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Page 305
Angron patted Hades' shoulder armor hard, winked at Hades, and gestured for Hades to follow him down. The World Eaters emerged from the door and surrounded Hades.
Angron knew what he was doing. He showed everyone through his actions that the World Eater was Hades's strongest backer. If Hades was unwilling to do it, then he would do it for Hades!
Whoever opposes Hades opposes the Devourer of Worlds!
Staring at Angron, Hades slightly opened his mouth. Thanks to Jin's black aura, people couldn't see his foolish expression. Hades' eyes widened; he felt everyone staring at him. He slowly, weakly, and desperately turned his head—
He saw the bright stage directly in front of him, below, with Mortarian staring at him in disbelief.
Hades suddenly realized that Angron's hand was still on his shoulder armor.
【I request a recess.】*2
Magnus and Mortarian's voices rang out simultaneously.
At least on this matter, they reached a consensus.
Maybe, but let me have a meal first, don't wait any longer.
Asking for monthly ticket
Chapter 367 Hades Only Cares About Those He Should Care About
[Nicaea Theater, Death Guard Legion Lounge]
This is wrong, one-sided, should not have happened, biased, personal, malicious, and unfortunate.
"It's the Nicaea Conference now," Hades thought, emphasizing to himself. "The Nicaea Conference will be attended by Tzeentch, and this conference will be crucial in determining the future of the Empire."
He should be with Magnus now, guarding against any possible anomalies and trying to avoid Magnus's extraordinary wisdom as much as possible.
But he might not be able to leave for the time being. Angron's good intentions have temporarily trapped Hades. Hades should have taken some time to introduce the two, but unfortunately the timing of the two Primarchs meeting was too coincidental.
Therefore, Hades can only pin his hopes on the Emperor and Macado, or on the Custodian Army doing a good job. He has already contacted Macado through the channel to keep an eye on Magnus, and the Imperial Chancellor will not disappoint him.
Meanwhile, Hades was also keeping a close eye on the possible sudden summons from Makado on the channel, as well as the movements of the surrounding psionic fields. The Silent Sisters and the Imperial Guards were already heading towards the Thousand Sons' lounge.
Hades sat silently, his eyes slowly sliding to the plate of pastries carried by the servant beside him. Perhaps he could…
Before Hades, whose gaze was shifting, the two Primarchs faced each other. They didn't even introduce themselves. Angron stood in front of Hades, his brows furrowed deeply, seemingly puzzled.
Opposite to Angron, Mortarion stood with one hand on his hip and the other holding a giant scythe obituary—no, the hand on his hip was merely for drawing his gun at any moment.
Mortarian remained motionless, staring blankly at Angron, seemingly confused and bewildered.
The two Primarchs had been locked in this stalemate for three minutes. Hades had no idea what kind of silent game they were playing, or whether the Primarchs had awakened some kind of telepathic communication method.
But the low pressure from the two Primarchs was so obvious that Hades dared not speak easily—at the very least, he should wait until Mortarion and Angron introduced themselves before speaking.
At first, Hades had a bad feeling. He realized it was a lot like him going to Mortarion in his Macraglan armor. Later, he got a little bored because neither of the two Primarchs reacted, so there shouldn't be any serious bloodshed. Besides, the Emperor and the angels were there. Finally, Hades looked at the plate of snacks and decided to eat something to tide him over. He figured the meeting would take a long time anyway, and he could beat up Pony or Tzeentch after he was full.
Mortarian watched expressionlessly as Hades silently reached for the plate of pastries.
Yes, this is Hades.
This is the commander of the Death Guard.
Mortarian should have dumped all the food in the lounge into the waste disposal tank, then shot it, cursed the innocent grain-baked goods with the most vile language, poured in the Level 7 industrial wastewater, and finally smashed Hades upside down into the pile of vomit.
If it were the Mortarion of old, the Lord of Death would have not hesitated to chop down anyone in front of him with his scythe, no matter who it was. But after he led the Deathguard on his own to conquer the world, those years also left indelible marks on Mortarion.
A deep hiss echoed from beneath the Lord of Death's gas mask, followed by the clanging of metal against metal. Mortarion released his grip, and the giant scythe of Annihilation slammed against the wall behind him, where he leaned against it.
Like a zombie rising from its grave, Mortarion slowly extended a hand toward Angron.
His hoarse voice was almost like sandpaper being rubbed together, making it difficult to hear.
Mortarion, Legion Commander of the Death Guard, Lord of Barbaros.
Angron grinned, a hearty grin that revealed his teeth, and strode forward, grabbing Mortarian's hand as if clapping, and shaking it vigorously.
[Angron, commander of the Twelfth Legion of the World Eaters, it's a pleasure to meet you.]
Just as the two Primarchs shook hands, the great Hades arrived at his loyal dessert plate. Hades skillfully and naturally pulled the plate in, and casually looked up to see the two Primarchs who had finally made a move.
He paused, holding the pastries, as Mortarian and Angron stared at him.
"Um...why don't we all sit down and eat while we chat?"
Hades hesitated and asked, "Was there a brief fluctuation in the psionic field just now?" The gazes of the two Primarchs had momentarily distracted him.
------
Motalian should have foreseen all of this.
It all started with Guilliman… no, perhaps the beginning of the events goes back much further. He remembered that Hades was the one who could calmly communicate with Perturabo, Hades was the one praised by Horus, Hades was the one Guilliman greatly admired, and even Loka…
The commander of the Death Guard was far more popular than he had imagined.
So you should have expected this scene to happen sooner or later.
Mortarian thought expressionlessly, Hades was brilliant enough that he could unite the Death Guard, which proved that he could unite other legions as well.
It’s just…it’s just…
He stared at Hades, whose size was now comparable to that of the Primarch. Hades was on good terms with another legion. Mortarion recalled Calathephon's mockery of him, and how he was the one who was left behind, just like Calathephon had been left on the mountainside years ago.
If you lack the ability, then you can only watch helplessly as your former comrades advance, depart, and head to a grander battlefield...
Do not……
Mortarian thought painfully, had he really stagnated? The Lord of Death led the Death Guard to conquer countless worlds with minimal losses. He established diplomatic relations with the Iron Hand and remotely managed the Barbarus system. He had done enough. Compared to his past, the Lord of Death had already stood on a new level.
But why did Callas's mockery keep echoing in his ears? Did Typhon also drink this poison called "poison of incompetence and self-reproach" back then?
Jealousy, annoyance, rage, resentment, panic, self-blame, helplessness—
Are you alright, bro?
Angron's voice rang out, and incredulously, he called him brother, yet there was a hint of worry in the man's voice.
Mortarion's eyes snapped open, and the Lord of Death instantly stood up. He looked warily at Angron, drew his dagger, and pointed it at Angron.
【wizard.】
Motalian said.
Before he could finish speaking, he saw Hades suddenly jump up nervously. A familiar sense of unease instantly filled the room. Hades looked around anxiously, but visibly, he began to appear confused.
"Motalian, where are the psionic beings?"
Hades spoke,
A puff of poisonous gas escaped from beneath Mortarian's mask as he spoke irritably.
Right in front of you.
Then Mortalian saw Hades staring at him with a puzzled look.
Although it was very inappropriate, Mortarian thought he could die of anger here.
This is...this is numerology.
Motarian said with exasperation,
To be wary of Magnus's schemes, Mortarian did indeed use numerology to help him better track the flow of psionic energy, which is what just made Mortarian discover Angron's little tricks.
Just as Mortarion and Hades were exchanging glances, Angron suddenly slapped his thigh and burst into laughter.
[Relax, my bro, you guys look really nervous?]
As Angron spoke, he casually opened his arms.
"You harbor considerable hostility towards me. Why, Mortalian? I had hoped to fight alongside you, having heard of your and the Death Guard's formidable resilience."
[...Who told you about me and my legion?]
"Motalian said angrily, but before he finished speaking, he knew he had asked a stupid question: Could there be anyone else?"
As the Black Domain receded, Hades proudly said, "I," but his mind remained elsewhere.
Mortarian neatly sheathed the dagger, then stood there silently, unsure of what to do after being interrupted by the farce.
First, he was angry, perhaps saddened, for he felt that Karas had tasted poison, and the poison he had brewed had finally flowed into his veins.
But then he looked at Hades, and Hades was still Hades. Mortarian could tell that Hades' attention wasn't on this side; he was wary of some kind of presence, even though Hades was trying to spare a bit of attention for this side.
Hades' real attention was not on his long-lost friends, nor on his new friends.
Mortarian sighed in frustration.
He seemed to have just remembered that he was in Nicaea, that the trial of Magnus was still ongoing, that the Emperor was about to return to Terra, and that this was a discussion about psionicists, something the Lord of Death had been preparing for far too long.
Mortarian slumped back into his chair, watching Hades casually sit back down and continue casually picking at his snacks—Hades was known for spouting nonsensical nonsense while eating, but he was silent now. Mortarian could only catch glimpses of Hades' silence when he was busy reviewing urgent documents and stuffing his mouth with food.
Hades's channel is definitely on; he might even be communicating with people outside via radio waves.
Realizing this, Mortarian gave up and buried his head in his hands.
He recalled how he had spent countless days and nights gathering evidence, suppressing his temper to negotiate with Lemanrus, preparing poison, and rehearsing countless operations against Qianzi.
Mortalian finally recalled Magnus's call for a recess. If Mortalian had insisted on not adjourning the meeting, would Magnus have been punished by now?
He relinquished his own victory.
Because of what? Because of Hades? What did Hades do?
Mortalian realized with anguish that Hades didn't care about this. Was it because Hades trusted him? Or because Hades was too preoccupied with other matters? The Nicaea Conference was supposed to be an execution ground for the Soulless to punish the psionicists, so what had he done?
Mortarian looked at Angron, who sat there, looking at Mortarian with a mixture of confusion and worry. Did he know what he had done?
Is this Angron's fault? But wouldn't it be a good thing if his brothers saw yet another legion supporting Hades?
Mortarian realized that there was a reason he had been left behind.
After a brief internal struggle, Mortarian spoke directly.
Hades, the Order of Silence is calling you, isn't it?
He saw Hades nod.
【Let’s go. 】
Mortarian said he saw Hades get up without hesitation to leave, giving him an apologetic smile. Hades trusted him as always, and the way he looked at him was the same as when he stepped into the first Deathguard drop pod.
Hades is saying, "Brother, I believe in you."
He believed that Mortarian would eventually realize that this was not the time for personal matters, just as he had handed over air superiority directly to Mortarian on the battlefield.
The door slammed shut, and Mortarian bent down, staring at the plate that was now just crumbs.
Okay, I still don't understand what happened.
Angron's voice rang out in front of Mortarion.
But suddenly you became depressed, my brother.
Mortarian stared unblinkingly at Angron.
Don't you care about my hostility towards you?
The Lord of Death spoke calmly, and Angron grinned.
I believe a friend of a friend is still a friend. You have no idea how many stories Hades has told me about you, as if he has no other stories besides Barbarossa and Death Guard. I'm tired of hearing them.
Mortarian smiled weakly beneath his gas mask, hoping that his impulsive actions hadn't slowed Hades's punitive psykers.
He's completely wrong.
3.5 words, great!
Asking for monthly ticket
Chapter 368 Magnus' Bright Future
[Nicaea Theater, Thousand Children's Lounge]
This is wrong.
This is unfair.
Why was his beloved father keeping a monster? Did he blindly believe the witch hunter's lies?
Magnus felt betrayed and mocked; the master of the grand stage was a devil, and his fate was sealed before the curtain fell.
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