The Emperor’s Angel of Death

With one foot planted on Fulgrim's neck, Trazyn twisted the hilt of the sword in his right hand, driving it deeper into the corrupted flesh and eliciting a pained roar from Fulgrim. He then bent down, his left hand clamping onto Fulgrim's chin, silencing the scream. → (Here's an explanation: Fulgrim was possessed by a daemon for only a brief period after killing Ferrus. Afterward, he regained control and sealed the daemon in a painting. So, the idea of Fulgrim being permanently 'skinned' by a daemon is inaccurate. Think about it – if any daemon could just take over, what use would a peddler have for this trash? Even then, Fulgrim's possession was just a form of self-escape because he couldn't accept killing Ferrus.)

"Fulgrim, understand this: I am not your brother, so I will not consider any so-called brotherly feelings. I will ensure you die as pathetically as a dog, utterly and completely, leaving not even a trace of your soul. Do you believe me?"

Fulgrim opened his mouth full of sharp teeth, hissing furiously, his scarlet snake-like tongue flicking incessantly at Trazyn's wrist.

But suddenly, his serpentine face contorted into a grotesque smile, black blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he cackled:

"Hahaha! My brother will return! He will return, and I will be reunited with him! But you, poor Trazyn, you will be abandoned! You will be the one who disappears! Everything about you will be erased! Everything about you will be forgotten! Hahaha—hahahahaha! I will not die, even if you kill me a hundred times—"

Before he could finish, Trazyn, his face grim, slapped him hard.

"Then let's find out if you're a venomous snake that bites or a turtle hiding in its shell. →"

With that, Trazyn, amid Fulgrim's screams, yanked out the sword, raised it, and aimed it at his head.

But before the sword could fall, a violent tremor brought the entire space to a standstill. Fulgrim slowly ceased struggling, dissolving into a pool of viscous matter. Then, Trazyn heard the sizzling sound of flesh being doused in molten iron, the crack of whips against skin, singing in various tones, the rhythm of various dance steps on the floor, and an endless cacophony of laughter, screams, and wails.

The entire space was gradually compressed. Trazyn, in shock, retreated repeatedly, as colossal stone spikes jutted out from above and below, projecting randomly in all directions.

Then, in his vision appeared endless structures: palace complexes stretching to the end of the world, built from materials of an indiscernible nature. Though they seemed infinitely distant, their sheer size made them seem infinitely close, their outlines almost within reach.

"This is—"

Trazyn's eyes widened. Suddenly, he noticed a massive, supple, serpentine tail-like object sweep past those structures. Considering the scale of the buildings, it was simply—

The next moment, he was stunned by what followed. In the farthest reaches of his sight, countless eyes, large and small, all of a deep purple hue, opened simultaneously and gazed at him!

Just as Trazyn was paralyzed by the gaze of countless eyes, a clear, resonant cry of a phoenix suddenly pierced the grotesque symphony. Immediately, the space shifted again, and the buildings, demons, and even Fulgrim vanished.

Trazyn stood once more beside the still-un腐朽 remains of the Phoenix King.

I see what I have seen, I am at peace for it.

I think with my heart, I am ashamed for it.

I act with my duty, I toil for it.

I cause for my effect, I do not regret it.

Chanting words Trazyn could not understand, the Phoenix King opened his eyes and extended his hand. A ball of white flame burned in his palm.

"The hope of my race, the Great Phoenix, the First Phoenix, I have fulfilled my duty."

With that, he turned into a pile of ashes, leaving only the flame floating in the air. Trazyn didn't even have time to ask a question.

However, he now noticed that a line of Eldar runes was carved into the chair, likely a name, but he couldn't understand it. He simply memorized it, then looked at the flame, hesitating for a moment before reaching out—

"Hmm?"

Trazyn blinked. Everything that had just happened felt like an echo of a dream from last night. In his vision was still that Eldar rune. When he looked at the two Custodians, they were still watching him, as if no time had passed.

But his mind was still filled with that strange scene. Then he realized this bizarre chalice was in his hand.

Considering this was something brought by Verus, and given the scenes in his consciousness, Trazyn had some ideas. He walked to one side of the armory wall, opened a hidden compartment, and took out a black box. The two Custodians immediately cast curious glances.

"This is a blackstone box, seized from the Red Corsairs. You both should know the power of blackstone, right?"

Hearing 'blackstone,' the two Custodians nodded, but they didn't know this was actually from a blackstone fortress. Trazyn had several of them here.

"I'll put it in here and keep it with me at all times. That should reassure you both, right?"

Trazyn had said as much, so the Custodians said nothing more. But before leaving, Porphyrius still stared at the Dark Flame Chalice placed in the blackstone box. The massive container also left with the Custodians, presumably to be filled with new dangerous cargo. Trazyn didn't know how many things like this were in that dark dungeon, but he finally understood that the Custodians had other reasons for never leaving the Imperial Palace for ten thousand years.

Once they left, Trazyn summoned Amonrakh.

"Trazyn, I just felt like—"

Seeing the worried look on his face as he entered, Trazyn cut straight to the chase.

"I encountered Fulgrim."

"Ah? Here?"

"Right here."

With that, Trazyn turned around, took out the box, and opened it, removing the chalice. Then, he flicked it lightly with his finger.

Instantly, accompanied by a blinding flash of white light, the stains on the chalice were burned into smoke by the flames, revealing its original form: a magnificent, bright silver with ancient Eldar-style纹饰. The edge of the cup was encircled by carvings of branches, and a sacred flame burned within. The base of the chalice was carved into the form of a phoenix spreading its wings, while the support was in the shape of bird claws. The overall image looked like a phoenix carrying a burning brazier.

Seeing this, Amonrakh's eyes lit up.

"The Eldar artifact, the Phoenix Chalice!"

"Tell me about its origins."

"It's actually somewhat related to you. An important criterion for choosing a Phoenix King in the ancient Eldar Empire was the ability to withstand the test of Asuryan's holy fire, and Asuryan's holy fire was preserved in the Phoenix Chalice. But its uses aren't limited to that. It's also a very powerful artifact, said to be able to distinguish between good and evil, and to grant Eldar warriors some incredible power. It was also key to the ancient Eldar Empire's breeding of those now-extinct psychic war beasts. How did you get it?"

Trazyn then recounted the entire event. After listening, Amonrakh fell into thought.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that he slowly said, his brow furrowed:

"I'd heard before that the Phoenix Chalice was destroyed when Slaanesh was born. I didn't expect it to be sealed away, and it even ended up in the hands of the Emperor of Mankind. Truly, the top thief in the Warp back then."

"Say something serious."

"I am being serious. How else do you think this thing ended up in the Emperor of Mankind's hands? But the situation inside is truly surprising to me. No wonder Eldar Phoenix Kings don't enter soulstones after death. Their souls are all in the chalice. Strange, strange."

"What's strange?"

"Why would Asuryan arrange things this way?"