Chapter 431 Devon
"With all due respect, my lord, what is chaos?" Kyle Valen asked.
At this time, the Iron Warriors' fleet was located in the subspace passage heading to the Devon system. Interrex turned into a series of slightly reflective dust particles in the air, and the colorful brilliance of the subspace was blocked. Outside the closed window panels of the Iron Blood.
The Star Language Chorus has shared as much as possible the situation of the Devon galaxy with the Iron Lord who came to deal with the rebellion. Multiple pieces of intelligence with the same information were sent in sequence to fill the gap in the loss of comparative information. It is expected that after four weeks, they will return to the real universe dotted with various celestial bodies, and Devin satellite 63-8 will appear in front of them.
Although that satellite belonged to Horus Luperkar's 63rd Expeditionary Fleet, the first person to come into contact with it was Lorgar Aurelion's Word Bearers. According to their usual practice, all the Devin people who maintained primitive beliefs on this planet were destroyed, all the old temples were demolished, the icons were destroyed, and the long-haired Devin people who looked like apes were set ablaze by flames.
Subsequently, the Empire's colonial ships redefined the makeup of Davin's society.
It can be said that this is a pure imperial planet, which does not include the instability of external franchisees - this also makes their rebellion lack a conventional reason.
Perturabo raised his head and looked at his warsmith. Kyle Valen is not well-known, but he has solid commanding and dispatching skills, accumulated military exploits, and walked to the Primarch step by step. For personal reasons, the Warsmith did not use mechanical or biological technology to replace his missing left eye, and Perturabo would not ask about it.
“You still remember the problem of the Interrex people.” Perturabo said calmly, “You care about it?”
Kyle Valen hesitated for two seconds: "Yes, my lord. I'm not sure we have permission to know all this."
"Tell me what you think." Perturabo said, "You have been thinking about it for a few days. I am glad that you did not let the problem affect your work, and I am also glad that you plucked up the courage to confess with me."
"Oh..." Kael was startled, and then regretted that he had thought that the Primarch would not notice his hesitation.
"I initially thought that the 'chaos' you mentioned was a name for witchcraft or psychic energy. They are similar in the roots of the words, but then I found that I could not explain it. If chaos is just witchcraft, Technique, why do you want us to leave before we discuss it? After all, we have close ties with the 'wizards' of the Sun of Thousand Dusts."
"So, why do you think it is?" Perturabo asked. .
"Because the Empire's truth does not recognize wizards?" Kyle was not sure about this. "When it comes to diplomacy, I should be consistent with the Empire's caliber?"
His speculation made Perturabo's eyebrows relax slightly: "No, Valen, we don't have to be so political about Interex. Your guess about 'Chaos' is correct, but it is also incomplete. In the name of the Emperor, this is all I can tell you. I believe that with your intelligence, your inquiry should have reached the end."
The truth cannot be recognized, and the War Blacksmith almost instantly. Got this answer. Even if the Webway is so secretive, the Lord of Iron is willing to tell it frankly. With so many more unspeakable things, I'm afraid the crux can only fall on that thing itself.
"But..." He still has a question, "If we don't know what we will face, how can we guard against its threat?"
"It's simple, listen to Mage Nus's words, let witchcraft get out of our world. If you are undecided, then call someone who understands the truth - like me, like Magnus."
Perturabo replied, investing again. in his work. In a sense, he enjoys the process of letting different information swirl and interweave in his brain, which is equivalent to building a metaphysical building.
He noticed a strange message sent in astrology: an abnormal black corona was emitting around satellite 63-8. This phenomenon is similar to the scene described in the Nightmare Sun Intelligence Book sent to him by Konrad Curze - the area affected by this abnormality seems to be often accompanied by madness and destruction.
This confirms a vague rumor that has not been verified by statistics, that is, the vision of the expansion of the Holy Grail is quietly appearing in the shadows of the empire.
Considering that these trivial reports are mixed into the millions of pieces of information sent to Terra every day, Morse said that Malcador decided to wait for the threat of the anomaly to be higher than the regional threat. After the chain famine caused by sexual agricultural production reduction, we will deal with this kind of folk rumor that is almost hearsay.
"Thank you, father." Kyle said sincerely.
"Tell this to your colleagues as well," Perturabo said, frowning slightly, "If there is any situation that goes beyond common sense, be sure to report it to me immediately, and I will make the decision myself. ”
——
Electric light shuttled over the satellite, and the drizzle fell like a ghost, blocking the multiple broken partitions of World 63-8 from each other, as if sealed in an eternal cycle of stasis spheres.
When the Iron Warriors arrived here, in the unknown turbulence, the satellite had been reduced to several loose gray-brown rock islands floating in the universe, barely connected by gravity.
Each torn continent is barren and gray, with different shapes, and is moving slowly. Seen from orbit, the broken earth and rocks are like broken chains covered with black rust spots, surrounding the outside of the planet.
It is hard to imagine that such a planet on the verge of destruction could actually launch a rebellion against the Empire.
And, unfortunately, in the Adeptus Mechanicus' assessment, the planet could still be rebuilt into a habitable world.
After requests for negotiation were rejected, Perturabo signed a decree certifying the treachery here and dispatched ships under the Iron Warriors to mobilize to lift the planet's orbital defenses.
The whole process was easier than he imagined. This did not mean that the other party had no resistance. On the contrary, as soon as the ships that were once loyal to the empire saw the Iron Warriors, they launched an almost crazy counterattack. Then one ship emptied all its ammunition reserves almost at the first moment of the battle, and then, with a certain intention to self-destruct, rushed towards the Iron Warriors' battleship reinforced by Perturabo's additional armor.
Of course, this greatly accelerated the destruction of the already weak defense fleet in World 63-8.
"Go and investigate," Perturabo ordered, assigning the task to the three warsmiths.
After a meeting, these senior commanders assigned different torn continental blocks to companies for reconnaissance and combat according to the longitude of the planet, and each brought Perturabo's iron ring soldiers with them to prepare for Perturabo. Turabo provides a more professional observation perspective and the most timely means of contact.
"What the hell is this place," Belosos, the war blacksmith of the 21st Battalion, whispered to himself, looking up at the dirty and turbid sky through his goggles.
The clouds are like gray-black spider webs, dividing the dark sky into patches of dark mist. The raindrops drip like pus, with an unnatural sense of stickiness and dullness. He felt that his armor was tending to some kind of turbid fluid as the army marched, even though all the data indicators emphasized that this was all just a false illusion.
The iron ring soldier was beside him, towering and stable, accompanying him unwaveringly, advancing and retreating with him. He knew that Perturabo was watching his every move, and what he could get from it was more of a sense of stability and comfort than honor.
The governor who once took over this area was appointed by the Word Bearers. Berossus was sometimes curious about what Lorgar Aurelion would do when he discovered that there was a traitor among his men. Rage unleashed on the world.
But they haven't seen the traitor yet.
As the team advanced, some ruins of Devin's past life gradually appeared under their feet. Broken ancient sculptures and collapsed stone buildings abounded. They passed by an open space and saw a large circle made of stones, and a black scorch mark in the center of the circle that had gradually dissipated in the rain over the years.
This is evidence that the Word Bearers once destroyed everything, a remnant that no one has dared to clean up in sixty years.
Everyone knows that after the massacre is over, the Word Bearers will always light anything that can still burn as a rule. Standing on the edge of the fire ceremony, watching the rising black smoke, smiling at The Emperor prayed devoutly, wishing that the Emperor would grant new life to the world. Berossos was pretty sure that the ruins of the building they were passing by once belonged to a temple, some kind of snake-themed society.
Countless granite blocks were once carved with fine scales and cruel snake pupils. The incomplete arches are located between the cliffs, and the bronze doors are engraved with reliefs of coiled snakes, showing the local beliefs of Devin.
Today, after the Word Bearers' ruthless destruction sixty years ago, all of this is reduced to charred waste and fractured stone roots, half submerged in a tawny bubbling mire.
Lush moss and weeds cling to the surfaces and gaps between the stones, while flies and their disgusting larvae fly in swarms on the surface and edges of the mire.
The helmet immediately began to filter the toxic air here as soon as it got the reading, but a stench still lingered, as if it invaded directly from the edge of their sensory system, testing them with a poisonous breath soul.
On top of all these elements, a dark and gloomy atmosphere competed to appear, covering their senses like a veil. It seemed to be exactly when they had seen the Fire Sacrifice of the Word Bearers. Appeared quietly behind the scenes.
It's purer, more... vicious. A kind of cold hatred born out of thin air prompted Berossus to tighten his grip on his weapon. In his throbbing heart, some kind of dark will to destroy everything in front of him was rising rapidly, urging him to tear and burn as much as he wanted. , knock down anything.
Through the helmet, he seemed to see his companion's eyes flashing with a ferocious cold light, as if a dark ecstasy was dwelling in the adjutant's soul, and he had high expectations for any harbinger of destruction. , even if the destruction will be his own.
The hormone detection signal in the helmet quickly warned him. Belosos bit his tongue hard, swallowed, and barely suppressed the overflowing hatred. As he gradually calmed down, another emotion waxed and waned, and fear suddenly clung to his skin, bringing a deathly coldness.
He waited for the power armor to inject him with a nerve-regulating sedative, and faithfully informed the Iron Lord of his situation orally.
If he encounters something beyond his ability, he will not use his stupidity or pride to create unnecessary sacrifices - not to mention that before coming here, Kyle Wallen just talked to them about this matter.
His boots stepped on some crunchy material, and Berossus looked down, noticing that it was a festering human skeleton. This was the first human-related thing they encountered on this broken continent. What a joyful destruction and end... No, stop.
"The time of death does not exceed four weeks," a warrior leaned over to conduct a simple test. "Psychic traces, corrosive spells... He died from the surrounding psychic environment."
His lieutenants entered their findings into the comms channel in clear and concise sentences to share with other soldiers. Belosos noticed that the adjutant's voice had become quite hoarse, and that the other party was also affected by the strong and bad desire.
Steel inside and out, he meditated silently, recalling the teachings of the father of genes, and regained the calmness he deserved.
In the officer’s internal channel, Belosos read more counter-intuitive phenomena.
This small planet seems to be accompanied by material division, and essential changes are also derived in various regions.
Some broken continents are completely filled with strange fragrance, and everything shows the worship of reproduction. Even the stone corridors and pillars fit together in pairs; in some places, rivers of blood flow, and copper The rust of iron fills the mountains and plains, and distant roars echo outside reality; the least of which is some kind of labyrinth-like crystallized area. The Iron Warriors use heavy cannons to smash every crystal wall blocking the way, coldly heading towards the depths. Moving forward...
It is worth noting that they have never encountered any living creatures that could pose a threat, not to mention rebels, not even living people.
"Similar to a certain pattern," another group of warriors shared their knowledge, "there are regular patterns in the form of these psychic signs."
Berossus also discovered this Features, many things are faintly constructing the same set of similar features. The yellow crescent moon above Devon is an arc, extending three twisted and entangled reflections in the mire on the ground. The multiple cornices of the temple, viewed from a specific angle, Forming a set of weird nested cohesive structures, and...
The iron ring robot raised its mechanical arm and picked up a series of nested sawtooth chains from the top of a black branch that looked like a dead silhouette. The bright green light in the robot's eyes flickered slightly as he scanned the shape of the chains - they were not man-made. The chain is affected by the surrounding spiritual environment, and the branches are automatically connected and twisted into a loop. Judging from the shape, it resembles a snake with our tail.
Messages continue to be exchanged and transmitted rapidly, and any discovery is not an isolated case. From countless corners of the Devon satellite, more products of psychic influence have been discovered one by one, and the surrounding environment The more repulsive it is, the more overwhelming the warp's stench and dim simmering malevolence are, and the more common these small, tangible signs are; they either accompany or work against each other.
There are no living people, still no one, just like the sandy plains that have been burned by the war.
Berossus asked his warriors to postpone their advance. His experience gave him a bad feeling. "Be careful," he said, "stop moving forward and wait for the next order."
But the world seemed to begin to change completely. From an insignificant moment, the plates under their feet seemed to slowly begin to change. Moving, the gravitational environment was violently turbulent, trees fell, and rocks collapsed, sliding in a predetermined direction until they fell into the center like an end.
At the same time, the cruel and crazy idea suddenly strengthened countless times and turned into a scream that penetrated the soul. The dark wave surged and roared silently with eternal pain and torture. Countless scenes were intruding into his mind: ships exploding and crashing in the air, tens of thousands of stone towers rumbling and collapsing, travelers falling to the ground on the dry gray stone beach, and the corpses of the dead flowing along the Styx-like river. The waterfall fell into the deep pool...
However, there was no real sound in Belosos's ears, and the colors faded and disappeared bit by bit. The turbid brown-yellow mire, the war cry echoing in the distance, and the fragrant sensory gauze were all swallowed up by the darkness and turned into a sharp, inky black fog, tearing at his skin like an eagle's claws scratching his. Bones...
"That's enough," this strong sense just emerged, but within ten seconds, a mechanically synthesized imitation human voice came out of the iron ring's mouth and was sent to the Cheorwon ship. The command of the Iron Lord.
The synthesized sound of the iron ring was emotionless, but Belosos only felt that the voice of the father of genes was in his ears - so urgent, so solemn.
"Everyone stopped exploring and prepared to return to orbit. The counter-insurgency of 63-8 has been put on hold," Perturabo said quickly, "This is no longer what we should deal with, wait-"
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Berossus did not hear the second half of the Iron Lord's words. Around him, the world was so silent. Whether it was the dirty dim light or the flash of light on the Iron Ring's shell, everything suddenly dimmed and fell into a distant, infinite world. of darkness.
The darkness is spreading, covering the area around him, no, far more than that, it is so huge and infinite, climbing over the broken snake pillars, swallowing the withered haggard trees, and gently spreading across the continent, Then it spreads to Devon's broken sky...
From top to bottom, from outside to inside, the darkness deepens to infinite dimensions, until the measure turns into nothingness, as if inside and outside, as if below is above, death and Silence reappears from the darkness, burning slowly across the range of all words that humans can define, beyond the limits of measurement, beyond finite numbers, words no longer have meaning... Everything ends in deathly silence , thus transcending time.
He seems to have seen everything, and yet he seems to know nothing.
He raised his head.
The nightmarish black sun is there.
It hangs at the other end of the void, as if it has just appeared, and yet it seems that it has never left.
The end of the stellar wind turned into a thin black needle that absorbed light, piercing him like a moth.
(End of this chapter)