Chapter 265 The Road to Justice (Warning for a Large Number of Theoretical Outputs)
“Be careful, Konrad Curze.” Vulkan stood on the edge of the field and shouted from a distance. Although he retained the majority equipment, but still took off his helmet and arm armor, "Please don't think that I will give in to you. Although I am a blacksmith, if I want, I am even more of a warrior."
Kang Radkoz was noncommittal, taking off the crimson cloak that was useless in the battle from his shoulders, and temporarily handed it to the mechanical Perturabo beside him. Even before the fight started due to differences, Vulkan remained polite.
The land where his feet were located was covered by a thin layer of golden mist. The golden mist spread into a circle with a diameter of about forty meters, framing the scope of the battle.
Outside the circle, on one side of the Imperial Expeditionary Force, Ferrus Manus's silver arms were folded across his chest, his face expressionless. Fulgrim's eyes wandered between Vulkan, Curze, "Fath" and "Perturabo", pursed his lips, and inferred the truth behind all these unsolved mysteries.
The legionnaires of the Iron Hands and Salamanders stood in a disciplined manner in the outer circle. Their iron helmets covered with battle traces stood still in the hot air, silently and intently watching this extremely rare original body. duel.
Everyone knows that, except for extreme circumstances, direct disputes between the Primarchs will almost never break out, and a game in the form of a battle will probably not be possible during the entire Great Crusade. Encountered once.
On the other layer of the circle, within the transparent barrier, the Dark Spirit Tribe led by Victor and the Savage Spirit Tribe led by Shanadol also focused their attention on the circular battlefield. Inside. Among them, the attention of the Savage Eldar is particularly focused. In a sense, the outcome of Konrad Curze's battle will determine the life or death of their ethnic branch.
"He's watching," Perturabo whispered, hanging Curze's cloak on his raised right forearm.
“I know.” Coze said. After the mortal Faas finally raised his arm, patted the back of Vulkan’s hammer-holding hand, and exited the fighting circle, he turned his face and nodded to Perturabo. . "I've been preparing for years."
"I'm also looking forward to your answer," Perturabo patted Coze on the shoulder, "I know you have ideas in your heart, but you have never expressed them in front of us."
Coze He nodded goodbye to Perturabo, and then walked towards the center of the field with Vulkan.
"This is our first battle in this world," Curze replied, observing Vulkan's red eyes. "I also hope that this is the last one... Even if fate will come true, I also hope that it will come within the reach of my hand."
Vulkan's heart is no longer inclined. in battle. However, things have progressed to this point.
"Then, let's begin." The Fire Dragon Lord said.
Curze raised his hand and made a fist. Of course his nails couldn't cut through the miraculous scales of the Salamander Legion Primarch, but he had seen similar confrontations too many times. A picture flashed back in his conscious will. He lowered his center of gravity and approached Vulcan diagonally. The midnight blue robe was like a deep phantom, swinging slightly behind him.
Vulkan no longer hesitated and attacked, raising his heavy hammer.
The firm power hidden in his wide-open and wide-open movements was enough to make every blow deeply shake the scorched earth. Unfortunately, his movements were still a millimeter slower than the Fire Dragon Lord in Konrad Curze's impression, and Vulkan himself seemed unaware of this fact. In a sense, Coates felt bitter about this.
Koz stepped forward, nimbly dodging the arc of attack brought about by Vulcan's first heavy attack, and then quickly slid past the next arc brought about by the thundercloud anvil, and met Vulcan. Gan kept changing positions and came to the edge of the golden area, close to the empire side.
“If you insist on being merciful, I will get just a breathing space to state my point of view.” Konrad Coates even took the time to start speaking, allowing his voice to be clearly transmitted across the venue. outside. The first person attracted to him was the mortal Faas, which Curze expected. "In justice, there is a basic assumption..."
Vulkan said nothing, quickly adjusted his direction, and struck down hard with a high-raised hammer, trying to grab the edge of Koze's robe. A strong airflow followed, making the air tremble. On his face covered with small war scars, his eyebrows were slightly raised, proving that he was listening.
Koz rolled skillfully under Vulkan's attack, with the soles of his rear feet just touching the edge of the golden field. He just avoided the vicious blow, and he immediately spun up. , the sharp nails struck hard, cutting along Vulcan's bare hand holding the hammer.
Vulkan evaded the attack by pulling out his hand hard, and at the same time quickly adjusted his posture to prepare for the next attack.
“Justice does not exist out of thin air,” Coates seized this opportunity to breathe. “It is not a mechanical absolute idea; but at the same time, it cannot really and completely rely on the existing social structure. , because it is a guiding light that must hang beyond the reach of society's declining, over-sedated Bugsy..."
"Continue. shouted Vulkan, who always appeared to be more intimidating than he really was.
Curze licked his lips gently, jumped up as lightly as a sword cat, and let the weight fall where his feet were originally. His eyes swept through Vulkan's eyes: "A hypothetical social contract, if we want to discuss justice, this is what we need, and I will explain it all... In order to find where the goddess of justice is, I must confirm A way to track her down."
"Think about it, assuming there is such a barrier here -"
He smiled.
“A transparent barrier like an enchantment—let us temporarily forget all the sacrifices we were forced to make in succumbing to the interests of the empire; assuming that behind this barrier, all interests, values, goals, and even Eloquence, knowledge, all erased, all forgotten; some are rich, some are poor, some are strong enough to be born Space Marines, some are too weak to survive the first winter in the sewers - no, forget them . ”
“In such circumstances, we come together in ignorance of the important qualities that will really affect our judgment; yet, in such circumstances, in a primitive state of equality, As thinking beings, we can still discuss what we want..."
"How is that possible?" Vulkan swung his hammer again, trying to hit the place where Curze couldn't dodge.
His movements are fast enough for both Space Marines and Eldar, but they present a flaw when facing Konrad Curze. Fortunately, each of his attacks carries overwhelming power, which is enough to transform the difference in speed into two parallel and equal fighting styles.
"In conditions of non-existence, there is no theory that can be discussed, Conrad!" Vulcan asked in his own way, giving Coates the direction to continue the narrative.
"No, listen to me, brothers, friends..." Konrad Curze glanced at the mortal Fas again.
He dared to say that all the Primarchs present recognized the identity of the other party, but were worried about whether they really wanted to expose the disguise of the Emperor of Mankind. Curze stood firm and raised his hand to meet the hammer. Of course, this could not be to block Vulkan's attack head-on; the back of his arm brushed against the edge of the hammer, causing the hammer to deviate from its trajectory at the expense of a small scratch. , letting it fall harmlessly past him.
“We just rise to an abstract category, not some damn Archons, Imperial Warlords, or Kalidus Assassins sitting around a table; in discussions like this, we’re just kindred spirits Life, not knowing its exact role, but simply proposing our supposed social contract for a more just world."
A quick swipe from Curze seemed to touch Vulcan's arm lightly, Vulkan's hand was left with a thin scratch as he re-entered a defensive stance. Vulkan jerked back, charging up his strength for the next attack.
“A fictional world of justice,” Vulkan said, “a beautiful world.”
“A world that reflects actual constraints on the real world.” Coates emphasized , also stepped back, and the two slowly rotated in the field, like a pair of dolls hovering in a music box, except that their hands and giant hammers were respectively watching each other's vital points.
"Continue." Vulkan heard himself say, but was surprised to find that he had absolutely no intention of saying a word on his own - he was still focused on Curze's imaginary world. There was an unpleasant coldness in his throat, and a force from the void attached to his neck, pushing him to speak.
Behind him, Vulkan felt the gaze of mortal Faas.
Koz lunged forward, crashing into Vulcan like a flash of blue light. He jumped up high and aimed at Vulkan's throat. Vulkan raised his hammer to block it, and the handle of the hammer blocked Coze's hand. Coze took advantage of the situation and grabbed the handle of the hammer, flipped behind Vulkan in the air, and climbed up. On the back of the Fire Dragon Lord, the nails grazed both sides of the mandible.
Vulkan's pupils shrank, knowing that if Coz really had a pair of lightning claws, it would be enough to hurt him half of his life.
"We have formulated a contract in such a world - forget the specific content of the contract for the time being, friends. We are discussing methods..." Curze stepped back, barely able to avoid Vol. Gan turned around and swung his hammer, avoiding Vulcan's advantageous attack range. "Then, this contract came to reality. How can we make reality fall in love with this contract as well? So, first of all, back to reality, maybe some noble people Think——”
He caught the gap in Vulkan's movements, lightly scratched his fingernails across the gap between Vulkan's breastplate and abdomen, and hooked upward at an angle that couldn't get any better, as skillfully as he had done it thousands of times. fighting. This marks the second death, if this is an actual battle.
“——I think that when the law is enacted, people prepare their own morals and think that they should accept it. Well, I allow the existence of this idea, this contract based on consent..."
"But let us consider another possibility, a binding force independent of moral force. Mutual interest, I call it."
"Earlier you said, There was no profit attribute in the environment when the contract was made." Vulcan acquiesced and continued to use his mouthpiece. This would be his doubt, even if he would not ask it so directly and unforgivingly.
“There are no targeted interests, only reciprocal interests that take everyone into consideration. How can justice not benefit everyone? No, we cannot do this. And, precisely because the specific personality has been abstracted , we eliminated the existence of private individuals in the previous battle. At this time, anyone’s interests are also the interests of anyone else..."
"This will be a tacitly agreed term, and the social contract will be built on mutual benefit, and this is an important concept for a qualified social contract to be maintained. Therefore, given that the social contract is the foundation on which justice must rest, we may In such a contract, the vague form of the law of justice can be derived..."
"A mutually beneficial social contract. This is the cause of all my actions."
Vulkan grabbed Curze's moving wrist, flicked it hard, and successfully pushed him into the path of the hammer - Curze invested too much energy in the narrative. Vulkan did not withdraw his strength. According to previous observations, Curze was completely able to escape on his own.
But he didn't.
"I'm done." Curze said, standing there and spreading his arms.
The giant hammer suddenly stopped the moment before it came into contact with Curze's body, and the world fell into silence.
“This is the road to justice that you have determined, Conrad.” Fass walked into the venue, his feet without shoes walking out of thin air on the golden light covering the scorched earth.
“Tell me,” he said, his face calm and peaceful, his burlap clothes hanging around his ankles, “how are you going to prove that, under your conditions, the actual regulations that result are just?”
"I don't prove it." Curze lowered his arms and faced the mortal Faas. Then he bowed deeply and spoke low and clear. "I can't prove it."
"I unfortunately believe that there are moral flaws and a lack of justice in almost all actual regulations; at the same time, any actual regulations can only come close to her, not become her - I mean justice. But I do hope that our reality will not listen to my pessimism, but go further for all... who still have aspirations and ideals."
Face held out his rough-skinned hand. "You have found a unique pair of experimental subjects, Konrad Curze. In the most intense conflict between the two races, the most bizarre social contract is consolidated through mutually beneficial constraints."
"This is the most extreme challenge in the world, but you choose to use it to verify the most incredible path of justice."
His hand fell on the side of Coz's face, slightly adjusted the angle, and looked at it. The pale and calm face of the Primarch.
"Everything I did was not out of concern for my own interests or sympathy for the aliens - Vulkan is the one who still has compassion for the Eldar to this day." Curze said, Let the other party hold his cheek, "I just saw a possibility that must be pursued."
"Then, this is your path." The emperor sighed.
Note 1: The opinions in the article are different from those of the author
Note 2: I will take leave tomorrow to do some translation
(End of this chapter)