Warhammer: Filial Piety Makes Power

Chapter 331 Meeting Brothers Openly and Honestly. (6k)

"What a waste. He's supposed to be an uncrowned champion, but Zabril is so pathetic that he's not even qualified to write the daily log. He's not even the head of the Primarch Guard, and the guard captain is just a little girl."

"Master, Master!! Can you listen to me? Are you sure this is basic medical knowledge?"

"Nonsense, would I lie to you, boss? In my eyes, the Primarch is no different from you except for being a bit more complex."

Study hard and watch carefully. Once you master this skill, I guarantee you'll be well-fed and clothed for life, and you'll be treated like royalty in any battle group you join.

At the very least, you could become a pharmacist, trimming your senior brother's hair and nails.

Looking at the strange organs in her hands that she couldn't even name, Jeanne felt nauseous. Compared to the operating table, she preferred the thrill of life-or-death battles on the battlefield.

Perhaps sensing Jeanne's confusion, Mordred put down his tools and pointed to the group of apothecaries beside him who could only stare wide-eyed, saying:

"I think you're just eating too well. Fighting on the battlefield? You're just cannon fodder. Wouldn't it be better to learn some skills than to be a regular soldier?"

Believe it or not, if I said I'd replace you with someone else as my deputy, every single one of those pharmacists behind you would fight tooth and nail for it.

You must understand, Master, I am just an ordinary scientific researcher; I don't possess the power of those barbarians.

That's absolutely true. Don't be fooled by Mordred's ability to crush others with sheer numbers every time she appears; her thirst for knowledge is something that runs through her entire life. Otherwise, why would she miss her good brother Carlos so much?

Mordred felt a sense of emptiness whenever Carlos was mentioned. The self-destruction back then not only killed him, but also his personal pet Morgan disappeared without a trace.

Compared to those negligible stats, Mordred's greatest strength lies in her research capabilities, which are on par with the Emperor's. Her only flaw is that she is somewhat unbalanced in her research, and her inventions have no shortcomings other than being useless.

But being able to hang out with Mordred, Jeanne's brain is also out of control. She's a prime example of being as wise as ever, completely ignoring all this nonsense, and instead asking Mordred if she can read minds.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Mind reading doesn't exist at all. I just happen to be able to infiltrate the depths of someone's mind to find their little secrets."

It's not like mind-reading, where you just send a blast and everything in someone's head pops out. If I want to know someone's secrets, I have to climb into their head myself and search for them.

"But boss, if an ability can penetrate into someone's mind and uncover their secrets, then that's mind reading."

Upon hearing this, Mordred's face immediately turned displeased. He didn't want to have this ability; it was something the weasel had forced upon him when it created him. So, according to you, I'm just like that weasel?

"Just tell me, are you going to learn or not?"

"study."

"Since you want to learn, stop talking so much nonsense. Hurry up and do what I just did and stuff Zhuang Sen's large intestine in."

And that immortal gland, remember to cut open the valves first, otherwise it will cause a blood clot to block the connection. You asked how it will recover after cutting it open? Just leave it there, it will heal on its own.

"Your Highness, may I try operating it? I really want to improve."

The one who spoke was none other than Safin, the Grand Master of the Dark Angels. As for why a warband priest was also an apothecary, that's because the Empire had its own national conditions, where learning medicine and interrogation were both essential skills.

Seeing the pharmacist staring at him with expectant eyes, Mordred couldn't help but recall the happy days when he would hold down the little blue bird and savor knowledge in the dead of night. This immediately triggered his tendency to be a teacher, and he promptly stepped aside.

"Come here, everyone. I'm not one of those misers like the Motor Oil Guys. If you don't ask me how to teach, I'll wonder why you're all so far away. Ask me any questions you have. We have such good material right now."

Upon hearing Mordred say he could personally handle the task, a group of pharmacists gathered around. After all, having their own father practice on the Primarch was a privilege they never dared to dream of.

Under Mordred's command, the canned goods each performed their duties, showing no pity for the raw materials, only a thirst for knowledge.

This greatly broadened the pharmacists' knowledge, but the problem was that there was only one Lion King. Before anyone else could even get started with the whole process, Lion King was already assembled.

Glancing at the slightly disappointed looks in the others' eyes, Mordred simply swung her hand and tore Zhuang Sen in half vertically with a single claw strike:
"Second Uncle, isn't what we're doing a bit inappropriate? After all, he's my father."

"so what?"

"Could you give me more anesthesia? I'm worried about the pain my father will experience."

Mordred was quite pleased. This child was truly filial, even knowing to give his father more anesthesia. Just for this filial piety, he had to teach him a few more times.

While Mordred and his devoted sons and grandsons were playing with Zhuang Sen's organs and parts, physically dissecting his heart and lungs, Zhuang Sen, who had been given an overdose of anesthetic, found himself back in that illusion.

However, compared to his previous experience, the lion that awoke in the jungle this time became suspicious. The first thing he did upon waking was to look up at the sky, and he only breathed a sigh of relief after finding that there were no lasers guiding him around.

"This is really weird. If I find out that anyone dares to use a light spear to blow me up, I'll crush their skull. Speaking of which, why do I feel itchy all over? It feels like countless hands are groping around inside my body."

Zhuang Sen couldn't understand why he had this strange feeling, but that's the good thing about the Lion King—if he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't think about it anymore. Instead of thinking about these random things, he might as well see where he really was.

Looking around, all that remained was the cold, damp, and dark jungle, only now shrouded in thick fog, making it impossible to see clearly. The only thing visible was a large rock in the distance with a greatsword stuck in it.

Strangely enough, the dark jungle and the damp, cold fog would make anyone uncomfortable, but to Zhuang Sen, it felt like returning to his hometown of Caliban.

Zhuang Sen stepped forward, turned around and walked towards the boulder, where he saw a tall man who was disheveled and had a small braid in his hair.

"Hello, traitor!"

Without any hesitation, driven by instinct, Zhuang Sen threw a punch and shouted:

"You're talking nonsense. How come I see you everywhere, you dog Ruth? I'm not a traitor."

"Then why are you so resentful? You compare yourself to me every day, just hoping not to become the next me."

As soon as he finished speaking, the man whose body had just been scattered by Zhuang Sen twisted and transformed into Horus, continuing to speak.

This reminded Zhuang Sen of Guilliman's words. He knew that Horus disliked him because the two of them were equals, both vying for the position of Warmaster, and even after the Son of the First Return became Warmaster, he did not surpass him.

"It's a pity that you lack vision in Tiamat."

His form changed again, taking the shape of Perturabo. Zhuang Sen knew that Perturabo was mocking him, mocking the Great General Cannon that he had given to Tiamat.

These Great General Cannons became powerful weapons for the Chaos rebels to attack cities and strongholds after the Great Rebellion, and every time the cannons roared, they would play a mocking slogan calling for Ryan to become the War General.

“If you were any smarter, you would have foreseen Horus’s rebellion.”

It was Magnus who spoke, and he punched Johnson to the ground, but Johnson, lying on the ground, then laughed:

“Now I know you’re fake. Magnus couldn’t possibly hit someone so lightly! You’re like a greyhound, while Magnus is secretly eating protein powder behind our backs every day.”

"Wait, isn't Magnus a psionicist?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Magnus's figure shifted, his moth wings shimmering with phosphorescent powder instantly unfurled, and a powerful flying kick slammed into Zhuang Sen's chest:

"Are you bringing any pies? My old and crippled brother!"

The Lion King felt a bit disgusted, but he wouldn't back down. He took a deep breath of foot odor, grabbed some sand from the ground, and threw it at the illusion. Then, he got up and delivered a flying kick, sending the illusion that had turned into Luo Jia tumbling over.

Before Luo Jia disappeared, the Lion King picked up another handful of sand, and shouted as he threw the sand around, "This is the perfect city."

Perhaps provoked by Zhuang Sen's behavior, Luo Jia vanished instantly, only to reappear as a man with a resolute face, whose mere presence caused the surrounding temperature to drop several degrees.
"The Emperor never trusted you, which is why you can only fight in the dark corners of the galaxy, while I can stay by his side."

"Shut up. Dorn couldn't possibly speak so fluently. Don't insult my amazing wisdom with your nonsense."

Before the illusion could speak again, Zhuang Sen rushed forward and executed an over-the-shoulder throw, instantly killing Dorn.

However, the illusion will not disappear. This is Zhuang Sen's inner world, and the illusion before him is the evaluation from his brother that he has always been unwilling to face.

The scattered Dorn turned into two vortexes, and two identical figures emerged from the thick fog, but this time, Johnson spoke first:

"My God! You guys are really something. You've never had the guts to fight fairly. Alfa, Omega, you two are the worst of the worst, like Shuke Beta."

Hydra trembled, its body rapidly rising, its fine, twisted metal cables swaying up and down. Butcher's Nail roared angrily, "Fairness! There is no fairness in this world!"

Where is your revenge? — Feralus

Where is your cunning? — Koraks

Idiot—Coates.

You are never perfect! — Forgrim

"But now you've accepted the worship of God!"

Zhuang Sen had tolerated the previous comments, but seeing Luo Jia reappear, he really couldn't stand it. He rushed up and wanted to pin the little brat to the ground and beat her, but he was tripped by a blue foot that appeared out of nowhere.

"Guilliman!!!"

This certainly fits Johnson's stereotype of Guilliman: even the Raven King, who has the lowest profile, will show his true face, while only the ambitious Guilliman will sneak around and trip people up from behind.

"If you had discovered all this beforehand, would I have died?" "Would I have been dying forever?"

A golden-haired angel and a black dragon appeared one after the other, throwing Johnson into the darker depths of the jungle. Then a shadow appeared in front of Leon, but it dissipated before it could take shape, as fragile as a bubble, while the Lion King's hands were stained with blood.

"Sisyphus?!"

The Lion King tried to grab his poor brother, but couldn't reach him at all. Then, Johnson saw the golden-haired giant sitting beside the boulder.

Doubt, confusion, regret, remorse, and the most intense guilt made the Lion King instantly recall all the memories of the person before him.

Mordred, you're not dead?

"What nonsense are you talking about? Zhuang Sen, that's not fair of you. I came here with good intentions to find you, and you actually curse me to die. Do you know what kind of life I've lived for the past ten thousand years?"

Now that you're here, let's find another person to join us and establish a second empire. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Let me tell you, even though it happened suddenly, I've made thorough preparations. I've placed a large number of secret warehouses within the Empire.

Once I activate these resources, I can rebuild the glory of Atlas. Remember to help me out then, and I won't let you suffer any losses; I'll give you 20%.

Don't think it's too little; 20% is enough for you to eat.

Why is your inner world so abstract? I just saw an old man with a white beard. That idiot didn't seem to be acting; he was definitely a weasel.

"He dared not answer me? I went up and slapped him so hard his nose bled! He even tried to trick me into sitting on a golden toilet! He's absolutely wicked!"

Johnson was certain that what had happened before was an illusion, and that the person in front of him was definitely Mordred himself. But the more certain it was, the more uneasy he felt.

After all, he did that thing back then too.

"Hey bro, why is your face so pale?"

"Oh, am I pale? It must be because the air is humid. Look, there's still fog around us."

Mordred nodded, thinking that since it was the mental world, this place should be the former Caliban Forest, and he, as an outsider, certainly did not know as much as Zhuang Sen.

"Wait a minute, why is your face red again?"

Without giving Mordred a chance to ask questions, as it would be impolite to continue, Zhuang Sen went straight up and hugged his good friend, indicating that he was simply excited.

Mordred patted him on the shoulder, trying to comfort him, not expecting Zhuang Sen to be so sentimental.
"Although I don't know how you've been doing for the past 1 years, judging from your old, haggard appearance, you've suffered a lot."

But don't worry, during your 66th surgery, we took the time to change your personality.

"What? I've become Luo Jia!"

Mordred knew his good friend would react this way. He said, "How could that be? These are just kids playing around. I sternly reprimanded them for their irresponsible behavior and turned you back to normal."

"However, this mistake also served as a reminder to me. Your old man appearance is really hard to keep up. You look older than Macado when you stand there. If you were with the yellow weasel, you would look like three generations of the same family. People who don't know you would think you are my ancestor."

So I gave you a makeover, a makeover, and while keeping your original basic features, I also installed a magical plugin that can transform you from an old cat into an absolutely wonderful cat.

You absolutely must experience this feature. It's an astonishing wisdom I've synthesized from the alchemy of life and the knowledge I gained during my ascension to godhood.

At this point, Mordred paused for a moment, suddenly recalling his two experiences of time travel, in which he and Horusruz both transformed into animal forms.

This strange phenomenon had remained inexplicable, and even he was not exempt from it, but now he seemed to understand a little better—it was entirely his own fault.

The moment Mordred ascended to godhood, the characteristic of a warp god proving eternity was already present, and Mordred's stereotype of his brother was imprinted into the underlying logic of the Sea of ​​Souls.

"So you're saying I turned myself into a dog? Damn, I should have made my legs longer."

Johnson wasn't surprised by Mordred's occasional erratic self-talk, because Mordred had always been like that, always saying nonsensical things.

But none of that matters. What matters is that Mordred is back, and he is not alone.

Just thinking about what Zabril said a couple of days ago that the Primarchs were all gone, and that the only one who might be known now was Guilliman, coupled with the current state of the Empire, made Johnson want to give up.

Even if it was Ruth, why did it have to be that bastard Guilliman? It was because I trusted that ambitious Guilliman back then that the Legion turned into a Warband, and ultimately became what it is now.

But now Johnson doesn't think that way anymore. Although he doesn't have Ruth, who guarantees everything, he has Mordred, the head of internal affairs, in return.

The lion, who had been marching towards becoming the old goldfish, stopped gesturing and seemed much happier. The only problem was how to get by, but before clearing his name, Zhuang Sen had an even more important question:
"Brother, before I arrived, a group of thieves ambushed me. Do you know who they are?"

Upon hearing this, Mordred's eyes sharpened instantly. His purpose in coming to Zhuang Sen's mental world was to deceive him, so he quickly uttered the lines he had prepared beforehand:

"Don't even mention it. When we arrived, all we saw was you blown in two, and Zabril holding your body and wailing. He was crying so hard. It was at that moment that we learned that a group of Chaos rebels had launched a shameless sneak attack on you."

You know me, this kind of public humiliation is no ordinary act of betrayal; it requires a strong response. If it weren't for saving your life, I would have already chased after them.

Zhuang Sen was a little moved, thinking that even after 10,000 years, his second brother was still so open and honest. Even in the illusion where he was condemned by everyone, Mordred did not blame him and even thought of giving him 20% of his savings. He really was so kind that he wanted to cry.

And yet I actually ate the leftovers of the family; I'm simply inhuman!

No, who said I ate Atlas's offspring? I didn't eat them. Guilliman ate them all. The First Legion has no secrets.

Thinking of this, Zhuang Sen comforted Mordred instead, saying, "Let's go outside and talk first. It's just that I'm not very familiar with this skill. It was easy to come in, but it's difficult to get out."

Mordred could indeed take her good brother out, but Johnsen was, after all, the Primarch, a fragment of a sub-god in the warp. The strength of his mental world was not like that of Zabril, a tiny can. Who knows if this action would turn Johnsen into a vegetable?

After looking around and finding no escape point, the two finally turned their attention to the large rock, especially the sword stuck in it and the shield next to it.

The sword is fine, but the sword in the stone is an old trope. Zhuang Sen, a 30k man, might not know it, but Mordred certainly does.

Mordred originally wanted Zhuang Sen to go up, but when he put his hand on the hilt of the sword, he found that he couldn't pull it out. He even said that Zhuang Sen was not qualified to be a king, which made Mordred so angry that he smashed the stone into powder on the spot.

"I may not be qualified to be king, but I have plenty of brute force and means. If you won't let me touch you, I don't even want you."

Mordred is indeed not interested. His Ashbringer has devoured countless demons, and he has even ascended to godhood. Ashbringer is also tainted with the power of greed and dissolution, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a divine artifact.

But this shield was different. Even if Mordred smashed his fists to pieces, he couldn't budge it an inch. The two brothers recognized the shield; it was the one Old Man Huang used to protect himself from backstabs when he was wearing his armor.

Ironically, the shield that Mordred couldn't lift was easily sent flying by Johnson with a single reach. Combined with the one-handed sword that the Lion King named Loyalty, he instantly transformed from a katana-wielding swordsman into a sword and shield warrior.

In an instant, the originally dark and cold jungle twisted rapidly. Mordred could sense that something strange had happened to Johnson, and he was no longer a single individual, but the entire forest.

Although faint, signs of life began to appear, and some figures dressed in traditional Kaliban attire emerged from the depths of the forest, singing the ballad aloud.

"My child, on the day you were born, the entire forest of Caliban whispered your name—Leon El-Jonson."

You grow stronger every day, becoming the pride of the empire, and one day, you will become the embodiment of loyalty!

The illusions even staged a play where a lion unexpectedly met a knight commander, leaving Zhuang Sen feeling quite embarrassed, while flower petals rained down from the sky.

It's obvious that this wasn't something Zhuang Sen did intentionally; it was a cutscene set up by Old Man Huang. If it were just Zhuang Sen alone, it might have been touching, but with Mordred, an outsider, present, it just seemed ridiculous.

The scene where the Emperor descends from the sky to welcome the Lion back to the Empire, and the entire Caliban wholeheartedly welcome him, shedding tears and shouting "Long live the Emperor!" is particularly difficult to break.

Why does he always like to create such a mystery?

"Perhaps it's because my father has Alzheimer's!"

"..."

Their eyes met, and the two brothers remained silent. After the long and tedious cutscene ended, neither of them lingered and they disappeared directly into the illusion.

As consciousness returned, the Lion King slowly awoke. The heavy feel of the longsword and shield in his hands brought him immense peace, and then he heard a strange laugh in his ear:

"You're awake! You're a girl now!"

"What?"

These words nearly scared Zhuang Sen to death. Then he saw a group of dark angels kneeling on one knee, and Mordred reaching out to him from the side.

After realizing he was still a male lion and not a lioness, Johnson couldn't help but laugh and grabbed Mordred's hand:

“Welcome back.”

"You too, brother!"

Just as the two Primarchs, brother and sister, walked toward the banquet hall amidst the cheers of the Dark Angels, a greedy predator from beyond the realms extended its tentacles toward the Underworld.

The Great Devourer has arrived.

(End of this chapter)