"My clan will kill you!"

"Hmm."

Carlil nodded to the man and cut off his head.

He listened to the nobleman's words and gave him a little respect.

The surroundings were still the most familiar sights to him, corpses and severed limbs scattered all over the ground. Blood spread across the crimson carpet, forming a blurry pool of blood. If you don't look closely, you can't tell the difference.

Then he smelled fear.

Slowly collecting the emotion, Carlil turned his head, blade glistening in the darkness. Around the corner of the hallway, a frightened shadow flickered.

His harvest comes from him.

"Run." Carlil said softly. "While you still can."

The next second, a scream came from around the corner.

The nobleman who went into hiding began the last wild run of his life. He soon left the hall where the nobles had indulged and went outside.

The pavement of the upper nest is straight and beautiful, and there is a soft white light source on the side of the road, which makes the dark night seem peaceful. The night was quiet, and he could only hear his own wheezing and footsteps.

But what about anything else?

That thing—that monster, will he catch up?

The nobleman did not even dare to look back, he did not have the courage to do it, for he was afraid that if he did, he would see the shadow rushing towards him, and then disemboweling him with the blade as if it had killed everyone else.

So he ran, kept running.

Standing at the window on the second floor of the ashram, Carlil calmly watched him go away, not chasing after him to kill the fish that slipped through the net.

He deliberately let him go.

The raid on the hall was only temporary, and the purpose of letting him go was to create a little terror among the nobles.

He's already seen him.

He already remembers him too.

So, for that nobleman, there was really only one way to escape. He doesn't know yet, but he will.

Closing his eyes, Carlil took a deep breath.

This habit is intentional on his part, and it is akin to a psychological suggestion. At first, he just told himself that taking a deep breath would calm his mind. But now, it does.

Too many times, so, his heart accepted the hint.

People are really going to change subtly. Carlil thought.

He pushed open the window and silently jumped off the second floor, his boots making a slight stomping sound on the pavement. The heights that used to be treated with caution now don't even need to be lifted, and his muscles and bones are more than a little stronger than ever.

...... And, it seems, it's getting stronger.

Carlil pursed his lips and quickly left the spot, disappearing into the night.

He doesn't know if it's good or bad, but he can responsibly say that he doesn't like the feeling. He would rather go back to his original body, which hurts for a long time every time he uses his strength.

Half an hour later, he returned to the shelter.

The ghost was already waiting, crouching like an animal at the edge of the building, neon lights slicing the sky into shattered shapes, and eerie spires cascading into the distance. A cold wind blew through, blowing the ghost's long hair.

His hair is now soft.

Carlil stepped out of the darkness, the bottom of his boot deliberately colliding with the ground, the sound that woke the contemplative spirit. The latter turned his head with a palpable look of surprise.

"Carlil?"

"What's wrong?" With a smile, Carlil asked.

"You ......" the ghost blinked, looking at him suspiciously. Did you just come back? ”

"Nope."

“...... But I didn't notice you were back. The ghost said blankly. How so? ”

"I don't know."

Karil smiled and shook his head, he didn't reveal his worries and likes and dislikes to the ghosts, it wasn't necessary. "Maybe it will take time for us to find the answer to this question."

"As for now...... Well, it's still early, why don't you talk about your patrols? ”

He walked over and sat down beside the ghost, not in a hurry to eat the rest of the paste. The smell of blood was still on the tip of his nose, and although he was already a little hungry, he didn't want to eat in this state.

After all, there is something to pursue.

The Wraith nodded, then laughed—for the first time, his smile was so natural, a small one, but it was enough for Carlil to laugh with him.

"The workers are doing a little bit better than before." The ghost said happily. "On the eve of the purge, the factory gave them a holiday...... And there is no deduction for food supplies. ”

Of course, after all, the Great Purge is only once in 20 years.

Gangs are fighting for turf, but they don't have the brains to kill factory workers at this juncture...... Otherwise, how do you get the plant up and running?

Let them take a vacation, hide in a temporary safe area such as a shantytown, and deal with it properly.

That's right.

Carlil nodded quietly and listened attentively, not in a hurry to interrupt or express his opinion. He knew very well that at times like these, the spirits always had a lot more to say.

"But the gangs aren't hanging out on the streets anymore." The ghost pouted. "I didn't hear any useful information today, oh, and Gargoyle Number 21!"

He looked at Carlil. The latter was not surprised, knowing that it was time for him to open his mouth and give a response.

"What's wrong with it?" He asked softly.

"It was demolished." The ghost said, not much to hear in his tone. "With that building."

"Did anyone get angry with each other in advance?"

"It should be that there are many traces of explosions at the scene...... I saw some people collecting bodies...... Carlil, can I ask you a question? ”

"Absolutely."

"When they die, will they be sent to the butcher's shop?"

"No, it won't."

"What ......?"

"Cadaver incinerators, the black market, and some doctors who can do human body modification."

Carlil gave three answers in turn, very rigorously. He was always cautious when it came to the questions posed by the ghosts: "The butcher's shop is not their place. ”

"But why?"

"Because...... In the eyes of the gangs, they are human to each other. Carlil said. And man does not eat man. ”

The ghost's eyes widened: "But-"

"—Yes." Carlil smiled. "As you think, they don't treat civilians as human beings...... Even they themselves were once one of them. ”

"This notion has been circulating on Nostramo for thousands of years, and to a large extent, most teenagers are desperate to try to join gangs because they want to be human."

The ghost listened intently, nodding from time to time. The reversal of identities between the listener and the narrator is so sudden and so natural. The night sky was low overhead, and they calmly talked to each other in the cold wind.

- It seems like it's just a normal night.

If that light had not come.

Carlil jerked his head up, a voice in his head.

+ Please come out of town, Karil Lohals. Please also take your ghost, my son, Conrad Coetzes. +

-----------------

"My lord, I ask you to think twice again."

"I've thought about it many times."

"But, the Palm Seal—"

"—Please, Constance Dante." The giant in golden armor said. "I have to do it, or I won't be able to gain his trust."

“...... You don't need the trust of a psyker on a remote planet, not to mention that the Palm Sealer says he's suspicious. ”

"Everyone is suspicious in Machado's eyes." Giant said. "He sometimes even says I'm not doing the right thing."

"But the psionic is suspicious, my lord."

"You haven't even seen him, Constance Dante."

"I'd rather trust the Palm Seal and his judgment that has never been wrong so far than a psionic person I have never met with with one of your sons."

The giant sighed.

"Okay." He said. "Would you like to listen to me, Constance Dante?"

“...... You are my sovereign, and I am willing. ”

"Then please—and you, I know someone is listening to me and your marshal in the back—let me go down alone with my sons."

The man known as the marshal did not wear a helmet, and he had very short hair, almost clinging to his scalp, in a thin layer of stubble. He wasn't handsome, but he was convincing. There was a quiet power on that face.

Constance Dante Waldo, his name.

"How, Constance Dante?" His lord asked.

“...... If this is an order from the Lord of Mankind Emperor, we will obey it. ”

The Giant, who had been given the noble title, sighed again—his performance at this moment would have astonished his sons if they saw it. A few of them may also glare at the Janissal with jealousy.

And the marshal will not care. He never cared.

"Do you have to be like this, Constance Dante Waldo?" His lord asked slowly.

"You are asking me to turn my back on my duty, you are asking us to turn our back on our duty...... You'll even have to go to that filthy ground and meet a filthy psyker......"

Constance Dante looked up and said firmly, "So, yes." You have to give the order. ”

"So," said the Emperor slowly. "You left me with no choice."

At the moment, for the first time, he behaved in a way worthy of his title.

"I will go to the earth with my sons, and you will not come with me. Turn off all the weapons on my ship, and keep Astarte and the army where they belong. ”

"Anything else, my lord?" The reluctant Marshal of the Praetorian Army asked dutifully.

"Nope." The Emperor smiled imperceptibly. "I've always liked the way you look."

“......”

Without saying a word, the marshal of the Praetorian Army raised his hands, performed a salute, and then left in his armor. Behind him, his lord slowly pushed open the door, his expression already changing.

+ Be prepared. +

He said to the other four consciousnesses in his mind. +Let's go now. +