Warhammer: I don't want to become a stinky can!

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[There are no ranks within the Death Guard, Typhon.]

"hehe."

Do you want to go in?

“I’ll go with you to see him—so that people won’t think I’m cold-blooded or a mixed-race monster.”

[No one would think that way.]

"Shut up and go."

squeak-

The door was opened, and because of the filtration system, the air inside was much cleaner than outside, though there was a slight smell of medicine mixed in.

Hello, Hades.

As [Motalian] spoke, [Karas] behind him carefully closed the door. Unlike the Primarch who walked to the bedside and sat down, the psionic [Karas] stood in the corner furthest from [Hades] with a dark expression.

"Haha, want some porridge, Mortalian? Herrera brought me a lot, but I feel like I'm going to have leftovers again."

[I think I can try some later, but most of them are yours, Hades.]

Half-lying on the bed, Hades made a gloomy face and put down the blueprints in his hand—he was designing the drainage system needed for the Primarch's new base.

On the other side, there were also many official documents and blueprints scattered on the bed.

“Herrera always thinks I have a huge appetite,”

Hades smacked his lips.

"Or have you allocated me too much food, Mortalian?"

[You get the same share as everyone else. Herrera might have added some for herself, but overall it's not much.]

Loss of appetite is a harbinger of decay, and they try to delay it as much as possible, but death seems like an elephant in the room, silently watching them.

Years of battles had weakened Hades's old ailments, making him more frail than his peers, while the psionic environment of Barbarus further eroded him.

If Hades is strong enough, then theoretically he could even reverse the decay of Barbaros, but this is only in theory.

Even so, the body of the soulless made it impossible for those around Hades to adapt to him. Therefore, Hades had to stay away from the gathering places of the stronghold. He could not go too far because he could not survive alone in the wild.

However, what recently troubled Mortalian was that Hades's physical condition as a Soulless seemed to have improved. The Primarch could clearly feel an increase in alienation, but Hades himself showed no signs of improvement.

It might be a final burst of energy before death—he didn't want to think about it that way.

"Heh, what a bluff."

Karas interrupted the conversation at an inopportune moment, seemingly already eyeing the bowl of porridge by Hades' bedside.

"Karas is back too? It seems the battle is going more smoothly than I expected."

On the wall in front of Hades' bed was a huge map, and Mortarion could see the markings Hades had made and the small flags he had placed on it.

Hades has predicted almost every battle with perfect accuracy, and now, all the little green flags representing the Death Guard are gathered around that highest point.

Only the last step is left.

Mortarian's heart clenched for a moment. The final step, which was also his first step, was that he had agreed to kill Nacre.

At least... at least Hades should witness the complete liberation of Barbarossa.

"We'll be able to kill that idiot Nacre soon."

"Karas" said in a muffled voice. "Motalian" knew that "Karas" thought the same way he did; they needed to let "Hades" see the final victory.

Hades smiled and shook his head.

"No need to rush..."

Hades spoke thoughtfully, glancing at Mortarion, his eyes seeming to see everything.

"If we can't win... that's normal. Nacre and his army are very strong. There's no need to rush to success; we can even wait a little longer."

Later?

No, it can't be any later, the Primarch is afraid of Hades...

"We cannot be rash."

Hades stared into Mortarian's eyes and issued another warning.

"As long as we stay calm, victory will eventually belong to the Death Guard. It's just a matter of time. While we hold off Nacre, we can try to build Barbaros."

[The battle is progressing smoothly—Hades, you're being a bit hesitant.]

[Motalian] spoke instinctively, and [Kalas] immediately followed suit, mockingly replying...

"You should go out and see our army for yourself, Hades. How can you think they can't win if you haven't seen how bravely they fight?"

Hades, lying on the hospital bed, seemed to flinch for a moment, but then his eyes lit up with a sharp light as he stared at Mortarian.

“Well, you can’t speak without practice, and I certainly don’t have the same advice as you do on that matter—but I have one request, and that is that I want to join the battle when we attack Nacre.”

“You can’t defeat the Nacre on your own… You need an anti-psy unit to counter it.”

Motalian and Karas both widened their eyes in astonishment, realizing that Hades was not joking.

Yay, it's gone!

Chapter 804 [246] Death

"I still don't understand."

Mrs. Psyche stretched out a finger and listlessly ran it along Typhon's armor, producing a soft hissing sound.

There was no doubt that a sticky layer of grime had accumulated on Mrs. Psyche's fingers, which was corroding them.

"Why did such a good person as Hades die like this?"

Butterflies made of gauze fluttered up from her shoulders, and the stone named Typhons muttered something slowly, as if his simmering soup had bubbled.

"Only we think so."

Typhons said slowly,

"Back then, people called him a monster... Have you forgotten how they insulted you? You fell in love with a monster, Psyche."

"Therefore, his death..."

Typhons whispered reluctantly.

"It is an inevitability in the cycle, and fate absurdly imposes the soul called 'Hades' upon a monster called the Cancer of Humanity."

"He was just an innocent soulless person."

Tears streamed down Psyche's perfectly sculpted left cheek, and Typhons felt a pang of sadness himself.

After joining Slaanesh, Psyche became increasingly melancholic, more emotional, and more prone to boredom.

"Stop deceiving yourselves... We all know he's not just a simple soulless being..."

Typhons' voice trailed off.

"But what exactly is he...? I wonder how things are going on with Mortalian?"

Mrs. Psyche sighed loudly; the Great Demon was not allowed to be among the first to enter that realm of fate—

They will always be the pearls that adorn the Primarchs, and the first batch will always be the Primarchs.

"No matter what..."

Psyche lowered her eyebrows and eyes.

"He will always be the morally upright and kind person in my memory."

…………

Hades is by no means a simple soulless being.

He already knew it all along... but he was always unwilling to say it.

A dim, poisonous fog floated by.

Mortarian gasped for breath, his eyes nearly blinded, the poisonous gas from the summit of Mount Barbaros corroding him, the Primarch already hearing the sound of his skin being corroded.

No Silent Sister could have done that.

Pong!

With a muffled thud, Nacre's body fell to the ground behind him, raising a cloud of dust.

Heh...heh...

The Primarch made a sound from his throat. He was desperate to stand up again after being hit by the Soulless Domain. The last thing he saw was Hades rushing in front of Karas and blocking the attack from Nacre.

Then—then came overwhelming darkness.

Even the Primarch could not stop it, nor could it contend with it.

[Ha—Hades?!]

Mortarian gagged, then hastily used his long scythe as a crutch to prop himself up.

With his vision still impaired and extremely weak, the Primarch tried to grope his way to his comrades.

[Karas?!]

But subconsciously, Mortarian knew he wouldn't get a response from Karas—

Within such a powerful Soulless Domain, Karas, who is closest to Hades, would certainly be the first to fall.

He only hoped that Hades' attack could bypass Karas.

Vision was returning, and amidst the darkness, a faint, dim light reappeared. [Motalian] stumbled and staggered toward [Hades] and [Kalas], relying on his memory.

Mortalian's mind was filled with terrible news, and he recalled what Hades had done before.

Perhaps Hades originally came with the intention of delivering the final blow—at the cost of his life.

【Motalian】struggled to open his eyes, and through the leaky gas mask, blood and tears streamed from his amber eyes.

In the dim light, he finally saw Hades and Karas lying on the ground.

..............................

"Haha, I think I've been feeling much more energetic lately."

At the foot of the mountain, Hades chuckled, scratched his head, and enthusiastically tried wielding the long scythe that Mortarion had made for him.

"You're only slowing us down the mountain."

[Karas] pointed this out without hesitation, and [Motalian] thought [Karas]'s words were somewhat hurtful, but it was indeed the truth.

“I swear I won’t be a burden to you guys. If things really get too bad, I’ll just go down the mountain myself—Karas, at least let me see how Nacre died. I hate it so much I’m grinding my teeth.”

"cut."

Karas sneered.

"Don't even think about asking me to carry you down the mountain."

Hades smiled, an unusual light flashing in his dark eyes.

"No, no, none of you need to carry me down the mountain—I swear, believe me."

..............................

[Hades?! Karas?!]

[Motalian] trembled as he looked at everything before him. [Karas] was unconscious and unresponsive, while [Hades] forced his eyes open after hearing his words.

“Motalian… take Karas down quickly… he’s alright for now, but his helmet is torn… give him mine.”

[What do you do then?]

[Motalian] knelt down and immediately checked [Karas]'s injuries. As [Hades] had said, [Karas] had fainted, but his pulse and breathing were still stable.

A large, death-symbol-like rift appeared on [Karas]'s helmet. The Primarch reached out and futilely covered the wound, but the poison gas continued to hiss and seep in.

"I……?"

"I'll stay here."

In a final burst of energy, Hades managed to stand up in front of Mortarian. He reached out and, as if breaking free from his shackles, ripped off his heavy gas mask.