a skeleton made of steel.

"Who can defeat us - Fulgrim and Ferrus Manus!" Fulgrim said, seeing the mirrors again, but this time, there was no phantom in the mirrors, only a trace of the steel monster. cold light.

He turned sharply, failing to resist the next thrust. His speed had slowed, he was no longer as nimble as he had been at first, his steps were weighed down, he was exhausted and tired.

The machine's claws pierced his abdomen and dug an empty hole in the middle of his body.

"It'll be okay." Ferus growled.

The backpack behind his back flickered, and a slender mechanical claw was accurately detected. The tip accurately penetrated the shoulder screw of the headless mechanical monster. An armor plate made a sharp metal friction sound and fell instantly. The injured machine Sinking into the shadows.

Almost at the same time, Ferus groaned.

Fulgrim stepped back, barely feeling the warm pulse in his bleeding belly, only feeling a void-like feeling of emptiness and passage.

Ferrus remained silent.

"...What's wrong with you?" Fulgrim asked softly. "tell me."

"That's me," Ferus said seriously.

"What do you mean?" Fulgrim asked, "What did you say?"

"That was my being, my essence. I felt him. He was my body, and the labyrinth was an extension of him."

"I know, but it's just a body. You're not on my body now..."

"It's not just a shell. I cannot exist apart from my essence, Fulgrim." Ferrus replied. "When it weakens, I weaken. I am not truly separated from him. We are all within my essence. We are "The same."

"No, Ferus, you are not the same thing - it is killing me, and you are helping me."

After a moment, Ferus replied: "I can feel it. It doesn't want your life. It wants you. I can't help you. My presence drains your strength."

"Don't say that, Ferrus," Fulgrim replied. "Compared to running to find you, this cost is nothing to mention."

"Then I won't say that again."

The flowing liquid continuously gushes out from the damaged wound on Phoenix's abdomen. It is no longer a pure golden-red brilliance, but a time matrix mixed with traces of purple light. In his dulled body, he once again found overwhelming pain.

The texture of the mechanical monster that continues to grow from mirrors and shadows has changed. Its silver surface has become smoother. Each section is a small mirror. As long as Fulgrim fights him, he can't Escape those images.

It didn't matter, Fulgrim didn't care at all how he looked in the mirror. He had his own figure in his heart, and he knew what he looked like - however, it was no longer his own appearance in the mirror.

A new trap, a new plan, built around his mind.

The man he saw became Ferrus Manus... not a reflection taken from him, but an image projected from within the machinery's depths itself and refracted onto its outer shell.

This is a thing of the past... Under the control of the dark power, he saw Ferus appearing silently in this long cave. Originally the Key of Hel's satellite that sealed the chamber, it was Ferrus's attempt to exorcise the demon. Then, uncharacteristically, he continued deeper underground. There was faint pain and anger on Ferus's face. Something induced him to set foot on this otherworldly space that was obviously not within the realm of Medusa.

What is that?

Just as Fulgrim stared at the mirror image, the mechanical monster suddenly made a harsh sound of metal friction, and the mechanical claws struck like lightning, straight into his chest. Fulgrim reacted quickly and swung his flaming sword to block the blow. The huge impact made his arm slightly paralyzed, sparks flew everywhere, and a harsh collision sound erupted between the metal spikes and the sword blade.

The colorless liquid flowing in the cold machine flowed to Fulgrim during the battle, and Fulgrim's blood fell on the machine. Their battle became more and more entangled, and the blood-colored light illuminated every ridge on the machine's surface. Coated with a layer of cruel glaze, the boundaries between the two become increasingly blurred.

Fulgrim finally removed one side of the machine's rib armor. On the fallen armor, he saw Ferus in the mirror hesitating on the edge of darkness. Rather than fighting, his heart couldn't help but wander: What made him Is the iron hand's tenacity wavering?

The sharp claws slammed into the ground, setting off a cloud of steel fragments and flying sparks. Fulgrim quickly regained his footing, and while breathing, his eyes were still locked on the monster. Every blow, every collision made him aware of the connection between himself and Ferus, as if the mechanical monster was tearing not only his flesh, but also the bond between him and his brother.

Darkness stole Ferus' body... Fulgrim's eyes suddenly turned cold, and the golden-red flames burst out instantly, burning the mechanical body. With the sound of metal twisting, the monster's lower body was burned to the point where there was very little left. The flesh and blood part let out a painful roar, began to retreat, fell into the darkness again, and lurked away.

Among the scattered fragments, he saw the image of Ferus taking a step forward. Because an arm stretched out from the darkness, a very white and slender arm, and Ferus's face rose with such vigorous anger——

Fulgrim seemed to recognize the owner of that arm, but seemed afraid to recognize him. His relaxed heart picked up again.

Meanwhile, outside the frame, in his own body, Ferrus's voice is feeble: "If I return to my existence..."

Fulgrim snatched his voice: "How dare you do this? Why do you think I am here, Ferus!"

"Listen to me, I won't give up. I see clearly everything you have done for me. It and I are one. I am its mind and it is my body. As long as my mind is still there, it will not completely collapse. You will not be willing to destroy us together. Then let me control it, and you wait for our rescue."

The debris fell, and in the falling debris, he saw Ferrus raised his war hammer and smashed it hard against the arm in the dark. He saw that the arm was shining with silver light, but it was covered with blasphemous purple patterns.

He looked at his iron hand again, ah, it was so. It turned out to be so.

It was not because of the trouble of his offspring, Ferrus's wrong step had another reason. The voice in the dark actually imitated the arm given by the purple phoenix.

And the arm suddenly stretched out and pierced Ferrus' chest like a venomous snake...