Warhammer: Filial Piety Makes Power

Chapter 275 The Evil Steel Serpent
Fugrim was now like a cat on a hot tin roof, growing increasingly agitated with the arrival of that abstract message.

If the timing is accurate, three full years have passed since the Star Torch was extinguished, and with the arrival of a warp storm, the Emperor's Son and the Iron Hand were trapped in this remote sector.

In order to quell the inexplicable rebellion, the two legions carried out a purge while contacting other legions. However, for some reason, Felus contracted a serious illness and began to become listless.

Fortunately, after repeated attempts to contact them, the Shadowmoon Wolves discovered them, and even the Death Guard and the Salamanders were there.

Forgrim was puzzled as to why the Death Guard and Salamanders, who should have been in the Storm Sector, had suddenly traveled across astronomical distances to the Misty Sector.

However, after communicating with Horus and Mortharian Vulcan in Astral, he and Feralas were informed that a great rebellion had broken out in the Empire, and that the rebels were none other than Atlas and the Ultramarines, who were dissatisfied with the Empire, as well as the White Scar and the Word Bearers.

Forgrim didn't believe Mordred would suddenly rebel, after all, if his second brother were going to rebel, he would definitely notify them first!
As for the Ultramarines who also rebelled, Forgrim thought it was perfectly reasonable. He had long disliked Guilliman, especially since the guy always said "My mom is calling me home for dinner" when he left a party.

As for the Khan's betrayal, Forgrim was a little unsure, after all, White Scar had always been outside the Empire, and the Khan had clearly expressed his dissatisfaction with the Empire.

Needless to say, the matter of those who harbored words was still under wraps. Although the events in Perfect City had been suppressed, what had already happened needed no explanation. Moreover, they had been staying in Tranquility, and Luo Jia was completely subservient to his second brother.
So, did they betray each other or not? After discussing it, Forgrim and Feralus concluded that it was highly likely.

After all, the Great Expedition had reached the edge of the Starfire, and countless worlds had been incorporated into the Empire's territory, but internal problems could no longer be contained.

The most important issue now is to recuperate and digest the fruits of victory in the Great Expedition. This is a consensus not only among the Primarchs but also among everyone.

Conquering a kingdom is easy, but maintaining it is difficult; how to govern the empire has become the most serious point of contention.

The Emperor insisted on prioritizing mortals, and after the conclusion of the Council of Nicaea and the Emperor's withdrawal from the Great Crusade, the current Supreme Commander of the Empire is the War General.

To put it bluntly, it's Horus, the current war general in charge of military affairs, and Mordred, the former war general in charge of logistics.

The good news is that both Warmasters were of one mind, being staunch supporters of the Great Astolism, with Mordred even devising a grand plan for the Space Marines to rule the Imperium for a millennium.

Once this news came out, all the Space Marines and even the mortal support troops who participated in the Great Crusade felt much more at ease.

The truth of the Empire is too great, but you can't just shout slogans and you won't get enough to eat. Imperial soldiers can die for honor and for their beliefs, but you can't give them nothing in return, can you?
If they cease their expeditions, what will become of them, who are part of the empire's war machine?

Now that the Warlord has stepped forward, he has not only given us honor but also a way out. In fact, given Horus and Mordred's style, their achievements will certainly not be forgotten.

However, the situation was not so rosy.

After stepping down to the sidelines, the Emperor immediately strengthened the power of the Terra Council, with none of the 12 seats held by a Primarch.

In truth, the emperor, with his political mindset, hadn't thought that far ahead. If he had, he wouldn't have exploited Macardo to this extent.

Based on all the information, although unwilling to believe it, Forgrim ultimately hesitated after being persuaded by Feralus.

Rationally, Forgrim believed that Mordred might indeed betray him, but emotionally, he felt that his brother would never do such a thing; it was too sudden and completely inconsistent with Mordred's usual behavior.

Fugrim wanted to get to the bottom of things, but Horus specifically told them not to act rashly. Going there now would be suicide. Mordred had gone mad, and now the White Scars were hunting them down. Even the Space Wolves had joined the rebels.

You go to Istvan III first, and we'll meet up with you after we've dealt with the current rebellion.

Without giving Forgrim any chance to ask questions, through the holographic image, he could see the Soul of Vengeance being bombarded, and even saw Ruth and Khan with furious expressions.

Perhaps sensing his brother's frustration, Feralus suggested holding a banquet to help him relax, but Forgrim refused and began leading the Emperor's Sons to quell the rebellion around Istvan.

But with that news, Forgrim suddenly realized that his close friend Feralus seemed a little different, and even the Emperor's Son, who was stationed at Istvan III, had lost contact.

"So who sent the message?"

Anxiety began to spread in his heart. Without any hesitation, Forgrim immediately put aside all his affairs and led all the Emperor's sons to Istvaan.

Trusting his brother, Forgrim left his sons at home and took only a few guards with him to the meeting in secret.

But when he arrived at the Steel Fist, what he saw sent a chill down his spine, in a physical sense.

The deck was covered with twisted flesh, metal and blood fused together in a way that shattered his sanity. This blasphemous and obscene scene made him realize that something terrible was about to happen.

Several pieces of flesh, no longer recognizable as human, groaned, while the remaining armor on their bodies clearly indicated that these were once the Iron Hand.

Upon seeing this, Fugrim immediately attempted to send a signal, but ever since they entered the ship, all instruments had malfunctioned, and only piercing screams and painful groans could be heard on the communication channel.

“Father! What on earth happened?” Lucius, who had come along as a Primarch’s guard, asked.

“Be careful, this is Chaos Corruption. I’ve seen it at Atlas before.”

"But isn't that a machine spirit?"

Realizing he had misspoke, Lucius shut his mouth, but Forgrim didn't seem to care. Instead, he led his guards forward, feeling along a passage that resembled some kind of fleshy cavity, while explaining:

"I should have known. Felus is a block of steel. He would never say those witty things, and my second brother did not betray me."

Are you curious why I say this? It's because my second brother firmly believes that demons have no sense of pain.

If you've ever been to the Abomination's fel forge, you'll understand that the energy-saving crystals Atlas suddenly distributed to all the Legions were forged from these demons.

"That means Atlas and Chaos are irreconcilable enemies. My second brother may not have betrayed us; he might be eliminating something... Be careful!"

Pushing his offspring aside, Forgrim swung his warhammer to deflect the sudden attack from above.

An immense force struck, shattering the entire deck instantly, along with the surrounding filthy flesh and blood, which plunged into the darkness below.

As the emergency lights came on, what he saw made Forgrim's eyes widen in horror. The missing sons of the Emperor were all here. Just seeing their mangled bodies, he could imagine the humiliation and torture his offspring had suffered before their deaths. But what tormented him even more was the monster that had attacked him.

The long, slender snake tail, wrapped in layers of steel cables, slapped the ground. Looking up, the snake demon was none other than his beloved Felus. Even the blade it used was the flaming sword that he had given to Felus.

"Ferus, what are you doing?"

Hoping for a miracle, Forgrim tried to rouse his close friend to his senses, but the already delirious Feralus didn't care.

With a hammer in the left hand and a sword in the right, the two weapons were wielded with great force by the giant silver hand, along with the firepower backpack that had been integrated into the snake's body, which drove Fugrim to run frantically and question his existence.

As one of the three heroes of the Great Expedition, Felus is known for his command ability, but in terms of personal combat strength, he is comparable to Magnus when he is not brain-dead. In particular, his high-tech backpack can unleash powerful firepower comparable to that of a Titan in a short period of time.

As a purplish-red, musky mist appeared, a soft laugh rang in Forgrim's ears, and the incredibly powerful, malevolent intent caused the phoenix to momentarily lose its composure.

Looking at his still-functioning power armor, Vograim gripped his warhammer, trying to find an opportunity for close-quarters combat.

But as he drew closer, Fugrim felt a sense of unease, and a dog barked in his ear.

The phoenix, who was suddenly awakened, found that his armor had been torn to shreds and that his body was bound by the snake's tail.

"You are not Felus. He would not make such a male-female voice. Who are you?"

"Haha, what a clever little darling, you guessed right."

As the words fell, the terrifying steel serpent monster tore open its chest, revealing half of its torso inside its abdomen.

"Your relationship is incredible. He believed you could come and save him even at the last moment, and even defeated another version of himself, forcing me to take matters into my own hands."

If that kobold saw this, he might go crazy with excitement.

Even though you were my initial target, what can I do when my little darling has been so fiercely protective of you?

Come, my child, once you join my arms, you will no longer need to care about any worldly opinions, and you will be together forever.

I can't wait to be intimate with you; every piece of flesh and blood, every part of this body, longs for your arrival.

If you agree, I can find you another brother.

When she got emotional, the serpent demon even extended its tongue, slithering in and out of Felus's ear on its chest, leaving trails of pink slime that caused the severed torso to scream in pain.

"Enough, you ugly demon, get out of my brother's body."

Although I don't know who the kobolds are, even if I were to go and join the kobolds, I would never choose a scoundrel like you.

In terms of looks, you're not even as good-looking as a dog, bah!

Hearing herself called ugly, even less than that bastard kobold, the snake demon's face instantly darkened. Her sharp, dark purple nails rubbed against her chest and skull as she roared like a shrew:
“Shut up. You have no idea how much we paid for you. You should have been mine. I was the one who sent you into the hands of the cursed. I am your mother.”

The thought of how he had spent so much money and painstakingly saved up enough to collect two lesser god fragments, only to be swindled by those three bastards in an investment, made him furious.

Even those three good-for-nothings used him as a tool, and he was looked down upon by everyone. This is intolerable! What does the so-called big picture have to do with me?

Although evil gods are more like a natural phenomenon, as embodiments of extreme emotions, they also have their own self-awareness.

In order to better pressure Forgrim, He deliberately weakened the corruption on Feralus, allowing this uncompromising soul to enjoy what was about to happen.

As the power of the Chaos God weakened, Feralus, now only half-formed, slowly awoke and saw Forgrim, who was also bound:

"No! Run, Fogg! You can't beat Him. They're not after us. We're just extras. Their ultimate target is Mo..."

"Noisy!"

Under Forgrim's grief-stricken gaze, the basilisk bent down and shoved an indescribable, eerie tentacle into Feralus's mouth, rendering him speechless.

"We have plenty of time. Since you care about him so much, how about I enjoy it for you in advance? Hahaha!"

"Quack! No, no! Don't touch him! I'm going to blast you apart!"

The more Fugrim did this, the more excited the blasphemous serpent became.

However, at that moment, accompanied by flashes of emerald lightning, a huge figure suddenly appeared behind the snake demon.

"Where did the dog come from?"

The one who arrived was none other than Guts, one of the Eight Dogmen, known as the Bloodhound, who had mastered the art of bathing and massage.

"That's right, I'm here, you bastard, I'm going to make you show your true colors."

Ancestors, witness—lightning strikes, whirlwind cleaves!

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(End of this chapter)