Warhammer 40: My Fiancée Fulgrim

Page 310

“That longing, that intense, unbearable anxiety and desire, is gone,” Amar said. “It’s hard to believe that I was previously addicted to some ridiculous reactions to light, sound, and color.”

“It’s not over yet, Amal, I have something else to ask you.”

Casca's expression was grave.

"And then? What exactly is the origin of that sword, and how did Philus obtain it?"

What happened after you entered that palace?

Then everything happened just as Casca had predicted.

Upon entering the palace, the Iron Hands of the Philus team entered an extremely eerie area—filled with numerous strange stone carvings and murals, radiating light and color that were previously unimaginable.

And that's not all. After they entered the palace, they saw even more, even more mechanically modified alien creatures.

With mechanical improvements, those originally ugly aliens will no longer be bulky and fragile—hard metal materials will replace their skin, and sensitive signal transmission will surpass slow nerves.

Beneath that powerful mechanical arm, past muscle strength seemed so weak...

After using her Thunder Hammer to knock down yet another mechanical alien that dared to approach, Phyllis fell into a brief moment of deep thought.

Perhaps... only by replacing pitiful flesh and blood with machines can one become powerful enough.

This alien civilization itself is not strong; in fact, its core strength is pitifully weak.

But after being mechanically modified all over their bodies, these originally useless aliens were able to unleash power far stronger than those Iron Hand soldiers, and only she, as the Primarch, could stop them.

If the previous alien soldiers had all undergone this level of mechanical modification, Iron Hand's casualties would have been several times more severe.

The word "estimate" was not used.

Given Philus's precise calculation abilities, there's no need for estimation.

The current mechanical modifications to Iron Hand are sufficient, and she has no need to modify them for the sake of modification, forcibly turning humans into inhuman mechanical monsters.

But is it really enough?

If so, why did she lose the selection of the War Master in Ulano?

The effects of Slaanesh are different for each person—to others, the alien palace is a den of demons filled with indescribable visual and auditory stimulation, where the senses will receive an unforgettable and wonderful experience.

But in Phyllis's eyes were countless Ironhand Space Marines who had died tragically because of her stubbornness.

All of this is because of you, Phyllis.

She could almost see that it was precisely because of her stubbornness, her inexplicable opposition to mechanization, that she would ultimately be defeated when facing an even more powerful enemy...

She failed.

A crushing defeat.

Without its original form, the Steel Hand is leaderless and left only with ignorant infighting. The Steel Hand will also be subject to mechanization.

Phyllis cannot fail; she is the backbone of the legion.

If the future is truly unavoidable... then let her do it herself!

“And at that time, I remember being in the center of the last room of that palace,” Amal continued, now able to easily recall the past after Kasgar had burned his body with psionic flames. “I remember there was a mechanical metal platform there.”

The surface of the metal platform seemed to be covered with a thick metallic style, looking particularly tempting, while the sword inserted into it emitted a sharp, cold light, like the final reward they had obtained after overcoming all obstacles along the way, standing quietly in the center of the mechanical platform.

"It appears to be a carefully designed storage platform, with half of the sword stuck in the mechanical stand, which was eventually pulled out by Primarch Philus who stepped forward."

"After conquering this planet, we quickly withdrew from that planet and have now joined you."

......

What Casca didn't want to see happened.

Slaanesh has never been Slaanesh's only means of attack.

In the Warp, there are countless demon worlds, as numerous as the stars in the sky. They can disguise themselves perfectly, waiting for a Primarch to enter one of them and fall into their trap.

If Slaanesh could create a demon world to deal with Vorgrim, he could certainly create even more demon worlds as traps to lure other Primarchs.

Phyllis was the Dark Gods' backup option after the failure of the Forgrim Plan.

"It seems we have completely underestimated the evil presence in these warps."

"Casca said helplessly."

The power of the warp god far exceeded his expectations.

The ability to save the Primarch from the mouths of the Dark Gods is only temporary.

The failure of a plan does not mean that the Primarch will never again be corrupted by Chaos.

However, if this plan fails, the Dark Gods have many more traps to follow up with, such as traps number 2, 3, and 4 – they are always waiting and always plotting.

The four gods were already powerful, and their combined strength was unparalleled.

What's more, it's a conspiracy that has been plotted in the subspace for countless years.

"So, what exactly is going on?" Amal asked. "Just like last time, has Phyllis been possessed by something strange again?"

"That's one way to put it, but this time it's far more difficult than before."

"But this time, I may not be able to save her again."

Just then, there was a knock on the door of the medical pod.

......

“It’s me, Aqua Duna.”

The second company commander of the Imperial Prince entered the medical pod, glanced at the three silent figures in the room, and closed the door behind him.

“I just heard you came to the Steel Hand.” Aqua breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the door as she spoke to Casgar. “How’s it going? Has your swordsmanship improved? Or have you neglected your training?”

"No, Aqua, we have more important things to do now—did you enter that palace before? During the last battle?"

"Hmm." She nodded somewhat belatedly.

"I went in with them, and I felt that the mechanical aliens inside the palace were indeed quite troublesome, quite different from those encountered outside."

"Did you sense anything was wrong? Or did you see any hallucinations or other things that shouldn't have happened?"

"Illusions? Not at all. Is this some new psionic magic?"

Aqua shook her head innocently as she spoke.

Slaanesh can indeed tempt people to the extreme in certain ways.

But there are still people in the world who cannot be corrupted or eroded. If we were to say who she is, it could only be Aqua Duna.

—After all, she had already done her best.

Whether it's swordsmanship or cooking.

......

After bidding farewell to his Space Marine friends, Kasgar walked silently on the deck of the Steel Fist.

Unlike before, when she only faced powerful demons like the Sapphire King, now Philus, wielding the piercing sword, would be under the constant watchful eye of Salis herself.

Even worse, not only Salis, but all four Chaos Gods appeared simultaneously in the final stages of the Great Crusade, extending their "invitations" to the Primarchs who were waging war across the galaxy.

Now, even with his immense power, Kasgar couldn't possibly rescue every Primarch corrupted by Chaos by attacking multiple targets simultaneously.

Not just each one, but even with Philus right in front of him, Kasga was still helpless.

So...it was actually Salis who...abandoned me?

After an unknown period of silence, the dagger at Casca's waist spoke.

It realized with difficulty that Slaanesh's failure to respond to it was not entirely the reason for the golden centaur.

But in Sally's eyes, it seemed to have lost its usefulness...

No teeth or mouth pain!!!

【It's no use! You're one of us now. If you haven't changed your mindset, then you deserve to be disliked.】

Casca communicated with the blade at his waist in an annoyed tone.

The power of the Chaos Gods was never limited to a single person or a specific place.

When the dominant party faces too many obstacles, they will turn their attention to the other side.

The moment the demon within the piercing sword lost its gaze and the favor of the Chaos God, was also the moment the Chaos God turned its gaze to another Primarch.

So what do we do now?

"...There's no other way. The best solution I can think of is to leave here as soon as possible."

Then, the Emperor was informed of the Chaos God's plan via astronomical communication, so that the Emperor could handle the matter.

Of course, the second half of this plan cannot be revealed to that stabbing sword demon yet.

Now, things have come to a point where they are no longer something that a mere Space Marine like Casca can handle.

This requires the emperor to cure!

"Casca."

Just as Casca was figuring out how to escape, a voice that Casca least wanted to hear came from behind him.

He didn't even need to turn around to know who was calling him.

The Steel Hand, Phyllis Marus.

"Lady Philus, how are you...?"

Kasga turned around with a wry smile and looked at the other person.

Her armor shimmered like the blackest agate, her shoulders were clad in large, heavy metal plates, and a shimmering cloak trailed behind her as she moved. Phyllis wasn't overly concerned with outward aesthetics, but every inch of her power armor exuded a precise and coldly minimalist beauty.

At this moment, the Primarchs of the two Legions were convening senior officers within their Legions to discuss strategies for eliminating the Azure Crystal Alliance. It was during this time that Casgar had the opportunity to come aboard the Iron Fist to gather information.

"Nothing, I just wanted to ask how you're doing in the Sons of the Emperor's Legion."

Phyllis leaned gently against the wall beside the corridor, a strange smile on her face that Kasgar had only ever seen on Fugrim's face.

Not right.

It's not right.

He sensed danger looming ahead.

"Furthermore, I'm quite interested in the sword at your waist."

As she spoke, she gently straightened up from her position leaning against the wall and walked to Casca's side.

Compared to Fugrim's relatively slender figure in the Primarch, Filus is clearly taller and stronger, and the heavy black power armor she wears makes her appear particularly imposing.

"Especially since they were able to achieve a striking similarity when faced with different alien civilizations without any communication."

She reached out and picked up the dagger from Casca's waist.

"Moreover, I also feel there's something strange about it—"

"To be honest, this sword of mine not only provides me with a constant stream of inspiration for mechanical modifications, but it can even detect traces of other people using witchcraft, which I can use to deal with those despicable wizards."

As she spoke, the silver blade of Medusa's Blade in Phyllis's hand approached Casca.

"Like right now."

As the other party said this, Casca immediately retreated, his eyes searching for a way to escape.

"Philus! Wake up! You're not right right now! Don't let the whispers from that sword control you!"

He tried to shout, but Phyllis seemed completely unmoved.

She extended her sword towards Casca, seemingly drawing out a wisp of golden-red flame from in front of him.

—And also, it was a phantom image of the Eldar.

"But it seems... that's the truth, isn't it?"

"Gotcha, little wizard."

Kasgar felt a powerful force slam him against the iron-gray wall of the Iron Fist, while he could hear Philus's breath, which grew hotter as she approached.

"Casgar, you don't want other people to know that you're actually a pointy-eared alien, do you?"

......

What exactly is missing from the Iron Hand?