Curze Saw Nothing!

Nostramo.

The only large Hive City in the Death World with life stands amidst a complex of countless towering black spires. The streets are crowded and noisy. In this world where the population is severely overcrowded, the depths of the Hive City are filled with the stench of money, which is tinged with blood and decay.

The ventilation fan spewed foul air into the eternally dark Northum, its old, neglected blades groaning and pounding against the bearings.

The stench of the Nostraman, a mixture of industrial waste heat from indiscriminate emissions and the stench of sweat from layers of high-temperature steam, was even more unbearable.

As these waste heat and toxic particles rise, they eventually condense into water droplets in the atmosphere, combining with the randomly released acidic substances to form rainwater that pours down again. Through the lights on the Hubble Spire, they shimmer with color, splashing up a cloud of acidic mist against the gray-black sky.

Recycling centers that have ceased operations due to a lack of profit incentives, and outdated and nearly unusable tap water purification systems, have long since lost their original function.

The wastewater flowing back to the ground, under the high temperature and amidst the uncollected rotting corpses, continues to breed new, flourishing life.

Just like the countless cycles it has gone through, it is playing out in this Hive City, on this planet.

A rotten world.

Like a distant star that is gradually dimming, Nostramo is decaying.

The upper-class nobles who control the trade and processing of Adamantium have everything in the world. They have more resources than they can use, yet they refuse to give even a fraction of them to the rest of the people. Under layers of corruption and embezzlement, they cannot even spare a little mercy for the lower classes.

If that's the case, then why show pity?

Whether in the upper or lower classes, people who lack hope for the future live aimlessly in this world.

In the crowded, dilapidated, and dimly lit streets of the Hive City, filth breeds when the lights are dim.

There are countless Hive World like this, filthy, dilapidated, and lacking any form of control.

People crawl and live like the Beast in this severely polluted and barren land, and fight endlessly like the Beast for those laughable and pathetic resources for survival.

Ultimately, they too are robbed and murdered, or they exhaust their meager life force in the intoxicating haze of anesthetic drugs, dying like stray dogs whimpering in a corner where no one cares.

All of this should have continued indefinitely, until everything in the Hive City ceased to function under the erosion of time, and the people on the planet gradually perished in the decline of civilization.

But an uninvited guest interrupted it.

The Adamantium incubation chamber, carrying the monstrous creature it was born with, rushed into the surface of Nostramo, penetrating its corrupt and rotten heart.

Konrad Curze.

He's here.

Another mangled corpse was hung on the spire of Nostramo.

The legend of the Night Haunter gradually spread around the Hive City.

Legend has it that the body of any gang member who dares to occupy this area will be hung on the city's spire the next day for all to see.

At first, not many people took it seriously—murder and revenge were as easy as breathing in Nostramo, and the kind of guys who could survive in this treacherous Underhive wouldn't be intimidated by such simple threats.

As more and more corpses hung atop the spire, the traces of blood and flesh on their bodies became increasingly blurred.

There might really be a Night Haunter, carrying out aimless vendettas in the streets of the Underhive.

Some people began to fear its rumors and gradually dared not act as recklessly as before.

Then, the influence of the Night Haunter spread.

More and more corpses were adorned with spikes, and more and more horrific scenes were etched into the eyes of every Nostraman.

Corrupt high-ranking officials, notorious gang leaders, and ruthless outlaws were murdered using all sorts of novel and creative methods, and then adorned with even more creative devices on top of government buildings, security nets, and clock towers.

Fear began to spread among everyone.

The murders committed by the Night Haunter have no pattern—the poor and the rich, gangsters and family tycoons, people of all classes, powers, appearances, ages, and genders are all turned into terrified corpses hanging from the top of the city by the Night Haunter's claws.

The only people it doesn't kill are those who never commit crimes and have a clear conscience.

But on Nostramo, who can truly say they have a clear conscience?

In order to survive, too many people in this resource-scarce world have resorted to trickery and force to seize what does not belong to them.

Furthermore, due to spiritual emptiness and lack of discipline, various anesthetic drugs became the only remaining form of entertainment for the lower classes, spreading rampantly in the city's pipes and alleyways.

Logically speaking, everyone who survived in Nostramo should be guilty.

But Konrad Curze didn't care about any of that.

If you are guilty, you should be killed.

He must instill fear and justice in the hearts of everyone.

There's no reason why.

Or rather, he was created for the purpose of upholding the seemingly illusory goal of "justice."

No matter the cost, no matter the means used.

He had to do it, even if it was somewhat cruel.

Sometimes, when he is alone and lost in thought late at night, Curze will reflect on whether he has gone too far in everything he has done.

Did he really kill the evildoer in the name of upholding justice?

Or perhaps, in his heart, he simply enjoys torture and killing, likes to see others filled with fear and terror, and likes to hear the pitiful cries of others as they are dying?

"Killing the wicked to uphold justice" is just a self-comforting anesthetic to find a suitable target for him. In fact, everything that Night Haunter does is no different from anyone else on Nostramo.

But in the end, I convinced myself.

All of this is for the sake of upholding justice, and all of this is for creating a better world.

There is no other way.

Despite his killings and tortures, many in Nostramo still risked their lives to survive, and countless others risked everything to make a last-ditch effort.

But the guilty cannot escape the clutches of the Night Haunter, no matter what.

—We haven't killed enough, we haven't been ruthless enough.

It is not enough to instill in people more fear of future misfortunes.

This is Curze's assessment of those in Nostramo who still harbor wishful thinking.

We have to keep killing.

Perhaps this is indeed a cruel, foolish, and stupid approach.

But for Nostramo, the Night Haunter's frenzied murders ultimately proved effective.

Not only did the noble families who controlled the Adamantium trade begin to squander their wealth out of fear, trying to make amends for their past mistakes and praying that they would not be pursued by the Night Haunter;

After taking control of the neighborhood, lower- and middle-class gang members actively cultivated relationships with local residents and took the initiative to maintain public order.

As for the old and dilapidated purification and emission systems in the Hive City.

Initially, engineers who held positions without merit and obtained their jobs through favoritism and corruption had no idea how to repair these exquisite creations of the past.

Until the Night Haunter began his murderous journey.

As more and more engineers died tragically, the last few engineers, driven by fear, unleashed an unparalleled learning ability.

Finally, guided by clues pieced together from the corpses of his deceased colleagues, the Night Haunter completed the overhaul of the Hive City's ancient drainage and self-cleaning systems.

That was a masterpiece.

It must be said that even Night Haunter might be amazed by his work.

Surely, after building such a beautiful and complete system, I will be able to escape the mad slaughter by those Night Haunter.

I came for you.

With the hissing sound characteristic of the Nostramo language, the pale-faced, tall Night Haunter appeared before the engineer, who was now filled with nothing but despair.

He did a great job.

Even the Night Haunter had to praise his work.

But it's too slow.

Night Haunter don't like inefficiency.

The next day, with the new system in use, the mangled corpse was also hung on the eaves.

Fortunately, thanks to the mercy of the Night Haunter, the biological tissues that were preserved in the corpses were significantly more than those of their former colleagues.

The remains of the hanging corpse were also creatively spelled out by the Night Haunter as the word "good" in Nostramo as a testament to his hard work.

To show encouragement.

This incident greatly "motivated" other engineers and all Hive City of the company to work hard, and Nostramo's environment, development, and security were greatly improved thanks to people's voluntary curfew.

Everything is moving in a positive direction.

But seemingly driven by fear, the last survivors also began a frantic counterattack.

In a state of extreme panic and nervous tension, many families and gangs that had not yet been completely wiped out, knowing that all hope was lost, chose to unite and make a final stand—they dispatched their absolute elites and armed them with the best weapons and armor forged from the finest Adamantium ore in Nostramo.

These most powerful family elites began to delve deeper into Nostramo, attempting to help their masters find the Night Haunter and thus eliminate this major threat in one fell swoop.

But all of them failed.

Every day, the family could only see more mutilated corpses moving around on the top of the superstructure—no one knew how the Night Haunter managed to carry the bodies up there undetected, nor did anyone know the extent to which he could hide.

Not only the elite troops recruited, but also family members—before the Night Haunter, all evil will be brought to justice. At the top of the spire.

Driven by daily despair, entire families collapsed from extreme fear.

Those moderates who advocated reform and charity were brought to the forefront and became the diligent, hardworking and honest rulers of Hive City.

Finally, after sensing that he had left an indelible mark on the world, Curze stepped out from behind the scenes as Night Haunter for the first time to tell those who harbored a deep-seated fear of him.

They were given a choice: obey or die a horrible death.

It seems that the leaders of the Hive City have no other choice.

From that time on, all the administrators on Nostramo voluntarily submitted to Konrad Curze, who was also the Night Haunter Wanderer.

From a rotten, sinful, and Death World to a "wonderful" world where justice and law-abiding behavior are upheld and set a good example for others.

The entire Nostramo was completely transformed.

Under Curze's iron-fisted rule, his policies were impeccably rigorous, yet surprisingly mild and humane.

When disputes arise but do not warrant criminal charges, his impartiality as Arbiter is something that makes everyone feel ashamed of.

This Wise King seemed to be loved by everyone in Nostramo.

But if he hears of any injustice committed by some tactless fellow on the planet...

Konrad Curze would once again become a Night Haunter.

—We'll be at your doorstep very soon.

After capturing the criminals, Curze would torture and torment them to death in a live broadcast around the world.

Even under his rule, every citizen was required to have a video device so that everyone could understand the only fate of criminals and feel fear before they committed injustices.

Let fear take root in the heart of every Nostraman.

This strange form of torture actually had a certain degree of effectiveness— Nostramo ushered in a new Dark Age of Technology.

Adamantium exports increased dramatically, and other industries followed suit. Various innovative technologies reappeared on the land of Nostramo after countless years.

And unlike before, for the first time, economic prosperity benefited all levels of Nostramo society.

The Underhive inhabitants, who were once so poor that people had to eat each other to survive, are now able to share in the wealth they never dared to dream of, while the upper class is living in fear of being suspended in a spire.

It seems that the whole of Nostramo is on the right track?

After doing all this for Nostramo, the great Wise King, Konrad Curze, sat quietly on his throne.

He had just been playing amicably with the children who were being fostered in the orphanage. At this time, the world was at peace, and even in the Hive City Nostramo, which had hundreds of billions of inhabitants, not a single person dared to commit any unjust crime.

Konrad Curze looked up at the sky.

The sense of accomplishment I had imagined did not come; instead, I felt a deep, piercing emptiness.

Fear had been etched into the hearts of every Nostraman, and with no criminals left, there was no need for Curze to continue his punishments.

Unable to find a suitable culprit, he felt a void, the void of a hunter who has lost his prey.

Accept your fate, Curze, you're just a piece of trash.

He said to himself.

But at the same time, Curze also felt a long-lost thrill.

Soon after, a towering golden giant will lead a large group of warriors to Nostramo, and from then on, Curze, the enforcer of justice, will have a new mission.

—This is his Psychic Power Prophecy.

At present, when his condition is not yet serious, the prophecies that Curze is facing are relatively mild and will not cause him too much mental stress.

As he meditated on his throne, he seemed to see something more.

He will be leaving Nostramo soon.

After leaving the planet, what will Nostramo's future be?

Hiss.

With a slight sting, Curze saw the future.

It was a huge spaceship, with a size and armament he had never imagined.

The energy released from just one of these giant cannons is enough to destroy a large city.

On this ship, a giant dressed in Red Robes and black armor, wielding a long sword—a blond giant as tall as Curze— roared and ordered the ship's cannons to fire, utterly destroying Nostramo.

Is this the end of Nostramo?

Wrong.

The scene changes, the interior of the warship changes, the color of the armor changes to dark blue, and the wings on the helmet change from feathers to bat wings.

Two smaller giants are arguing.

"Shen, if you are truly weak enough, then I am willing to do it for you."

"Stop! Sevitar, we can't go on like this, we have to stop his madness!"

Nostramo

The sounds that followed became unusually muffled and indistinct; he couldn't hear them, which was extremely frustrating.

Fortunately, he was able to see the result—he was blasted to smithereens by another cannon.

This is Nostramo's fate: to be blasted to smithereens by a green cannon, or perhaps a blue one.

There are choices, but not many.

Why did this happen?!

Sitting on the throne, Curze screamed and pounded on the armrests of the chair, wildly swinging his fists as if venting his anger.

Why?!

Hasn't he already instilled fear in everyone on Nostramo?!

Haven't the citizens of this planet all become excellent role models? Why did it still have to be blown up in the end?

Hasn't he already done his job fairly? Isn't this fair?

This is it! This is it! This is justice!!!

Like a child unwilling to accept reality, after his initial furious denial subsided, Curze fell into melancholy with tears in his eyes and collapsed onto the throne behind him.

Impossible.

Nostramo has been cured by him, he couldn't be better!

Why blow it up? Ah, why—blow it up!?

What exactly is wrong?

Think about it, Curze, something must be wrong.

It's definitely not because of his actions.

Fairness is absolute and brooks no questioning.

In Curze's mind, the image of the golden giant from the prophecy appeared.

He's here.

That's right, it's him!

I see.

"So it was you!"

"You!"

Curze bared his teeth and growled.

Curze's predictions were highly accurate.

Just as he was governing the planet with great efficiency, news of a giant ruler appearing on Nostramo spread like wildfire and eventually reached the Emperor's ears.

Another Primarch is emerging on his homeworld.

Leading his First Expeditionary Fleet, along with the Sons of the Emperor, the Imperial Fists, and the newly renamed World Eaters, they embarked on a journey to Nostramo.

As Curze anticipated, the sight of countless large warships docking in orbit filled him with trepidation—the image of warships and cannons destroying the entire Nostramo still echoed in his mind.

As the landing craft descended, these extraterrestrial visitors seemed to dispel the smog that had long shrouded Nostramo with their unique methods.

Under the dim light of a faint star and the long-standing haze, the moment they landed, the Emperor's blinding light dazzled the curious commoners who dared to regard themselves Radiance.

Even on the way to the Curze Palace after landing, the heavily armed honor guard dazzled many curious civilians who watched along the way.

This was not his intention, but there seemed to be no way to stop it from happening.

During the journey, the Emperor was very satisfied with what he saw.

Nostramo was a model of social order and economic efficiency.

Here, everyone abides by the law, and even the upper class will voluntarily pay out of their own pockets to build various infrastructure and welfare facilities for the lower class.

Interactions between people are characterized by exceptional kindness.

The interaction was very harmonious, and everyone had a smile on their face.

Compared to other Hive City, Nostramo's living environment and level of social governance are a model that the Imperium should learn from and emulate!

"It looks like a nice planet."

"The new Primarch doesn't seem as bad as you thought, does it?"

Fulgrim gently touched Kasgar's shoulder beside him.

The latter seemed to have been filled with despair ever since they heard they were going to Nostramo.

Fulgrim found it very strange—wasn't Kasgar always eager to help the Primarch?

Why was Kasgar so frightened when I also suggested to the Emperor that we could help the Primarch together with Kasgar and the Emperor's Children Legion?

I wonder what this guy predicted this time, that's why he's so afraid of returning to his Primarch.

This is not the style of Kasgar, who dares to joke around even in front of Philus.

"It's not a good habit for me to casually comment on Primarch, you'll see in time."

With Rogal Dorn standing beside him, Kasgar wisely chose to keep quiet.

As an architect, he was looking around at the unique, towering spires of Nostramo's architecture, seemingly expressing a certain degree of appreciation for them.

Roger Dorn, the Primarch critic.

It's best not to make mistakes in front of him.

Otherwise, you'll end up like Plankton (Perturabo), suffering a nervous breakdown from his sharp criticism.

After a short walk, the joint guard, composed of representatives of the Adeptus Custodes and various legions, entered the somewhat gloomy and towering palace of Curze.

Konrad Curze was already waiting at the main entrance of the palace.

At that very moment, the Emperor's Radiance shone upon this Night Haunter.

"Ahh!"

With a piercing scream, Curze let out a howl with a frantic tremor in the next instant.

This was the clearest and most distinct vision he had ever seen.

He saw everything.

Over countless millennia, everything is subject to change.

On the towering Golden Throne, a gaunt man sat in the center, unmoved by the passage of time.

There are four entities eyeing him covetously.

However, these four entities were also outwardly united but inwardly at odds, constantly fighting among themselves.

There is a dynamic balance among these guys.

There was no future, no hope. Under this continued decline, it gradually faded away, just like Nostramo before Curze arrived.

Why?

Why did the creator of Curze, his own father, become like this?

—That was a major battle.

A protracted battle, in which both sides exhausted all their strength, and—

His own battle, and the battle of another giant.

Yes, and those four snickering shadows too.

Those four were the same four evil beings he had seen before, the ones who were eyeing him menacingly.

What was the final outcome, and what were they fighting for?

No, the battle seemed to have no winners at all. Both sides were badly injured, so this was hardly an end, or rather, he used a loophole. He always does that.

Although I have never worked with him, it seems that I already know his personality.

Both sides suffered heavy losses, barely surviving.

What other clues are there?

A fallen Angel. And a Golden Centaur soaring through the air?

Ah?

What did he see?

For the first time, Curze suspected that the servants had laced his lunch with some kind of anesthetic.

Nine hours? Nine hours that keep repeating?

What does this mean?

And there was also that tall, white-haired giant wearing an Auramite armor.

Countless transforming hands and flames, along with raging axes and joyful whips, pierced towards him with bone-corroding poison.

The first cut was made on his arm, followed by a second, and a third.

The increasing number of wounds caused his limbs to disintegrate and break apart.

This brother of mine may face misfortune in the future.

Next came another giant wearing blue and white armor.

His situation seemed to be similar to that of his brother before him; neither of them was having an easy time.

In a crimson world, he is being besieged by some strange entity.

A hateful rage filled Curze's heart.

But the anger that has calmed down is even more powerful, he thought.

The same goes for hatred.

Ugh, damn it.

Curze sensed his disgust.

He shattered the surrounding, eerie demons, and refusing to compromise his principles, he chose to leave alone, covered in wounds.

Next up is the only woman in the group.

Her purple armor transformed into a bright, yet not overly dazzling, ball of light in front of Curze.

It seems that in the future, she will not suffer the same misfortune as her two older siblings.

This was probably the only thing to be thankful for—and it also piqued Curze's curiosity.

Why does this person's future seem different?

As the scenery changed wildly again, one illusion after another filled his mind, leaving him overwhelmed.

Unbeknownst to him, the visions of his Primarch brothers and sisters flashed through Curze's mind.

Receiving so much information at such a short time was enough to cause Curze's brain excruciating pain—but it wasn't over yet.

The illusion shifted again, and this time, the one who landed was the purple-gold warrior standing next to the purple-armored lady, whom he had never noticed before.

He--?

Who is he again?

I don't know, and I don't even have that person's consciousness.

It was as if he shouldn't have been there at all, but somehow he just happened to be there now.

An overwhelming sense of unease washed over Curze in an instant.

No!

This person shouldn't have appeared!

He wasn't even mentioned in the prophecy, so who is he? How did he get in?

He's not here! Nothing at all!

Curze felt a sense of impatience, like an obsessive-compulsive person seeing an odd loose thread in a neat arrangement of fate's threads.

Where did this come from?

Unravel the mystery, and proceed—ah, here it is.

That was Emperor and one.

Wait! The Emperor?

What are you doing?

Curze saw the deal.

A sordid deal between a Warp being and the Emperor!

Fire—he saw Warp flames, the same flames he had seen on the Emperor's sword.

The Emperor conjured twenty strange beings from the flames—

The Twenty-First, the one before Curze, is Warp that made a deal with the Emperor, existing within the flames.

Wait, why do those twenty beings look so familiar?

Curze seems to have discovered a blind spot.

Putting aside the Twenty-First for now, why do the twenty beings in the Emperor's hands look so familiar?

That's myself! The Eighth!

Yes, that's him! It's Curze!!!

What's the meaning?

The Primarch is not only a product of genetic science, but also a monster that was created through an exchange with some kind of being!

Wrong!

What is this? What are all these?

What did Curze see?!

Primarch are all monsters! Monsters obtained in exchange for the promises made under the Emperor's Bargain!

What did he promise? What did even Emperor promise in exchange?!

Like a variable that should not exist in this world, guided by that strange existence that should not exist in the present world, Curze seems to see things that he should not have seen.

Knowledge is a taboo subject.

Sometimes, knowing more doesn't bring happiness.

(Curze really did say that to Magnus)

Moreover, he also saw that the being's existence seemed to be brewing some kind of powerful force, which was being restrained by his physical body.

And the source of that power—

Pointy ears!

!?

This seems like a terrifying discovery, something that no one seems to have noticed. But it is precisely this kind of problem that no one would suspect that is the most terrifying!

Quack!!

Curze, Curze didn't see anything!

In a panic, he frantically tried to gouge out his own eyes.

"Konrad Curze, calm down, for I have come to bring you back."

But as a soft Golden Light flashed, all of Curze's illusions vanished.

But memories cannot be erased.

Curze has seen far too much that he shouldn't have seen.

He turned around in terror, his body hunched over in fear, and pointed at Kasgar, whom no one had paid any attention to before, and cried out in horror.

"You!"

"You are the spirit—"

When!

A sudden burst of golden Radiance soothed Curze's pain under the Emperor's benevolence.

"Ha ha."

"It seems that Konrad Curze has seen through my Psychic Power."

He smiled and gently patted Curze on the shoulder.

"I don't have that name, Father."

"I am the Night Haunter, and I know perfectly well why you have come."

Looking at the instigator beside him who was dealing with the Warp, Curze...

His relieved smile was stiff.

Curze, also known as Night Haunter, eventually obeyed the Emperor's orders.

He will ascend the Pride of the Emperor, and until he is able to command the legions, he will be under the guidance of Fulgrim and Kasgar.

Accept—who?

Wait! It's that damned Warp creation, that human that shouldn't exist!

No, it's not human!!!

"Get out of my way!!!"

On the Pride of the Emperor, Curze bared his teeth and growled at Kasgar as he entered the room.