Even Space Marines would feel a chill under Konrad Curze's gaze, let alone these officials and nobles. They felt their blood freezing and their hearts ceasing to beat, like helpless lumps of meat beneath a butcher's knife.
The corner of Konrad Curze's mouth lifted slightly. He withdrew his gaze and went still behind Fulgrim.
Was that a warning?
Fulgrim could not help but read into Konrad Curze's behavior. Suspicion and scrutiny appeared beneath his gentle, friendly expression. He turned to look at Vulkan and found that he was still troubled by the crowd's excessive fervor, smiling as he explained the origins of his black skin and red eyes.
It doesn't matter. I alone am enough.
Fulgrim made up his mind and had no desire to waste further time on these people. He went straight to the point. "Since there are demons, do you have any traces of them?"
As he spoke, Fulgrim strode into the spire. No one could stop him; they could only hurry along behind him. Several officials rushed to get ahead of Fulgrim, but their utterly impractical robes tangled around their feet and tripped them.
He pushed open the doors and entered the spire. What he saw in the hall immediately reminded Fulgrim of his fallen past. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of hooked chains hung from the ceiling, each suspending a human bound in restraints. They wailed and begged their executioners for mercy, but received no kindness. Instead, they only brought further atrocities upon themselves.
Why hadn't this place erupted with Khorne's corruption and Slaanesh's corruption already? Fulgrim's eyelids twitched as his alarm deepened. Then he suddenly recalled the information from the earlier meeting in the Throne Room: as a gesture of sincerity, Tzeentch had recalled all demons invading reality.
The problem was that Tzeentch had only informed