Warhammer 40: My Fiancée Fulgrim.

Chapter 190 Medusa's Blade

Tell me, what exactly happened back then?

Inside the medical bay of the Steel Hand flagship.

Casca sat down in front of Gabriel Santo, the company commander of the Steel Hand.

It seems to have added some extra steel parts compared to the past, controlled by the Thinker array on its shoulders.

However, his current condition does not seem to be very good.

Not long ago, the Iron Hand Legion encountered a strange alien species during their expedition. Their civilization, like the Iron Hands, seemed to pursue perfection through mechanical modification of the body. However, it was clear that Iron Hand's Phyllis would not show mercy to these aliens.

Under Philus's steel torrent, even the alien civilization with advanced technology could not stop Philus's fully mechanized army, and their existence was completely wiped out by the steel hand.

In the previous battle, the fighter plane carrying Gabriel Santo, the company commander of Iron Hands, was unfortunately shot down, breaking all of his ribs, legs, and arms, and even fracturing his skull.

The Steel Hand Pharmacist thought it was a miracle that he was still alive and able to walk.

When the search and rescue team finally found him, Santo had only a few minutes of air left inside his power armor.

"But because of this, I did not accompany the Primarch into that palace. I was also unable to share the glory of the final battle with them."

Kasgar had no idea what changes had occurred in the Iron Hand Legion during his absence, but judging from the sword in Phyllis's hand that clearly resembled the Slaanesh style, it didn't seem like good news.

As for Santo's account of the Iron Hand's combat experience, it was 70-80% similar to their final battle to capture the Thorn Star Atoll.

"No. Santo, you'll be glad you didn't join our fight."

But the Thousand Sons Wizard Amal, sitting to the side, did not think so.

However, now he should be called Amal, a Space Marine of the Steel Hand Aveni Clan.

After the Thousand Sons Legion's organization and the Psionic Think Tank were disbanded, he joined the think tank personnel nearby to complete the reorganization and became a member of the Iron Hand Legion.

"Thankful? Why do you say that, Amal?"

“I’m not sure. I just… I’m just not sure if you’ll end up on Philus’s side. I felt very uncomfortable in that palace.”

"Unnatural? What does that mean?"

Amar looked around, seemingly searching for anyone who might be listening to him, and after seeing that there were only the three of them in the room, he said, “Gabriel, it’s hard to describe, but it feels… it feels as if the palace itself is alive, or something inside is alive. I know it sounds silly.”

As a former think tank member, Amar's feelings and reactions to that strange, dreamlike existence were more intense than those of ordinary people.

He had intended to tell the Primarch everything he had seen at the time, but due to the passage of the Nicaea Prohibition, he had to remain silent.

Even passive responses are unacceptable; this is an order.

He didn't want to repeat the mistakes of his original self.

"A living palace? You're right, it does sound ridiculous. It's just a building, how could it possibly be alive?"

“I don’t know,” Amar admitted, “but that’s the feeling.”

"I don't know how else to describe it. It was terrifying, yet magnificent at the same time: the colors, the noise, and the smell."

“Although I hated it at the time, I kept thinking about it with longing. Every one of my senses was stimulated, and I felt... the experience energized me.”

Amal's gaze wandered, as if he had returned to the past, immersed in that bizarre sensory stimulation for a long time and unable to extricate himself.

These days he has been very listless, seemingly because he has not felt that kind of joy from the depths of his soul for a long time and feels extremely empty.

"Stop!"

Kasga shouted to stop him, and the dark, golden-red flames burning in his hand quietly covered Amal's entire body.

"What just happened?"

In just a moment, as Kasgar's psionic flames enveloped his entire body, Amal's eyes, which had been clouded for days, cleared once more.

"Gone!"

“That longing, that intense, unbearable anxiety and desire, is gone,” Amar said. “It’s hard to believe that I was previously addicted to some ridiculous reactions to light, sound, and color.”

“It’s not over yet, Amal, I have something else to ask you.”

Casca's expression was grave.

"And then? What exactly is the origin of that sword, and how did Philus obtain it?"

What happened after you entered that palace?

Then everything happened just as Casca had predicted.

Upon entering the palace, the Iron Hands of the Philus team entered an extremely eerie area—filled with numerous strange stone carvings and murals, radiating light and color that were previously unimaginable.

And that's not all. After they entered the palace, they saw even more, even more mechanically modified alien creatures.

With mechanical improvements, those originally ugly aliens will no longer be bulky and fragile—hard metal materials will replace their skin, and sensitive signal transmission will surpass slow nerves.

Beneath that powerful mechanical arm, past muscle strength seemed so weak.
After using her Thunder Hammer to knock down yet another mechanical alien that dared to approach, Phyllis fell into a brief moment of deep thought.

Perhaps only by replacing pitiful flesh and blood with machines can we become strong enough.

This alien civilization itself is not strong; in fact, its core strength is pitifully weak.

But after being mechanically modified all over their bodies, these originally useless aliens were able to unleash power far stronger than those Iron Hand soldiers, and only she, as the Primarch, could stop them.

If the previous alien soldiers had all undergone this level of mechanical modification, Iron Hand's casualties would have been several times more severe.

The word "estimate" was not used.

Given Philus's precise calculation abilities, there's no need for estimation.

The current mechanical modifications to Iron Hand are sufficient, and she has no need to modify them for the sake of modification, forcibly turning humans into inhuman mechanical monsters.

But is it really enough?

If so, why did she lose the selection of the War Master in Ulano?
The effects of Slaanesh are different for each person—to others, the alien palace is a den of demons filled with indescribable visual and auditory stimulation, where the senses will receive an unforgettable and wonderful experience.

But in Phyllis's eyes were countless Ironhand Space Marines who had died tragically because of her stubbornness.

All of this is because of you, Phyllis.

She could almost see that it was precisely because of her stubbornness, her inexplicable opposition to mechanization, that she would ultimately be defeated when facing an even more powerful enemy.
She failed.

A crushing defeat.

Without its original form, the Steel Hand is leaderless and left only with ignorant infighting. The Steel Hand will also be subject to mechanization.

Phyllis cannot fail; she is the backbone of the legion.

If the future is truly unavoidable, then let her do it herself!

“And at that time, I remember being in the center of the last room of that palace,” Amal continued, now able to easily recall the past after Kasgar had burned his body with psionic flames. “I remember there was a mechanical metal platform there.”

The surface of the metal platform seemed to be covered with a thick metallic style, looking particularly tempting, while the sword inserted into it emitted a sharp, cold light, like the final reward they had obtained after overcoming all obstacles along the way, standing quietly in the center of the mechanical platform.

"It appears to be a carefully designed storage platform, with half of the sword stuck in the mechanical stand, which was eventually pulled out by Primarch Philus who stepped forward."

"After conquering this planet, we quickly withdrew from that planet and have now joined you."

What Casca didn't want to see happened.

Slaanesh has never been Slaanesh's only means of attack.

In the Warp, there are countless demon worlds, as numerous as the stars in the sky. They can disguise themselves perfectly, waiting for a Primarch to enter one of them and fall into their trap.

If Slaanesh could create a demon world to deal with Vorgrim, he could certainly create even more demon worlds as traps to lure other Primarchs.

Phyllis was the Dark Gods' backup option after the failure of the Forgrim Plan.

"It seems we have completely underestimated the evil presence in these warps."

"Casca said helplessly."

The power of the warp god far exceeded his expectations.

The ability to save the Primarch from the mouths of the Dark Gods is only temporary.

The failure of a plan does not mean that the Primarch will never again be corrupted by Chaos.

However, if this plan fails, the Dark Gods have many more traps to follow up with, such as traps number 2, 3, and 4 – they are always waiting and always plotting.

The four gods were already powerful, and their combined strength was unparalleled.

What's more, it's a conspiracy that has been plotted in the subspace for countless years.

"So, what exactly is going on?" Amal asked. "Just like last time, has Phyllis been possessed by something strange again?"

"That's one way to put it, but this time it's far more difficult than before."

"But this time, I may not be able to save her again."

Just then, there was a knock on the door of the medical pod.

“It’s me, Aqua Duna.”

The second company commander of the Imperial Prince entered the medical pod, glanced at the three silent figures in the room, and closed the door behind him.

“I just heard you came to the Steel Hand.” Aqua breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the door as she spoke to Casgar. “How’s it going? Has your swordsmanship improved? Or have you neglected your training?”

"No, Aqua, we have more important things to do now—did you enter that palace before? During the last battle?"

"Hmm." She nodded somewhat belatedly.

"I went in with them, and I felt that the mechanical aliens inside the palace were indeed quite troublesome, quite different from those encountered outside."

"Did you sense anything was wrong? Or did you see any hallucinations or other things that shouldn't have happened?"

"Illusions? Not at all. Is this some new psionic magic?"

Aqua shook her head innocently as she spoke.

Slaanesh can indeed tempt people to the extreme in certain ways.

But there are still people in the world who cannot be corrupted or eroded. If we were to say who she is, it could only be Aqua Duna.

—After all, she had already done her best.

Whether it's swordsmanship or cooking.

After bidding farewell to his Space Marine friends, Kasgar walked silently on the deck of the Steel Fist.

Unlike before, when she only faced powerful demons like the Sapphire King, now Philus, wielding the piercing sword, would be under the constant watchful eye of Salis herself.

Even worse, not only Salis, but all four Chaos Gods appeared simultaneously in the final stages of the Great Crusade, extending their "invitations" to the Primarchs who were waging war across the galaxy.

Now, even with his immense power, Kasgar couldn't possibly rescue every Primarch corrupted by Chaos by attacking multiple targets simultaneously.

Not just each one, but even with Philus right in front of him, Kasga was still helpless.

So, it was actually Sally who abandoned me?

After an unknown period of silence, the dagger at Casca's waist spoke.

It realized with difficulty that Slaanesh's failure to respond to it was not entirely the reason for the golden centaur.

But in Sally's eyes, it seemed to have lost its usefulness.
No teeth or mouth pain!!!

【It's no use! You're one of us now. If you haven't changed your mindset, then you deserve to be disliked.】

Casca communicated with the blade at his waist in an annoyed tone.

The power of the Chaos Gods was never limited to a single person or a specific place.

When the dominant party faces too many obstacles, they will turn their attention to the other side.

The moment the demon within the piercing sword lost its gaze and the favor of the Chaos God, was also the moment the Chaos God turned its gaze to another Primarch.

【So what do we do now?】 【Nothing. The best solution I can think of is to leave here as soon as possible.】

Then, the Emperor was informed of the Chaos God's plan via astronomical communication, so that the Emperor could handle the matter.

Of course, the second half of this plan cannot be revealed to that stabbing sword demon yet.

Now, things have come to a point where they are no longer something that a mere Space Marine like Casca can handle.

This requires the emperor to cure!

"Casca."

Just as Casca was figuring out how to escape, a voice that Casca least wanted to hear came from behind him.

He didn't even need to turn around to know who was calling him.

The Steel Hand, Phyllis Marus.

"Lady Philus, hello?"

Kasga turned around with a wry smile and looked at the other person.

Her armor shimmered like the blackest agate, her shoulders were clad in large, heavy metal plates, and a shimmering cloak trailed behind her as she moved. Phyllis wasn't overly concerned with outward aesthetics, but every inch of her power armor exuded a precise and coldly minimalist beauty.

At this moment, the Primarchs of the two Legions were convening senior officers within their Legions to discuss strategies for eliminating the Azure Crystal Alliance. It was during this time that Casgar had the opportunity to come aboard the Iron Fist to gather information.

"Nothing, I just wanted to ask how you're doing in the Sons of the Emperor's Legion."

Phyllis leaned gently against the wall beside the corridor, a strange smile on her face that Kasgar had only ever seen on Fugrim's face.

Not right.

It's not right.

He sensed danger looming ahead.

"Furthermore, I am very interested in the sword at your waist."

As she spoke, she gently straightened up from her position leaning against the wall and walked to Casca's side.

Compared to Fugrim's relatively slender figure in the Primarch, Filus is clearly taller and stronger, and the heavy black power armor she wears makes her appear particularly imposing.

"Especially since they were able to achieve a striking similarity when faced with different alien civilizations without any communication."

She reached out and picked up the dagger from Casca's waist.

"Moreover, I also feel there's something strange about it—"

"To be honest, this sword of mine not only provides me with a constant stream of inspiration for mechanical modifications, but it can even detect traces of other people using witchcraft, which I can use to deal with those despicable wizards."

As she spoke, the silver blade of Medusa's Blade in Phyllis's hand approached Casca.

"Just like now."

As the other party said this, Casca immediately retreated, his eyes searching for a way to escape.

"Philus! Wake up! You're not right right now! Don't let the whispers from that sword control you!"

He tried to shout, but Phyllis seemed completely unmoved.

She extended her sword towards Casca, seemingly drawing out a wisp of golden-red flame from in front of him.

—And also, it was a phantom image of the Eldar.

"But it seems to be telling the truth, doesn't it?"

"Gotcha, little wizard."

Kasgar felt a powerful force slam him against the iron-gray wall of the Iron Fist, while he could hear Philus's breath, which grew hotter as she approached.

"Casgar, you don't want other people to know that you're actually a pointy-eared alien, do you?"

What exactly is missing from the Iron Hand?
After the crushing defeat at the Battle of Ulano, the Iron Hand thought a lot and reflected a lot.

In Phyllis's memory, the Iron Hand Legion possessed superior combat power and innovative capabilities in every aspect.

But ironically, the Emperor's final choice fell upon the little-known Primarch of the Third Legion, Vorgrim.

Although she and Fugrim were on good terms, she was still somewhat resentful.

What abilities does she possess to become an Imperial Warmaster, compared to all the worlds she has diligently conquered for the Empire with the Iron Hand?

Phyllis didn't blame Fugrim; she just wanted to find the reason she was missing.

And finally, she found it—

She's only missing one person.

That was him, Casgar Sherlock, a genius who was capable of everything in creation, military command, domestic and foreign affairs, and combat.

Moreover, and even more importantly, he is able to make predictions to a certain extent, thereby avoiding potentially disastrous future events.

After acquiring Kasgar, Fugrim can be said to have entered an easy mode. Kasgar can predict what will happen in the future, and you only need to entrust everything to him, and he can handle everything for you.

I'm so envious.
Phyllis could only sigh in vain at this.

If possible, she really wanted Casca to replace Aqua in serving their Iron Hand Legion.

Unfortunately, it can't be replaced.

The other party is Fugrim's husband, and they have a very good relationship. As the Primarch and Fugrim's sister, it is even more impossible for her to steal him away.

but--

But just as Philus was agonizing, that sword
The sword seemed to tell her something unbelievable—though it seemed impossible at first glance, upon closer reflection it seemed to be true.

The Kaska are actually an Eldar race.

"How is that possible? The differences between Eldar and humans are vast, and Kasgar is a Space Marine who has been modified by Astartes!"

Eldar Astartes?

That seems unlikely.

"But what if? I can provide you with ample evidence. What if Fugrim develops a dislike or even hatred for Kasgar because of this? Wouldn't that be your opportunity?"

[If we could acquire Casca, the Legion would have such a bright future. Besides, isn't he himself someone you've always dreamed of?]

Yes, yes.
Phyllis swallowed slightly.

"What exactly is going on!!!"

At the Primarch Council, Fugrim was so desperate he almost drew his sword.

When Philus asked her for help, everyone in the Imperial Legion thought it would be another battle to strengthen the bond between the Third and Tenth Legions.

The two Primarchs, Fugrim and Filus, had long since forged a deep bond during the Great Crusade.

But this time, the two sides seemed unusually tense.

"Where is Casca right now?! Philus! What are you trying to do?!"

Her beautiful purple eyes were now staring fiercely at the image of Phyllis in the holographic projection.

Although she wanted to maintain her composure as an Imperial War Commander, everything she heard at this moment made it impossible for her to do so.

Not long ago, when Casca went to investigate the enemy's flagship, the Iron Fist, he was detained by Philus on the enemy's flagship.

The reason was—he was actually a spirit race alien?!
What a joke!
"Where in the world is there an Eldar alien that has been modified into a Space Marine? Phyllis, are you crazy?"

“I’m not crazy, sister.” Philus in the holographic projection still maintained her stern face, but it seemed that the smile at the corner of her mouth could not be hidden. “I have solid evidence to prove it.”

"Perhaps at this moment he does indeed look no different from a human, but his inner self has always been a completely pure Elven soul."

"Otherwise, why would he have those cracked psionic fragments? Why could he accurately predict everything that would happen in the future? Why does he possess such powerful psionic flames, the power of which even Magnus, the strongest psionic user among our Primarchs, could not replicate?"

"Why is it that only his flames can heal a person's wounds? Fugrim, have you really thought about these things?"

"Or have you been blinded by love?"

Fugrim remained silent.

In fact, she had a vague idea of ​​this when the Eldar pirates all hailed Kasgar as the "new Phoenix King".

But how could that be? Haha!

Kaska was already with her back in Chemos!

Fugrim has been deceiving herself all along.

But it seems that from the very beginning, he had maintained no signs of aging for thirty years.
But the more you examine it, the more loopholes seem to appear.

There are so many inconsistencies in Casca's character that the idea that he is an alien is actually more plausible in some situations.

"what on earth do you want?"

After a moment of silence, Fugrim spoke.

Seeing that Fugrim's previous rage had subsided, Phyllis felt even more confident.

"I want to make an agreement with you."

"What agreement?"

“I want to know,” Phyllis said, “whether you are capable of being a war commander on your own, without relying on Casca.”

"what do you mean?"

"I want to understand whether our Imperial War General will become a puppet of the alien race because of his overconfidence."

Phyllis said with righteous indignation, "I want to know whether this War Commander is you or him."

"As for the contents of the agreement, it's very simple—as long as you agree to it, I won't tell anyone about this."

“We will attack the Azure Crystal Alliance together next. Fugrim, I want to know if you can demonstrate your strength as an Imperial Warmaster without Kasgar.”

"If you can really take over the Azure Crystal Alliance before me, I will never mention the matter of Casca again."

"What if I lose?"

"Don't worry if he loses, I won't do anything to Casca," Philus said with a smile. "However, I am quite interested in his abilities."

"Perhaps he can only unleash his full potential in the Iron Hand Legion."

"you!"

“Philos!!! You came here solely for him! Tell me, what did you do to him!”

Fugrim’s tone revealed urgency.

"Not yet," "But judging from your tone, you seem eager to witness this scene? If you have such a need, I'm not unable to satisfy you."

"go away!"

Fugrim cut off the communications.

She simply couldn't understand why her best friend Phyllis had become like this.

Could it be what Casca said when he left, that the sword would affect Philus's mind?
But even if that's the case, so what?
Now, it's his turn to handle this without Casca's help.

Next, she must take down the Azure Crystal Alliance before Philus does.

But how is this possible!

Although the mechanized units of the Steel Hand are weak in individual combat, their combat effectiveness in the campaign is the strongest among all legions!
They have 10,000 men who can deal with the Astartes, which has 50,000 men. Now, how is she supposed to respond?
A deep-seated fear left her feeling lost and in pain.

"Casgar, what should I do?"

(End of this chapter)