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

Page 409

For the sake of... the whole father.

His fangs bared, and the bones in his arm shattered into pieces, squeezing out of his flesh and leaving his skin with bumpy, pitted scars.

【……traitor.】

As Lehman Russ spoke, his hand, tightly gripping the Eye of Magnus, successfully reached his lips—

What the hell are you trying to do?!

Magnus cried out in alarm, spitting out a mouthful of blood. The crimson-clad figure suddenly broke free from Fenris's hold, his hand reaching forward to try and grab the wolf king—

Lehman Russ put his eye into his mouth!!!

In that instant, Magnus shrieked, but the wolf king bit down without hesitation. A faint golden light burst forth, and Magnus's shriek changed into a short scream.

Bang!

Magnus's figure plunged straight into the ice and snow!

At the same time, Lemanrus, who had lost the suppression of Magnus's psychic power, also fell into the snow.

Did he succeed this time?

Lehman Russ, his mind hazy from the Emperor's psychic energy, thought slowly as he spat out his bitten, split eyeball, covered in translucent red saliva that slid down his cheek.

But... it seems he failed.

The wolf king thought in despair, for even though Magnus had fallen, the calamity that shook Fenris had not ceased.

...failed?

[Silly dog,]

Magnus's calm voice rang out beside Rus, whose ears were ringing. The wolf king struggled to lift his head, and in a daze, he saw Magnus.

The Crimson Sinner staggered to his feet, feeling the surge of power—the power of the Lord of Change.

But his soul was extremely weary.

I shouldn't have relied on your dog-like brain.

Magnus spoke wearily, standing amidst the ice and snow, he took a deep breath, and raised his hand from the howling cold of Fenris.

Tzeentch's corrupting influence can cloud one's mind, and even Primarchs are not immune to it.

To deceive Tzeentch, Magnus had to fall into depravity; he had to be utterly corrupt.

He lacks the ability to consciously bring himself to his senses.

In an ocean of greed, resentment, and anger, Magnus was dragged to the bottom of the sea.

He was being watched, his soul was being completely manipulated by Tzeentch, and Magnus was destined to be powerless to resist.

Therefore, Riemann Russ must remain pure.

Because he possessed something that allowed Magnus to have a moment of clarity—the Eye of Magnus.

Magnus was unaware of the existence of the Spear of Dionysus; to him, it was merely a minor incident.

The Crimson Sinner swayed unsteadily, a bitter smile on his face. He had already said that the power to act was in the hands of Leman Russ.

Even so, now, except for a small rift in his soul, Magnus has completely surrendered himself to Tzeentch.

The eyeball's function was merely to allow Magnus the Emperor to briefly occupy this body.

If Magnus hadn't been completely submerged in Tzeentch's river—then perhaps there would still be hope—but for now, it has only given the Crimson Sinner a moment's respite.

The emperor did not trust him, therefore he gave Magnus only this much.

But a moment of clarity is enough.

He only had thirteen milliseconds.

Magnus did not need to resist.

Magnus pressed his hand against his chest, his fingertips digging in, drawing blood droplets.

But other people were willing to trust him and gave him a chance!

Magnus sensed Tzeentch trying to withdraw his power—too late! Magnus mobilized his own power, the power he had usurped from Fenris, and firmly grasped Tzeentch's lifeline.

Tzeentch's power twisted in his hands, but how could it escape, having already merged with Magnus's soul?!

They are completely integrated with Magnus—because Tzeentch needs to ensure that Magnus will not betray, will not voluntarily betray the Lord of Change.

This is also what Magnus hoped to see.

A triumphant smile crept across Magnus's lips. As Tzeentch corrupted Magnus's lifeline, Magnus was also corrupting Tzeentch in return!

Magnus chanted, the final incantation flashing from his lips.

Crimson flowers bloomed from his chest. Magnus clutched his powerfully beating heart, intently sensing Tzeentch's location, raising his heart high and aligning it with Tzeentch's position.

He didn't need to resist. Completely imbued with Tzeentch's psychic energy, he couldn't directly use it to attack Tzeentch, nor could he sacrifice himself to other beings, such as the Emperor—the Lord of Change was very cautious.

But Magnus knew what he had to do.

【O Lord of All Changes—O Great Being with whom I have made a pact, I have failed in my covenant with you, therefore—I offer you my spirit and flesh completely, please take away my spirit, my soul, and the glimmer of this winter star.】

Magnus cried out, and blood dripped from the sacrificed, raised heart, trickling down his empty eyes.

He knew he was too late, he had woken up too late, and the network was still cracked with ominous fissures—but it wasn't too late, and it was just in time to save everything.

At least, things won't get to the worst possible point.

All it takes is… Magnus took a deep breath, trembling. All it takes is for him to be the traitor, all it takes is to offer up the kind fool.

Magnus desperately held his heart high, his crimson flesh throbbing amidst the roar of ice and snow. He had experienced it all—therefore, Magnus knew exactly what kind of light would be the most favored by Hades.

Within the warp, Magnus shone brightly, like a newborn sun, its crimson rays dancing, so beautiful, so dazzling, so radiant—how wonderful, how alluring!

On it, there were even cracks that He was familiar with, what a beautiful sight it was! Magnus poured his excess spiritual energy into it, his abundant and fragrant spiritual energy, into that bottomless abyss.

The greedy, cold, and ignorant god turned his gaze away.

A smile appeared on Magnus's lips. As the last word was uttered, he felt himself shed from his heavy body. He became light, truly free from the limitations of his flesh, and floated towards the sky.

"...I am not a traitor."

The final whispers fell upon the earth.

Magnus's last glance fell upon the snowfield, where he saw his broken eyeballs staring at him sadly, and in them, he saw a gaze that did not belong to him.

Magnus gave a bitter smile; he didn't trust him, and Magnus had nothing to say about it.

Hades…please… Magnus thought, trembling…please grant him his final dignity and honor…please…please…

But Magnus knew this seemed impossible; his fate was always so cruel—he was a clown, a figure despised by everyone on stage.

...but he had no regrets.

Having detached from his physical body, the resistance that flesh and blood had previously posed to Magnus vanished, and the awakening of the Emperor's psionic energy within him vanished as quickly as fireworks in winter.

Magnus has returned to the way he "should be".

In order to gain Tzeentch's trust, he had to completely surrender himself to Tzeentch; his recent "clear-headedness" was more like a temporary loss of reason after being corrupted by "chaos."

Magnus watched in horror as the monster drew near—he let out a scream of resentment and fury, roaring as he demanded of the Shapeshifter what to do, rushing towards him desperately to save his life.

The turbulent flow of psionic energy is already irreversible.

In the vast ocean, Magnus, carrying the power of winter, lunged at Tzeentch, while behind him, the darkness, having changed its course, opened its abyssal maw towards him.

Magnus screamed in terror, feeling his soul shatter from the gaping hole, the rising sun fragmented into pieces. He writhed in agony, his powerful will to survive driving him ever more urgently toward the Lord of Change.

The light of the Lord of Changes was so warm—and no sentient being would willingly fall into the monster's mouth! Magnus rushed desperately toward Tzeentch, but on the other side, the Lord of Changes' power was rapidly waning—He didn't want to face it alone!

The Lord of Changes angrily tried to shake off Magnus, but Magnus, who was already bound to Him and desperately trying to escape driven by his will to survive, was someone He simply couldn't shake off!

He needed the power of other beings, and His power began to be directed back towards Kadia. Behind Him, the shattered fragments of Magnus and Fenris scattered and lay scattered messily across the starry sky.

The fragments scattered so widely that some were swallowed up, while others were not. They drifted aimlessly through the galaxy, slowly carving a path toward Cardia.

The Lord of Change roared furiously, "Change! Change! Magnus!!!"

Behind Him, Magnus called upon Tzeentch's protection—the more he called, the slower the Lord of Changes was slowed down—the easier it was for Him to observe Him!

Magnus!!!

Tzeentch's roar echoed through the warp.

And on the other end—

【—Don't leave me!! O great Lord of Change!!!】

Darkness pursued them.

My child,

The Emperor spoke calmly as he stepped onto the platform. The net was broken, but thanks to Magnus, it was still possible to repair—the damage was not severe.

The golden throne stood there, high on the platform, the emperor seated, his psychic energy shield battling against the darkness from the broken network.

The emperor's gaze pierced through countless stars, reaching into the distance, where an absurd scene unfolded, an unbelievable sight.

He heard Magnus praising and pleading with the ever-changing Lord.

My pride,

The Emperor said,

+My fifteenth son, the Crimson King. +

A barely perceptible tear fell from the emperor's cheek.

Above Fenris, the storm subsided, and the Wolf King's vision blurred as he fell into the darkness.

At that final moment, Lemanrus thought,

Magnus... are you a traitor or not?

Before the wolf king was an ice sculpture of a crimson monarch, his heart held aloft; his crimson body had long been frozen into a sculpture by the wind and snow.

From beginning to end, all the prophecies that Magnus saw were true.

That's it! Great!

The arrow shot in September has finally hit its target today, in December!

Chapter 481 Mu San: A Person Ultimately Misunderstood

Magnus?

Mortarian's voice faded into an indistinct silence.

As soon as the name was invoked, Mortarian felt a great deal of aversion and disgust, and he scoffed at it, avoiding the topic altogether.

These surging emotions silenced the Pale Lord for a moment. He stared at the starry sky before him, at the dazzling streak drawn by Fenris.

He seemed to have had a significant grudge against this brother, but now, it was Magnus who had pointed them in the direction to Cadia, so Mortarian remained silent, his eyes looking at Macado with suspicion.

The regent of the First Empire gripped his scepter tightly, the old man staring incredulously at the sky. A faint light emanated from his scepter, as if he were sensing something.

Macado muttered to himself,

"...In complete agreement with my Lord's prophecy, the Crimson Sinner has indeed fallen into the realm of perversion..."

Macardo coughed uneasily a few times, his claw-like hands gripping the scepter tightly, supporting his hunched and trembling body.

"Russ..."

"It must be Ruth—he stopped the sinner's folly," Macado whispered.

In the prophecy of the Lord of Mankind, Magnus was destined for fall; his best end was shattering. But the fate of the Red Ones flickers.

The Lord of Man sees that when the fate of the Crimson Sinners is tied to Kadia, the benefits to the Empire of Man will be maximized.

So what else can be said? A crippled Primarch who had lost his Legion, a Primarch who had committed a crime and made a deal with a demon, was unsurprisingly sent by the Emperor to Cadia as a prisoner of sin.

The past is set, the identity is set, the future is set; for those in power, it is simply a matter of choosing one option.

Macado coughed, perhaps the current regent of the First Empire was also somewhat bewildered by the scene before him—he had long been prepared for Magnus to commit a crime.

But now all he sees is a dazzling path of stars.

The crimson fragments shimmered, enveloped in a shimmering white light, and flowed slowly through the starry sky.