45: Those Trapped in the Past

Akurduana gripped his boning knife.

"Continue." A cold voice commanded from the platform. "I want to see if the Emperor's Children's first swordsman is truly as skilled as he claims."

As soon as he finished speaking, the four iron gates slowly rose, and four Astartes emerged from them. They wore no training armor, were all shirtless, and each had a ferocious wolf's head tattooed on their chest.

Akurduana was used to similar tattoos; back when the Sons of Horus were still the Luna Wolves, they were known for their thriving warrior society culture. The fact that these four had the same tattoo meant they came from the same warrior society.

It doesn't matter.

He gripped the knife tightly and slowly raised his right hand. The edge of the blade pressed against his face, the coldness and the stickiness of blood bursting into his senses at that moment. His warrior braid was wrapped around his neck, as always.

He took a deep breath, said nothing more, and the bloody battle began immediately.

The first man lost his life a second after he launched his charge, misjudging the speed at which Akurduana swung his knife—a mistake that has cost many dearly.

Enraged by his brother's death, the second man brandished his Lightning Claw, ready to tear his face and head apart.

Akurduana didn't give him the chance. He took a slight step back, dodging the attack by the narrowest of margins, and then slashed off the right hand that attacked him, followed by another strike.

Without mercy, without hesitation.

This was no longer a mere friendly sparring match or a legion exchange; it was a genuine fight to the death.

The boning knife lived up to its name, slicing the man in two from his left shoulder, blood splattering everywhere, but the attack from the third person had already begun.

He chose to attack Akurduana's free left hand and legs. Akurduana noticed the attack out of the corner of his eye and even saw the trajectory of the sword before it was swung down.

He understood that if this strike landed, it would be extremely brutal. The man would immediately twist his wrist and swing his sword to decapitate him. His gait and upper body posture both indicated this.

Akurduana then drew his second knife and parried the attack.

He was a dual-wielder, but few could make him wield both swords simultaneously. This man did it, albeit through a despicable sneak attack, but he truly succeeded.

"Your name?" In the split second between life and death, Akurduana asked this question softly.

His warrior braid, stained with blood, danced in the air, yet remained beautiful. Sadly, the man didn't answer, only grinned maliciously and chased after him.

A fourth man, wielding a giant axe, swung at him. The Emperor's Children narrowed his eyes, slightly raised his shoulders, and began to dance with his saber, which instantly transformed into death itself.

With his first strike, he severed the third man's hands. With his second, he beheaded him. With his third, he shattered the fourth man's kneecaps. The giant collapsed with a thud, and before he could even scream, Akurduana's fourth strike had already arrived.

Another head rolled to the ground.

"That was brilliant," said the person on the platform. "I admit it, you truly possess the skill to be called the greatest swordsman, Akurduana."

This title has nothing to do with you; traitor.

Akurduana murmured those words to himself and lowered his head.

He didn't want that person to see his hateful gaze, and he didn't even want to call the person by name. The name he knew was the complete opposite of the person sitting on the platform.

He gripped his knife, awaiting the next battle. He knew this fight wouldn't continue like this; even if he survived today, more people would challenge him tomorrow.

"Go back and rest." The person on the platform laughed, his laughter sounding almost like an echo in the darkness.

Silence reigned all around, bearing no resemblance to the battlefield in Akurduana's memory. Even the Sons of Horus remained silent, as if they too feared the one who had spoken.

Akurduana remained standing with his head down. A few seconds later, one of the four iron doors slowly opened. Only then did he raise his head to look inside, where there was deep darkness and a stench of decay assaulted his nostrils.

Akurduana threw down his sword, found the magnetic shackles on the sidelines, put them on himself, and returned to his cell with his head held high. He refused to let those so-called Sons of Horus touch his body.

Leaning against the cold steel, he slowly sat down, his bare upper body covered in blood and sweat. Just then, he remembered Fulgrim.

To be precise, he recalled the battle three days earlier between Fulgrim and Horus Lupercal on the Vengeful Spirit.

That battle brought the Emperor's Children to this state, and it was also that battle that humiliated the Pride of the Emperor, who suffered a complete defeat for the first time, just like them.

All these things, including the deaths of his brothers, echoed in Akurduana's mind, and then, once again, he thought of Fulgrim.

--

"You are no longer my brother," the Fulgrim said in despair. "You are merely a Shadow, a twisted monster."

Trembling yet resolute, he drew his Fireblade. The masterpiece forged by Ferrus Manus burst forth with unprecedented Radiance, almost illuminating the dark hall of the Vengeful Spirit.

Faced with such a threat, Horus Lupercal, still seated on his Throne, let out a muffled chuckle from beneath his drastically altered armor.

He slowly stood up, his face pale, and his eyes no longer held their former friendliness. They were now bloodshot eyes, and a mere glance from them was enough to send chills down one's spine.

"You don't understand, Fulgrim," he said in a gentle tone. "At least you don't understand now. The Emperor and his lies are still at work in your heart; they are influencing you, preventing you from seeing the truth."

"Think about it, proud phoenix. How many lies has he told us? I should have realized it sooner, from the moment he ordered the killing of our two brothers without hesitation. He's just an ambitious man; he's not a 'father' at all."

"Their deaths were necessary," Fulgrim, his tone suddenly turning cold.

"Their actions led to their downfall. War is brutal, and the Great Crusade is a collection of countless brutal wars. A father can be a father, but he must be the Emperor. You are still trying to find love in him, just as before. You will not get what you want, Horus."

"Really? Then, in your opinion, what will I get?"

"Death," said the phoenix.

He raised his sword, his hands no longer trembling, only steady.

Horus laughed loudly and charged towards him, the cold, sharp light of his Lightning Claw already beginning to surge.

--

Akurduana slowly awoke from his reverie, hearing footsteps. He looked up and saw a familiar figure through the cold prison window.

"Fabius Bile Bile." The Emperor's Children uttered the name in an aria-like tone, his lips radiating only cold hatred, devoid of any former brotherly affection.

"Akurduana." Fabius Bile Bile, dressed in Apothecary's robe, bowed and greeted him. "You played very well today."

"You did a good job too, Bile. You betrayed us."

"I don't."

"Really? How did Horus and his pack of bastards get the boarding keys within five minutes of the battle starting?" Akurduana sneered. "Don't say it wasn't you, Bile. I may be tired, hungry, and filled with hatred, but I'm not out of my mind. I know it was you, we all know."

Fabius Bile Bile remained silent for a few seconds without offering any answer. He seemed to have aged somewhat, which was almost impossible for an Astartes, and his silver hair, inherited from Fulgrim, now appeared to be leaning more towards white.

And Akurduana continues.

"I will kill you," he said. "Everyone, everyone involved will die, Bile. And I will watch you die, I will look into your eyes and tell you what you really are."

"Fulgrim is not dead," Fabius Bile Bile suddenly said. "He's still alive."

Before the words had even finished, a violent crash echoed through the darkness, almost like thunder. Akurduana roared as he approached the cell door, staring intently into Bile's eyes through the peephole. "You have no right to mention his name again!"

You don't understand.

"Shut up! Traitor!"

"Let me finish, Akurduana, I—"

"--Shut your mouth full of lies and go join Horus's pack of dogs!" Akurduana sneered and cursed.

"Damn it, listen to me!" Fabius Bile Bile roared back, throwing a left punch that slammed into the cell door. The alarm was triggered, but strangely, no guards came.

The air inside the Vengeful Spirit reeked of decay, and from the deepest darkness, something cast its gaze upon this place.

"Fulgrim is alive!" Fabius Bile Bile repeated. "He's not dead, Horus didn't kill him! He asked me to treat him, and he said he would persuade Fulgrim to change his mind and stand with him. He said he saw these things, do you understand?"

"What are you talking about? You saw it?" Akurduana took a few steps back, his anger suddenly subsiding by at least half. "Are you crazy, Bile?"

"I didn't," Fabius Bile Bile took a deep breath. "You're the one who doesn't understand. You have no idea what the Warmaster is capable of. He revealed a future to me, a future in which we—never mind."

He exhaled a breath of cold air, took a few steps back, and opened the cell door.

"Come with me, I'll take you to see Fulgrim." Fabius Bile Bile turned and left.

One more chapter.