The Emperor’s Angel of Death

"Sochoyan, have you already fought Fulgrim?"

In a secluded garden of the Chapter Monastery, Sol and Sochoyan sat at a large stone table. On the table were a wine jug and two glasses. Both were dressed in robes. Sol's hair was somehow turning gray, and there were a few scars on his forehead.

Hearing Sol's words, Sochoyan nodded.

"Yes, he showed up when I was dealing with something on the Eldar side."

"So, he sought you out?"

"I think so. I was about to kill a Greater Daemon, and he jumped out."

After listening, Sol fell into deep thought. Sochoyan watched him, picked up the wine glass, and took a sip. He remembered very clearly that Sol had taken Fabius and Caesar with him when he left, but he returned alone.

Although these two were from the Third Legion, they were also Sochoyan's "prisoners." He had entrusted them to Sol out of trust, but now they were nowhere to be found. If these two were to cause trouble in the future, who would be responsible?

But he still wanted to trust Sol, even though he thought he might never regain his trust. He hoped Sol could give him a reasonable explanation.

After a long while, Sol said in a low voice:

"Something's not right... It's not like his style."

Then he looked up at Sochoyan.

"You defeated him."

Sochoyan pondered for a moment and said four words.

"With ease."

Sol just gave a faint smile and said softly:

"Only you could do that."

"Instructor Sol, you must be formulating a plan to completely eliminate Fulgrim, right?"

"Then will you help me?"

"Yes, because I promised you when I first met you."

At that moment, Sol's expression became somewhat complicated, but it eventually returned to calm. He was as calm as ever.

"We managed to find some uncorrupted Third Legion gene-seed."

Sochoyan was not surprised by what Sol said. In fact, he had guessed it, because Fabius and Caesar both had one identity: Third Legion apothecaries. So, if they needed to act together, it was very likely to be about gene-seed.

Sochoyan did not ask why he hadn't brought them back, but instead asked the final question directly.

"Has the modification begun?"

"Not yet."

"If you need any help, just tell me."

Sol placed his right hand on the edge of the table, his fingers constantly clenching and unclenching, as if weighing his words. After a long while, he said:

"Sochoyan, do you know Trazyn?"

Hearing Sol ask this question, Sochoyan showed a puzzled expression.

"Trazyn seems to be a Necron Overlord? I've heard of him. He's said to be addicted to stealing."

At this time, he was also curious why Sol was asking about a Necron.

"This Necron stole a very important treasure, but his lair is hard to find. Can you use the Eldar's power to find him?"

Seeing Sol speak so hesitantly, Sochoyan knew that there must be an inside story, and he realized that the gene-seed might only be an insignificant part of Sol's entire plan, which was why he was telling him about it. But since Sol had said so, he nodded.

"I will arrange for someone to handle it."

Then he changed the subject and asked a somewhat pointed question.

"Does he know about this?"

Sochoyan did not directly mention a name, which seemed very strange, but he believed that Sol knew who he was referring to.

After a brief silence, Sol picked up the wine glass, took a sip, and then said softly:

"Yes."

Sochoyan didn't respond, just smiled, picked up the wine glass, took a sip, and leaned slightly back in his chair.

"Instructor Sol, so many things have happened since you left... The Tyranids have exhausted me, leaving me helpless. Tell me, so many plans, so many arrangements, did you ever anticipate that such enemies would appear?"

His tone was calm, but with a hint of questioning.

"They are pouring into the galaxy endlessly. Have you ever seen as many enemies as there are stars? Have you ever seen the entire sky filled with chitinous shells, tentacles, and claws? Instructor Sol, can he, I, you, stop such a great devourer? Is it possible that when we all turn our heads to the back, we don't notice that there is already a rugged dead end ahead?"

Sol sighed softly upon hearing this.

"The Tyranids are indeed unexpected enemies, but the more so, the more we need hope, after all, the current Imperium is already difficult to fight against such enemies."

"A Necron Dynasty has awakened in the Orpheus Sector. It is one of the top dynasties among the ancient Necron dynasties, called the Maynarkh. They swept through most of the sector in just a hundred days."

"Is that so?"

Sol showed a surprised expression, then frowned.

"At this time..."

"I guess they're coming for me."

Hearing Sochoyan say this, Sol asked:

"Do you plan to go?"

"I must go, otherwise Orpheus may not be able to be defended. If the Necrons expand their offensive, the entire Storm Sector may collapse."

Sochoyan took a deep breath, then sighed again.

"So many plans, great undertakings, what do they mean to those fleeting decades of life? When the big shots are all staring at the sky, they naturally can't pay attention to the dirt under their feet. And for me personally, I'll save as many people as I can. Doing the things in front of me well, fulfilling my responsibilities, is sometimes more practical than any big plan. Even if I'm branded a traitor in the future, at least it proves that I've done something for humanity."

"I will go with you."

"That would be great. I'm really short of people this time. The various companies have either gone to the Archdiocese to provide support or have been sent to Ryza."

"Actually, there's a more personal question I wanted to ask you..."

Sol's face suddenly showed a rare look of hesitation.

"...Sochoyan, how do you view the Eternal Court?"

Sochoyan drank the contents of his glass in one gulp and replied:

"Instructor Sol, you should know very well why it is only me, after ten thousand years, only I can perfectly adapt to the Grey Matter. The position of the Alexei family in your entire plan is directly related to the family's bloodline. People have no choice in many things, such as parents, background, race, etc. I remember Instructor Sol, you initially opposed me going to save Veronica, but in the end, you supported me. So, in your heart, humans and Eldar are not completely irreconcilable? The Eternal Court, in a sense, was created by me. It's like Veronica's and my first child. I definitely have feelings for it. As a child, its most important mission... is to protect its mother when its father is not around."

Sol said nothing more, just smiled and raised his glass, then drank it all in one gulp, got up and walked away, leaving Sochoyan still in his place, pouring and drinking by himself.