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

Page 172

Mortarian suddenly awoke.

He began to break out in a cold sweat. Mortarian suddenly realized a terrifying fact, a conclusion that made him uneasy, a truth he had deliberately ignored.

Perhaps Mortarion had been silent for too long, because Horus walked up behind him and put his hand on Mortarion's shoulder.

"You all right, bro?"

Horus's voice began to become unclear, and Mortarian felt he was about to lose control of his breathing. As if realizing that something was wrong with Mortarian, Horus tightened his grip on his shoulder, seemingly gesturing for Mortarian to turn around and look at him.

But Mortarian dared not turn around. He kept his head down, staring intently at the deep blue chessboard, almost burying himself in the pieces.

Mortarian didn't want this to happen. He had finally found a brother who cared about him, but then he realized the devastating news—

If the Death Guard could fall, does that mean that the twenty legions parallel to them might also fall into that abyss of no return?

Mortarian's pupils contracted as he stared at the enemy and friendly pieces on the chessboard. Apart from their colors, they were all identical.

Did Horus know this? Did he know that the Shadowmoon Wolves could also fall? Should he say so? Or had they already fallen? No, Hades didn't react; they hadn't fallen yet.

Should he tell Horus? But Mortarion remembered everything that had happened when he first heard that evil word; language had its own unique charm, and the bland wine lingered on Mortarion's tongue.

Everything spiraled out of control; the newly forged brotherhood quickly crumbled to ashes, leaving only the cold, cruel truth to remind Mortarian—

He couldn't even guarantee that his own legion wouldn't fall into the abyss, so how could he possibly trust other legions?

Are there any untouchables like Hades among the Shadowmoon Wolves? If not, how will they face those beings? This is an army unique to the Death Guard; does that mean all the other Legions are completely unprepared here, unaware that they are naked?

"Brother? Mortarian? Are you alright?"

Mortarian took a deep breath.

"I'm not good."

He stood up, maintaining this orientation, trying to avoid looking into Horus's potentially worried eyes. His brother's eyes could speak volumes, and Mortarion didn't want to say anything more.

But I hope you are doing well.

He relit his incense burner, and poisonous gas slowly drifted out. Mortarian casually picked up a chess piece, watching as it was easily contaminated by the poison from the incense burner in his hand.

"I suddenly remembered I have something to do, so it's a pity I can't play chess with you."

"You can send me the strategic command later. I will have Death Guard execute your tactics once I deem the tactics feasible and correct."

Mortarion's experience with the Death Guard led to him being designated as "support" in this campaign.

Horus stared in astonishment at Mortarion's transformation. It all happened so fast that Horus didn't even know where his usually reliable rhetoric had gone wrong.

Seeing Mortarian rushing away, Horus only had time to look at Mortarian's tattered grey cloak before speaking.

"Okay? You're really alright, bro?"

"But if you really need anything, remember to contact me!"

Mortarian picked up his scythe of obliteration from beside the door and silently strode out of the main room of the drawing room.

"I will."

These words vanished in an instant, like a poisonous fog that had enveloped him.

Hades, let's go!

Mortarian watched as Hades casually picked up a few more fruits and stood up. The two wolves behind Hades were clearly startled by Mortarian's sudden appearance. They stood up somewhat at a loss, seemingly wanting to see Hades off.

The Primarch lowered his scythe seemingly casually, the massive blade imperceptibly halting the moon wolves' advance.

Mortarian frowned imperceptibly, while Hades continued to unconsciously echo the two moon wolves' words, as if they had agreed to meet again.

He looked at the fruit in Hades' hand.

"Don't eat it."

Mortarian said something in a low voice, and then he saw Hades, who was clearly stunned. Hades looked at him in surprise, as if he realized something was wrong.

Mortarian ignored Hades and quickly led the Death Shrouds away from the Moon Wolf's territory.

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Chapter 198 Mortarian felt fear

The Perseverance Conference Room.

Hades thought for a moment, then hesitantly put down the fruit he had taken from the Shadowmoon Wolf.

Hades had not expected this to happen, seeing Mortalian acting so strangely before him.

Hades envisioned that the most likely scenario was that Horus had boosted Mortalian's favorability, and then Hades would advise him not to trust the Moon Wolves too much, thus reducing the favorability Horus had given Mortalian.

After all, Horus was the Primarch with the most social skills, and Hades didn't think Mortharian would be able to understand Horus's rhetoric.

But what's going on now? Did their conversation fall apart?

How could a conversation with Horus possibly fall apart?

Hades didn't know whether to marvel at how Mortarion had evolved to the point where even Horus could be brought to a standstill, or to be thankful that Mortarion hadn't lost favor with Horus after a few words from him.

However, given Mortarion's highly unusual behavior, Hades felt that things might not be so simple.

But he really couldn't think of any other possible plot besides Horus calling Mortharian a country bumpkin. It couldn't be that Horus suddenly rebelled and startled Mortharian, could it?

Incidentally, aside from Horus, Hades secretly used the Dark Domain to scan all the Shadowmoon Wolves he could reach, and the conclusion was that they were very healthy and unpolluted.

Hades dared not scan the Primarch's soul rashly. Even if he diluted the Dark Domain to its extreme, the Primarch's sensitivity would allow them to detect that someone was "probing" them immediately.

Seeing that Mortalian seemed withdrawn, Hades pondered for a moment and decided to start the conversation with an unambiguous question—

Mortarian spoke.

"Hades, open the Dark Domain, then have those Untouchables stand guard on the outermost part of the Endurance where they can contact the Moon Wolf."

"At the same time, don't let the Moon Wolf see our Untouchables."

Before Mortarian could finish speaking, Hades, realizing everything, was jolted awake. At the same time, Hades immediately released the diluted Black Domain, covering the entire conference room.

The order was faithfully transmitted via radio waves, and the gravekeepers responsible for the untouchables began their operation.

Only after feeling the oppressive aura emanating from the Dark Domain did Mortarian slowly speak.

"Hades, I have a theory."

"Death Guard can become corrupted."

Hades nodded, waiting for Mortarian's next words, but he already knew what Mortarian was going to say.

"Even the Shadowmoon Wolf can fall."

The words trailed off in Deathguard's conference room, leaving a brief silence between the two men.

Mortarion turned to look at Hades, who slowly nodded, confirming his suspicion.

Or rather, this kind of future.

Seeing Hades nod, Mortarion visibly became even more haggard. The Death Guard's Primarch was already like a seriously ill leper, but now he looked more like a dead man.

Hades waited in silence, waiting for Mortarion to come to terms with this fact.

After a long pause, Mortarian let out a slow sigh, the poisonous gas surrounding him becoming disordered with this action.

"I should have thought of that."

Mortarian's voice was almost shattered by the poison gas.

"I should have thought of that."

Mortarian stared at the walls of the Endurance, at the bone-white walls—these would be their final tombstones.

"We have entered an even more empty and cold universe from a cruel and cold world. The promised hope was nothing but a fleeting lie, and the brotherhood we once expected was nothing but a fog shrouded in cruel truth."

"I was never given a choice."

"Whether atop the highest peak of Barbarossa or inside a room on the Imperial Dream."

"Now I am forced to learn that even the last so-called blood ties will be eroded by the evil beings of the warp."

Mortarian's sighing voice rang out, then dissipated into the mist like the receding tide, leaving only a hazy, ethereal poisonous fog.

Hades,

"Ok?"

Hades responded cautiously, clearly frustrated, even desperate, by the harsh reality.

Motarian unconsciously tapped his scythe with his hand.

"Do you know? The man who claimed to be my father once promised me brothers and confidants."

"It's all a lie."

"He tried to lure me onto a sinking ship with those empty ideas, which was originally the most ridiculous and laughable lie, but I believed him, just for all this ridiculousness."

"Now I am about to watch my 'brothers' fall into the abyss of despair, while I myself hang futilely on the edge of the cliff, teetering on the brink of collapse."

Mortarian remained silent for a moment. Only he had faced the truth of chaos at the edge of time, and the fear of the warp was deeply etched into his soul, making him tremble.

If it were just one person, or just him, would Mortarian be so terrified? But Mortarian finally encountered a brother who showed him kindness, only to realize that it was all just a beautiful bubble, a lie, empty and unrealistic.

Hades remained silent, for he realized that any comfort offered at this moment would be another form of deception; no one could presume to promise a peaceful and hopeful story to the world.

If Hades were to say so, then what he did would be no different from what the Emperor had done to Mortarion.

Hades spoke slowly.

"So we commit to death. Because we know this world is inherently cruel."

Mortarian sighed deeply, his rare emotions stirred by the momentary brilliance of Horus making him vulnerable and worried.

Horus has been promising hope and warmth, which has temporarily blurred the burdens and challenges that Mortarion has always carried and faced.

death.

He was a pessimist, not optimistic about any hope. The Death Guard was born from a commitment to death. Perhaps Mortarion should have realized this sooner and abandoned his unrealistic illusions about Horus and brotherhood.

A pessimist would never utter the words to save everything, and Mortalian, who had faced the chaos before, knew he couldn't do it, but he would say—

"If their ultimate fate is to fall into depravity, then let me send them to their deaths."

A clean and swift death would be Mortarian's first gift to his kind and warm-hearted brother.

Mortarian glanced at Hades, who had remained solemnly silent ever since he spoke.

"Were you already aware of this?"

Hades gave him an affirmative answer, and Mortarian sighed again.

"Language has an evil power, and I understand your caution in not daring to speak too much."

“I might be curious about how you know all this, but it doesn’t matter to me. The Emperor, Macado, or the prophecy, I don’t care.”

"But I trust you."

Mortarian was deep in thought.

They had all experienced that illusion, and Hades had been repeatedly warned by Makado.

Whom should I guard against?

Mortarian suddenly asked,

"Everyone, Legions, Auxiliary Forces, Imperial Navy, Mechanicus."

"Could they occur simultaneously?"

"at the same time."

Mortarian and Hades exchanged a glance.

"This is worse than I imagined. Did my biological father know about it or was he involved?"

Hades nodded.

"Motalian now looks more like a corpse," he said weakly.

"Perhaps I should have died on the mountain of Barbarossa, instead of being here, forced to understand and endure the torment from my soul and mind."

"But we're all alive now, maybe that's just fate."