31: Visit of the Raven (Final)

Al Phall remained extremely silent, clearly aware that he had realized something. However, Corius Corax would not let the matter pass so easily.

He's been patient enough; some things just need to be resolved.

Or rather, there is far more than one issue to be resolved.

"Aren't you going to answer me, Al?" Corax asked flatly. "Very well, the celebration has a long way to go, we have plenty of time to resolve many issues."

He turned around and walked towards his company commander, his steps very steady.

Al Phall was encased in his Terminator, all systems functioning normally, including the thermostat. Logically, he shouldn't feel any cold. Yet, he was shivering.

It was almost terrifying.

In his perception, Kolus Corax was roaring.

"I have finished reading the Legion's past battle reports." The Primarch of the Nineteenth Legion stopped and stood before his guards, speaking slowly.

"You've preserved these paper documents very well; I've read them all. Their thickness tells me that you achieved numerous honors long before I returned. Each of you has a broader perspective than I do; I have no doubt that even a recruit who has been in the army for less than three years has seen more of the stars than I have."

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping across the face of each Raven Guard with piercing intensity.

"... and you've killed more people than I have. In that respect, I understand your protectiveness towards me, Al. I understand where it comes from, but I don't like it."

"Actually, this protective tendency you're displaying disgusts me quite a bit. I can accept good intentions, but I can't accept the thoughts hidden behind them. You spoke up for my brother because you thought I couldn't answer his question?"

"No, you answered for me only because you felt he wasn't apologizing, but testing me. If I accept this apology without any reaction, it will change the relationship between the Midnight Blade and the Raven Guard, and the Eighth Legion will gain the upper hand."

"Therefore, you must speak for me, you must imply to him in a strong tone: 'The Raven Guard are not afraid of bloodshed, nor of sacrifice,' is that right, Al?"

Al Phall remained silent. Not because he didn't want to speak, but because he didn't know what to say.

Kolus Corax dissected almost every thought in his mind, every word a truth, every syllable like a scalpel cutting straight into his heart and brain.

Their exposure to the public made his body tremble even more violently. It would eventually reach a critical point, but not now.

"Where did you get that conclusion?" Corax asked softly.

His voice was soft yet grating, as clear as blood slipping from between his teeth. Not a single Raven Guard dared to look him in the eye at that moment.

"Company Commander Al probably didn't mean that, Corax," Curze interjected at the opportune moment. "Your words were too harsh on him."

"Perhaps." The Lord of the Ravens nodded slowly. "Perhaps I've truly misunderstood. After all, I'm still too young. I've only been in space for a year. I'm far inferior to my legions, who had already fought for humanity for many years before my return."

He lowered his head and looked at Al. His gaze at that moment was sharper than swords and colder than the abyss.

"For example, the Battle of Hell Anvil," Corax said, "Is a small part of the Nineteenth Legion's great achievements."

The word he mentioned caused Anric Barbatos, who was standing nearby, to frown immediately. He lowered his head and shook his head slightly at the Night Lords, but his Primarch gave him a calm look, indicating that there was no need to panic.

"Once again, you've partnered with Luna Wolves. Why are you always with them? I'll leave that aside for now, Al. I want to ask you, are the descriptions in the battle reports accurate?"

"."

"Is it true, Al?"

"Indeed, Primarch." Al raised his head, the face of the Raven Guard 1st Company Commander was extremely pale. But he did not stop his narration. In fact, what he said next could be described as detailed and without any concealment.

"The people of Balatrum were unwilling to surrender to the Imperium; their rulers were foolish and short-sighted, unable to see the consequences. So we went with the sons of Horus."

"Hell Anvil is the name of a fortress; it's so vast that it even includes heavily fortified underground defenses. Nerat Killing proposed a plan during our discussion to use orbital bombardment against Strike Cruiser to trigger geological explosions, thereby destroying Hell Anvil's underground defenses."

"His plan succeeded; part of the walls of the Hell Anvil collapsed, creating a breach, and then..."

Corax gently took over Al's words and continued in a chillingly rational tone. There was not a trace of anger in his voice, just as there was not a trace of sarcasm in his previous words.

However, everyone knows the Primarch's true emotions.

No one is truly a fool who can't hear what Kolus Corax is hiding.

"Then, you ordered three regiments of the Sorocia Vanguard Regiment to fight at the breach. You sent them to confront the Balatrum's drones and ignored their requests for assistance. Not only you, but the Luna Wolves did the same."

"You know perfectly well what unmanned combat aircraft are, and you understand that the elite troops can't fight them and win, but you don't care."

"You waited until all three large regiments were wiped out before entering the breach. By then, the number of drones had been greatly reduced, and they were no longer capable of resisting you. Brilliant tactics, Al."

Konrad Curze Curze shrugged at his brother's compliment.

"But that's far from the main point. After entering the depths of Hell Anvil, you discovered the plasma reactor and its guardians. To achieve your strategic objectives, you blew it up without communicating with the Sorocia Vanguard Regiment beforehand. When the plasma reactor was detonated, Hell Anvil collapsed, and the Balatrum people surrendered unconditionally."

"But what will be the price, Al?"

"The Sorocia Vanguard Regiment suffered nearly 30,000 casualties, many of whom died in the chain reaction explosions caused by the reactor. This battle was documented in great detail by you, and the methods of preservation were meticulous."

"You seem to genuinely consider this an honor, but I don't see it that way. This isn't honor; it's a disgrace. Didn't anyone in the entire legion voice any objections? Didn't anyone think you shouldn't have sent the soldiers of the Sorocia Vanguard Regiment to their deaths?"

Al clenched his fists in silence, allowing the trembling in his fingers to subside for a moment. A few seconds later, he mustered his courage and spoke again. This time, his voice sounded as if someone had slit his trachea with a knife.

"Yes. But war inevitably brings sacrifices, Primarch. We will not shirk our responsibilities, and those mortals should not shirk theirs either. The soldiers of the Sorocia Vanguard Regiment were also commended after the war, and the names of the fallen have not been forgotten."

"So, do you believe they sacrificed themselves voluntarily?"

"But we have triumphed," Al Phall replied with difficulty. "We have been rewarded, Primarch, by Lord Horus himself."

"So what?"

"If a method has been proven effective, and effective many times, how can you say it is wrong?"

Corax didn't answer, but instead curled the corners of his mouth into a half-smile as he looked at his company commander.

At this moment, he finally showed some kind of emotional reaction, but even Konrad Curze Curze looked away and did not look directly at the Lord of the Ravens' face.

Night Lords lowered his head thoughtfully, Al why Arkas Phall had mentioned the name Horus so many times.

"So this is why Colonel Sol of Attila Expeditionary Force was unwilling to cooperate with us. So this is what you were like before my return."

Kolus Corax looked up and sighed softly.

"What an arrogant statement! Mortals shouldn't shirk their responsibilities. Your words overflow with a sense of superiority, a contempt for their lives. Al, you've never disgusted me as much as you do now. Never."

"But they are soldiers, Primarch! They go to the battlefield to sacrifice and to win!"

Al Phall's tone finally changed, revealing a second commonality between him and his Primarch, aside from their appearance.

A genuine rage was simmering on that face, as pale as alabaster, just like Corax's. Yet, at the same time, his eyes never met those of his Primarch. Not even once, despite Corax's countless attempts to meet his gaze.

Anger and cowardice coexisted contradictorily at this moment.

"Yes, that's right, you're correct. But what gives you the right to decide their lives?"

The Lord of the Ravens asked in disappointment, "Is it because you are Astartes and they are ordinary soldiers? Then, if I banish you, so that you can never return to the Legion, or even more cruelly, send you to your deaths, what would you think?"

Al was stunned—like anyone who has strayed from the right path for years and only by chance realizes where they are on their journey, he was stunned.

He suddenly realized that the path he was on was not a smooth road, but a dead end with no way back. Beneath the road lay piles of bones and endless bloodshed. Kolus Corax's words revealed to him a possible future.

Al couldn't help but immerse himself in that scenario, and then he came to a conclusion that he couldn't bear.

He wouldn't accept it, at least not willingly. In fact, he would be filled with resentment. He would never accept the honor he and his brothers had built up being erased, nor would he accept being exiled.

Compared to this, being forced to sacrifice oneself becomes an acceptable ending. However, in Corax's words, this option is the last one listed, a "more cruel" choice.

This means that if Kolus Corax is truly disillusioned, he will certainly choose to exile them.

In some ways, this was even more unacceptable to Phall Al than death itself.

Trembling, he tried to speak, but Corax didn't give him the chance. The Lord of the Ravens had already returned to his seat, seemingly no longer intending to continue this debate.

As if burned by flames, a complex emotion rose within Al that he himself did not know how to describe. His eyes darted around haphazardly, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught the gazes of the Midnight Blade.

That look in his eyes seemed to hold both pity and relief. These two emotions combined completely ignited Al's emotions—he couldn't help but take a step forward, wanting to go up to Kolus Corax and tell his Primarch everything.

Al wanted to tell him the fact that the Nineteenth Legion had to cooperate with Luna Wolves until his return.

He wanted to tell him how long they had been waiting for him.

He wanted to tell him how difficult it was for a legion without Primarch, with limited power and no base of operations, to survive within the Imperium.

The hand of friendship extended by Luna Wolves was tinged with ulterior motives, and Horus Lupercal's kindness also carried deep hidden meanings. Al was not blind to this, but the Nineteenth Legion had no choice.

He tried to do it, but he failed. He took only one step, and a large, chilling hand landed on his shoulder. The coldness pierced through his armor and froze his soul.

Immediately afterwards, a soft voice sounded in his ear.

"Don't rush, the main event will begin after Company Commander Al Phall's celebration."

Update complete.

These past few days I've been updating 7k-8k words a day, a small challenge for myself.

By the way, I'd like to recommend this book, Warhammer: The Purple Phoenix Reborn.