A Greater Performance

In the Upper-hive, within the domed temple of the Ecclesiarchy, before the shattered Emperor statue, Garken forged a throne from the flesh and blood of nobles. Its twisted, evil face, and the surrounding area, were filled with the surging waves of the Warp!

He gazed at the spaceships appearing around Losel on the star map, a slight smile playing on his lips, "Not bad, just like that... Come on, all of you, come to the... graves I've prepared for you!"

The Chaos twisted Servitor Skull slowly floated in front of me, playing a message: "Tucker is leading an elite squad towards the planetary orbital defense cannon. Should we deploy troops to intercept them?"

"No, of course not, why would you stop me?!"

Garken danced with excitement, his face beaming with joy, and laughed loudly, "Just give them a little resistance, and if we stop them, who can sabotage the railgun?"

From the very beginning, Garken never believed that he could stop the Imperium's reinforcements with just planetary orbital defense cannons; that was merely an appetizer!

The real "show" hasn't even started yet!

"Contact Rosales and tell them... it's time to bring out that Daemon Engine!" Garken's eyes gleamed with cunning as he said with a half-smile, "Soon, very soon... this place will become the second Cadian!"

In the last stronghold of the Middle Hive, the unconscious Alvin was moved by Aruman to a safe area, at least the safest area relative to the entire stronghold.

Before long, Alvin, who had been injected with the drug, woke up again, but his mind was filled with a shriek that was enough to drive him mad. Blood gushed from his eyes, and he couldn't help but let out a low growl.

"As expected... you're Psyker."

Seeing Alvin's pained reaction, Aruman took off a pendant from his person and put it around Alvin's neck. "This necklace can temporarily suppress your Psychic Power. If you don't want to die... don't take it off here."

Alvin, upon putting on the necklace, immediately felt the excruciating pain disappear, and the shrieking sound in his mind subsided to almost negligible levels. He said gratefully, "Thank you, Priest Aruman. But what did you mean by saying... not to take it off here?"

Upon hearing this, Aruman remained silent, but sighed softly, turned, and went to the doorway, pulling back the heavy curtain. "See for yourself..."

A blinding ray of light surged into the room.

Through the gap in the curtain, Alvin saw the Great Rift, tens of meters in diameter, gushing, venting, and raging with the destructive power of the Warp!

"A rift has been torn open in the physical universe." Aruman turned his head and said meaningfully, "I don't know if you understand Psyker, but in this kind of environment, Psyker are easily out of control, thus becoming possessed by Warp demons, or causing an explosion that creates a second Stormfront."

So that's how it is... No wonder, as soon as he woke up, he felt as if the screams of thousands of Daemons had been shoved into his brain, like a red-hot branding iron being violently inserted into his brain and stirred up, causing unbearable pain.

"You're in luck, kid."

Aruman sat back down in his chair, his electronic eyes fixed on him, and slowly said, "If Tucker hadn't believed you were still alive, we probably would have given up on you. I must say... this is both your good fortune and ours."

"Priest Aruman, I... don't quite understand what you mean." Alvin frowned. What did he mean by "both his good fortune and theirs"?

"Originally, I shouldn't be the one telling you this."

Aruman paused for half a second, then said in a low voice, "But since you asked, I can give you a general reason, so you won't run out to your death again."

He was genuinely terrified. He had finally managed to save Alvin, only for him to run off and court death again. Once or twice might be lucky, but what if it happened three, four, or five times?

When Alvin defeated Khorne's Chosen of the Gods in a one-on-one fight, unlike the morale-boosting Department of Justice and PDF, Aruman's heart almost stopped beating!

Khorne's Chosen of the Gods, they're practically future Greater Daemon!

I really don't know what kind of Khorne's Chosen of the Gods. It's like the Emperor is blessing him!

"You... you're not going to tell me I'm your illegitimate child, are you?" Alvin's eye twitched, and the thought naturally popped into his mind.

Otherwise, why would Aruman treat him so well?

"Why would you think that..." Aruman nearly choked on his words, glaring at him. "Don't talk nonsense! I've dedicated my entire life to the great Omnissiah, how could I possibly do something so pointless?!"

"That Taj said you did it for your senior sister..." Alvin was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly felt a chill on his neck and saw Aruman's murderous gaze. He immediately shut his mouth.

Aruman was so angry he gritted his teeth. He coughed twice, then his tone became extremely heavy. "Alvin Valshius, because you are the last living heir to the noble name 'Valshius'."

"Me? A nobleman?"

Alvin was completely dumbfounded, pointing to his own nose with a look that said, "Don't... don't joke with me, Priest Aruman."

However, Aruman's meticulous expression, as well as his solemn, dignified, and respectful demeanor, seemed to tell Alvin... that he was indeed a descendant of a nobleman!

Glug!

Alvin swallowed hard. Could it be... that the Yellow-skinned One, ugh, the Emperor Lord, finally couldn't stand it anymore and was planning to give him a new, chosen start?

"Wait... wait... I'm a little confused..." Alvin still couldn't believe it and asked, "How do you know I'm definitely someone else's offspring? What if it's just a coincidence of names?"

Yes, what if we find the wrong one? Wouldn't that be incredibly embarrassing?

"Do you remember the medical examination I conducted on you?" Aruman said slowly, "Originally, I only had suspicions, but during the subsequent examination, I was able to confirm that you are indeed a descendant of 'Valshius' blood. Although I couldn't determine the concentration, your surname is undoubtedly real!"

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The rapid pounding of his heart echoed in the somewhat silent room. Alvin took several deep breaths to calm himself before cautiously asking, "May I ask, this 'Valshius'... is it powerful?"

"Guess why we're so determined to find you?"

Aruman chuckled lightly and said calmly, "The reason is simple. If you die on this planet, then... Valshius will completely incinerate it, burning all life to ashes. Now, do you understand your worth?"

Incinerate the entire planet...

Alvin swallowed hard, thinking to himself, "Good heavens, could he be from some Knight Family?"

I got a fever right after hemorrhoid surgery... and then I got stung by wasps! Why am I so miserable? Damn, it feels like every bone in my body is being crushed!