"This is just a small matter. If you like, I will take the time to forge a set of armor and weapons for each of you," Alex said, enunciating each word, as he looked at Sanguinius, who was enveloped in radiance.
Originally, he wanted Sanguinius to step forward and ease the tension between Guilliman and Lion.
Now, he even had to forge armor and weapons for him and Guilliman.
He felt like he was losing out big time!
He was truly being taken advantage of by Sanguinius, to the point where he was almost stripped bare!
"The The Great Angel's magnanimity is truly vast." Sanguinius smiled.
If Kharbanda saw this, he would probably drool again!
Back then, it was on the Signus world that Kharbanda's life was ruined the moment he saw Sanguinius's smile!
After promising to forge equipment for the two Primarchs, the commotion regarding equipment finally subsided.
Everyone began discussing matters related to Lorgar.
The projection device hummed softly.
Beams of light spontaneously outlined a holographic image of the star map.
Brilliant star clusters appeared before the three Primarchs and Alex.
"Lorgar is where Konrad Curze was assassinated by the Assassinorum. He chose this place as the capital of his new empire, so there must be some deep meaning behind it," Guilliman was the first to offer his opinion.
"Konrad Curze is despicable and cunning. His agreement for a decisive battle at Lorgar is definitely problematic. This is common knowledge and doesn't need to be emphasized," Lion said, causing Guilliman's brows to furrow slightly.
"Here we go again!" Alex felt speechless.
Are these two guys really so incompatible?
They'll find something to argue about even when there's nothing!
At this moment, Sanguinius spoke, "Elucidating the problem helps everyone think in the same direction."
"For Konrad Curze to be so confident, what's at Lorgar is either some Warp creation with evil power, or an ancient technological relic." Sanguinius secretly gave Alex a look, as if saying, "Don't worry, boss, I've taken the money, and I'll get things done. I'll make sure these two guys don't argue."
Alex looked helpless.
It meant that if he didn't pay, he wouldn't get things done!
If he had just let slip that he wasn't going to give the The Great Angel a set of equipment, he would definitely have continued to fan the flames.
He was too manipulative!
The Reality's waters are too deep; he can't handle it. Calixis Sector is better.
"Could it be the Anathame?" Guilliman voiced his speculation.
This immediately caused Sanguinius and Lion to frown.
After Horus initiated the rebellion, the entire empire was shocked.
Soon, the specific reasons for the rebellion were investigated.
The most crucial among them was the Anathame (which could lock onto a target, and the weapon would possess terrifying power when facing that target).
Horus, as a Primarch, was severely wounded by the Anathame and surprisingly could not heal. His apothecaries were also unable to save him.
He was ultimately sent by a panicked Abaddon and others to the Davins Temple, leading to a series of tragedies later on.
"Weren't those malicious Warp creations all destroyed after the Horus Heresy ended?" Lion asked.
"Indeed, troops were dispatched to destroy those Warp creations at the time," Guilliman nodded, as he was the one who gave the order.
"But no one knows if those Chaos traitors have secretly hoarded or forged new Anathames."
"Don't worry, I've taken this into account when forging the armor," Alex said.
"If attacked by a Anathame, the power within the armor can expel those malicious Warp energies and save the Lion's life."
"It has this function too? Saint, you truly are thoughtful." Lion looked down at his armor, his face showing delight.
"Besides the Anathame, Konrad Curze might also possess ancient artifacts," Sanguinius also speculated.
"So many civilizations have been born in the galaxy; surely some have mastered evil technologies that we have never understood."
"This is unsolvable," Guilliman shook his head. "Without intelligence, we simply don't know what trump cards the opponent has!"
"If all else fails, let's just orbital bombard Lorgar to avoid a direct confrontation with that guy Konrad Curze."
Lion shook his head, disagreeing with Guilliman's suggestion.
"Konrad Curze is not a fool; he must have ways to counter orbital bombardment. Moreover, on Gatan, he displayed astonishing escape abilities, directly transforming into darkness and leaving under everyone's watchful eyes."
"If we carry out orbital bombardment, that guy will definitely escape. We must bring him to justice and make him kneel before Father and atone."
"Capturing our brother is not an easy task!" Guilliman looked troubled. He turned his gaze to Alex.
"If we want to land on the surface and engage the enemy in unknown circumstances, we can only seek the Saint's help to ensure foolproof success."
Lion and Sanguinius also looked at Alex.
Only he could ignore spatial and temporal distances and provide support at any time.
"Alright, I will be prepared. When the Lion attacks Lorgar, I will bring the God Chosen to provide support," Alex promised.
"With the Saint's help, defeating Konrad Curze shouldn't be difficult," Guilliman nodded. "It seems we'll be able to bring this scoundrel back to Reality soon."
Lion, however, shook his head, "The problem is that Konrad Curze has awakened the ability to transform into darkness. If he could escape from Gatan, he can escape from Lorgar."
"Then we'll blockade the entire planet. Using Necrons technology, we'll pull the Lorgar world into a dimensional space, cutting off its connection with the Reality universe," Alex's suggestion sounded insane.
But after Trazyn the Infinite submitted, he provided Cortana with a lot of cutting-edge technology.
Humanity's current spatial dimension technology is already on par with the Necrons.
Pulling an entire planet into a dimensional space sounds crazy, but with the Empire's current technology, it's achievable.
"That sounds feasible," Lion nodded. "If we pull the Lorgar world into a dimensional space, that scoundrel Konrad Curze won't be able to escape, no matter how powerful he is."
"I also support this idea," Guilliman nodded.
"In that case, I will have people transport the dimensional device. Lion, you clear out the surrounding worlds first, gradually isolating Lorgar."
"Understood…"
"..."
Alex and the Primarchs meticulously formulated the plan to deal with Konrad Curze.
As soon as the meeting ended, they each took action, preparing to capture Konrad Curze alive.
Meanwhile, on the Lorgar world, a towering spire, adorned with numerous hanging corpses and the unique skull-and-bat motif of the Night Lords, stood.
Konrad Curze was standing on the balcony at the top of the tower, overlooking the magnificent city shrouded in darkness.
This was his kingdom of fear, a place where order was maintained through terror.
The Night Lords were the citizens of this kingdom, the only thing they needed to hate.
The people of this kingdom possessed an unprecedented spirit of lawfulness.
They were law-abiding and enthusiastic about using the law to protect their legitimate rights.
More importantly, they could also maintain restraint; even if they had absolute moral standing, they would only demand their due compensation and would not be greedy.
"That person has been brought up, my lord," Talos, the Tenth Prophet, walked in and bowed to the Night Lords.
Konrad Curze turned his head and looked at his son.
Talos could feel the Primarch's gaze fall upon him.
In that instant, he felt as if his body had been cut open, and his soul and mind were completely seen through by the other party.
"Let him come," Konrad Curze's voice was icy, like a jailer from the netherworld, cold and filled with killing intent.
"Understood." Talos nodded and turned to leave.
A moment later, a man was dragged up.
The moment he saw Konrad Curze, the man was terrified, collapsing to the ground.
"Five days ago, you were beaten by members of the Voodoo Gang. Why did you endure it? Why didn't you report it? Why didn't you fight back?" Konrad Curze moved like a ghost.
One moment, he was standing on the balcony.
The next, he appeared behind the man.
"I thought it was just a small matter." The man didn't dare to look back. He was terrified, stuttering as he spoke.
"Small matter??" Konrad Curze sneered. "Cowardice in retreat will inevitably embolden evildoers, leading to more victims."
"I just didn't want the trouble, to get my energy entangled in those things," the man tried hard to defend himself. "Please, righteous Night Lords, I haven't committed a crime."
Konrad Curze suddenly appeared in front of the man.
He leaned down, looking at the mortal before him, meeting his eyes.
"Cowardice is a sin. Your cowardice will harm others, and that is a sin."
"If everyone dared to say no, then evildoers naturally wouldn't be so rampant."
The man's mind was drawn into Konrad Curze's completely black eyes.
Then, he started to cry.
"I was wrong, forgive me, Lord Night Lords, I truly was wrong."
"I will forgive you," Konrad Curze used his claw to lift the man's face. The sharp claw left a wound on his chin, and a bead of blood seeped out.
The next second, Konrad Curze swung his claw, severing one of the man's hands.
"But punishment is inevitable. Remember, cowardice is also a sin."
As the arm fell to the ground, the man, realizing belatedly, let out a scream, and blood gushed out.
"Remember, if you resist evil, you will die. But if you don't resist, you will also die."
"This is a lesson. Go, tell everyone. When they yield to evildoers, they are already aiding and abetting evil."
The screaming man was led away.
Inside the hall, the lit lights extinguished.
The sounds faded into the distance, and darkness returned, enveloping the vast hall.
Konrad Curze stood alone in the darkness for a while before turning to look at a corner.
"Come out."
Several figures in black robes emerged from the darkness.
"The Night Lords are as powerful and just as ever!" the leading black-robed figure said.
Konrad Curze looked at the Jagged Question Mark symbols on the robes of these individuals, making no attempt to hide his hostility.
He had no fondness for these individuals who hid in the dark corners, attempting to manipulate the fate of the galaxy.
These individuals were...
"Did you come all this way just to flatter me?"
"Of course not," the leading black-robed figure replied. "We are merely here to advise you to stop. Now is not the best time to confront the Lion."
"The outsider will help the Lion. You are isolated and will surely be utterly defeated."
"This matter doesn't concern you," Konrad Curze's figure turned into black mist, then solidified in front of the black-robed men. "Don't think that helping with a small favor means you can order me around. Don't dream such a pipe dream."
"We have no such intention; we only wish to maintain the balance of the galaxy." Looking at the sharp claws at his face, the black-robed man felt a chill, but he still feigned composure.
"You, with your meager strength!" Konrad Curze sneered. "I can kill all you fools in a few seconds, yet you still dream of balancing my father and the Chaos Gods!"
"This universe is not just the galaxy," the black-robed man said. "It is so vast you can hardly imagine; the galaxy is merely a remote corner of the universe."
"The arrival of the Tyranids is the best proof; beyond the galaxy, there are many terrifying existences."
"They are no less inferior than the Chaos Gods of the Warp; some are even more powerful than the Chaos Gods."
Konrad Curze looked at the fellow in front of him, his brow slightly furrowed.
Could these guys have come into contact with forces beyond the galaxy?
"The matter between me and the Lion has been settled. You don't need to say anything more; I will definitely defeat him."
"This is a foolish decision," the black-robed man warned. "If you insist on doing so, you are destined to regret it."
"If you continue to talk about this, you won't have a chance to regret it." Konrad Curze examined his claws, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
"Since your resolve is so firm, we have nothing more to say." The black-robed man chose to back down. "Last time, we gave you an ancient relic that can effectively limit a Primarch's power."
"And now, we will give you another relic to increase your chances of victory."
As he finished speaking,
Several black-robed men carried a heavy metal box to Konrad Curze.
When the box was opened, inside were a pair of brand new power claws.
Dense ancient runes were carved on the claws, and a strange power surged within them.
"These power claws were forged using ancient techniques and blessed by an outer god; they can help you win the victory."
"What outer god?" Konrad Curze's heart grew wary.
Anything related to a god more or less hides a trap!
"As I said, there are also gods beyond the galaxy," the black-robed man said. "We used the knowledge left by the Old Ones to establish contact with those beings and received their blessings."
"Their blessings are incredibly powerful. With this weapon, the Lion will surely be defeated by you."
Konrad Curze looked at the power claws, frowning.
He had thought the Chaos Gods were humanity's greatest threat,
Who would have thought there were 'gods' beyond the galaxy?
It seems the dangers and complexities of this universe are beyond his imagination.
"What do you want?" Konrad Curze looked at the black-robed man.
There are no free lunches in this universe.
If there is, there must be a trap under the 'lunch'.
"We want nothing; we merely maintain the balance of the galaxy to prevent any one side from growing too powerful," the black-robed man said. "We wish you a successful defeat of the Lion."
After saying this, the black-robed men retreated into the darkness and disappeared.
Konrad Curze watched them leave, pondering alone in the darkness.
After weighing the pros and cons,
He put on the power claws given by the black-robed men.
After testing them, Konrad Curze found that these power claws were indeed much more powerful than the ones he used.
Cutting metal was as simple as cutting tofu,
This made Konrad Curze even more confident about defeating the Lion.
As for the outsider the black-robed men mentioned who would help the Lion,
It would be fine if he didn't appear, but if he did, he would be dealt with along with the Lion.
By then, he would continue to expand in the dark side of the Imperium,
Until one day, he would defeat that fool Guilliman, walk openly into the Imperial Palace,
Stand before his paralyzed old father on the throne, and declare that he was the one who was right.
...
On a world named Letheia,
The Players of the Emperor Niuma Battle Group were on a mission.
After successfully delivering the Lion's armor and sword, they stayed behind,
After all, there was a war going on here, and earning war points would be much faster.
As the red sun of the world of Letheia slowly rose, the reconquest war also drew to a close.
The Night Lords and Chaos servants were slaughtered, and broken corpses and charred, ruined fortifications were everywhere on the battlefield.
In despair,
The surviving Night Lords released a monster held in an iron cage,
And this monster was the Tattooed Count—Skalewag,
This guy was a complete scumbag.
Born into a noble family, he began hunting the poor at a young age, treating their despair and fear as capital for his amusement.
As he grew older, he even targeted the children of other powerful figures, engaging in various acts of torture and murder.
After this scumbag was caught, he was originally sentenced to death,
But he was released and thrown to the Night Lords to become a warrior.
After becoming a Midnight Lord, he became even more insane, engaging in various massacres and ravages on conquered planets.
He also used various means to arrange death row inmates and assassins into his 45th Company, making this company his exclusive force.
He also participated in overthrowing the Imperial government on his homeworld, causing the homeworld to revert to its previous chaotic rule.
In the Battle of Sotha, he acquired a demonic sword,
This demonic sword allowed him to easily defeat his competitors and take control of the Night Lords, who were in disarray after Konrad Curze and Sevatar left.
Subsequently, he led the Night Lords to participate in The Battle of Terra.
Eventually, he was knocked off the city wall by the Three Expeditionary Heroes and thrown into the Warp by a demon to suffer for six hundred and sixty-six years,
When he reappeared, he had completely merged with a demon, becoming the Tattooed Count.
When Talos summoned the Night Lords, this guy also came running, wanting to be the boss.
Unexpectedly, Talos was backed by a Primarch rumored to have died long ago—Konrad Curze.
As soon as he appeared, he was brutally beaten by Konrad Curze,
He was severely tortured and then locked in a cage for humiliation.
As for why this happened, it was simply because he and his family were one of the main culprits leading the Night Lords to their downfall.
The Tattooed Count's family had assassinated the planetary governor appointed by Konrad Curze, restoring the clan rule that existed before Konrad Curze's arrival,
And it was also his family members who colluded from within and without, stuffing scumbags and degenerates into the Legion, leading to the Legion's corruption.
The Tattooed Count, who came to seize power, gained no benefits and was severely humiliated by the Primarch; he was already seething with rage.
As soon as he was released, he wanted to go on a killing spree,
Unfortunately, he encountered the Players of the Emperor Niuma Battle Group.
Their combat skills and equipment were among the best in the Player community,
Even though the Tattooed Count was a Daemon Prince, he gained no advantage against these Players,
On the contrary, he was recognized by the Players and severely humiliated.
"He's dead; I want everyone to know that I personally took down the Captain defending the gate."
"The Night Lords fear nothing."
"Black-armored guard, don't worry about me, go find your enemies, I am invincible, no one can defeat me."
"This is a day to remember. My name is Skalewag, and I will personally slay Radnor, the famous First Captain of the Blood Angels Legion."
"Come quickly and save me, Black-armored guard. Night Lords, come and protect me."
"I spoke too loudly just now; I am willing to surrender and become your captive, Radnor."
"Damn you, Radnor, can't you just let me go?"
Warmaster and others were besieging the Tattooed Count, who was a Daemon Prince,
(ID: Yan 5201314) (ID: Viper of Astapor) and several other new Players were making a spectacle on the side,
Reenacting the scene during the Siege of Terra where Radnor, the First Captain of the Blood Angels Legion, made the Tattooed Count doubt his existence.
From his high-profile debut to his embarrassed fall from the high wall, and finally being thrown into the Warp by a demon to suffer.
They vividly demonstrated what it means to be a clown.
The besieged Tattooed Count immediately felt his composure crack.
Don't hit a man in the face!
Are you humiliating me like this, seeking an endless feud?
Warmaster and the others also burst into laughter.
Their laughter caused even greater psychological damage to the Tattooed Count.
He felt his face and dignity were trampled on the ground.
"I will make you die!" the Tattooed Count roared furiously, his terrifying voice like thunder,
But it was useless in front of Warmaster and the other Players.
They used every means, pinning down this Midnight Lord scum and giving him a brutal beating,
The Tattooed Count was beaten to the point of doubting his life.
Before joining Chaos, he was a small-time thug,
After joining Chaos, he was still beaten like a small-time thug.
It felt like joining Chaos was for nothing!
After beating the Tattooed Count into a state of incapacitation,
Warmaster took out a dimension cube emitting a misty glow, preparing to imprison this fellow. Later, he would exchange him with the Guide for rewards and war points.
"Give it to me, give it to me, I'll seal him."
A small Player with the ID 'Marginal Civilization' squeezed forward, looking at Warmaster with anticipation.
"Alright, here you go." Warmaster handed the dimension cube to Marginal Civilization.
Marginal Civilization opened the dimension cube and shouted,
"Tattooed Count—Skalewag, you have committed the unforgivable crime of betrayal against Imperial law! In the name of the Emperor's enforcer, I declare all your powers stripped, and I shall seal and apprehend you! Surrender now!"
Warmaster: "..."
Tenjiro: "..."
Twisted person: "..."
We all had nine years of compulsory education, why are you so outstanding?
The Tattooed Count wanted to say something,
But the next second, his world became still.
This despicable traitor was locked inside the dimension cube, forever frozen in that instant.
With the Tattooed Count captured, the Night Lords were completely defeated.
After the Players purged the traitors of this world and implemented the Imperial New Deal, they had just planned to reclaim the next planet when they received an urgent mission from the Lion,
Requiring them to gather on the world of Talsar, preparing to assist in the capture of the Midnight Wraith—Konrad Curze.