I Am the Night Haunter! I Am the True Night Haunter!

Nostramo, decades ago.

When Nostramo was still shrouded in endless darkness and corruption, when the Night Haunter were still just a distant legend of the Hive City.

The daytime here is slightly brighter than the nighttime.

At noon, in the thinnest part of the cloud cover in the entire Hive City, one might be fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of the faint light cast by a decaying star.

Nostramo remained unchanged, the same gloom everywhere, with no sense of alienation in color.

There are also the billboards, the lights in the houses, and the endless noise from traffic.

The changes in light between day and night are so subtle that no one pays attention—the brightest day in Nostramo is not much better than the midnight in ancient Terra when only moonlight remains.

A faint sound.

In the dimly lit alleyways where no one manages or cleans, the Night Haunter can hear the faintest sound—in the garbage-strewn Hive City, it is difficult to sneak around without making a sound.

Except for Night Haunter.

He silently leaped onto the towering spire roof—an extremely ancient structure that the Night Haunter recognized.

His innate knowledge told him that it was manufactured using some kind of STC template. He didn't know when the construction was completed, but this extremely sturdy and durable material, even after being soaked in endless murder and filth for thousands of years, still only bore the marks of time.

The Night Haunter put those thoughts aside and crawled slowly and darkly forward until he reached the edge of the roof, where he stared into the alley with his night-vision eyes.

Two young men with drawn blades were slowly moving forward in the alley, looking at their prey who had been cornered against the wall—a young woman trembling with fear.

Here we go again.

Night Haunter thought to himself, this was something Nostramo was most accustomed to and used to.

As for the two young men with knives, they were just the most common street thugs seen in Hive City.

Useless scum is everywhere in Nostramo's Hive City.

The woman's attire was noticeably more presentable, and the fact that she could survive in Nostramo with such a figure and naivety suggested that she came from a distinguished background.

Perhaps soon, retaliation from their protectors will make these two reckless fools pay the price.

Even so, the two thugs wielding knives continued to approach.

This did not prevent her from facing the misfortune that awaited her.

But he can.

Night Haunter are acceptable.

Just as the two young men's hands were about to touch the woman's clothes, and their greedy eyes were about to see what they wanted, a huge figure landed in front of them without making a sound.

"Let her go," he said.

"Night Haunter!!!"

It seemed that these two young thugs would rather leave themselves than let the girl go.

One of them chose to fight to the death, rushing towards Night Haunter with a knife, while the other did not move. In this filthy alley filled with garbage, Night Haunter could also smell a stench of urine.

The thug who dared to charge at him had his head easily broken off— the Night Haunter didn't like pointless torture (at least not yet).

As for the lone girl, Night Haunter never intended to take her home or ensure her safety.

She ran away, and may encounter other misfortunes in the darkness—but the Night Haunter doesn't care.

For him, punishing evil was the only thing that mattered.

He stepped forward and looked at the thug who was frozen in place, too scared to move an inch.

Approaching little by little.

"Hiss!"

Just as the Night Haunter were slowly pressuring him, just as they had been pressuring the girl, he suddenly let out a low moan, covered his head with both hands, staggered a few steps, and stopped in place.

Countless timelines began to wash over his mind, allowing him to see even more.

The perception of another time and space forcefully squeezed into the mind of the Night Haunter.

The thug gradually disappeared into the distance, turning into a tiny black dot.

The thug died, killed and devoured by the Night Haunter, his remaining corpse hanging at the top of the spire as a warning.

This case never happened.

Before the Night Haunter could make a move, the thug was beaten to death by the female security guard who arrived at the scene.

More and more images rapidly appeared in his mind, rising and falling between what should exist and what already exists. The two overlapped and intertwined in complex logical changes, pushing each other forward, yet remaining intact.

As the scenery changed, he seemed to see it more clearly—as the boy struggled to back away, the Night Haunter re-examined his actions with doubt, wondering if they had gone too far.

He gradually began to have doubts about his own theories on justice and punishment.

This made him stop, and then he reached out a hand of redemption—not murder.

The other person seemed to hesitate and stopped; he too reached out his hand—the boy's.

—Kazan.

Night Haunter saw this name in another possibility of the future.

He grew up under the guidance of Night Haunter.

Soon, as time went by, his vision expanded beyond the ridiculous limited perspective that had once bound him, and he turned his attention to a more far-reaching and greater cause.

Inspired by his goodwill and hope, he stepped forward and restored the neighborhood to its former cleanliness, order, and vibrancy. More and more thugs, hooligans, and killers left the streets in his presence.

They, like him, were reformed and educated, transformed from criminals into another mentor.

In the future actions of the Night Haunter, every tiny soul contributes its meager strength to change. This strength, like grains of sand forming a tower, collectively shatters the blood-soaked old rules.

And on those filthy ruins, a new and better social order was established.

For this, they thanked the Night Haunter. Everyone loved him for the changes he brought about.

This was the ending he had dreamed of.

But in the next moment, everything returned to the moment when he reached out to help the boy.

This time is different from the last time.

The boy seized his chance and stabbed the Night Haunter with his knife. Some strange force propelled it, allowing it to barely pierce the bone plates of his chest and sink into the Primarch's heart.

It won't kill you. But it will be very painful and uncomfortable.

This was not the ending he had hoped for.

Then the scene changed again.

This time, when the Night Haunter offered a helping hand, the boy reached out and shook its hand, ultimately surviving.

A guy who managed to survive the Night Haunter!

As a result, he became famous.

His legendary story has inspired more and more people to face their fears in the dark. After learning that the so-called Night Haunter are just slightly larger homeless men, few people are afraid of this lone superhero.

It's impossible for him to be at every crime scene at the same time, nor is it possible for him to arrest all the criminals at the same time.

Even if you kill desperately, kill like crazy, Hive City is covered in blood, it's useless.

The rain in Nostramo was still just as heavy.

So poisonous.

The fear from the Night Haunter has been dispelled.

Just like in the future, when Curze learned that too many Nostramo criminals had infiltrated the Legion as Blood Tithe for new recruits, the entire Legion had become corrupt.

At this point, it would be meaningless for him to kill any more Night Lords.

Those scum will still shout "Long live the Night Lord!" and do their dirty deeds in the name of justice.

Killing is very effective, but sometimes killing can fail.

This is an ending he absolutely does not want to see.

The future was laid bare before the Night Haunter.

But no matter what, there can only ever be one future.

There will always be only one.

He has to make a choice.

The Night Haunter stopped to ponder the images in his mind—if, for a fleeting moment, he could even sense that these possible futures were actually real.

All the changes were not cold choices, but rather the gradual consequences of his constant influence—he could steer the future in a better direction.

Night Haunter can do it!

He can help this boy, and many other victims and those who have gone astray. He can lead Nostramo towards a brighter future in a gentler, better way.

But... can he really do it?

Night Haunter fell into doubt.

He also saw how ridiculous he was for causing the entire plan to fail in his pursuit of that tiny bit of redemption.

From then on, no one feared the Night Haunter; he had utterly failed.

Therefore, he must punish every crime and kill every criminal.

There was no mercy, no compassion, and no courage.

The fear of the Night Haunter overwhelmed not only all the Nostraman.

Fear also overwhelmed the Night Haunter itself.

"For justice."

He said.

Then he reached out his hand.

It has nothing to do with redemption, honor, or ideals.

It's just justice.

So he killed him.

Nostramo, now.

Above near-Earth orbit, a transport ship from the Adeptus Mechanicus is arriving above the planet with a large supply of the Eighth Legion Gene-seed.

A group of robust young men, accompanied by Imperium officials and sages of the Adeptus Mechanicus, emerged from a room filled with various mysterious mechanical devices, curiously gazing at all the strange objects within.

They have completed the first step of Gene-seed implantation, and as new recruits, they are undergoing compatibility tests to determine the Gene-seed's fit with their bodies.

As the first batch of Nostramo Night Lords personally selected by the Night Lord of Nostramo, the quality of their soldiers is obviously high.

At Curze's request, these most powerful and intelligent young people, who are also the most outstanding on the planet, will be sent as Nostramo's Blood Tithe to transport ships from the Imperium.

Ultimately, after undergoing a series of genetic modifications, he became the Night Lord's space warrior, fighting for him on the battlefield.

"The examination is complete. The adaptability is unbelievably good, and there are no mutations."

"Jago Sevitar, the one on the Sevitar list, please step forward."

As the sage of the Adeptus Mechanicus called out names, a murmur rippled through the neatly arranged newcomers.

Regardless of who he is or what he has done, the fact that he has been singled out by the Night Lord suggests that his only fate is death.

Even death is a luxury.

"I am here."

A pale-faced young man with black hair and black eyes, possessing almost entirely Nostraman features, walked out with an innocent expression.

He had no idea what crime he had committed that warranted being personally named by the Night Lord.

"However, according to the requirements of Commander Kasgar of the Sons of the Emperor, your future training and education will be completed in the Emperor's Children Legion."

"The Commander hopes that you can better master the knowledge of legion management within their legion and ultimately apply it to the Night Lords."

International students.

"So, who am I now?"

"Ah." The Adeptus Mechanicus sage turned around. "The Commander is on our Voidship. Ara, take this recruit to him."

"Are you getting used to the days of the Night Lords?"

Led by a mortal officer into one of the rooms on the warship, Kasgar, clad in purple-gold Astartes Power Armour, turned to face the officer.

This was also the first time Sevitar had met a high-ranking Space Marine commander.

He tried to examine the other person closely with his eyes, looking for differences in this giant who was even taller than him.

First, there's his appearance. As the second-in-command of the legion, Kasgar Sherlock looks incredibly young.

It was as if everything had frozen at the moment he became Space Marine, his perfect face unchanged by the hardships of battle.

Not even battle scars remained.

As a young man from the Underhive, Sevitar remembered hearing about it somewhere:

A warrior without scars is either pampered—like Sevitar after Curze became the Night Lord, where no one, even in the Underhive, dared to fight him;

Either he is powerful enough that no one can leave even the slightest mark on him in battle.

(Actually, there are many more, but Warpfire will solve the problem.)

Despite his youthful appearance, this commander is likely to be even more experienced than Sevitar had imagined.

Don't judge a book by its cover.

Sevitar bent down again, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the red helmet the other person was holding between his arm and body.

His armor was primarily a deep purple, resembling a whelk. Accompanying this beautiful color were intricate and complex gold patterns, giving the entire suit of armor an exceptionally luxurious feel.

Good nails.

That's a really nice nail!

As a new recruit who had just Legiones Astartes, Kasgar had absolutely no way to refuse Sevitar Primarch's handcrafted armor, which even veterans would drool over.

In particular, the helmets are specially painted red as a striking feature.

A very creative idea.

"That's what I was thinking, "Sevitar thought.

He decided that once he got his own Power Armour and had the chance, he would definitely paint his hands red.

I've heard that this might not be a good omen, but what does it mean?

As a commander, Kasgar painted his helmet red, a symbol of punishment. Why can't I, Sevitar, do the same?

Good heavens, isn't this cool?

"Reporting to the Commander, after the initial Gene-seed implantation, I can feel a powerful force constantly surging within my body."

"Lord Kasgar, what are your orders?"

"I wouldn't call it an order," Kasgar glanced at the still-new recruit, Sevitar, "But you'll probably be working with our legion from now on."

That's impressive.

Since Curze returned quite late, and he was of Nostramo descent, he only joined the Legion after the Primarch returned.

A Space Marine who can be transformed in a very short time and quickly stand out in the Legion, growing into someone who can manage the entire Legion in a civil way and fight to a draw with Sigismund in a military battle.

Unfortunately, he eventually went down the wrong path with Curze.

"This matter is not complicated—I want you to accompany me as my attendant to investigate the corruption on the planet Nostramo."

The root of the problem with the Night Lords lies in the source of troops.

If Kasgar wants to resolve this, he needs to make the commander of the Night Lords realize the crucial information that the nobles on Nostramo Prime are unreliable.

That's right.

It is the true legion commander of the Night Lords, not Curze.

This guy doesn't care about anything. If he knew that his governance of the entire planet would collapse in less than a few months after he left, and that the methods of governance would vanish so quickly after he left, he would be terrified.

It's hard to imagine how crazy he could go.

Let the true commander of the Night Lords clarify these matters first.

Even if the other person is still a new recruit.

The flagship of the Pride of the Emperor.

During these days of study, although Rogal Dorn wasn't exactly a considerate teacher, Rogal Dorn Curze n't miss a single thing in learning all the knowledge points.

Although Rogal Dorn enjoys sharp criticism and offending people, he is always sincere towards others.

The same applies to Curze's education.

—However, it's not very useful.

After all, he wasn't the commander of the Night Lords's legion, so teaching him more about legion management and team coordination wouldn't be of much use.

In any case, it's definitely not Curze will be in command in the end.

As for Fulgrim, her concern for Curze was genuine, unlike her other brothers who harbored some deep-seated resentment towards her. Kind-hearted Fulgrim truly wanted to lend a helping hand to Curze, who was in trouble.

As for Kasgar...

He could actually sense that Kasgar genuinely wanted to help him. But!

This guy! He's not Re—!

Well!

Forget it, I won't say anymore. If I do, the Emperor will probably use his Psychic Power to slit my throat again.

The thought of the dirty deal between the two men made Curze furious.

Fortunately, during these days, as long as his mental state didn't deteriorate to the point of developing a split personality, the three Primarch got along relatively well.

Until today, the situation has changed slightly.

"What did you say?"

Fulgrim looked at Curze with some concern.

After fighting alongside the Imperial Fists forces, Curze suddenly said this out of the blue.

"I'm going to Nostramo."

Curze said, as if he had made up his mind.

"But we still have Great Crusade ahead of us, and we can't abandon you until your condition improves."

Fulgrim still remembered Kasgar's instructions before he left—never let Curze return to Nostramo during this time.

He's handling some matters on Nostramo, and if things go well, this could very well be the key to the Primarch's mental health improving.

Curze seems to be in a very fragile condition right now and must not be given any more stimulation.

"I'm going to Nostramo."

He just kept repeating that sentence.

"I'm going to Nostramo."

Nostramo, the surface.

A light rain was still falling. Kasgar and Sevitar, two Space Marine, were sitting in an extra-large and wide black groundcar (40K car) as they drove along the not-so-wide streets.

Although Nostramo is now under the lingering influence of the Night Lord, no one dares to run a red light, and the order is impeccable.

However, with the population explosion resulting from the sharp decline in crime rates and the full redistribution of wealth, these narrow lanes are clearly not enough.

But these street plans made up of STCs are not something that Curze can change by killing people.

"I didn't expect you to know how to drive."

To conceal their whereabouts, Kasgar and Sevitar both changed into black trench coats commonly seen in Nostramo, as their casual attire when out and about.

"But to be frank, this won't fool those powerful families at all."

Kasgar smiled wryly, "These guys probably already have an intelligence network running throughout the entire planet."

"Knowing that Space Marine from space are coming, they will definitely pretend to be innocent, as if they have truly reformed under the influence of the Night Lord."

"Once we leave, they will definitely bare their fangs again and target the Nostraman once more."

Kasgar's words were pessimistic.

"But people nowadays will never go back to the past, they understand that!"

"Going back to the past will only lead to Nostramo's destruction; only the order brought by the Great Night Lord can save Nostramo."

Isn't that obvious?

Sevitar expressed his confusion about Kasgar's words.

Under Curze's intimidation, everyone in Nostramo was terrified and became completely submissive.

How could anyone possibly dare to commit a crime on Nostramo?

Isn't this person afraid of death?

"Sometimes the human mind is just so strange, Sevitar."

"Stop at the alley ahead."

Kasgar pointed ahead and said, "When the temptation of adventure is great enough, they'll even sell the ropes to hang themselves."

"Hanging? The Night Lord would never use such a painless and unoriginal method of execution."

"A metaphor, Sevitar, it's just a metaphor."

Kasgar reluctantly got out of the car and opened a black umbrella.

"Destroying the entire Nostramo would be a matter of moments for me."

He took a step forward, stepping over the puddle in front of him. "But if we want to turn all of Nostramo into a true paradise on earth..."

"That's far more difficult than killing a few villains."

"Where are we going now, sir?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

Kasgar laughed and said, "Or rather, we've already reached our destination."

"Ah?"

Several months have passed since the Night Lord left Nostramo, and unrest among the Nostraman continues to spread across the Hive City.

A long-standing desire for thrills and novelty has gradually replaced the past fear of the Night Lord.

People in the Hive City began to become less law-abiding.

People started running red lights, littering, and urinating/defecating indiscriminately.

They were not punished in any way.

Or rather, apart from a madman like the Night Lord, who would sentence someone to death for running a red light and then broadcast their miserable state to the whole world?

This really isn't the work of a madman?

Gradually, the probing became a little too much.

Gang warfare is gradually reappearing in Nostramo.

But this time, a fierce gang fight was discovered by the Imperium Guard.

Then catch them all in one fell swoop.

They desperately begged the Imperium Guards for forgiveness.

The fear was overwhelming; the sheer terror of seeing the horrific deaths broadcast live in billions of videos for the world to enjoy.

Several gang members thought with fear.

But in the end, they were put into prison without any real danger.

Cell!

They wept bitterly in their cells, praising everything they could imagine.

So, committing a crime only means going to jail, instead of being torn to pieces by the Night Lord in unimaginable ways and having the whole world watch it, with the corpse ultimately hanging from the rooftop!

Your Honor!

These guys have never felt so welcome in a place like this before.

After the new Governor took over Nostramo in place of the Night Lord, he naturally abolished the cruel laws left by the Primarch through consultations among the various families, replacing them with legal provisions that were in use in the various worlds within the Imperium where the Imperium bureaucracy resided.

At least when it came to 30K, people still paid some attention to the law.

It's not necessary to use "heretic!" to deal with every situation.

After the laws were amended, the courage of the entire planet seemed to gradually return to the era before the Night Lord.

(If this isn't changed, where will the prison inmates come from to serve as Blood Tithe and tribute to the Night Lords?)

More and more Nostraman began to unleash their long-suppressed nature.

Nostramo, alleyway.

"You...? What do you all want to do?"

"What are you doing? To teach you a lesson."

The words had barely left his lips when a powerful impact rang out, followed by a faint groan.

"This is our Sawtooth Gang's territory, you son of a bitch, don't you have eyes?!"

Then there was another knocking sound.

The dark alleys of Nostramo were naturally the best place for these gang members to carry out their punishments.

The Imperium Guard's forces could not possibly cover all Upper Hive a planet.

When these guards are absent, gangs spontaneously organized by lower-class residents take over their ecological position.

Upward, these people began to embezzle funds allocated from higher levels; downward, they gradually reverted to the old model of collecting protection fees.

"Where's the money? I'm asking you, where did the money go?"

"No. They've stopped paying me, and I'm looking for a new job."

"You son of a bitch, you think I'll believe your lies? Five seconds, I'll wait five more seconds, hand over the money obediently, or you'll get another beating."

"You! You all!"

The guy, his face bruised and swollen, seemed to have gone all out, roaring angrily at the gang members.

"The Night Haunter. He will come looking for you!"

Thinking they had something to say, the thugs burst into laughter when they overheard such an empty threat.

Still spouting nonsense about the Night Lord?!

Night Lord, that tyrant, that beast who disregarded human life, is long gone!

Right?

He's gone, and he's never coming back!

The world has returned to the Nostraman, and they will no longer live in constant fear of the Night Lord as they once did!

"Oh, really?"

Just as the three thugs were closing in, a shout suddenly came from above, from the black eaves of the house.

"Who?"

"Night Haunter!!!???"

They shouted the words at the top of their lungs, and the three thugs watched in despair as two giant black figures descended before their eyes.

Wait, two?

The thugs were taken aback and carefully examined the two unusual guests in the dim light of the nearby streetlights.

Also, why are those two guys dressed so strangely?

Their upper faces were completely covered by black masks, revealing only their chins. And on their tight-fitting masks were two small Abhumans -like tufts of hair!

Blasphemy!

In addition, their black bodysuits featured a golden winged claw in the center and a skull with bat wings on the other.

It doesn't seem like a vicious Night Haunter.

They seem more like troublemakers.

Actually, when Kasgar made his suggestion and asked Sevitar to wear it with him, Sevitar refused.

In that instant, the image of Kasgar in his mind collapsed.

Is this guy really an idiot?

Sevitar secretly scoffed at the thought.

Many people who meet Kasgar for the first time may marvel at his unfathomable nature and doubt that beneath his youthful appearance lies unfathomable strength and cunning.

Unfortunately, whenever someone tries to show him even the slightest respect, he starts to speak.

"What do you know? This is Bat-Man's costume. It's so much better than that Curze's tattered patchwork blouse."

Using his own knowledge, and some knowledge of materials, weaving and forging learned from Fulgrim, he created several Bat-Man bodysuits with powerful bulletproof and concealment functions.

It's bulletproof, lightweight, and even has some stealth capabilities— Curze would never find anything like it!

"We came for you."

To be honest, after adding [we], the deterrence effect plummeted by several steps.

"What the hell is this?!"

"You are not Night Haunter! There are never two Night Haunter!"

Although the two men seemed to have some mental issues, their height of two and a half meters made the thugs wary.

"Who are you? Why are you pretending to be Night Haunter?"

Kasgar's method of solving the problem was also very simple.

The problems of Space Gotham City should be solved using Space Bat-Man's methods.

"Who am I? Hmph."

Kasgar gave a disdainful laugh and yanked his black cloak with a powerful tug.

"I am Alpha Night Haunter."

"And this one—"

Kasgar gestured with his outstretched hand to the other [Bat-Man] beside him.

The other party fell into an awkward silence.

You're just spouting nonsense!

Kasgar gave a quick, sharp pat on Sevitar's ribs.

Tsk.

Quick, say the words.

"I am Omega Night Haunter."

"I can't help it," said Sevitar helplessly.