The Emperor’s Angel of Death

Following Madail's instructions, Soshian held the Hellfire Stone in one hand and the Phoenix Chalice in the other, which contained a burning true flame. He walked over and placed the Hellfire Stone on the open base inside the helmet. Then, he raised the chalice and carefully "poured" the flame inside onto the Hellfire Stone.

The platinum-gold flame dripped onto the Hellfire Stone like a liquid, dispelling the red color and transforming the entire gem into a shimmering, translucent diamond.

Soshian stepped back. The head of the construct gradually closed, snapping shut completely.

A few seconds later, the eyes on the bird's head flashed suddenly, then burned with golden flames. The spirit construct stood up unsteadily, with materialized psychic energy forming soft, ribbon-like wings behind it, looking brilliant and noble. The powerful psychic surge even gave some Bonesingers a feeling of drowning, causing them to cough incessantly.

After moving its arms, it seemed not quite accustomed to the body. It swayed a few more times, but finally steadied itself. Then, it lowered its head and spoke in a deep voice.

"I am the Phoenix Herald, the disseminator of the divine voice. The fire of Asuryan witnesses my rebirth, and the original Phoenix shall surely return!"

Then, it knelt on one knee before Soshian.

"Soshian, you are the holder of the original fire. Accept all of this, including my loyalty."

Soshian said nothing, only slightly raising his chin.

"Rise, and come with me. I have some things to discuss with you in private."

Much later, in a side hall of the Phoenix Palace, Madail stood silently after listening to Soshian's narration, like a statue.

Soshian glanced at him, then said helplessly:

"Why are you silent? Do you know nothing about Olrod's affairs? Including Asuryan's plan."

Only then did Madail's head move slightly, finally uttering a sentence.

"The treacherous change the fate of life, who in the galaxy can claim supremacy?"

"Ha, quite elegant. You mean, you didn't know Olrod would die either?"

"I await the master of the true fire. If he is not, then he is not. As for the original Phoenix's plan, I know nothing. I only do what I can do."

Soshian chuckled twice, walking behind Madail.

"Good, good. None of you will speak. You all think I will follow each of your plans. We'll see about that."

Madail turned around.

"I speak no falsehood, Soshian. You need not be resentful. The original Phoenix is greater than you think, its thoughts not confined to a single race or nation. It walks the path of true righteousness. Since you are the one it has chosen, then your actions are its will. There is no need to mind."

Soshian turned around abruptly.

"How can I not mind? If it weren't for the Grey Seer project it concocted, how could Xerxes have been driven to desperation?"

"What drove him to desperation was his father, a fact you know better than anyone. "

Soshian raised his hand.

"I won't argue about these things. Now I only ask you, who could have killed Olrod? The Deceiver?"

After a long silence, Madail gave an unexpected answer:

"It should be Cegorach."

"The Eldar Laughing God!?"

Soshian's eyes widened.

"But Olrod said he discovered traces of a Star God..."

"Even the strongest shard of the Deceiver may not be able to kill Olrod, who possessed the Amulet of the Blazing Sun. So the so-called traces of the Star God are likely a trap of the Laughing God."

"Evidence? Or what is the basis?"

"This is just my personal guess. You only asked about possibilities."

"Then what made you make this guess?"

"It is very close to the Deceiver, and has also had contact with the Master of Mankind."

Soshian walked back and forth with his hands behind his back, sometimes looking down, sometimes looking up. After a moment, he turned to look at Madail.

"Is Cegorach an opponent of Asuryan?"

"No."

"Then why?"

"Unknown. Cegorach may have its own goals, or it may be worried about exposing something. It is a deity that sees secrets as everything."

For some reason, Soshian thought of Eldrad. The things of the Warp cannot be measured by common sense, meaning his current thinking is meaningless.

"So Madail, your body has been shaped. What can you do to help me?"

"What do you need?"

Soshian replied without hesitation:

"A personal guard within the court that is absolutely loyal to me, like those Phoenix Lords."

Madail nodded slightly.

"Very well, you first select five thousand adult males, without considering their past identities. But this ritual has a risk of failure. It is up to you whether you want to inform them. In addition, I will teach the Bonesingers the technology to create armor that can withstand the True Fire, or you can choose Bonesingers you trust to receive it."

Five thousand adult males is not a small number for the current court, especially with the risk of failure. The consequences would probably be difficult to accept.

"How great is the risk of failure? What would be the consequences?"

"About twenty to thirty percent. The consequence, of course, is complete death, with no soul retained."

A failure rate of twenty to thirty percent for five thousand people means that at least one-fifth of the candidates would die completely. This price is a bit too high, given Soshian's understanding of the Eldar.

Moreover, their relatives would probably not accept this result.

Indeed, the problem of the Eldar population is still the biggest drawback. If this were the Imperium, a modification surgery like that of the Space Marines, with a success rate of only twenty to thirty percent, would be done without batting an eye, but a death rate of twenty to thirty percent is completely unacceptable.

The key is that even the soul cannot be retained, which in the eyes of the Eldar is almost synonymous with being devoured by Slaanesh, a result that no Eldar can accept.

After much deliberation, Soshian sighed softly.

"Forget it, let's put this matter aside for now and consider it later. Do you know how to create psychic war beasts?"

"Of course. What type do you want? A variant of the dimension spider, the Wraithspider, or a Shadow Hunter, or a Voidwyrm? Or various Star Dragons? But for mortals, these are mostly used for viewing and playing. Only a few are useful."

"Uh, that kind of huge ground dragon, like the Mountain Dragon, which is very large and has eight legs."

Madail was silent for a long time, and finally uttered a sentence.

"Those are livestock, bred by extremely bored mortals as touring tools for long-term residence on planets with harsh terrain and climate."

"I think it's quite... well, clumsy, but really big."

Soshian spread out his hands as he spoke.

"It just looks very large, with a strong sense of oppression, and can carry a war fortress..."