Carlil lowered his head and looked down at the Harcosus Three.

In orbit, it is a green planet. The vegetation environment represented by the forest made the whole planet look beautiful, but there was no sadness or joy in his eyes, as if he was observing a corpse.

Conrad Coetzes was standing beside him, checking his weapon. The Mechanics offered him several weapons to choose from, either the Seiko Blaster or the Power Gauntlet, which Koz didn't seem to like.

He chose only one of them. A blaster that isn't very flashy, but still has a lot of firepower. However, in addition to it, he had many other gadgets hanging or stored in his belt and storage.

Conrad Coetzes ran his fingers across them, and the rounds collided with each other with a slightly dull metallic thud. The Nightblades walked silently in the darkness behind them, entering the airborne chamber or aboard the Storm Hawk, fully armed.

According to the information provided by the Ultramarines, most of the xenomorphs still exist underground, and the Xenomorphs on Number Three seem to be much more primitive than those on Number One and Number Two. The Nightblades didn't know the answer, of course, but that didn't stop them from preparing.

Whatever the cause, the killing is always going to happen.

"In three minutes, the raid is about to begin, Carlil." Conrad Coetzes spoke softly after examining the last grenade on his body.

"Do you need this time to be alone?" He asked.

Carlil glanced sideways at him, looking a little surprised, "No, I don't need to be alone - but I'm curious, why do you think that?" ”

"People need to be alone, especially when they need to think about solving problems." Coetze replied quietly.

Today, he wears the eerie armor of opulence and majesty, and his black hair is clean and supple, a far cry from the sordid appearance of the Midnight Ghost of Nostramo. He has changed a lot, but there are also some things that have never changed.

Carlil smiled, shook his head, and said nothing.

"Are you sure?" Conrad Coetzes asked.

"I'm sure." Carlil said. "What I have is alone time, Conrad. But stand together calmly like this and look down on the danger we are about to face for three minutes. It's been a long time, hasn't it? ”

“.”

"What's wrong, Conrad?"

"I'm not used to being so straightforward." Conrad Coetzes replied slightly depressed.

Carlil chuckled.

Three minutes later, a new rain of fire descended from the orbit of Harcosus III.

Some of them landed in the city as planned, helping the Ultramarines defend the pits that were still sprouting aliens, while others went to the forests or wilderness - the ground collapse was not just the preserve of the city, but in the places where no one was around, these aliens were also on the surface and were congregating.

The Glory of Macullag scanned this information and immediately shared it with Nightfall and Steadfast. After a short period of deliberation, the general direction of the strategy was quickly determined.

War dogs are the most numerous and are responsible for frontal battles. The Nightblades are responsible for parachuting in on the flanks and rear of the aliens to create panic. At the same time, the Ultramarines can gather their hands and search for their original bodies underground.

This matter is crucial, and no one can afford to let a poisoned Primordial roam the Underworld full of aliens. Carlil, on the other hand, will act alongside the Ultramarines.

As a matter of fact. He's already there.

——

"You don't look like you're doing well, Gage Captain."

"Is it obvious?" Marius Gage asked rhetorically.

His words sent a chuckle from the inquirer. Carlil approached him—his airborne pod had been programmed in advance, and landed directly near one of the largest rifts in the city. After landing, he went straight into the gap and met with Marius Gage under the guidance of the Ultramarines.

The latter's situation was certainly not good, and judging from his still pale face, Carlil could be sure that the warband leader was probably still suffering from the toxin at the moment.

He approached Marius Gage, who reached out and handed him a datapad that had been unlocked prematurely. Carlil reached out and took it, seeing the complex stream of data flash. He pressed it with his thumb and began to slide up and down, and the reading time was quickly over.

Gage coughed and shook his head tiredly, "That's the case, Instructor Carlil. We found some. Clues, and some weird frescoes and altars that shouldn't be there. I won't mention the latter for now, but the former doesn't bring us to him either. ”

"Why don't you follow him in the first place?" Carlil looked up and asked.

Marius Gage let out a wry smile at the question, "He had forgotten about us then, Instructor Carlil."

"I've seen the symptoms you described in the intelligence, but, listening to your tone, it seems that there is something hidden?"

"Yes." Gage pursed his lips, trying to keep his composure.

"He didn't just forget about us, he was hallucinating, he thought he was in Makurag decades ago. On that day, his father was assassinated. And at that time, IMHO, instructor, we could not rely on our personal will to approach him. We can only follow him, relying on his tracks and the sound of his running to track him. However, this clue was soon broken. He's gone deep underground, and we can still find some clues, but we can't find out where he is. ”

Carlil nodded, moving on to something else. He put the datapad back on the table, with a gentle force and a crisp movement: "I need a little help, Captain Gage." ”

"Anything." Marius Gage said. He stared at Carlil tightly, his tone soft, but firm enough to crack the rock. "What do you need?"

"Your blood."

"How much?" Gage asked.

He didn't ask Carlil why he needed his blood, or even investigate what might be hidden behind the question - he only did two things after hearing Carlil's request.

The first thing to do is to ask. The second thing is to pull out the combat dagger from the belt and close it to his cheek.

He was in armor and fully armed, and it was not convenient to take it off now. His face or neck was the only place where blood could be taken. He gestured the tip of his knife over his jaw, cheek, and slightly exposed neck, and then he asked.

"How much do you want, sir?"

Carlil stared at him, not answering.

For a moment, Gage felt that the eyes were not eyes, but two swirls. A dark vortex strewn with the remains of the dead. He looked at the whirlpool, the tip of the knife resting on his left cheek and sinking a little.

His skin was punctured, and a drop of blood was squeezed out of a vein.

"That's enough." Carlil said, looking down as a drop of blood hovered over his outstretched right hand.

Gage was bewildered—he looked at the blood, and slowly lowered the combat dagger back on top of the belt. He didn't understand what was going on, but that didn't stop him from observing what was going to happen next.

"That's it. Is it enough? ”

"Yes." Carlil looked up at Gage. The blood begins to swirl and begins to clot. It was just a drop of blood, an insignificant drop of blood, but at this moment it began to hum in a terrifying way.

"In many witchcraft or myths and legends, blood is a fairly important concept, Gage War Leader. Of course, you and I don't actually believe in these things, but they exist. ”

Gage waited in silence.

"Blood is the source of life." Carlil continued. "Not only that, but in all the occult books I've read, they all mention a concept."

He clenched his right hand.

"The Blood of the Father and the Son"

The storm gathered, and Gage's heart began to twitch.

"Being able to evoke some kind of connection."

The temperature drops, the forest is as cold as ice, and the depth is as deep as hell.

Frost began to fall all around, and the busy auxiliaries in the front positions stopped in place, as if they had pressed the pause button.

The drop of blood began to spin faster and faster, and the buzzing intensified, becoming high and high-pitched. Gage's hearing and sanity began to be destroyed by it, and he gasped and almost fell to the ground, but a hand lifted him up.

Carlil Lohals stood beside him, his eyes dark and as calm as the dead.

"Get ready, Warlord." He reminded in a low voice. "You can close your eyes and just get some sleep. After all, where we're going next, you don't need to keep your eyes peeled. ”

Gage did as he was told, his question stuck in his throat, as if he had entered an unknown world, his reason screaming, but the footsteps of Carlil Lohals kept ringing in front of him. Surrounded by darkness, Gage knew he was stepping into an unknown path, but he had nothing to fear.

He's just moving forward.

He'll find Robert Killman.

He swore that he would—

"—where are we?" Marius Gage snapped his eyes open.

"Good question." Carlil nodded at him. "I want to know too, but I can't tell you. I saw a book in the Emperor's library that recorded this ritual, and this was the first time I had used it. Looks like we've succeeded. ”

Gage put his finger on the belt, pulled out his blaster, and began to look around.

He didn't bring a helmet when he came, but at the moment he clearly felt the wearing of the helmet. The readings on the eyepiece paused silently, as if they were not activated. Several warning runes flickered within the retina, fangs and claws, like roaring monsters.

Through the eyepieces, Gage saw a forest, and a path through the forest.

He lowered his head, trying to analyze the dirt to find more information that could help them in their current situation. But when he lowered his head, he didn't see the dirt, he saw millions of wriggling maggots, densely packed, some of which had begun to metamorphose, and some of which still remained white and tender as larvae.

They intertwined with each other, writhed, and stared at Gage with black eyes.

Gage's fingers jerked on the trigger.

He almost shot - if he hadn't realized he was actually stepping on heavy frost, he would have shot if he did.

"These Ices"

"It's my power." Carlil turned his back to him and replied calmly. "I'm a psyker, Gage Warmaster. The use of psionic energy can lead to a variety of paranormal phenomena, the most common of which are frost formation and temperature drops. ”

Gage agreed, but remained silent. He followed behind Carlil with his gun in hand. The forest is quiet and dark, the bark of the trees is a sickly yellow, and the leaves have long since died, but they still stay on the dead branches to block the light.

There was a rotten smell in the air, even through the filtration system of the breathing grille. Gage felt the urge to vomit, but he restrained it. They continued to go deeper, and the further they went, the quieter the world became, and the light almost completely disappeared.

Frost creaked as it was trampled by the Iron Boots, and Karil Lohals's voice sounded again after a while, still calm.

With just one sentence, he soothed Gage's nerves and brought him back to his senses.

"Think carefully, Gage Captain." He said. "Do you think we're still on the Harcosus III?"

Here, not quite like that." Gage decided to tell the truth.

He held his gun and glanced around vigilantly, alert to the darkness. "The natural environment on the Harcosus III can be called beautiful, and although it may have been damaged a lot, it will definitely not become like this."

"That's true. So, where do you think we are now? ”

I don't know."

"You must give an answer, Warbandmaster." Carlil stopped and turned around. The skull visor's eyes gleamed with cold, and the cloak writhed at his feet like a living thing.

Gage felt a little uneasy about his request, and he asked, "I can only give a guess at best, Instructor Carlile." You brought me here, and I don't know anything about witchcraft. ”

"Then guess, Gage." Carlil said. "This spell is essentially just a trick, a trick to find people is my power that has changed it, it has brought us here, but you are the master of the blood."

"You have a bloody connection with Robert Killman, and it's a fact that can't be changed. No matter where he is at the moment, no matter how tortured he endures, this matter will not be erased. So, say your guess. ”

Marius Gage felt a sense of absurdity - if he had been told these words before, he would not hesitate to lash out at them with imperial truth. But. After all that he had been through, he could no longer look at the truth of the empire with normal eyes.

At this moment, he stood in the dark and rotting forest, and took a slow breath.

"We, we're with Robert Killiman right now."

Gage spoke, looking at Carlil, who was still staring quietly, not making any movement, but giving him the confidence to continue.

"We're there for him, we're protecting him, we-"

Gage snapped to a halt, he shuddered, feeling a strange, heavy force wrap around his limbs and begin to greedily ingest inward. It has no consciousness, only an instinct. Gage closed his eyes in pain, not resisting it.

He closed his eyes, but the world began to change. The darkness dissipated, and thousands of hurried, frantic images flashed in a staggered manner. Those images are memories of his past, everything about Marius Gage. That power continues to go deep inward, not for a moment, it doesn't stay, it just continues. Gage opened his mouth in intense pain and suffering, trying to scream, but couldn't make a sound.

The image continued to flicker until it finally stopped at a tipping point, and the pain subsided. Gage looked at the image and felt his eyes moisten. He saw Robert Kiliman in ceremonial armor, as well as Makurag and the Ultramarines.

Shortly after they were reunited, Robert Killiman was speaking to the whole of Maculag.

He announced his new identity, announced the name Ultramarine, and announced a few other things. He told the people of Maculag that these giants were his sons, possessing his blood and his heart. They will stand together and work together to bring a better future to Macurag

Gage was standing beside him, his heart twitching as he watched his primordial blonde hair flutter in the joyful air, listening to the music played by the orchestra below.

He remembered it until he died. He will always remember the vow he made in that moment, he will protect Makulag, he will protect

He will protect Robert Killman.

Yes, Robert Killiman - his original body, his father, his brother, his friend.

Gage finally screamed, the power was satisfied, it took the initiative to move away, it seemed harmless, just a creature that feeds on emotions. It was a natural thing to do.

A strong sense of detachment followed, and Gage gasped like a drowning man rushing out of the water, and he opened his eyes, his entire face drenched in sweat, and I don't know if it was blood or tears coming out of his eyes.

It was only then that he realized that he had fallen to his knees, and that the forest was gone, and that he was kneeling on a meadow, and not far away a giant was lying on the ground, his eyes closed.

"You made it, Gage." Carlil's voice came from above him, still calm, as if he had foreseen it.

But for some reason, Marius Gage could hear a hidden emotion in his voice. Emotions that should not be present in the person of Caril Lohars.

Gage looked up to ask a question, but Carlil looked down in anticipation and pressed a hand on his shoulder.

"Take a break and take a deep breath, Gage. The power evoked by that trick didn't come without a price, and I helped you pay for the vast majority of it, but you still endured more torture than you could have imagined. Take a deep breath and you will recover. ”

But what about him?

Gage asks silently - what about Robert Killiman?

He turned his head and looked in the direction of his original body. Astarte's eyesight was so good that he could see Robert Killiman's face clearly.

The withered face, the cheeks were thinly locked, and the blonde hair had faded to an almost pure color as pale as snow. His skin turned a rotten yellow, disgusting and terrifying.

"I'll take him back." Carlil said calmly, it didn't sound like a promise, but rather a statement.

Gage tried to answer, but he opened his mouth, a wave of exhaustion that knocked him down before he could speak. He fell to the ground, his figure dissipating, returning to where he was supposed to be.

Carlil stepped forward, black flames leaping out of the void and clinging to his body, blazing.

He spoke calmly, "Do you want one of them so much?" ”

No one answered, only the grass swayed.

"Conrad Coetzes, Angrand, and now Robert Killman. Are they important to you? ”

Still no one answered.

"I'm here to take him away." Carlil said. "I don't care what price you've paid or what Tzeentch has used to get you into his scheme. I just want to tell you one thing, I'll take him away. ”

- "So, aren't you going to let him decide for himself?" A voice rang out suddenly.

The voice was old and heavy, with a gentle scent of trees, grass and earth. But it was also wicked, very hoarse, like the last breath of a seriously ill person before he died, with an unbearable rancid stench.

Carlil laughed - what else could he say? He wasn't surprised. Once, twice, three times. They are them every time, and they are always them. If he were just an ordinary person, he might not be able to touch any of them in his life, but he was not an ordinary person, and neither were the genetic protogens.

So, sooner or later, they will come to them.

They will always come, like the devil behind the door, and if you keep knocking on the gates of hell, they will come to you.

But Robert Killiman didn't knock.

"Decide what?" Carlil asked rhetorically. "You've crossed the line."

The voice laughed and began to introduce itself.

"Nurgle, if you don't know what to call me, you can use that name. But, god of vengeance and hatred, you are wrong about one thing, I didn't cross the line, neither did we. They belong to us. Didn't the fire stealers tell you? ”

"He snatched power from us and bound it in a little cage he had made with his own hands. These children could have been more beautiful and outstanding, but he kidnapped them by his terrible and greedy ambition."

"I have not crossed the line, the god of vengeance and hatred, and if you return to us, you will know that what I say is true. Yes, I paid some price to cross the line, but I didn't have to pay this price like you, and this time, what price are you going to pay? ”

"So, you should go and ask the person who cheated on you. For example, what is hidden in his covenant with you that will keep you in that fragile world? ”

"I'm not a god." Carlil said coldly that he had not responded to Nurgle's tirade other than that.

"You will, yes." Nurgle smiled, whispering to him with the swaying of the grass.

"My scheming friend or foe invited me a long time ago, and He told me the whole picture of the plan and what might happen in the future, including your coming. So, I'm not actually surprised. You want him back, do you? ”

"It's to bring him back."

"A small difference in the wording. You seem to be making a mockery of me, you think I'm just seeing him as a tool? Well, then come on"

Nurgle's voice faded away, replaced by a rancid wind.

Calmly raising his right hand, Carlil grabbed a leaf that was drifting in from afar. It is alive on one side, rotten and perforated on the other, and fragile. Through the hole, Carlil could see Robert Killiman in time.

"Come on." Nurgle whispered. "Let him choose."

Without hesitation, Carlil crushed the blade.

The update is complete, and I will end this paragraph tomorrow.

(End of chapter)