Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

+I originally thought you would use a battle of annihilation as the first card. +

[War of annihilation? 】

+Yes: When I play this kind of game with the Mark Palmist, no matter who of us is the Warmaster, we are used to starting it all with a battle of annihilation. +

【Why? Haven't you tried other methods? 】

+Tried: but never succeeded. +

The Emperor held an open hand and explained his point with a gentleness that Morgan had never experienced before, like a teacher instructing his rebellious student.

+ If you fail to establish your advantage at the beginning of the war, then you will only be greeted by a desperate numerical gap: Loyalty has its conventions, no matter how reasonable the Warmaster's reasons are, in the vast majority of the galaxy In the area, people will still habitually obey the orders of Holy Terra. +

+ Of course you can segregate one side on the edge of the empire, but separatism will not allow you to win this war: Holy Terra will be the end of everything, there is no doubt about it. +

【I don’t think so. 】

The Lord of Avalon retorted to her genetic father with a soft sigh, and then she took out new cards from the pile beside her: Morgan noticed that no matter how many cards she took out, the pile itself remained unchanged. Nothing changes.

+You can give it a try, I look forward to the possibilities from you. +

The Lord of Mankind laughed, and he put one of his arms on the desk, resting against his square chin. The look in his eyes was quite stern, but not completely callous.

+ Keep playing: before all your chess pieces are played, you have more action steps and room for movement: this is the perfect privilege for the betrayer. +

[Very reasonable, isn't it? 】

Morgan ignored the teasing in the emperor's words. She arranged the cards she drew in front of her, and then took a moment to observe the overall situation: the situation on the chessboard might be favorable to her, but it was not. firm.

Holy Terra occupies the westernmost end of this galactic warhammer, Avalon occupies the easternmost end, and the Maelstrom area is just right between them: with this Galactic Eye as the center, each belongs to The chess pieces of the Emperor and the Warmaster cut the entire human empire into two nearly equal parts.

In the western half of the galaxy, the [Invincible Fortress] is guarding Holy Terra. His fortress is as immovable as a mountain, while the powerful [Hungry Wolf] and the dilapidated [Lord of Hearts] are in its By your side, ready to support the anxious battle ahead.

The position of the [Jester] belonging to it was arranged behind these three chess pieces. It seemed that it had not officially entered the stage yet. Its funny body was shrouded in the shadow of the emperor, making it ridiculous and pitiful.

[I am more curious: If Horus is knocked down by my plan, how much power will his Luna Wolf still have, and will it be able to continue to participate in the next battle? 】

+ Being seriously injured will certainly greatly reduce the strength of the warrior, but the anger towards the betrayer will more than make up for this: you don't have to regard the Luna Wolves as the most powerful legion, but don't underestimate them either. +

Morgan glanced at the Emperor. She did not answer the Lord of Humanity's compliment, but stared at a card that appeared in the Emperor's hand: On the crystal-colored card surface, an angry-eyed Hell had appeared. The three-headed dog obviously represents the raging anger of the Sixteenth Legion.

She read the name of the card.

【Revenge of Cerberus? 】

【Who is Cerberus? 】

+ Anyone can do it: Nobility, courage, and rage will eventually lead a Luna Wolf to choose his path, and to his death. +

Morgan snorted. She no longer struggled with this issue, but looked at the area marked with the maelstrom: the main military power of the Lord of Humanity is concentrated in this area, and most of them know nothing about this betrayal. You know, no more vigilance.

[Shadow and his Nineteenth Legion are wandering in the south of the galaxy, Jaghatai Khan is cleaning up the Maelstrom area, Vulkan and his warriors are resting on their home planet, Sanguinius is trapped by me, and Ferrus is While trying to get rid of Fulgrim's entanglement, he rushed to the place where Horus's accident happened: Is he the new commander you chose? 】

+Your layout leaves me with no choice, right? +

As he said that, the emperor gave a brief smile. He didn't seem very worried about the current situation.

[So, where are Alpha and his legions? 】

+Who knows? +

The Lord of Humanity didn't answer seriously, he was concerned about another question.

+What are you going to do with the angel? Do you really have a solution to his problem? +

[Chaos exists. 】

The Spider Queen raised the [Great Vision] in her hand: To be fair, this card brought out by Luojia in the Eye of Terror is indeed very easy to use and can be said to be omnipotent, but it always makes Morgan feel something. kind of uneasiness.

Chaos cannot be unrequited: she knows this.

The Lord of Avalon placed the "Great Vision" on the head of the "Angel" symbolizing Sanguinius, but she did not let the card enter the chess pieces: Morgan hesitated, thinking whether this was the right decision. choose.

On the other side of the table, the Emperor captured the expression of the Primarch without any omission: after recognizing the hesitation and thought, the Lord of Mankind's pupils shone with sincere joy, and the corners of his mouth also curled up. Get up and speak softly.

+ If you don't use the [Great Vision] card in your hand, then you can't get the angel to be on your side: he is just swayed by you now, but he still doesn't intend to join your camp. +

【……】

Morgan's pupils flickered, and after thinking for a full minute, she gritted her teeth and responded to the emperor's taunt.

【unnecessary! 】

[I have enough cards: I didn't intend to win him over. All the steps were just to make him no longer useful to you. Facts have proved that I did a very good job in this task. 】

+ Indeed. +

The emperor sighed sincerely.

Hearing this compliment that he didn't know whether it was sincere or mocking, Morgan raised his eyelids and glanced at his genetic father: he saw that the Lord of Humanity was already sitting high on his seat, and even crossed his legs, looking as if he was interested in him. All developments now have been anticipated.

Of course: he's played this game at least a hundred times, and he's a damn veteran at it.

Morgan cursed secretly, took back the cards, and just moved the four chess pieces including [Angel] out of the Ghoul Stars to her Avalon base camp.

She finally decided to end the corruption of Sanguinius: the angel's current decadent state was completely in line with her expectations. Although the chess piece was stained with the blood-red color belonging to the Warmaster's power, it had not yet had time to become like Luojia. The role of chaos.

Just swinging, but not falling.

This was enough: perhaps the gods in the High Heavens would be eager for this sacrifice, but in the Spider Queen's usual caution, she had no intention of sacrificing more people to the gods.

As for the card [Great Vision], just use it now: when it starts to bite back, throw it away.

Morgan made up her mind, but she did not notice: when the Emperor observed the thoughts on her face, the Lord of Mankind showed a meaningful smile.

The Spider Queen takes the next step: no more petty fighting this time.

Following her will, all ten of her chess pieces began to move: Magnus, Lorgar and Mortarion, who had been exposed, began to move towards the Blood Angels' home star [Baal], which is the northern part of the Far Eastern Star Territory. The only important town is also one of the directions Ferus is moving forward.

After Morgan completed this step, she took out the [Uncrowned King] and [The King of Nothingness]: their twelfth and thirteenth legions were entrenched in the 500 worlds in the southeasternmost direction of the galaxy, and they were planning to go north at any time.

The [Double-edged Sword] symbolizing Jonson and the [Blind Dark One] symbolizing Conrad quickly began to replenish their numbers after returning to Avalon. These two chess pieces became huge and bright, telling ample stories. After they left the Far Eastern border, the fighting force reunited with Perturabo, who had been waiting for a long time, and also headed in the direction of [Bar].

As for Morgan herself: Her [Kingslayer] and [Angel] came to [Baal] early, and then she drew a new card [Interference].

[I think there is something wrong with the name of this card. 】

The Spider Queen smiled triumphantly.

[Think about it: Horus was struck down by three fallen Primarchs, and Fulgrim was their accomplice, so in the absence of the Warmaster, the Holy Order of Terra found out about Fulgrim Ferrus served as commander-in-chief and mobilized a large army to quell the rebellion. 】

[Of course, isn’t it? 】

+ Indeed. +

The Lord of Humanity nodded cooperatively.

+ Even Makado doesn’t have any more doubts about this. +

【so……】

Morgan pushed her chess pieces, and the Emperor's chess pieces followed suit, and together they rushed to the stage chosen by the Spider Queen, preparing for a bloody show.

[The three rebel legions are advancing towards the home planet of the Blood Angels, while Sanguinius and Morgan, who have arrived with him, are waiting for reinforcements: This is simply the best time to double-team both front and rear. It is impossible for Ferus not to Heartbroken by it. 】

+What if he has doubts? +

【Very simple. 】

Morgan raised the [Perfection] that symbolized Fulgrim. She observed the obscure contamination on the chess piece and frowned: after being contaminated by Chaos, this chess piece gave her a very different feeling than before. .

[Just let Fulgrim march towards Baal: Based on the relationship between Ferus and Fulgrim, if he finds out that the Phoenix is ​​an enemy of him because of betraying the empire, the anger in his heart will be enough to swallow up the steel. shell. 】

+Would Ferus do this? +

The Emperor frowned.

[You don’t really think that he is a cold and heartless person, do you? 】

Morgan raised his eyebrows.

The Lord of Humanity did not answer, he just quietly observed Morgan's layout.

Sure enough, when the four exposed traitor legions marched towards [Baal], Ferus quickly followed. He did not choose to fight immediately, but called all the surrounding imperial legions.

Chagatai Khan and Vulkan, who were both in the Far Eastern Star Territory, quickly responded, and [Shadow] and his legion, whose name was not yet known, were also actively coming from the south: in front of the four legions, they gathered one after another. At that time, the [three-headed dog] symbolizing the remnants of the Shadow Moon Wolf also appeared next to the crusade.

[Five legions, huh? 】

Morgan let out a proud hum from deep in her throat, and she saw a hint of livid color on the Emperor's cheeks: After these legions entered the Far Eastern Star Territory one after another, only Holy Terra was left. There are two legions, the Imperial Fists and the Space Wolves, as well as the Alpha Legion, which has never been seen.

[Now, let us bring the curtain to a close on this drama. 】

Morgan whispered, and she arranged the four exposed Warmaster legions in Baal to confront her and Sanguinius, while the five legions led by Ferus were quickly attacking from behind the attacker. Come.

But these five legions did not have the only support force: behind them, the [Loyal] Iron Warriors, Dark Angels and Night Lords also attacked in full force, and the [Double-edged Sword] representing Jonson also followed closely closely. [Shadow] was a step slower.

+Why send Johnson. +

The Lord of Humanity pointed at the two chess pieces.

[I'm not sure what kind of power this unknown brother possesses. If he is a being who can turn the tide of the war, then Zhuangson's role will be reflected. 】

Morgan spread her hands, and she immediately pointed to the only two chess pieces on her side that did not move.

[Similarly, I am not sure what kind of power and character the King of Nothingness has, so I did not arrange him into the main battle, but let him act together with Guilliman. Guilliman is always trustworthy. 】

Under the fingertips of the Spider Queen, the [King of Nothingness] and the [Uncrowned King] are taking advantage of the gathering of heroes in the north of the galaxy to secretly set out from the Five Hundred Worlds, with their troops directed at Chogoris and Nocturne: because of the white With the departure of the Scar and Salamander legions, the defenses in these two areas are now extremely weak.

Once they change ownership, there will no longer be any mother planet belonging to the Loyalist Legion in the entire Far Eastern Star Territory. The Five Hundred Worlds and the Far Eastern Frontier will also disappear from the front of the Lord of Humanity, and the Maelstrom will become a new confrontational position. .

When this terrible change was happening quietly, the sky near the [Baal] galaxy had already been shattered and blood flowed: the swaying Blood Angels were huddled on their home planet without any movement, but their actions had already It doesn't matter anymore.

Morgan, Fulgrim, Lorgar, Magnus and Mortarion in front, Jonson, Konrad and Perturabo in the back: eight crimson chess pieces dividing the Emperor's side. Five legions were surrounded, and the outcome of this war was doomed from the beginning.

Both the right time and the right place were carefully chosen by Morgan, and the Emperor's Legions fell into chaos before the betrayal that ensued: although they tenaciously united and fought against countless fallen brothers, the Iron Warriors and the Facing the non-stop offensive led by the Dark Angels in turn, even the tenacious [Iron General] is showing more and more ugly cracks and is already on the verge of collapse.

At this point, Morgan also officially stopped her operation: she raised her head, looked at her genetic father, and showed a flawless and humble smile.

[At this point, all my chess pieces have undoubtedly been exposed: According to the rules of the game, now it is your turn to lay out the plan, father. 】

【please. 】

She smiled maliciously.

——————

+You left me with an endgame. +

The Emperor did not take action immediately.

He sat there, his pupils shining like torches, looking at every corner of the chess game with concentration, as if he wanted to carve everything in front of him into his brain.

When Morgan looks at him, she will find that her genetic father does not actually have a perfect appearance: signs of time have appeared on the Lord of Humanity's cheeks, and his eyes seem to have changed due to a long and ruthless life. Be tough and haggard.

It was obviously not like this just now.

Morgan sighed in his heart, and the Emperor had already begun his action.

+ It seems that if I don’t give up something, I can’t break this game. +

[After all, the art of war is nothing more than bullying the minority and losing the chariot to protect the commander: I have just demonstrated the first point, father, but I have not actually tried the second point. 】

[Perhaps, you can help me? 】

Morgan spoke lazily, returning all the Emperor's silent taunts.

+ clumsy sarcasm. +

The emperor did not seem to be offended. He pointed to the core of the massacre and raised the card dedicated to revenge: the next moment, Cerberus, swallowing his anger, let out a wolf howl looking up to the sky. Furiously, he rushed towards the junction of the [Perfect One] and the [Chosen One], facing the front of the two legions, and opened a bloody wound.

Morgan watched all this, and for the first time, shock flashed across her pupils.

[You are cheating again, father: How can a broken legion that has lost its Primarch defeat two legions? Although the Word Bearers are not worth looking forward to, the title of Sons of the Emperor was given by you yourself. 】

+ No, my daughter. +

+This is not a defeat, but a breakthrough. +

+ is determination. +

+ is sacrifice. +

The Emperor did not laugh, he answered the question seriously.

【……】

Morgan didn't speak, she just raised the [Three-Headed Dog] thoughtfully, trying to witness the tragedy of the Luna Wolf: But just before her fingers touched it, this piece of immortality... The card with the greatest success has turned into ashes scattered across the galaxy. It burned out its own power and ushered in this ending that was a little too hasty.

[You lost this card. 】

+Maybe. +

The Emperor simply nodded.

The Spider Queen acquiesced to all this, and her eyes swept over the gap that was forcibly opened in the encirclement web: whether this gap was reasonable or not was no longer worth her to argue. Now, she began to think about how to make up for it.

[Do you think these four legions can all break out? 】

+Maybe. +

The Lord of Mankind responded while placing the [Iron General] symbolizing Gorgon on the gap: Facing this former friend, the [Perfect One] who had just retreated quickly clung to him, and the [Iron General] ] also raised the war hammer.

【Who will win? 】

+No one. +

The Emperor spoke in the affirmative.

On the chessboard, at the moment when [Iron General] was about to confront his brother, little bits of light from the [Three-Headed Dog] that had been reduced to ashes floated over and stuck to [Iron General], and this Iron General The Primarch of the Hand seemed to have thought of something. He put away his weapon and broke out from the gap without hesitation amidst the roar and curses of the Phoenix Lord.

[The Chosen One] seemed to want to stop his behavior, but was knocked down casually.

Seeing this, Morgan raised her head. She discovered that the Emperor had just used a card. Among the ashes that had not yet dispersed, she guessed the name of the card.

【witness】

+ When they move forward bearing the sacrifice of their comrades, the most reckless person will cherish his own life: because his life no longer belongs to him. +

The Emperor declared that all this was reasonable, and Morgan no longer wanted to argue. What she cared about was the fate of the remaining Emperor's legions within the siege net.

Under the gaze of the Primarch, [Soaring Eagle] was the second Emperor chess piece to emerge from the siege. It was more severely broken than the first [Iron General], but there was no delay at all. Its speed: faster.

But this second breakout did not leave quickly. It kept wandering and flanking near the gap, contributing its own strength, so that the gap could never be completely closed.

But everything it did seemed to be meaningless: within the encirclement network, the 18th and 19th legions were at the end of their rope, and they were even completely separated, with only weak connections between them.

Vulkan was guarding the rear, desperately stalling for time for his brother, but [Shadow] was already bitten by the [Double-edged Sword] and could not escape, while Morgan's chess pieces were quickly strangled. These two prey.

[I think these two are the abandoned children abandoned by you? 】

[Considering the roles of the 18th and 19th legions, it is understandable. 】

Morgan's words only elicited a chuckle from the Lord of Mankind.

+You still don’t understand me, my immature daughter: As long as I have the opportunity, I will not abandon anything in my hand, because I always have more means and trump cards to complete the plan in my mind. +

The Emperor's actions came together with his words, almost perfectly: at the moment when [Double-edged Sword] was about to kill [Shadow], the Lord of Mankind raised a card, the one that he had always held Hold the cards in your hand.

+ Hydra. +

he said.

Following this order, the entire chess game became clouded in the next moment. The aqua-blue [Twins] appeared in the position where [Shadow] was, but [Double-edged Sword] did not hesitate at all. The unfamiliar chess piece fell to the ground.

As the [Twins] fell, [Shadow] appeared outside the encirclement net and fled quickly: But this broken chess piece was only one step away from death. It was placed on the edge of the chess game by the Emperor. It seemed All subsequent actions were irrelevant.

Almost at the same moment, Vulkan in the encirclement net fell under the joint efforts of Magnus and Perturabo, and his chess piece rolled to the ground with a rumble, turning into a grayish white color without a trace of life again.

【……】

Morgan didn't speak. She just looked at the [Anvil] silently, feeling the sadness rising in her heart: Although she knew this was just a game, the news of [Vulcan's death] had a profound impact on her. As the words slowly emerged in his mind, the Lord of Avalon, who had always been proud of his cold rationality, still fell into unprecedented silence and loss.

One of her blood brothers died: as her trophy, died.

【……】

This is ridiculous.

The tearing pain only lasted a moment, and it occupied Morgan's thinking field for a long time. At this moment, even the Emperor's cheating [Hydra] could no longer arouse any interest in Morgan. She stared at the The gray-white chess pieces gradually moved away, and they were silent for almost a minute before turning their attention back to the chess game.

From this moment on, the game seems a little different.

+It's your turn. +

The voice of the Lord of Humanity was still full of calmness and slight sarcasm.

Damn sarcasm.

Morgan didn't respond to him.

+ If you still can’t get out of the virtual future of killing a brother, then I can wait for you for one more minute: But what you have to remember is that no one will wait for you in reality. After all, although your great cause is extremely brilliant, , but it’s not strong yet, is it? +

【……】

He might be irritating her.

She couldn't be provoked.

【You don’t have to worry about it. 】

The original body responded coldly, and she began to look at the chess game again: Although it seemed that her encirclement network had failed, the general purpose had been achieved. The 16th, 18th and 19th legions had been almost completely destroyed, and the Salamanders They also lost their original body, and the White Scars not only suffered heavy losses, but also had their home planet taken away. However, the Iron Hands seemed to have some remaining vitality, but it was better than nothing.

She defeated five legions in one fell swoop, including the two absolute main legions, excluding the Blood Angels squatting on their home planet. The specific situation is unknown, but they did lose one of their original bodies, the Alpha Legion, the first of mankind. The only remaining forces in the Lord's hands are the Imperial Fists and the Space Wolves.

And they are still in Holy Terra, thousands of miles away from the center of the galaxy.

【……】

Morgan began to think.

For a moment, the flame of ambition ignited in her heart: The Emperor's Legion is now so weak, even though her chess pieces have also suffered a certain degree of loss in the previous battles, but if she takes all the chess pieces If they all gather together and pounce on Holy Terra...

I have to say that this idea is indeed very tempting and feasible.

The Spider Queen's heart skipped a beat, but when she raised her head and involuntarily looked at the position of Holy Terra, and almost inevitably saw the Emperor: the indifferent smile on the face of the Lord of Humanity was completely shattered. The false dream in Morgan's mind.

no.

Now was not the time: the Emperor certainly had more up his sleeve than she imagined, and even if her genetic father was at the end of his rope, he could easily turn the tide of the war on his own.

but……

Why didn't he strike?

A brief moment of confusion flashed through the Spider Queen's mind, but this did not prevent her fingers from starting a new round of activity: she separated the victorious legions again and advanced to all corners of the Far Eastern Star Territory. In the blink of an eye, they This half of the empire was firmly in hand.

The Lord of Humanity observed Morgan's every move with great interest: When attacking towards the Far Eastern Star Territory, Morgan's movements were astonishingly skillful, as if these march routes had been played out countless times in her mind. All over.

+ Do you plan to fight a protracted war? +

the Emperor asked.

Morgan did not respond immediately, so Quan seemed to have acquiesced to the question.

[I have five hundred worlds and the Far Eastern Frontier intact, and there are also a large number of manufacturing worlds in the eastern part of the galaxy. Although Reza, Anverus, Triple Galaxy, and Metalica are not as good as Mars, they are not as powerful as Mars. With a gap of orders of magnitude, coupled with the Ultramarines, Word Bearers, Dark Angels and Iron Warriors I have on hand, even if your legion regains its firepower, I still have the capital to fight or even defeat you. 】

[One of the biggest reasons why the Great Expedition went so smoothly is that the entire galaxy is in a state of coexistence: when half of the galaxy is unified, the gap between the east and the west is minimal. As long as I combine the entire Far East If the domain is in the palm of your hand, then at least the situation will not become particularly bad. 】

+ Indeed. +

The Emperor nodded.

+But, you forgot one thing. +

【What? 】

Morgan looked at her genetic father, only to receive a smile.

The Emperor pointed to the chessboard.

+Who are you going to send to oversee Sanguinius and Baal? +

[My coming in person, plus Perturabo at Olympia, is enough. 】

+ Who will occupy the south? +

[The King of Nothingness and the Lord of Clouds: The former suffered little loss, and the latter’s legion home star is in the Storm Star Field in the southern part of the Milky Way, and his main scope of activities is also there. 】

+Who is defending the Maelstrom? +

[Jonson and Conrad's legions have just been replenished in Avalon and are suitable for this task. The home planet of the Thousand Sons and the Emperor's Children is in the Maelstrom area. Four legions are enough. 】

The Emperor smiled.

+So, you plan to send the Word Bearers, who have lost a lot of troops, to Avalon to replenish their troops? +

【……】

Morgan silently glanced at the [Chosen One] that symbolized Luo Jia. The increasingly intense traces of chaos on the chess piece made her feel uneasy and alert.

[No, he went to places near the Five Hundred Worlds to replenish his troops. As long as he did not go deep into the core area of ​​the Five Hundred Worlds, Guilliman would not care about this issue. 】

The Lord of Humanity nodded, looked at his daughter, and slowly drew a card from his deck.

+You know, Morgan? +

+ As chess players, you and I have different advantages: you are the warmaster, you can personally end the game and hold the most important tasks in your own hands, and I am the emperor, and my greatest advantage is Outside the field, on the viewing platform where it happened, in the future and the past. +

He played the card and whispered its name.

+The perfect city. +

On the crystal card, the magnificent city was burning with raging fury, and the kneeling believer had tears in his eyes and a hideous face.

And at the next moment, an unknown color began to ignite in Morgan's hand.

The Spider Queen realized something. She moved her neck almost with difficulty and looked towards the rear that she was proud of: that is where the Five Hundred Worlds are.

over there.

The war breaks out.

Evil thoughts run rampant.

The hideous smiles of the Chaos Gods, accompanied by the fanatical faces of the [Chosen Ones], are burning wantonly on the land of Ultramar: this is definitely not caused by Morgan's thoughts.

The emperor's chuckle reached his ears.

+You miscalculated a bit, Morgan. +

+ Time is not actually on your side. You are the one who needs to take urgent action. +

+You will understand soon. +

+ Chaos has given you so much. +

+Now, it's their turn to ask for it from you. +