Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 684 The Whale Ring the Emperor Gave to Hannibal

Lecter, the fortress monastery of the Faceless Ones.

The twelve Masters of Supper within the Primarch Palace sculpted this enormous chair from the elegant white bones of sixty-two Eldar.

Layers of spines stacked together to form a backrest, with perfectly intact heads of slightly different shapes embedded on top.

The pelvis was fused together, forming a single, seamless structure.

The long, slender leg bones stood close together, supporting the entire bone throne and Hannibal's own body.

He sat high on his throne, his movements as graceful as ever, and picked up a piece of orc rib from a tray held up by his servants.

The psionicists shaped them so that they would not release spores for the time being, thus preserving the perfect fungal scent.

Hannibal calmly swallowed his ribs, gazing at the holographic image before him.

The iron-gray runes continued to advance, while the earth-yellow runes disappeared one after another.

A Master of Communion, dressed in khaki armor, approached the throne.

“Father, following your orders, the forgotten recruits, with Mellon and Sasebo Tezuka at their core, have joined forces and are ready to surrender to the wolves.”

Hannibal twirled his fingers. "You seem to have no idea what I'm about to do."

“They are your genetic offspring,” the Master of the Eucharist said coldly. “A ceremony should be held for them to become Faceless Ones and fight to the death against the wolves.”

“I gave them the path to choose.” Hannibal swallowed the rest of his sentence silently. [But we have no choice.]
His index finger was bent like a hook, like an alien scorpion's tail, rubbing against the ring on his thumb, on which was engraved a blurry pattern.

Hannibal's memories were pulled back to Terra.

His body trembled, his vision filled with golden light.

The light emanated from the father's eyes, from the supernatural realm.

"Hannibal!" the father's voice boomed.

Do you know what a whale is?

The golden light subsided, and Hannibal regained his composure. He replied, "Aquatic creatures of Ancient Terra."

“Whales devour fish and shrimp in the rich ocean,” the emperor said, his eyes deep, “but they don’t gulp down the sea.”

“I understand.” Hannibal lowered his head and saw the Emperor’s outstretched palm and the gold ring.

The dorsal fin is mottled and indistinct, and the caudal fin is so blurry that it is almost transparent.

His leaping body was barely recognizable.

"You are Cetus," the Emperor said in a stern, admonishing voice.

"I have given you talent, but you must control your appetite."

control.

When did I start to lose control of my desires?

Hannibal's thoughts raced through his mind:
After days and nights of hunger, Lecter indulged in a gluttonous feast; the Wheel of Flame tasted for the first time a delicious broth made of fungi mixed with meat; he tasted for the first time a dessert of fear from the Eldar; and a jellyfish alien covered in wasabi...

Hannibal shook his head. He couldn't be sure what had led him and his offspring into the abyss of gluttony, but his fate was sealed.

They still have a chance.

Ninglu will definitely treat them well.

If they were to be entrusted to another brother, Nimrod would be the best choice.
Hannibal recalled the Wheel of Fire, Nimrod's teachings, and the various delicacies he had prepared, including the salamander meat he had given him.

They won't become Guilliman's parts, and they can still enjoy their meals.

They will not indulge in appetites like we do; they will wield power under Nimrod's guidance, just as the Reapers become the shadow of order, without being as taut as the Iron Hand.

They won't be as savage as wolves, gorging themselves and wasting food.
Hannibal thought of the wolves, rose from his throne, picked up the greatsword inlaid with bones, and strode out.

The communion masters laid down their knives and forks, picked up their weapons, and followed the Primarch. The heavy doors opened, and the stench of blood filled the air.

Hannibal looked ahead and saw Company Commander Suarez and Company Commander Erling leading the yellow-clad Faceless Men, defending against the attack of the iron-gray wolf pack at the front line.

Within the enemy ranks, a ferocious and enormous figure was unleashing unbridled fury.

The two giant wolves beside him pounced on the tan figure, tearing it to pieces, their ferocity no different from that of their brothers.

Ruth raised the Despicable One, and two explosive guns unleashed a dense barrage of bullets that swept over the Faceless One like a torrent.

He lunged at Erling and swung the Winter's Axe down.

A faint green light appeared in Erlin's eyes, and green patterns lit up on his body, their sharp edges leaping up.

Ruth spun the Frostblade, which whistled as it crashed into the blade.

With a loud bang, Erling's arms trembled, but he managed to block the Primarch's ferocious attack.

A look of surprise flashed across Ruth's eyes, followed by a deafening roar.

The greater the power the Faceless Ones possess, the deeper their depravity.

Russ roared and brandished his frost blade, launching a barrage of attacks.

The storm howled, its thunderous impact forcing Erling to retreat step by step.

In excruciating pain, he lost control of the blade, and his khaki armor shattered.

With a merciless slash, Ruth cleaved Erling's corpse in two, spraying blood onto Elaverald's armor, which was instantly frozen into a thin layer of frost by the frost runes.

"Ruth!" Hannibal roared, his elegant voice, uttered from his split lips, was mixed with the howl of a beast and an extraordinary wail.

“Hannibal.” Lehman Ruth’s icy blue eyes met Hannibal’s.

“Hannibal, look at yourself, how depraved you have become.” Ruth brandished her Frostblade.

"You have no idea what power I have gained." Hannibal mocked as he swung his sword, the inlaid white bone spirit runes lighting up and cold flames rising from the blade.

The swift blade spun and shot out, wrapping around the wolf king's braided hair.

"Your little brat gained evil powers and died because of his crimes." Ruth listed Hannibal's crimes: "Witchcraft, aliens, mutations."

“You have disgraced our father and mutated into a monster.”

He roared and swung the Winter's Axe, unleashing his full destructive power to contend with Hannibal's monstrous strength.

The wolf king was much stronger, and with his size advantage, he should have had the upper hand in terms of strength.

But the whale gleaned power and agility from the alien it devoured.

He slashed fiercely and decisively, his attacks no less powerful than Russ's in the clashes, his agile and cunning attacks quickly and skillfully suppressing Russ.

In their back-and-forth battles, Ruth, driven by instinct, used the strength, speed, and cunning bestowed upon him by his father to fight Hannibal to the death.

After being completely outmatched by Ninglu, Duran unleashed his potential in the training cage.

He found power beyond himself in his hunting experiences and in the wolf brothers, Fred and Gerry.

The power of Fenris's Fate Line.

The Fenris believed that their fate determined whether they would die in the scorching summer sea or fall on the hard, iron-like ice of winter.

Rune priests often told Ruth, "No one can change his fate, not even you."

Ruth believed this statement, but he gained a completely new understanding of it when his father gave him the task.

His ill-fated destiny meant he was born to kill his own brothers, and this misfortune was also his power.

　P.S.: Chapter 2 will be released later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)