Chapter 465 The Crimson King (Part 2)
There was silence.
Magnus stood on the edge of silence, the sound already gone from him.
Here, all actual existence repeats the action of self-devourment, like a wave of silence pouring out from the holes in the atomic structure of things, first beginning to eliminate its own existence, until every crystal is transparent Between the layers, every drop of floating mist and every oscillating echo lead to ultimate extinction in advance.
Dead silence.
Dead silence spreads with darkness, just as thunder and lightning accompany each other - but the silence at this moment is far more deafening than the roar of thunder, and the blinding effect of lightning bolts can never be compared with absolute darkness.
Magnus stretched out his hand, and the sound of the robe moving was no longer there. Psionics are snatched away by darkness before they take shape, and this is a simple lighting trick.
"Did I...do something wrong?" Magnus murmured, taking a step back and scanning the surroundings with his right eye wide open helplessly.
There was nothing left, he could not see Omegon's body, nor could he see the glowing webway walls, as if all the light in his world had been extinguished, just like the candle in the lantern Finally it burned out and was extinguished, and the world entered the dark depths.
He took a shuddering half-breath and let it out as his throat rolled.
The tarot cards in his hand were as cold as ice, losing their former lightness and warmth. He rubbed the card surface and carefully distinguished the texture on the card with his fingers.
An arc, the arc of the star card, with a tapered shape on the edge... No, it seems to be the knight card. The pattern on the back is profound and unshakable... Really? Space Marine cards seem to exhibit the same effect...damn!
His heart was pounding, and Magnus was frustrated that he couldn't tell what was on each card. He roared in vain, his voice dying in silence before it was born into the world.
Or is he dead too? Magnus thought confusedly.
No...he still has to find a way out. The small area he was in had completely fallen into the realm of darkness and destruction, but this was because Omegan died here - was killed by him, and the energy was gathered here.
The fifth god of destruction and end has not yet been completely born, otherwise he might have disappeared into thin air.
Since he still has room to think, the King of Darkness has not yet entered reality.
So, in the worst case scenario, falling into absolute darkness should only be the area covered by the Thutmons runes in the Webway, or, plus the area around Terra, this is enough .
His finger rested on a Navigator card under the creation suit. By following the revelation of this card, he would be able to escape from the webway and return to the real universe.
Yes, this is what he needs, he must leave this area and leave behind the darkness and silence in front of him.
The atmosphere of fear created by this darkness will sooner or later completely take away his sanity. He just stayed in this absolute darkness and silence for...a minute? Ten minutes? He has passed seconds like years.
Magnus felt a painful chill rush through his spinal cord, just as hesitation burned through his soul.
He can clearly feel that the fearful light brought by the Lord of Darkness is twisting his heart step by step. Soon he will be lost in madness. No one even knows that he is here. No one knows. Wherever Magnus is lost in the webway, maybe someone will find him a year later and find a crazy wandering soul floating next to the skeleton...
He must leave here.
What should he do next? He would tell the people who could help the Emperor everything that happened here, and ask them to forgive him for the serious consequences of his wrongful killing of Omega. Then, before they had time to mourn, he would ask them to think about what else they could do to save the situation. Today's situation...
Really?
Yes, this sounds great. He only needs to temporarily abandon this area that is plunged into darkness, and leave the Tyrant Star in the throne room to let it run wild for a few months. Maybe it will be enough to destroy half of Thailand. pull. Then he could return to Terra with his helpless brothers, and deliver the source of life one by one into the abyssal mouth of the Dark Lord.
And all he had to pay was to let fear and shrinkage engulf his soul.
He raised the Navigator card and placed it against his forehead, feeling the clarity that traveled through his soul.
Then he let the Navigator card turn into a ball of fire that instantly turned to ashes in his hand, and dusted it off from his palm.
Magnus was dizzy and weak, but he felt better now that his retreat had been cut off.
"Netway Node City," he thought silently about the place he was going to. "The Throne Room. Magnus, Magnus, do you hear me? Go to these places and find the Iron Warriors. They cannot die here. Then go find the Emperor. Father is the key to everything. Hear me. Magnus, the opportunity cannot be lost."
He paused.
"This is your duty, Magnus."
The Crimson King skillfully stacked the Astropath card on the Emperor card, and then added the Knight of Duty, which symbolizes stability and perseverance. , used to stabilize the pointing of this navigation system.
A phantom, invisible path of light seemed to emerge beneath his feet, even though there was not even a trace of light there.
Then he began to move deeper into the area, which was replaced by darkness from all levels.
Sometimes he expected some fluctuations in the darkness in front of him, such as the appearance of more rocks, or the appearance of a few fierce chains hitting his arms, so that he would know that he was not standing still. But within the scope of his perception, the dark void has long been saturated here, and the full power has smoothed out any potential whirlpools and waves...
This place is simply infinite, without end. No hearing, no vision, not much perception left. And even the turbid ocean of soul solution in the warp is filled with the anger and arrogance of teasing each other, or the depraved desire to stir up wind and waves...
"Go find the Iron Warriors, Magnus, if They had made preparations for retreat before. They must be under the throne world, right?"
Magnus muttered to himself, sometimes suspecting that he was spinning in circles with one leg as the center. From an intellectual standpoint, someone who has lost an eye is prone to this bias when it comes to smear walking.
“Magnus, you have been to Terra a thousand times, a thousand times! Even if you haven’t, if you calculate it twice a year, it’s almost five hundred times. You can do it even with your eyes closed. Find the way, right? You can do it, not to mention the Emperor’s Tarot is still guiding you.”
Yes, the Emperor’s Tarot is still enlightening.
They often say that every time a clear enlightenment appears in the hearts of those who use this set of cards, it is a distant glance sent by the emperor. The Emperor is the only light... This is just a rumor, not the true principle of Tarot operation. Magnus even wrote a special article to express the scorn of this superstition within his empire.
However, Magnus now began to believe that the Emperor was guiding him, because it meant that the Emperor was still awake.
He muttered trivially, imagining his brisk voice in his mind: "Look, you have two things to do now, Magnus. First, you can find the most stable exit to send the Iron Warriors out. ...
“You, this bad guy, did you reinforce the network tunnel connected to Prospero twice as many times as the other tunnels? This must have been your doing, and Prospero is one of your greatest masterpieces. The Webway is for the Imperium of Man, and Prospero is Magnus' home. That way is the best, you can let the Iron Warriors leave through Prospero's exit..."
He calculated it a hundred times in his mind and confirmed the feasibility of this plan, which is like It was a candle lit in his heart that made his tired steps quick again in a burst of light. He strode forward along the path he felt.
"Second. One thing is the Emperor. Emperor... This situation is much more complicated. Let’s list it in points. We know that darkness is coming, so is the Emperor still on the throne? Is Tutmons all closed?
"Best case scenario: The Emperor is on the throne, the formation is closed, then everything runs as normal, leaving Magnus alone with his wild thoughts and worries."
"The second situation is that the emperor is on the throne and the formation is not closed. In this way, we can block the last node, and then compare it to the first one..."
"Not a good situation, the emperor is not here On the throne, the formation is not closed... Then everything is still too late. Through the last opening, the power of darkness can still be stuffed back into the formation across the galaxy. There will be some turmoil in the middle. Who can let the darkness return? Where should it be? It will happen, it will happen (It'll bedone)"
"The worst kind, the emperor is not on the throne, but the formation is closed. It's about a closed cage, but what's locked in the cage is not a beast, but a key... Then we get an abandoned iron cage, and a beast raging outside, a beast that feeds on death...
< br>"This is completely unacceptable. Thutmons is our only controllable weapon against the Tyrant Planet. It cannot be abandoned like this..."
Magnus took a big breath and then restrained himself. He slowed down his breathing and let the suffocation caused by excessive breathing disappear in the darkness, even though the endless darkness itself was about to strangle him to death
The fearful environment was still pulling at his sanity, and his physical strength was draining away at a speed far exceeding the consumption of normal walking. This should also be related to his previous days of calculations and a fierce battle. Oh, he felt terrible.
His footsteps paused for a moment, and then, with a sudden surge of joy, he reached out and groped forward, looking for a hidden entrance on the invisible wall carved with runes. He slid in silently and reached the other side of the invisible formation.
Yes, this is the inner side of the main realm of Tutmons, a giant network entrenched in the sea of stars and the Milky Way, absorbing the silence of the entire world to limit the power of the dark king on the throne...
Magnus prepared mentally for two seconds, suppressed the pressure brought by the dark environment on him, and began to detect the integrity of the formation. Judging from the combination of options, he hoped that node would still be open. That is also a high probability event. After all, Perturabo's control over psychic energy is not enough for him to close a node door.
He stood still in astonishment, unable to believe his perception.
The last node has been closed... A shudder passed through him, like a ruthless and continuous drumbeat, beating his eardrums on both sides. Ominous speculation about the future brought Magnus almost to his knees, swallowed by darkness.
Why is that node closed?
He thought desperately, trying to falsify his perceptions.
Why has Tutmons’ last lock fallen? Moreover - it is sealed so cleanly, and the nature of the filling material even exceeds the toughness of the other eleven branch nodes, just like the contrast between fine gold and plastic steel...
The entire cage used to imprison the King of Darkness can no longer be opened. The energy in each line network is running freely, working together to act on the throne world.
So, is the Dark King on the throne?
Magnus stumbled into a run, the darkness around him growing thicker and pulling at his arms, legs and feet in a real way. This is the Thutmons Circle in effect, a huge sticky spider web that erodes any unfortunate entity that dares to enter.
His legs were screaming, and excessive fatigue was dragging them down. Each Primarch was a demigod, but they were not gods, nor were gods infinite in power.
The silence continued, until Magnus began to grow tired of his fear, like a man walking in a swamp who finds the rhythm of progress after a long struggle.
He laughed at his hesitation a few hours ago, giving him more courage to move on now. This courage is a mask that hides the despair that gradually breaks out in his heart. He needs more support to continue to move forward endlessly here.
The shining path became brighter and brighter, and the three superimposed tarot cards burned his fingers, forming a strong contrast with the increasingly cold and dark environment. He derives strength from pain, if this can also be regarded as some kind of self-repentance and condemnation for his parricide.
The truth is, his methods were effective and his mind pointed him to the right path.
In the darkness, he crossed many passes. The outer layer, the intermediate buffer layer, the switching layer, the fixed sector... he connected the discontinuous transformation windows one by one, and the long road passed by in an instant. The time shortened and then shortened, until he reached the edge of a black hole-like void that was more powerful, with ten times the pressure of the relaxing silence and darkness in front of him.
Magnus explored the edge of Tutmons, then temporarily slipped out of it and fell into the Throne World Map Node City where the Iron Warriors were stationed below.
The sky and earth here are still based on pitch black, but dots of light gently pierce the dark environment, like scattered stardust. Even though they are small, they still make Magnus feel comfortable from the inside out. He took a breath and felt a complicated joy.
These are the star-like etheric auras diffused in the darkness by human soul sparks. They are so vivid and agile, completely different from the endless dead silence before.
These Iron Warriors are safe and sound, perhaps a little panicked, but they are in good condition, their lives are safe, and they are not swallowed by the coming darkness.
Magnus touched the wet blood stains on his face and knew that he was embarrassed. For the first time, he was grateful that the darkness here obscured his condition.
The Crimson King adjusted his breathing, found the wording he had been preparing along the way, and then activated the amplification text engraved in advance in the holy book.
"Iron Warriors," he said loudly, his voice filled with the usual pure persistence. In addition, he tried to add some joy of success in sight.
"Attention, Iron Warriors. I am Magnus, the fifteenth Primarch. My voice should feel familiar to you, warriors.
" At present, perhaps you are confused by the dark situation before you and uneasy about the unusual turmoil in the webway. I must be honest and say that the current empire does face some difficulties. However, these problems are not for you to solve and are not within your scope of responsibility. This will be a responsibility that I and others who can do so will have to bear.
"And you - all of your efforts over the past two hundred years have been of immeasurable value. You have done your duty.
"Iron Warriors, your mission It has been successfully completed. Now, what you need to do is to leave this dark node city. When you contact Perturabo, the Father of Genes, please convey to him what I have told you.
"I have opened another road for you, and the road signs have been lit." He took out another set of runes from the holy book and sprinkled them around the corresponding node city in the throne world, like an iridescent bonfire, hazily cutting off the darkness. , leading to a path to follow.
"Through this road, you can reach Prospero along the webway. The specific door location is in my Tizca countryside. Please be kind to Prospero, and please tell me how to contact your father For that matter, I trust you need no further instructions from me.
Did his voice reach them?
Magnus believed he did, and not just because of this. The dark power of Node City has weakened, also because those light spots representing souls have begun to move, like groups of silver fish in the deep sea, no, like the rotating nebulae in the Milky Way, surging in sheets and orderly Rise up and move steadily toward the shining road.
"Good luck. "He murmured softly to himself, and the feeling of making a difference greatly soothed his restless heart.
He did something - oh, don't think too much about the subsequent worries. A plan will always appear flawless when it is first started, but change will be ruthless and never give up. Human beings cannot stand still because of this, and he only hopes that he will not regret his choice one day.
If he regrets it...if he makes a mistake that cannot be foreseen with his current vision...
He will repay it.
He walked away from the flowing light spots, re-entered the inside of the rune array, and headed towards the core of the blackest - the main node of the throne. This made him feel much worse than before. After he put his head out of the suffocating dark water and took a breath of happiness outside, the return to silence and darkness almost drove him crazy.
Magnus forced himself back to the depths of dark torture under the pressure and continued to move towards the golden seat. Sometimes he felt that he had no way forward, and the darkness ahead had condensed into an indestructible high wall. He muttered random words silently, and sometimes even began to recite the philosophical principles of psychic texts to bring him the comfort of distraction.
He squeezed forward with difficulty, and his main thoughts returned to his unfinished thoughts.
Now it is known that Tutmons is closed, and the locks of the iron cage of the world have been completed and welded, so the question is whether the King of Darkness was born in the golden cage, or escaped before that Outside... This is a bet that can coexist on both sides. Any slight deviation may determine the fate of the galaxy, and he must prepare for the worst-that is, Omegon's death, allowing the Dark King to gain the upper hand and be born in Outside the cage.
So, if this happens, what can he do?
There must be a path to choose from, because Morse told him that his guess was correct and his judgment was cold and accurate.
——Open the golden cage.
A set of words appeared in his mind, and in the deep silence, Magnus seemed to hear his own heartbeat.
If Thutmons's cage is closed empty, humanity will lose the last weapon that can safely fight against the Lord of Darkness. Therefore, the lock must be unlocked and the door must remain open until the darkness is pushed into the cage and then sealed again...
Then, continue to extend this line of thought. When the blockade is re-blocked, it is very likely that the Emperor will no longer be able to exert the power to fight against the Dark Lord, so they will have to find a series of matching new locks. It just so happens that this set of natural locks already exists in the galaxy. The Emperor has long forged them, the Primarchs, and they will play the role for which they were originally designed.
Magnus suppressed the terrifying thought.
They have spent nearly two hundred years, countless energy and material resources, and the existing costs have been immersed in the deep sea. Unless absolutely necessary, he cannot easily attack the Thutmnes Rune Circle itself, nor can he...
He took a deep breath.
He cannot exchange the lives of seventeen brothers for the freedom of mankind for tens of thousands of years in the future.
......Can't?
Magnus's heart twitched violently. If in the end, there was no other choice, would the Emperor regret sending his heir to die for humanity?
He closed his eyes in pain and shook his head. An answer already appeared in his mind.
The Emperor's voice echoed in his ears, and at this moment Magnus finally fully understood the moment of silence. +I had another plan. +The Emperor once declared it, and the implication was that it would be put into practice when push came to shove.
No, maybe there are other methods, or the Black King is on the verge of being born in the throne. He just...he just...
He had to prepare for the worst.
As if after centuries of heavy darkness, a thin golden light suddenly penetrated into his only remaining right eye. Magnus was full of expectation, and a strong fear that exceeded the expectation. Get close to the golden light. He stretched out his hand, trying to touch the bright but weak golden light.
He touched an insurmountable barrier.
The Emperor's Light lies outside Thutmons' formation.
It is not on the throne node.
Not here.
(End of this chapter)