The Horn of battle was about to sound, and cold killing intent filled every corner of the steel Bridge like something tangible.
Yet before the hum of charging weapons could fill that unbearably taut silence, something utterly different—a sensation that pierced straight into the soul—plunged without warning into the consciousness of everyone present.
"My name... is... Apophis..."
Each word carried a cold, grating quality and overlapping echoes displaced through time and space, as though it came from an impossibly distant, ancient past, yet whispered right beside their ears.
The message was not received through hearing. It erupted directly in the minds of everyone with basic psychic perception or relatively weak mental defenses.
Whether they were resolute officers of the Word Bearers, silent Tech-Priests, or Mortals still unsettled by Lorgar's recent psychic surge, all of them "heard" that eerie name at the same instant.
Seras already had his hand on his sword hilt, ready to fight at any moment.
The muscles of Hercules's massive body instantly tensed, and ferocity flared in his eyes like an enraged beast.
Even the perpetually composed Anastasia had a brief flicker of data pass through her silver-gray eyes, indicating that she was analyzing an anomalous psychic signal.
Several stifled groans and sharp gasps sounded across the Bridge. Some Mortals turned pale and instinctively clutched their foreheads.
Lorgar stood before the command dais, his golden eyes narrowing slightly.
The sudden psychic transmission did not inspire the fear or shock that gripped the Mortals around him.
Instead, a faint trace of curiosity crossed his eyes, almost scholarly in its interest.
"Hmm?" Lorgar gave an ambiguous murmur, breaking the brief paralysis induced by the psychic impact.
"This Rangdan Xenos... can speak? And introduce itself by name?"
His tone was calm, even faintly amused.
Over his years in the Great