This is our Warhammer journey

Chapter 469 Post-War Actions

The sun rises slowly above the Eye of the Desert, its light clear and bright.

The sky was a cornflower-blue, and after the fighting had ended, a gentle breeze swept across the face.

It's perfect weather for setting sail.

Ships continued to fall from the sky, and the spirited logistics personnel began to set up outposts and carry out post-war cleanup of the battlefield that had distorted the planet beyond recognition.

The heavy machinery was gathered together under the command of the technical sergeants for inspection and repair. Many soldiers collapsed from exhaustion the moment they received the declaration of victory, clutching their weapons and falling into the ruins, their deep snores escaping from time to time.

Their uniforms were filthy and loose, and their protective armor was covered in wounds. The logistics personnel carried their much lighter bodies onto transport vehicles and sent them to a centralized rest area. Over the past few months, everyone had lost weight, but their expressions remained full of energy, and no one's face showed the pain that signified defeat.

Humanity won the war.

indeed.

It's getting easier and easier.

The toxicity in the air still did not allow all safety protocols to be lifted, but as long as they did not venture deep into the Chaos-contaminated areas without the assistance of the psionic forces, the leaders even allowed the crew to get out of the vehicle for fresh air after long periods of bumpy travel, provided they wore full respirators and sealed protective suits.

After a brief memorial ceremony, the officers and generals conducted a post-war debriefing, and the tireless Astartes threw themselves into the rescue efforts.

They used their bodies to support steel beams that were beyond human strength, and dug yet another life waiting to be saved from the ruins, their burning gazes involuntarily turning toward the returning angels.

Negro paid the price for his actions.

The Death Guard, this massive army, was destroyed, and the very essence of death began to be tinged with the spirits who refused to die.

In the warp, the area belonging to the Plague Garden shrank dramatically, and the other four gods took the opportunity to seize many areas, especially the Emperor's Cursed Legion. After Karna pierced Nurgle's Cauldron, an endless army of Cursed Legions entered Nurgle's castle, taking hold of Nurgle's arms and leaving him torn between life and death.

He could allow the cauldron to be overturned, allowing a more powerful force to destroy these invaders, but in doing so, He would not be able to preserve Himself.

He could only continue his existence in this ridiculous manner, to maintain that hypocritical face that had been almost completely torn apart.

Nurgle's influence on the real world has declined sharply.

The receding trend of the plague that ravaged various star systems undoubtedly proves this point.

"The Imperial Navy fleet in the Gothic Sector is now operational."

Ramses received those messages immediately through subspace communication.

The Imperial high command, influenced by the Dawn Sector, has maintained relatively stable communication with them, allowing the Dawnwings to quickly understand the changing situation through them; however, more specific details require further investigation.

It's a good start, but—

Ramses felt that something was amiss.

He didn't quite understand these fancy realities, but he kept a close eye on the subspace world.

Where did this war push Naguru Svaha's most important thing to go?

Where did the plague go?
Ramses scratched his head with a puzzled look, stumped by this question despite having collected a lot of data.

I asked the Cursed Legion in the warp, but they didn't know either.

"What's wrong."

Ryan took one last look at his results.

With his control over the battle, he broke through more than twenty demon worlds that the Death Guard had been cultivating for a long time, and in a very short time, he forced the entire Death Guard, which was entrenched in Alterama, to a dead end, ultimately forcing Mortarion to meet his end in a way that was most acceptable to the Wings of Dawn.

He's happy with it.

But Ramses' expression made him feel that things were not as simple as they seemed.

"I just always feel like something's missing."

Ramses frowned in reply.

Ryan was instinctively annoyed by such postwar questioning.

"."

The somewhat annoyed lion let out a deep sigh, clearing his mind of all the thoughts that were rushing in, and simply began to examine whether he had made any mistakes.

"This has nothing to do with you. We agreed before that you would take care of the killings, and the rest would be our problem."

Ramses raised his hand to signal Ryan not to overthink it and spoke frankly.

"What I feel is not quite right is the Plague of the Gods, the one that Nurgle originally intended to poison Guilliman with. It can't be found now after the war, and the Cursed Legion hasn't been able to retrieve it even after they invaded the Garden."

After he finished speaking, he lowered his head and pondered for a moment.

Based on the inclusion of Iron Warrior in the Deathguard and early reports of Magnus's activities, he figured it was probably Tzeentch again.

That's amazing, Bluebirds never miss an opportunity to stir things up.

After making a comment and having a general idea in mind, he decided not to dwell on the matter any longer and began to explain the destructive power of the Plague to Ryan.

“It’s not a big deal. Nurgle is too busy to take care of himself right now. Unless he wants to gamble again and see if we can take down Mortalian in the pot. This thing has limited effect on the Primarch. Just remember to be more careful when dealing with Chaos in the future.”

"Ah."

Ryan nodded, instantly dispelling his doubts.

This is the most comfortable aspect of interacting with normal people.

They will tell you about any potential threats directly, so you can be somewhat prepared, instead of keeping it to yourself like a riddle for some random reason.

"No more missions?"

"That's all. The most important thing right now is to get to Altramar as soon as possible. I basically have a plan for the thirteenth prince's resurrection. It would be funny if we missed it."

Ramses said jokingly, "Of course, don't be too hasty, remember to bring Karna along."

The most important thing now is to enjoy the victory.

At the very least, with their existence, humanity has gained a chance to find some relief from suffocating anxiety, and can welcome flowers and honors without worrying about the corruption of Slaanesh.

Let Guilliman celebrate his triumph.

A flame called "urgent fire" rose from the depths of Ryan's heart.

He then bid farewell to Ramses and turned his gaze back to the command throne inside the Indomitable Truth.

His report had been prepared and sent through the communications matrix to ensure it was delivered effectively. The integration of the legion made it very smooth for Ryan to operate, and he could ensure that orders reached the other party's ears.

Currently, almost all the personnel remaining in command of the defense of Altramar are from the Legion, and the vast majority of Imperial Army personnel have been evacuated. These mortal commanders need rest.

Occasionally, when encountering an officer dressed in local Otlama attire, they would exchange a faint smile or a slight nod. These men, like the lions, were people from other regions who had left their homes and were unwilling to leave these strange strangers. They were prepared to live and die with them rather than choose to leave alone.

This is how you deal with the Wings of Dawn; if you're not careful, you'll be assimilated.

Ryan looked around at the dark angels.

The dark angels have been waiting.

Now that we have achieved a decisive victory, there is one last thing to do.

They will be dispatched to Makurag, the jewel of Great Otlama.

Time was of the essence, and the legion was eager to return to the Crown World they had guarded after the war. Therefore, while the many black-armored knights were still meticulously performing their duties, they were also carrying a subtle emotion.

The lion is deep in thought, as always.

The dark angels watched him cautiously.

There were hundreds of warriors present, and Ryan knew everything about them.

Origins, training records, classified instructor reports, psychological files stored within the Round Table Council, and honors earned in this battle.

The dark angels waited silently.

"The mission is clear: integrate the fleet and prepare to set sail. I haven't prepared any rewards here."

Ryan, with a stern face, finally said, "Let's go find the Lord of Knights."

The dark angels bowed with their swords.

Now, they are complete.

Now, they will never lack anything.

"We are the First Legion!"

they said.

"Glory to the lion and the knight-lord!"

Then, with even more emotion.

"For humanity!"

The lion laughed, and his smile widened as Redros stepped forward.
-
"ended."

Arthur walked steadily up the winding stairs, his heavy boots sinking slightly into the living metal flowing on the ground.

Corax stood beside him, the shadows swirling around him closing in, ultimately forming the image of a slightly gloomy young man.

"A pleasing result."

Corax also remarked.

Based on the data obtained by Ryan, they completed the harmless treatment of Sosa, also known as the Faros Lighthouse, a space necromantic relic that could, to some extent, replace the Star Torch as a navigational beacon in the subspace and also possessed hyperspace teleportation capabilities.

The consciousness of the Star God fragments has been successfully erased. Tarasin, along with a portion of his team of science officers who have defected, is working on repairing the lighthouse. Without needing to suppress the Star God itself, the energy supply pressure on the Pharos Lighthouse is not significant. Excluding the energy consumed to maintain its operation and the backup energy, the Wings of Dawn can recover three Star God fragments.

While they may not offer any decisive advantage, the unconscious fragments of the Star God, as long as they do not fall into the hands of ambitious individuals, are enough to ensure that a sector capital is not directly invaded by Chaos.

This is also why the Wings of Dawn were able to abandon the Dawn Sector and provide support to various locations.

Chaos could never directly invade Dawn Star. However, an invasion using other star systems as a springboard would be easily detected by the Dawn Star Region. As long as Dawn Star, the super single core, remains intact, the entire Dawn Star Region will be safe and sound.

"Guilliman is about to wake up too."

Arthur gave a faint smile and looked at Corax.

"go together?"

Both Klarks and Guilliman had poor interpersonal relationships during the 30k era, but coincidentally, they got along quite well.

Back then, we used to play simulation games together. Corax won three times in a row at first, but never won again after that.

"."

Corax immediately looked conflicted upon receiving Arthur's sudden invitation.

“They won’t go around talking about your status as the first returnee, and besides, Ryan is there, so I think he’ll be happy to take on that title.”

Arthur made a joke while simultaneously pondering the reward process.

It's fortunate that the situation is finally improving. Arthur and Romulus, who have always been somewhat bitter and resentful, have both improved a lot recently and are even able to joke around.

He understood Corax's mindset. The first Primarch to return held immense symbolic significance, and Corax instinctively rejected this worship, coupled with his own inner turmoil.

His dilemma stemmed from his belief that he hadn't done well, especially when faced with the honor of being the first Primarch to return. He subconsciously chose to avoid it, and then became even more reluctant to show his face in public.

This is just how melancholic young people are; they should be taken out more often.

Ryan still cared about the honor of being the first son to return, so let him go. Anyway, he was the first one to return in the public eye.

As for Corax, while it's impossible for everyone to put him under that much pressure, he shouldn't be denied the treatment he deserves.

They were able to be liberated from the Dawn Sector so early, rescue the Dark Angels, rush to the aid of Alteramar, and resurrect Guilliman. Without Corax, they would probably still be wandering in the Misty Sector.

And if you really don't want to go?

The thought of the cheers of the people he had directly helped, the peace they had regained in the galaxy thanks to his assistance, and the fact that all his efforts would reach his ears with their approval, while he stood in the sunlight alongside his fellow citizens who were also defending their good life, filled him with joy.

Corax hesitated for a moment.

I still want to go.

"go together."

Arthur repeated this with a slight smile.

This person is just one step short.

"it is good."

Corax finally nodded.
-
"Humph!"

Magnus lowered his trembling hand, as if a high-voltage current was flowing through his fingers.

He toyed with the dagger given to him by Mortarion, watching the horrific scene below.

Countless demons howled in a jar of highly toxic liquid. Even the most powerful demons, who could gain unparalleled status by pledging allegiance to a warp god, struggled within it.

They only lasted a little longer than the weaker beings.

The clamor and howls echoed throughout the subspace, reaching all the way to the magnificent crystal temple of the Transcendent Heaven.

"I warned you."

Seeing this tragic scene, Magnus chuckled, mocking his brother who was imprisoned by Nurgle.

“My life has been full of glory, there has been no failure, how could you forget that?”

Thinking of Ramses' glorious life as recorded in history, Magnus, who was in the Warp at this moment, couldn't help but straighten his chest.

Magnus is arrogant because of his own prototype, but it is precisely because of this that he dares not underestimate these opponents. In his current view, if he cannot find a one-on-one opportunity, then even someone as excellent as him who has mastered the truth of knowledge cannot defeat the Wings of Dawn.

Are the Dawn Wings people someone they can beat?

After checking his score, Magnus completely lost the will to fight these four gods.

So, were all his previous deals and efforts with Mortarian meaningless?
No, of course not.

"Motalian can continue to deceive himself."

The Crimson King said, “Let Dawnwing and Lionheart celebrate. This is their last chance. For me, it is not a defeat. My enemies have never been them. I have gotten what I wanted.”

Romulus was not the only one who killed his brother, and Guilliman was not the only one who suffered from the plague.

There is one more person.

He too chose to kill his own brother; he too was a king.

Moreover, he is a completely different being from the four most powerful ones.

"Leman Russ!"

Magnus clenched his fist.

His words were filled with an uncontrollable hatred, causing the Tzeentch archdemons who accompanied the Scarlet King to tremble in fear.

He glanced at the Plague of God one last time, opened his palm, and took the howling demons and the plague into his pocket.

The vicious words stirred up a tsunami in the subspace.

"I'm here to find you."
-
crackle~
He woke with a start.

Despite his groggy mind, Mortarian's conditioned reflexes still compelled him to act immediately.

He immediately got up and went to the place where the sound came from, using his superhuman senses to perceive everything around him.

It must be life, please, it must be life.

The Pale King rushed to the place where the sound had come from.

As the armored vehicle crushed the bones, he saw a deformed skeleton fall to the ground.

Do not!
Mortarian knelt down.

A trace of death emanated from the body, making the pale white patch on Mortarian's body even more noticeable.

He looked up and around.

This world is endless, cold, and deep, built of endless skeletons and silence. There is no smell. The ground is piled with endless skeletons, and Mortalian has not yet touched the bottom.

Mortarian guessed that the depth was probably endless, but he couldn't and dared not confirm it at the moment.

The sky was black, the earth was white, everything was covered in bones, and the cold, black sun illuminated everything. No matter where you were, it was the same scene everywhere.

This is everything I gained after my failure.

Mortarian looked up, wanting to call out his father's name, wanting to ask for forgiveness.

"."

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back down.

Mortarian looked terrifying now, withered and like a pure skeleton, with even the skin and tendons that covered his bones gone. As time passed, he could feel himself disappearing step by step.

He had prayed countless times, but there was no response.

He made a pleading sound that he couldn't even see himself making.

Apart from the ever-piling pile of bones, there is no sound in this world.

Mortarian wasn't even sure how much time had passed; his sense of time had become blurred without any reference point.

If this is the price of failure—

Hold on!

First, let's stabilize the situation.

Everything is still uncertain, and Mortarian has experienced many defeats and chaos in his career.

Once the operation begins, smoke billows in, obscuring vision, and then the situation begins to deteriorate rapidly.

Stay calm and stay focused.

Don't panic.

He comforted himself, his fingers approaching the skeleton with extreme care, as if hoping the skeleton could come back to life.

His fingers touched the skeleton, and then the skeleton turned into dust.

"."

He walked to the edge of a pile of bones.

As usual, he climbed to the high point he had built and continued to wait.

wait.

Waiting for one's consciousness to dissipate in the endless repetition of death, waiting for one's perception to completely return to the silence of death.

wait!

He slammed his fist into the ground.

There was no echo; the bones instantly turned into dust, flowing down the dark crevice.

"Father!"

He shouted.

If simply opening a skull-like mouth is considered shouting...

"If this is your punishment for the traitors, then you have succeeded!"

He cursed and smashed things in a voice so low he could barely hear himself.

The Lord of Death, in a frenzy, tried to destroy everything. With the greatest effort, he ran towards the sun, attempting to seize it, digging into the earth, trying to pierce through this pale abyss, trying to find something other than death.

He screamed wildly, as if he had gone mad.

But everything will eventually return to silence.

He will eventually have to face everything that is happening to him now.

The cold sun remained silent, gazing at the pale earth in silence, hanging there in the distance, indifferent to everything before it.

He couldn't respond either, after all, this was Nurgle's territory hidden deep within the castle.

'Sigh~'

A sigh, a sigh that even Mortalian's transcendent senses were unsure if he had heard, came from the distant, cold sun.

The Death Guard proved its resilience with one act of defiance, and countless humans in Alterama proved their resilience with countless acts of resistance.

Now, you are Mortarion, Lord of the Fourteenth Legion, Lord of Death, Liberator of Barbarossa, and you pride yourself on your resilience.

Now you know the true nature of Nurgle and how you ended up in this situation.

Now, in this desolate world of death, in the cage Nurgle has prepared for you, you will bear the death He has abandoned, and be confined within it as a pale, stagnant soul, enduring eternal loneliness and suffering, waiting for the next miracle to free you.

It's your turn to prove your resilience.

The cold sun averted its gaze and began its eternal wait.

His gaze swept across the stars, across the hidden rifts between the Milky Way, and toward the other side of the galaxy.

Ultramar.

That vibrant world.

A pale, lifeless body of a dead soul is about to awaken.

　P.S.: Waaaaah, I didn't plan the outline well, I really can't finish writing it, I'll have to do it tomorrow, waaaaah!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)