The Byzantine Incident

Nicholas followed his mentor, Thomas, the Chief Librarian, into the Normans city marked III.

With the modification surgery less than two-thirds complete, he wore a suit of Vostonia-type Artificer Power Armor, the design of which was inspired by the STC presented by the Arbites Lord before the Primarch returned to the Imperium.

The Vostonia-type Artificer Power Armor is now widely issued to legion recruits who have not yet received Power Armor, as well as some Auxilia officers.

After walking one kilometer, his mentor's voice rang in Nicholas's ears.

"Ice Blade Storm!"

"Mentor, as you wish," Nicholas responded loudly, raising his Force Staff.

Runes of wind and ice blades lit up, originating from the tomb of Fenris' former king, recorded by Arsena Dunn.

After Thomas became the Chief Librarian, he communicated with him, learned his Mystery, and then included them in the Librarium.

The Nicholas Fenrisian, possess unique Psionic Energy; they can wield the power of wind and ice, and cannot be categorized into the five current Psionic Energy factions of humans and the Flao.

Thomas taught him according to his own aptitude and Teleport the runes from the Tomb of the Ancient Kings Fenris to him.

Nicholas has mastered the secrets of three of the runes: Wind, Ice Blade, and Combination Rune. He has engraved the three runes on his Force Staff.

Above Nicholas's head, rapidly swirling winds and sharp ice blades appeared.

The third combination rune lit up, and wind and ice blades quickly converged.

Nicholas swung his Force Staff with a sudden burst of ice blades, unleashing Ice Blade Storm upon the Normans.

Before the Normans could react, several swirling ice blades slashed at him, cutting him and his followers into pieces.

Thomas glanced at it and praised, "Not bad, you've already begun to control the power of the storm."

"This is all thanks to my mentor's guidance," Nicholas said humbly, thanking Thomas for his instruction, while confidently gripping his staff. "I will definitely become an excellent Librarian."

"To become an excellent Librarian, you need more than just Psionic Energy; you must hone your skills in all aspects," Thomas instructed his Apprentice.

"Shooting."

Nicholas hung the staff at his waist and took out the Psyker-pattern Ranger-pattern Lasgun from behind his back.

Compared to the ordinary Ranger Lasgun, the Psionic Energy Style uses a special Psyker Crystal.

Unlike ordinary Psyker Crystals that passively generate laser beams, this model requires the user to actively inject Psionic Energy, therefore only Psyker can use it.

An icy glint appeared in Nicholas's eyes. Under his mentor's guidance, he had found his own Warp vision, which was his memory of Fenris.

As the forces of the Warp converged, the recruits of the 9th Company 8th Legion behind them felt a howling wind, as if they had been pulled into a frozen wasteland.

Runes flickered on the Psyker-pattern Ranger-pattern Lasgun. Nicholas branded ice blade runes onto his gun, redrawing the Psionic Energy link and fundamentally altering the laser beams it emitted.

Ice blades shot towards Trua, smashing their heads and necks to pieces.

Thomas nodded in satisfaction and continued on his way with his Apprentice.

The rescued humans excitedly rushed towards the Chief Librarian, shouting in a strange Gothic:

"You've come... to save us?"

Please save us.

Thomas used his mind-reading ability to understand their meaning.

He ordered the commander of the 1st Vostonian Regiment: "Send someone to appease them."

Thomas continued on with his Apprentices, and two kilometers later they encountered Norman's hundred-man squad.

The Normans rode in golden the Chariots, which were branded with countless runes.

Their honeycomb-shaped eyes flickered as they simultaneously pointed their canes at the runes.

The combined power of their minds erupted from the gun-shaped device at the front of the Chariot, sweeping towards Thomas.

Thomas's expression was solemn. He ascended to the third level of Thelema, and his mental power surged forth, forming an invisible high wall in front of him.

Nicholas's eyes gleamed; in his Aetheric Sight, he could see the Psychic Storm unleashed by the Normans crashing against the high mental walls constructed by Thomas.

The aftershocks of the massive collision reverberated through the mind.

An invisible Shriek rang in Nicholas's ears; his face turned pale, and his body swayed.

At that moment, his mentor's voice echoed in his mind.

"Stay calm! Now is your time to prove you have the potential to become Librarian!"

"Ascend to the first level of Thelema's Mindset!"

Nicholas is the only one among the Librarian Apprentices who has mastered the Thelema Mindset technique; even some of the Lexicanum have not yet mastered it.

Nicholas received a Telepathy reminder from his mentor, and he silently recited it in his mind.

[Nicholas, calm down. The toughest moments of battle are when you'll truly be tested.]

An iceberg appeared in his eyes, and a Shriek crashed into it, producing a piercing scraping sound.

Nicholas put himself into Thelema meditation state, and the Shriek sounds around him subsided slightly.

He then allowed himself to enter the first level of the Thelema Mindset, isolating himself from the Psychic Shockwave.

Thomas, sensing that his Apprentice had successfully resisted the mental shock, sent him another Thought Impulse.

"I am exhausted from defending against the Normans' psychological attacks. You, along with the Shadow of Order, will deal with them."

"Yes, Master." Nicholas drew his Power Sword and pressed the Runic Rune.

He held a staff in his left hand and a sword in his right, charging forward alongside the Shadow of Order behind him.

The Shadow of Order raised its Bolter and fired a volley at the Normans.

An invisible protective shield rose from the Normans' golden the Chariots, and explosive shells shot out from it, crackling and popping.

Nicholas's Aetheric Sight spotted the weakest point of the shield's colored light and he swung his Force Staff.

Three runes lit up one after another, and Nicholas desperately manipulated dozens of ice blades, blasting them at the weak points of the Psionic Energy shield.

With a loud bang, a crack appeared in the Psionic Energy shield, and Nicholas leaped onto the Normans's golden wagon, wielding his Power Blade to slash.

As the Normans died one by one, the pressure on Thomas lessened. He watched as Nicholas wielded his Power Sword, swiftly slashing at the Normans, and nodded in satisfaction.

Nova Polya's cities were conquered one by one, the Normans were cleansed Purification, and humanity, enslaved for thousands of years, was liberated.

By the end of 823, all the cities of Nova Polya had been liberated, and the remaining few Normans and Trua fled like rats in the sewers.

Nimrod summoned the Tech-Priest Wojciech Belik and said to him:

"Nova Polya has Standard Template Construct; you lead your retinue to search for it."

Wojciech has far fewer mechanical parts than other Tech-Priest of his age.

After receiving the "Savant" power bestowed upon him by Lord Nimrod, he did not enhance his intellect in any way.

"The Divine Template!" Wojciech exclaimed. He had no doubt about Lord Nimrod's words; he had long regarded the Lord as the incarnation of Omnissiah.

"My lord, I will definitely find the sacred template!" Wojciech said excitedly, finding the sacred template would be his honor.

Nimrod returned to the Shadow of the Throne and listened to the Primarch's Attendants's report.

"My lord, the Fifteenth Legion suffered heavy losses in Byzant this year after setting out again from Medusa."

"They have submitted a report to you and the Emperor, stating that they are temporarily unable to continue the expedition."

Upon hearing this, Nimrod's heart stirred.

[823 AD, Byzant.]

The loss is a pretense; the real issue is the Flesh Mutation.

The first major crisis for the Thousand Sons was most likely orchestrated by Tzeentch, the "Lord of Changes."

Nimrod frowned slightly, as he couldn't help but think of his Psyker and the easily corrupted "Demoness" and Pathway Beyonder.

If corrupted by Chaos, one may not be able to resist it by relying solely on willpower and the Thelema Mindset.

The only option is to bring them into the "Nation of Disorder" and use the power of the Source Essence to isolate the Warp.

Although my children and I may not be a priority, it's still important to remind them.

While Nimrod was pondering, the Primarch's Attendants continued to report.

"Therefore, the Emperor has dispatched the Fourteenth and Eighteenth Legions to your command."

"Commander Cassian Vaughn of the 18th Legion Corps has sent Astropathic Communication requesting your orders."

"Send two legions to Cepra Mundi; I will meet them there," Nimrod ordered.