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

This was already the third hour they had been stationed at the Tyros Cathedral. After the Stormbound landed in the atrium garden of the cathedral, reinforcements from space finally arrived at Tyros City. The Plague Warriors' offensive had indeed intensified during the absence of Fujimaru Ritsuka for most of the day, but the defense line built by the Dark Angels on the Lion's Mane in collaboration with the local garrison was very solid, and it was even more powerful after the reinforcements arrived. Three hours later, a fierce offensive and defensive battle came to an end, and the hero Felix took over the command, so Lanmaroc and Aphpa, who were replaced from the defense line, finally met the people who threw them on this battlefield again after a strict disinfection procedure.

But the Ever-Victorious Army testified that during these three hours, Fujimaru Ritsuka did not do nothing: she first met with the high-ranking nun Iolanthe who heard the news, thanked the sisters of the nun for their heroic fight, and inspired the people of Tyros with her firm faith, hoping that they could continue to maintain order among the civilians in the city:

- Specifically, it is to organize the people who are gradually becoming fanatical after realizing the miracles, and persuade them to use milder means such as painting, chanting, praying, etc. instead of "martyrdom" with self-mutilation to prove their loyalty and reverence to the God-Emperor they worship.

In the process, she cited a large number of state religious scriptures to prove that "the Emperor will not be happy to see his people shed unnecessary blood in front of the enemy", and said that the plague warriors are facing a powerful enemy, and she is very worried that someone will use the name of religion to not treat the open wounds, which will eventually give rampant plagues and chaos an opportunity to take advantage. The Emperor's grace here is already a miracle, and we really shouldn't let down our guard because of his gift.

After hearing this, Iolanth agreed with it and immediately turned around and led her sisters to work in high spirits. Then, the representative of the temporary infirmary, a man in black clothes, holding a snake staff and wearing a bird-beak mask, appeared surrounded by several medical nuns.

The Ever-Victorious Army didn't quite understand this part, but they guessed that this male medical officer named Asclepius had obviously known Fujimaru Ritsuka for a long time. The conversation between the two was progressing rapidly in an efficient but obviously lacking in courtesy, with many technical terms that outsiders couldn't understand. In short, the focus of this part of the conversation was some medical materials that the Ultramarines had never heard of. There was a certain amount of inventory on the Stormbound, but it was not enough to cope with such an intense battlefield, so it was still necessary to find a suitable substitute as soon as possible.

During this part of the conversation, they also learned the number of wounded admitted to the infirmary, and used this to estimate the approximate casualty ratio on the battlefield front - it was much better than the number that the Ultramarines silently guessed in their hearts, but Fujimaru Ritsuka still showed a melancholy expression.

"Okay, this is a war." Asclepius said to Fujimaru Ritsuka before leaving, "I will try my best to treat all the wounded, but I can only do the wounded. There will always be casualties in war, so just do your best to do what you can."

It's hard to say whether this sentence is comforting, but Fujimaru Ritsuka seems to be comforted. Asclepius then took several medical sisters to move things on the Storm Boundary. Fujimaru Ritsuka, who should have been temporarily free, was caught off guard by the sudden attack of the war apostle Mathieu.

Sicarius dared to bet his long list of titles that Mathieu came here without anyone's approval. God knows what kind of nonsense he said to deceive the people, and the battle sisters guarding the door were willing to let him in.

The War Apostle's fanaticism here was even more than that of the Battle Sisters, and it also annoyed the rational Ultramarines. Fujimaru Ritsuka was indeed frightened by him, but only in the first few minutes. After they got to know each other (or rather, Mathieu introduced himself unilaterally), she was able to fully accept his fanatical attitude and could talk to him naturally.

She said that she was very happy to see the war apostle appointed by the Primarch, and that his arrival happened to solve her urgent needs. This must be the guidance of the Emperor. While Mathieu was overjoyed, she repeated what she had just said to Iolanth: "The Emperor will not be happy to see his people shed unnecessary blood in front of the enemy" to the priest in front of her. Finally, she said: It is good for the people to worship the Emperor, but she is afraid that not everyone can understand the real reason why the Sisters of Battle prevented them from martyrdom. The sisters' reverence for the Emperor is unquestionable, and they are also proficient in how to treat the enemy on the battlefield, but she is a little worried about whether they can properly guide the Emperor's flock. There is no doubt that a true shepherd is needed here to preach and preach, so as to guide the people's reverence in the right direction.

Mathieu was overjoyed when he left, and the Ever-Victorious Army was amazed at the scene. They now had no doubt that even if Fujimaru Ritsuka did not have so many titles that were said to be bestowed by the Emperor, as long as she mastered some necessary knowledge, she could become a very capable internal affairs manager: think about it, she could even deal with the Night Lords and the Apostles of War, so what operational scheduling problems could she not handle?

After that, things returned to the scene at the beginning: Ranmalok, who arrived late, was very dissatisfied with the existence of other security forces around Fujimaru Ritsuka. He seemed to think that if that was his mission at the beginning of the whole thing, then it should be his mission during the whole process.

The inexplicably angry Dark Angel almost overturned the precarious water bowl between the three legions (chapter), and Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately reached out to straighten it, and then spent three minutes to explain the pros and cons to Lanmarok, hoping that he could carry forward his style and put the overall situation first, and advance and retreat together with the other Dark Angel brothers on the Lion's Mane on the battlefield. After he reluctantly agreed, Fujimaru Ritsuka finally saw the battlefield situation map that she had actually wanted to find when she first landed.

"...I remember I emphasized that this was a defensive battle." She said this in a confused tone, "Captain Afpa, why has the area occupied by the Empire expanded?"

"If it weren't for the limitation of the disinfection and purification work, it could have been even bigger." The captain of the Dreadwing, Zaentik Aphpa, said with regret, "The virus and filth on the Plague Warriors are indeed difficult to deal with, but in actual combat, I feel I am not as good as Randan."

Miu (no more)

I really don't know how to fight. I can only say that I tried my best. You can just take a look at the formation plan and other things afterwards... (er, I died immediately.jpg)

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 95 What Happens in a Dirty Room

In the time zone on the Endurance, countless clocks, covered by warm and humid mycelium, overlooked everything that was happening in the room with their dirty dials.

The central clock stood still, its pendulum - Mortarion's scythe - disappeared from its original position, and was held in the hand of its owner, the Daemon Primarch himself, so that the hands on the clock face were still. In fact, the hands on the dials of countless clocks placed and hung in the room were also still, as if even time itself had stopped in this dull and stagnant room.

The black mycelium covered Mortarion's body, piercing his skin and eyes. He tolerated this because these strange creations, called "mycelium of despair", provided a sickening miracle, allowing him to communicate directly with the leaders of other armies over great distances. But Mortarion did not like this, in any sense of the word.

- Whether it is allowing these creations of the subspace to cover their own bodies, or having direct conversations with the "leaders of other forces."

"I think the rumor from the Lord of Change is true." In front of Mortarion, a fungus mass that emerged in the shape of Typhons, like a lifelike bust, made such a voice. "The Cursed One really promoted a mortal pioneer. His actual influence in the real universe will be expanded because of this."

"So what?" Mortarion was not surprised by the malice in his tone. "We all noticed what happened in Tyros, but it will never have the greatest impact on the whole plan. My brother came to Parmenio faster than I expected. The aether storm I had stirred up in the Warp was calmed by the light, opening a straight path for his fleet. He was obviously blessed by the thrice-accursed Emperor. The vision in Tyros only proved that my guess was correct."

The statue of Typhons winced inconspicuously, then spoke, with an annoyingly patient correction: "We should not speak of His name, but rather call Him 'the Accursed.'"

"Does a change in name change the essence of things?" Mortarion sneered dissatisfiedly, "If this is the case, then the loving father would have included the entire universe in his garden long ago."

"You should be more respectful." Typhons also showed dissatisfaction, but it was still a mild dissatisfaction, like an adult patiently persuading a child who was throwing a tantrum. "Father Nurgle is omnipresent. He knows everything you do because He is everything. He will know your disrespectful behavior. Although He is always tolerant, this tolerance is limited. You are trying to cross the bottom line He set for children."

"Then he can tell me himself that he is unhappy about it," Mortarion said grimly. "So far, no emissary, Great Unclean One, or anything else has spoken out against my attitude, except you."

The bust of Typhons looked disappointed, and sighed deeply into the hot, stinking air, as if he had finally given up on arguing with a child who was not making sense: "Maybe one day in the future, you will realize that I am right. But if that day comes, it will be too late."

"You still have to complete your work before that day comes." Mortarion was already quite unhappy that the topic had been diverted for so long. "Can you capture Galatan Star Fortress within the specified time?"

"Don't you understand? Star fortresses and fleets are no longer important!" Typhons' tone finally took on annoyance, "Even whether we can expand our father's garden is not so important! Your brother, Robert Guilliman, is not important either!"

These words undoubtedly seriously angered Mortarion. Pale yellow smoke spewed out from the air port of his respirator and quickly enveloped his entire face: "Are you trying to say that all our previous plans are no longer important?"

"Yes, it doesn't matter!" Typhons said loudly, that rumbling, unhealthy sound was like a cough with phlegm, "What matters is the puppet of the cursed one! If He has really accumulated enough power and obtained a channel to interfere with reality, then everything will change because of it - and the thing that the kind father hates most is change! The most important thing is to find the puppet and destroy it, to ensure that the cursed one can no longer use it to interfere with reality!"

"Then the plan will not change." Mortarion said coldly and bored. "My sons have indeed encountered some resistance due to the unexpected changes in Tyros, but this cannot really stop us. I have asked Kugath to put aside his work temporarily and reinforce the battlefield on Parmenio. When we raze the city to the ground, whatever caused the vision will be equally included in the garden of the kind father. And your job is still to find a way to hinder my brother's fleet and seize his star fortress. Our fleet will soon be very strong, and I don't see any possibility of failure in the task I have given you."

"I will not act according to your orders, Mortarion. I have received instructions from a higher power." Typhons said patiently, "As you said, our fleet will soon be very strong. The Third and Fourth Plague Fleets will continue to carry out these tasks as pioneers, but I and the First Plague Fleet will not. I and these glorious warriors will join Parmenio on the ground battlefield, because a representative of a god in the mortal world can only be fought by another representative of another god in the mortal world."

"You have deserted your post," Mortarion said. "If there were such instructions, why have I never heard of them? Why have no messengers come to convey the Father's will to me?"

"It needs no messenger, Mortarion. It is a premonition, a sudden impulse, something you would have noticed had you listened carefully to the ripples in the Warp. But you would not listen." Typhons' tone was sickeningly close to a familiar reproach, and it made Mortarion feel sick. "I am not here as your gene-son or your First Captain, but as a mortal forerunner of Nurgle the Father. Whatever He bids me do, I shall do, for He is my God."

"But I am your Primarch! It was I who gave you this status!"

"Indeed, but unfortunately, that's all." Typhons' voice gradually faded away. "Also, don't forget, maybe my position in the legion was granted by you, but everything you have now - your glory, the promotion you have received, was given to you by me -"

"Pfft".

The psychic vibrations naturally generated by the destruction of the ritual reverberated in the time sequence, and countless fragile dials creaked. Mortarion struggled out of the black mycelium, and the scythe in his hand instantly split the fungal mass in the shape of Typhon in front of him into two. The cry of pain faintly echoing in the warp indicated that the phantom pain caused by this action had indeed spread to his body in reality through the conduction of sorcery. This made Mortarion feel a fleeting twisted pleasure.

The fungus that seemed to be solid quickly turned into slime and dissipated. The Lord of the Death Guard stood there quietly in anger. After a while, he sneered in the swirling smoke and said, "Let him go."

Ten thousand years later, the military power of the Empire was split into countless small battle groups by a piece of "Codex" by Roboute Guilliman, but his Death Guard remained a legion even after entering the warp. As mentioned before, his fleet was very powerful, and he believed that his descendants did not need Typhons' leadership to complete the combat missions he assigned.

As for Typhons, let him be. May he crash into the defense of Tyros and die.

But Typhons' last words still echoed in his ears: glory, promotion. This made Mortarion sneer unconsciously.

——He had never personally experienced the meaning of these two words in his life.

Meow meow... (six o'clock)

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 96: There are two E God Picks on the field!

Digris had to admit that he had actually been a little distracted during this period of the mission.

Specifically, after discovering that Fujimaru Ritsuka had simply taken root in the Tyros Cathedral, used the lobby as her office, and began to carry out overall planning work for several hours in a row, his attention was no longer entirely on her, the target who "needed to be monitored at all times."

As an extreme warrior who has more or less inherited the abilities or specialties of his genetic father, as long as the situation doesn't change drastically, it won't really delay anything if he concentrates on doing two things at once... right?

He had indeed been monitoring the psychic fluctuations of Fujimaru Ritsuka, but after entering the church, he soon discovered that this had suddenly become more difficult than he had originally thought - the interior of the Tyros Cathedral gave him a feeling that something was not right.

Although the use of some non-physical technology to expand the interior of the Storm Edge also gave him a feeling that something was not right, the two kinds of wrongness were still different. Diglis originally wanted to ask Fujimaru Ritsuka what was going on, but he soon found that if he wanted to express this "not right" to someone who was not a psychic, words alone would be too pale.

Then he noticed Kaelia, a little girl who was said to be a local, who also got off the Storm Boundary and stopped in the preaching hall of Tyros Cathedral. She was wearing a simple but soft skirt, sitting on a bench in the front row, looking dazed.

He noticed that when the girl seemed to be in a daze, there were some subtle fluctuations in her spiritual energy.

Before actually meeting Caelia, Digris had been told that this girl was a psychic, and extremely rare, and had a very good psychic compatibility with the Emperor. He originally thought that this was just an explanation for "why the Chaldean ship had recruited a girl from Parmenio", and with Fujimaru Ritsuka's authority, she did have the power to do so, so he didn't think much about it. But until now, he finally vaguely realized what this "very good psychic compatibility with the Emperor" meant.

This slight fluctuation of psychic energy gave people a feeling very similar to the time when Fujimaru Ritsuka used psychic energy to throw the cushion during the meeting.

In a sense, Kellya and Fujimaru Ritsuka are of the same kind. Diglis realized this.

He turned his attention to the latter again, and found that she was listening to the Dark Angels' description of a new type of Chaos fortification in the form of mobile wooden towers that had appeared on the battlefield, and this situation did not seem to change in the short term. He then turned his eyes to Kaelia again, but found that the girl was also looking at him.

"Do you want to talk?" She shrank on the bench, looking a little restrained, but still asked in a low voice.

This made Digrist pause. The Librarian did have this intention, but he was sure that he had not yet shown it to the public. At the moment of being asked, he felt as if he had been completely seen through for the first time in a long time - apart from his Primarch, he had never felt this way about anything else.

It took Diglis less than half a second to think of these things, so in the eyes of others, he immediately replied in the same low voice: "Yes, but I also don't want to make you nervous. But if you think it's okay, I do want to talk to you."

The girl seemed to become more reserved because of these words, but the feeling of being seen through appeared again.

"You don't have to take care of me too much. Many people have asked me questions before." The girl said awkwardly, "Besides, I can actually know what others are thinking. My sister said that this is not a good thing sometimes, but I can't stop."

Diglis had to think for a while before he realized that the "sister" the girl was referring to was Fujimaru Ritsuka. To be honest, if you put aside all the premises and just judge by appearance, more than half of the people would think that the taller and stronger Kailia is the older one.

"This is indeed unusual, but it is very common for a puberty, newly awakened psychic." Digris said softly to comfort him.

This may mean that Kaelia's future talent will be more reflected in telepathy spells. He should have thought more about this, but he decided to control himself and not think about more things that might make the girl feel stressed. For a think tank director, controlling one's own thoughts is the most basic of the basics, so he did it easily.

"When did you discover this ability of yours? Perhaps I can help you." Digris asked softly.

"...I don't know. I can't remember clearly. My memory was very vague for a while. I don't know how many days passed in between." The girl who really felt Diglis's kindness gradually relaxed a little. "I have felt it since 'he' came here."

"'Him,'" Diglis repeated with some alarm, and the girl simply stretched out her hand and pointed obscurely upward and behind him.

The think tank director turned around vigilantly and even prepared for a fight, but whether he looked physically or used psychic power to detect, there was nothing in that direction.

"'He' is here." The girl pulled her feet back onto the bench, hugged her knees, and curled up. "But 'he' is not paying attention here. 'He' is looking at somewhere farther away."

After a few seconds of confusion and bewilderment, Diglis realized that Caelia wasn't referring to some physical, or Warp-like being that had come here. She was pointing to the building itself.

Looking in her direction, she was facing a magnificent work of art that the believers listening to the sermon in the church could not ignore: a standing statue of the emperor embedded in the wall, complementing the tall and empty building itself, made of exquisite materials and beautifully carved, and shining under the colorful light that penetrated through the precisely calculated painted windows around it.

Digoris was the Chief Librarian of the Ultramarines Chapter. Like his brothers, he believed that the Emperor was a great man rather than a god. But at this moment, he was a little unsure.

During various missions, he had been in and out of various state churches for various reasons. He had seen many churches that mainly worshipped the Emperor's statues. Regardless of which certified Emperor's appearance the sculptures themselves took, the heads of these statues almost always nodded slightly, so that the Emperor's eyes could majestically overlook the entire preaching hall or hall. This was almost an unwritten rule that was tacitly accepted. All the churches that Digris had seen were like this without exception, but this one was not like this:

The Emperor here is looking up into the distance, his eyes are sharp, as if he is penetrating the outer walls of the church and the many towers in the city, looking at the distant battlefield outside. In theory, an ordinary statue should not give people such a strong and clear feeling, but -

——Diglis realized that the reason why the statue had “bright eyes” was not due to the sculptor’s excellent skills, nor was it due to some exquisite and peculiar optical components, but because they were indeed emitting spiritual golden light.

Miu (no more)

Although the title is called this, I'm really not a card player, I'm just joking (bad luck).

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 97 Big Brother's Golden Throne, the rest stand aside

"You lied to me!" Kugax cried sadly.

The moment he arrived on the surface of the planet Parmenio through the sacrifice of the Mortal Nurgle Cult, the Plague Father had already felt that the touch of the Warp had become weaker, and the rules of the material world had become stronger, making him feel that he could not comfortably draw energy for the spells he needed, and even had to be cautious to maintain his own existence.

But Mortarion still stood in front of him calmly, as if nothing unexpected had happened: "There were some complications in the plan. I came across a city on the western end of this continent that cannot be conquered. It has a kind of protection."

"So the rumor is true, you lied to me!" Kugath screamed in horror, "The Cursed One really has a suitable puppet! It was the power He personally sent to stop you!"

"Perhaps so, but will that really affect our plans much?" Mortarion coaxed. "Parmenio is the stage for the second act of Guilliman's fall. I have prayed to our loving father, asking for his aid. The omens are good. I am being watched."

"Do you think more assistance is needed here? I have brought almost all the demon hosts from Yax and Perstio - at your request." Kugath said in disbelief, "No more. Although there are armies seven times larger than the Incomparable in the Garden of the Kind Father, the subspace energy here can no longer support the appearance of more demonic troops."

"So, the one who is coming will be my offspring." The demon primarch reversed the facts without any guilt. "Typhons - although I don't like him - as the emissary of the benevolent father Nurgle in the mortal world, will deal with the puppets of the damned with his soldiers."

Kugath may have believed this statement, or he may not have believed it, but at least on the surface, a false joy reappeared on his diseased, swollen and pus-filled face. The Father of Plague always hated everything around him, which was inconsistent with the tone advocated in the Garden of Mercy, so he always used this false joy to hide his true thoughts:

"That's great. This good news is a great relief to me." He patted his huge but loose belly gently to expel the foul miasma from his intestines. "When will Typhons and his troops arrive? Should we wait for him?"

Although he had first mentioned Typhons, Kugath's last words still made Mortarion feel a wave of annoyance. "I'm not sure. You know our relationship has never been good. But until he actually arrives, we should keep attacking."

Ku'gath showed a hint of hesitation and fear. Such subtle changes in the face of a Great Unclean One were always difficult to detect for various reasons, but Mortarion was sure he had caught it.

"Don't make things so complicated." The demon primarch said hypocritically, "The omen is good, and the numbers point to a bright future. The difficulty is only in the current stage. The plan will eventually be successfully implemented - I will successfully capture my brother. Don't you want to see your plague finally completed?"

—but there were no signs at all, and his numbers gave only an extremely vague, mixed answer.

"You're lying to me." Seeing through it all, Kugath muttered firmly, but he still turned his attention to the gate opened by the sacrifice so that all his troops could pass through.

-

"The Emperor is not a god," said Diglis.

"Yes, so the 'Temple' is just called the 'Temple'. Don't think about its meaning, just think of it as a name for the level of the 'Magic Workshop'." Fujimaru Ritsuka replied, "Just like the 'Emperor-class Titan' is not an emperor in essence, but the name of this level of Titan is defined as 'Emperor-class'."

After Lanmarok and Captain Afpa returned to the defense line, the layout of the preaching hall in the Tyros Cathedral changed slightly: the benches in the front row on the left were moved back slightly, and several special writing desks commonly seen in the scriptorium were added in front. Nearby, calming incense was burned, and Kaelia and two selected combat sisters with recognized strong faith sat behind the writing desks, quietly copying excerpts from the "Sacred Word" on fine parchment with quills and ink.

——From a magician's perspective, Debbie gave many practical suggestions to the national religion amulet that Fujimaru Ritsuka was trying to make. What is being done here is the trial production of one of the improved versions.

"In short, think of the 'Magic Workshop' as a defensive structure that contains a variety of spells." Fujimaru Ritsuka explained to Diglis, "Generally, a workshop can only protect the building itself and its interior, and at the same time it can provide certain benefits and enhancements to the spells cast by the workshop owner. In fact, under normal circumstances, I would say it is better to simply set up two lumberjacks at the door. But at the level of a 'temple', all of the above functions will be enhanced to a very exaggerated level."

Diglis looked at the three figures copying in the candlelight, thinking deeply.

For the Imperials, "copying scriptures" is still a very serious matter. Although Kaelia received formal education in a grammar school and had no problem with general reading and writing, she was still very alert when facing the "Sacred Words". She had to carefully check the original text again and again before writing, to ensure that she would not copy even a single letter wrong. This made her copying speed very slow, but - counterintuitively, the other two battle sisters were slower than her.

Logically speaking, even the combat sisters had subjects to learn scriptures in their earliest training. Although they were certainly not as good as the priests, they could not have not done similar exercises intensively when they were young, so their efficiency should not be so low. But they had to pause almost every time they wrote a letter, and it was obvious that they felt pain because of it.

"They are channeling the Emperor's psychic energy," Diglis judged.

"Yes." Fujimaru Ritsuka agreed. "Originally this was almost impossible, but the environment of the 'Temple' itself lowers the threshold for this behavior. Not to mention that this could have been done in the first place, with most of the passages in Kaelia temporarily blocked, even the combat nuns without psychic qualifications can rely on their firm beliefs and certain ritualistic behaviors to perform such a delicate operation - of course, it will still be very uncomfortable. I originally thought that if this kind of pain remained at a level that ordinary people could bear, I would use this to find something for the fanatics outside to do. But now it seems that this is not going to work."

Diglis could see this, but the nuns themselves apparently didn't care for the excessive pain.

"What if a psyker were to do this?" he asked.

"It's not impossible, but the effect won't necessarily be better, and the process will most likely be more torturous." Fujimaru Ritsuka replied, "In theory, the more powerful a psychic is, the harder it is to do this, because everyone has their own habits of using psychic energy, and the Emperor's psychic energy will undoubtedly operate in the Emperor's habits, and it's very strong. It's very difficult to coordinate the operating modes of the two and then save the spells precisely on paper, unless you cultivate from scratch like Kaelia did."