Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

Chapter 84 Son of the Forest (3)

Lions walk in the shadows of the forest understory.

This was a state that made the Primarch feel extremely familiar and reassuring, and he even enjoyed it.

The green pupils were gently brushed by the golden hair, and shot out sharp edges, penetrating through the vast sea of vines and lush leaves, searching quietly in the empty valleys and rivers.

Zhuang Sen sniffed and smelled the scent flowing in the air: the aging fallen leaves broke away from the fragile branches, and fell to the ground under the guidance of wind and gravity, fermenting out a rancid smell; the gurgling water sent The corpses that had been dead for many days were battered by predators, fish and water until only a pair of white bones remained; scavenging raptors huge enough to block the sun wandered in the highest sky, their wings spreading greed and evil. The stench of death.

There is also the sound, the subtle sound, which is the sound of the wings of birds flapping in the wind, the sound of the soles of beasts trampling on the soil, and the countless roars of beasts that are either sharp, deep, docile or savage. and neighing are illogically intertwined, playing a movement that only belongs to the forest and the law of the jungle.

Although there are only survival, struggle and escape, only killing, despicableness and devouring, this does not hinder the vitality and prosperity of the forest itself. Countless competitions, chants and writings about life and death are accompanied by those living or inanimate things. It keeps playing, one after another, full of vitality.

When all the sounds, all the breaths, all the rhythms of life and death rushed into the Primarch's mind, he actually had the illusion of "noisy".

Everything was just like Caliban's forest, but there seemed to be some differences.

He seemed to be walking in that ancient forest, passing through the trees scratched with the furs of giant beasts, carefully examining the furs and feces, and tracking his prey from these barbaric acts that marked his territory.

Jonson still remembered those times, from wearing tattered leaf costumes, to the standard wire cloth clothes of knights' squires, to the neat armor needed to slay giant beasts, engraved with complicated honor marks.

He still remembered that at that time, his body would pass through the woods, like a silent knight passing through an even more silent kingdom, and heading towards...

etc.

…

! ! !

Zhuang Sen's brows furrowed.

He turned his wrist and waved a sword light, as if tearing through the false curtain with the claws of a wild beast. The lively sounds became silent in an instant.

There were no fallen leaves, no running water, no sound of sparrowhawk wings cutting through the wind overhead, no huge beasts roaring and hunting in the forest.

All that was left was a dead silence.

There is only deathly silence.

The simplest silence.

Zhuang Sen looked at the dead silence, listened to the dead silence, and felt the dead silence.

Then took a deep breath.

——————

This is a real forest, like the forest of Caliban.

——————

In the actual silence, he heard laughter.

More dead laughter.

——————

[You saw through it, Lord Zhuangson, much faster than I thought. 】

[They didn’t stop you, and they didn’t even complete the deception for a moment. 】

The sound came from all directions, echoing continuously in the sky and valleys. It neither frightened the birds nor evoked the roar of wild beasts, because everything in the forest was deathly silent, even the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves. The rustling sounds are trying their best to suppress their own rhythm.

The voice seemed to come from the sky, just like a lazy goddess relying on the extravagant mountain temple, conveying her words through the breeze and invisible envoys.

[How did you see through...]

Zhuang Sen walked, but he didn't answer immediately, and just spit out a few sarcasm from his clenched teeth.

[I haven’t walked in the deep forest for so long that I have somewhat forgotten what it looks like. 】

[And you, you don’t know what the real forest looks like at all. You are just imitating, performing the poorest imitation and deduction, recording what you first saw, the original appearance of the world, and then based on your own imagination , add some fuel and vinegar, and make it a funny painting. 】

[Your false dream is like a pile of rocks full of holes. When the wind blows, it may make a beautiful sound, but when someone walks up to it with a hammer, it will be fragile. Just like a blank sheet of paper. 】

【It's extremely ridiculous. 】

The Primarch reached his conclusion mercilessly, with the tone of voice that he had been accustomed to commanding and requesting from Morgan over the past few years, but this time, the answer to him was not the words "obey orders".

But continuous laughter.

He narrowed his eyes and bowed his waist slightly, like a real beast, his constant breathing blending quietly into the breeze. His long golden hair was covered in the fine sunlight, like vines in the dark night, heavy. His iron boots brushed against the crispy fallen leaves that used to crackle in the past, but they didn't make even the slightest sound.

He is like a beast, a legendary beast that will never exist in reality. They will only appear in stories around the campfire and in the ferocious scars of the most experienced hunters. They blend into the darkness. Integrated into pure hunting, it will not be perceived by any light or sight. Only the blood of the victims drips bit by bit in the endless night, indicating their past visit.

And now, Jonson is that beast.

He desperately wanted to kill something.

The Primarch continued to move forward. He walked through deep forests one after another, and his figure wandered repeatedly under countless rifts and giant trees, until a huge sinkhole appeared in front of him, and lying quietly in it, It is the most standard airdrop pod for the Dark Angels.

He found it.

His prey, his advisor, is nearby.

He understands her.

She won't go too far, because too far distance means the loss of control. She hates, even fears, the feeling of not being able to control everything in her hands.

She thought she was hiding it well.

Then Jonson heard the laughter again.

——————

[A dangerous distance, Lord Zhuangson. 】

[You are really powerful, I admit, you caught me off guard. 】

The voice continued to echo, but this time, it seemed closer, and every word rang in Zhuangson's ears.

The Primarch raised his head, and he smelled the stink of the beast.

This is not an illusion.

Low roars began to appear at the end of his field of vision, one after another, hundreds and thousands, endless.

The figures of the beasts gathered into a wave of stench, and countless hairs and fangs gathered under the rare light, reflecting the bloodthirsty desire.

With the influx of creatures, the forest seemed to come alive in an instant. Zhuang Sen could hear countless young leaves chirping in unison, which seemed extremely noisy for a while, and in this most natural way to hide Below, the tens of thousands of vines quietly pulled away from their bodies, sliding down quickly from the trunks and branches, like poisonous snakes without pupils and fangs, gathering into intertwined masses on all the land. blocks, and finally turned into wisps of long whips, lashing the air and land silently.

The forest came to life, and in just an instant, the active and violent aura swirled under the Lion King's nose.

Don't think that nature is kind, that is just a lazy illusion. Furious nature is a manic beast that can destroy any serious human being.

But Jonson just smiled.

[A living forest? 】

[I thought you would show me more. 】

Laughter returned his response.

[If you visit according to the agreed time, then I will indeed do more. If you give me a little more time, the whole world will release the rage of destruction under my instigation and control. 】

[But there are no ifs in war. You disrupted my steps and rhythm. At this point, you are despicable, but also extremely smart. 】

【……mean? 】

The word made the Lion King frown.

And the laughter seemed a little sharper.

[Yes, despicable. 】

[If being mean can help win a battle, will you let yourself be mean? 】

This was not a question, because the moment the words fell, the two people who already knew the answer burst into laughter in unison.

Zhuang Sen was laughing, a real laugh, a laugh that contained happiness, ridicule, anger and murderous intent. In this laughter, he raised his big sword, and the ruthlessness was reflected in his green pupils. of light.

Then he charged towards the roaring herd.

——————

[You are very powerful, Your Excellency, very powerful. 】

[You are the master of war, you are born this way. 】

When the [Lion Sword] released a destructive storm in the endless flesh and roar, the sound penetrated the curtain of the whirlwind and came to Zhuang Sen's ears.

The Primarch didn't pay attention. He seemed to be silent in the carnage before him. Thousands of giant beasts rushed in under silent control. Their scales and claws were flying, overwhelming, and the traces of fighting each other still remained on their fur. The mottled marks left behind.

There may be hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, or even more, but Zhuangson doesn't care. With a wave of his sword, he harvests more and more beast spirits. Everything seems to be back to what he was doing in Caliban. Those last days: all the knights went to war together, with banners flying to the sky and bright armor. The hunting ground with the world as its curtain was pulled up amidst countless roars. Every day there was bloodshed and sacrifices, more and more, forever. Endless.

He missed it.

The big sword swung again and chopped off dozens of beast heads.

Finally, he stood the sword on the ground, and the endless tide of beasts also calmed down at this moment.

Finally, he laughed out loud.

【war? 】

He smiled.

[You have been with me for three years. If you have learned anything during these three years, you will not regard everything in front of you as a war. It is not even hunting. 】

[What I learned is not important, Mr. Zhuangson, but what did I see from you? 】

[For you, war is just a hunt. 】

Zhuang Sen stopped smiling, and the corners of his mouth lowered in an instant.

But the voice continued, and the ruthless laughter slowly penetrated Jonson's armor, slowly melting the next words into a poisonous needle, and shot it into the heart of the Primarch.

【for you……】

[Isn’t everything just a hunt? 】

[Each of us will stop at a place in our lives, and for some people, their hearts are nothing but the vast forest of Caliban. 】

[It is precisely because of this. 】

[You are great, Zhuang Sen. 】

——————

The silence lasted for a few seconds.

What broke him was the primarch's disdainful sneer.

[You should go find Magnus, or Fulgrim, and learn those fancy skills. 】

He wielded the sword with unprecedented strength, and countless huge beasts turned into dust under the sword light.

[War is not for you, and you are not meant for it, Morgan. 】

[I swear, after I catch you, I will make you understand this. 】

His green pupils flashed with unprecedented danger, and he continued to exude his will, eager to find the little thief hiding in the deep forest.

[Magnus... Fulgrim...]

Morgan's voice seemed to fall silent for a moment.

[Why not Perturabo? 】

The corners of the Lion King's mouth raised slightly.

[My Olympian brother, he is a rough designer. He knows the art of war and negotiation, but he will never have the power to bring his talents into full play. As long as he cannot control himself, he will achieve nothing. He even Worse than Horus. 】

He moved forward silently, stepping on the gurgling blood.

[Your last sigh makes the whole sentence lose its meaning. Lord Zhuangson, who can be more glorious than Horus? Even in the fortress of the Dark Angel, I can hear the voice of the Wolf Shepherd. Glory. 】

Her voice was almost exaggerated, mixed with barely concealed provocation. Faced with this voice, Zhuang Sen still maintained a cold face.

But he admitted that there was an unidentifiable fire burning in his heart.

【Horus...】

He whispered the name softly, as if referring to an unrelated stranger.

[I know that he is jealous of me and blaming me. Although I cannot understand his emotions, even though there are so many star fields, I can still guess his thoughts: he does not want to join this war. , he didn’t want his heirs to bleed, but he didn’t think anyone else could shoulder all this except him. 】

[He is always favored on the surface, but he is always dissatisfied, soft-spoken, with a big stick in his hand, hungry and greedy. 】

Jonson heard laughter, sharper than ever.

【sound……】

[He is very suitable for a war commander. 】

Zhuang Sen couldn't help but frown at these words without even noticing it.

The Primarch was silent for a while, then snorted coldly.

[Are there any options? 】

[Either irritable, pedantic, or without the slightest ability or attitude to take responsibility. 】

[He is the only choice. 】

He said, but couldn't help but snort coldly.

He heard the sound of boots scraping leaves.

[Then why...don't you choose Guilliman? 】