How can a retired savior be considered retired if he drops to 40,000?

"..." Lanmalok didn't follow this train of thought for a moment, or was shocked by this train of thought. He paused for three seconds before speaking, "I remember from the previous introduction... Isn't the Tzeentch camp known for spying on all the knowledge and mysteries of the world?"

"Knowledge is not equal to wisdom, and mysteries lack daily practicality. A master who has studied a certain field for a long time may not be able to do even a small task like going out to buy groceries. We usually call such people 'nerds who only know how to study hard'." Li Xiang explained with a sneer.

"From the comparison of the waveform of the subspace energy level, it is very likely that the initiator had also prepared a similar ceremony on this planet ten thousand years ago. If the ceremony at that time was successful, and if the same ceremony is held now, the success rate of this ceremony will be increased because of the previous successful precedent. This makes sense logically - but the problem is that according to the data provided by the Dark Angels ten thousand years ago, they clearly failed that time."

"If it has been successful before, the success rate will increase when the same ritual is performed again. If it is successful before, will the success rate of the ritual decrease?"

"That's right. I don't understand the logic of the demon's obsession with this ritual." Ritsuka nodded. "In the 30th millennium, it was acceptable to use some roundabout means and spend so much time to seize a planet in the material world, because at that time the difference between reality and illusion was still very clear. But as time went by, the warp and the material world gradually merged. After the 40th millennium, the curtain between reality and the warp was no longer as difficult to break through as it was ten thousand years ago. With these 110 Terran years, wouldn't it be easier to just blow up nine warp rifts in the planet and drag the entire planet in?"

Lanmarok thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps the mastermind behind this is the demon from ten thousand years ago. It has failed before, so it is particularly persistent on this point."

"You have a point. I will add this conjecture to the possible countermeasures."

The corresponding area of ​​the ship was already in sight, and Lanmarok seemed to suddenly remember something and spoke slowly:

"And another important thing: there is no drop pod on the Lion's Mane with a level of protection that would allow mortals to use it."

This was clearly a subtle challenge, but Fujimaru Ritsuka remained unmoved:

"It's okay. I expected this." She said calmly, "As long as you open the hatch of the launch mechanism after the Lion's Mane reaches low-Earth orbit."

"...Just open the hatch?" Lanmarok's tone was also full of surprise, while Fujimaru Ritsuka sounded calm, as if he was just going to have dinner:

"Yes. I'll just jump." she said.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 28 Successfully helped Koz take the first step towards working

Dihail Peko fell to the floor of the cabin of the Storm's Edge, uttering a low whimper like that of a wounded beast.

A few minutes ago, these sounds were some angry curses and painful howls, but now, a few minutes later, he had lost the strength to do so.

The infection of Chaos brought severe pain at first: the energy of the warp tried to distort his body structure, and the whispers of the mind disturbed his thoughts. It was as if ten thousand voices laughed at him from very near and far at the same time, and it was as if ten thousand wills poured chaotic knowledge into his mind at the same time. His dark eyes peeked through the curtain of reality and saw the waves of the empire. Countless things that had happened and had not happened unfolded in front of him at the same time like a horrible picture scroll.

His spirit was almost destroyed by these things. Even the mind of an Astartes superman could only float helplessly in such a huge wave. He became unable to calculate time. He didn't know how long he had spent in this torture - was it a few seconds? Or a thousand years? In pain, he realized that his life as "himself" was about to end here, and the characteristics of the warp laid out his meaningless life in front of him. In despair, he began to think that such an ending might not be unacceptable.

He realized that his mind was being worn out in the process, until it was worn out to the point where he could no longer even realize it. Pollution clung to his soul, and the turbidity brought false joy. Just like that, within a few minutes of the physical world, Dihail Peko succumbed to the might of the High Heaven. He was almost completely immersed in it, and the only thing holding on to his last sanity was a thin thread, pure black, like a wisp of night that was pulled out, looking abrupt in the colorful High Heaven.

The thread sank between his hearts, ripping his internal organs and causing him great pain. This pain, which was stronger than nerve pain and burned directly into his soul, made him feel as if he was a specimen nailed in a display cabinet. The pain made him instinctively want to pull at the thread, and when he actually touched it, another thought drilled into his mind like a spike:

He saw his life again, starting from the smallest details. He saw himself stealing and cheating at the bottom of the hive when he was young, he saw himself clashing and killing with gangs when he was young, he saw himself succumbing to power and violence, fortunately or unfortunately becoming an Astartes of the Chaos warband, he saw himself as a Night Lord and his brothers swimming recklessly in the sea of ​​stars, plundering without scruples - he saw every evil deed and every sin he had committed, he recognized his past actions with surprising clarity, and then, those things he didn't care much about cut his palms with blood.

Dihail Peko groaned in pain, and the biological instinct of seeking benefits and avoiding harm forced him to naturally loosen his hand. However, before the blood dripped, he grabbed it again with a desperate madness. The pain tied his reason, making him still barely maintain himself. An inexplicable intuition forced him to open his eyes in vain, looking into the distance along the crimes he committed, ignoring his arms that were scratched and bleeding, and gritted his teeth to endure the endless pain.

Then he saw: the other end of the filament was in the hands of Conrad Kurtz, his genetic father.

He didn't understand what this scene meant, but the moment he realized it, a surge of ecstasy surged violently in Dihaier Peko's heart.

-

"The contract between you and Ritsuka does allow you to share her ability in terms of the contract. But in fact, this ability itself is quite useless. The reason you can use it is because you are 'Fujimaru Ritsuka'."

Before everything began, Merlin said:

"Her contract ability is essentially based on Chaldea's Guardian Heroic Spirit Summoning System, Destiny, so it only focuses on the step of 'fixing the connection between the two parties as a wedge', and it can be said that there is almost no restraint or coercion. But this ability does not manifest in this way in you."

Merlin's only ability in magic was trustworthy, so Conrad Curze waited for what would happen next.

"The reason for this is that Fujimaru Ritsuka, who holds the contract, is essentially just a 'human', and you——"

Merlin smiled:

"——You've died once, so it's time for you to realize what you are, right?"

-

“It’s just a choice.”

Dihail Peko's ears did not catch any sound, but he still "heard" his genetic father say so.

"A choice," Konrad Curze declared. "You can choose to surrender to Chaos and end your sins in death. Or, you can choose to bear the shackles of pain and redeem your past evil deeds with me. The former is easy, the latter is difficult. The choice is yours. In any case, I will judge you."

In Dihail Peko's eyes, which had completely sunk into the net of the Supreme Heaven, the figure of his gene father was like a swaying ghost, a dark living hell. The reason why he could still recognize the other party's identity was not because of some specific and fixed appearance in his memory, but an instinct engraved on his soul. The figure contained a horror that was difficult to understand with human wisdom alone, and was entangled by the echoes of the wailing of countless sinners before their death. Even the Astartes who knew no fear could not help but feel a shudder from the bottom of their hearts when they just glimpsed such a figure, let alone looking directly at it.

But he couldn't look away.

The echoes of chaos were stirring in his ears again, and the noisy voices shouted in his ears, "This is deception": it was Konrad Curze who led the Night Lords down this path, it was Konrad Curze who led the Legion to betray the Empire, it was Konrad Curze who succumbed to his fate and abandoned all his descendants, and now, he is once again reaching out to you like a father as a running dog of the false emperor - why? What qualifications does he have to do this?

Come join us, as you already are. The whispers of enchantment lingered in his mind. The High Heaven will give you everything you have, everything you want but don't have, everything you seek, everything you haven't found yourself seeking, and you will lose nothing. You can abandon everything you hate, you will get the life you dream of, all your confusion about life will be answered, and all you need to do is not answer the call of the puppets sent by the cursed.

The price offered by Chaos was indeed tempting. Dihail Peko tried hard to turn his mind, which was sluggish due to pain, and then he realized in that strange clarity that the reason why the High Heaven promised him these was because they could no longer control him as before.

Why choose such a path full of pain and thorns? Haven't you seen the future filled with lies and deception? Is there anything to hesitate about? The eyes of the fool are always blinded by the curtain in front of them, and you are undoubtedly qualified. Don't respond to him, and then the High Heaven will show you the truth of the whole world.

Dihail Peko clenched the thin thread in his hand amid the whispers of the warp, letting it cut into his skin, lacerate his palms, and gouge off his muscles, leaving his hands almost without skin. An abnormal pain burned in his wounds, and he was forced to recall in his consciousness an incident when he betrayed his companions when he was young. Astartes often lose most of their memories of their past lives during the transformation operation, so Dihail was surprised that he could still remember this incident. Even in this memory, the uneasiness, guilt, and faint fear in his heart at that time were all clearly visible.

——And this is just the beginning.

In the next instant, or in the next millennium, countless similar threads pierced Dihail's body. They cut his physical body with ruthless coldness, leaving him bleeding, and gave him great pain at the level of his soul. He was judged for all the crimes he had committed at the same time, and was also punished for all the evil deeds he had done at the same time. Those thin threads were not meant to lead him back to the right path, but simply to carve all his mistakes into his bones, blood, and even his soul with pain and fear.

Stealing, cheating, betraying, deceiving, forcing, robbing, killing, torturing, and weakness.

Yes, weak.

Dihail Peko was always the weakest one. It was the same when he was at the bottom of the hive, in the gangs, and in the Night Lords warband. When he encountered obstacles, he was always the first to turn back, and when faced with difficulties, he was always the first to run away. He was ridiculed for this, but he survived until now because of this. He never thought it was a sin before, until the painful judgment given by the Father of Genes came, and this was the most unacceptable crime for him. He wanted to struggle and defend himself, but the thin line would not listen to him and did not give him the opportunity.

As long as you say no, all these things you hate will stop. Chaos whispered persistently with a hint of anxiety. Why do you insist? Just nod and we will help you cut these damn threads. There is nothing shameful about this, it's just another escape, no different from the countless times you have done it before. This is not cowardice, but the wisdom of survival, don't you think so?

Give up, give up the pain in front of you. As long as you are willing to open your arms to the highest heaven, you can have everything you want.

For a moment, Dihail Peko almost agreed. But before he made a decision, he looked up at the other side of the filaments again. Conrad Koz's erratic figure was still in the same place, not closer to him, nor farther away from him. In a trance, he felt a kind of dissecting scrutiny, a pair of dark pupils made his eyes pass through him carelessly with a little boredom.

Dihail Peko whimpered in pain, because he realized at that moment that was all he really wanted.

His hands were almost devoid of flesh after being cut by countless fine threads, and the exposed bones were difficult to move because there was no muscle control - if it were in the material world, it would be so, but at this moment, the hands that were only left with bones moved under Di Haier's strong will:

They held on to the threads tighter.

The angry curses and curses in the sky were far away from him, and his whole body and mind were trapped in endless judgment and torture. The pain of near death repeatedly washed over his consciousness, and every time he felt that he was about to be destroyed, those thin threads would once again ruthlessly piece together his soul. He was desperate, he cried, he begged for mercy, he repented, he prayed to those dark eyes, but he got nothing except pain.

He struggled in this ocean of pain for a long time until it began to dawn on him that it would haunt him forever and would not subside. Miraculously, when he realized this, the visions that had forced him to review his sins began to dissipate, and his consciousness and soul began to return to his body. The pain was still there, but it slowly and gradually decreased to a tolerable level.

Dihail Peko finally opened his eyes again in the cabin of Storm's Edge. Fortunately, it was Dihail Peko himself who opened his eyes again.

He soon found himself still lying on the floor, surrounded by the pieces of furniture he had destroyed, with a splitting headache and no part of his body feeling good - especially his hands.

When Dihail Peko lowered his head to look, he realized that there were no substantial wounds on his body, not even on his hands. They might have been injured, but the wounds were not serious. A few minutes were enough for the Astartes' body to heal those wounds, leaving only blood that instantly solidified after coating his palms. But when he moved his fingers, he could still feel a burning sensation from the movement, as if some kind of blade or torture instrument was embedded in his bones and muscles.

Red gloves.

His brain searched for this word in the vague traditions of the Legion. Then, a strong sense of absurdity hit him along with the sudden appearance of this word, and the implied meaning made him feel like he had fallen to the bottom of the valley, and at the same time, he felt like he was floating in the clouds.

The timekeeping on the Storm's Edge maintained a classical tradition, with the chimes of midnight ringing softly in every cabin. Dihail Peko heard hysterical laughter and cries coming from the rooms around him, and he suddenly realized that he was not the only one who had gone through that hellish experience.

A certain obscure sense of connection suddenly emerged in his heart, and he inexplicably knew that Conrad Curze was passing through the corridor where the criminals were held. The Father of Genes walked slowly and hesitantly, as if he was confirming something, and he didn't care that some of his thoughts were also exposed to his descendants because of this connection:

He did not forgive anyone. Forgiveness was not part of his standard. But he allowed them to live.

He recognized his descendants who had survived the journey of judgment, recognized that their existence was meaningful, and recognized that they were eligible for atonement.

Caught between constant pain and an absurd sense of great happiness, Dihail Peko unconsciously joined his brothers' wailing.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 29 Let's thank Merlin and turn the camera away

Ether Configuration·Confirmation——

Subspace Entity·Generation--

Embedding the spirit base · Start-

Ritsuka Fujimaru put on the eyepiece of the Ortnaus Lingji exoskeleton suit.

Orbital airdrop is not skydiving, she needs a full set of equipment for protection - although her "full set of equipment" does not look like it has any reliable protective capabilities, the protective power of magic costumes is often not something that can be seen from the appearance.

What's more, when used by Ritsuka Fujimaru, who can connect to the spiritual portrait records at will with his own "fate", the protective power of the Ortnaus spiritual exoskeleton in actual combat does not only come from itself.

-

Registration No. 85 Karna-

The air pressure and temperature in the cabin changed rapidly, and the dark angel was already carrying out the necessary procedures to open the hatch. The final confirmation had been made, and no outsiders would disturb her from now on.

Fujimaru Ritsuka seized the last opportunity, took a deep breath of the increasingly rarefied air, and then held it - there was almost no atmosphere in low-Earth orbit, and the cosmic environment was close to a vacuum. Things like temperature and cosmic radiation could be solved by the protection provided by the ceremonial outfit, but for the time being, she could only rely on holding her breath to supply oxygen.

The Ortnaus Spiritual Base exoskeleton can indeed be equipped with oxygen tanks and breathing masks, but considering what she is going to do next, she thinks it is safer to rely on herself. Anyway, with the dual reinforcement of magic and the Heroic Spiritual Base, she will not have any problems because of a small matter like not being able to breathe for more than ten minutes.

-

Long time no see, Master. -

The spirit-based exoskeleton spoke to her like this.

-

It seems like a long time, but it also doesn't seem that long... It's really hard to compare the passage of time outside the dimension and between different worlds, but I'm really happy to be able to talk like this again, Karna. -

The "Ortenaus-based Possession Summoning" used by Fujimaru Ritsuka is essentially a substitute for "having to use oneself as the base to summon the spirit-based shadow because the base disappeared", which is not a big deal in principle. However, the summoning location is in another world after all, and she is the only one who can make this technique successful based on the "fate across dimensions" - therefore, it happens once or twice that the Heroic Spirit who knows the cause and effect chooses to project the backup of his consciousness from the seat when he realizes that he is being summoned.

-

I have read the general situation from the operation record of the Lingji exoskeleton. -

Karna's calm and cold voice rang in Fujimaru Ritsuka's mind:

In any case, considering the Master's weak body, please be sure to prohibit the use of the God-killing Spear during the summoning. -

This sounded somewhat like a disparagement or distrust, but Fujimaru Ritsuka, who knew Karna's character and his shortcomings in communicating with others, easily understood that what he really wanted to express was just a little concern.

-

...Wait, why do you think this operation will develop into a situation where that kind of weapon must be used! --

After all, we have had the painful experience last time, so it is not just this time that we are summoning... not just this time... -

Fujimaru Ritsuka wanted to refute, but at this moment, the airlock in front of her had already opened. The pressure difference between the inside and outside of the cabin still existed, causing a strong wind to blow inside and outside the cabin. She did not activate any fixing device, and just let the airflow carry her out of the battleship and fall into the atmosphere along the gravity of the planet.

-

Master, please have a limit to your ambitions. No matter where you want to go, it is still too ill-considered to jump directly from this height. -

Facing Karna's admonition that was close to sarcasm, Fujimaru Ritsuka did not hesitate to start talking nonsense seriously:

-

Is that the word used? And this airborne method is a very common tactic for people of this era. In other words, it is also a way of adapting to local customs. --

...I see, so the average human warriors 40,000 years from now will be warriors of this level...I see...--

So as seniors, we have to show some strength and not let others look down on us! -

Li Xiang suppressed his laughter and suppressed his aching conscience, and continued to talk nonsense:

This time is different from last time. I found a new source of mana (a sucker), so I don't need to think too much about it. I can just squander it! So I'll use the mana to release a super high-altitude orbital descent! ——

Is that okay? --

It doesn't matter. The one on the throne can't give me any support except magic (psychic power), so it's normal to allow me to have whatever I want in this one thing, right? Besides, the consumption of a lone heroic spirit may not be felt at all for his galaxy-level body. Don't think too much, time waits for no one, let's charge together, little sun——-

In this case, I, Karna, will do my best to protect my reputation as a warrior.

Then, a streak of golden-red fire streaked across the night sky of Jestal like a meteor and fell straight towards the direction of the First City.

-

The azure electric light symbolizing psychic energy flashed across the bridge of Storm's Edge, and a tall golden figure took shape in an instant.

Somni held the scepter and cloak that Fujimaru Ritsuka stuffed into his hand, and stood there in a daze, looking a little at a loss as to what to do.

The order received from Fujimaru Ritsuka was clear, and what should be done next was also clear: reconnect the energy supply line to the Triton engine, support it with the vehicle-level circuit that Stormbound itself can provide, pre-charge the Noble Phantasm, and then wait in place until further instructions are received.

He had no doubts or complaints about the orders themselves, and was confident that he could complete them perfectly as always. What made him hesitate was the question that followed:

Noble Phantasm.

Since he was "born", he has never encountered a situation where he needed it, so he has never used his Noble Phantasm.

It's not that he hasn't operated as the Emperor's Vision up to now. In fact, it's something he does almost every day.