Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

When more than six thousand days and nights passed by in an instant, when the original location and identity began to completely reverse, when Perturabo saw Morgan again.

Only the Lord of Steel would be shocked to find that a layer of vague illusion has appeared behind the silver-haired figure, vaguely merging with the blue pupils.

That is, a cold sun.

——————

Many years later, when Perturabo once again recalled what he encountered and saw on [The Veil of Destiny], he would still fall into brief confusion and still feel real hesitation.

Until that time, until everything was too late, the Lord of Steel still did not dare to tell anyone what he saw that day and the instinctive rebellious thoughts in his heart.

The [Polar Star] visited on time on the sixteenth Terran Standard Day after the completion of Perturabo's magnificent palace. Along with it came a whole new expedition fleet, which was exactly what it was about. After their Primarchs spent several months together, the Second Legion regained control of their courage and hope. They gathered all their power clouds together, and in Ryza's giant moon, they obtained the best in the galaxy. Maintenance and replacement.

The 23rd Expeditionary Fleet, this is their code name in the vast military system of the Human Empire that conquers the galaxy. Now, this fleet consists of nearly 20,000 Dawnbreakers, millions of skitarii, and approximately Composed of one-third of the [Warlike] Titan Legion: There is still one-third of the strength of this Titan Legion, which is coming from all over the galaxy to join this increasingly larger Imperial Blade.

However, compared to the beginning, the current Dawnbreaker Legion has been slightly reduced: Cortez and Pizarro led some warriors to temporarily leave their genetic mother and go to a country called Catachan. world to complete some of the [work] they have at hand.

But despite this, when the gray-white projection of the 23rd Expeditionary Fleet emerged little by little at the end of Perturabo's field of vision, the Lord of Steel was stunned for a moment, and admired the hugeness of this fleet: He could not imagine it. How did his blood relatives pull out an army capable of being the main force in any battle in just a few months?

Although it is far inferior to the Dreadnought Fleet of the Iron Warriors, nor to the famed Void Battle Groups such as the Luna Wolves, Blood Angels, and Imperial Fists, the orderliness, solemnity, and calmness displayed in front of Perturabo , and it was enough to make the Lord of Steel nod secretly in his heart, and have a better impression of his familiar and unfamiliar blood relatives.

What's more, it arrived on time: overcoming the uncertainty of time and the weirdness of the warp, unique to the galaxy, two problems that even Perturabo couldn't do anything about, it was cleverly overcome by his blood relatives or avoided.

The Dawn Queen's fleet neither appeared too early nor too late. When the first wave of the Iron Warriors' greeting fleet officially opened a loose welcome queue near Mandeville Point, the first Dawnbreaker's ship It broke the curtain between the real universe and subspace, and appropriately conveyed the joy of greetings to the public communication platform of the Fourth Legion.

Compared with them, the response from the Iron Warriors seemed a little unprepared.

The corners of Perturabo's mouth raised at the lowest arc, revealing an almost smile: through the projection and the divination box, he could clearly see all this, and feel the ruling legion of his blood relatives from the most intuitive angle Time rationality and planning.

Make people appreciate it.

He couldn't help but admire in his heart that his slightly improved mood was accompanied by his almost habitual dull hum, causing the trident and camp commanders on the side to lower their heads and maintain the most prudent silence to avoid any consequences. A small incident set off their moody father.

The genetic principle completely ignored his descendants. At this moment, he was immersed in his own world, immersed in the palace of thought that only a true genius could build at will. Although he only stood there On the desolate ground of [Variety of Destiny], although he was only standing at the end of the parking track carefully constructed by his descendants, his thoughts had already drifted far away, and he had long since escaped the shackles of gravity and reality. He had already crossed the He crossed the long river of time and space and arrived at the small piece of beautiful paradise he needed.

——————

Perturabo remembered Morgan: always had, for sixteen years.

This was not a reflection of the Primarch's superior memory, but the impressive uniqueness of the individual named [Morgan]: she was so unique that even though Perturabo had only worked with her for a few days, even if they had only been together. Some ordinary documents were processed. Even if they were together for a short time, everything that happened on the Dawn Star was at least sixteen Terran standard years ago.

But Perturabo still remembered, and he even remembered it more and more clearly and wonderfully. As the years passed and the experience increased, those early memories seemed to have become some kind of dusty wine, becoming more mellow and alluring.

In general, there is a clear watershed in the memory of the Fourth Legion's blood relatives: that was the day when the Lord of Humanity told him Morgan's true identity.

Before that, Morgan was an unexplainable mysterious phenomenon, an error code that disrupted the program, and a dark cloud that obscured rationality and cold calculation. Her memory constantly interfered with the Lord of Steel's contempt for mortals and his Sadly, Perturabo had to remember the [Dawn Star Case].

After the Dawn Star, whenever Perturabo was angry because of the delay in his plan, whenever he looked at those Astartes warriors and mortals who were unable to fulfill their duties with resentment and sighs, he would say contemptuously. He lamented the fragility of these mortal bodies, and lamented that as a Primarch, the gap between him and mortals was too obvious, almost like two worlds and two species.

But such sentiments cannot last forever, because whenever he wants to impose the final judgment of "incompetence" and "ignorance" on all living beings, the noble rationality and scientific thinking originating from his bones will involuntarily raise a question. .

How should we explain the case of Dawn Star, that mortal named Morgan?

She is obviously a mortal, she is obviously a mortal body that is no different from the mediocre people in front of her. However, she is able to defeat his best descendants on the bloodless battlefield, but she can keep up in the realm of reason and art. With his thoughts and steps, she was able to resonate with him even for a moment, a short and precious moment in the lonely fortress called the soul.

She did all this: even if she was just a mortal, Perturabo would never refute this truth. His admiration for science and reason made him so sincere, but it also put him in a sad dilemma.

If all mortals are miserable and ignorant, then how can we explain that Morgan, who worked with him briefly on the Dawn Star, was such an excellent and intelligent person?

This is not a problem that can be rudely covered up by so-called probability and special cases. Morgan's existence is like a sharp stone that shakes the perfect thinking fortress in Perturabo's heart time and time again: But it happened In this way, the more clearly he remembered, the more reluctant he was to forget. The more he trusted in calculation and rationality, looked for suitable reasons and methods to try to solve this problem, and then returned without success again and again.

Like a virus entrenched in an electronic instrument, like a bug hidden in the vast code, Morgan became an invisible frequent visitor, a vague concept, for a certain period of time after the Dawn Star incident. , an opponent who is never absent: Whenever the Lord of Steel spurns the drag of the world on him, he has to face that memory from the Dawn Star, and face that simple and complicated shadow.

As time went by, he firmly remembered Morgan's name, remembered the wisdom and rationality symbolized by the bright silver hair and blue eyes, and remembered the soul that flashed through the busy affairs of Dawn Star. Resonance: The Primarch firmly remembered these, but other details began to become blurred and no longer clear.

In this way, at a certain point in time, before he knew that it was his blood relative, the name Morgan became a symbol of something beautiful in Perturabo's heart, something that was extremely unsociable in this bloody world, but yet The white sky makes people subconsciously want to get closer.

She became beautiful, became wise, and became in line with any temperament of the Lord of Iron. Her brief memories with Perturabo were constantly added to by the Primarch with the passage of time and subjective influence. The more content there is, in the end, it even changes beyond recognition.

She did those things, she did what even Kelly Fannie couldn't do: His nominal sister may indeed love him as she said, but her love was not what Perturabo meant. She couldn't give Perturabo what he needed.

Whether it's artistic insights, rational equivalence, or soul resonance, Kelly Finney can't do it all. All she can do is the "love" she said.

But what does he want with that ridiculous useless thing?

Kelly Fanny will only comply with him, but she will never feel the loneliness in his heart. She will never be able to say the appropriate adjective for any of his works or any of his situations.

Kelly Finney is not good enough, maybe she is smart and playful, but there is no more difference between her and those sad mortals: as she gets older and pedantic, even these only differences are gradually disappearing, leaving She becomes one among all living beings.

It's...sad.

——————

The Lord of Steel shook his head. When he thought of this, his thick nostrils spurted out fiery breath, like a legendary dragon roasting the pretentious dragon slayer.

His eyes moved randomly, sweeping over the silent steel warriors. His originally dull vision inadvertently captured a few familiar figures, like a key that could help him open the dusty memory: He saw With his trident, he thought of another thing about the Dawn Star. He recalled that his heir was defeated at the hands of Morgan, which caused his dignity to be truly damaged.

The Lord of Steel snorted, and his unkind gaze rose again because of what happened sixteen years ago, and he hit the two dazed tridents without reservation, which was more lethal than a million cannonballs. , the two ignorant Tridents couldn't help but start to tremble. In the desperate situation of their souls, they knelt down and surrendered to the moodiness of their genetic father.

And just when these unfortunate people were confused and trembling, with obvious sounds of displeasure, the Primarch looked away in time, and his anger came and went quickly, like a strange streak. The evil wind rises from the ground, destroying everything, but then disappears silently in the blink of an eye.

Perturabo fell into his memories again, leaving only the two tridents who were terrified in a daze, and the eyes of those around them bursting with expectation: just because of the anger of the Primarch, too many The Iron Warriors, eager to climb to the Trident position and get closer to their genetic father, saw a golden opportunity for them.

The Primarch didn't care about this: in his eyes, the trident was just a tool more suitable for the current situation. They were no more different from ordinary battalion commanders in essence. When the Primarch came to a brand new In the environment, a brand new method is needed, or if he discovers a new star that can make his plan go more smoothly, a trident will definitely leave his post and go to the place designated by Perturabo. Go up to the new location.

For example, right now, the Lord of Steel is casually thinking about whether to let a warrior named Dantioch replace one of his tridents and become his new advisor: As for those original tridents, Except for Flix, who has always been effective, the remaining two are nothing more than ordinary people and are by no means irreplaceable.

Such ruthless calculations were running in Perturabo's mind, but they did not prevent his brain from continuing to pursue those memories and continue to think about his happiest times.

——————

The Lord of Steel had just learned not long ago that the mortal Morgan, who was already synonymous with a certain kind of special wisdom in his mind, was actually the same genetic primarch as him. They had the same inner being, the same origin, and the same origin. When talent and strength.

That was what the Lord of Mankind, his father, told him personally: At that time, the First Expedition Fleet belonging to the Lord of Mankind happened to pass by a world recaptured by the Iron Warriors. The descendants of Perturabo destroyed the entrenched world. The alien pirate alliance there stopped their imminent plundering spree and ensured the safety and stability of the four surrounding star districts, although the star districts themselves knew nothing about it.

The victory of the Iron Warriors was tragic, especially for the six battalions that were engaged in landing operations and urban warfare, and they paid a price unimaginable by other legions.

A large battalion failed to fully comply with the Iron Lord's plan. Because they went too deep into the battle and the entire army was destroyed, their furious gene father directly wiped out the designation and stripped them of all honors and monuments.

The casualty rate of three other battalions exceeded 60%. This was the result of their forcibly attacking the last fortress group despite the densest firepower network and failure to deploy support firepower in time: because Perturabo could not Accepting that the remnants of the aliens' defeat would have the slightest chance of escape would make his victory a complete joke.

And even the Lord of Steel, after the battle, also felt a trace of hidden shame for his decision. He approved the rest of all participating troops, and then ordered the recruitment of more recruits from Olympia. Afterwards, he sat down. There was silence for a long time before the alien fortress that killed thousands of his descendants.

He looked at the solid fortress built by the aliens in silence: more Iron Warriors died trying to forcibly capture it than even the defenders in the fortress.

No one dared to disturb the Iron Lord: until the Emperor's arrival.

The Lord of Mankind is here to support: When the Emperor heard that the Iron Warriors had responded to Holy Terra's call and took the initiative to launch an offensive against the alien pirate alliance, he only hesitated for a moment before ordering those who happened to be far away from the Fourth Legion. The distant [Emperor's Dream] changed its direction to support his child.

Because the Lord of Humanity knows very well that it is not a powerful enemy that a legion can easily deal with. In the original plan, this alien alliance needs at least two legions to respond one after another before it can really be put on the agenda to eliminate them: This point has long been highlighted by the War Council of Holy Terra.

But Perturabo did not see it.

Maybe he didn't see it.

And when the Emperor arrived, everything was over. The Iron Warriors destroyed their opponents in the shortest time, and almost destroyed themselves. The battle report proudly presented to the Emperor by the Primarch, only The page recording the casualties was enough for the most respected and victorious general to be dragged directly to a military court.

But even so, looking at the alien fortress that had been completely destroyed by the Iron Warriors and no longer likely to threaten the human empire, he looked at Perturabo who puffed out his chest in front of him, and at the scarred men under the Primarch. , but the same proud warrior, the Lord of Humanity's admonitions lingered around his mouth again and again, but could only dissipate gently in the air with a silent sigh.

Even the emperor could only express sincere emotion in his heart that Perturabo had not betrayed his trust, nor had he failed to live up to the promises he made to himself on the top of Olympia on the day when father and son reunited.

You can never get tired, you can never give in, you can never have feelings...

Perturabo did.

The Lord of Humanity sighed with emotion.

Perhaps it was the first time: the Emperor walked up to Perturabo, patted his shoulder sternly, and asked in as tactful a tone as possible what reward his heir wanted.

A new world of conscription? A special respite or a triumphal ceremony?

But in the face of the categorical and firm declaration of the Primarch, these euphemistic promises were shattered into pieces. The Iron Lord downplayed the casualties of his children, and assured his father as much as possible: everything in front of him is of great significance to the Iron Warriors. It is said that it is far from even a drop in the bucket. Such a victory is only part of the Fourth Army's responsibilities and does not deserve any additional rewards or special treatment.

The Emperor nodded.

He believed his children's words.

Therefore, he did not mention anything about the monument and the triumphal ceremony.

The Emperor turned around and began to give Perturabo new tasks and instructions. When he turned his back to his descendants, even the Lord of Humanity certainly could not see the shocked eyes of the Primarch. , the trembling corners of the mouth, the ever-rolling Adam's apple and the ever-clenching fists expressed the hesitation to speak.

——————

"snort--"

When he recalled this, Perturabo couldn't help but let out an angry snort, causing countless uneasy eyes to quietly gather on his armor, and then quickly disperse.

In his heart, Perturabo was dissatisfied: Even if the object of his dissatisfaction was the Lord of Humanity, whom he absolutely respected, the Primarch dared to vent his dissatisfaction bravely in his heart when no one was around.

It's like that again, it's always like that.

he thought.

His efforts were ignored, his achievements were forgotten, and the heroic sacrifices of his descendants were ignored again and again: the Iron Warriors protected four star sectors at once, saving dozens of worlds from the plunder of aliens, What a great achievement. Could it be that the Luna Wolves and the Imperial Fists were able to achieve such an efficient and important result?

What made his descendants rush to the fortress one after another? What caused him to lose an elite battalion? What caused his army to lose so miserably?

Shouldn't his plans, his dedication, and the sacrifices of his descendants be commemorated and celebrated? Isn't it worthy of a triumph or a monument?

Why no one saw it, why no one cared, why even the Emperor, even his genetic father, did the same and ignored it: if the Emperor really cared, then he should have gone directly to those planets If the district arranges a triumphal ceremony, then he should directly send a monument instead of giving a meaningless multiple-choice question and let the honor he deserves turn into the greed he actively seeks.

Perturabo was dissatisfied. In the corner where no one could see him, he was dissatisfied bravely. His fists were clenched and making a crunching sound.

He took deep breaths quite heavily, once, twice, three times...

…

…

never mind.

Finally, he sighed heavily.

All the dissatisfaction and anger disappeared unconsciously in front of that golden light and shadow.

Now is not the time, now is just that he has not yet been discovered, and now is just a small period of darkness where the guy who deceived the world and stole his reputation temporarily showed off his power.

It had only been more than thirty years since he returned to this great expedition, and he had just poured out his talents and abilities in the galaxy to gain true victory and honor.

The days ahead are still long, and this expedition will take a long time: fifty years, a hundred years, or even longer.

As long as he continues to work hard, as long as he continues to use his talents, as long as he continues to work diligently with enthusiasm and belief, to shoulder the burdens that no one dares to challenge, and to touch those ignorant mortals with his noble spirit of giving. : One day, everyone will see his great deeds. Finally, one day, these bloody battles will become a thing of the past. One day, even the most despicable villain will have to admire and admit that Petula is talented. He is the greatest of all the Emperor's descendants.

This will definitely happen.

Because they are natural, because he will continue to take on and overcome difficulties that no one dares to touch, until his dedication shines into even the darkest corners.

And in this process, all the bloodshed and sacrifice, all the casualties and losses.

All are necessary.

Opening his eyes, the loving father who was heartbroken just now for his son was already ruthlessly looking at the chips in front of him.

Then he heard footsteps.

Those were Kelly Fannie's footsteps.

——————

Compared to how she looked when she first arrived, after many days of rest and careful decoration, Kelly Fanny was now so radiant that even Perturabo couldn't help but take a second look.

A little appearance doesn't matter. What really caught the Lord of Steel's attention was the deep inner nobility revealed through those bright eyes and sincere joy. That was something that made Perturabo somewhat elusive. , but he just glanced at it and roughly defined it as useless.

"Morgan is here already?"

Kelly Fanny walked to the side of Perturabo and stood very close. This was a privilege tacitly approved by the Lord of Steel.

"Five minutes and thirteen seconds left."

The Primarch answered his sister angrily. He gave another look before giving a serious warning.

"I allow you to greet her here, not because of the so-called friendship between you and her, but because of the official representative of Olympia, I allow you to participate in the official meeting between the two legions."

"I don't care how you get along in the future, but here, you have to recognize your position, Kelly Fannie, and don't do anything meaningless."

"I'm sure you understand."

"I know."

Kelly Fanny waved her hands. She never showed even a hint of cowardice towards Perturabo, which even made the Primarch feel a certain degree of frustration.

So, with a gloomy look on his face, he simply closed his eyes and mouth and said nothing.

But soon, the words from Kelly Fanny made the Primarch's ears move involuntarily.

"When did you know that Morgan was actually the original body?"

Perturabo was silent. He seemed to be searching for something in his heart and memory. When he finally opened his eyes, his pupils emitted a precise light.

"Fourteen Terra Standard months ago."

"Fourteen Terran standard months, twenty-two Terran standard days, five Terran standard hours, plus thirty-seven seconds: I heard this exact number with my own ears before this time segment added up to the number. information."

"Your memory is still amazing."

Kelly Fannie sighed softly.

"I still remember that when you were in Olympia, you drew countless drawings, most of which no one could even understand. When you first saw the iron ore, Damex thought you would plan it out. A set of indestructible full-body iron armor, what’s the result? What kind of howitzer did you come up with while you were writing and drawing?”

"But despite this, even though you have drawn countless drawings, and you can copy them exactly the same at any time, you are still not a prolific artist. Your exquisite calculations stay on paper, but you do not let this The world sees more of the finished product.”

"Because I don't have time."

Perturabo's eyes were closed, and his voice was dull.

"There are always more and more important things for me to do."

"there is no time?"

Kelly Finney chuckled softly, her laughter was so wildly sarcastic that it made even the bravest Iron Warriors shrink involuntarily into their iron armor.

"Are you sure you don't have time?"

"You could have done this meeting in Olympia, or another imperial world with culture and theatre, instead of building a palace here that would only be used once: given the time to build a one-time wonder, you could have done it How many ideas are there on the drawings?”

"..."

The Lord of Steel gritted his teeth.

"You don't understand! This is not something you will understand, it's too complicated!"

"I don't even bother to explain it to you!"

Kelly Fanny smiled. She did not pursue the victory, but fell into a silence of courtesy and slight pity. However, this silence stung Perturabo's heart. He widened his eyes and concentrated on He looked at his sister until Kelly Fanny sighed softly.

"When you learn she is the Primarch."

"What do you think, Perturabo?"

Meeting Calliefannie's gaze, Perturabo's breathing stopped for a moment. The words caught by his ears instinctively stirred up his memories and thoughts, even interrupting the surging resentment.

When it was revealed that Morgan was the Primarch?

The Lord of Steel blinked, but he did not answer, and Kelly Fanny did not expect an answer from him. She just raised her head and began to look forward to the arrival of her close friend.

On the side, only Perturabo fell into an eerie silence.

——————

[My Iron Lord, she is actually your blood relative and your kind. 】

[Morgan, she is a Primarch. 】

When the emperor's unquestionable voice spoke these words, the Lord of Steel could clearly feel that somewhere in his heart, he was suffering an attack and shock he had never imagined.

It was so powerful, clear, and unforgettable: he remembered it now, clearly.

It was a kind of anger, a kind of shock, a kind of confusion, a kind of enlightenment, a kind of hindsight, a kind of inexplicable sadness and indignation, a kind of shame and darkness...

Countless completely different thoughts burst out at the moment he understood the emperor's words. The powerful brain capacity given by the Lord of Mankind himself, which surpassed any computing device, made their parallelism a reality. Possibility, that sea of ​​thoughts that had never had any panic or confusion, in an instant stirred up an earth-shattering storm, turning the smooth current into a torrential stream that preys on others.

Is she the Primarch?

Is she a blood relative?

Is she the same kind?

She...she is not a mortal!

she……

she……

She is cheating on him!

She is lying to him!

She is concealing her identity, she is blurring her power, she is using the real information gap and his trust to accomplish certain purposes in her heart: it must be extremely despicable!

Her strength! Her dedication! Her selfless comments and sincere words! The resonance she aroused in his heart! The footprints she left in his memory and soul!

No! No! No!

That's false! That's vicious! Those are the golden apples of Eris! That's Troy's big Trojan horse! That is the most tragic, despicable and abominable...

[Perturabo? 】

【What’s wrong with you? 】

The Lord of Humanity frowned and looked at his descendant who lowered his head, feeling sincerely confused.

【Is there anything you don’t understand? 】

The Emperor smiled, and he soon thought of a possibility.

Since he is the Lord of Steel, he must be worried about...

efficiency?

[If it’s about Morgan’s ability, then I don’t think you need to be overly worried, my Lord of Steel. 】

[Your blood relative Morgan, although she woke up very late and did not realize her true nature until the Randan War and completed the cognitive transformation from a mortal to a primarch, she is still a qualified genetic primarch. With enough strength and will, it will not delay the pace and progress of the Great Crusade. 】

[You don’t have to worry about the efficiency of the Great Crusade being affected, my Perturabo, that won’t be a problem. 】

The Lord of Mankind smiled, patted his heir on the shoulder, and softly praised his victory and dedication, although there were only a few words: because even the Lord of Mankind could not think of anything worthwhile in Perturabo Something to boast about.

But the emperor was still very pleased to see that Perturabo quickly raised his head after being obviously stunned and dazed. He looked at the Lord of Mankind and asked a question anxiously.

"She awakened during the Ran Dan War!"

"At that time, did she know that she was the original body?"

[...Yes, it is true. 】

[I swear to you, my Perturabo, on the trust that I and my heirs have. 】

The Lord of Mankind was a little confused.

But he nodded anyway.

Anyway, Zhuang Sen did tell him so.

What Zhuang Sen said...

It must be the truth.

——————

"She is coming."

Kelly Fannie's voice had become obviously lively, and her joyful excitement interrupted the Lord of Steel's thoughts and brought him back to reality once again.

He raised his head and saw a dark cloud composed of storm birds, slowly moving towards the end of his field of vision.

The Lord of Steel blinked, his mind racing past the question before his blood relative stepped off the plane.

After knowing that Morgan was actually his blood relative, and after his impression and memories of Morgan had crossed that watershed, how did he view his unique blood relative?

The Lord of Steel narrowed his eyes and watched the largest Stormbird carefully until it slowly stopped in front of him.

…

…

he does not know.

He didn't know.

He could not come up with an answer, because the impressions of the past were broken, and the fragments of memories could not support any argument that could convince him again.

He needed... proof again.

Go see it again, feel it, and figure it out.

Use the correct method to build a rational platform.

The Primarch of the Fourth Legion just narrowed his eyes. When he saw Morgan again after more than six thousand days and nights, in a daze, he actually felt a somewhat cold light first, covering the His vision.

His pupils, like his heart at the moment, were covered.

He was thinking this without even the slightest hint of panic.

Because, as long as the Lord of Steel blinked his eyes, the light disappeared, and he could clearly see the silver hair, the blue pupils, and the perfect smile.

Everything that is familiar and yet strange.

He saw it again.

He will also...know again.