35. The Night Haunter's Sons (II)

I lost control.

Karyl exhaled a trembling breath and slowly loosened his still tense hands.

He was still regretting what had happened; he had promised Konrad Curze to take a good look at them instead of nearly strangling a Chapter Master upon their first meeting.

Moreover, as Kaul said, Skaradrik was innocent. Kormi's death was purely accidental, merely a chain reaction.

She was crushed to death by the Emperor statue that was toppled by the shockwave from Skaradrik's landing. The whole process was not clearly targeted, and the two had no grudge against each other.

Although Kormi's soul witnessed everything due to the overwhelming intensity of hatred at the time, she said nothing. Instead, after learning everything, she readily forgave the unsuspecting Skaradrik and joyfully headed towards her resting place within the Realm of Vengeance.

There, things she never dared to dream of having in her life were finally realized after her death.

There are no more shift work in the factory or endless internal audits, and no more worrying about physical exhaustion, falling asleep trembling with fear of tomorrow.

All these things had vanished completely, and in the final moment, the only thing she held in her hand was a peaceful slumber.

However, while Kormi, a commoner, could give up all of this, the God of Vengeance could not.

The god of Vengeance is impartial and all-pervasive; He desires to hold onto any grudge until He squeezes out its sweet blood.

Even if the victims had no desire for Vengeance, He would force them. If it weren't for Karyl's awakening, this feud would have been completely resolved the moment Skaradrik ascended to the Realm of Vengeance.

Kormi will be forced to awaken from her long slumber, and the god of Vengeance will personally place the blade into her hand until one of them dies completely.

Yes, this is the truth about the so-called God of Vengeance —all along, it has only been Karyl Lohars who has adhered to the principles. As for the deity behind him, He cares nothing.

Karyl sighed, realizing that he had been affected.

In the past, his human side influenced and dominated the gathered divinity. Now, however, the situation has been reversed.

He imprisoned himself, enduring countless indescribable years. Even after his escape, how much of his unwavering willpower remained to control his body?

Unlike him, that divine body had genuinely spent ten thousand years in the Realspace; it was no longer the god who could be Deceit by simple tricks.

Although He still lacks any real intelligence, the more rigid and inflexible a God is, the more terrifying He becomes.

Karyl frowned deeply, once again filled with profound doubt about his resurrection.

Looking back now, Litatera was indeed a proper altar, but by what right did it allow a god's humanity to so easily escape the prison He had built for Himself?

This doesn't make sense at all. There's only one planet in the galaxy capable of generating such power, but it's already shattered.

Karyl remained silent, finding it increasingly difficult to understand—yes, he knew the Emperor had definitely played a part behind this, but he was the only one supporting him.

That's not enough, far from enough.

So, who else is pushing for this?

A few seconds later, after eliminating all the impossible answers, a name that shouldn't have appeared slowly emerged.

It rose defied common sense from beyond the world of logic, and once it appeared, it left a deep mark on Karyl's mind, forcing him to look back from this moment on, to grasp and sniff out every tiny trace that could not be called evidence.

He was as focused as a hunting beast, yet as calm as a drowned corpse slumbering beneath a frozen lake.

Only at this moment did he resemble the person he was ten thousand years ago.

Tzeentch.

Karyl murmured the name to himself.

Nine seconds later, he received a faint chuckle. This was tantamount to confirmation; the Tzeentch was frighteningly honest at this moment, readily admitting that He was behind it all.

But is that really the case?

Karyl remained silent for a long while, then took out a bloodstained bone from his pocket. The blood that had once stained it still lingered on it, changing its color and making it look extremely gruesome. He held it tightly, seemingly hesitating whether he should wear it.

The idea was very tempting; by wearing it, one could briefly invoke authority to gain more power. He had many questions that required communication with Terra from afar, and Malcador would surely be able to answer them for him.

However, in the past, he wouldn't have needed to seek the power of authority. But things are different now. The galaxy is now filled with violent Warp Storm, and moreover, he is in Litatera, where a genuine invocation ritual has just ended.

A dead end?

Karyl narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and then calmed down completely—there was absolutely no need for him to be in such a hurry; one should not rush things.

Moreover, he was dealing with Tzeentch.

The laughter faded away sadly.

Silently, Karyl put the bone mask back into his pocket, then left his room, his heart filled with helplessness.

There was a time when he didn't need such self-admonitions, but now he has to be so cautious and careful. And this is just the beginning.

Karyl understood that he had to find a way to manage those uncontrollable emotions; otherwise, who could guarantee he would have enough self-control for the next outburst?

If bloodshed does occur

He didn't want to think about it anymore, and instead began to redouble his efforts to control the unruly and restless thoughts in his mind.

They might be a sentence, an impulse, or simply an abstract concept that doesn't take any form, but they all flow with blood and are filled with extreme impulses.

This was indeed unavoidable; he had locked himself in darkness for far too long, so long that that eternal moment had truly and irreparably wounded him.

Karyl still remembered how he treated Lorgar's body after he escaped. Even in the best of words, it was a brutal murder, and certainly not for Vengeance.

Perhaps, objectively speaking, he did indeed accomplish this. But at the time, he felt no righteous indignation, only a surge of pleasure from exercising extreme violence.

It's as if he was born this way—no, born a monster.

Have I really turned into a monster?

He slowly stopped and turned to look at another corner in the darkness.

There, the Daemon named Laerhe resided. Its temporary host, a Vindicators named Tujea, stared at him in utter shock.

"Hello," Karyl greeted. "This should be our first formal meeting, Mr. Tujea."

"Hello, sir," the Vindicators replied, swallowing hard.

He had clearly heard something from Laerhe that he shouldn't have known, and the fear he was showing now came from it.

Karyl understood him, and therefore waved his hand rather sternly to stop Laerhe from dragging him toward him.

The cloak slumped down listlessly, completely enveloping Tujea's body, rendering him lifeless. The Vindicators himself clearly knew why, and the fear he thought he had hidden so well finally subsided somewhat.

"I'm sorry," Karyl said. "Laerhe isn't exactly a creature that likes to follow orders, and it must have caused you a lot of trouble these past few days."

Laerhe?

Tujea nodded hesitantly, then said, "I understand—but is there any way to get it, uh, away from me?"

The corner of Laerhe that had been drooping to the ground now stood up dangerously, as if harboring great dissatisfaction with what he had said. Countless scarlet beastly eyes gradually opened in the silk-like darkness, and though only for a moment, they were genuine.

Karyl glanced at it, forced it to calm down again, and only after making sure it wasn't making any sudden movements did he begin to answer Tujea's question.

"It's certainly not a good choice to keep a Vindicators a creature like it, but we have no other choice now, Mr. Tujea. Everything you've been through has had a profound impact on you, and to protect you, Laerhe may have to stay with you."

His words made Tujea lick his lips nervously. The Vindicators was clearly not happy about the matter, and moreover, he had no choice. Tujea remained silent for a moment, then quickly nodded, turned, and left the darkness, behaving quite tactfully.

Karyl watched him leave, ignoring Laerhe's thoughts, which were completely transparent to him. He couldn't let them return to him yet, even if it would help in some way.

The investigator named Tujea needed it far more than he did.

Karyl pondered these things as he continued onward until he reached a meeting room inside the fortress, finally emerging from the darkness.

Kaul and Sheher had been waiting there for some time, and the recent incident had not disrupted their planned pace and rhythm.

However, witnessing Karyl emerge from the darkness still gave the Supreme Grand Master of the Blade of Judgement a shock.

Yes, the sons of the Night Haunter are adept at operating in the dark or shadows, and stealth skills are a top priority in the training of new recruits.

Every recruit must complete a solo infiltration mission at some point in order to prove their "independent" ability.

But what does this mean?

Sheher was quite certain that their "instructor" had never actually been in this conference room before. What, then, was the connection between his demonstrated ability and stealth?

Stealth is a skill that trumps everything; even with years of training, one must remain constantly vigilant. And now, frankly, Sheher was thinking of another king of assassins in the galaxy, and his offspring.

However, their talents seem to be somewhat different from what is happening before his eyes.

Sheher himself couldn't explain where this feeling came from. He only felt that it was definitely not any kind of "stealth" ability he knew.

Karyl understood the complexity in his eyes perfectly, but offered no explanation. He himself didn't understand why his skill had mutated into this form after that eternal moment of torment.

Therefore, even if we explain, it will only mislead people. It's better to remain silent and wait for a good opportunity to fully reveal these matters.

Don't get me wrong, Karyl isn't a friend of his, nor does he have any mystical tendencies. He simply believes he doesn't currently possess the ability to explain things to others. He himself only has a superficial understanding of many things, so how can he offer explanations to others?

"Instructor."

Kaul bowed in greeting. Sheher followed closely behind, performing the etiquette flawlessly.

He now had a strong urge to go aboard the Nightfall and peruse the Book of Night; he wanted to read Konrad Curze Curze's own writings and the descriptions of Karyl Lohars.

Sheher really wanted to find some clues; otherwise, he truly had no way of connecting this enigmatic and violent man with the eternally calm figure in the book.

Karyl nodded slightly to them, a few thoughts flashing through his mind. He was trying hard to control them, but he couldn't help but express his coldness in his words.

"You don't need to treat me with such respect. In fact, you don't even need to ask me for any advice; I can't help you."

Kaul nodded, seemingly ignoring the remark, and instead brought up a message that had just arrived from the orbit of the Litatera: "The brothers of the Mother Company have sent back a message from the Nightfall: the traitors have completely retreated and escaped into the Warp."

"They didn't choose to pursue?" Sheher asked, frowning. "That seems somewhat out of character for Chapter Master Sevatarion."

"Because he's not in command right now," Kaul said expressionlessly. "The Chief Librarian is temporarily in command, and the Sevatarion Chapter Master's whereabouts are currently unknown."

"Where is he missing?" Sheher's brow furrowed even more. "Shouldn't he be on the Nightfall? Why is he missing?"

"The communication link is being established, Grand Master." Kaul gave him a forced smile. "Therefore, if you have many questions, we might as well move to the positions outside the fortress. My brothers have already set up the communications array there, and I believe you will soon get your answers there."

Sheher looked at him, puzzled, not understanding why Kaul had suddenly become so harsh.

He naturally didn't know the reason, and Kaul wouldn't tell him the reason on his own initiative—from any perspective, this matter was not appropriate to mention in front of another Chapter Master.

He walked to the door on his own, pushed it open, and turned to look at Karyl, casting a questioning glance at him.

He received a calm nod and a word of assurance.

"He'll be back soon," Karyl said. "Jago has many rights, but not rest or sleep."

After saying this, he took the lead and left the conference room.