Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

After spending 1888 consecutive Terran Standard Hours in the Arena of the Second Legion, Ahriman finally saw the dim lights on the ship corridor again.

For a moment, the heir of Magnus even shed tears of gratitude as if from another world. He stood in the corridor of the battleship where the crowd gradually dispersed, holding Balak's outstretched arm tightly with one hand. As if still immersed in endless hallucinations.

"...What's wrong with you? Ahriman?"

Balak, who also belonged to the Thousand Sons Legion, looked at Ahriman strangely: The first captain of the Thousand Sons Legion had no wounds or scars on his body. His palms still conveyed new vitality and health, and even his armor They are all as bright and clean as new.

If it weren't for those gray-white pupils, anyone would believe that Ahriman had just experienced sufficient rest and maintenance, and was getting ready to go, just like those who smelled the breath of war and dispersed from the arena at dawn They are generally filled with the ambition unique to the Great Crusade.

"me……"

Ahriman's lips trembled, and his trembling hands tightly grasped his battle brother. The son of Magnus found that he had never felt so safe in another Thousand Sons as he did now.

"What happened? Ahriman?"

Balak blinked, and he couldn't help but use his spiritual power to explore Ahriman's current mental state: It's very good. Ahriman has obviously gotten very regular and healthy eating, rest, and moderate exercise.

"I……"

"Nothing's wrong with him, Balak."

A gentle voice interrupted the conversation between the two Thousand Sons warriors, and Bayar was fully armed at this time. He stood aside with an almost iconic harmonious smile on his face.

"What can happen to Ahriman? There are at least three medical teams protecting him at close range anytime and anywhere, constantly checking his physical health. To put it more exaggeratedly, the medical treatment and services he enjoys are even better than genetic The primarch is better."

The kind smile, gentle words, and narrowed eyes exuded a wonderful force field that made Barak extremely suspicious, but he did not dare to utter even half a sentence. After hesitating for a long time, as a battle brother, Balak boldly looked at Ahriman again.

"Are you really okay, Ahriman?"

"..."

Bayar's narrowed eyes moved silently towards Ahriman, so that the son of Magnus, who had originally planned to say something, could only cough a few times and show an encouraging smile that looked extremely pale.

"I'm fine, Balak."

"I'm in good shape."

“Their reception was very cordial and I really like it here.”

Balak blinked, glanced at the silent smile from Bayar, and then looked at Ahriman in front of him.

Um……

He believed it.

But having said that, when he saw Bayar before, he always felt that this legendary figure with bright eyes had a good temper and was worthy of his title of "Amicable Knight". How could it happen now that he saw him again? The smile from Bayar, when you see Bayar's pupils narrowed because of the smile...

How could he actually feel some kind of awe?

——————

The army assembles.

"All companies and special operations departments have entered combat readiness, and all warships participating in this expedition have completed all maintenance procedures. Reza's technical priests ensure that they are sufficient to cope with the most extreme situations."

"The Legion Council has just presented the finalized march plan. It is awaiting your approval before it can be officially distributed to each combat company."

"In addition, in accordance with your order: Avalon must retain at least 500 Dawnbreakers at all times. The Legion Council has also made a list of those left behind. Considering that this is the first time you have personally commanded the Legion, your absence is such The pomp and pageantry would create dissatisfaction among those who remained behind, and Lord Marshall proposed that he might appease these dissatisfactions by remaining as garrison commander of Avalon.”

[My old knight is still as reliable as ever, isn't he? 】

"No one can disrespect the words of Lord Marshall, my lord."

[Indeed, it is true, but I should not push myself too far. No matter how old a knight is, he is still a knight. I may be able to expect his magnanimity this time, but I will eventually bring him back to the battlefield. 】

[I have seen with my own eyes how other people made this mistake, so I will never do it again, right, Rana? 】

"Your wisdom, my lord."

The Chief Old Guard bowed his head and saluted: Unknowingly, he seemed to have advanced from a simple leader of the private guard to Morgan's squire and personal representative when necessary.

Morgan rubbed the corners of her brows. After a period of adequate rest, her brain regained consciousness again. However, the emptiness caused by the lack of soul storage still needed to be filled with real food.

【Is there anything else? Rana, how's the situation at Reza's place? 】

"Riza's war sages are fully prepared. They have mobilized a large mechanical army and an unknown number of Titans. According to your request, one of them will join Luther. In your branch fleet."

[Does Luther have any response? 】

"Lord Luther is very excited. He seems to have rarely cooperated with the Mechanicus and Titans. He has always been amazed at how big and powerful the God's machines are. He has teamed up with Dantioch of the Iron Warriors and the generals from Catachan. Also gets along very well and is confident in completing any task you entrust him with.”

"If you weren't resting, he would even want to swear to you in person that he would clean out those pirate dens within a year and make the entire Avalon galaxy free from any pirate attacks as quickly as possible. Harassment.”

[Very confident, but I believe he also has enough ability: Luther's ability is rarely seen by people, and few people will actually use this power. 】

[This is really unfortunate for a knight, isn't it? 】

"...You seem to have high regard for Lord Luther's abilities, sir."

These words made Morgan's eyebrows rise involuntarily. She laughed and turned to look at Lana, who was standing next to the silver throne, until the resolute face quietly lowered her head.

[I thought you didn’t care about these things, Rana. 】

"I made a mistake, my lord."

[Nothing, where did we talk about just now? Oh, Reza, have the things I customized from Reza arrived? 】

"Just arrived, sir."

[It’s pretty fast. I originally thought it would take a long time. 】

"After all, it is one of the largest large-scale forging worlds, and productivity can be guaranteed."

Morgan smiled. As a simple answer to her guard, she focused on Reza's production report, feeling satisfied and happy about the shockingly huge numbers on the electronic board, because every number All symbolize a huge bargaining chip.

Unconsciously, Morgan began to think about a question: How should she use these brand-new chips to exchange for the lives of her children in the chaos of war?

——————

Overall, the results of the recruitment at Avalon did disrupt many of Morgan's plans.

No matter how confident the Spider Queen is in her psychic power, she knows that she cannot replace an entire army. The Dawnbreakers will be one of her most important assets for a long time to come.

On this basis, no matter how indifferent the Lord of the Second Legion is to his children, there is one thing that she has to admit now:

In a short period of time, the Second Army did not have the capital to withstand a tragic battle, even a tragic victory.

Using a soldier's life to clear a path like the Iron Warriors is something Morgan can never do.

And even if it was like the plan of the Dark Angel and the Space Wolves to sow more than two thousand lives in the void of Duran when they captured Duran, it now seems that it is a [luxury] that Morgan is not qualified to touch.

At the very least, before her legion can be restored to a reassuring figure, the Spider Queen must avoid any form of huge losses, and must ensure that other factors in the war, or even any factors, are used to exchange for her bit by bit. The lives of the heirs were saved, and the war was won with as little bloodshed as possible.

Sounds a bit difficult, doesn't it?

After all, this is the Great Crusade. In this era of excitement initiated by the Lord of Mankind, even angels of death like the Astartes warriors are nothing more than precious consumables on the battlefield. There are too many things. More important than their own lives, worthy of the Emperor and the Primarchs pouring down gravel, allowing the elite Astartes warriors to be wasted on the battlefield like mortals in those moments when it was necessary or unnecessary.

Yes, in the eyes of some generous and generous primarchs, Astartes warriors can be used as consumables even when unnecessary, dying for any factor on the battlefield.

But unfortunately, Morgan would not be able to experience the generosity and generosity of some original bodies in a short period of time. She had to hold the only more than 20,000 warriors in her hands, and thought with a frown on how to further protect them. Life, how to use more chips to win.

Fortunately, with Morgan's casual chess before and after returning to the empire, she had quite a few chips at her disposal: just like the electronic board in her hand, it was originally only used to communicate with Reza's technical saint. , a casual suggestion made in order to stabilize the relationship between the two parties and complete the flash of inspiration in their minds.

But she didn't expect that this thing would now turn out to be her life-saving straw: Then again, the forging world of Reza was more reliable and honest than Morgan imagined.

Thinking of this, Morgan's face, which had become gloomy due to various things, finally showed some brightness, which made Lana, who was observing secretly, let out a long sigh of relief.

Sure enough, the next second, Morgan stretched out his hand to him.

【star map. 】

After hearing this, Lana quickly handed over the star map in his hand, which was the battle plan deduced by the legion council after constant discussions and negotiations.

In the shadow that he didn't notice, the maid of the Lord of the Second Legion quietly came to reality from the other side of the throne and picked up her electronic tablet and recording pen.

[Tell me about it, Rana. 】

"Yes, my lord."

"Based on the discussions in the Legion Council, we finally calculated the most efficient route of march: starting from Avalon, our fleet will first jump to the Cornish System, which is the closest system to the Avalon System, and It is rich in mineral resources.”

"Given that since our fleet sailed into the Avalon sector, various forces in the sector have immediately noticed our arrival and have sent out reconnaissance forces one after another. Therefore, the Legion Council speculates: We may have The Er galaxy is blocked, and the enemy blocking us is most likely the combined army of the surrounding alien countries. According to our intelligence, it may include a small number of Kroot and Stryxis aliens, and the rest Those alien species have not been recorded by the empire before, and the level of technology they display is not very high."

"Referring to the feedback from the Rogue Traders and various exploration fleets, we can basically draw a conclusion: the most difficult alien in the Avalon sector is the Kroot family, whose number may exceed one million people. , for a Kroot alien, it’s definitely a huge number.”

"In addition to Kroot, there are at least three exploration fleets that have sent back information at different times: In the Thesis galaxy in the Avalon sector, there is a rising green-skinned force. Although When we saw them, they were still in a savage state, but..."

【but what? 】

"But during the last exploration, a detection ship unfortunately crashed on a world controlled by greenskins. Because the strength of the two sides was too disparate, the exploration fleet could only abandon the ship there."

【……】

[Good, it looks like we need to speed things up a bit. 】

"The remaining ten alien nations in these sectors are either technologically backward or too weak to pose a real threat to our army. Therefore, the Legion Council proposes that if we really If we encounter an alien coalition, we can complete the battle in one battle and then turn around to solve the real problem."

【Glaston? 】

"Yes, the independent human pocket empire Graston was one of the three original human forces in the Avalon sector, and the only one among them that refused to surrender to the empire. Our envoys received courtesy from them, but all All proposals were summarily rejected."

"The pocket empire completely occupies an industrialized galaxy. They have a medium-sized fleet, including eight main battleships that are comparable to imperial battleships, and at least sixteen defensive space stations surrounding their home planet, but most of them are already in It is in an old state, but the asteroid fortress near Mandeville Point maintains a high combat effectiveness."

"But even so, there is a high possibility that Gladstone will actively interfere with our actions. According to the information fed back by our envoys, the House of Lords that actually rules Gladstone seems to regard us as some kind of... …A very powerful wandering legion.”

【Vashna? 】

"...What? Sir?"

[No, it’s nothing. 】

[Judging from their history and worldview, this inference is extremely reasonable and true? 】

"Yes."

"The envoys we sent did not suffer any harm. The Glastonians took them to visit the historical exhibition hall of the world. The exhibition hall showed that the Glastonians once established hegemony in this sector and what they were. How to protect your borders from pirates through bribery and bribery.”

"Recently, they even expressed in a very subtle way to our envoys that they are willing to pay a large sum of money to hire us to eliminate the Kroot alien world closest to them."

"But even so, after constant deductions, the Legion Council still came to a conclusion: If we really win or gain the upper hand in the battle with the aliens, Graston will definitely follow their thousands of years of ancient tradition. , let their fleet join the alien side to maintain balance."

[The way of survival of ancient dynasties: But this way is also the first death knell of decline or even destruction. 】

[What does the parliament think? 】

"The view of Parliament is..."

A trace of beast-like light flashed through Lana's pupils, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily curled up because of the next words. At this moment, no one doubted that he was a genuine son of Morgan.

"Use the trick to your advantage."

"We don't need to use all our strength to defeat the alien coalition. Then we can completely reserve part of the army in advance to ambush and wait for Gladstone's fleet to leave their galaxy on their own initiative and come to check and balance the power of us and the aliens. When the time comes, annihilate their fleet.”

[Well, good, then what. 】

After a long absence, a sincere smile appeared on Morgan's face.

"As long as their fleet is destroyed, we will be in an extremely favorable position in the subsequent recovery operations. Those asteroid fortresses and space stations that have lost ship support are not worth mentioning. We will quickly break through the outer defense line, and then attack Gra Launch a landing operation on Ston’s home planet.”

【... Forced to ascend? 】

"Yes, although this will inevitably involve some casualties and costs, after repeated deductions and sandbox games, the Legion Council is confident that the number of casualties will be reduced to less than two thousand..."

【Too much. 】

"……grown ups?"

[I said, too much, Rana. 】

[Two thousand people are too many. 】

[Two hundred people were killed and injured, which is enough to cause a lot of trouble to my spirit. It seems that you don't understand at all how precious you are in my heart now. 】

Morgan closed her eyes helplessly and pinched her temples. She once again thought of the pathetic success rate, which made her feel upset again.

Naturally, she didn't see Lana's lowered head or his clenched, trembling fists.

"Then...your order, sir?"

Rana's voice seemed to be trembling.

[Convene the Legion Council... No, convene the Legion Council and every company commander who will join this battle. With my will, order them to assemble in the Great Council Hall. I will go there in person in a while and explain to you how to do it. Fight this war. 】

"Your will! My lord!"

Compared to just now, Morgan found that his Chief Old Guard seemed to be a lot more excited. He walked out of the throne room with his head held high. The steady sound of iron boots on the floor could be easily heard from a distance. .

——————

Morgan did not leave immediately because she had to meet another person, a subordinate who was more important than Lana.

The leader of the second legion closed his eyes for a while, then waved his hand to signal his maid to open a secret door on the side of the throne room. The next moment, a warrior covered in black armor appeared in front of Morgan. .

"I salute you, my lord."

Morgan's Shadow Lord emerges from the darkness, his armor and glory completely different from those of his battle brothers, a statement of complete integration into the darkness.

Morgan nodded. Her face was covered in darkness and coldness in an instant. From the somewhat lazy mother of genes, she seamlessly transformed into an indifferent whisperer. Her back was straight, with the most unbreakable words. The posture is entrenched on the throne, and the eyes looking at the black shadow are cold. She does not look like a mother at all, but instead looks like an unsmiling and taciturn tyrant.

But it was precisely this attitude of a monarch that made the Lord of Shadows look even more humble. In his field of vision, where he did not dare to raise his head privately, there was a Heka who wore night as his robe and secrets as wine. The goddess Ini appears under the cover of a black robe trimmed with silver, the Queen of the Night who is strong enough to stand firm in the darkest secrets, and who is strong enough to smile slightly after the bloodiest atrocities.

This is the image of Morgan in the eyes of these shadow people: with just one glance, the Dawnbreakers who are addicted to the cause of shadow will salute their mother in unison, taking any of her orders as their highest pursuit, and there once was The internal differences were swept away with Morgan's words.

Ministry of Internal Affairs: This is the new codename given by Morgan to these former Fourth Fleet soldiers. They have become the most remote corner of the new Legion Council. Unless it is a big scene where the entire army is dispatched, it is difficult to remember them.

But the shadows didn't care: all the shadow people were incorporated by Morgan into the [Secret Society] that belonged directly to her, and became a part of the Primarch that could be mobilized at will, and those who were ostensibly under the command of the Legion Council The black-armored warriors who fight often have another mission.

This pleases the Shadows more than any honor or position: their Primarch sees them as truly dear ones with whom they can share secrets, and all they have to offer in return is, of course, their all.

【thing. 】

Morgan ordered briefly. She kept her eyes on the black-armored warrior in front of her and couldn't even reveal his name: the Lord of the Second Legion once wanted to ask the former leader of the Fourth Fleet what his name was, and The Lord of Shadows' answer impressed her deeply.

"In front of you, I have no name, Lord Primarch. I am your Shadow Lord, or any name you give me. My real name and my life are not worth mentioning. Even if I fall, I will not be named." There will always be a new Lord of Shadows to answer your call."

Morgan got this answer, and she respected it. From then on, she never asked the Lord of Shadows for his name, but occasionally scanned his soul to see if he was still the same person.

And it was in everything the Shadow Master turned in that Morgan truly realized the potential of her shadows, and how they had squandered themselves before.

Therefore, the first order she gave to the Shadow Troops was to incorporate them all into her [Secret Party] system, using the wisdom and viciousness of the Spider Queen to re-forge this sharp blade in the shadows, and The sad and ridiculous pocket empire Graston will become the first drop of blood splashed by this long knife in the dark.

[Let me report it. 】

Morgan took the thick stack of summaries from the Lord of Shadows and flipped through them while listening to the reports from his subordinates: This is some kind of habit of the Spider Queen. She believes that the words on paper and the oral narratives There are always subtle differences between them, and these differences often lead to countless problems and opportunities.

"Your will, my lord."

"According to your order, the Ministry of Internal Affairs dispatched personnel, including Astartes and the most elite mortal agents, in the two groups of missions sent to Graston with a saturation attitude. We will attack the important hubs and targets of this world. The characters conduct sabotage, solicitation, threats and reconnaissance in advance, and all the information is transmitted to the receiving room of the Ministry of Internal Affairs through the special communication channel gifted by you and enhanced by psychic energy."

"On the other hand, because Graston has not experienced a war for so long, their vigilance and protection against the outside world are not as high as we imagined. With the frequent interstellar trade in the galaxy as a cover, we have successfully allowed several Warriors are lurking in every corner of Graston, and they have sent back the complete defense blueprints of Graston’s home planet.”

"Including detailed maps of industrial centers and major hives, the garrison areas and surroundings of the fortresses of the major land legions, the internal structure of the world's airport, the locations of all void shield generators in the world, as well as some hidden bunkers and Weapons reserve warehouse, in addition, following your order, we have also collected the locations of all the air defense interception command centers and the power sources of the air defense fire network in Graston, so that we can harass and destroy them at any time."

"With our help, some of our mortal agents have also replaced some of the middle management figures in Graston's ruling class. They have sent back a report about the political system of Graston's world, the status of each army regiment, and each Overview of zone status."

"It is worth noting, mother, that although Graston's naval fleet and void station already have serious problems of financial corruption and aging equipment, their army has been well maintained due to the unstable political situation. With reinforcements, they are equipped with a large number of super-heavy war engines, and there are even some kind of combat mechas and genetically enhanced warriors.”

"However, because there is serious political internal strife in this world, combat mechas and genetically enhanced warriors are usually closely guarded and require the joint activation of several hostile families before they can be used. According to the information we have found, their combat effectiveness is very impressive. , can even cause massive damage to Astartes warriors."

The Lord of Shadow's report was just like the shadow he occupied, exuding a different kind of coldness and rationality. While listening to his report, Morgan looked through the documents stained with the blood of dozens of mortal agents. In the mind that is constantly churning, a plan that has already taken shape is constantly tearing into the details and information it needs to expand itself into a real strategic plan.

[What do you think of this opponent, my Lord of Shadows? 】

"A giant beast that is old, weak, but still possesses some power. Challenging it from the wrong angle will pay a huge price, but if we choose the right direction, it only takes a few drops of blood and a little strength to defeat it. It fell to the ground."

[Correct description, I think this is also your desire. 】

"...Yes, sir."

Finally, the Lord of Shadows stretched out a ray of light from his darkness, a flash of light in his eyes.

"Your shadow can completely solve this problem for you. With only a part of the auxiliary troops as a cover, we can use the fragile political system of the world itself and a series of key points exposed due to long-term comfort to fight almost without bloodshed. You offer this world: if you want to go faster, we can disrupt, and if you value results more, we can also evolve.”

"Reconnaissance, intelligence, destruction, wooing, subversion, evolution...even the last resort assassinations and purges, we can do it on our own. We are not the ones in the eyes of others who are proficient in launching attacks in the shadows. Assassin, we can do more for you.”

[I know, my Lord of Shadows. 】

【I always knew. 】

Morgan smiled. She slowly walked down from her throne, came to the shadow, and solemnly put away the report book.

[I care about you very much, but I care about another thing more, my Lord of Shadows. 】

[Legion, my legion. 】

[You are also part of it, aren't you? 】

[Don’t pick yourselves out, this will only set a wrong example, because the same division will naturally occur within you: agreeing with your own ideas, rejecting other people’s ideas, being incompatible with each other, and so on. Will the pain happen again? 】

[No, my Lord of Shadows. 】

【I don’t allow it. 】

[I will not allow you to regard yourselves as the successors of the fleet, and I will not allow you to be filled with desire to fight alone. You must learn to unite, and you must learn to stand on the same front again. 】

[You must learn the secrets of multi-arm cooperation and three-dimensional combat, and you must learn to share responsibilities and burdens with your combat brothers. The former legion lacked authority and orders, making joint operations that could have been completed in one go become a show off for various groups. The performance of his own abilities on separate stages almost plunged the entire legion into the abyss. 】

[But now, no more. 】

[In this pitiful enemy, in this pocket empire that has been weakened by long periods of comfort and political maneuvering, I will bring you back together, and I will show you the beauty of unity. 】

[Each of you will get a chance to perform in this war, just like you, my Lord of Shadows, your performance is already halfway through, and you will use the remaining half to tell your ignorant Battle brothers. 】

[Before a war breaks out, it is over. 】

[Then next, as our fleet will sail to Graston, and I will first make up for some of my fatigue in the naval battle with the aliens, we will have blood flowing on those stupid enemies, and in these blood and victory, you will be reborn and learn my thoughts. 】

[Reborn as my warrior, reborn as my dawnbreaker. 】

【……】

[Of course, I don’t expect that all of you will realize it in a battle and become what I want, but who told me that you are the only one now? 】

[One game is not enough, then two, three or even four games. 】

[Let more enemies bleed, let more worlds burn, until you finally become what I want you to be, until you finally understand my words and thoughts. 】

【So be it. 】

[Let them bleed. 】

[At least, at this moment, in my heart, those worlds are burning out, or are about to burn out, the whole world. 】

[Not as good as any of you. 】

Push the book, push the book again

"40k: Midnight Blade" is a masterpiece of excellent quality! There’s a lot to be done! He's the boss who can shoot me to death!