After spending 1,888 consecutive Terra standard hours in the Second Legion's arena, Ahriman finally saw the dim lights in the ship's corridor once again.

For a moment, the son of Magnus even felt a kind of gratitude as if he were away from life, and he stood in the corridor of the battleship where the crowd had gradually dispersed, one hand clutching Barek's outstretched arm, as if he were still immersed in an endless illusion.

“…… What happened to you? Ahriman? ”

Balek, who also belonged to the Thousand Sons Legion, looked Ahriman up and down a little strangely: the commander of the first company of the Thousand Sons Legion did not have any wounds or scars on his body, his palms still exuded new vitality and health, and even his armor was as bright as new.

If it weren't for those grayish-white pupils, anyone would have believed that Ahriman had just undergone adequate rest and maintenance, and was preparing for the battle, just like the Dawnbreakers who smelled the smell of war and scattered from the arena, full of ambition unique to the Great Expedition.

"I ...... I ......"

Ahriman's lips trembled, his trembling hands gripping his fighting brother tightly, and Magnus's heir found himself feeling so secure in another thousand sons as he did now.

"What the hell is going on? Ahriman? ”

Balek blinked, and he couldn't help but use his psionic energy to probe Ahriman's current mental state: it was very good, Ahriman was obviously getting regular and healthy eating, rest, and moderate exercise.

"I ......"

"He's nothing, Balake."

A gentle voice interjected into the conversation between the two Thousand Sons warriors, and Bayar was now fully armed, standing to the side with that almost trademark smile of harmony on his face.

"What can Ahriman do, there are at least three medical teams at all times to protect him at close range, constantly checking his physical health, to put it mildly, he enjoys even better medical treatment and services than the genetic prototype."

The kind smile, the gentle words, and the narrowed eyes exuded a wonderful force field that made Barek question, but he didn't dare to spit out even half a sentence, and after hesitating for a while, in the firm friendship of being a fighting brother, Barek was bold and looked at Ahriman again.

"Are you alright, Ahriman?"

“……”

Bayar's squinting eyes silently moved towards Ahriman, causing the son of Magnus, who had intended to say something, to cough heavily a few times and reveal an encouraging smile that seemed unusually pale.

"I'm fine, Balek."

"I'm in good shape."

"Their reception was kind and I liked it very much."

Balek blinked, he glanced at the silent smile coming from Bayar, and then at the Ahriman in front of him.

Well......

He believed.

But then again, when he saw Bayar before, he always felt that this legendary man with bright eyes had a good temper, worthy of his title of [Kind Knight], how could it be that now, when he saw the smile from Bayar again, and saw Bayar's eyes squinting because of the smile......

How could he feel some kind of awe?

——————

The army assembled.

"All companies and special operations units have been put into combat readiness, and all ships involved in the expedition have completed all maintenance procedures, and the technical priests of Reza have assured that they are capable of handling the most extreme situations."

"The Legion Council has just presented the finalized advance plan, waiting for your approval, and it can be officially issued to each combat company."

"In addition, according to your orders: Avalon is to keep at least five hundred Daybreakers at all times, and the Legion Council has already made a list of those who will remain behind, and since this is your first time personally commanding the Legion, an absence of such a spectacle will cause discontent among those left behind, as Lord Marshall has proposed that he may remain as Avalon's garrison commander to appease these grievances."

[My old knight is as reliable as ever, isn't he? 】

"No one will fail to respect His Excellency Marshall's words, my lord."

[That's true, but I shouldn't have to inch in, no matter how old a knight is, he is a knight after all, I may be able to expect his bearing this time, but I will eventually return to the battlefield with him. 】

[I've seen with my own eyes how other people have made this mistake, so I must not do it again, right, Lana?] 】

"Your wisdom, my lord."

The Chief Old Guard bowed his head: before he knew it, he seemed to have progressed from being a mere personal guard leader to Morgan's acolyte, and a personal representative when necessary.

Morgan rubbed her eyebrows, her brain was once again awake after a period of rest, but the emptiness of the lack of soul storage still needed to be made up for by real food.

[Anything else?] Lana, how is the situation going there in Reza? 】

"The War Magids of Reza are fully prepared to mobilize a large army of mechs and an unknown number of Titans, one of whom will join Lord Luthor's branch fleet at your request."

[Does Luther have any response?] 】

"Lord Luther is very excited, he seems to have rarely worked with the Mechanics and Titans, he has always been amazed at how large and powerful the god's machines are, and he also gets along very well with the Iron Warrior's Dantiok and the generals from Catachan, confident that he can complete all the tasks you have entrusted him."

"If it weren't for you resting, he would even want to swear to you in person that he would clean up those pirate dens within a year and keep the entire Avalon system as safe as possible from any pirates."

[Very confident, but I believe he also has enough power: Luther's ability is rarely seen by anyone, and few people will actually use this power.] 】

[That's unfortunate for a knight, isn't it?] 】

“…… You seem to have a high opinion of Lord Luther's abilities, my lord. ”

Morgan's eyebrows furrowed at the words, and she laughed, turning her head to look at Lana standing beside the Silver Throne until her resolute face quietly lowered.

"I thought you didn't care about these things, Lana. 】

"I'm speechless, sir."

[It's okay, where did we just go, oh, Reza, have you arrived with those things I made from Reza? 】

"Just arrived, my lord."

[It's fast, I thought it would take a long time. 】

"After all, it's one of the largest foundries in the world, and productivity is guaranteed."

Morgan smiled, a simple answer to her guard, and her attention was focused on Reza's production report, satisfied and delighted by the shockingly large numbers on the electronic board, because each number symbolized a huge chip.

Unconsciously, Morgan began to think about a question: how could she use these new chips to exchange the lives of her heirs in the chaos of war?

——————

Overall, the results of the conscription at Avalon did disrupt many of Morgan's plans.

No matter how confident the Spider Empress was in her psionic powers, she knew that she could not replace an entire army, and that the Daybreaker would be one of her most important assets for a long time to come.

And on this basis, no matter how indifferent the Lord of the Second Legion is to his heirs, there is one thing that she has to admit now:

In a short period of time, the Second Army did not have the capital to withstand a painful battle, not even a crushing victory.

The act of using the life of a warrior to open the way like the Iron Warriors is something Morgan must never do.

And even if it is like the plan of the Dark Angel and the Space Wolf that scattered more than 2,000 lives in Duran's void when he captured Duran Star, it seems that now it is a [luxury] that Morgan is not qualified to touch.

At the very least, before her legion returns to a reassuring number, the Spider Empress must avoid great losses of any kind, and must ensure that the rest of the war, if not anything, is exchanged for the lives of her heirs in a little bit, and the war is won with as little bloodshed as possible.

Sounds a bit difficult, doesn't it.

After all, this is a great expedition, and in this age of excitement set off by the Lord of Mankind, even Angels of Death like the Astarte warriors are only precious consumables on the battlefield, and there are too many things more important than their lives to deserve the emperor and the primordials to be dumped like sand, and in those necessary or unnecessary moments, the elite Astarte warriors will be consumed on the battlefield like mortals.

Yes, in the eyes of some bold and generous primitives, even if it is an unnecessary moment, the Astarte warrior can be used as a consumable and die for any factor on the battlefield.

But alas, Morgan could not experience the same boldness and generosity as some primordials for a short time, and she had to hold the only 20,000-odd fighters in her hands, thinking sadly about how to further save their lives and how to use more chips to win.

Luckily, with Morgan's casual chess before and after her return to the Empire, she really had a lot of chips at her disposal: just like the electronic board in her hand, she was originally just communicating with Reza's Technical Sage, in order to stabilize the relationship between the two parties and complete the flash of inspiration in her mind, and she casually put forward her opinion.

But unexpectedly, this thing is now reversed, and it has become a lifesaver for her: then again, the casting world of Reza is more reliable and honest than Morgan imagined.

Thinking of this, Morgan's face, which had become gloomy due to various things, finally had a few hints of brightness, which made Lana, who was secretly observing on the side, breathe a sigh of relief.

Sure enough, in the next second, Morgan stretched out his hand to him.

[Star Chart. 】

Hearing this, Rana hurriedly handed over the star map in his hand, which was the battle plan deduced by the Legion Council after continuous discussion and consultation.

In the shadows he hadn't noticed, the lady-in-waiting of the Lord of the Second Legion had crept into reality from the other side of the throne and picked up her electronic board and pen.

[Tell me about it, Lana.] 】

"Yes, sir."

"Based on the discussions of the Legion Council, we have finally calculated the most efficient route to advance: from Avalon, our fleet will first jump to the Cornwall system, which is the closest system to the Avalon system and has rich mineral resources."

"Given that since our fleet sailed into the Avalon sector, the forces of the sector have been immediately aware of our arrival, and have been sending reconnaissance forces one after another, the Legion Council speculates that we may be blocked in the Cornwall system, and that the enemy who is blocking us is most likely the combined forces of the surrounding alien countries, and according to our intelligence, it may include a small number of Klut and Strysis aliens, while the rest of the alien species have not been recorded by the Empire before, The level of technology they show is not very high. ”

"Referring to the feedback from the Ronin Traders and the various exploration fleets, we can basically come to a conclusion: the most difficult alien in the Avalon Star Region is the Klut family, whose number may exceed one million, which is definitely a huge number for the Kluter Xenomorph."

"In addition to Kluter, at least three exploration fleets have sent back information at different times: in the Thesis system in the Avalon sector, there is a rising green-skinned force that is still in a barbaric state at the time of sighting, but ......"

[But what?] 】

"But during the last exploration, a probe ship was wrecked and crashed in a world controlled by greenskins, because the disparity between the two sides was so great that the exploration fleet had to abandon the ship there."

【……】

[Good, looks like we need to speed things up.] 】

"And the remaining ten alien realms in these sectors are either technologically backward or too weak to pose a real threat to our army, so the Legion Council proposes that if we really encounter the alien coalition in the Cornwall system, we can do it all at once, and then turn around and solve that real problem."

[Gladstone? 】

"Yes, Gladstone, the independent human pocket empire, was one of the original three human forces in the Avalon Star Sector, and the only one of them refused to submit to the Empire, and our envoys were courteous to them, but all offers were neatly rejected."

"The Pocket Empire completely occupies an industrial system, and they have a medium-sized fleet, including eight capital ships that rival the Imperial battleships, and at least sixteen defensive space stations around their home planet, although most of them are in an old state, and the asteroid fortress near Mandeville Point maintains a high level of combat effectiveness."

"But even so, there is a considerable possibility that Gladstone would voluntarily interfere in our actions, and judging by the feedback from our envoys, the House of Nobles, which actually governs Gladstone, seems to regard us as some kind of ...... A very powerful Wandering Legion. ”

[Washner? 】

“…… What? My lord? ”

[No, nothing.] 】

[Judging from their history and worldview, such an inference is unusually reasonable and true?] 】

"Yes."

"Our envoys were unharmed, and the Gladstone took them on a tour of the world's history gallery, which shows how the Gladstone once established supremacy in the sector, and how they bribed and bribed their frontiers from pirates."

"Recently, they have even made it very subtle to our envoys that they are willing to pay a large sum of money to hire us to destroy the nearest Klut Alien World."

"But even so, the Legion Council, after much deliberation, has come to the conclusion that if we do emerge victorious or gain the upper hand in the battle against the Xenomorphs, Gladstone will follow their thousand-year-old tradition and bring their fleet on the side of the Xenomorphs to maintain balance."

[The way of survival of the ancient dynasty: But this kind of road is also precisely the first death knell of decline and even demise. 】

What does the council think? 】

"The Parliament's view is ......"

A beastly light flashed through Lana's pupils, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily hooked up with the next words, and at this moment, no one doubted that he was a real Morgan son.

"Count, count."

"We don't need to use all our strength to defeat the alien coalition, then we can reserve a part of the army in advance to ambush and wait for Gladstone's fleet to take the initiative to leave their galaxy and come to balance our forces with the alien to annihilate their fleet."

[Well, that's good, and then what. 】

After a long absence, a sincere smile appeared on Morgan's face.

"As long as their fleet is destroyed, we will occupy an extremely advantageous position in the next recovery operation, and those asteroid fortresses and space stations that have lost the support of ships are not worth mentioning, and we will soon break through the outer defense line and then launch a landing operation on the home planet of Gladstone."

【…… J&D? 】

"Yes, although there will inevitably be some casualties and costs to be paid for doing so, after repeated deductions and sandbox games, the Legion Council is confident that the casualty figure will be reduced to less than two thousand......"

[Too many.] 】

“…… My lord? ”

[I said, too much, Lana.] 】

[Two thousand, that's too many. 】

[Two hundred dead and wounded are enough to cause great trouble to my spirit, and it seems that you don't understand how precious you are in my heart now. 】

Morgan closed her eyes a little helplessly and pinched her temples, and once again she remembered the pathetic success rate, which made her start to get bored again.

Naturally, she didn't see Lana's lowered head or clenched, trembling fists.

"That'...... Your command, my lord? ”

Lana's voice seemed to tremble.

[Convene the Legion Council...... No, summon the Legion Council and every company commander who will join in this battle, and order them to assemble in the Great Council Hall of my will, and I will go there myself in a little while to explain to you how to conduct this war. 】

"Your will! My lord! ”

Compared to just now, Morgan found that his chief old guard seemed to be much more excited, and he walked out of the throne room with his head held high, and the steady sound of iron boots on the floor could be easily heard from a long distance.

——————

Morgan didn't leave immediately, because she had to meet with another person, a more important subordinate than Lana.

The Lord of the Second Legion closed his eyes for a moment, then waved his hand and motioned for his maid to open a secret door on the side of the throne, and the next moment, a warrior in black armor appeared in front of Morgan.

"Hats off, my lord."

Morgan's Lord of Shadows emerges from the darkness, his armor and glory completely different from that of his battle brothers, a declaration of complete integration into the darkness.

Morgan nodded, her countenance covered in darkness and coldness for a moment, seamlessly transitioning from the somewhat lazy Mother of Genes to an indifferent whisperer, her waist straight, perched on the throne in the most inviolable posture, looking at the dark shadow with a cold gaze, not at all like a mother, but like a silent tyrant who did not smile.

But it was precisely this posture of the monarch that made the body of the Lord of Shadows seem more humble, and in his vision that he did not dare to raise his head privately, a goddess Hekate who used night as a robe and secret as wine, appeared under the cover of a black robe with silver trim, the queen of the night who was strong enough to stand in the darkest secrets, enough to smile faintly after the bloodiest atrocities.

This is how Morgan is in the eyes of these shadow men: it only takes a glance for the Dawnbreakers, who are indulged in the cause of the shadows, to salute their mothers in unison, and to pursue whatever she commands, and the internal divisions that once existed are swept away with Morgan's words.

Home Office: This is Morgan's new code name for these former Fourth Fleet fighters, and they have become the most remote corner of the nascent Legion Council, and it is difficult to remember them unless it is a big scene of the whole army.

But the shadows don't care: all the shadows have been incorporated into the [secret order] directly under her by Morgan, and have become a part of the genoplasm that can be mobilized at will, and those black-armored warriors who ostensibly fight under the command of the Legion Council often have another mission.

This pleased the Shadows more than any honor or status: their genetic protogens saw them as true close people who could share secrets, and what they needed in return was naturally everything they had in return.

[Something. 】

Morgan commanded briefly, her constant focus on the black-armored warrior in front of her, unable to even reveal his name: the Lord of the Second Legion had wanted to ask the former leader of the Fourth Fleet what his name was, and the Lord of Shadows had been impressed by his answer.

"I don't have a name before you, Lord Primordial, I am your Lord of Shadows, or whatever name you have given me, my real name and my life are not worth mentioning, and even if I fall, there will always be a new Lord of Shadows who will answer your call."

Morgan got the answer, which she respected, and since then, she has not asked for the name of the Lord of Shadows, except occasionally scanning his soul to see if he is still the same person.

And it was in all that the Lord of Shadows had turned in that Morgan was truly aware of the potential of her Shadows, and how they had wasted their own.

Therefore, the first order she gave to the shadow troops was to integrate them all into her [secret party] system, and with the wisdom and viciousness of the Spider Empress, she would reforge this blade in the shadows, and the sad and ridiculous pocket empire Glaston would be the first drop of blood splashed on this secret long knife.

[Let's report it.] 】

Morgan took the thick stack of summaries from the Lord of Shadows, and as he flipped through them, he listened to his subordinates' reports: it was a habit of the Spider Queen, and she believed that there was always the slightest difference between what was written on paper and what was spoken, and that difference often led to a myriad of questions and opportunities.

"Your will, my lord."

"In accordance with your orders, the Ministry of the Interior has sent personnel in two groups of missions to Gladstone, including Astarte and the most elite mortal agents, to sabotage, co-opt, threaten and detect important hubs and targets in this world, and all information will be transmitted to the reception room of the Ministry of the Interior through a special communication channel enhanced by psionic energy that you have given you."

"On the other hand, because Gladstone has not experienced war for too long, their vigilance and protection against the outside world is not as high as we thought, and under the cover of the frequent interstellar trade within the system, we have managed to lurk a number of warriors in various corners of Gladstone, and they have sent back the complete defense blueprints of Gladstone's home planet."

"Detailed maps of the industrial center and the main hives, the quarters of each major land legion and the surroundings of the forts, the internal structure of the world's airport, the area where all the world's Void Shield generators are located, and some of the hidden bunkers and weapons storage warehouses, in addition, in accordance with your orders, we have also collected the location of all the air defense interception command centers and power sources of the air defense fire network throughout Gladstone, which can be harassed and destroyed at any time."

"With our help, some of our mortal agents have also taken the place of some of the middle management figures in Gladstone's ruling class, and they have sent back an overview of Gladstone's world political system, the state of each army corps, and the state of each sector."

"It is worth noting that Mother, although Gladstone's naval fleet and Void Station already have serious problems such as financial corruption and aging equipment, their army has been well maintained and strengthened due to the unstable political situation, and they are equipped with a large number of super heavy war engines, and even have some kind of battle mech and genetically enhanced warriors."

"However, because there is serious political internal friction in this world, the battle mechs and genetically enhanced warriors are usually closely guarded, and they need to be opened by several rival families before they can be used, and according to the information we have found, their combat effectiveness is very considerable, and they can even cause a lot of damage to Astarte warriors."

The Lord of Shadows' report was like the shadow he occupied, exuding a different kind of coldness and rationality, and Morgan listened to his report as she flipped through the papers stained with the blood of dozens of mortal agents, and in her churning mind, a plan that had already taken shape was constantly gnawing at the details and intelligence it needed to expand itself into a real strategic plan.

What do you think of this opponent, my Lord of Shadows? 】

"A twilight, weak, but still partially powerful beast, it will pay a great price to provoke it from the wrong angle, but if we choose the right direction, it only takes a few drops of blood and a little strength to knock it to the ground."

[Correct description, I think this is also your desire.] 】

“…… Yes, my lord. ”

At last, the Lord of Shadows rayed out of his darkness, a flash of light that flashed under his eyes.

"Your shadow can solve this problem for you, and with only a part of the auxiliary force as a cover, we can bring the world to you almost bloodlessly, through the fragile political system of the world itself, and a series of points exposed by the long-term comfort: if you want to be faster, then we can subvert, and if you are more focused on results, we can also evolve."

"Reconnaissance, intelligence, sabotage, co-optation, subversion, evolution...... Even the last resort assassination and purge, we can do it on our own, we are not the assassins who are proficient in the shadows, we can do more for you. ”

I know, Lord of my shadows. 】

[I've always known that. 】

Morgan smiled, and she slowly stepped down from her throne, came to the shadows, and solemnly put away the report.

I care about you, but I care more about another thing, my Lord of Shadows. 】

[Legion, my legion.] 】

"You're a part of it, aren't you?" 】

Do not pluck yourselves out, it will only be a false example, for the same division will naturally occur within you: agree with your own ideas, reject the ideas of others, and be so incompatible that you cannot go along, will this pain happen again? 】

[No, Lord of My Shadows. 】

[I don't allow it. 】

[I don't allow you to see yourselves as the successors of the fleets, I don't allow you to be full of longings to fight alone, you must learn to unite, you must learn to stand on the same front again. 】

[You must learn the mystery of multi-arm cooperation and three-dimensional combat, and you must learn to share the taste of responsibility and burden with your combat brothers, the former legion lacked authority and orders, so that the joint operation that could have been done in one go has become a separate stage performance for each group to show off its ability, and the entire legion has almost fallen into the abyss. 】

[But now, it won't.] 】

[In this deplorable enemy, in this pocket empire weakened by long comforts and political means, I will bring you back together, and I will show you the beauty of unity. 】

Each of you will be given the opportunity to perform in this war, just as you, my Lord of Shadows, are halfway through your performance, and you will use the remaining half to tell your ignorant fighting brothers. 】

[It was over before a war broke out.] 】

Next, as our fleet sails to Gladstone, and as I make up for some of my fatigue in naval battles with aliens, we will shed blood on those foolish enemies, and in the midst of these blood and victories, you will be reborn and will learn my thoughts. 】

[Reborn as my warrior, reborn as my Dawnbreaker.] 】

【……】

Of course, I don't expect all of you to come to your senses in a battle and become what I want to be, but who told me that I am now only you? 】

[One game is not enough, then two, three or even four. 】

[Let more enemies bleed, let more worlds burn, until you finally become what I want you to be, until you finally comprehend my words and thoughts. 】

[That's it.] 】

Let them bleed. 】

[At least, at this moment, in my heart, the worlds that have burned out, or are about to burn out, the whole world. 】

Not as good as any of you. 】

Push the book, push the book again

"40k: Midnight Blade" is a very good quality book! There's a lot to be done! It's the big guy who can shoot me to death!

(End of chapter)