Warhammer: In the Name of Ashes.

Chapter 604: War in the Gothic Starry Sky () Shadow of the Plague—Death Guard’s Response

what is this?

Why do I feel so threatened?

From the beginning of the Nikea Agreement, to being blessed by the God of Decay; from spurning the doctrine of psychic energy and subspace, to the sublimation and transformation of life into becoming a part of eternity...

With such long-term determination and the power of the gods, Mortarion never thought that one day he would be challenged by someone in a realm subordinate to the gods.

But this battlefield is so unfamiliar to him. Whether it is the plague that Kugas and his like have been studying, or the mathematical numerology that he is obsessed with, he has never set foot in a field that is so close to the essence of a god...

The battle continued, but Mortarion fell silent.

He was hesitating, he was wavering.

What he thought was a wise choice didn't seem so wise now;

And the so-called truth of the world in his perception - the omnipotent gods - instantly became unreal when Calvin touched on the level of authority.

It turns out that there are really people who can challenge the gods.

It turns out that the absolute eternity he thought he had is still a bubble that can be shattered...

So, he is not the one who holds the truth after all?

Therefore, he is actually a deserter.

Perhaps a decision that one thinks is smart is just a clown in the eyes of those who truly stick to their beliefs?

"I am the toughest one, and you are the one who gave up."

The bloody battle 30,000 years ago was still vivid in his mind, and what Chagatai Khan said before he exiled him actually became true.

The ferocious expression spread uncontrollably on the face of the demon primarch. It was the rage and madness of being trampled on again after being trampled on by his own brother after thousands of years!

How can this be? How could this be accepted by him!

"……grown ups."

"...my lord!"

The continuous calls from far to near awakened Mortarion from his meditation, and what greeted his opened eyes were the recalled legion lords who had just finished the shock.

The plague lord, the poison lord, the plague lord...

Many of the sons of the Legion, who had been blessed by Nurgle and embarked on different paths, were looking at the master on the throne with their silent eyes.

That is the source of their bloodline and also the leader of their legion.

This was the first time in the thousands of years since Nurgle's chosen champion Typhons came to power that the Chaos Lords, who had voluntarily distanced themselves from Mortarion and the Death Guard Legion, received an edict from the Lord of the Legion.

As time passed by, even Mortarion, the source of their bloodline, could not help but feel strange to these heirs.

Scrutiny, or doubt?

When he woke up, he was unable to read the thoughts of these Chaos Lords in their eyes.

And the faces that had been integrated into the helmets made him need to directly observe their souls through the corrupt robes that represented different meanings, so that he could correspond one by one with the legionnaires in his memory.

"Typhon..."

Mortarion subconsciously called, but the people at his feet did not respond.

"Oh, right……"

Mortarion suddenly remembered the fact that this traitor had fallen.

"So, Grimes?"

Mortarion immediately wanted to speak, but then reacted. The heir who had always been loyal to him and stood behind him since Barbarus actually died earlier.

He died at the Lion's Gate of Terra in that distant siege...

White scars, khan.

Gray Knight, Calvin.

Mortarion subconsciously touched his neck, and then laughed to himself.

The gloomy expression and the smell of blood in his teeth brought him back to the time when he was fighting the Lord Chogoris.

That lightning-sharp gaze seemed to be right in front of him, and the scimitar called White Tiger that eventually beheaded him still left a faint phantom pain in his neck!

The vague throbbing pain in his brainstem reminded him that this evening was no longer the same as before. Another strange brother was launching the same fatal challenge to him from the direction he least expected!

I won't fail again! At least not this time!

"grown ups!"

The sound from under his feet interrupted his thoughts again.

But this time, Mortarion finally recognized the source of the voice.

"Zadar Crosius?"

Mortarion's cold eyes swept over the stranger, who paused after feeling the gaze of the demon primarch.

It’s this guy! After showing his talents, he was appreciated by Mortarion and was personally given the power of commander by him during the Battle of Terra;

But it was this guy! After he was exiled by Jaghatai, he contacted Typhons immediately, and then completely fell in love with the traitor!

But now?

Life is short after all, and only eternity can have the last laugh.

Typhons was dead, not even a scrap or trace of his soul was left behind. Even if the loving father wanted to resurrect him, he would have to try to reshape his foundation from the source of time. But everyone knows that the thing that was "created" is just a shadow of "him" and cannot be compared with the original soul at all...

And this guy, this powerful guy! He actually shamelessly found himself again!

"Hmph!" Mortarion exhaled a stream of smoke from his nose, and the unclear sound made the latter hesitate even more.

"grown ups!"

After the death of Typhons, the current First Company, the successor in power, Plague Lord Zadar Crosius, bit the bullet and called out to Mortarion.

He was one of the last of the Legion's Warlords to arrive, as he and his First Company were not summoned by Mortarion for the war.

But when the entire Death Guard Legion was summoned and rushed into the real universe under Mortarion's order, as the new lord of the First Company, he was afraid that he would be isolated and subverted.

However, his defection to Typhons during the siege of Terra made him unwilling to meet Mortarion again.

So since the beginning of the war, he and his First Company had been wandering near the legion's main fleet.

However, the current war has entered a fever pitch.

The formation of fleets, hundreds of thousands of Imperial legions, and even a large number of Astartes companies from different battle groups all told him that this was a real war.

In this context, if the original small mixed fleet of the First Dalian Company continues to maintain aloofness from the main army, it will be a very dangerous behavior.

Maybe it was a change in the course of the large fleet, maybe it was a delay in notifying the enemy of a gang-up attack.

In any case, the first large company that was not included in the battlefield sequence may suffer unexpected attacks from the enemy due to this kind of neglect.

Considering the impressions of his predecessor and himself on Mortarion, Zadar could almost conclude that once the war becomes critical, the First Company will not receive any expected support.

Zadar is not Typhons, and does not have that innate fanaticism and ambition.

He could not be like Typhons, a gambler who plunged the First Company into the war without the support of a legion. Especially after the appearance of the Gray Knights, the constant losses heard in the fleet broadcast made him determined.

He wanted to see Mortarion, even if he might be scolded and punished.

But that was better than being ignored, for not having the legion's support on such a battlefield meant exposing oneself to the flesh-and-blood mill of war.

As for the worse ending... Zadar has not thought about it, but based on his understanding of the Primarch, the biggest difference between Mortarion and all the Primarchs is his almost indulgent tolerance towards his offspring. …

"My lord," Zadar said to Mortarion, and received a cold look from him in return.

"..."

The atmosphere in the air became quiet, and no Chaos Lord dared to risk being hated by the Daemon Primarch to excuse Zadar after the Lord of Corruption manifested himself.

The long period of indifference made Zadar even more uneasy, but he finally waited for Mortarion's response.

"You go there!" Mortarion raised his hand and pointed to the place with the densest red dots in the holographic projection.

It was the most dangerous and anxious battlefield on the Pesma front line, but in Zadar's ears, this decree was undoubtedly the original body's forgiveness for him.

The war in reality is still going on, and another battlefield in subspace is also going on at the same time.

Although in the scale of time and space, there is a huge difference between the two that is incomprehensible to mortals.

But the two sides holding pieces in the war are equally non-mundane. Their equally inhuman wills and souls also have enough willpower to open up a new battlefield outside of a complex enough chess game.

In reality, the Death Guard's offensive continued. The First Company under Zadar immediately changed the rhythm of the war after entering the Pesma war zone.

This Chaos Lord, who was born as a pharmacist and emerged from the tragic decisive battle with the White Scars, chose the attack method that best suited him and the Death Army.

Fire can melt steel, but it cannot stop disease.

Blood can also be exchanged for life, but it cannot curb the all-pervasive infection.

The Pesma defense line under conventional tactics used its own bravery to withstand the attack of the Death Army.

However, after the enemy's intentions were repeatedly thwarted, the plague lord Zadar Crosius, who took over the command of the war zone, announced his arrival to his enemies in the way he was best at.

The Death Guard fleet changed its previous hesitation and, under the cover of the entire fleet, moved several particularly heavily armored warships closer to Pesma's low-Earth orbit.

These subspace beings, wrapped in abscesses and proliferative tissue, whose true appearance could not even be seen clearly, bravely withstood the interception of anti-aircraft fire, bypassed the space weapon platform, and approached the atmosphere of Pestma!

"It's broken!" Talos, who was responsible for the defense, had arrived at the defense hub in the Pesma orbit, and personally took command and participated in the previous resistance.

But having just returned to the command hub with gunpowder smoke, when he saw this wave of offensive from the Death Guard Legion, he couldn't help but blurted out these inappropriate words after a moment of embarrassment.

At this time, on the screen in the command hall, it was the picture of the firepower of the orbital air defense array pouring towards the small fleet after adjustment.

But the waves of artillery fire left shocking scars on their bodies!

But this can't stop them from advancing while enduring the trauma, twisting like living creatures, and sending pieces of their bodies covered with abscesses towards Pestma!

plague! Infect!

And then comes corruption! And after the former was expanded, the demonic tide was further set off from the subspace!

Although the orbital interception system was at full strength, Pestma's atmosphere was able to burn most of the debris as it gravitationally captured it.

But common sense tells Talos that anything involving the evil god of subspace cannot be treated with common sense. Even if only one fragment can successfully land, the native people of Pesma will probably face thousands of corpses and seas of blood. !

"Notify Titan immediately! Purification troops may be needed here..."

Talos said to the Gray Knight liaison officer beside him, who nodded solemnly, and then closed his eyes in full view of everyone...

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