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

Page 645

Luther opened the communication channel.

"State of emergency. We're heading back to the nearest fortress now."

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

"...Leon Johnson betrayed us?"

A soft rustling came from Asmodel's helmet; Luther swore he had never seen such a stubborn man.

What is your definition of loyalty?

He laughed incredulously.

"Loyalty to the emperor?"

"Loyalty itself needs no questioning."

Asmo answered Luther with a prayer, and Luther laughed again.

"If you are loyal to the Emperor, then why did you abandon the missions assigned to you by the Empire in at least three combat missions to hunt down your traitorous brothers?"

“I ignored you before, I just banished you, Asmodel, because you were indeed capable of hunting down those warriors who had fallen into chaos—I wanted you to find the truth yourself, but now you tell me you still believe that Caliban is black and white?”

"So you're the one over there, the one who raises lions?"

Asmodeus asked in a low voice.

“You have already answered your question. All I want now is for Leon to come back. Once he is back, I will accept his interrogation. But for now, the Dark Angel obeys my orders.”

Luther narrowed his eyes.

"Your dream of being a lone hero is shattered, Asmodée. I'll give you a chance to repent, since you haven't committed any unforgivable sins. Either face me—you can't beat me."

"Either confront Mortarion directly—since you're standing here, it means you're confident you can blackmail me, so let Mortarion come. I think the Primarch is most unwilling to see any trouble within the Expeditionary Force right now."

Luther could certainly call Mortarion over directly. As the First Legion's representative in the expeditionary force, he had the authority to do so, although Luther couldn't guarantee what would happen after the Pale Lord arrived.

In fact, he didn't really want to face the insectized Death Guardian Primarch.

“But you have deceived the Dark Angel, Luther, you are a fallen angel.”

"Yes! I am a fallen angel—Asmodeus. Do you know what a fallen angel truly represents?"

"It represents the person who knows Leon's true plan!!!"

Luther said, catching the charged scepter that Asmodian swung at him. The thing in the hands of the Inquisitor was heavier than a regular warhammer.

"Our true enemy is in the open within the Empire! Before he seized control of the Empire's lifeline, only the Dark Angels knew of his crimes! The Fallen Angels had been working to murder his incarnation—but for the sake of the First Legion's justice, I had to label our Fallen Angel friends as traitors! To slander them!"

Luther used his elbow to grab the handle of the scepter, using the momentum to push Asmodie, who was lunging at him with the scepter, down. At the same time, he suddenly raised his right knee and charged towards Asmodie's head!

Bang! He heard the sound of Asmodian's helmet shattering.

"Let me continue the story!"

Luther roared,

"You selfish, one-sided bastards! Unfortunately—I used to be one of those bastards too!!"

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

"I feel much better, thank you, Knight of Caliban."

Macardo said, sitting casually on the edge of the bed. It was a small but tidy room, the shelter that Luther had found for him.

"No need to thank you."

Luther said cautiously,

"You look great—may I speak with you?"

"sure,"

Macado said, gesturing for Luther to sit down.

“I know what you’re struggling with… I was shocked at first too, kid.”

Luther dragged over a chair and sat opposite Macado. Suddenly, the old man leaned down and placed his hand on Luther's gauntlet.

"Are you completely unaware of what's happening outside?"

Macado frowned and asked with concern.

This was not the question Luther wanted to hear; answering it would mean the knights might lose the initiative, so he gave a hasty reply.

“We know something has happened outside… but since the Caliban have no ships, we are powerless to help them. How did you manage to get here?”

"Subspace."

Makado whispered, winking.

“There are beings in Caliban who can communicate with the warp, but that’s not good for Caliban; it’s contagious… I thought the Lion knew.”

Luther frowned, recalling the knowledge he had gained from suppressing the riots earlier.

Ouroboros?

He asked uncertainly, and Makado looked at him in surprise.

"Leon told you? It seems that even after the rebellion, he wasn't this cold-blooded..."

Luther bypassed Makado's problem.

Are you sure he betrayed us?

He asked uncertainly, his heart pounding, feeling dizzy, "So what is all this for?"

Luther attributed his achievement of unifying Caliban to his adopted son Leon, and thanks to the love and respect of the Caliban people, Leon handed over Caliban to the Empire.

If the Empire could lead Caliban to a better position, that would be one thing, but now... Caliban is being corrupted by the factories of the Mechanicus... and the Lion King has once again abandoned the Emperor.

So what is Caliban? His springboard? Someone he can discard at will?

Even if the lion had never betrayed him, his century-long silence with Caliban had already planted a thorn in Luther's heart.

"He betrayed us."

Makado said his eyes were filled with gloom.

"The Primarchs built their own Empire."

"Where's the Emperor?"

Luther pressed for more details, but Macado simply shook his head, unwilling to discuss it further.

"I'm tired... Please go back."

Makado said,

"By the way, Astran just came to see me, but he seems to be very unhappy with me."

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

Astram, another thorn buried deep in Luther's heart, another extreme madman from Terra, a lunatic within the Dark Angels who opposes Leon's rule and supports the Emperor.

Even now, Luther still doesn't understand what Astram was trying to do back then in Caliban.

Just like the judge priest Asmodie who is standing before him now.

"You're still too green."

Luther roared, his powerful arm muscles bulging as he lifted the exhausted Asmodie, forcing him to stand up and continue fighting him.

Asmodie was also a skilled fighter. Even after Luther crushed his two calves, the Judgement Priest stood up again and roared defiantly at Luther.

"I know, you old man, you betrayed the Legion under Makado's influence back then!"

"I! Did not! Betray!!!"

Luther roared and spat on Asmodai's shattered, bleeding helmet.

"You have no idea how complicated the situation was back then!"

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

"You went to find the spell-marker?"

Luther glanced coldly at Astram, who gave a disgusting, pretentious smile.

Luther hates Astram, who is not under Luther's command on Caliban. This dog from Terra is another force and has been dedicated from the beginning to overthrowing the Lion's rule.

“Macado is not normal.”

Astlan said with a forced smile, "According to him, I was the first Space Marine on Terra, and I have an anti-chaos barrier in my mind set up by the Lord of Man."

"You're talking nonsense."

Luther said, "A spellcaster who suddenly appears on Caliban... How could Makado possibly be normal?"

But what concerned him was what Macado had said about Leon's current condition.

To put it bluntly, Luther doesn't care about any emperor or anything like that; he only cares about the Caliban and the Caliban people.

"Don't let him get near the dense forest."

Astland said those words and then left.

The dense forest... Makado came from the dense forest!

Luther wondered, what might be in the dense forest? ...An ouroboros?

He began to think of something ominous.

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

Do you know what the ouroboros is?

Luther laughed and cursed, a blank look flashing in his eyes as he looked at Asmodie's shattered helmet.

"you do not know,"

Luther laughed loudly and spat a mouthful of bloody foam onto the ground.

"Then what right do you have to say you're close to the truth?!"

"Ouroboros... Ouroboros... Ouroboros..."

Luther muttered to himself, “This is the root of all Caliban’s suffering. It lurks in the dense forest of Caliban, guarded by giant beasts and layers of forest, but his and Leon’s extermination of the giant beasts has released that creature.”

The ouroboros carries the aura of the warp; it bewitches people and corrupts their souls.

The immense power contained within the Ouroboros also attracted Makado's greedy gaze... The Marksman came for the Ouroboros, but his ambitions went far beyond that.

He is a complete hypocrite.

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

"Leon will be back soon."

Dressed in a plain robe, Macardo said that under the guise of caregiving, Luther had been keeping Macardo under house arrest, though he was unsure whether the Empire's powerful psionicists could easily escape his supervision.

Besides Luther, the others in Caliban were also watching this place, including Astram, Lord Cipher...

News of Leon's betrayal of the empire eventually spread, and now everyone has their own agenda.

"Leon Johnson?!"

Luther asked in surprise, and Macardo nodded. As he recuperated in Caliban, the purple light in Macardo's eyes grew stronger.

"Indeed, I sensed psionic fluctuations in the warp."

Makado said, then looked earnestly at Luther.

“I don’t want Leon to find me. I fight for humanity—and I don’t think the lion would be happy that you protected me.”

Macardo looked at the silent Luther, who remained silent, so Macardo continued.

“I was injured in the battle with him and was then swept here by the warp currents. I had no intention of coming to Caliban, but I am still grateful for your shelter.”

“I see your confusion, Luther—I know you dislike the Empire, and I understand your thoughts. The Lords of Mankind are always too crude, so that the planets can't really develop. The Empire is always in a rush.”

“I understand your dissatisfaction with the Empire. In fact, the original human Empire has disappeared, and the enormous entity you hate no longer exists.”

"But as the mother planet of the Primarch,"

Makado changed the subject.

"It is possible to have more resources."