"Wonderful!" The people on the high platform shouted praise.

Accudona lowered his head in a slight trance, and saw his fingers twitching. The boning saber was held in his hand, stained with blood.

What used to be comfortable to hold was now terrifyingly hot, burning his hands like magma. The feeling of wanting to hold the knife and slash was completely gone, and only the pain remained.

He numbly relaxed his muscles, letting his fingers loosen, and the saber fell, creating ripples in a pool of blood.

If he could, he really wanted to choose to escape. He wanted to get away from this nightmare until he woke up, or sank completely.

But he couldn't.

He had to get things done.

He can't run away, he doesn't have that power.

So he bent down, picked up the knife, and walked over to the other man. The latter knelt on the ground, with a deep cut in his abdomen, from which blood and internal organs poured out. He was about to fall into the abyss of death, but there was no trace of attachment to life in his eyes. There is only calm.

Accudona knew him, in fact, for many years.

"Tacitus" Acudona pronounced his name, and the boning saber was slowly raised, but it never fell.

The man known as Tacitus looked up at him, unmoved, as if he had not been hurt at all. He calmly raised his chin at Acudona and motioned for him to come over.

Acudona was reluctant to do so at first, he understood what Tacitus was suffering, and he wanted to end it as soon as possible, but he soon realized how selfish his thoughts were.

So he put down his knife and fell to his knees, ready to listen to Tacitus's voice, and kept his head down, not wanting the latter to see his expression.

He understood what Tacitus had refused, so he couldn't help but suffer.

"Don't put on that face." The dying man said solemnly. "I also set foot here of my own free will, and Fabius Bayer convinced me as much as he convinces you. I, like you, have my brother's blood on my hands. ”

He opened his mouth and took a deep breath of the blood-smelling air. Acudona looked up and saw his scarlet teeth and purple eyes, which were fading.

"I understand." Acudona replied in a low voice.

"But something is wrong with him." Tacitus lowered his head and began to exhale slowly. "He wants Vogrim alive, but why, Acudona? What is the reason? When he speaks, I can smell the lie, he is lying to us."

"I'll find out why."

"No, no, you must—" Tacitus coughed, blood spilling from his mouth like a tidal wave. "- warn them, there are still people who are not aware of this, warn them, brother."

His head was lowering more and more, and his voice began to grow softer and softer, until it became some kind of breath, and then, completely extinguished, and there was no more sound.

He didn't close his eyes, and the exhaustion of death couldn't make him close them. He had passed away with his head tilted, his eyes fixed on someone on the high platform.

There was no need to look up for Acudona to understand who he was looking at.

He closed his eyes, raised his left hand, and smeared his five fingers with the bright red blood gushing from Tacitus's mouth, smearing them on his face. The blood was still warm, as if Tacitus was still alive.

Then, he threw his former treasures out of his hands like garbage.

Two sons of Horus came from the side, shackles in hand. They stood far away from Acudona with mixed expressions.

One of them bent down, picked up the boning saber, and placed it on a nearby weapon rack. The other man hesitated and threw the shackles at Acudona's feet.

Unaware of what was happening, the servants stepped out of the reserved passage of the circular arena and carried Tacitus' body. They move quickly and crisply, without hesitation.

Acudona watched him go.

Moments later, he returned to his cell with his bloodied hands.

He had already changed cells, by order of Horus Lupecar himself. Now, he was once again with his brothers, and although there were only five of them, it was better than nothing.

"Tacitus." Acdonna said to them.

One of them looked over, the corners of his mouth reluctantly curved upward, and made a smile: "What did our stubborn sergeant say this time?" ”

"He thinks there's something wrong with Fabius Bayer."

"Of course he has a problem." Another said. "Did you see the look on his face when he spoke? There was no sadness on the bastard's face, and he told everyone that he was trying to keep Vogrim alive."

"If he really is as good as he says, why would he betray? And then there's this so-called 'healing ritual'. His face contorted. I'm going to kill him. ”

"We don't have a choice, Tavitz." The first speaker persuaded his brother to calm down. "Everybody knows it's a problem from start to finish, but we don't have a choice. Even if we refuse to take the initiative to fight, Horus will force us to do so. He may even threaten us with the life of a phoenix. ”

"He's already doing it, Vespasian has been doing it for twelve whole days, and he's watching every fight." The commander of the tenth company, Saul Tavitz, answered the words of the lord commander Vespasian in a gloomy manner.

"He sat on a high platform and watched us die, with a threat and malice in his voice, and I couldn't believe we trusted him so much."

"I'm sure this isn't the end, guys." Deputy Commander Abdmon spoke slightly dullly and joined the conversation.

He stayed in a corner of the room, standing up straight, as if he were in the middle of his daily training. Unlike the others, he was not only shackled but also shackled.

In the past few days, he attacked all the sons of Horus that he saw. He should have been punished, but the wolves of Horus were ordered by their master, and the only punishment Abdmun received was to put on another shackle.

Horus even openly praised him for his courage and kindness as usual in the dueling ring.

To this, Abdmon replied with a disdainful and disdainful sneer in Horus's confront.

"It's certainly not the end, it's just the beginning. I took a look at the porthole on the way back, and the Spirit of Vengeance was moving. Where do you think they're going? Acudona said, changing the subject.

He didn't really want to talk about anything at this moment, but he had to lead by example—as Vogrim had taught them, when danger came, what difference was there between those who could and those who could not step up and run away?

There are no escaped cowards in the Emperor's Son.

"I can't think of an answer." Vespasian said.

The lord commander frowned deeply, his expression bitter. He blamed himself for the loss of the war. Despite the many persuasions of others, Vespasian did not want to change his mind.

Acdonna knew that this self-tormenting stubbornness would actually make Vespasian feel better.

Vespasian continued: "They have captured our fleet, and even if they had shot down most of the ships, leaving only the Pride of the Emperor and a few cruisers, it would be a large fleet. ”

"A fellowship of this size will attract a lot of attention, and even if they are going to the worlds close to them to get supplies, I don't believe that this kind of thing will not be asked."

"What about asking?" Saul Tavitz asked rhetorically. "I'm sure they have a solution to those who ask, look at the bottom cabin, it's supposed to be full of crew and servants, and now what? Where did they go? ”

"You're making a dangerous accusation, brother." Abdmon laughed. "The tone in which you say this reminds me of Nikaia, do you remember how the official from the Ministry of Government scolded the Thousand Sons?"

"Of course I do." Tavitz also gave a not-so-friendly smile. He asked them where the servants who were selected for the Thousand Sons every year went. But Magnus threatens him to be nosy. Arrogant bastard. ”

"So." Vespa spoke softly. "Where did they get these people?"

They looked at each other, and no one made any more conjectures. In the end, it was the last person in the room who gave the answer. His voice came from within the dull steel, the golden eagle wing on his right shoulder glistening.

"It doesn't matter, warriors." The one who spoke said in a cold voice. "In my humble opinion, your best bet is to rest rather than discuss such blasphemy, and we are in hell, but so what?"

"The phoenix will eventually become nirvana."

Acudona and his brothers bowed their heads deeply and expressed their respect to the elder who spoke. The guilt of murdering their brother ceased for a moment, and the words of the ancient sage Rayla brought them a moment of light

But only for a moment, because Fabius Bayer came again.

"Acudona!" He shouted outside his cell. "Come out! Come with me! ”

The chief swordsman slowly stood up and walked to the cell door. Saul Tavitz whispered as he passed by, "Kill him." ”

I will. Acudona thought.

——

Fogham looked at the scene in front of him with a little bewilderment, and for some reason, the thing in front of him was creepy.

It should be an ocean, but there is no light in the sky, only darkness. The sea was flat, and there were no waves, only tiny ripples washing him constantly. The whole world looked black, with the occasional thunder in the heavy clouds, but no lightning in sight.

He looked up into the distance, and in the dim moonlight, the ocean looked like a crumpled and flattened piece of aluminum foil, and the water did not look like water, but the ripples formed a swimming black shadow underneath

Then Fogham heard a voice, that of Ferus Manus, with great hatred.

"Traitor."

There is one more chapter.

(End of chapter)