168 Interlude: Rekindling (I)

For a moment during the flight, a bad thought crept up his spine. → It was a deathly silence that should never have been there, a complete stillness, with only the sound of the wind reaching his ears.

He tried to look down, but the clouds obscured everything. So he smashed through the clouds and tried to search the entire dark land, hoping to find even one person still alive.

But another thought lingered in his mind. He wanted to turn back and be with his children and loyal followers. Every second, the urge to turn back grew stronger, but he refused each time.

Then he began to fly at low altitudes, which was extremely painful. The ash would obscure his vision, the power of Chaos would interfere with his judgment and sense of direction, and it would also give him an extremely strong feeling of nausea.

That omnipresent, terrifying force seemed to possess its own consciousness, coveting him. It made no attempt to conceal this greed, even instantly stealing every breath he exhaled.

If these things could be tolerated, then the actions of traitors and Daemon would truly wound his heart.

Civilians, soldiers, Astartes, even the Secutarii —every single person, everyone who tried to resist, was killed and then desecrated in various ways.

Skinning, hanging up, gouging out eyes and hearts—such insane atrocities were commonplace, not even for their own pleasure, but to gain a glimpse of the evil gods' attention.

Everyone should die for something like this.

Sanguinius finished his narration, his expression troubled. He was always like this, tormented by a conflict between duty and compassion. Similar to Vulkan, yet different.

Two Servitor cleaned his wings from behind. They patted out the ashes, picked out the blood and bits of flesh, and rinsed them with cold water. They repeated this process four times until the wings were as white as new. Then they began to clean the feathers, wiping them constantly with scraps of cloth.

The Primarch of the Ninth Legion are born with the ability to fly, but even they must pay the price for taking flight on Terra at this moment.

His brows were furrowed, and even after he had fully poured out his heart in the darkness where only he and his brother existed, the worry that compelled him to furrow his brow had not diminished in the slightest.

The Servitor finished their work half a minute later, carrying away the tattered cloths used to dry their wings, while the figures of the Blood Angels could be faintly seen in the distance.

"So that's it." Sanguinius spoke with an unusual indignation and somber tone. "Just for this, brother, just for this."

Lion El-Jonson did not answer; the Lion Sword and the Wolf Spear were both stuck in the dark soil before him. He lowered his head, staring silently at the ground from which bones were emerging.

His blood-stained blond hair fell to his forehead, his eyes appearing and disappearing behind it, revealing an extraordinary mystery.

Sanguinius was somewhat worried—because he didn't know whether the Lion El'Jonson was thinking or in the midst of some kind of sustained rage, the latter being more likely.

"Lion?" Sanguinius called out again, his voice filled with worry.

"Not worth mentioning," said the Lion El'Jonson.

It took the Baal man a moment to realize what his brother was saying.

"Their thoughts, the hidden truths, or the reasons for their betrayal are all insignificant, Sanguinius."

The Lion El'Jonson continued his narration, his tone calm, as if his words, and indeed the devastation around him, were commonplace. His extraordinary composure far surpassed anything he had ever shown before.

"You've gone astray; you've started to wonder why they betrayed you. But betrayal is betrayal, and betrayers must die."

"Don't dwell on those things; they'll only hinder your sword-wielding speed and dull your edge. Look at all this blasphemous and depraved stuff. Think about it, brother, one of their purposes is to make us worry about it."

His tone was offensive, but Sanguinius didn't get angry. These words didn't sound like something Lion El-Jonson would say, but even if he did, they didn't sound out of place at all.

They are a valuable experience, a treasure enough to save one from suffering.

Sanguinius pondered his brother's words carefully, but he still felt that Lion Aljonson's unusual reaction was more noteworthy than his somewhat wounded pride.

He then came to the conclusion that his brother must have gone through something to have such insights.

Perhaps it will be like what happened to him.

So, should we say it?

The angel hesitated for a few seconds, but finally decided to be clear. "I met Fulgrim. He was alone, fighting them in the darkness. Something was wrong with him."

"Then?"

He's dead.

Lion Aljonson raised his head and stared into the angel's eyes.

"He's dead," Sanguinius repeated, his voice tinged with sorrow and bewilderment. "To be precise, he melted away. He killed a Daemon, and then melted away right before my eyes."

"Impossible," the Lion El'Jonson said firmly. "I just spoke with my father about our situation not long ago; he's with Jaghatai and Ferrus, still fighting."

"But I did see it with my own eyes," Sanguinius said, not wanting to concern himself with Lion's talk of "father" for the time being.

He wanted to see it, but he didn't want to see it now.

"The Fulgrim you saw was alone, brother!" the Lion El'Jonson roared back. "Don't forget that! And don't forget where you are now. This is Terra, once our glorious homeworld, the holy land of humanity, but now it's a shattered and chaotic demon realm. Here, anything can happen."

Sanguinius let out a long sigh.

"I understand, I understand," he answered softly. "It's just that the realization of this makes me very uneasy. If Fulgrim can also be fabricated into a phantom, and a puppet almost indistinguishable from the real thing, then what about the rest of us?"

"I suggest you put aside this philosophical thought for now," the Lion El'Jonson said, shaking his head.

As if by some kind of coincidence, the ground began to shake as soon as he finished speaking.

The Lion El'Jonson looked back and saw large swathes of darkness looming in the thick fog, the headlights piercing the Radiance and creating a ghostly sense of dread.

That was his troops; the First Legion had just swept the battlefield again, killing the enemy and searching for survivors. They hadn't concealed their movements, no one wanted to do so, or anything else that might attract the enemy's attention.

In reality, every Dark Angels hopes that the traitors will find them by following the trail they left behind.

They haven't killed enough yet.

But then again, have they now arrived at the foot of the Astronomican? This description might sound strange, but if you close your eyes, you can see the dim, towering pillar of fire shining right before your eyes.

So, this is it. Therefore, they will begin establishing defensive positions here. Thus, clearing the battlefield is essential.

You must thoroughly understand everything around your position before you can station your troops there. Only the most foolish and incompetent commander would station troops in a position where the surrounding situation is unknown.

The Lion El'Jonson turned its head.

"Did you gather those armored units?" Sanguinius asked in a more relaxed tone, seemingly trying to lighten the mood. "They look like they have at least a regiment."

"No, they are my armored forces," the Lion El'Jonson replied expressionlessly. "The First Legion brought 140,000 troops to support Terra. It could be fewer, it could be more. I haven't compiled casualty figures."

Sanguinius was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "You brought heavy firepower and armored units as well?"

"Yes."

"How did you do that?" Sanguinius asked incredulously. "Our ships can't even get close to near-Earth orbit... When did you arrive on Terra, Lion? I haven't seen any of your legion's ships near Terra."

"We didn't come by boat," the Lion El'Jonson said, then paused. "Not exactly, but it wasn't the kind of boat you're familiar with. Also, Russ is dead."

"."

The Lion El'Jonson received no answer, only the howling wind. He had to look at Sanguinius' face again, when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a blurry point of light.

People often like to romanticize and poeticize the passing of the deceased, trying to construct the ridiculous illusion that the soul of the departed will forever accompany their loved ones. However, this is not the case.

Death is death. The dead cannot be brought back to life. Even if they have souls, their souls should go somewhere else.

But

Lion Aldoussen stared blankly at the blurry point of light that appeared behind Sanguinius.

The person inside the spot of light looked back with a grin.

"Father sent me with a message." He winked. "I've been waiting here for ages, Lion. I thought you weren't going to tell our angel where I was, but you did."

"However, I'm quite satisfied with this statement. Ha, Russ is dead, and it's even followed by a joke that's not exactly a joke. Not bad, not bad. Haven't I told you that deep down you actually have that Fenrisian spirit?"

The Lion El'Jonson reached out and grasped the Wolf Spear.

"Oh, I'm not some illusion, or a figment of your imagination." The figure in the light shrugged. "Don't think you're crazy; you're not. Besides, I suggest you learn to adapt to my presence. For now, only you can see me, and you must see me."

His expression suddenly turned serious, but his words did not.

"I've finally got a legitimate chance to chatter in your ear without getting kicked out, Lion."

The Lion El'Jonson took a deep breath.

"Oh, was I supposed to deliver a message? Ah, remember this: Fulgrim, Ferrus, and Jaghatai will be here soon. As soon as they arrive, the Gates of the Astronomican will open. You must hurry inside, understand? Don't forget!"

The light faded, the wind continued, and Sanguinius sighed, patted his shoulder, and silently walked out of the darkness reserved for the two of them, returning to gather his legions.

Lion Alderson watched him walk away, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

He remained silent for a long while, then suddenly roared, "Luther!"

Update complete.