Just Like This!

[The Blood Chalice of Cadia]

A sacred bell forged from blood.

From Saint Gustav—the holy warrior, the beloved patron saint of the Cadia soldiers—when he fell while guarding the Cadian Gate, his followers collected his blood in a crystal reliquary.

In the holy world named after him, this revered and lucrative relic was preserved as a sacred object by the local Imperial Cult for centuries.

One night, the winged Blessed Gestal appeared before the Cardinal and told him that he had to extract the iron from the solidified relics and cast it into a bell.

A bell that rings when Cadia faces mortal danger.

The cardinal forged the sacred relic as instructed, and then toured the Cadian Gate with the bell, purifying world after world with its divinely resonant vibrations.

However, this sacred bell also has a unique function—it can prophesy the calamities that the human world, especially the Cadian Gate, is about to suffer.

Not long ago, when this sacred bell passed through this area, the crowds erupted in ecstatic weeping—the bell struck twelve times without being touched by anyone.

That was when the Black Legion descended, their surprise attack marking the beginning of the twelfth Black Crusade.

The defenders swore to protect this sacred relic with their lives, and they kept their oath.

Even though his chest cavity exploded and his limbs were broken by the traitor's Bolter.

In the end, their own blood splattered onto the blood-cast ironware. The blood flowed down the carved surface, forming a congealed stream that turned the decorative swirling patterns and hymns into a blood-stained channel, which remains to this day.

It then faced an unexpected fate.

"According to the secret order, we need to use this artifact to help us deal with the increasingly ferocious Nurgle threat in the Extreme Star Zone."

The Ultramarines, a Primaris warrior several sizes taller than a typical Space Marine (and accompanied by a squad of Grey Knights), carrying decrees from Archmagos Cawl, Second Captain Sicarius, and the Cardinal of the Ultramar Diocese of the Imperial Cult, sought this glorious relic in the Holy Land.

They were the first Ultramarines Primaris Space Marine that Cawl had modified to support the Plague Wars.

With the endorsement of the "Emperor Incarnate" and the demands of Loli-man Primaris, who was lying on the Second Captain's body, the first batch of Ultramarines are undergoing mass genetic modification in Cawl's experiments.

Their first mission before heading to the front lines was to retrieve the sacred relic, the Crimson Bell of Cadia, from the holy land of Saint Gestair.

--As for the cardinal's edict, it was even more bizarre: he said that when faced with the rampaging Nurgle Daemon, the Emperor himself descended and took the form of a little girl, using the body of a loyal Space Marine to engage in a fierce battle with the evil demons.

Unfortunately, the battle is currently at a stalemate – only this Blood Chalice of Cadia can help them break the deadlock.

If the other party's token hadn't been genuine, the Holy Land bishop would have seriously suspected that this guy had fabricated such an outrageous story to swindle the holy relic.

When!

It rang again.

Just as the local bishop agreed to their request and led them into the church, the holy bell struck thirteen times again right before their eyes.

Click.

The entire temple hall shook violently once again as the bells rang.

Judging from the peeling and damage to the temple's outer shell, this kind of large-scale tremor seems to be more than the first time.

Bang!

As another fragment of the relief struck the force field shield protecting the relic's Stasis Field, the vibrations of the sacred bell finally ceased.

"Gentlemen, let's quickly take this sacred bell and leave."

On the face of the bishop of that holy site, the Trueborn Chapter Master, who was in charge of escorting the sacred relics, could be seen a look of relief.

We've managed to send this sacred bell out!

Keep banging and keep banging!

Logically, things in Stasis Field should remain stationary, but the sound of this blood bell is unaffected by it.

The bell's predictions were usually extremely accurate, but this time, on the thirteenth strike, after countless attempts, the predictions came true.

Is that so?

"Listen—it sounds like there's still a faint echo in this sacred bell."

Upon seeing this, the Trueborn Chapter Master, with his extraordinary hearing, sensed some unusual sounds coming from inside the Holy Bell.

He tried to approach the somewhat eerie blood bell, and leaned close to the sacred object within the Stasis Field.

[Warmaster. The Black Legion's expeditionary Tyranid Fleet suffered heavy losses.]

[Is every expedition a victory?]

What exactly do these words mean?

Thankfully, the transport of the sacred object went smoothly, and it did not ring again during the journey.

Even the Father of Plagues, Ku'gath, did not appear in the ensuing battle—according to readings from the shipborne Augur Array transmitted back by Star Fortress, the enemy appeared to be boiling its Plague Cauldron in a swamp near Parmenio.

Although Kasgar attempted to lead his Imperial Army to destroy the enemy's demon legions during this period, Magnus would appear whenever he officially went into battle and caused some casualties, preventing him from continuing to eliminate the remaining Nurgle Daemon and expand his gains.

It was as if he was controlling the balance of power between the two sides to maintain a certain equilibrium—as a troublemaker, he was indeed extremely competent in his job.

As for the specific situation on the planet's surface during this period, especially in the Boiling Plague Cauldron Swamp where Ku'gath was, it was perhaps because the corruption of the Warp God was so high that a considerable degree of reality distortion had occurred in that area—corrupted plants from Garden of Nurgle began to take root in the soil like maggots clinging to bones.

They are slowly but irresistibly transforming this once healthy planet into yet another corrupt Nurgle Daemon World.

"Go tell the Infinite that I have a deal with him to make, and tell him to be ready to release the people."

After receiving the Blood Bell of Cadia, I can finally release my old friend Aqua Duna from ten thousand years ago.

"Understood."

The person speaking to Kasgar is a mortal assistant of Trazyn, who, at his master's request, disguised himself as a crew member and joined the Sons of the Phoenix's fleet.

At this point, it would still be some time before we could contact Trazyn and get him to release the hostage.

"The Plague Wars: What Other Solutions Are There?"

Currently, Kasgar is being singled out and guarded by the Daemon Primarch Magnus —in battle, he will only cause Nurgle and the Imperium of Man forces to fight to the death.

Furthermore, given that these two Chaos forces will naturally join forces to attack Ultramar in order to deal with Kasgar will need another Primarch-level fighter to withstand the combined attack of Nurgle and Tzeentch's army.

--Mortarion, who the hell are you?

Where did you go?

When Kasgar received the parchment, he didn't even need to use his Psychic Flame to rewind time, nor did he need to ask what the sender looked like; he could guess who was so obsessed with Aqua.

During the Horus Heresy ten thousand years ago, his fate was ultimately unknown, and he has never appeared in any of the Imperium's current historical records since— Kasgar is unsure whether this means that Mortarion finally escaped from being held hostage by Nurgle and reappeared on the battlefield of the Plague Wars ten thousand years later.

He also used Matthieu to convey a solution to the impasse—and it must be said, his method was indeed very imaginative.

Although Kasgar is also one of the victims of Aqua's fandom, does this thing truly possess the magic to disregard all rules, capable of killing even a superbug that had been simmering for forty-nine days in Nurgle's divine vessel, the Great Cauldron, with a single bite?

[Kasgar]

At that very moment, he heard Fulgrim's melancholy words coming from his right shoulder.

[Do you also think that Aqua is better at cooking than me? I understand.]

[It's because I haven't done enough, I haven't been perfect enough. I will try my best to help you with my own strength, Kasgar, wait for me!]

Kasgar: "."

Sister, you shouldn't get involved in this. It's someone else's talent.

Sometimes, when you can 100% mess something up, it also means you can 100% do the opposite perfectly.

Perhaps, but even the Chief Apothecary Melusine couldn't figure out why Aqua's creations could so unscientifically poison everything in existence.

Although it sounds a bit far-fetched, upon closer inspection, it is, after all, Aqua, so it makes sense.

But putting the plan aside for now, why doesn't Mortarion, who can even evade his Psychic Power detection, just come out and help him?

Where are they?

Mortarion, where have you gone?

Several days later.

As far as the Star Fortress in the sky is concerned, Ku'gath's position has remained unchanged these days.

"Is this ten thousand years in the future?!"

Aboard the Sons of the Phoenix's Strike Cruiser, Aqua Duna emerged incredulously from the Stasis Field.

"The Primarch betrayed Horus? No, how could he?"

"How is the Imperium of Man doing now? What about the Great Crusade? As long as the Emperor is still alive, our Great Crusade can definitely continue—"

"The Emperor is dead?"

"Not dead? Just on the Golden Throne, in a realm between life and death, words that are hard to decipher. But thankfully, the Sons of the Emperor should still be—"

"."

"Alright, but promise me, Kasgar, if you ever return to Chemos as Lord Regent, you will personally clean house."

Aqua absorbed an unimaginable amount of information in those few hours.

Whether it was his own survival after being rescued by the Xenos, the final rebellion of Philus and Horus, or the changes in the Imperium ten thousand years later, each of these events could make this ultimate veteran, who embarked on the Great Crusade from Terra with the Emperor ten thousand years ago, feel melancholic and sentimental.

Times have changed.

The deal with Trazyn went very smoothly—as a memorial to humanity's perseverance in expanding the Eye of Terror, the symbolic significance of this Crimson Bell is entirely comparable.

The premise is that this guy had no idea how destructive the crimson holy bell would become in his private collection room in the future.

Whee.

However, seeing that Abaddon is eager to try again, it's probably not too long before the Scarlet Bell is rung again.

In the original timeline, it was this crimson holy bell that caused the earth to shake violently, directly blowing up all of his Trazyn cabinets and causing all the collectors to run out.

"If that's the case, you paid a high price to redeem me from the Xenos, surely it was for my swordsmanship?"

Having already experienced many changes among the Sons of the Emperor Aqua quickly adapted to the current situation.

Even when they had no Primarch and the entire Legion was on the verge of being wiped out by the Withering Sickness, the Sons of the Emperor still did not give up hope.

Although the Imperium of Man is currently beset by crises, it still has Guilliman (in his loli form), Mortarion (who does not appear in public), and the Fulgrim (who are still in a state of division)!

Even Sanguinius transformed into Sanguin and became a true Angel (Kasgar did not tell her the truth) to protect this human world besieged on all sides!

The Imperium of Man can still be saved!

Although it does sound hopeless, there is still hope!

"My sword is ready to serve you once again!"

After speaking with her old friends Kasgar and Rylanor, Aqua knelt down on one knee in the direction of Kasgar.

In her view, with Fulgrim gone, Kasgar was now the acting legion commander of the Sons of the Emperor.

"Speak, Commander Kasgar, what do you need me to do? Instruct your new legion in swordsmanship? Or is there some troublesome enemy you need me to deal with?"

"No, this... um."

Kasgar hesitated.

"Actually, it's so I can get you to cook a meal. I hope you won't be angry that I'm telling you this."

Aqua: "?"

"The accompanying team and escorts have all been arranged. We will depart tomorrow."

Darkness fell over Parmenio —one of the few times they could see a clear night sky since Nurgle began to corrupt the planet.

"But you still came to me, deliberately avoiding the Emperor Incarnate's questioning—you still chose to believe me."

"If I were truly an envoy of the Emperor, how could he not know where I was?"

The tall, thin man seemed to be emitting some kind of unpleasant chuckle under the respirator, which particularly annoyed Matthieu.

In his view, the other party indeed possessed far Farsight than he did, and his suggestions were helpful to the Emperor.

"Say what you want to say quickly."

"Tomorrow we will travel alone to that wicked swamp to cleanse it of its filth in the name of the Emperor."

The one who carried out this suicidal mission was the Priest Mathieu, who volunteered for the task.

He himself did not understand why he had taken on this mission, but it seemed to be his destiny, the guidance of the Emperor's Light.

His goal, however, was to completely destroy the Nurgle artifact, the Cauldron of Plague, which was guarded by the chief Greater Daemon, Ku'gath.

The mission was nearly impossible, but they were protected by an "artifact" blessed by the Emperor while carrying it out.

It was a bag of cookies that looked rather strange—not as horrifying and disgusting as the plague-inducing creatures, but clearly not food that a normal human being could eat.

According to the Emperor Incarnate, if this cookie is thrown into the Plague Cauldron, all the virus strains being boiled inside will be instantly killed.

Although I don't know the principle behind it, I believe in the Emperor and praise the Emperor!

"Alright, I wish you good luck with your operation tomorrow."

"However, there are a few more things I'd like to tell you."

"I'm merely stating a point of view—whether you believe it or not is not my responsibility."

"I am not here to persuade you, but merely to inform you."

"You say."

"What would you think if I told you that it was all orchestrated by my old friend, who used his own methods to impersonate Emperor?"

You're lying.

"No, if he were truly an omniscient and omnipotent Emperor, why would he need my guidance? How could he be unable to capture even his own rebellious offspring?"

"."

"Matthieu, you knew from the beginning that the Emperor wouldn't—"

"Shut up!"

Filled with rage, Matthieu interrupted the mysterious man for the first time, "What exactly do you want? Do you really want to make me a faithless person, to make me lose even this last means of protecting my faith, before you're happy?"

"Ah?"

"So you admit that the Emperor's faith is just a means for you to protect yourself?"

"No, that's not contradictory. The Emperor can protect me because he is a god, and he loves all of us humans."

"Therefore, it is not contradictory for us to believe in and venerate Him with our humble gratitude. I apologize for my slip of the tongue just now."

"What difference does it make whether Emperor is a human or a god?"

Or, to put it another way, the moment you realize that the Emperor is human, the moment you know that he is not perfect, will you stop following him?

"No! How could this be! My reverence for the Emperor has never wavered because of any words!"

"Then why won't you believe that the Emperor, as a human being, a guy who can be quite a scoundrel at times, can fight for all of us?"

The struggle between gods is happening every moment, just like the open and covert struggle between Nurgle and Tzeentch at this moment, as well as the two remaining beings who are watching but have not directly participated.

But Emperor are human.

He challenged the demon who claimed to be a god, in the guise of a human.

But he's a human being. Although he's certainly not a good father, I don't deny that he can be quite capable at times.

The tall, thin man sighed and leaned against the wall without saying a word.

During the Great Crusade, he did not like the Emperor.

Not only did he steal his head in Barbarus, but he also kept setting increasingly heavy expedition KPIs for him. There was absolutely no affection between father and son; he treated him like a tool to be used all the time.

But the trials of ten thousand years, and the demons he encountered at the end of the Great Crusade, hidden deep in the shadows and underestimated by him, all contributed to his success.

If it weren't for his inherent perseverance, perhaps he would have ended up like those filthy, foul-smelling creatures. Well, those were actually his genetic offspring, nothing special.

This made him shudder.

That alone was enough to make him miss his golden-haired father.

"Well."

Matthieu.

"What's wrong?"

After what had just been said, the priest, whose mind was in complete disarray, asked somewhat blankly.

"Give me one of the cookies you have."

Finally, revealing his true intentions, he took a cookie from the bag in his hand and happily ate it before the other party could react.

"Ah, that's right."

"That's the taste!"