Warhammer: I don't want to become a stinky can!

Page 266

Finally, the emperor returned to his original position, staring expressionlessly at the sword.

"Do you know what's going on, Neos?"

The emperor paused for a moment, then silently and slowly shook his head.

Hades raised an eyebrow. Even the Emperor didn't know? This isn't good...

"You don't know either? Or do you know the origin of this sword, its purpose, or something like that?"

The emperor's deep brown eyes calmly gazed at Hades.

"I am not a god, I am not omnipotent, I am not omniscient. You may know more than I do about the fate that this sword is entangled with." Hades.

Hades took a deep breath and scratched his head.

“Okay, I thought you knew something—I never expected a simple check to yield such a big find. I thought it would just be some cult members or some toys or something.”

Hades silently took a few steps forward, staring at the sword. Damn, the obsidian pattern on it looked exactly like a variant of the Barbalus language—or perhaps the Barbalus language itself evolved from it.

The Sword of Nemesis, in the original timeline, came from a civilization that negotiated cooperation with the Moon Wolf—Interles. Interles was a highly advanced human civilization with a brilliant culture, and most importantly, the people of this civilization knew about Chaos and had been fighting against it.

But just as Moonwolf was about to reach a cooperation agreement with this civilization, Erebas stole the civilization's nemesis sword, causing a series of chaos that ultimately led to the breakdown of negotiations between Moonwolf and Interles, forcing the Empire to annihilate the civilization.

Through the manipulation of the Four Gods and Erebas, the sword came into the hands of Governor Devon. The governor, who had already been blessed by Nurgle, took the sword and personally betrayed and stabbed Horus. The powerful corrupting force left Horus on the verge of death, and he was eventually taken into the corrupted temple of the Four Gods by the bewildered Moon wolves while unconscious.

In Horus's storyline, this sword can be seen as representing the beginning of corruption.

Although Horus gradually became irritable and suspicious after becoming the Warmaster, he was at least... loyal.

So what exactly happened? The Sword of Nemesis is now in the Empire's hands. What are the Four Gods thinking? Or did Hades really manage to steal it by accident?

Hades stared at the sword, and he spoke slowly.

"I have two guesses... First, we've really caught a big fish this time."

"And the second kind..."

Hades looked up and returned the gaze to the Emperor, whose eyes were now burning with a calm, golden rage.

“They are provoking us, as a mockery and response to our change of plans—they have received our resistance.”

The emperor gently shook his head.

"Hades, you still don't know these scum."

"Don't be intimidated by these pointless tricks. They have enough time and energy to choose and deploy, and they have enough pieces—this is just one they throw out at random."

"Whether it is or isn't, whether it's intentional or unintentional...none of that matters."

"The only thing that matters is that I will burn down the perfect city, I will proclaim myself a god, I will build the net—paying attention to the tricks on the other side will only lead you into the swamp of their schemes, which they are good at and passionate about."

Hades hissed. Could he say that this was why the Emperor failed in the original story? The Emperor was overly... careless about details.

On the other hand, what the Emperor said seems to make sense. If the four gods keep throwing out pieces from Hades' memories to distract him, they might actually be able to trap Hades.

Hades sighed, realizing he would need to be more adaptable in the future.

“Okay, I understand, Neos.”

Hades waved his hand.

"So what should we do with this sword? Should you burn it?"

The emperor shook his head.

“I can’t burn it; there’s no longer any psionic resonance on it.”

Hades blinked.

"Then you'll have the Imperial Guards take it away?"

"I reject."

The emperor answered decisively.

"Well... we can't just leave this broken sword here! We have to find a way to take it away and destroy it, right?"

The Emperor looked silently at Hades, and then slowly spoke.

"Lord of the Order of Silence, I believe you may take it."

Hades looked at the Emperor in despair and disbelief, as if he had been betrayed.

What would I need this thing for?

"As the master of the Order of Silence, you have a duty to retrieve and preserve these items, Hades. This sword will not harm you now."

Clearly, Hades wouldn't allow his men to draw the sword; he wasn't comfortable doing so, and no one had the immense courage to do it.

Finally, Hades walked to the broken sword with a death-defying spirit. Fragments of the God Emperor's sculpture were scattered all around, and the area was now so dark that almost no light could penetrate.

Hades calmed himself down.

He reached out, gripped the hilt of the broken sword tightly, and pulled hard—

The chains rattled, and as the sword rose, the stone base shattered and crumbled completely, pus oozing out.

Hades turned around, gripping the sword, his expression so calm it looked as if he were about to die.

"So you came here just to say a few words to me, Neos?"

The emperor calmly took a few steps back, raised his hand, and the golden flames instantly burned away the pus.

“I also enlightened my believers—it was necessary.”

"And what about that consecrated lady? Are you planning to appoint her as a bishop or something?"

"She will wake up in her own home and think it was all a dream."

I broke my promise, for the last time.

I will definitely not update next time I say I'm taking leave.

Chapter 319 Luo Jia's Doubts

Since Hades's own beloved ship was still in the Ruster system, the broken sword was temporarily placed in the stasis field of the Black Ship, guarded by layers of soulless beings.

Hades decided to find an opportunity to ask the Figurine King if he would accept the sword. If the Figurine King refused, he would simply throw it into the star.

The Emperor seemed dissatisfied with Hades' arrangement. Although the broken sword had a rather unsavory past, if Hades were to translate the Emperor's words to him, it would be—

Because of the special nature of this broken sword, it can quickly be reattached with new subspace meaning, and even on a physical level, this broken sword is exceptionally sharp.

This further solidified Hades's determination to throw the sword away. "This sword is so good, why don't you want it, Emperor?"

After catching that big fish on the first night, the bustling city of Perfection never again saw a target as large as that night.

Based on the identity of the corpse from that night, Hades successfully uncovered a small cult. The organization had very few members, most of whom were Kolchis and were older.

Through screening, Hades was able to confirm that this was Kolchis, the remnant of the religious forces that had survived from the home planet of Luojia.

As for why the religious remnants of Kolchis appeared in Perfect City... Hades easily discovered, through his control of the planetary governor's access to various data, that these people were mostly low-level followers of the Word Bearers Legion, who later moved to Perfect City.

Several Word Bearers would occasionally communicate with members of the organization. After deciphering the cult's self-created language, Hades undoubtedly saw the name of the Word Bearers' chief pastor—

Erebus.

As Hades's investigation progressed, more and more clues pointed to this name.

Hades was ready to carry out the execution.

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【The Law of Faith】

In recent days, Luo Jia has felt restless, and a sense of unease and depression has gripped him, making it difficult for him to concentrate on prayer.

But it shouldn't have been like this, Luo Jia thought. Their legion was about to shower the glory of the God Emperor upon a civilization without firing a single shot. Just like they had done hundreds of times before, Luo Jia persuaded them to convert.

He should have felt a calm joy at this. He was not a general, nor was he a person who liked blood and fire. If among his many brothers, someone could frankly say that he disliked violence and was not good at war, then that person could only be Luo Jia.

The other brothers were either addicted to violence or ashamed to admit it.

Only Luojia was able to calmly accept this in his heart and feel joy for his own understanding.

But now... a long-standing calm has been broken, an ominous premonition descends, accompanied by a vague sense of powerlessness.

Luo Jia felt uneasy. The Primarch carefully hid this emotion, but there were still people around him who knew him well enough to notice his unease.

On the seventh day after Luo Jia secluded himself in the meditation room, his adoptive father, Colfaren, and the chief priest, Eribas, knocked on the heavy marble door.

A strong, salty smell of blood wafted into their nostrils.

Luo Jia knelt there silently, holding the Book of Sacred Words in one hand and a long whip covered in thorns and barbs in the other. The rough whip hung low, and thick blood dripped from it.

He was draped in a dark reddish-brown linen robe, the rough fabric clinging to his skin, soaked in blood, then dried, then torn apart again.

The Primarch did not turn to look at the two uninvited guests. He held his head high and questioned the emperor's portrait hanging in the center of the room.

Colfalen and Iribas knew exactly what to do in this situation, and they silently and patiently found a spot on the floor where there was no blood to sit down.

The Primarch's high-pitched voice finally stopped. Luo Jia was panting. After a long silence, his breathing became steady again. He stiffly got up and hung the whip back up.

Then he turned around and calmly looked back at the two visitors, his golden eyes like a still lake.

The Primarch sat cross-legged on the ground, holding the Book of Holy Words in his hand.

"It's been seven days, my lord, are you alright?"

Colfaren spoke first, and Luo Jia sensed a father's worry for his son in the old man's words.

I tried to find peace, but... something was about to happen, and my soul was so restless.

"What are you worried about? Under your guidance, the Legion has successfully conquered planet after planet without leaving a trace of blood."

A smile tugged at the corner of Luo Jia's mouth.

[It wasn't just me, Eribas, my chief priest; without you, we wouldn't have fared so well.]

【but,】

Luo Jia gripped the sacred text in his hand; the heavy cover gave him a strange sense of security.

This victory did not bring me peace. I tried to pray, but my faith did not respond; on the contrary… it became… unfamiliar.

Colfalen looked at the Primarch with concern, his voice trembling slightly.

"What...what happened to Him?"

Luo Jia gently shook her head.

Something must have happened to me. I can clearly sense my abnormality, just like back in Colchis, in those dry and deep, boundless nights, when the ignorant boy awoke in terror from his dreams, only to find blood, shimmering with golden light, flowing from his eyes and ears.

Luo Jia looked at Kolfalon. As Luo Jia's adoptive father, Kolfalon could clearly see the pain beneath the calm.

Back then, I took it as a divine prophecy, and I was a chosen believer. I clearly remember how I felt then, and now—they've returned, enveloping me once more.

After Luo Jia finished speaking, she wearily covered her eyes with her hands and wiped her face deeply.

In the brief moment that the Primarch looked away, Colpharon and Eribars stared at each other—they were clearly puzzled by what the Primarch had perceived; according to the gods' instructions, the movement of the stars… should not be at this time.

Had they changed their plans? But out of caution, the two did not place any means of communication with the gods within the Word Bearers' army—they were all carefully placed in corners of the Word Bearers' directly controlled planets.

Finally, Colfaren spoke cautiously.

"My lord, what do you think... this means?"

Luo Jia shook her head.

I am still trying to understand Him, but self-punishment and self-reproach are gradually losing their original effectiveness, and meditation and self-enlightenment are becoming... vague and hazy. It's as if He is...

Luo Jia's voice gradually lowered, and finally he stopped, saying nothing.

A long silence enveloped the blood-soaked room. The flames crackled in the brazier, and the brass instruments of torture gleamed inside. Colfalen and Eribas should have said something; this was how they had guided the Primarch's heart for so long.

But the Primarch's words made them suspicious; they had not received any prior warning... Why did the gods act ahead of time? Or... were the gods not involved at all?

Finally, Irebas pursed his chapped lips and spoke.

“My Lord, you are always worried about whether your actions are right or wrong, but there is no need to question it. We spread the truth according to divine oracle, and the wise gods will reward the believers. This may just be a temporary bad state of yours.”

Luo Jia opened her mouth,

True believers need no praise; truth itself is the greatest gift He gives us. Erebus.

Irebas smiled.