The Shadow Belonging Solely to the Shadow of Order

Communication methods

Oliver, the First Company Captain of the Fourth Legion, had lost count of how many times he had swung his Concussion Weapon to strike during the long night.

His physical abilities improved slightly when he was a "Corpse Collector," and he became much stronger and more robust than a regular Astartes when he was a "Gravedigger."

But he still felt strangely tired after less than a day of fighting.

Oliver glanced at his guards, noticing the widespread rust on their armor, as if they hadn't maintained it for decades.

Crack!

The guards, dressed in the Saturnine Terminator Prototype, suddenly disintegrated their heavy exoskeleton armor, as if it were a relic from millions of years ago.

Oliver strode forward and swung his Concussion Weapon.

The shockwave roared as it pierced through the Distortion force field of a group of Herud, tearing their spines into shattered pieces of bone.

"Back off!" he shouted to the guards.

Oliver extended his defensive line, constantly wielding his weapon as he faced the onslaught of more Hruds.

He didn't even have time to look up at the stars.

He had never looked forward to such a thing: the faint light of a star illuminating the earth's surface.

Oliver quickly reached the limit of his ability, taking over the defense of four people all by himself.

The Concussion Weapon danced like the wind, slamming into the ground with resounding thuds.

Oliver repeated the mechanical movements until a rune mark flashed on the tactical layer of his helmet.

He turned his head and looked at the bare Plasteel, which was pitted and uneven, as if it had been placed in the natural environment for tens of thousands of years.

The guard's skin thinned, became covered with age spots, his veins bulged and turned bluish, and his pulse weakened every moment.

He fell, and dust poured down from the gaps in his armor.

His death took less than a second.

Oliver lost three more members of the Honor Guard in quick succession, each of them dying in a different way.

The only thing they have in common is aging.

The armor of the fifth Honor Guard member came into his view; the black paint began to bubble and peel off.

Oxidation spots made the black armor dull and lifeless, and the brilliance of his various systems in his Spirit Sight dimmed rapidly, turning into a black mass.

As wisps of dust fell, countless Herud receded like a tide.

Oliver took a deep breath; the pungent stench of the Hruds rushed in through his breathing grille.

He coughed, his voice revealing weariness and old age.

Oliver felt that he had aged forty years overnight.

It's not serious, but it's clearly visible.

Oliver looked up and saw the faint light, knowing that dawn was approaching.

The "Spirit Medium" was suddenly struck by the sound of the Hruds' screams echoing in his ears.

He immediately activated "Eye of Death".

As if freed from his weary, aging body, his gaze detached from the constraints of the flesh, looking down from a higher dimension.

The "Spirit Medium" saw a gigantic Herud ghost hovering over the battlefield, twice the size it had been in life.

Within the "Eye of Death," his head has twelve deep eyes, which are actually the convergence of thousands upon thousands of Herud souls.

Oliver was delighted; since he became a "Spirit Medium," he hadn't encountered many spirits.

The Black Emperor told them that when most creatures die, their spirits enter the Warp and become part of the Sea of Souls.

The spirit only lingers in the real world in special circumstances or when disturbed.

Previously, this situation occurred most frequently in Talos.

The evil will of Slaugth exists, capable of overwhelming Psyker and influencing the Sea of Souls.

The Fourth Legion often encountered the undead in battle, and it was during that war that Kion, the Fifth Company Captain Commander, became a true "Spirit Medium".

Unfortunately, he missed that battle.

Chapter Master Adams, on the Homeworld of the "Iron Hands," in the unique environment of Medusa, became a true "Spirit Medium" after communicating with numerous wandering ancient spirits.

Is it the Hruds ' Entropy Field that Distortion spacetime?

The spirits of Herud, who died in different times and spaces, are intertwined.

While Oliver was pondering, he sent a message to Adams: "My lord, I have the spirit of Herud here."

Then, looking down at his own body, he hoisted the Concussion Weapon onto his back and strode toward the writhing undead of Herud.

The Spirit Medium's Spirituality influence reached Herud's spirit, who kindly asked in Dunnish, "Can you tell me what's inside the tunnel?"

The Royal Court Friar activated their Spirit Sight, gazing upon the spirits of the dead.

The non- Royal Court Friar looked ahead in confusion, wondering who their company commander was talking to.

Herud abruptly stopped swaying; the "Spirit Channeling" ability made him understand the meaning of the Warrior in the rusty black armor.

His spine was straight and upright, his scaly skin spreading out like a cobra threatening its enemies.

Oliver shook his head. He knew these spirits were entangled together, with pieced-together, incomplete memories, and couldn't sense his friendliness.

Oliver thought of the five guards who had died, all of whom were trustworthy brothers in arms.

The "Spirit Medium's " gaze turned cold, even colder than his icy body.

He drew his Concussion Weapon and pointed it at the weak point he saw through the "Eye of Death"—the upper quarter of the spine.

"If I attack here, you will die."

"Tell me, or die."

Herud hissed, his body jerking back like a cobra provoked, as if about to launch an attack.

He saw the Warrior flick his wrist, and the hammer-shaped weapon was aimed directly at his body.

He felt a chill inexplicably envelop him, and his attack abruptly stopped as he obediently lowered his head.

This is the Astartes' way of being friendly.

Herud spoke, its voice sometimes sounding like a bat's scream, and occasionally like a mouse's squeak.

The "Spirit Medium" understood the ancient language of the Hruds through a "Spirit Channeling" connection.

"Our archives are located inside the tunnel, housing our collection of books from various ethnic groups..."

Oliver nodded slightly, recalling the Black Emperor's mention of the Hruds' extensive collection of historical, cultural, and technological information.

They value these materials highly, and if they are destroyed, Herud will launch an attack with a storm of fury.

The "Spirit Medium" felt the iceberg within his body gradually melting.

From his vantage point above, the figure of the Death Lord appeared at the same time the iceberg completely melted.

I have become a true "Spirit Medium."

The "Spirit Medium" felt his own Spirituality become more vibrant, his physical fatigue disappeared, as if he had regained the life he had lost.

Adams walked up to Herud, his Spirituality reaching deep into his being.

The "Spirit Guide" spoke in Dunnish, his tone chilling.

"Dead spirit, I want you to be my messenger..."

Herud raised his arm, wanting to pounce on the black-armored Warrior who enslaved him, but the moment the thought crossed his mind, he trembled and stopped under the cold gaze.

The Spirit Guide uttered the "Words of the Dead," while simultaneously pulling a copper tube from his waist and taking out parchment.

Upon unfolding, the "Spirit Guide" examined the "Necrons Contract" already written in Dunnish.

The content includes provisions that messengers must not snoop on letters, discard letters, or endanger the lives of their contractors.

The obligation of the contracting party is that if the content of the letter involves the messenger, they must inform the other party in advance.

To ensure the validity of the contract, the final part is the Honorific Name of the God.

After verifying that the contract was not affected by the Entropy Field, the "Spirit Guide" took the quill from the approaching Honor Guard member and wrote in Dunnish on the parchment:

"Fenris's two-headed wolf, guardian of the realm of the dead, Death Archon subordinate to the Black Emperor."

As the words fell, one after another, dark green flames ignited.

The Spirit Guide took out Double-Number Black Gold whistles, pressed them onto parchment, and then wrote his name: Adams.

After the Spirit Guide finished writing, the parchment floated up, carrying Double-Number Black Gold whistles and quills, and flew to Herud.

After Herud's spirit wrote down a long list of names, the dark green flames quickly merged and enveloped the Double-Number Black Gold whistles and parchment.

A few seconds later, the parchment turned to ashes, and the black whistle fell unchanged into the outstretched palm of the "Spirit Guide".

As Herud's ghostly figure rapidly faded and disappeared, "the Spirit Medium" Oliver watched this scene with envy.

My "Spirit Channeling" can only communicate with undead creatures, and the threat I just mentioned has no effect if I encounter a powerful undead creature or an undead that is not temporarily bound to the real world.

The lord can not only communicate with them, but also force their cooperation, and even use them as his messengers.

As the "Spirit Medium" pondered, he closed the "Eye of Death," and his gaze returned to his body.

"Follow me to the command center and report to our lord."

"Yes, my lord," Oliver then pointed to the new tunnel that Herud had dug during his retreat.

Even as an enemy, Oliver had to admit that the Hruds were natural-born digging experts, better at digging than the Hades Drill, or even the Termite Drill.

Oliver gave the order, "Establish a defensive line."

He then followed Adams toward the tarmac.

Under the pale light, the gray rocks of Gorgis appeared blurred, with shadows and rocks indistinguishable.

Like the entire planet, it too is cloaked in disguise, just like the Hruds.

The Tech Sergeant commanded workers from Necromunda to crush and sinter stones to build the Fortress.

After the two boarded Stormbird branded with a green skull on one side, the engine started.

A moment later, Oliver looked through the narrow viewing window and saw a gray armored vehicle. He knew it was a gift that Lord Perturabo had made for the Black Emperor.

After the Stormbird landed, the two walked towards the deck and entered the Black Emperor's command center.

"My lord," Oliver bowed respectfully, "Last night..."

Arsena Dunn, Malena Scala, and Diana Pauline examined the black whistle that Adams held out in his hand, branded with "XI" and "XXXIII" markings.

"How do I summon your messenger?" Diana asked curiously.

"Blow the whistle and recite in Dunnish, 'I summon in my name spirits wandering in illusion, benevolent creatures at your disposal, messengers of Adams alone.'"

Diana looked at the Black Emperor, who nodded slightly. She took the whistle and blew it, then opened her mouth and recited the summoning incantation Oliver had spoken in Dunnish.

After the recitation, nothing changed, but the "Hypnotist" felt a chill and coldness.

The "Hypnotist" thoughtfully activated his Spirit Sight and saw pieces of white bone thrown out from the ground, forming a strange fountain.

A few seconds later, a phantom monster appeared in the room.

The monster stretched out an arm to her, and Diana, who hadn't written a letter, stood there stunned.

Nimrod scrutinized the messenger, thinking to himself.

Is the messenger of the contract in the Sea of Souls, or within a special pocket dimension?

The myth of Fenris mentions the existence of the Underworld, which is said to be guarded by the two-headed Great Wolf of Death, Morkai. Before assassinating Horus, Russ went there to seek Revelation for his success.

But does only Fenris' creatures travel there after they die, or do creatures like the messenger also go there?

Nimrod decides to travel to the Underworld with Sanchez and Adams, who have obtained the cloak made from the pelt of the Great Wolf of Russ's Great Wolf of Death.

[Yes, but that will have to wait until the "Nation of Disorder" unlocks the "Black Emperor's " Resurrect ability.]

While Nimrod was pondering, Adams told Diana the incantation to end the summoning.

Diana blew the whistle again and recited to the messenger who kept reaching out his hands but received nothing.

"I end this summoning in my own name."

The messenger, having received nothing, disappeared in anger.

Nimrod thought of Astropathic Communication, another communication method based on Warp, and silently compared them in his mind.

[Astropathic Communication is fragmented, requiring guesswork to reconstruct complete information, while messengers deliver complete information, which is an advantage.]

The downside is that Astropathic Communication can be sent arbitrarily.

Messengers can only deliver messages to their masters and receive replies; large-scale application would require a large number of messengers.

Overall, it's not as effective as me dragging people into the "Nation of Disorder," but among the Legion's high command, it's a completely new method, a communication method unique to the "Shadow of Order."

Nimrod stared at the vanished messenger, knowing that to ensure the validity of the contract, the Honorific Name inscribed at the end of the letter should ideally be Honorific Name of the God of the domain to which it belonged.

This is a Necrons's contract, which normally requires the Honorific Name the Death God, but such a deity does not exist at present.

The second option is to use descriptions of high-ranking figures in the Necrons realm or the Underworld itself, but the binding force will not be as strong.

Nimrod was unsure whether Fenris's Underworld met the requirements, and he did not trust him enough to entrust his messenger to his domain.

Before he could cultivate High Sequence "Death God" Pathway Beyonder, he could only use the Mystical Item corresponding to the Sequence 2 "Death God Archon" that was associated with him, namely the Bronze Mask he obtained in the Morkai Temple in Fenris.

Fortunately, it corresponds to the Sequence 2, and its binding force on undead creatures, while not as strong as that of a true "Death Archon," is still stronger than that of Sequence 3.

[Using the Death Archon will have negative consequences, so I rarely use it.]

Now, it finally comes in handy.

Hmm, perhaps if I advance to High Sequence and leverage the power of the "Nation of Disorder," I can eliminate the negative impact?

As the "Baron of Corruption" pondered, he looked at Oliver and, noticing the uniform dark green color within his body, asked a question.

"You have mastered the power I have given you."

"My lord, today is the day the lord contracts with the messenger."

Nimrod nodded slightly. "You all go out. Oliver will come in alone in ten minutes."

After the three bowed and left, he had a sudden thought and arrived in the Nation of Disorder.

Nimrod brought Slaugth's Necrotic Staff and Shroud Cloak to the Space Ape, instructing him to prepare Sequence 6 "Spirit Guide".

After digesting the "Baron of Corruption" potion, when he opened the other half of the potion recipe on the Blasphemy Slate, he learned that they were the main and auxiliary ingredients for the "Spirit Guide".

Nimrod had previously promoted Adams and Kion to "Spirit Guide".

He watched the Space Ape concoct potions and thought of playing the role of a "Spirit Guide".

[Without undead creatures, the "Spirit Guide" role is difficult to fulfill; Adams needs more undead creatures to digest them.]

His mind raced, and he thought to himself.

[Hmm... In the Koronus Expanse, there is a world where a large number of undead from two Xenos races are stranded.]

There's no rush. It's still more than five thousand years before the Rogue Trader Solomon Locke discovers that star system in the thirty-sixth millennium.

My original plan was to conquer the Calixis Sector after the Great Birthday Celebration, and... if I could subdue Perturabo, I would entrust him with the more remote Koronus Expanse.

As Nimrod pondered, he arrived at the Third Layer Space, where he gazed at the flag that was connected to him by strands of black silk.

He picked it up, slipped it through his left shoulder and around his neck, and pinned it to the Auric Halo.

That was an upgraded version of the Iron Halo that the Old Man in Yellow, the craftsman, made for him after the Battle of the "Wheel of Fire".

When Oliver met the Black Emperor, he noticed that a new flag was fluttering on his left side, and the Spear of Dionysus that usually stood on his right shoulder was gone.

[Still, it's my master's asymmetrical style.]

After our Lord carried it, he appeared... to be the most perfect deity.

Oliver felt guilty the moment the thought crossed his mind.

My Lord, you have always been perfect.

"Drink it."

Oliver happily took the potion from the Black Emperor's outstretched hand.

It is generally yellow, with some green spots mixed in.

Even before it was opened, there was a strong stench of corpses.

As a seasoned "Corpse Collector" and "grave digger," Oliver had no aversion to the taste; he took it and immediately tilted his head back to drink it.

Countless illusory figures lingered and moved before me, and a flood of knowledge poured into my mind.

Oliver felt as if he had entered the Land of the Dead.

A moment later, Oliver withdrew the power emanating from the potion.

"My Lord, thank you for your blessings."

He clenched his fist. "Tonight, I can shoulder more responsibility."

Nimrod slightly and stepped outside. He was about to begin preparations to capture Herud, who was responsible for the entire Gorgis.