After the burial of her heirs was completed, Elaine found the Great Sage Redjak in the corner of the ancient temple.

Thanks to his intimate knowledge of Salem's ancient temple, the Great Sage was able to escape the scene under the cover of the Astartes, hiding in a place where the sadistic demon could not find it.

However, the other technical priests who accompanied him were not so lucky.

They didn't even manage to escape the temple where the demon was sealed, and they were reduced to unrecognizable corpses under Salam's power sword.

"Tell me, Redjak."

"What is the value of your loyalty?"

Elaine looked down at the great sage in front of her, and her tone was extremely cold.

She knew that the reason for the release of the sadistic demon called [Initial Blade] could never be separated from Redjak—it could only be the leader of the mechanical pagan cult who knew Salem well, so to speak.

"I... I didn't want to release that millennium-dormant ghost... It's just those technocrats from Mars..."

"They're dead. And I don't want to hear you put that responsibility on the deceased, unless you want to be like them, Redjak. ”

"But, but... Cocoa... I thought it wasn't so dangerous to the outside world...—its twisted and deformed appearance wasn't my intention, my lord..."

"So, you knew it existed from the beginning, but you kept it hidden? Very good. ”

"No, no... My lord, please listen to me..."

Faced with the anger that almost burst out from the genetic prototype in front of him, the little luck that still existed in Redjak's heart was also dispelled, and he had to answer truthfully in a trembling manner.

"At first... I set out from Mars in the distant years of strife in search of the endless knowledge hidden in the stars... Until I came to Salem, the value it hid beneath the curtain of darkness was unimaginable, so... I finished settling here. Then I found out that 'it' exists..."

The Great Sage's hoarse electronic voice betrayed a little fear, but there was a little pride in mentioning the past.

As the founder of the mechanical heretic, Redjak has studied the 'machine soul' hidden deep in the world of casting countless times, and countless ancient technologies and foundry factories on the planet are also related to it.

And, after realizing that the existence of this 'machine soul' depended on the core of the entire planet, the great sage let his guard down.

"The whisper of the time when it sleeps... I've got the key to the treasure that lies on this planet, and it's the key... Its murmur connects the ancient past with the present, and it lifts the production ban on countless sleeping military STCs..."

"I began to believe in it, my lord... To this day, I can't believe it's a filthy and filthy subspace creation - if it really is, then what is my faith...? ”

"The 'faith' you speak of has slaughtered two teams of loyal Astartes - among them are my heirs, recognize your place, Redjak."

Elaine indifferently interrupted Redjak's self-questioning, she wanted results.

"Well... All right... My lord, when I was ignorant and blinded by the filthy knowledge before me... I put my humble faith on this planet... Naturally, too, including... It. ”

Redjak's voice was slightly choked.

Because Redjak believes that 'it' was given to this world-forging machine soul by the god of all machines, and that it was Omnisaiah who rewarded him for his exploration of the lost world in the Age of Strife. Even, based on this, Salem gave birth to a branch of the Cult of the Mechanicus faith, the Mechanic Paganism.

It can be said that most of everything in Salem today relies on the core of this casting world.

Now... It's all just a lie. Everything is meaningless. Whether it was faith, or the precious knowledge he had preserved for thousands of years, the ancient STC that he had done his best to protect... Everything is stained with the filth from subspace.

"So... So, when the priests of my hometown came, I immediately brought them here..."

Redjak's mechanical vocal cords began to tremble, and his elaborate form grew haggard under the cold gaze of the genotype.

Yes, Redjak was proud to believe that the mechanical paganism of Salem would become an important branch of the Martian cult, and its religious significance would make him a huge leap to the top of his stature - after all, he had found countless miracles of Omnisiah. So much so that when the technocratic priest of Mars' hometown asked for a visit, Redjak led them to meet the long-sleeping 'world spirit' at the first time.

It was also the moment when his proud dreams were shattered.

“… In my data footage, each of us sings a binary prayer around it, and although the prayer is a little different across the entire age of strife, 'it' still sleeping..."

"Until... When we were ready to leave, it... Suddenly woke up. ”

The pale blue hologram radiated from Redjak's electronic prosthetic eyes, and it recorded the sight of the two teams of Astarte escorting the technocrats singing binary chants, and even the hoarse but proud voice of the great sage, at that time, none of them would have felt that the 'soul of the world' in front of them would awaken, and even the two teams of Astarte did not care: in their eyes, these oily guys were incomprehensible in their devotion to religion, but they did not interfere too much.

However, to everyone's surprise, just as the expedition team was about to leave, a sadistic demon named Salam suddenly woke up.

The scarlet figure quickly came to the side of its destined man, the Iron Warrior named Volker.

……

Looking at the hologram in front of her and the trembling Great Sage, Elaine was silent.

… This was not at all what she had imagined - it was not mentioned in the plans and plans.

Something must have gone wrong, it shouldn't have been this way.

The genoplasm's mind was a little confused.

"Your Excellency...?"

Redjak looked up to the silent Elaine with a slight doubt, and in the dimming golden pupils, he didn't know if his explanation would satisfy the god.

Elaine's mind was no longer free of any trivial matters about Redjak—only a web of intricate conspiracies before her eyes.

You can vaguely see the dark blue bird feathers that fall on it.

- I should have expected that.

Elaine thought to herself, chagrined.

This accompanying team of Iron Warriors... It was she who approved it without realizing it.

Even though she had anticipated Salam's existence, she had no idea that things would turn out to get to this point.

She knew that the Iron Warrior named Volker would be robbed of his body by Salam and become an enchanted Space Marine, known as Volker Salam.

In her meticulous planning, the demon would be safely disposed of in the near future, and dozens of plans had been made for its disposal even before she set out on the expedition, and no Space Marine would die in that battle.

However, as if unaware of this, Elaine sent out a squad that he had not carefully looked at during his conversation with Perturabo, which also happened to include a warrior named 'Salam'.

In the foreseeable future, it was supposed to awaken during the Great Rebellion when Perturab came to find Angron, and possess Astarte, who had not yet entered the dreadnought, and the two would merge into an enchanted space marine, known as the Annihilator, and spread the dangerous electro-demon to assist the Chaos Warlord in besieging Terra.

However... They are now meeting each other at the crossroads of their fates.

Under Redjak's bewildered gaze, the genogen fell silent and turned away.

However, her majestic form... At this time, it looks a little rickety.

- I made it all happen.

The strange and comical truth is completely revealed, and Elaine only feels extremely cold, the pride of the past that has no last resort... Cracks also appear at this moment.

Her face was clouded by a haze.

yes, she should have expected it from the beginning.

From the intense pain of the blood connection, from the corrosive whispers of the power of subspace.

From the meeting of two fools who claim to have broken free from fate, but have never escaped the cage of fate.

The Blood God's gaze never left.

He still sits on the brass throne, enjoying the farce.

……

……