Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 20 Doom
All that could be seen at the center of the explosion was a huge circular crater. The orcs' corpses were gone, and further away, there were only piles of white bones. The flesh and blood had been evaporated by the high temperature, leaving only charred skeletons.

At the epicenter of the explosion was a man-made machine covered with runes never seen before.

The machine is broken. A naked human infant, undeterred by the intense heat, lies on the ground. A child, awakened from a deep sleep, lies on the ground.

King Norwick took in everything, and when he looked at the infant, a thought struck him: this child sent from heaven must be extraordinary, and the idea of ​​raising him to adulthood welled up in his mind.

The high priest shared the same idea as him.

Isaac, disregarding his composure and elegance, tore off the hem of his priest's robe and rushed toward the baby.

However, someone was faster than him. King Norwick strode to the infant, tore off his cloak, wrapped it around him, and gently held him in his arms.

With a few black baby hairs on his head, and eyes as black as obsidian, this chubby little boy with all four limbs intact and fair skin observed everything before him with clear eyes when he was picked up.

King Norwick's gaze shifted downwards, a smile forcing a smile across his tired face. In his arms was a healthy boy!

A mysterious rune mark was imprinted on the infant's chest, emitting bursts of red light. The red light seemed to be alive, fluctuating with the infant's breathing.

The baby in her arms had clear, innocent eyes that reflected King Norwick's tired face, his gaze filled with curiosity and contemplation.

His gaze unconsciously swept over the area, and King Norwick tensed up, a chill running down his spine.

An indescribable sense of awe arises, an instinctive reaction carried by the genes of a lower organism when facing a higher being, an innate sense of awe in the process of survival and evolution.

King Norwick's face beneath his helmet was grim; his body stiffened as instinct and reason clashed, and he subconsciously tried to throw the infant in his arms away.

Suddenly, a tremendous force came. Looking down, I saw the baby's chubby little hands gripping the edge of the cloak and pulling it unconsciously.

The moment their eyes met, Norwick felt a chill run down his spine.

The child's eyes held a scrutinizing, thoughtful look, as if he were assessing any threats in his surroundings.

Norwick fought against his physical instincts, panting heavily. His inner voice told him that if he threw the child out now, he would be torn to pieces.

This is not an exaggeration; it is the life-and-death instinct honed by soldiers through countless battles!
Suppressing his awe, Norwick defied his instincts and used all his strength to stiffly tighten his arms to protect the "human cub" in his arms.

Finally, after he made a protective move, the sense of crisis slowly dissipated, and the child in his arms slowly fell asleep.

All of this happened in less than two seconds, in the midst of chaos, with few of the surrounding soldiers noticing.

"What's wrong?" The sword master seemed to sense something, instinctively tightening his grip on his two swords as he looked at the infant in King Norwick's arms.

Norwick shook his head silently, offering no answer. With gentle, careful movements, he stretched out his arms and lifted the swaddled baby high.

In a swaddling cloak soaked in blood, a human infant sleeps peacefully, his fair body resting in the crimson light.

Seeing this, Isaac turned pale, collapsed to the ground in panic, stretched out his arm in a clenched fist, and cried out in a shrill, grief-stricken voice, "No!!!!!"

In the chaos and destruction, King Norwick cried out the name of the Son of Heaven:
"He descended from the heavens, bringing destruction to the enemy of mankind, and proclaimed his name to Nur-dum!"

Ashes and fire fell from the sky, and in the scorching crater, a king bestowed upon Du Mu a name for his next life.

The Night Guardian's boots pounded the ground, trampling enemy bones as he shouted the name of the Doom Slayer: "Doom! Doom! Doom!"

In one of the languages ​​of Ancient Terra, Doom means destruction. This child, named after the warrior class, is destined to become a glorious warrior.

Doom!

The orc leader was reduced to ashes when the Doomsday Warrior descended, and the orcs, under the threat of the shouts, fled in a sorry state like headless flies.

Without a leader, the orcs were nothing but a rabble, and in some areas where the explosion had not yet reached, the orc groups began to attack each other.

Amid the excited crowd, one person watched indifferently, lying prostrate on the ground like a lifeless corpse.

Isaac buried his face in the soil, his heart ice-cold; the current situation was completely different from what had been prophesied.

In the revelation revealed by the gods, they themselves lifted up the child, declared him to be the son of the priest, and then taught him to serve the gods and learn mystical knowledge.

Not like now, where I become a guardian of the night, a warrior bound by the law, under the spotlight of the world.

Fate veered off course, reality refuted the prophecy, and the mission bestowed by the gods lost its vessel.

“King Norwick,” the high priest rose from the filthy, bloody mud without a trace of elegance.

Beneath his magnificent crown, his face remained expressionless as he used his spiritual power to exert pressure, suppressing the cries of the Night Guardians.

With slender fingers pointing down at the infant in Novik's arms, ignoring the king's majesty, he almost commanded: "This child came with revelation; he does not belong to you. You should hand him over to me."

The sound echoed in the crater, abruptly resounding in the ears of every warrior. The piercing echo dispelled the joy of victory, laying bare the conflict between the warrior and priest classes without any concealment. Since humans colonized Nur and rapidly developed technology, and after the Omnic Rebellion, humanity had survived. After countless struggles and reorganizations, the political system finally stabilized in the hands of two classes.

A warrior class that upholds the way of the warrior, hones its spirit and skills, strictly disciplines itself, chooses to arm itself with ancient weapons, and protects the people.

A priestly class that completely worships the gods, releases their souls to explore magical knowledge, and uses witchcraft and spells to worship the gods.

Two main classes rule over most of the people in Nur, governing the populace within their respective spheres of influence. Over the millennia, countless battles, large and small, have taken place between them due to their differing ideologies.

During the siege by the Greenskins, the High Priest of the City of Truth, a city of sacrifice, led a team of priests to guard the main domain.

Faced with humanity's great enemy, King Norwick, the ruler of the main domain, disregarded past grievances, treated them with kindness, and accepted their advice and assistance.

Some even believe that if humanity is fortunate enough to defeat the Greenskins, the warriors and priests should sit down and have a proper talk to end the millennia-long conflict and move towards a unified future.

Now, the High Priest clearly doesn't take the King of Warriors seriously, and is ordering a king.

"High Priest Isaac, according to the laws of the warriors who guard the main domain," King Norwick said, subtly taking a step back while cradling the infant.

His retreat was not an act of concession, but rather a signal.

Xilan stood silently in front of him, as did the surrounding Night Guards, instantly changing formation and instinctively pointing their weapons at Isaac.

King Norwick solemnly declared, “On the battlefield, anything the victor touches becomes his spoils, and no one else may interfere or demand it.”

“This is our law, the foundation upon which we live. If you want this child, you can challenge me to a duel. If you defeat me, you can take him away.”

Isaac's face grew even darker, his eyes flashing with a chilling light, and the corners of his mouth twitched with unusual anger.

He understood perfectly what King Norwick meant; the King of Warriors had no intention of backing down and would never hand over the child.

No one on this planet can defeat the King of Warriors, especially since King Norwick is the youngest king in history.

Upon reaching adulthood, he inherited the throne, underwent various trials as a warrior, challenged and defeated all legends, and became the "King of Warriors."

Legends of his power are sung among the people of every Nur; he is synonymous with invincibility, a symbol of strength and wisdom.

I can't challenge King Norwich, at least not now.

"The Ork have been defeated. To prevent them from returning, I will lead my people in pursuit of them."

Finally, the high priest withdrew his psychic power to ease the tension, bowed slightly in respect, glanced at the child, and said meaningfully, "King of Warriors, we have a long future ahead of us."

“The future…” King Norwick saw the resentment and malice in the High Priest’s eyes, the serpent retracting its fangs and retreating into the shadows to await its opportunity, “…there will be a long time to come.”

The Night Guard made way for the High Priest and watched him leave.

"Why not kill him? A viper that cowers in the shadows is more dangerous than a wild beast that runs across the wasteland."

The chief swordsman narrowed his eyes, slightly raising his twin swords as he stared at the high priest's departing figure, vaguely seeing the distorted darkness gathering behind him.

“Killing Isaac is easy; the class and the people behind him are the real problem—they are staunch fanatics.”

King Norwick's broad shoulders slumped with exhaustion as he turned to Xilan: "This battle has already shed too much blood. How much more blood must we shed in our internal strife?"

He then looked at the majestic, towering white walls that guarded the main domain, and smiled as he looked down at the chubby little boy in his arms, saying, "The future has arrived, and a new king has descended from the sky. I can feel that he possesses power."

"You intend to let him inherit the throne?" Xi Lan was so shocked that she almost misspoke, full of confusion: "This is not in accordance with our laws."

Raising his hand to stop the chief swordsman, King Norwick slowly said, "The law deserves respect. It prevents us from repeating past mistakes, but it is by no means immutable. Do not be bound by its rigidity, after all, we have unprecedented opportunities ahead of us."

He looked up and gazed into the distance, his vision extending beyond the scorched wasteland, seeing farther than anyone else.

His voice was low and hopeful for the future: "Isaacs will not be our enemy for the time being. They are part of humanity, and humanity has one common enemy: the Greenskins."

"This child is very likely to achieve something unprecedented. He will unify Nur and then ascend the throne."

Xilan slowly knelt down, and the Night Guard knelt with her in the hot mud, clenching their left fists against their chests and swearing: "We will follow your will to the death, the great King Norwick."

"Doom Norwick!" The king cradled the infant in his arms, proclaiming his status as a prince.

　Sorry for keeping you all waiting! Now, let's begin the original story. Most of the earlier chapters were interspersed with background information, which did make the pacing a bit slow. The author used several chapters to make it easier for casual readers to understand.

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(End of this chapter)