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

Chapter 397 Pre-war Multi-Party Strategies

Terra

The snow-white marble was laid out on the floor, and dazzling white light shone down from the only source of light in the room, splashing up a dazzling wave of light.

The only desk in the room cast a dark and ominous shadow on the floor, and the golden armor dimmed for a moment in the shadow.

The emperor remained silent, staring at the map on the table before him.

...They...they don't want to play anymore.

The emperor slowly tapped the table with his hand, producing a crisp sound. Each tap created dazzling waves under the white light, causing the curtain to ripple and allowing him to glimpse the flowing water.

His previous actions had angered them, and now Chaos was going to show him their wrath.

...Hades.

The emperor's mouth uttered the word silently.

No… the emperor thought, a desperate situation.

He could sense their intense yet weak state; Chaos was furious enough, and they had invested enough resources. This was not something Hades could resolve on his own.

Hades cannot sense anything in the warp, which means he cannot predict what the other side will do.

The emperor thought calmly as he lowered his eyes, staring at the map, counting the various forces that would appear on the battlefield this time.

His hand, which was tapping the table, paused slightly. The emperor breathed steadily. A golden light flashed for a moment, then vanished again.

Behind him, the hunched old man stirred slightly.

"My lord,"

Makado's aged voice rang out, tinged with deep weariness.

"I can go."

"No,"

The Emperor said,

"Stay in Terra, Macado, the Netway needs you."

Makado coughed twice.

“My lord, I still do not believe that Magnus can be released.”

“I have given Lemanrus control, and the Wolf King will make his decision when necessary.”

"The real battlefield is not here."

The Emperor spoke without batting an eye. Behind him, Macardo frowned deeply. He seemed about to say something, but the Emperor raised a hand, stopping Macardo from speaking further.

"Prepare for the territorial fragmentation... Makado."

As if sighing, the emperor uttered those words softly.

"We need to hold onto our trump card and order Mars to prepare support ships and get them ready for a long voyage."

--------

The Emperor's, the Emperor's sacred middle finger is not lit up!!!

Hades screamed inwardly as, after the final warp jump, the Emperor's middle finger lit up briefly before going out again.

Don't mess with his mentality at this time!

Hades quickly listed the possible scenarios in his mind. The first was that there was a problem on his side. The Four Gods had weakened the Emperor's Finger Bone with the help of the Eye of Fear, but Hades did not find any possible traces of blasphemy, nor did he detect any psionic energy with the Dark Domain.

...The second possibility is that there is a problem on the Emperor's side.

Hades hoped that the internet hadn't exploded, or that the Emperor had played a little joke on him.

Unfortunately, this finger bone was indeed like an ordinary human finger bone, no longer enveloped in a faint golden light.

This also means that Hades himself can no longer perform warp jumps, and at the same time, he can no longer use his special ability, Primarch Evolution.

He glanced casually at Fernus's mouth beside him.

Hades remained silent, so his next task was simple: prevent the Four Gods from opening the Eye of Terror. If the Eye of Terror were successfully opened, the Order of Silence and the Iron Hand alone would not be able to stop the demon army advancing through the warp turbulence.

They still have a chance before the eyes of fear are opened.

Although he was screaming silently inside, Hades showed no outward reaction. He continued to twirl his middle finger expressionlessly as he spoke with Fenus in front of him. The fleet was about to reach the territory of the Eye of Terror.

“Creatures with [autonomy] or machine spirits will resist my electric arcs. The stronger their autonomy, the more difficult it is for me to control them.”

Finus pondered, realizing that this was why the intelligent robots still maintained such high efficiency.

The next group of autonomous machines will be eliminated by the Steel Hand.

"Fenus said rationally," but Hades smiled.

"No need, I still have the Dark Domain—it can eliminate self-awareness."

Phenus fell silent, and Medusa, the Queen, silently took a deep breath.

I think that if we were really going to fight Peturab... Peturab wouldn't want to be your enemy.

Hades smiled broadly.

"This is also why I am willing to lead the Order of Silence to the Eye of Fear."

Because both legions here are mechanized, Hades can at least guarantee that the short-term battle will not collapse.

As if sensing the deeper meaning in Hades' words, Finus paused, but then, staring at the command board, he spoke.

I've heard that your sage lieutenant is spreading other doctrines within the Legion.

Hades' smile froze, but before he could speak, Phenus interrupted him, the Primarch giving Hades a meaningful look.

Will this increase your power, Hades?

Hades fell silent. Under Hades's explanation, Phenus understood the concepts of chaos and "gods"... A bad thought popped into Hades's mind.

Hades nodded slowly, but firmly.

Then let your sage subordinate interact more with the warriors.

Phenus said casually,

They also thought you were very different, and you definitely scared them.

Phenus's tone softened, and Medusa crossed her arms.

I think you originally intended to teach them some skills, but unfortunately, the knowledge you displayed, combined with the goodwill you expressed... created a discordant effect.

Hades gave an awkward laugh.

"Perhaps this is my question—there's something going on."

Hades changed the subject, and before he finished speaking, several red dots representing other fleets lit up on the Bird Servant Instrument.

That is……

Hades frowned.

...Those who harbor such thoughts?

Hades stopped the motion of pressing the Emperor's finger bones.

This was not the scene he had anticipated... According to normal warp travel time, the Word Bearers could not possibly be here.

Then... there's only one possibility.

Hades stared at the Bird Servant... The Word Bearers didn't have many ships, but the possibility of them being hidden couldn't be ruled out.

As Phenus prepared to accept permission to communicate from the Word Bearers, Hades' voice softly sounded beside him.

"Highest level of alert."

Phenus stopped in his tracks, about to agree to accept the Word Bearer's application, and looked at Hades in disbelief.

Hades, who had already connected to the listening channel, responded to him.

--------

【Cardia】

In the underground trenches beneath the largest black obelisk, Peturabo stood silently before the command board, even though he, who knew everything, didn't really need it.

Scorching steam billowed from his side, and the Lord of the Abominations Steam and Furnace Fire bent his massive, gaunt body, his words carrying a hint of the allure of victory's approach.

Look—they're here.

The monster said happily,

They came at just the right time; I think they can catch the moment we open the Eye of Fear and start our celebration.

Perturabo remained silent, ignoring Vashtor's mutterings. The Iron Lord focused intently on manipulating and reversing the black obelisks on other planets, with Cardia as the central anchor point, and the defensive line gradually extended towards Cardia.

At this very moment, as this long river is about to converge, Cardia will be the final piece of the puzzle.

Are you very interested in him?

Peturabo asked lazily, while Vashtor exhaled a puff of steam as if in displeasure.

Only when you witness it with your own eyes will you understand why he is rejected by the gods.

As if remembering something, Peturabo let out a cold laugh.

I've seen it; my "good brother" really values ​​his soldiers.

Peturabo said casually,

[It's just anti-psychic energy; he's neither immune to artillery fire nor bullets, so death is still easy for him.]

Vashtor fell silent for a long time, then crackling arcs of electricity emanated from between the heavily tangled cables.

We must not let our guard down.

Vashtor hissed.

Besides anti-psychic abilities, he possesses other powers.

What could it be?

+ Operate the machinery.

How ridiculous, Peturabo thought, that he could actually hear a slight tremor in the monster's voice.

It seems he possesses a very rare skill.

Peturabo scoffed, but Vashtor spoke softly.

+No…you don’t understand…Peturabo, you need help. You should be grateful for the extremely high concentration of psionic energy here, which gives us the power to suppress him. +

Vashtor spoke, gears rumbled, and the abomination raised its head, its gaze seemingly piercing through layers of defense as it thoughtfully stared at the black stone obelisk.

Fortunately, we don't have to face him... He will vanish when the rift in this inverted reality opens.

Vashtor chuckled.

Peturabo skillfully ignored it; news came from the Word Bearers.

Luo Jia… Peturabo thought, the Primarch of the Word Bearer has changed, he has completely changed, or rather… his soul is dead.

This sufficiently blasphemous thought gave Peturabo a strange sense of satisfaction, while a faint sense of fear crept into his bones.

--------

Angertai stood there uneasily. He had been exiled after speaking up against the Primarch's plan to kill the Imperial Guard, and was subsequently sent by the Loka to the most remote part of the ship.

Angortai silently gripped the black spear in his hand. The heavy weight gave him a moment of reassurance; at least the Primarch hadn't confiscated the punitive weapon he'd acquired in the City of Perfection.

Luojia... has changed.

Angertai took a deep breath. Ever since his conversation with Peturabo, the Primarch of the Fourth Legion, Loka seemed to have become a different person. He ordered the burning of all the books he had written after the City of Perfection, and commanded the Word Bearers to scatter around the Eye of Fear to collect the native faith of the area.

At the same time, the Primarch was working on compiling a new holy book, disbanding the original priesthood, and training priests according to the new faith.

That wasn't the Luojia he knew.

Angortai was convinced of this; something must have happened. He needed to confirm the Primarch's condition once more. So far, apart from Angortai, all the other warriors who suspected the Primarch had been sent by the Loka to the Outer Starfield to search for the Faith—they had been exiled even further away.

Angortai wasn't sure whether it was the spear of retribution in his hand that saved him from this or whether the Primarch still felt that Angortai had something to offer.

But that's not the point. Angrtai only needs to do one thing now: find out exactly what happened to the Primarch.