"An alliance?"
The Bonebreaker's wild laughter abruptly ceased.
It was as if his throat had been choked. The previously fervent atmosphere, as if doused with a basin of ice water, instantly dropped to freezing point. In its place was silence, oppression, and gazes filled with scrutiny and mockery.
Emrys remained composed, his gaze unwavering, staring directly at the colossal and tyrannical figure on the Ruined Throne.
He knew it wouldn't be easy to persuade the Bonebreaker; that was the real test!
"I understand." The Bonebreaker suddenly lunged forward. On his extremely ugly face, a hint of cunning and slyness emerged from his murky single eye. The throne, welded from wreckage, emitted an extremely uncomfortable sound, like a sharp object scraping. At the same time, his massive metal upper and lower jaws clacked together, letting out a few chilling sneers.
"You are still deceiving me. You said all that just to make my lads consume those daemons for you!"
It seemed he was reaching an emotional peak. This cunning and cruel war chief's tone grew increasingly high-pitched, mixed with a terrifying, bone-chilling killing intent.
"You sly little shrimp, you sniveling thing, do you think you can deceive clever me?!"
"I have never deceived you, great Bonebreaker."
Under the gaze of that cruel single eye, Emrys calmly admitted his thoughts.
"Of course, I also don't deny that I do have the idea of leveraging your great war clan to clear out those damned red cans, overflowing with the putrid pus of Chaos, for us. But since it's an 'alliance,' we will naturally pay a corresponding price. Fairness is the only principle of trade, isn't it?"
"Fairness? I don't need fairness!!!"
The Bonebreaker sneered, "Without you, I can still lead my lads to flatten these damned red cans!"
"No, with all due respect — you cannot."
Emrys said earnestly.
"What did you say?!" These words seemed to enrage the Bonebreaker. Flames of fury erupted in his pupils.
"Are you, this weak, sniveling shrimp, questioning me?!"
"Great Bonebreaker, if I'm not mistaken," Emrys tilted his head, ignoring the Bonebreaker's murderous glare, and chuckled mockingly, "just a few days ago, you were almost killed by the boss of that red can, weren't you?"
"In these past few days, under your leadership, the Orks haven't had many victories, have they? How many of the war clans you brought are left now, after being encircled and annihilated by the Chaos daemons and the world Eaters Legion?"
"If you are still hoping for the Ork spores to spread and drag the war into the late stages, I personally advise you to abandon these completely unrealistic fantasies."
"As far as I know, the daemon factories scattered across this world have already produced large quantities of Promethium, Melta, and other incendiaries. It won't be long before they will burn those scattered spores to ashes, inch by inch. The Ork legions you anticipate simply cannot appear."
"If this continues, very soon, it won't be long before your lads are devoured little by little. By then, you will truly have lost!"
"Shut up!!!"
The Bonebreaker roared, glaring at him, as if those words had pierced the most painful part of his heart.
"Oh, I forgot one more thing —"
But unfortunately, how could Emrys stop?
If he didn't stab the Bonebreaker's heart and make him understand the current situation, how could this bastard fall into the trap?
So, he slowly continued, "The Grand Marshal of the black Templars, and Imperial Commissar Yarrick, are still hunting you down. Even if you are a farseer personally appointed by Gork and Mork, repeated failures will probably disappoint them, won't they? I imagine that when that time truly comes, you, the great Bonebreaker, even if you don't die at the hands of those daemons and red cans, will be replaced by other Orks who are dissatisfied with your failures, won't you?"
He wasn't just trying to scare the Bonebreaker.
Green-skinned Orks gather in clan tribes. Every war chief is appointed through a bloody killing ritual. But if a war chief cannot lead these Orks to victory, then very soon — a new Ork will emerge to replace the failed chief!
The Bonebreaker was no exception!
He was almost killed by Commissar Yarrick, a human, in the Third War for Armageddon. This was already a very shameful matter. If he failed again, let alone Gork and Mork, the warlike Orks below would no longer accept his rule!
"Perhaps —"
Emrys grinned, revealing an extremely mocking smile.
"Soon, your head — will be hanging around another Ork's neck, becoming his trophy."
The destructive power of this sentence was immense!
"ROAR —!!!"
The throne, welded from wreckage, had its armrest crushed by the enraged Bonebreaker. He took a step, his colossal figure dragging a violent gale, as if in the next second he would tear apart this human before him, whose every word stung and whose mouth was so vile!
Not good!
The guards stationed behind, seeing this situation, believed the negotiation had failed and immediately pulled out a device.
This device was a 'spatial teleportation beacon'!
This was also given to him by Azrael, with the command that if any attempt to harm Emrys' life was detected during negotiations, the 'spatial teleportation beacon' should be used immediately!
Once this device was activated, in just three seconds, an entire Terminator company from nearby, including three Contemptor Dreadnoughts, as well as Chapter Master Ezekiel, the Dark Angel Honor Guard, and the First Company of the Sons of the Forest, could instantly air-drop to this location!
However, just as he was about to activate it, Emrys raised his hand and pressed it down.
"Lord?!"
The guard's pupils constricted sharply.
But before he could make any move, he saw the tyrannical figure had already arrived before them. The gale, like a tsunami, rushed at them, making Emrys' robes and hair flutter like a battle standard.
But, in that very second.
The tyrannical Bonebreaker suddenly stopped in front of Emrys, bringing his ugly, foul-smelling head to a position less than half a meter from Emrys. Emrys' appearance was reflected in his single eye, filled with malevolence and fury.
"You — aren't afraid I'll kill you?"
A hint of mockery flickered in the Bonebreaker's tyrannical pupils. The foul odor spewing from his large mouth, as if it had been soaked in a cesspit for hundreds of years, seemed to emanate a green mist.
"No."
Emrys tried very hard to appear unfazed even as a mountain collapsed before him, but alas, this guy's mouth was truly too foul. He couldn't help but frown, forcing out a stiff smile.
"You, aren't afraid of me?!"
The Bonebreaker grew even more furious. His massive power claw was loosely cupped, as if to crush the diminutive Emrys in his palm into a paste. Dangerous killing intent emanated from his eyes.
"You, why aren't you afraid of me!"
"Because, you are very weak."
Emrys looked up, his gaze calm.
"Just like this right now —"
As he spoke, he flicked his finger.
BOOM —!!!
The Bonebreaker immediately flew backward, smashing through the Ruined Throne. His colossal body embedded itself in the steel wreckage, his single eye wide, revealing a look of shock and astonishment.
Emrys saying he didn't need protection wasn't a lie; it was the truth.
According to Ezekiel, the chief loremaster of the Dark Angels, a somewhat vague estimate placed his psychic strength at 'Delta' level according to the Imperium's twenty-four-level classification system, but Emrys concluded that his limit seemed to be far beyond Delta.
Or rather, should it be 'Gamma' level?
Just like now, with a flick of his finger, the burst of psychic power could effortlessly send Bonebreaker Sarakka flying over ten meters.
He even faintly felt that if he was willing to actively cross that 'boundary' deep within his sea of consciousness, let alone sending the Bonebreaker flying, he could easily crush even Chaos Daemons of the Daemon Prince level into a bloody pulp!
How to put it—he was currently a Delta-level psyker, but not entirely so; he should be somewhere between Delta and Gamma, and with emotional fluctuations, he might even surpass Gamma level, thereby travel that final 'boundary' in one go!
To summarize in one sentence: if he were in a state of extreme rage, he could crush one of the Imperium's God-Machines, a Warlord Titan, into a metal pancake!
Of course.
He wasn't entirely sure what the consequences would be if he truly crossed that 'boundary,' but he always felt it was highly likely not a good thing.
As he fell into contemplation, the Bonebreaker, who had been sent flying, clearly felt he had lost face, let out a roar, and charged at Emrys again like a giant cannonball.
But the result was still the same.
The Bonebreaker's massive body was forcibly suppressed to the ground by the surging gravitational torrent, creating a large crater, and no matter how it roared or struggled, it couldn't move an inch!
Emrys came before it and slowly squatted down.
"Great Bonebreaker, you wouldn't want the lads outside to see you in this pathetic state, would you? So it's best to keep your voice down."
The Bonebreaker glared at him but actually closed its mouth.
After all, being pinned to the ground by a human like a runt was truly humiliating, and if the Ork lads outside found out, its chair would probably have to be replaced.
"As I said, esteemed Bonebreaker, given our current predicament and common enemy, an alliance is our best option."
Emrys looked at the enraged Bonebreaker and proposed a highly tempting offer.
"You can imagine, in this great war against Chaos and Angron, you will not only gain a large amount of spoils, but you can also expand the clans and tribes under your command, making them proud of you and the name Bonebreaker once again.
All we need is to defeat the damned Chaos, and as for their warships, they are all yours. Isn't that great?"
"Really, really?"
This proposal was very tempting for the Bonebreaker; what it lacked were these warships and spoils.
But the cunning Bonebreaker still felt it wasn't enough; its eyes gleamed with treachery.
"I want you all to be bait!"
"No problem!"
Emrys accepted without hesitation, agreeing to everything.
"We can act as bait, for you, Great Bonebreaker, to create an opportunity for battle!"
"You're not tricking me, are you?"
Seeing him agree so readily, it was the Bonebreaker's turn to be bewildered, staring at Emrys with considerable suspicion.
"How could I?!"
Emrys feigned anger, patting his chest and saying.
"You can go ask around, I, Emrys, am famously a man of my word in the Milky Way Galaxy; what I say is a promise, and I never lie!"
"Of course, if you still don't believe me, I am willing to swear in the name of the Emperor!" Saying that, he solemnly raised two fingers and swore.
"You know the Emperor, right? He is our human god.
If I lie to you, may the Emperor be welded to the Golden Throne forever, cursed to become a 'human'!"
Curse a god to become human?
Heavens, that's just too vicious! The Bonebreaker was dumbfounded, never expecting this human to dare make such a sinister and venomous oath.
"Alright, it's a deal then!"
The Bonebreaker finally agreed.
"We'll team up and kill those red cans!"
"Kill them!"
Emrys shouted, raising his fist.
"You—you truly are too adventurous."
As soon as they left the Ork camp, the guard seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, his tone tinged with worry.
It had been too close just now; they had almost been engulfed by the Ork horde!
"Isn't everything fine now?"
Emrys smiled and comforted him.
"See? The strategy is complete, and the plan was quite successful, wasn't it?"
The guard opened his mouth but said nothing.
The grandmaster had not agreed to this plan at all, but in the end, he couldn't stop it, which is how it came to this.
Now, he could only hope that when Lyon returned and discovered his descendants had signed an alliance with the filthy Orks, he wouldn't be angered to death.
A blood oath between Orks and the Lion?
If this matter were to get out, even with the honor of the First Legion, it probably wouldn't be enough to hold back the maddened Inquisition, would it?
As for why this would be the case?
Let's turn back time a few hours.
"I disagree!" grandmaster Azrael's expression was extremely serious, and his voice carried an undeniable tone.
"With all due respect, your plan is too risky, and we cannot bear the consequences!"
The high-ranking members of the Dark Angels and the Sons of the Forest, including the Chapter Masters of the successor chapters rescued in recent days, were all gathered together.
The reason for assembling these successor chapters and high-ranking officials was that Emrys had proposed a strategic plan that seemed extremely bold and adventurous.
He wanted to ally with the Orks!
Leaving aside the fact that this strategy sounded utterly 'heretical,' Azrael could not possibly agree to the mere point that Emrys proposed to personally negotiate with the Bonebreaker.
"I understand your concerns, but please let me explain the necessity of this plan."
Emrys had known for a long time that given Azrael's regard for him, he would never agree to this risky plan, but he had a reason why he had to do it.
"No matter the reason, I cannot agree!" Azrael slammed his hand on the table, his eyes showing resolute determination.
"You are the Imperium's only hope, and we absolutely cannot tolerate you being in any danger!"
"Is there no danger in going to Gomorrah?"
Emrys watched him calmly.
"If necessary, the Imperium's fleet—can flatten all of Gomorrah!" Azrael said without hesitation, a hint of ferocity in his eyes.
"Even if the cost is mutual destruction!"
"I believe what you say." On this point, Emrys was noncommittal and nodded.
If anyone truly believed that the Imperium of Man, constantly fighting and suffering defeats everywhere, was genuinely weak—they would be too naive.
If the Imperium of Man truly went to war with the intention of mutual destruction, no faction could withstand the wrath of the Imperium of Man!
Including the Necrons!
And including the Chaos Legions!
On the surface, the Imperium of Man was constantly suffering defeats everywhere, and the black Legion was winning every day, but what was the reality?
Abaddon's Thirteen black Crusades, for the Imperium of Man, at most caused severe damage, but it was utterly impossible to destroy the vast Imperium that occupied most of the Milky Way Galaxy!
A centipede may die, but it never falls over.
This saying perfectly described a behemoth like the Imperium of Man!
Merlin Emrys could replace the 'Emperor' and become the 'Astronomican' of the Warp; this alone meant that Emrys' value was enough for the Imperium to commit everything!
Any governor of Gomorrah with an ounce of sense wouldn't provoke him.
Otherwise, a hopeless Imperium of Man would absolutely not hesitate to take them down in a final act of desperation!
Gomorrah was difficult to find, but that didn't mean it couldn't be found; as long as the Imperium of Man was willing, there would always be a way.
Azrael thought this way, which is why he didn't believe the risk in Gomorrah was very high.
But the plan Emrys proposed was completely different: to negotiate with those Orks, a bunch of brainless, muscle-headed brutes?
Even if the Bonebreaker was different, who could guarantee it wouldn't go mad? What if Emrys got hurt?
"Since you understand your importance, you should not propose this plan!" Azrael said.
"This isn't risky." Emrys was torn between laughter and tears, and could only reassure him.
"You should also know that I can open the 'Forest' at any time, so even if there's danger, I can leave whenever I want.
The greenskins simply cannot stop me."
"Enough!"
Emrys' face hardened, and he forcefully suppressed the grandmaster, who was still trying to argue, and said in a deep voice.
"This is how it will be.
I am important, but the Dark Angels are absolutely indispensable for the Imperium's future war in the dark!"