The Emperor Rewards Fire Wheel to Join the Battle of the Primarchs
Three Adeptus Custodes, clad in golden armor and carrying trays, strode up to the high platform.
There are two items on each tray.
The smaller one is a gold eagle medal with fiery red patterns around it, and the main design of each medal is different.
The Emperor first picked up the medal in the middle, the main body of which was a black longsword, and inserted it into the Orks head.
The Emperor pinned the medal on Nimrod's black armor and began to speak.
"Nimrod, this medal symbolizes your beheading of the Ork warlord, and your judgment against the Xenos."
The Emperor then walked up to Leman Russ and pinned the medal, the one featuring a wolf pouncing on Orks, onto his dark gray armor.
"Russ, it symbolizes your pack of wolves, fiercely attacking the Orks and swiftly ending their filthy lives."
The Emperor finally approached Hannibal and struck him with his Bear-Hunting Knife was adorned with an Orks medallion on his amber-colored armor.
"Hannibal, this symbolizes you using Bear-Hunting Knife to cleave open the filthy Orks body."
Nimrod's dark eyes flashed: [It's more like using a knife to slice food.]
While he was pondering, the Old Man in Yellow took out another ring-shaped object from the tray.
It is similar to the Iron Halo previously awarded by Nimrod to his sons who performed the best in the "Wheel of Fire" campaign.
Its main body is a golden ring connected to a vertical metal rod, which can be hung on the Power Armor.
The difference is that a ruby is set at the top of the ring, and the ring is decorated with gilded laurel leaves.
Nimrod keenly noticed that the gilded laurel leaves exhibited a certain peculiar pattern, and that the rubies contained powerful energy.
The Emperor, holding a ring, spoke.
"These are a more advanced version than the Iron Halo, which I named the Auric Halo."
"Like the Iron Halo, it has a built-in Force Field Generator. When attacked, the deflection field automatically activates, generating an energy shield that can deflect Lascannon and missile attacks."
"The difference is that the energy contained within the ruby is far more powerful, even capable of withstanding attacks from the Annihilator Cannon."
Nimrod knew that the Annihilator Cannon were powerful weapons equipped by the Psy-Titan, powered by Alpha-level Psyker.
The Order of the Omen, composed of Psy-Titan, is an important force in the Old Man in Yellow's possession, and the technology used to forge them came from the Old Man in Yellow himself.
In a one-on-one fight, the Psy-Titan is even more powerful than the Aeldari Titan, far surpassing the Titan participating in the celebration today.
Thinking this through, he silently made an assessment of the Auric Halo in his mind.
[Very strong defense.]
Nimrod bowed slightly, allowing the Old Man in Yellow to place the Auric Halo behind him.
This is only a temporary decoration; it requires special treatment by Tech Sergeant to ensure it fits snugly against the armor.
Nimrod's case was even more unique; he had to wait for Ferrus Manus to forge the armor for him.
The Master of Mankind then bestowed Auric Halo upon Russ and Hannibal respectively, after which three Adeptus Custodes saluted him and withdrew from the platform.
The Emperor walked to the center of the high platform, where two items were placed.
One of the gray iron hammers was entirely black, with lightning runes engraved on it.
He picked up the gray hammer, walked towards Hannibal, and spoke.
"This Thunder Hammer was crafted by my personal artisan."
"It differs from ordinary Thunder Hammer; it doesn't release energy in an instant to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy."
"It creates a special force field; when it explodes, the enemy is stunned by the sound waves, hence I named it Thunder."
Upon hearing this, Hannibal's eyes lit up, and he took the Thunder Hammer from the Master of Mankind with both hands.
"Father, thank you for the Bestowal. The Thunder Hammer suits me perfectly."
The Emperor then looked at Russ and said to him.
"The wolf pack suffered heavy losses in the Battle of the 'Wheel of Fire.' You act swiftly and never stop."
"Your homeland, Fenris, may become empty because of this."
"Therefore, I reward you with a fortress, which will be the largest fortress outside of the Imperial Palace's defenses."
Upon hearing this, Nimrod had a bad feeling. He had already guessed that the Old Man in Yellow had bestowed upon Russ the Wolf-Fang Fortress.
[So, according to the original reward for the Fire Wheel, the Old Man in Yellow will give me the Spear of Dionysus?]
Nimrod knew that what the Old Man in Yellow said was not wrong. In the future, Thousand Sons launched an attack on Wolf-Fang Fortress, he would lure the Space Wolves out to attack, leaving their wolf dens undefended.
The Space Wolves relied on their Wolf-Fang Fortress to defend against attacks, ultimately repelling the attack of the Thousand Sons, with their advantageous terrain playing a significant role.
Upon hearing this, Russ bowed and said:
"Allfather, the wolf pack will surely carry out your will and eliminate all enemies of the Imperium for you!"
Nimrod looked at the Emperor, walked to the center of the high platform, and pressed the control stick.
Accompanied by the sound of mechanical transmission, the platform with Spear stuck in it rose up.
It looks like a finely crafted Spear, just long enough to be used by me.
Russ, Manus, and Hannibal all furrowed their brows simultaneously. As Primarch, they could all sense the Curse contained within the Spear.
The mere sight of Spear made them instinctively feel uneasy.
Nimrod narrowed his eyes; The Old Man in Yellow was about to hand over the Spear of Dionysus to him.
In the end, they still had to hand over the Spear of Dionysus to me, without giving me a choice.
The Old Man in Yellow must have used his "Sympathetic Magic" again to predict the future.
In this future, I will play an important role, which is why the Spear of Dionysus has been entrusted to me.
Nimrod's eyes flickered. He knew he couldn't refuse, but he wouldn't let the Old Man in Yellow make arrangements for him.
The Spear of Dionysus cannot dictate my will; every choice is still made by myself.
If it doesn't align with my principles and interests, I still won't follow his plan.
If the Old Man in Yellow has a way to force me to carry out his plan, it can only be because he is highly skilled and has devised a clever strategy.
Nimrod knew that the Spear of Dionysus, unlike some Chaos artifacts, would not corrupt people's minds.
After Russ received it, he only carried it with him when he met the Old Man in Yellow, in order to please his father.
He could not abandon the Spear of Dionysus, yet he was not driven by Spear of Dionysus to act.
[If the Second and Eleventh Legion were wiped out in 945, it was indeed the work of Russ and the "Space Wolves".]
That can only mean that Russ carried out the Old Man in Yellow's orders.
Russ became the Executioner because he accepted the role, not because he was influenced by the Spear of Dionysus, which he at that time still resisted using.
The "Burning of Prospero," in which he did not use the Spear of Dionysus, did not affect his final decision to launch an attack and break Magnus's spine.
Russ despised the Spear of Dionysus and never used it.
Ultimately, he accepted the power of the Curse, solely to enhance his own combat strength and assassinate the mighty Horus.
The Spear of Dionysus did not control Russ's will; all his decisions stemmed from his own thoughts.
While Nimrod was pondering, the Old Man in Yellow spoke up.
"Nimrod, this Spear was forged by me personally in my first underground fortress during a time of turmoil and chaos."
Nimrod strode over, thinking to himself.
I also know that you poured some of your power into it.
This makes the Spear of Dionysus a truly divine artifact, but it also makes it a Curse weapon.
Nimrod knew that although powerful weapons such as the Worldbreaker were called artifacts, they were not actually true artifacts.
While Nimrod was pondering, the Old Man in Yellow spoke again.
"I have named it the Spear of Dionysus, and now I Bestowal it to you, hoping you will wield it to achieve great things."
Nimrod walked up to the Spear of Dionysus, thinking hopefully.
[Perhaps the Spear of Dionysus was destined for Russ, and it might not have any effect on me.]
I remember when Russ grasped the Spear of Dionysus, it immediately triggered a reaction.
Russ felt the ominous thread of the Spear of Dionysus pierce his soul, and his laughter was more like a grimace.
The Old Man in Yellow could see Russ's worry and resistance, but he remained silent, which made him feel even worse than the power of the Curse.
The Fenrisian called the threads of fate "the threads of destiny," Russ knew then that his future was tragic.