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

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The Death Guard doesn't need to completely clear this area; they only need to clean up a portion and collect the ashes of the psionicists. The rest is up to the torpedoes.

If the altar in the slums hadn't suddenly exploded, the Death Guard wouldn't have advanced so far; they could have stopped in the third zone long ago.

The area licked by flames had long been reduced to ruins. Apart from the stones that had been cracked and twisted by the fire, everything else that was combustible had turned to ashes. Some specialized soldiers wandered around the ruins, collecting things like wild dogs digging up corpses in a wasteland.

The most densely populated and prosperous area on the entire planet Abusdu is the capital. Apart from that, there are only small, insignificant villages scattered across the wilderness.

There's no need for a purge; an extermination order will naturally resolve everything.

The retreat was underway. Engines roared across the square as the legion's soldiers began their orderly withdrawal.

Hades stood in the square, listening to the intelligence coming from the channel, staring thoughtfully at the towering palace.

According to the Death Guards who went inside, they also found a huge amount of explosives under the altar in the palace—estimated to be more than the amount used to bomb Hades in the slums.

Hades was unsure if he would survive if the summoning were performed at the altar in the palace.

But he didn't want to think about the question Tzeentch had given him; one possible path had already been ruled out, and he only needed to choose the path that still existed.

Hades heard footsteps behind him and recognized Guilliman. Hades knew what the Primarch wanted to say, as he had already rejected three Ultramarines, including Company Commander Gage.

Hades did not turn his head.

"No, don't ask me anymore."

Hades said,

“Those mortal scribes must be put to death.”

Then Hades turned around, as if surprised, "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't know it was you."

Guilliman waved his hand.

We could monitor them, or erase their memories, but to execute them outright? That would be far too cruel for these people who were simply fulfilling their duty, people who had only hoped to witness a glorious ceremony.

"Lord Guilliman, our legion commander has warned you repeatedly before this."

Hades spoke in a neither humble nor arrogant tone, but he remained expressionless. Would he also be expressionless when answering the Ultra Warriors' questions?

Guilliman's voice carried a hint of anger; the Lord of Macragge had begun to exert pressure.

These losses would have been unnecessary if you had informed the Ultramarines beforehand.

“We have given you and your legion enough warnings, but you still claim that the people here have no problems, or rather, that most of them have no problems.”

Hades remained expressionless and unmoved in the face of pressure from a Primarch. This was either due to his exceptional mental fortitude or because he had faced the wrath of a Primarch many times before, making such things commonplace for him.

Realizing this, Killieman's voice softened.

I still disagree with executing them. They are warriors who fought alongside the Ultramarines. You can tell us any other measures that are possible besides the death penalty, even if they are costly.

Hades stared at Guilliman, his gaze subtly sweeping over the Primarch's trembling historians behind him.

In fact, so far, apart from the Soulless Ones, Kirkland and King, all the mortals who followed Hades and faced the demons have died.

They are all dead.

Kirkland and King had been under Hades' surveillance for a long time until recently, when King's surveillance personnel became Makado.

Admittedly, in the distant 40k, many mortal forces will be the main force in fighting against demons, and their strength and faith are evident to all.

But not now. Corruption is everywhere, and the best way to avoid it is through ignorance, which they already know, yet they lack the protection of any so-called faith.

Oh, Hades suddenly had an absurd idea, but he immediately dismissed the possibility.

First, Guilliman himself is extremely opposed to religious beliefs, which Hades cannot manipulate or tell Guilliman to convert; second, Guilliman would not allow these people to be handed over to the Death Guard, because the Primarch firmly believes that the Death Guard will execute them immediately.

Moreover, Hades himself was quite averse to this behavior; he still could not accept the absurd act of actively proselytizing.

But these people cannot be let go. They are all eloquent historians, and Tzeentch likes them. Faced with a potential source of infection, destruction is the safest course of action.

Hades looked at Guilliman, recalling how, during the Plague of Gods, Guilliman had created the Hospital World to treat those wounded after fighting Nurgle.

If it were the current Mortarion, he would execute them humanely instead of trying to treat them.

As expected, the corruption hidden among the wounded soldiers dealt a heavy blow to the world.

Hades pondered for a moment before speaking.

“I can examine them. I am a Soulless One, and stronger than other Soulless Ones. People corrupted by psychic energy are more sensitive than normal people. If they are corrupted, they will not be able to withstand my inaccessible domain.”

Hades continued slowly,

"However, I can only examine the situation at a time. Often, the dangers buried in memories or details do not immediately reveal themselves. Current safety does not prove that they will not be corrupted by the past in the future and become monsters like Queen Abustu."

“They are still dangerous, and I still recommend that you execute them.”

Killieman's eyes flickered. "Perhaps you could teach us how to prevent this from happening again."

"High-level memory erasure, surveillance, and prohibition of the dissemination of one's thoughts."

Hades muttered something in a low, rapid voice as he walked over and looked at the historians, who were huddled together, clearly terrified.

"Excuse me, could you please do a check-up?"

Guilliman stood behind Hades, his eyes wide open—

The people who were just cursing and crying suddenly seemed to have fallen asleep.

【this】

Killieman stared incredulously at the sleeping people.

"I'm very sorry."

Hades spoke slowly, as if in mourning.

"They have clearly been corrupted. Their psionic flames have now gone out, and their bodies will soon cease to function."

Killieman stared at Hades, opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't ask the question he wanted to ask.

I hope that after this, you can explain all of this to me.

These minor commotions attracted others than Hades; Mortarian strode over, his respirator groaning.

“You will understand all of this, my brother, but sometimes you need to let your compassion give way to the harsh reality.”

Yes, code

Chapter 282 Go, Hades!

[Concern should be genuine, not contrived.]

[—Guilliman, Notes, 73.44.liv]

This is a small reception room in the Makurag's Glory. Compared to the one Hades went to before, this small room is obviously more private, yet it also has just the right amount of casualness.

Guilliman stood up, pulled a thick notebook from the bookshelf, turned around, and sat down behind his desk.

Then he looked up at Mortalian sitting opposite him, while Hades sat on the sofa by the only doorway in the room, cloaked, his black scythe blocking the doorway.

A slightly unsettling feeling permeated the room, but according to Hades, it was an inherent characteristic of his untouchable domain—a quality that disgusted beings with warp projections.

He was ready. Guilliman pulled out his pen and began calmly.

My brother, I have many questions now.

He was answered by Mortarian's deep voice.

[You also have plenty of time to ask questions. We've come a long way in the field of how to defend against psychics, and we can answer most of your questions.]

Guilliman stared into Mortarion's eyes, hoping to glean something from the Lord of Death, but unfortunately, Mortarion remained remarkably calm.

[Then, please explain to me again in detail how the Death Guard discovered Abster's betrayal and learned that they would act on the day of the peace negotiations.]

[And the specific truth behind those two phantoms. My think tank chief told me that the first blue phantom was an extremely powerful psionic malevolent entity, but he couldn't tell me anything else, including the second entity that nearly made him lose consciousness.]

Mortalian's gas mask hissed.

[Next time, make sure your think tank leader stays away from Death Guard.]

A hint of mockery crept into Mortarian's words.

The Death Guard possesses some anti-psy weapons; ordinary soldiers might only feel discomfort, but for psykers, they are deadly.

I doubt you'd be happy to see your think tanks get caught in the crossfire.

Guilliman spoke, pondering the source of Mortalian's inexplicable aversion.

Then you should have told me in advance.

Beneath the mask, Mortarian revealed a mocking smile. He had already warned him, but this brother was clearly not sensitive to the various veiled topics about psionic powers; he was preparing—

There was a rustling sound at the door, and Hades changed his posture while holding the scythe.

The sarcastic remark suddenly took a turn.

If there's a next time, I'll let you know this directly.

This remark successfully elicited a friendly smile from Guilliman towards Mortalian, who seemed to believe that their relationship had improved.

Mortalian decided to ignore Guilliman's feelings.

[Why was the Death Guard able to detect Abus's anomaly? This civilization was founded by wizards; its rulers and its people were all wizards, and wizards are masters of deception.]

Never believe a wizard, ever.

[Killiman, my brother.]

Mortarian looked at the Lord of Otramar with a mocking expression; many wrinkles had appeared around his eyes.

Demanding that a wizarding civilization abandon its foundations is like asking someone who breathes air to stop breathing, without any resistance whatsoever. Don't you realize the problem?

The quill pen tip left a small black dot on the paper, and Guilliman stared at Mortalian without changing his expression.

Prior to this, I had never encountered a civilization composed entirely of psionicists, nor did I understand their primary methods of attack. They had disbanded all their armies and redeployed all forces that could be considered threatening.

While they were making concessions and compromises, they were also vying for interests. In negotiating the terms, they were indeed trying to maximize the benefits for their own planet and also trying to maintain cooperation with the Legion.

From this civilization's perspective, war is clearly unnecessary. Even if they truly desired to wage war, it wouldn't be the kind of situation they would be planning on the day of the peace negotiations; they would be far more cautious.

Guilliman stared intently at Mortalian, and he could sense that Mortalian, who had just been mocking him, was beginning to back down.

Because Guilliman is right, even now, the logic behind this civilization's sudden betrayal has not been clarified.

Then Guilliman spoke in a sincere voice.

Now, are you willing to sincerely answer my questions, my brother?

Mortalian gave a mumbled response, then suddenly realized he had been cornered by Guilliman's language.

Because this civilization genuinely did not want to betray the empire; they hoped to integrate into it, acting as a wound that would continuously corrupt the empire.

The Death Guards detonated them prematurely, forcing them to betray them.

However, to clarify Guilliman's question would mean that Mortalian would need to acknowledge the Death Guard's intentional actions and that the civilization genuinely did not want the Peace Day to betray them.

Although Mortalian appeared indifferent to all his brothers, through his interactions with Guilliman, he realized that this blue brother valued people, hope, and all positive and upright things more than anyone he had ever met.

Mortarian hesitated.

My commander was the first to discover the anomaly; perhaps you could ask him for details.

Finally, Mortarian chose to say this, and as if still unsure, he quickly added the next sentence.

Hades is also the master of the Order of Silence. His research on anti-psychic energy is deeper than anyone else's, and he has absolute insight into the topic of psychics.

Before Guilliman could react, Mortarian stood up and strode to the door, gesturing for Hades to come over.

Then Guilliman saw the reclusive Mortalian sitting by the door, and Hades standing next to Mortalian's chair with an unreadable expression.

Guilliman fell silent.

Deep down, he silently elevated Hades's status once again. It seemed that the Lord of the Silent Order held a higher position than he had imagined, and Hades might be in charge of handling affairs in Terra.

"Excuse me, may I sit down?"

Hades gave an awkward but polite smile, remembering that before boarding the Makurag Glory, he had agreed that Mortarion would come to explain everything to his brother.

He probably shouldn't have trusted Mortarian's words.

Killieman immediately made a "please" gesture.

【sure. 】