Medusa's Blade

Tell me, what exactly happened back then?

Inside the medical bay of the Iron Hands flagship.

Kasgar sat down in front of Gabriel Santo, the Company Commander of the Iron Hands.

It seems to have added some extra steel parts compared to the past, controlled by the Thinker Array on its shoulders.

However, his current condition does not seem to be very good.

Not long ago, the Iron Hands Legion encountered a strange Xenos species during their expedition. Their civilization, like the Iron Hands, seemed to pursue perfection through mechanical modification of the body. However, it was clear that Iron Hands's Philus would not show mercy to these Xenos.

Under Philus's steel torrent, even the Xenos civilization with advanced technology could not stop Philus's fully mechanized army, and their existence was completely wiped out by the Iron Hands.

In the previous battle, the fighter plane carrying Gabriel Santo, the company Company Commander of Iron Hands, was unfortunately shot down, breaking all of his ribs, legs, and arms, and even fracturing his skull.

The Iron Hands Apothecary thought it was a miracle that he was still alive and able to walk.

When the search and rescue team finally found him, Santo had only a few minutes of air left inside his Power Armour.

"But because of this, I did not accompany the Primarch into that palace. I was also unable to share the glory of the final battle with them."

Kasgar had no idea what changes had occurred in the Iron Hands Legion during his absence, but judging from the sword in Philus's hand that clearly resembled the Slaanesh style, it didn't seem like good news.

As for Santo's account of the Iron Hands's combat experience, it was 70-80% similar to their final battle to capture the Xenos Atoll.

"No. Santo, you'll be glad you didn't join our fight."

But the Thousand Sons Sorcerer Amar, sitting to the side, did not think so.

However, now he should be called Amal, a Space Marine of the Steel Hand Aveni Clan.

After the Thousand Sons Legion's organization and the Psychic Power Librarian were disbanded, he joined the Librarian personnel nearby to complete the reorganization and became a member of the Iron Hands Legion.

"Thankful? Why do you say that, Amar?"

"I'm not sure. I just... I'm just not sure if you'll end up on Philus's side. I felt very uncomfortable in that palace."

"Unnatural? What does that mean?"

Amar looked around, seemingly searching for anyone who might be listening to him, and after seeing that there were only the three of them in the room, he said, "Gabriel, it's hard to describe, but it feels... it feels as if the palace itself is alive, or something inside is alive. I know it sounds silly."

As a former Librarian member, Amar's feelings and reactions to that strange, dreamlike existence were more intense than those of ordinary people.

He had intended to tell the Primarch everything he had seen at the time, but due to the passage of the Nikaea Prohibition, he had to remain silent.

Even passive responses are unacceptable; this is an order.

He didn't want to repeat the mistakes of his Primarch.

"A living palace? You're right, it does sound ridiculous. It's just a building, how could it possibly be alive?"

"I don't know," Amar admitted, "But that's the feeling."

"I don't know how else to describe it. It was terrifying, yet magnificent at the same time: the colors, the noise, and the smell."

"Although I hated it at the time, I kept thinking about it with longing. Every one of my senses was stimulated, and I felt... the experience energized me."

Amar's gaze wandered, as if he had returned to the past, immersed in that bizarre sensory stimulation for a long time and unable to extricate himself.

These days he has been very listless, seemingly because he has not felt that kind of joy from the depths of his soul for a long time and feels extremely empty.

"Stop!"

Kasgar shouted to stop him, and the dark Gold-Red Flame burning in his hand quietly covered Amar's entire body.

"What just happened?"

In just a moment, as Kasgar's Psychic Flame enveloped his entire body, Amar's eyes, which had been clouded for days, cleared once more.

"It's gone!"

"That longing, that intense, unbearable anxiety and desire, is gone," Amar said. "It's hard to believe that I was previously addicted to some ridiculous reactions to light, sound, and color."

"It's not over yet, Amar, I have something else to ask you."

Kasgar's expression was grave.

"And then? What exactly is the origin of that sword, and how did Philus obtain it?"

What happened after you entered that palace?

Then everything happened just as Kasgar had predicted.

Upon entering the palace, the Iron Hands of the Philus team entered an extremely eerie area—filled with numerous strange stone carvings and murals, radiating light and color that were previously unimaginable.

And that's not all. After they entered the palace, they saw even more, even more mechanically modified Xenos creatures.

With mechanical improvements, those originally ugly Xenos will no longer be bulky and fragile—hard metal materials will replace their skin, and sensitive signal transmission will surpass slow nerves.

Beneath that powerful mechanical arm, past muscle strength seemed so weak.

After using her Thunder Hammer to knock down yet another mechanical Xenos that dared to approach, Philus fell into a brief moment of deep thought.

Perhaps only by replacing pitiful flesh and blood with machines can we become strong enough.

This Xenos civilization itself is not strong; in fact, its core strength is pitifully weak.

But after being mechanically modified all over their bodies, these originally useless Xenos were able to unleash power far stronger than those Iron Hands soldiers, and only she, as the Primarch, could stop them.

If the previous Xenos soldiers had all undergone this level of mechanical modification, Iron Hands's casualties would have been several times more severe.

The word "estimate" was not used.

Given Philus's precise calculation abilities, there's no need for estimation.

The current mechanical modifications to Iron Hands are sufficient, and she has no need to modify them for the sake of modification, forcibly turning humans into inhuman mechanical monsters.

But is it really enough?

If so, why did she lose the selection of the Warmaster in Ullanor?

The effects of Slaanesh are different for each person—to others, the Xenos palace is a den of demons filled with indescribable visual and auditory stimulation, where the senses will receive an unforgettable and wonderful experience.

But in Philus's eyes were countless Iron Hands Space Marine who had died tragically because of her stubbornness.

All of this is because of you, Philus.

She could almost see that it was precisely because of her stubbornness, her inexplicable opposition to mechanization, that she would ultimately be defeated when facing an even more powerful enemy.

She failed.

Utter defeat.

Without its Primarch, the Iron Hands is leaderless and left only with ignorant infighting. The Iron Hands will also be subject to mechanization.

Philus cannot fail; she is the backbone of the legion.

If the future is truly unavoidable, then let her do it herself!

"And at that time, I remember being in the center of the last room of that palace," Amar continued, now able to easily recall the past after Kasgar had burned his body with Psychic Flame. "I remember there was a mechanical metal platform there."

The surface of the metal platform seemed to be covered with a thick metallic style, looking particularly tempting, while the sword inserted into it emitted a sharp, cold light, like the final reward they had obtained after overcoming all obstacles along the way, standing quietly in the center of the mechanical platform.

"It appears to be a carefully designed storage platform, with half of the sword stuck in the mechanical stand, which was eventually pulled out by Primarch Philus stepped forward."

"After conquering this planet, we quickly withdrew from that planet and have now joined you."

Kasgar didn't want to see happened.

Xenos has never been Slaanesh's only means of attack.

In the Warp, there are countless Daemon World, as numerous as the stars in the sky. They can disguise themselves perfectly, waiting for a Primarch to enter one of them and fall into their trap.

If Slaanesh could create a Daemon World to deal with Fulgrim, he could certainly create even more Daemon World as traps to lure other Primarch.

Philus was the Dark Gods' backup option after the failure of the Fulgrim Plan.

"It seems we have completely underestimated the evil presence in these Warp."

"Kasgar said helplessly."

The power of the Warp god far exceeded his expectations.

The ability to save the Primarch from the mouths of the Dark Gods is only temporary.

The failure of a plan does not mean that the Primarch will never again be corrupted by Chaos.

However, if this plan fails, the Dark Gods have many more traps to follow up with, such as traps number 2, 3, and 4 – they are always waiting and always plotting.

The Four Gods were already powerful, and their combined strength was unparalleled.

What's more, it's a conspiracy that has been plotted in the Warp for countless years.

"So, what exactly is going on?" Amar asked. "Just like last time, has Philus been possessed by something strange again?"

"That's one way to put it, but this time it's far more difficult than before."

"But this time, I may not be able to save her again."

Just then, there was a knock on the door of the medical pod.

"It's me, Aqua Duna."

The Second Captain of the Emperor's Children entered the medical pod, glanced at the three silent figures in the room, and closed the door behind him.

"I just heard you came to the Iron Hands." Aqua breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the door as she spoke to Kasgar. "How's it going? Has your swordsmanship improved? Or have you neglected your training?"

"No, Aqua, we have more important things to do now—did you enter that palace before? During the last battle?"

"Hmm." She nodded somewhat belatedly.

"I went in with them, and I felt that the mechanical Xenos inside the palace were indeed quite troublesome, quite different from those encountered outside."

"Did you sense anything was wrong? Or did you see any hallucinations that shouldn't have appeared?"

"Illusions? Not at all. Is this some new Psychic Power magic?"

Aqua shook her head innocently as she spoke.

Slaanesh can indeed tempt people to the extreme in certain ways.

But there are still people in the world who cannot be corrupted or eroded. If we were to say who she is, it could only be Aqua Duna.

—After all, she had already done her best.

Whether it's swordsmanship or cooking.

After bidding farewell to his Space Marine friends, Kasgar walked silently on the deck of the Iron Fist.

Unlike before, when she only faced Greater Daemon like the Sapphire King, now Philus, wielding the Laerda, would be under the constant watchful eye of Slaanesh herself.

Even worse, not only Slaanesh, but all Chaos Gods appeared simultaneously in the final stages of the Great Crusade, extending their "invitations" to the Primarch were waging war across the galaxy.

Now, even with his immense power, Kasgar couldn't possibly rescue every Primarch corrupted by Chaos by attacking multiple targets simultaneously.

Not just each one, but even with Philus right in front of him, Kasgar was still helpless.

So, it was actually Slaanesh who abandoned me?

After an unknown period of silence, the Laerda at Kasgar's waist spoke.

It realized with difficulty that Slaanesh's failure to respond to it was not entirely the reason for the Golden Centaur.

But in Slaanesh's eyes, it seemed to have lost its usefulness.

No teeth or mouth pain!!!

[It's no use! You're one of us now. If you haven't changed your mindset, then you deserve to be disliked.]

Kasgar communicated with the blade at his waist in an annoyed tone.

The power of the Chaos Gods was never limited to a single person or a specific place.

When the dominant party faces too many obstacles, they will turn their attention to the other side.

The moment the demon within the Laerda lost its gaze and the favor of the Chaos God, was also the moment the Chaos God turned its gaze to another Primarch.

So what do we do now?

There's no other way. The best solution I can think of is to leave here as soon as possible.

Then, the Emperor was informed of the Chaos Gods's plan via Astropathic Communication, so that the Emperor could handle the matter.

Of course, the second half of this plan cannot be revealed to that Laerda demon yet.

Now, things have come to a point where they are no longer something that a mere Space Marine like Kasgar can handle.

This requires the Emperor to cure!

"Kasgar."

Just as Kasgar was figuring out how to escape, a voice that Kasgar least wanted to hear came from behind him.

He didn't even need to turn around to know who was calling him.

The Iron Hands, Philus Manus.

"Lady Philus, hello?"

Kasgar turned around with a wry smile and looked at the other person.

Her armor shimmered like the blackest agate, her shoulders were clad in large, heavy metal plates, and a shimmering cloak trailed behind her as she moved. Philus wasn't overly concerned with outward aesthetics, but every inch of her Power Armour exuded a precise and coldly minimalist beauty.

At this moment, the Primarch of the two Legions were convening senior officers within their Legions to discuss strategies for eliminating the Azure Crystal Alliance. It was during this time that Kasgar had the opportunity to come aboard the Iron Fist to gather information.

"Nothing, I just wanted to ask how you're doing in the Emperor's Children Legion."

Philus leaned gently against the wall beside the corridor, a strange smile on her face that Kasgar had only ever seen on Fulgrim's face.

Something's not right.

Something's not right.

He sensed danger looming ahead.

"Furthermore, I am very interested in the sword at your waist."

As she spoke, she gently straightened up from her position leaning against the wall and walked to Kasgar's side.

Compared to Fulgrim's relatively slender figure in the Primarch, Philus is clearly taller and stronger, and the heavy black Power Armour she wears makes her appear particularly imposing.

"Especially since they were able to achieve a striking similarity when faced with different Xenos civilizations without any communication."

She reached out and picked up the Laerda from Kasgar's waist.

"Moreover, I also feel there's something strange about it—"

"To be honest, this sword of mine not only provides me with a constant stream of inspiration for mechanical modifications, but it can even detect traces of other people using witchcraft, which I can use to deal with those despicable Wizard."

As she spoke, the silver blade of Medusa's Blade in Philus's hand approached Kasgar.

"Like right now."

As the other party said this, Kasgar immediately retreated, his eyes searching for a way to escape.

"Philus! Wake up! You're not right right now! Don't let the whispers from that sword control you!"

He tried to shout, but Philus seemed completely unmoved.

She extended her sword towards Kasgar, seemingly drawing out a wisp of golden-red flame from in front of him.

—And also, it was a phantom image of the Eldar.

"But it seems to be telling the truth, doesn't it?"

"Gotcha, little Wizard."

Kasgar felt a powerful force slam him against the iron-gray wall of the Iron Fist, while he could hear Philus's breath, which grew hotter as she approached.

"Kasgar, you don't want other people to know that you're actually a pointy-eared Xenos, do you?"

What exactly is missing from the Iron Hands?

After the crushing defeat at the Battle of Ullanor, the Iron Hands thought a lot and reflected a lot.

In Philus's memory, the Iron Hands Legion possessed superior combat power and innovative capabilities in every aspect.

But ironically, the Emperor's final choice fell upon the little-known Legion Primarch, Fulgrim.

Although she and Fulgrim were on good terms, she was still somewhat resentful.

What abilities does she possess to become an Imperium Warmaster, compared to all the worlds she has diligently conquered for the Imperium with the Iron Hands?

Philus didn't blame Fulgrim; she just wanted to find the reason she was missing.

And finally, she found it—

She's only missing one person.

That was him, Kasgar Sherlock, a genius who was capable of everything in creation, military command, domestic and foreign affairs, and combat.

Moreover, what's even more valuable is that he can also make predictions to a certain extent, thereby avoiding potentially disastrous future events.

After acquiring Kasgar, Fulgrim can be said to have entered an easy mode. Kasgar can predict what will happen in the future, and you only need to entrust everything to him, and he can handle everything for you.

I'm so envious.

Philus could only sigh in vain at this.

If possible, she really wanted Kasgar to replace Aqua in serving their Iron Hands Legion.

Unfortunately, it can't be replaced.

The other party is Fulgrim's husband, and they have a very good relationship. As the Primarch Fulgrim's sister, it is even more impossible for her to steal him away.

But--

But just as Philus was agonizing over this, the sword...

The sword seemed to tell her something unbelievable—though it seemed impossible at first glance, upon closer reflection it seemed to be true.

The Kasgar are actually an Eldar.

"How is that possible? The differences between Eldar and humans are vast, and Kasgar is Space Marine who has been modified by Astartes!"

Eldar Astartes?

That seems unlikely.

"But what if? I can provide you with ample evidence. What if Fulgrim develops a dislike or even hatred for Kasgar because of this? Wouldn't that be your opportunity?"

[If we could acquire Kasgar, the Legion would have such a bright future. Besides, isn't he the man you've always dreamed of?]

Yes, yes.

Philus swallowed slightly.

"What on earth is going on?!"

At the Primarch Council, Fulgrim was so desperate he almost drew his sword.

When Philus asked her for help, everyone in the Emperor's Children Legion thought it would be another battle to strengthen the bond between the Third Legion and 10th Legion.

The two Primarch, Fulgrim and Philus, had long since forged a deep bond during the Great Crusade.

But this time, the two sides seemed unusually tense.

"Where is Kasgar right now?! Philus! What are you trying to do?!"

Her beautiful purple eyes were now staring fiercely at the image of Philus in the Holographic Projection.

Although she wanted to maintain her composure as Imperium Warmaster, everything she heard at this moment made it impossible for her to do so.

Not long ago, when Kasgar went to investigate the enemy's flagship Iron Fist, he was detained by Philus on the enemy's flagship.

The reason was—he was actually an Eldar Xenos?!

Are you kidding me!

"Where in the world is there Eldar Xenos that has been modified into Space Marine? Philus, are you crazy?"

"I'm not crazy, sister." Philus in the Holographic Projection still maintained her stern face, but it seemed that the smile at the corner of her mouth could not be hidden. "I have solid evidence to prove it."

"Perhaps at this moment he does indeed look no different from a human, but his inner self has always been a completely pure Eldar."

"Otherwise, why would he have those cracked Psychic Power fragments? Why could he accurately predict everything that would happen in the future? Why does he possess such powerful Psychic Flame, the power of which even Magnus, the strongest Psyker among our Primarch, could not replicate?"

"Why is it that only his flames can heal a person's wounds? Fulgrim, have you really thought about these things?"

"Or have you been blinded by love?"

Fulgrim remained silent.

In fact, she had a vague idea of this when the Corsairs all hailed Kasgar as the "New Phoenix King".

But how could that be? Haha!

Kasgar was already with her back in Chemos!

Fulgrim has been deceiving herself all along.

But it seems that from the very beginning, he had maintained no signs of aging for thirty years.

But the more you examine it, the more loopholes seem to appear.

There are so many inconsistencies in Kasgar's character that the idea that he is Xenos is actually more plausible in some situations.

What exactly do you want?

After a moment of silence, Fulgrim spoke.

Seeing that Fulgrim's previous rage had subsided, Philus felt even more confident.

"I want to make an agreement with you."

"What agreement?"

"I want to know," Philus said, "Whether you are capable of being a Warmaster on your own, without relying on Kasgar."

What do you mean by that?

"I want to understand whether our Imperium Warmaster will become a puppet of the alien race because of his overconfidence."

Philus said with righteous indignation, "I want to know whether this Warmaster is you or him."

"As for the contents of the agreement, it's very simple—as long as you agree to it, I won't tell anyone about this."

"We will attack the Azure Crystal Alliance together next. Fulgrim, I want to know if you can demonstrate your strength as Imperium Warmaster without Kasgar."

"If you can really take over the Azure Crystal Alliance before me, I will never mention the matter of Kasgar again."

"What if I lose?"

"Don't worry if he loses. I won't do anything to Kasgar," Philus said with a smile. "However, I am quite interested in his abilities."

"Perhaps he can only unleash his full potential in the Iron Hands Legion."

"You!"

"Philus!!! You came here solely for him! Tell me, what did you do to him!"

Fulgrim's tone revealed urgency.

"Not yet," "But judging from your tone, you seem eager to witness this scene? If you have such a need, I'm not unable to satisfy you."

"Get out!"

Fulgrim cut off the communications.

She simply couldn't understand why her best friend Philus had become like this.

Could it be what Kasgar said when he left, that the sword would affect Philus's mind?

But even if that's the case, so what?

Now, it's his turn to handle this without Kasgar's help.

Next, she must take down the Azure Crystal Alliance before Philus.

But how could that be possible!

Although the mechanized units of the Iron Hands are weak in individual combat, their combat effectiveness in the campaign is the strongest among all legions!

They have 10,000 men who can deal with the Astartes Emperor's Children 50,000 men. Now, how is she supposed to respond?

A deep-seated fear left her feeling lost and in pain.

"Kasgar, what should I do?"