14 The First Battle (IV)

The higher he went, the thinner the air became. Karyl could sense a subtle chill permeating the air, which was neither created by his power nor under his control.

There were no enemies on the fiftieth floor of the spire, only endless darkness.

The tenacious soldiers of Harkosus had vanished, but the corridor reeked of blood. The silver floor was covered in thick, viscous blood, but there were no severed limbs or any flesh, only endless blood.

Karyl slowly narrowed his eyes, turned his head, and stared into the darkness beside him without saying a word.

A soft laugh followed, and a man emerged from the darkness. His eyes were completely white, his skin was ashen, and a flickering flame on his forehead Radiance blue with each breath.

The man's face, thin and bony, held a half-smile. He bowed his head like a court jester, a gesture both comical and laughable.

"You are indeed very perceptive. I hope you like this gift," he said politely. "I've heard you like blood."

Karyl did not answer, but slowly extended his right hand. At that moment, a chilling wind and howls filled the corridor. The man calmly raised his hands, letting the blade be pressed against his neck, without resisting.

He maintained an annoying air of composure, even his voice betrayed his complete confidence.

"Kairos said you've become as fiery as fire, and I didn't believe it at first, but it's really true. Are you planning to kill me without even listening to a word I say?"

The skeleton stared at him calmly, still without uttering a word.

The man sighed and took a step back, a hint of complaint in his voice. "You really didn't need to do this. We're not your enemies, at least not this time."

"Is that so?" Karyl finally spoke, his voice low and distorted, like the wails of the dead carried on the wind.

"Yes, sir." The man nodded obediently, his completely white eyes beginning to change color.

A strange blue, impossible to look at, began to stain his eyes, and his body trembled, his flesh hissing.

"I'm here only to give you a warning, nothing more."

"I don't need your so-called warnings," Karyl said. "Now, there's only one reason not to destroy this stolen body of yours, and that reason isn't because I want to hear you speak."

The man's smile froze for a moment. He blinked, and the strange blue color vanished. "Isn't this unnecessary, sir? Why waste so much effort searching for a messenger like me in that boundless ocean?"

Karyl did not answer. The blue in the empty eye sockets of the skull subtly changed, and terrifying Black Rage gradually spread out, with a crimson base faintly visible within.

The man took a deep breath, finally losing his composure. "I finally understand why Kairos claimed it would disappear for a while."

"I will find you," Karyl said calmly. "And then I will kill you."

"Alright, alright, whatever you want. After all, I'm just a messenger, and my master probably won't care about such a small change." The man shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "But, please hear what I have to say, okay?"

Why should I listen to your lies?

"Ah--My lord." The man took a deep breath, and a faint smile gradually appeared on his gaunt face.

His body began to tremble, and something was struggling inside.

Karyl noticed this—the thing occupying the body was trying to bypass the Veil and send a message through the mortal body.

The man opened his mouth, his teeth turning charred black, as if scorched by flames. His skin melted, flowing down like wax. Yet the flame on his forehead remained intact, flickering incessantly, its blue light even beginning to grow brighter.

All of this was firmly bound within his own body. Just as he said, he really was just a messenger.

Aside from delivering messages, he did nothing else, not even briefly dabbling in reality.

"I am meeting with a deity who has not yet ascended the Throne."

The melting thing knelt on the ground, its head held high, its eyes blazing with fanatical Radiance.

"And I will speak the nine truths to him myself, for which I will endure all pain, all pursuit, all torment. I will become a wave in the ever-changing future, I will become a commentary on the Lord's deeds."

Its body began to melt, completely melt, turning into an amorphous, pulsating Radiance. They instinctively tried to expand outward, but were bound within by the thing's own will, unable to leak out even a fraction.

It was there to deliver a message, nothing more.

Amidst the Radiance, a voice began to resound—the blood in the corridor began to boil, and the sudden blue flames that ignited instantly burned away all the blood.

The walls and floor flipped upside down, and the original silver metal suddenly transformed into metal engraved with countless dense, writhing words. Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine Harkosus corpses appeared in the corridor, some lying on the floor, others hanging from the ceiling.

They were dead, yet the flickering flame marks on their foreheads were so conspicuous. A chilling, empty smile bloomed on the faces of these dead men.

"I swear in my name, in the name of my Lord Tzeentch, I will never again Deceit or conceal anything from him!"

The pulsating Radiance screamed.

"Great Vengeance, great hatred, I beg you to hear my nine words!"

The skeleton didn't answer, but only chuckled softly.

--

The people of Harkosus were screaming and crying; they were being invaded, and their soldiers and protectors were utterly powerless to stop it. Konrad Curze Curze was aware of this, savoring the bitterness of the situation, yet remained unmoved.

"How's our progress?" he asked Van Cleef, who was in the temporary command post.

The company commander handed over another Dataslate. He knew his Primarch preferred to do this himself rather than have someone else relay it. The Lord of the Eighth Legion took the Dataslate and began to read it quickly.

His legion's killing speed was astonishing. In just an hour and a half since the start of the attack, they had already crippled most of the transportation infrastructure and energy facilities in Harkosus I, the only city in the city. Under the premeditated airborne attack, the local defense forces were powerless to resist.

Curze, however, was not satisfied with this. He wanted to shorten the duration of the war as quickly as possible and with the least amount of bloodshed, so he tacitly approved the use of some fear tactics that had been circulating within the Eighth Legion for a long time.

After all, paralyzing and then taking over the Harkosus's broadcasting system is not a difficult task.

The legion broadcast the enemy's cries of terror, and this proved very effective; forty minutes after the broadcast began, many Harkosus surrendered.

They did it even before the Eighth Legion arrived at their location.

They were terrified, as were the civilians. The Eighth Legion did not harm the latter, but they could also hear the broadcast broadcast throughout the city.

However, at present, there is still a problem.

According to information sent back by Anric Barbatos, the company commander of the Eighth Company who attacked the Spire with Karyl Lohars, the soldiers of Harkosus were fearless and had a strong fighting spirit. They also possessed many combat robots that were as tall as six meters.

However, based on the current situation, the other Eighth Legion soldiers currently engaged in combat have not encountered the soldiers and fighting machines they described. Perhaps this could be explained by the idea that the spire is filled with elite troops, but...

Are places like energy distribution centers and arms depots unimportant?

Curze didn't believe the Harkosus people would be so short-sighted.

Moreover, there was something quite interesting in the intelligence sent back by Anric Barbatos—he mentioned the religious beliefs of the Harkosus people, and that many soldiers would charge at them in a death charge, shouting the name of Burning Fire.

This was something that other companies and squads fighting on the ground had never encountered before. Such a stark contrast forced one to ponder what lay hidden behind it.

--But Konrad Curze Curze was tired of these useless thoughts.

He handed the Dataslate back to Van Cleef, about to say something, when he was interrupted by a voice coming from the communication channel. The voice belonged to Fer Zalost; the Librarian's voice sounded hoarse on the channel, and there were faint pleas for mercy coming from his end.

"Primarch, I just detected a significant psionic fluctuation."

"Psionic fluctuations?" Curze frowned. "Where are they coming from?"

"The Spire," the Third Company commander replied succinctly, his voice certain. "It definitely came from the Spire, Primarch. Also, I have something else to report."

"What's up?"

"My company and I raided an underground facility, but the experiments taking place there were rather unusual."

"Speak plainly, Fer," Konrad Curze Curze replied calmly. "We will punish them according to the laws of the Imperium."

"."

Fer Zalost remained silent for a while before answering his Primarch, as if searching for the right words.

"My lord, this is no longer a matter of punishment. There are strange Xenos in this underground facility, and they are cooperating with the Harkosus people. We interrogated several Harkosus people, and they said that these Xenos are messengers of Burning Fire."

Konrad Curze Curze turned his head and gestured to Van Cleef —the company commander immediately understood and mobilized the brothers belonging to the First Company through the company's communication channel.

"What are they doing?" the commander of the Eighth Legion asked again.

"An experiment, or ritual, called 'Kindling the Body,'" Fer said. "I'm convinced this ritual will gradually transform humans into those Xenos."

"Send me the coordinates," Konrad Curze Curze said calmly. "The First Company and I will be there shortly."

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