Here she comes.

His blood relatives are coming.

It was a little faster than he expected, but it was still within the expected range.

Midnight Spirits wandered in the darkness like a broken wing from a black vulture, carried by a vicious wind, and drifted into a distance beyond anyone's comprehension.

He leaned over the small realm illuminated by the only dim sconces, and concentrated in absolute silence and dead silence on his way to his destination, the kilometre-long filthy tunnel deserted by no one except him, and the last of the occupants had hastily moved away a few hours earlier, leaving behind a mess of silence.

Midnight Ghost loved the silence, especially when he realized that it was not just a lie from the outside world that had been transmitted to his senses, but also the result of a temporary rest of the illusion in his mind that had never subsided: his brain was now silent, a weeping silence.

It had been a long time since he had been so awake: the visions that had plagued him for so long had quietly disappeared from his mind, and though it was destined to be a temporary ebb tide, it was enough to make the Midnight Wraith smile with a terrible heartfelt smile.

The smile in the darkness is like that of the god of the dead in any kind of ancient mythology.

The Midnight Ghost knew the reason for this wonderful state of affairs: all along, when he was trying to think about something, the illusion in his mind would brutally project the future of the matter before his eyes, making all his thoughts ridiculously useless

This has only changed twice so far: the first time was when the father of his genes placed his palm on his shoulder, the icy light causing the mirage to flee in a scream of despair, and the rising golden sun temporarily obscured everything with its dazzling eyes, and ruthlessly proclaimed the omnipotence of the emperor.

And the second change was not long ago, when he was leaning against the wall of his brand new lair, shoving the hundredth rodent jerky into his mouth and pondering the future of his silver-haired blood kin, when some kind of slow discovery flashed through the Midnight Spirit's mind, and he couldn't help but be stunned.

Midnight Ghost couldn't see any future for his silver-haired blood kin, all he could see was the betrayal, destruction, and loss that should have happened, not anything about the Lord of the Second Legion at any point in time from now on, so as he thought about Morgan over and over again, he was surprised to find that the more energy he put into it, the illusion in front of him disappeared unconsciously.

It sounded like a no-brainer: after all, Coates couldn't find Morgan's future, and he couldn't let the new visions torment Midnight Ghost's mind repeatedly, and the fragment that recorded the original fate of the Spider Queen was just a part of the past, a normal memory, and certainly couldn't be repeated in Midnight Ghost's mind as part of the future.

When Coz noticed this, he smiled.

Although Midnight Ghost was well aware that this was an unreasonable mistake, a special circumstance that did not constitute any truth, and did not improve his current situation in the slightest, it did not prevent him from savoring the brief silence and silence, and began to plan an unforgettable interaction with his silver-haired blood relatives.

A completely unknown interaction.

An interaction that is no longer dominated by his prophecies and future visions, but with real danger and possibility, no one knows what will happen.

It can be a contact, a meeting, a hunt, a fight.

Even......

It can be a trial.

Judge her hypocrisy, judge her stolen life, judge her subtle means of concealing everyone, let the truth be revealed in the darkness, let the lies be shattered in fear, regather every drop of blood of fate in its right place, let that abominable fate flow again: no one can escape.

Or, it could also solve another question in his mind, a question that was burning his mind, and he longed for the answer to that question, which was important to him.

It's worth his trouble.

It's worth his blood.

……

That's exciting, isn't it?

The corners of his mouth grinned all the way to the sharp earlobes, revealing the rugged yellow tartar of his pale lips, and the Midnight Wraith made its way through the depths of darkness and bleak light like a blood-eater in a village myth, searching for the sound of his enchanting riding boots and calculating the distance between them.

Eventually, Coates arrived at the meeting place he had carefully chosen, a junction of roads, the very end of the main road on the bottom deck, a crossroads in the darkness, with its obscured doors, dusty ventilation ducts, and trails leading into unknown darkness, a place that even reminded Midnight Ghost of all the directions he could capture as he looked down on Nostramo.

He liked it, and he chose it: on this strange battleship, there was nothing like a complex labyrinth in the darkness that would bring Midnight Wraith back to what he had felt when he was in Nostramo, and he was sure he wouldn't lose to anyone here.

And so, Koz crouched down, like the monstrous stone beasts at the top of the spire of Nostramo, quietly waiting for the sound of riding boots to approach, the stench of the ventilation ducts enveloping the cold, making his filthy robes hunt with it, and occasionally revealing the sharp claws of his slender arms.

He could already smell blood.

Midnight Ghost knew that this time, it wasn't a ridiculous hallucination.

——————

After a long absence, the Lord of the Second Legion was fully armed.

Morgan held her black-blue double-edged axe in her hand, she was donned in the armor of the Lord of the Dragon, and her lower body was protected by a long steel dress made by his own hands, while [Steno] and [Eury Ellie] devoured her hands and forearms, providing a terrifying tenacity that no armor could match, they were as thin as a layer of white paper, and even each of Morgan's nails could be clearly reflected.

Even overhead, an invisible layer of light appeared between the back of the genetic body's head and earlobes, making the Spider Queen's blue-blue pupils look extremely cold.

Compared to these creations, all of which were created by the hands of the original genomes, and the waves of psionic energy that swirled above and below Morgan's body, the twenty old guards behind the Lord of the Second Legion seemed a little burdensome, though most of them did not have the slightest such pathetic awareness.

And on Morgan's side, the Chief Old Guard is almost inseparable from his own genetic mother, unlike the [immature] subordinates behind him, as a veteran who came out of the Unification War of Terra, Rana is well aware of the gap between the Astarte warriors and the genetic protoplasms, and can roughly guess the reason why their genetic protogens are so heavily armed.

Because of this, he had been talking to the Primordial in a whisper all the way, at first only admonishing and then gradually turning into pleading as they walked farther and farther in the darkness.

"I beg you, my lord."

The Chief Old Guard let out another muffled speech as he kept moving from his genetic protoplasm, and the expression on his face was filled with how many obstacles to his progress were, and how determined his steps were.

"You are a psyker, my lord, one of the most powerful psionics in the Empire, and you can use the power of psionic energy to solve the situation in front of you, rather than rushing to danger yourself."

"Let us line up in front of you, to be your guard and shield, and if we can delay even a second under the onslaught of that genetic agent, it will be enough for you to summon enough strength to subdue that brother of yours and put an end to his atrocities on the ship."

"You don't have to risk it yourself: it's a genetic protogen, and we don't know anything about his powers and talents, the only thing we know is his beastly cruel nature, and such a presence is most likely uncommunicative, and that's too ...... for you."

[Shhhh 】

Anxious words were softly interrupted, and the Lord of the Second Legion smiled and touched her chief guard's helmet, fingertips pressed against her lips until she spoke the final decision.

Say no more, Lana. 】

[He can hear it.] 】

"But! Adult ......"

Don't worry so much, my child, I know what I know, listen to my commands, and carry it out, this is what you need to do now, and it won't go wrong. 】

“……”

Lana was silent, as if he was worried about provoking the wrath of his genotype, but after the shortest decision, responsibility and trust in the genogen prevailed over the unknown, instinctive fear.

"With all due respect, sir."

"The last time you acted so arbitrarily was the tragedy of Yemenga."

"Think again."

Lana's words were sonorous with pathos and power, setting off a wave of silence among the Old Guards behind the original gene, and as Morgan's footsteps stopped, each Dawnbreaker involuntarily remained quiet, feeling the flash of anger in the eyes of the Mother of Genes, which was destined to be born after the merciless picking of the scars.

Lana gritted his teeth, he felt the same anger from the Mother of Genes, but just as he closed his eyes, waiting for the verdict that would come with this offensive word.

He heard a sigh.

That's the sigh of the mother of genes.

The Second Legion's anger lasted less than a moment, but she quickly regained her senses, and the indiscriminate flames were casually extinguished, in exchange for a whispered tact, and the helpless words she had spoken as she gently patted the Chief Old Guard on the shoulder.

[Indeed, Lana. 】

[But this time it's different.] 】

[I can assure you of this, my child. 】

“……”

Lana didn't say anything more, feeling the power of the Mother of Genes' fingers on his shoulder, a slight force that left the Chief Old Guard speechless.

After all, that's the genoplasm.

The Lord of the Second Legion turned her head, and she led her children a short distance, this time, not using psionic probing to find her brother, for she could feel where the Midnight Wraith was.

Moreover, right next to the Spider Queen's riding boots, there is a capable navigator: the big white cat named "Battle Marshal" rushed out without hesitation the moment he found his foster on the lower deck, rubbing the boots of the Queen of Genes, constantly licking Morgan's fingers, and then, with its tail raised high, it walked in the front of the line step by step.

Guided by the apex predator of the front bottom cabin, it was no longer long before even the most insensitive old guard could smell the strange stench of the passing wind, and the chainsaw blade placed on top of the halberd began to roar, and everyone involuntarily entered an instinctive alert.

The Genomorph stood at the front of her line, roughly gauging the distance between her and her brother, before turning her head to look at her chief guard.

Stay here, and do not advance without my orders. 】

“…… Understood, sir. ”

After the shortest entanglement, Rana's instinctive retort was quickly swallowed into his stomach, the old guard stared nervously at his mother, the thermal perspective was turned on at full power, and the muzzle of the gun ready to open at any time was in stark contrast to the lazy open mouth of the [War Marshal], who also remained in place.

The big white-haired cat sat down on the ground, and when it saw its keeper walking towards the hateful rival, it lay on all fours, its tail close to its body, its eyes half-squinted, its ears erected, its whiskers drooping naturally, and it purred without the slightest sense of tension that was about to be a big battle: on the contrary, it looked at its silver subordinates in confusion, wondering what the group was nervous about.

And in this tense and lazy line of sight, Morgan lightly tapped the double-edged axe gun in his palm with his finger, and his figure slowly disappeared in a wave like a pool of water disturbed by stones.

The next moment, she was already in front of Midnight Spirit, witnessing the smile made of hideous teeth stained with yellow dirt.

"You're here, Conrad. 】

"I've always been there, the dead."

【……】

You can call me Morgan, that's my name. 】

"I know."

In the Spider Queen's pupils, the darkness-shrouded Midnight Ghost nodded his head earnestly, a thoughtful expression between his eyebrows.

"But I can't do that."

【…… Why? 】

"Because you're dead."

Conrad's voice was rightfully sounded.

"Calling people by name is a form of disrespect for the deceased, it is a kind of etiquette."

【……】

[Nostramo's etiquette? 】

"No, it's my etiquette."

——————

As Midnight Wraith struggled with how to pull out the rotten strip of pork that had been stuffed into the base of his teeth, he felt a wave of psionic light.

He knew that the man he had been waiting for had finally arrived: a little later morning than he had expected, but it was not a big problem, and he enjoyed the lapse of his brain's own speculation without prophecy.

The Midnight Wraith crouched in the darkness, his body like a seated hound, waiting for his blood relatives to start the topic of what they really cared about each other, and beside his claws, there were a few pieces of food scattered about, apparently recovering from his lost nutrients.

[We should talk, don't we?] 】

Just as Midnight Wraith finally plucked the strip of pork off and began to chew it a second time in satisfaction, he heard another sentence from the Lord of the Second Legion, which came from the sheer darkness, so flat that it was impossible to discern the mood of the speaker.

Coetzes blinked.

"If you think I've stolen your precious kitchen waste, then allow me to apologize to you, deceased, I didn't know they were your favorite personal property, and I promise I won't do it again."

More like a string of sarcastic words than apologies, slowly floated out of the mouth of the Midnight Ghost, but to his disappointment, his blood relatives of the living dead did not seem to be shaken in the slightest, as if they had been heard a thousand times.

Morgan was silent for a moment.

After a long time, Midnight Wraith only heard a sigh, and he instinctively noticed that it seemed to be some last thin line.

[The Emperor chose to leave you to me, Conrad, neither you nor I are satisfied with this decision, but we have no choice, do we? You are destined to stay on my ship for years, if not longer. 】

If we don't want to torture each other all the time in the meantime, then you should have a good talk with me now. 】

“……”

She was more rational than he had predicted.

Midnight Ghost thought so, and then, almost instinctively, he developed a monstrous anger and desire to destroy: why could this hypocritical living dead maintain such hypocritical rationality as he did now.

Doesn't she know her blasphemy and original sin? Doesn't she know that her existence is twisting everyone's fate?

No, she must know.

She is dead, but she can still stand alive before his eyes: she must have gone through some unknown transaction, or simply found some blasphemous path and returned to pollute the justice and order of the world.

With her hypocrisy, with her reason, with her disguise.

She's invincible.

……

But now it's different.

The Midnight Ghost wants to tear it all apart, and that starts from this moment.

Coetzes was convinced.

So, he smiled.

"What are you going to talk to me about, about your [adoption] of me?"

[I don't hate this word.] 】

"I don't hate it either."

"Overall, everything isn't as bad as you think, deceased, I've adapted to life on this ship, I've built my nest here, your heirs and men waste plenty of food, and you don't need to worry about my stomach."

"As long as you don't stop me from continuing my business, I think we can still get along very happily, a few years is not a long time, forget that there is a monster in the depths of your ship, you can easily enjoy your conquest and sleep."

"Put on your crown, noble queen of carrion, just like I just want to be my monster in the shadows here, and don't meddle in places you're not good at."

As a parasite, you're more confident than I thought, Ghost. 】

The voice of the Lord of the Second Legion was terrifyingly cold, and Midnight Ghost even felt as if he was about to fall in love with it, which reminded him of the dry cold plasma that gradually flowed after the sinful were stripped of their skin.

"Justice and civilization are inherently beneficial parasites, my dead blood relatives, parasitic on the wings of the order brought about by fear and might, like a bouncing toothpick bird feeding on the residue of a crocodile's mouth."

"You can't deny that."

[Of course I won't deny it.] 】

He heard Morgan's laughter.

[But I can be sure of another: you are just a poor parasite, my Nostramo brother, and you have been put in my ship by our father, sloppy and useless, not beneficial, not even harmful, for your very existence does not bring anything but ruin.] 】

“…… Oh! ”

"What a harsh accusation!"

Midnight Wraith slowly raised his slender arms, his exaggerated tone like a barmaid in a nightclub hypocritically touting the face of the gold lord, and he lowered his head, and only after shedding a few non-existent tears did he reveal that wanton savage smile in the Spider Queen's pupils.

"Why do you say that, my queen of the carrion."

[It's true, my parasite.] 】

"It hurts me by this name, is it because I started a trial without your permission? Then you have to forgive me for my hard work. ”

[Do you call that a judgment?] 】

"And what's your name here?"

The Spider Queen's soft snort accompanied by her icy laughter stung the only remaining piece of pure land in the Midnight Spirit's heart.

[Generally speaking, this kind of person who does not submit strong evidence, circumvents the laws of the empire, conducts a private trial, and uses cruel methods and has an extremely bad influence, we will call him ......]

[Plot, kill, criminalize. 】

“……”

The silence in the darkness was more terrible than the worst cold wind in Nostramo, and the Midnight Spirit's breathing began to be noticeably heavier at that moment, and he was finally knocked to the ground like a pot of boiling water.

He was silent for a long time.

"Even in Nostramo, everyone is responsible for their actions."

"I don't think so. 】

[After all, right now in front of me, isn't there a murderer who is full of sins, indiscriminately kills innocents, and is full of exculpation? 】

“……”

"I remind you one last ......"

[No need for your reminder. 】

I know what's going on. 】

Take a good look at yourself. 】

[Coward.] 】

——————

The Midnight Wraith struck faster than Morgan had imagined, leaping away like a monster and hooking his claws onto the rusty walls, turning into an uncatchable afterimage in the darkness.

Normally, it does.

But in reality, Midnight Ghost has a fatal weakness: a weakness that was discovered by Morgan in the beginning.

The Lord of the Second Legion watched his crazy brother disappear into the darkness, so he raised his axe and spear unhurriedly, and then slashed at a corner of the boundless darkness around him without hesitation.

The cacophony of metal grinding showed that the blow was not successful, but the shadow that had left hastily, darker than the darkness, rolled to the side in embarrassment, crouched low on the ground, and temporarily halted the attack.

“……”

"How did you find me?"

The silence of the night lasted for a moment, and in the face of this, the Spider Empress only held the axe and spear in disgust, and waved away the indescribable stench in front of her.

[How long has it been since you took a shower?] 】

“……”

“……”

"Take a bath?"

"What's that?"

【……】

[That's enough.] 】

Just as Midnight Wraith's second attack was accompanied by an even thicker stench, the Spider Empress clenched her weapon and did not forget to contact the maid in her bedroom.

[Aniah, it's me.] 】

[Prepare for a bath, no, not I need it.] 】

[Boiling water is good, 100 degrees.] 】

[No, no, no! I don't have to wash it in my bathroom, so I'd rather kill him. 】

[Let me think about it......]

[By the way, how big is the pool where you wash the mop? 】

(End of chapter)