It was time to end all of this.
Morgana thought so.
——————
Although she had anticipated it from the beginning – that her disguise couldn't perpetually deceive this keen-scented Lion – when she meticulously recalled the events and details of the past few years, and deduced their outcomes, she still felt a flame named [Annoyance] burning fiercely in her heart.
From the moment she set foot on this Death World, Morgana realized that some things were slipping from her already fragile grasp and rhythm.
In the silent smile of the Caliban Lion, an unimaginable danger, like a meteor among the stars, was hurtling towards her, unstoppable and unavoidable.
The Primarch of the First Legion was truly a monster, a composite of countless terrifying abilities. He was like a porcupine, keeping people at a distance; like a jackal, cunning and unscrupulous; like a peregrine falcon, swift and deadly.
And upon such chaos, he draped himself in a hide of the [Lion], using humanity's natural reverence for the king of beasts to conceal his true wild nature, donning the false cloak of a monarch.
Even after fighting intensely in the First Legion's battle lines for a full five years, even after walking in the silent respect and awe of most Dark Angels for five years, Morgana still
couldn't determine whether her words and thoughts weighed more than a feather in Lion El'Jonson's heart; nor could she determine if her steps and probes had truly trespassed into the private territory within this Lion's mind.
She was not a god; she was not that omnipotent. She had tried to observe Lion El'Jonson's mind with her mind-reading technique, but she had never succeeded.
Because no matter how many times she observed, all she saw was a vast Caliban forest, lush and quiet, eerie and savage, no different from her first fleeting glimpse into Lion El'Jonson's mind.
How could anyone, after truly witnessing stars and galaxies, still cling to savagery and forests?
From the very beginning, such questions had occupied Morgana's thoughts and mind, plunging her into agonizing contemplation and cautious observation.
In front of Lion El'Jonson, she believed her disguise was impeccable: an eccentric advisor, a responsible subordinate, a capable lieutenant who could be relied upon in certain aspects, constantly working for his victory on the stars and battlefields.
And in those limited moments of contact, she never ceased to observe Lion El'Jonson. A deep-seated instinct compelled her to do so:
At first,
she believed Lion El'Jonson was merely the greatest actor, a more cunning individual than Perturabo and Magnus. Thus, she freely displayed her [personality] in front of him, intending to become a pawn he believed he could control.
But after witnessing his almost fervent zeal for war and responsibility, Morgana began to suspect that he was a thoroughbred honor hound,
a man who would stop at nothing for so-called victory and duty. So, she shifted to praising his dedication and loyalty, repositioning herself from an eccentric advisor to a conquered follower.
She believed this identity had not been seen through.
However, after another period, after several of the most tragic and insane wars, Morgana finally truly understood the essence of the person before her:
he was merely a beast, a beast draped in human skin and armor, who had stormed from the wilderness and deep forest into the endless starry sky, retracting its fangs and claws, awkwardly wielding its swords.
She reached this conclusion, and then doubted herself.
How could her own kind, her blood relative, be a beast?
Could this be a disguise?
A disguise so perfect that she couldn't see through it?
She harbored this doubt, continuing to toil on countless front lines, continuing to act as a capable subordinate in front of Lion El'Jonson, continuing to be tormented by the countless souls in her mind, and continuing to enact the unspoken drama with the [Lion].
The Primarch of the First Legion seemed to be born with the skill of exploitation. He could always extract more value from Morgana, then set her aside at the appropriate time. This continued for a full five years.
He didn't trust her, never trusted her, but he also cherished her value, unwilling to erase her flaws.
In the intervals of war, Morgana always received subtle hints from the [Lion]: Lion El'Jonson yearned to know her secrets, yearned to know the part she concealed, yearned for her to become his true aid and helper, instead of maintaining this awkward situation of mixed appreciation and wariness.
Morgana never truly answered, but she never truly angered Lion El'Jonson either.
For Lion El'Jonson.
She was very capable.
But she wasn't so safe.
It wasn't until the war with the Rendan Empire showed a slight respite that, before Morgana could even rest and gather her thoughts, she discovered that hundreds of fully armed Dark Angels had appeared around her room.
Then, they came here, to Sisyphus III.
Clearly, Lion El'Jonson no longer wanted to drag things out.
——————
This was not a training session.
Nor was it a battle.
This was a showdown.
——————
[I have encountered countless cunning beasts.]
Through layers of dense forest, Lion El'Jonson's voice clearly reached Morgana's ears.
[Cunning, vicious, greedy, insatiable.]
[But you are more infuriating than all of them combined.]
[Their cunning is born of bestial instinct, of predatory greed, of wild survival, of corrupted hearts. But you are different, completely different. Your cunning is for that complex, malicious, and hidden purpose in your heart.]
[You have secrets.]
[Secrets always make people uneasy.]
[Obsession with secrets makes people foolish and paranoid.]
[Just like you.]
The Primarch's voice was low, calm, and undisturbed, as if recounting the life of a stranger.
Morgana merely listened quietly. She did not exert her full mental energy on Lion El'Jonson's words. She couldn't. She needed a portion of her power to monitor the monsters and souls in her mind, a portion to maintain the arcane array beneath her feet, and a portion to support the protective shield above her head.
[You thought you were hiding well?]
[You thought I couldn't see your problems?]
[You thought that only you could open your eyes and observe everyone around you.]
[When you were observing me, Morgana, I was also observing you, observing your ambition, observing your countless petty schemes.]
[I must admit, you are a very capable person, possessing astonishing abilities and value, but you are also a person with weaknesses, fatal weaknesses.]
Lion El'Jonson's words made Morgana's brows rise slightly.
As if seeing this scene, beyond the seemingly distant dense forest, Lion El'Jonson's lips curved into a slight upward arc. He continued to speak.
[Do you know what your weakness is?]
Morgana maintained her arcane array. She sat calmly in the forest clearing she had chosen, indifferently staring at the bright spot representing the Primarch on her mental map.
——————
[You are always fully armored.]
[You are always cautious.]
[You are always fully prepared.]
[You are always like this, advancing step by step with a cautious and meticulous attitude, probing what you can obtain.]
[But you don't know that some boundaries, some bottom lines, once you step on them, once you cross them, then the only outcome is an unending struggle. No matter how exquisite the disguise, it cannot conceal the reality of your transgression.]
[You don't know this. You only know to advance, to devour and plunder. You only know to blindly advance until you encounter setbacks and obstacles, hitting a wall, only then do you realize your limits.]
[Your caution, your exquisite skills, your thorough preparations, are all useless.]
[Because fundamentally, you are an insatiable individual, a greedy spider who doesn't understand respect, nobility, or majesty.]
[You think you are careful?]
[No.]
——————
[You.]
[Are insatiable.]
[Are brazen.]
——————
As Lion El'Jonson's last words fell, a most clamorous shriek, like soldiers receiving orders, let out its own angry battle cry.
Morgana, who had been somewhat dazed, noticed this. She instinctively listened, and then, her face darkened.
She heard it. In the farthest reaches of the dense forest, in the Primarch's drop pod, an ancient roar was gradually rising.
There were three of them.
She heard the sound of malicious joy, the sound of constantly screaming iron claws scraping, the sound of flames and radiation being spewed, and a most instinctive and wild hatred for organic life.
She heard danger, genuine danger, capable of threatening her life and soul.
Clearly, Lion El'Jonson was not lying.
He was indeed a [person] who had come.
Morgana frowned, reducing the power of the arcane array and the protective shield in her hand. She furiously chanted spells, allowing violent power to gather at her fingertips, and then...
Wait!
She realized something. Then, a psychic probe, like a tsunami, swept around her.
No.
No.
No!
Still no!
Drops of sweat streamed down Morgana's forehead.
Lion El'Jonson's aura was gone. In the instant she was lost in thought due to that terrifying aura, in the instant her probing will, which she had always deployed around the [Lion], slightly faltered, the Primarch's aura completely vanished.
She frowned, searching again and again, but Lion El'Jonson was like a raindrop falling into the sea, leaving not a trace. His prowess in the forest was even more exaggerated than she had imagined.
He was indeed a beast.
At this moment, Morgana's teeth felt the cold, damp air, confirming this.
She listened to the three roars in the distance, then probed again, still not giving up. She was considering whether to move, and instinctively decided to strengthen the nearby psychic shield. But deep down, she was also contemplating Lion El'Jonson's words.
And at the very moment her psychic power shifted, her ears caught the sound of steel boots treading on the ground.
Morgana stretched out her palm, and psychic flames emitted a malevolent glow, eager to devour.
But someone was faster than her.
The moment the sound landed, Lion El'Jonson's figure burst out from the dense forest.
In the blink of an eye, he was right before her. Morgana could even clearly see the smile on his lips and hear his silent words.
[Got you.]
He smiled, and that was the most dangerous omen.
The greatsword was raised high, emitting a dazzling light under the sunlight, making it impossible to look directly at.
In that instant, in a trance.
Morgana seemed to hear the roar of a lion.
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