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Chapter 166: "In Future of 30k, there is Game?"
Dying screams swept through every city like a tide.
Within the crystal buildings and wide streets, members of the Randan race decayed on the spot. Their bodies fell apart into flowing gore.
The aliens died in the crowded streets, shrieking hatred and fear at the sky. They begged their gods for salvation.
Millions of beings screamed at the same time. The sound mixed into a deathly wind filled with black matter.
A Randan priest with terrifying psychic power floated into the air. He intended to use his abilities to stop the spread of death. When he tried to speak, to praise the ancient gods and beg for their mercy, he merely coughed out black dust. The virus had already consumed his internal organs.
The next second, he fell like a shot bird, tumbling down toward his dying people below.
The slaughter continued for several hours. Not only the Randan, but even the entire planet's ecosystem suffered terrible damage. When the last Randan member fell, the virus began to consume itself.
At this point, the entire planet was covered in a thick cloud of flammable toxic gas.
"Execute the final procedure; let it burn," the captain ordered.
The battleship's lance easily pierced the upper atmosphere and plunged into the incredibly dense toxic fog. With a muffled thud, the scorching beam ignited the gas cloud, causing the entire planet to burn.
Looking down from the void, one could see the entire world burning fiercely. Firestorms raged across the ground, swirling back and forth. They destroyed the cities carefully built by the Randan race, turning them into charred ruins.
When everything ended, the land turned crimson. All life on the planet was gone.
The extermination order in the Gellan Star System was merely the beginning. The Randan race's void fleet suffered terrible losses in Gellan and lost their ability to fight back. They could only passively defend in their important star systems.
But facing the Empire's relentless attack, their territories fell one after another. Thousands of worlds were bombed with viral weapons. Countless beings dissolved into rotting matter, producing dense, flammable gases. Then, these planets were ignited and burned to ashes.
The Randan race, initially arrogant, slowly turned to fear and despair.
The death of an entire species stirred up terrifying waves in the Immaterium. Pain, despair, and fear would continue to echo in the Warp. Some powerful Warp demons were born as a result.
Just as the Emperor led the human fleet directly toward the core territory of the Randan race, preparing to completely wipe them out, the dispatched Custodian Guard squads sent back new information.
Primarch Three, Primarch Ten, and Primarch Eighteen had been found. They were currently being sent to the First Expedition Fleet.
The return of the Primarchs went smoothly. The Emperor specifically took time from the pressing war to welcome the three returning sons.
Primarch Eighteenth, Vulkan from Nocturne, was the first to step out of the gunboat. He was heavily muscled, with dark skin and red eyes, like a humanoid force of nature. He gave off an immense presence.
Next was Primarch Ten, Ferrus Manus from the planet Medusa. His face was firm, his eyes deep. His hands were silver-white iron, not simple mechanical prosthetics, but a perfect blend of machinery and flesh.
Finally appeared Primarch Three, Fulgrim from Chemos. His appearance was strikingly handsome, with a unique charisma. If he were to walk into any bustling hive city, countless noble ladies would abandon their husbands and children just to gain his favor.
"This guy is ridiculously handsome," Lorgar marveled at Fulgrim's appearance.
Even with the same genetic template, Fulgrim's beauty and temperament were something the others lacked.
Perturabo's expression remained calm, but he was somewhat displeased inwardly. He should be the most distinctive one. Sanguinius was one thing, but now there was another handsome one. And why did Ferrus have iron hands? He, the Lord of Iron, didn't even have them.
'Unfair. Annoying.'
"Welcome back, Three, Ten, and Eighteen."
Only after the three Primarchs had finished getting to know their brothers did the Emperor approach.
"Welcome back, little phoenix, little fire dragon, and the lovely senior sister," Raven said, standing on the Emperor's shoulder as he greeted the three Primarchs.
The three Primarchs' integration posed no significant concerns. They needed neither psychological counseling nor modification. They merely needed to be prevented from corruption.
The Emperor followed the standard procedure for other Primarchs' returns. He asked about their choices, had them swear allegiance, and then offered encouragement.
Finally, the Emperor's Grand Design, as always, held a welcome banquet to celebrate the return of the three Primarchs. They also celebrated the victory in the war against the Randan.
The Emperor and Raven, as was their custom, only participated in the beginning of the banquet. They left after delivering their speeches.
After returning from the Shrouding the Heavens Universe, the Emperor had become urgent once more. The combined forces of the Chaos Four Gods and the Void Contamination Source made Him realise the danger. If he failed, the entire universe would be corrupted.
For the continuation of humanity and for humanity to venture into the heavens, He believed that various plans needed to be accelerated as quickly as possible.
Raven had no interest in these matters. After watching the Emperor work for a while, he felt bored and started wandering around.
As he flew through a wide corridor, Raven made an unexpected discovery. 9527, a member of the Mechanicus, was hiding behind a mechanical shrine, slacking off.
"I wonder how this guy's logic programs were written, to be able to slack off so calmly," Raven muttered to himself. Then he tore open space and suddenly appeared in front of him.
"9527. What are you doing?"
"Lord Raven!" 9527 was so startled he nearly jumped out of his mechadendrites. He was about to get angry, but after recognising the newcomer, he held back.
'Can't mess with him. Cannot mess with him at all.'
"Lord Raven, I am merely studying the relationship between data and images and the changes in functions."
"Playing games?" Raven exposed 9527's lie.
"No, it's Mechanicus research. How can you call it playing games? I'm just studying data patterns," 9527 protested, shaking his head repeatedly. The sound of mechanical gears meshing and grinding came from his neck.
"What game are you playing?" Raven pressed. "If you don't answer truthfully, I'll have someone report it to the Cult, and you'll be turned into a servitor."
"Oracle. This platform is very popular. You can use a neural link to enter a virtual space to play, it's very realistic," 9527 said helplessly. He opened a projection interface to show Raven the game.
"Looks interesting," Raven smiled when he saw the game character's long, pale legs and impressive proportions.
"I want to play too."
Raven's hidden interests burst forth. He instantly fell in love with this two-dimensional style.
9527 had no choice but to fetch a holographic simulation device. After slight modifications, he connected Raven to the game as well.
As he was registering his character in the virtual world, a dense darkness suddenly descended. It covered everything around him.
Eerie whispers arose, making one feel trapped in a dark and terrifying hell. Footsteps came from the darkness, step by step, mixed with murmuring whispers.
"What should I call you?" The being walking in the darkness spoke. "Lord Raven? Or a traveler crossing the heavens? The Cursed One's partner."
"You might be confused about who I am. I am the one who can give you answers, the lighthouse that can guide you to peace of mind."
The voice was ethereal, as if coming from distant ages, carrying the weight of time.
"Two-headed rookie? Kairos?" Raven tilted his head, calling out the other's name.
The eerie whispers paused for a moment. Then they repeated word by word: "Two-headed rookie? How dare you insult the great Master of Change?!"
"Because all of this is part of the plan," Raven said faintly. "Kairos, fate has already begun to enlighten you. Soon, you will have to make a choice."
"What choice?" Kairos in the darkness instinctively asked.
"Loyalty or betrayal," Raven replied.
"Are you joking?" Kairos scratched his head, feeling as if these words sounded familiar.
"The threads of fate are complex. Even your master cannot fully perceive these secrets," Raven said. "You might think I'm joking, but all of this is a fact that will happen in the future."
"Do you think I would believe an enemy?" Kairos stepped out of the darkness, revealing his full appearance: a large blue bird with two heads, walking upright and carrying a scepter.
This is truly backwards. Could it be that the minion of the Cursed One actually wants to deceive me?
In the Warp, who doesn't know that I, Kairos, regard the Master of Change as my only sun, loyal with no possibility of betrayal?
"Didn't you come to see me hoping that I would believe you?" Raven countered. "Kairos, you are the echo of this universe's beings' desire for wisdom and enlightenment. You depend on this universe, you depend on the Warp. If one day your master wants to abandon you, abandon this universe, just to ascend to become a more powerful god, what choice will you make?"
"Your joke is indeed funny," Kairos said. "I came here not to make you believe me, but merely to observe the helper who greatly increased the Cursed One's strength."
"Is that really all? No other thoughts? Don't you crave knowledge you've never encountered before?"
"With just a small price, you can gain knowledge you've never experienced. Just a small price, Kairos."
Raven whispered like a tempter, seeking to sway the Master of Change's greatest Greater Daemon.
[End of Chapter]