Stars streamed through the corridor's glass windows like a golden waterfall, spilling over Akurduana's face.
That light came from the yellow Stars at the center of a distant system. After its long journey through space, it passed through the warship's viewport and finally fell upon the face of the Emperor's Children's First Captain.
Yet beneath that supposedly warm and gentle light, a trace of coldness appeared on his handsome face.
It was a coldness like a polar glacier, a chill that sank into the marrow without the slightest trace of warmth.
His features were exquisite and flawless, like a classical sculptor's proudest creation, but the light in his eyes was like the stars on a winter night, cold and distant.
"Master, you're here?"
Lucius's voice rang through the corridor, carrying a hint of relieved joy.
The moment he saw Akurduana, his tense body relaxed a little.
In his eyes, his master was one of the strongest warriors in the entire Legion, and the man most likely to persuade the Primarch to change his mind.
"Master, you've come at just the right time. Come with us to see Father—he must have received faulty intelligence to order an orbital bombardment of Olympia. If we explain everything together and tell him that our own brothers are still on the ground, along with a hundred and sixty thousand warriors of the Iron Warriors Legion, he'll surely call off the bombardment."
Akurduana listened to Lucius without saying a word.
He simply stood there quietly, like a silent statue. His gaze lingered on Lucius's face for a moment before shifting to Chelast and Tarvitz behind him.
His lips were pressed together slightly, as though he were weighing how to begin.
"Master, what exactly happened?" A trace of unease and confusion began to creep into Lucius's voice.