Now I'm Really Going to Be Sacrificed to Chaos

"However, we have discovered a pattern: these nobles typically form secret societies dedicated to hedonistic indulgence, while simultaneously scouting for humans with sensory capabilities far beyond the norm to use as sacrificial material for entities of the Warp."

Visibly, the terror in the eyes of the Archon could no longer be concealed the moment the word "sacrifice" was uttered.

"You must understand, the senses of the Aeldari far exceed the limits of humanity."

Ramesses spoke with pointed implication.

Aglaia was quick to react, playing along with the performance.

"According to historical data, such material is guaranteed to attract the assistance of those powerful elites."

"Then I imagine the Inquisitors would not refuse such bait?"

"Certainly."

"Mmph! Mmph-mmph!"

The Archon, whose head was the only part of him still capable of movement, began to struggle violently.

He hammered his occiput against the chains with all his might, producing a faint clattering sound; it was the greatest commotion the Archon could muster.

After deliberately leaving the wretch to stew for a time and allowing Ramesses to discuss the details thoroughly with the Inquisitor, Romulus finally signaled with his eyes, and Arthur tore away the Archon's restraints.

"I'll talk! Ask whatever you want, cough, cough, cough, I'll tell you everything—"

The Archon squeezed every ounce of air from his respiratory system with the speed of a lifetime, shouting in Low Gothic. Even as his lungs burned with searing pain and blood sprayed from his throat, he did not pause for a second.

"As long as you don't hand me over to the cultists of She Who Thirsts, I will do anything for you!"

He was certain now: the soul-shattering intimidation from moments ago had absolutely come from a handmaiden of She Who Thirsts. These people truly knew what the Drukhari feared, and they truly had the power to deliver him into the hands of She Who Thirsts.

"I beg of you!"

Being sacrificed to Slaanesh and sent to the Palace of the Six Circles—anything but that!

He wept bitterly.

"I can do anything."

We still prefer the way you looked when you were defiant.

Most of those gathered around wore expressions of confusion, unable to comprehend why a Drukhari who had faced torture without blinking and feared not death itself would be reduced to such a state of terror by the Hedonism Cult.

"Ask whatever questions you have."

Romulus said, stepping aside.

They knew nothing of the situation in the Piaerde system, and even if they wanted to ask something, they lacked a specific direction; it was better to let the "local" do the questioning first.

"Thank you, my lord."

Aglaia first recorded on her parchment the fact that the Drukhari feared the dark god known as Slaanesh, then stepped forward, only to collide with the gauntlet of Tyberos.

She hadn't even noticed how such a massive figure had moved to her side.

"..."

It was only then that she realized the previous remark had not been directed at her.

"Apologies, my lord."

Aglaia retreated in a panic.

She could not afford to offend any of these people—beings who could slaughter five hundred Drukhari with a force of only a hundred men without suffering a single casualty.

"..."

The group exchanged glances.

This Inquisitor was quite interesting.

A naive, academic type—the kind who would dare to lock horns with a Black Templars crusade fleet on their own ship, especially when lacking a fleet of their own—was truly a rare breed.

"You may ask your questions first."

Tyberos pondered for a moment before speaking.

His mission was to trade for equipment with the Adeptus Mechanicus; picking up Romulus and his group had been an unexpected bonus. He did not understand the internal affairs of the Imperium well, and the Void Glass was a secret belonging solely to the Carcharodons, not suitable for public disclosure.

Recalling the previous interrogation, he added:

"But you must ensure he stays alive."

"Of course, my lord."

Aglaia had actually wanted to keep the secrets of the Inquisition, but she knew that was unrealistic.

Thus, she took out her small notebook and spoke directly.

"Who hired you, xenos?"

"He called himself the Seeker of Knowledge."

Hearing this, Aglaia knew they were on the right track.

"The location where you met."

"Located within what you call the Ghoul Stars, the black spire belonging to the Blood Skulls requires a star map to mark the coordinates."

"Is it here?"

The Inquisitor pulled her Servo-skull over and displayed the sector coordinates.

"Correct."

"Your specific mission."

"Intercept the Mechanicus Ark entering the planet. The Seeker of Knowledge stated clearly that after the naval battle fails, we are to force a landing on the Mechanicus Ark; that will prevent this fleet from entering the Piaerde Sector."

Cawl's logic circuits couldn't help but overload; he never imagined that a plan he had hidden for ten thousand years would be known by an entity he had never heard of.

At the same time, he looked at the Transmigrators, recalling the light of the Emperor upon them, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

This must be the guidance of the Omnissiah.

"What is your reward?"

"The hunt. The Seeker of Knowledge promised to concentrate the entire population of the Piaerde Sector onto the main planet of Piaerde to hold the grandest slaughtering feast, and to allow us to capture slaves. He bribed six Kabals, including the Flayed Skulls. I am an Archon of one of the Flayed Skulls' hunting fleets."

The Drukhari need to feed on the souls of other living beings to sustain themselves; the population of an entire sector is an unimaginably vast fortune to the Drukhari.

Of course, in the knowledge possessed by the Inquisitors, souls have another use.

The hand recording the interrogation trembled. Upon receiving the answer, there was no joy on the face of Aglaia as the mystery began to unravel; instead, she began to turn pale at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"What did he do during this process, and what did you do?"

She asked, pressing for details.

"The Seeker of Knowledge gave us the coordinates of the sector's Imperial Navy and provided them with false intelligence, allowing us to annihilate the Imperial Navy. He was responsible for dealing with the fleets of other factions, and after that, it was raiding to confuse the enemy's line of sight."

"The specific process."

"I don't know."

Aglaia stared silently at the Archon.

"I really don't know."

The Archon was on the verge of tears.

"Inquisitor Aglaia."

Romulus spoke up.

"May I interrupt?"

"Please, my lord."

Aglaia replied respectfully.

"While drifting in the Warp, we encountered a strike cruiser attacked by heretics. Inside the ship's Geller field, we discovered this."

Romulus directly sent the recorded footage to the Inquisitor, which included the psyker acting as a Chaos teleportation device and the inscriptions on his back.

He had prepared these materials long ago.

"M-my lord, may I ask where this strike cruiser departed from?"

Aglaia looked at the heretic's back, at the Chaos inscriptions identical to those she had seen while browsing her teacher's database, and her lips began to tremble uncontrollably.

Romulus looked at the accompanying Canoness, Arabella.

"It departed from the ocean planet Titanic, stopped at the Eternal Hunt watch post on the way, and was subsequently attacked by Drukhari xenos in the Manster III death system of the Piaerde Sector. Afterward, Chaos corruption broke out in the Navigator Sanctum, and the warship was dragged into the Warp."

The Canoness spoke as such, then began to mark the route and various time points on the sector projection based on her memory.

Aglaia hurriedly pulled out the paper documents she carried and began to compare them.

As each piece of information matched up, her gaze became increasingly vacant.

Chaos. That old thing really has been tainted by Chaos.

"...It matches. It all matches."

Repeating the same phrase over and over, Aglaia failed to catch her breath and nearly fainted.

Only one word echoed in her mind.

It's over!