Eighteen Phoenixes Fall from the Sky (I)

Akurduana seemed vaguely uneasy.

Where does this unease come from? Well, the answer is actually quite obvious. If your Primarch visits another Primarch but only takes you as his Sentinel, you will also feel uneasy.

When honor is magnified to an extreme, it ceases to be honor and becomes a burden. Moreover, Lorgar Aurelian, who accompanied Fulgrim, didn't even bring a single guard.

The Great Word Bearers arrived empty-handed, wearing a priestly robe from Colchis. This meant that security would be entirely entrusted to Akurduana.

The Emperor's Children's chief swordsman wanted to ask—what have I done to deserve this? Yes, I know my combat skills are exceptional, but what have I done to deserve this?

At this moment, Akurduana was wearing a purple-gold uniform that best represented the Emperor's Children, and a string of amber ornaments hung on his right earlobe. These were small ornaments made by Fulgrim himself and were only given to his favorite warriors.

He also carried a military knife at his waist. Of course, the knife's ornate design far exceeded its practicality. As a knife, it was engraved with intricate reliefs and patterns, even becoming openwork.

Calling it a weapon is simply laughable.

Fulgrim observed all of Akurduana's subtle movements but made no comment. He smiled, his long, silvery-white hair almost shimmering in the darkness. Of course, he himself couldn't glow; that was thanks to the Great Word Bearers walking beside him.

Lorgar Aurelian's golden skin almost served as a light source for his brother—no wonder, the Nostramo needed far less light than normal people; their streetlights barely emitted any light.

Fortunately, the walk wasn't long. After passing two more towering marble columns, they saw Konrad Curze Curze standing alone at the end of the red carpet.

Compared to his noble status, the Night Lords's attire was surprisingly simple. He wore a plain black robe, with a pendant faintly visible on his chest, and his black hair was simply tied back, forming a common warrior braid hairstyle.

Akurduana also tried this hairstyle, but he opted for a more elaborate alternative.

"Welcome, brothers." The Night Lords spoke softly, first giving Akurduana, who was observing him, a glance as a greeting. Akuldona was slightly startled, then lowered his head, somewhat flattered.

"I hope that the newly formed Nostramo can slightly change the image you once had of it."

Fulgrim walked up to him with a smile and gave him a straightforward hug. Curze didn't flinch, but his expression seemed a little helpless.

He shook hands with Lorgar again. The Word Bearers was somewhat embarrassed, but Curze didn't seem to care about the past. His handshake was much stronger than he should have, and this level of enthusiasm even left Lorgar a little bewildered for a moment.

"Why didn't you prepare a military parade, Konrad Curze?" Fulgrim put his arm around the Night Lords's shoulder, making a slightly intimate but not insignificant joke.

"You only brought Akurduana with you, didn't you?"

"Hmm?" Fulgrim raised an eyebrow. "There's a reason for that, of course, but you should at least prepare a parade."

"No, that's too much trouble—" The Night Lords shook his head. "Don't tell me you really want to stand in the cold wind for hours on this chilly night while I introduce you to my company one by one."

Why not?

"Too much trouble," Konrad Curze Curze repeated. "And you must be joking, Fulgrim? Why is someone who wants to see the parade only bringing one guard?"

He mercilessly exposed Fulgrim's disguise, turning the smile that Phoenix had been suppressing into a soft chuckle that drifted away in the night breeze. But he didn't seem to have given up yet, and with a smile, he pulled Akurduana over and formally introduced him to Curze once again.

"This is Akurduana," Fulgrim said in a poetic tone. "My eldest son, my pride, my chief swordsman, and my Second Company. He's no ordinary 'Guard,' brother."

Akurduana looked at Konrad Curze Curze with pleading eyes. The latter sighed almost imperceptibly and waved to the darkness beside him.

A pale-faced Terra Night Lords emerged from the darkness. The Primarch had naturally noticed his presence, but Akurduana was different. He paused slightly, surprise appearing in his eyes.

"This is my champion," Curze said expressionlessly. "From Terra's Xianni."

"That's it? I mentioned four titles." Fulgrim tilted his head in dissatisfaction.

Faced with his question, Curze finally smiled—unfortunately, the smile was quite meaningful, "Actually, Xianni has many titles, Fulgrim. If you want to hear them, I can certainly have him tell you them one by one."

Akurduana noticed that the Night Lords's face seemed to have become even paler.

"You're practically cheating," Fulgrim sighed. "Never mind—so, is there a banquet?"

"Of course." The Night Lords turned around and walked away with an elegant gait. Lorgar followed silently. He had long anticipated being ignored, so he didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

In fact, the situation was much better than the other one he had anticipated. However, after his footsteps sounded, Curze suddenly stopped.

He turned around, revealing half of his pale profile to the Great Word Bearers.

"Do you have any favorite specialties, brother?" Konrad Curze Curze asked softly. "Several of the chefs in my legion are from Terra; they can cook many dishes."

Fulgrim turned his head and gave the darkness a smile that was filled with mixed emotions and immense relief.

Lorgar Aurelian slowly opened his mouth, and after a moment of silence, he uttered a grateful, warm voice. "I'm not picky about food, brother!"

"Really?" Curze looked away and continued walking. "That's good, me too."

--

Karyl crouched down and picked up the mangled wreckage of a Combat Servitor from the ground. He looked thoughtfully at the still-sparkling cyborg, reaching out to poke its purple muscles—a color that was clearly not natural.

In reality, every Combat Servitor used for training is injected with a large amount of potent stimulants the moment it starts. It is under the influence of these chemical agents, which are practically poisonous, that they are able to match the Astartes in terms of muscle strength.

Of course, biology is not what he is currently researching; he already has a sufficient understanding of the structure of the human body.

He's currently studying mechanical structures—it sounds a bit strange, but that's the truth.

People always need to keep improving, and in Karyl's view, if he has enough time, then learning new things is certainly not a bad thing.

Unfortunately, he didn't seem to have much talent for mechanics.

On the way back, he kept thinking about how to repair the damaged Combat Servitor. To date, he had completely scrapped twenty-six Combat Servitor. Some had been repaired, but their functions had all changed to some extent.

Or rather, incomplete.

"Tsk"

With a sigh, Karyl put the Servitor down, then turned and left the workbench, walking to the wardrobe.

His office/living room inside the "The Nest" wasn't large, but it was fully equipped, including a wardrobe. Although he didn't have many clothes, it was enough for him to handle various occasions.

He chose a simple suit, changed into it, and left his office.

The full name of the "The Nest" is actually quite formal and very long. To this day, not only Night Lords, but even ordinary people are used to calling this giant structure, which is half underground and half above ground, the Nest.

For those who have never been inside, it is mysterious; for those who have, it is "freezing cold."

No one knows why the inside of the Nest is so cold. A chilling wind blows through the dark corridors, dispersing the thin mist and creating an echoing sound that is almost like a sob. Apart from the absence of cobwebs and dust, it is probably no different from a graveyard.

It's just as eerie and terrifying, as long as you ignore the new blood.

What I mean is, as long as you ignore the fresh blood that's everywhere.

"Instructor!" A group of new recruits in training armor called out to him before scattering and running away.

Karyl could tell at a glance what they were doing—"hunting." If the new recruits participating in the activity weren't completely captured by the veterans hunting them down before midnight, they would receive some rewards.

Those who perform exceptionally well may even earn themselves a Power Weapon; of course, there are also punishments for being caught.

Karyl paused, watching them disappear into the distance. He began to ponder whether to expand the Nest further. The Night Lords were still few in number, but somehow, he felt the Nest was starting to feel somewhat crowded.

As he pondered, another set of footsteps approached, and a hoarse voice rang out. "Instructor, have you seen them?"

Karyl looked up, nodded, then shook his head. "Asking for help is cheating, Vandred."

"I know, but that doesn't stop me from asking," said the warrior known as Vandred, a young but already experienced member of a hunting party from Nostramo.

Karyl chuckled. "I'm not telling you where they are. Find them yourself, Vandred. They've already scattered."

Vandred grinned, letting out a sinister laugh, "I understand."

Watching him walk away, Karyl took a step and walked towards the banquet hall. His expression had returned to calm.

One more chapter.

To reiterate, Chaos does not appear in this volume.