"Corrosion" Butcher's Nails

In the central apothecarion, the operating table locked Mago's head and neck in place.

The World Eaters' Chief Apothecary, Galan Surak, shaved Mago's scalp clean, then applied disinfectant gel and anti-pus solution, rendering the skin sterile.

A medical Servitor's augmetic eye shot out a red laser to scan Mago's scalp, measuring and locating the exact points where the Nails would be implanted, then left several scars so shallow they were almost invisible at the confirmed positions.

After the medical Servitor withdrew, Galan began the operation.

The bone saw and drill in his hands buzzed as they cut through flesh and bone. With practiced skill, the Chief Apothecary removed an entire blood-streaked section of skull and set it on the tray beside the operating table.

Praise be to my lord. Galan recited the words in silence, picked up the implant bestowed by the Black Emperor, and scrutinized it once more.

The rope-like metal spikes were slightly shorter than a World Eater's palm. Each spike ended in a connector, and a braid-like strand of electric wire coiled around its tip.

It seemed no different from when he had sacrificed it to the Black Emperor.

My lord commanded me to sacrifice, then bestowed it again. There must be deeper meaning in this.

It is only that I cannot glimpse my lord's mighty power!

Galan stopped trying to understand the Black Emperor's power and began the operation.

The first hammer blow rang clear and bright.

On the second, the long nail sank into flesh, making a faint sound of piercing meat.

After that, even the Chief Apothecary's movements became slow and cautious. Amid short, light taps, he drove the Nail fully into Mago's skull.

As one cut-and-sutured connection port after another lined the back of Mago's head, his fingers trembled slightly. The agony gradually