Warhammer, about my years with the Wolfpack

Rus's curse caused the Emperor's brow to furrow slightly. He looked out the doorway and saw Rus, clad in heavy armor, blocking the entrance to the library, his attendants hiding in the distance. Clearly, Rus had realized that ordinary people were useless in this battle. To avoid future casualties, Rus decided to face this powerful enemy himself!

"Even the rats of Fenris are braver than you. At least they dare to brave the icy wind. Unlike you, like a maggot, you swarm around your master's most precious possession. Come out! Coward!" Rus's roar echoed throughout the palace once again. Such vicious words finally made the Emperor frown slightly.

The cloak covering his body turned into flying golden powder. A tall man with an indescribable face walked towards the door of the library. As the door was pushed open from the inside, golden light like a tide instantly illuminated the palace of Rus. Everyone was stunned by the existence before them. He stood in the endless light, more dazzling than the sun of Fenris, making people want to worship him.

No one could describe the Emperor's face, but within everyone's consciousness, it reflected the most perfect side of their hearts. Everyone tried to maintain the utmost respect, with one exception: the King of Fenris. He fought the urge to kneel and gazed upon the dazzling Emperor.

Chapter 21: Different Meeting, Same Beating 2

His subconscious told him that the being before him was beyond his power and meant no harm. However, the thought of the other party entering here without his permission, entering a place that the king cherished most, made him unable to contain his anger. He clenched the Lightning Strike in his hands and let out the loudest war cry he had ever heard!

"Die!" Russ leaped to his feet. Frost and thunder from Fenris converged upon him, streaks of lightning dancing across his massive frame. He strode forward, and everything around him receded. The whirlwind whipped up by the Primarch's charge scattered everything around him. Russ charged at the Emperor like a savage beast. Even a full-grown Kraken might be pierced and slain by him!

Facing Russ charging straight at him, the Emperor smiled. He was pleased that his son was incredibly brave. He was pleased that his son knew how to protect his subjects. He was pleased that his son valued knowledge. At this moment, he even hesitated, considering whether to stop the conflict rather than defeat it.

Rus's movements were so fast that mortals could not see them, but in the eyes of the Emperor, they were no faster than a snail. The Emperor hesitated, then extended his left hand. He looked at the longsword in Rus's hand. He knew that it was forged by his best friend, so he did not attempt to break it, even though doing so would be a simple task for the Emperor.

Rus's angry face grew bigger and bigger in front of the Emperor. Rus raised his sword and swung it down quickly, wrapped in lightning and frost. However, when the lightning strike was less than 3 meters away from the Emperor, the Emperor moved. The latter's speed was so fast that even the Primarch could only see a vague figure. His left hand with lightning claws touched Rus's gauntlet. The Emperor slapped it, and then the lightning strike flew out of Rus's hand and landed hundreds of meters away.

Fear and surprise surged through Rus's heart. He had never imagined he would be defeated in a single round! However, even the loss of his weapon was no reason for Rus to surrender. He lunged forward, intending to tackle the opponent and resolve the fight with his most skilled and expert wrestling technique. This brutal move displeased the Emperor, but the Emperor would not retreat. He faced Rus, raising his right hand, a power gauntlet as large as a basin. Before Rus could reach him, the golden fist struck Rus's face like a meteor!

For a moment, Russ felt as if his soul were being shot out. He lost all sense of consciousness and was propelled forward like a cannonball, crashing into an open space within the palace and shattering through the stone slabs. In an instant, rubble shot out like bullets. The Emperor shook his head and, with a slight gesture, all the rocks fell to the ground. Only then did Russ's guards realize what had happened. Some rushed forward to help their king, while others tried to attack the being they had just revered as a god.

"Well, let this farce end." A majestic and irresistible voice resounded throughout the royal court. The emperor stepped forward and looked at his son who was struggling to stand up. "You should know that I am your father."

"I am pleased with your actions. You understand your duties and responsibilities as my son." The Emperor looked at Rus, whose face was bleeding, and walked forward, stroking his head with his hand. A moment later, it was back to normal. "However, recklessness is your greatest taboo, and I do not like it."

A resounding voice echoed in Rus's ears. In that moment, Rus clearly felt the blood connection with the person before him, his kindness and greatness. For a moment, Rus even felt that the person had punched him out of love. In an instant, Rus's uneasiness and fear disappeared. Taking the Emperor's hand, Rus stood up.

"My child, thank you for your hard work." The Emperor's voice moistened Russ's heart like water. "I am pleased that you have made it this far on this wild and dangerous planet."

"So now, my child, are you ready to return to the Imperial family and join me in pushing human civilization to new heights?" asked the Emperor.

"I do, great father." Russ knelt and saluted.

"Very well. I trust your loyalty and ability. Now, tell me about your time on this planet." Silent information flooded into Rus's mind, information exchanged between the Emperor and the Primarch with astonishing efficiency. In a short time, He understood everything about Rus. Throughout this process, the Emperor would occasionally smile, while at other times, his brow furrowed.

"Okay, come with me to your library. I like the atmosphere there and we can communicate better." The Emperor patted Rus's shoulder and said.

"Do you have a way to deal with that dark green sphere hanging high above Fenris? Why is it there?" Rus's eyes were filled with hope. The former World Engine had almost become a source of worry for Rus.

"It was indeed battling something, but it had nothing to do with you. It could even be said to have objectively aided Fenris," the Emperor replied, attempting to unravel the hidden and tangled threads of fate. He had uncovered some of the underlying reasons, but the reason for the World Engine's presence remained unknown. However, He was certain that the master of this ancient creation held no ill will. That was enough. He was troubled by so much in the galaxy that he could neither delve into it nor possess the energy to do so. He was also quite cautious of the Necrontyr, a being that had obliterated the God of Reality. At least for now, they were not directly hostile.

"As for dealing with such beings, we have ways to do so," the Emperor said with certainty. "If this alien race appears before us again and attempts to stop us, the Imperium will crush it." At this point, the Emperor's tone was unusually strong and resolute!

"I will be your sharpest blade, my father." Rus' eyes were full of admiration and eagerness to try.

Afterwards, the two exchanged many other topics. Russ recounted his experiences over the years, and the Emperor briefed him on the current situation and future missions. After their initial understanding, both sides gradually came to accept each other. The Emperor was quite satisfied with his son, and Russ was proud to have such a father.

As the two arrived before the Lemann Hammer, Russ hesitated for a long time before finally speaking again. "Father, I have a brother..." Russ said carefully. He already knew the existence of the other Primarchs, that they were the highest echelons in the Imperium, the ones the Emperor trusted and relied on the most. But even so, Russ still wanted to call Balder his brother!

Chapter 22 The Emperor's Considerations

"A figure who can stand shoulder to shoulder with you?" After listening to Rus's narration, the Emperor fell into deep thought. "My child, do you not realize how outstanding you are? Or are you exaggerating to recommend your friends?"

"Father, my sworn brothers are really outstanding, I..." Russ hurriedly explained after realizing that the Emperor had some ideas wrong. However, what Russ didn't expect was that the question the Emperor questioned was never how outstanding Balder was!

"First of all, I can tell you one thing clearly. If he is really as good as you say, then he cannot be your offspring, because his strength has surpassed the upper limit of Space Marine improvement. There is not even a theoretical possibility." The Emperor looked at Rus, and the information in his words shocked Rus.

"All your offspring have only inherited a tiny part of your genes. Even so, it takes 19 steps and a long period of training to become a Space Marine. And the person you are talking about is just a naturally born person, but he has already made you look sideways. This in itself is abnormal!" The Emperor's words were cold and ruthless.

Malcador had provided the Emperor with information. He trusted the Sigillite's words, but that did not mean he would easily accept a being that surpassed the theoretical limits of a Space Marine! This was unscientific! It defied common sense! The Primarchs were born from the Golden Age of Humanity's technology and indescribable power; it was beyond reason.

Among humans, there are beings similar to the Ogryn, whose strength and resilience rival even the Space Marines. However, they are intellectually deficient. Psykers are powerful, but generally speaking, they are physically fragile. It is not impossible for a person to possess both physical and mental strength; if that is the case, the Emperor has expressed his acceptance.

But if a person possesses both theoretical limits beyond the physical capabilities of a Space Marine and powerful mental strength, and seemingly has no flaws, this is not normal! After all, if it were really easy to do so, the Emperor would surely give his most loyal friend, the Sigillite, a body comparable to that of a Primarch!

He saw the two-headed wolf in the prophecy and hoped it was a good omen. However, this did not prevent the Lord of Mankind from being cautious and testing the waters! Therefore, Malcador would personally investigate, and so, after Rus made his request, He would speak these words to Rus.

"Father, you can examine him. There will be absolutely no problem with Balder."

"I will investigate him. I will not leave a hidden danger around my son," said the Emperor.

However, He didn't place much importance on the subsequent review. Since even Malcador felt it was fine, the subsequent review, whether technical or psychic, was unworthy of expectation. After all, Malcador, as an extension of his own will, had reached a certain limit. And in this world, there are beings that transcend limits!

So, there are only two possibilities. The first is that Balder is truly fine, a product of human genetic evolution nearing its peak, a gift bestowed upon him by fate. The second possibility is that he is a deeply hidden pawn of some being, or perhaps he is that being.

The Emperor knew he was powerful, but he also realized his power wasn't omnipotent. Therefore, in many crucial matters, he wouldn't simply rely on his own immense strength, but would instead think, deliberate, and reason like a mortal.

However, the Emperor did not simply dispose of Balder. He was thinking, or rather, searching for the human part of Balder's body. Was the strength of Balder's body part of human nature?

Well, according to Malcador and Russ, this physical strength, approaching that of a Primarch, surpassed the Emperor's understanding of the human body. Without any cost, with physical fitness and reaction speed a notch higher than that of the Custodes... The Emperor felt that his skills were being despised by certain beings.

Is Baldur's psychic power human? The Emperor is unsure. After all, there have been Alpha-class psykers among humans, but these are rarely fully controllable.

Of course, there are also controllable existences, and this possibility should not be ruled out. Furthermore, while Balder's current psychic power strength can be considered formidable, it is still some distance away from the natural human limits known to the Emperor. Therefore, in keeping with the Emperor's goodwill towards the prophecy, He is willing to temporarily believe that Balder has no problems with psychic powers.

Thus, in the Emperor's rational mind, Balder's physical strength was actually problematic. While his body seemed problematic, his mental strength and psychic powers were barely consistent. However, the Emperor had another criterion for judgment: the mind!

A person's mind is related to their talent, but the relationship isn't particularly strong. This applies not only to humans but also to all sorts of aliens. A powerful being can have a fragile mind, vulnerable to even the slightest failure or setback. Meanwhile, an ordinary mortal can have an exceptionally strong mind, resisting even the temptations of an evil spirit.

This kind of mindset is closely tied to a person's beliefs, experiences, and education. A person's strength is innate, but their mindset isn't! It must be accumulated! Unless the person before you is an immortal, or a special being capable of endless reincarnation. But from what we can see, Balder isn't such a person.

"My child, I will arrange a special test for him, and I hope you can stand by and observe carefully like me. I can believe that Balder possesses all kinds of virtues, but if he is just a lucky man of fate, then he is destined to do not do well in some aspects." The Emperor said to Rus earnestly.

"You mean?" Ruth was a little confused.

"A strong person will have his own dignity and arrogance. Although the latter is a derogatory term, we cannot deny its existence. It is part of human nature." The emperor paused and continued.

"If someone this powerful can endure insults to his dignity and suppress his arrogance, then we should consider his motives, especially since he is not very old and has grown up in a very favorable environment."

When the Emperor finished speaking, Russ fell silent. Time passed by, and Russ said nothing. The Emperor waited patiently for his son. After a full half hour, Russ finally spoke.

"Father, if Balder is okay?" Rus asked.

"He will stand by your side, assisting you and your Legion, and I will provide him with compensation," the Emperor thought for a moment before saying, "The Imperial Seal will be his mentor. I may also assign my own Guards to serve as his assistants."

"What if there's something wrong with Balder?" Rus's voice trembled.

"I will seal him, but for now... spare his life." The Emperor's brow furrowed slightly as he spoke. Normally, the Emperor would eradicate this kind of threat, but he loved his son dearly and didn't want to harm him. So, he told a white lie. At least until the Emperor could figure out who was behind this, he would spare his life.

"Okay, father." Ruth saluted again.

I'm so tired, so alone

Chapter 23: Temptation 1

"How do you feel?" Looking at Balder who walked out of the room after finishing today's knowledge indoctrination, a Space Marine wearing a smock and a hood came forward and revealed a hint of concern in his words.

"It's not bad, but their indoctrination speed is too slow. I feel like it's a waste of time." Balder smiled as he looked at the Space Marine who called himself Nemean.

Everything that followed was perfectly natural. Malcador arranged everything for himself and even for his people. The Imperial Seal was generous, offering to grant all the Iron Islands residents a chance to be infused with knowledge, provided their spirits could bear it.

As a result, most people who originally only had a junior high school education, after just a few hours, basically had a bachelor's degree or above. Bader's salary was even higher. Makado said Bader could choose the content he wanted to study and any number of knowledge injections he wanted, as long as he could handle it.

This was undoubtedly a tremendous gift, but even so, Balder remained wary of anything related to psychic powers. This was partly due to the Emperor and Malcador's attitude towards psychic powers, and partly due to the fact that he already held a postdoctoral degree in Eldar psychic powers, so naturally he had no interest in the content of the indoctrination.

At this point, Balder and the Space Wolves' candidates arrived at a space station. Here, everyone would be selected and tested. Those suitable for transformation into Space Marines would gradually undergo implantation surgery, while those unsuitable would undergo indoctrination or other minor modifications. Balder was the only exception. The so-called indoctrination was merely a "process" to deceive everyone. Of course, the others were unaware of this and were even shocked by Balder's extraordinary ability to learn.

"Today's mission has been completed. What do you want to do next?" Nimin asked.

"I want to relax for a while and then go see what Heimdall and the others are doing." Balder said to Nimine with a smile.

"Of course you can. You can go to the Vision Salon first, where you can take a rest and have a drink. The Leman candidates, including Heimdall, are in Area 15. Those who have completed the transformation will receive training there. I can take you there later." Nimin said respectfully.

"Thank you. I'll go to the Vision Salon to rest for a while, and then I'll contact you." Bader said, waving the communicator in his hand.

"As you please." Then, under Nemean's gaze, Balder walked toward the salon. It was the Sigillite's private salon, accessible only to those with his permission. As Balder disappeared from the corridor, Nemean sighed and left as well. After twisting and turning through the station, he arrived at a room. As the door opened, Captain Marius of the Custodians was waiting for him.

"How does it feel?" Marius asked.

"A man who can be called a genius. In my long service career, he is almost the pinnacle of mortals. And his personality is also very good. He is a little strong, a little arrogant, and has a sense of superiority in front of most people. But he is not annoying. He will treat those he likes equally, and will be very impatient and even hostile to those he hates. He does not hide his emotions very well. He will express his dissatisfaction and even resort to force in extreme cases." Nimeen thought for a while and said.

The Emperor's test had begun. Malcador could not just sit there and watch. The Sigillite of the Empire had more important things to do. And out of consideration for avoiding suspicion, Malcador did not even ask about the matter. After all, the Sigillite had made it clear to the Emperor that he wanted this disciple, and he had told the Emperor about Balder's ideas for colonizing planets and territories.

It is obviously not appropriate to let the Imperial Guards guard them. After all, the Imperial Guards are the Emperor's private armed forces. Even if they are in plain clothes, those corn cobs are still too conspicuous.

Therefore, it was quite normal to have a Space Marine as an escort, and apart from the Custodes, the person the Emperor trusted most was the First Legion of Space Marines, which had always been by the Emperor's side and whose Primarch had not yet been found.

When the herald issued this order on behalf of a high lord of the empire, the test had actually begun. When this order was issued, the selected arrogant officers of the First Legion felt puzzled and even dissatisfied.

They believed that as the head of the Legion created by the Emperor, the one with outstanding military achievements, the leadership and backbone of the Legion, they were actually used to accompany a mortal from the Death World. This was simply a contempt for them! Some emotional people have publicly expressed their opposition.

The Dark Angels were unaware of Balder's situation, nor did they know this was a test from the Emperor. They were simply and crudely informed of their mission. At this moment, by "chance," Balder happened to be walking past the meeting place, while Marius "happened" to be observing the scene with surveillance equipment in a secret room not far away.

Then, in front of Marius, Lord Balder and an excited DA officer performed a classic "sophistry" show!

Balder concealed his tracks and approached the Dark Angels' officers like a feline ready to hunt. While they were talking, Balder suddenly opened the door and appeared in front of everyone.

His movements perfectly evaded the Astartes' astonishing sensory systems, both psychic and physical! Baldur's sudden appearance startled everyone. If it weren't for the absolute safety of this place, some Dark Angels officers might have even drawn their swords!

Balder then walked towards the Dark Angel officer who was making the most noise. Marius knew this officer, whose name seemed to be Solo, an Astartes with good abilities but a bad temper.

"Greetings, esteemed sir, may I ask why you are so angry about this mission?" Balder asked first. "Is it because you feel it's meaningless, or because you're incompetent?" Balder's aura was so intense that even through the observation equipment, Marius felt a sense of shock and unease, not to mention the Dark Angels facing him directly!

If Solo had chosen one of the two options, no matter how he answered, he would have been in a passive position. The second option was naturally out of the question, and if he had chosen the first option, it would have proven that Solo had fallen into the opponent's trap in the first round and completely lost the verbal battle.

Chapter 24: Temptation 2

Solo replied at the time: "As an excellent officer of the First Legion, I think such a mission is not suitable for me." Obviously, Solo also realized how powerful Bader was, and out of awe for the strong, Solo was still very cautious in his words.

Then Balder spoke: "So you are questioning the orders of the high lord? As a subordinate several levels lower, you are questioning the order? Or do you think that your questioning can prevent the execution of this order, simply because you don't understand the mission or you don't want to understand? Or perhaps, you look down on mortals?"

Look at these words, how high-sounding they are, and how logically flawed they are! At this point, these Dark Angels were indeed nominally subordinate to the high-ranking lord who had signed the order.

The first priority of the military is obedience and discipline. Being dissatisfied due to a subordinate's lack of understanding is permissible, but it cannot be used as a pretext for disobeying orders! Furthermore, not even the target of the order understands it, which is clearly inappropriate. Bader's every word amplifies the consequences of this! And these consequences are beyond Solo's ability to bear!

As for the last statement, Marius did believe that the idea of ​​Astartes superiority was particularly prevalent within the Legion, and Marius himself considered himself superior to the Space Marines.

There's nothing wrong with saying these things. However, facing Balder, a nearly "perfect" mortal, any Space Marine with a bit of self-awareness would not point this out at this time, because you are far inferior to this "mortal"!

It can be said that Solo has already lost. From a righteous perspective, his actions were biased, and from a personal perspective, Balder can crush this senior officer of the Dark Angels in all aspects except his past achievements!

Some might say that as a senior officer, Solo must be better at commanding battles. Unfortunately, this Dark Angel officer was renowned for his assassination skills, but Balder's infiltration just now undoubtedly slapped Solo in the face!

Balder, who had already escalated the issue to the level of disobedience, did not pursue the matter relentlessly, as it was pointless. The two sides were not enemies. Balder simply gave a small reminder to the proud First Legion. Then he spoke.

"I am a sworn companion of Leman Russ, King of Fenris. I am now trying to familiarize myself with my work and tasks, so I hope to find a friend in the First Legion, which has a long history and outstanding military achievements, to help me familiarize myself with the operations and combat of the Legion. Now, as the future second-in-command of the Space Wolves, I make this request. What do you think?"

Balder quickly made his stance clear, his assertiveness tempered by politeness. Balder claimed to be the second-in-command of the Space Wolves. Was that a problem? No problem!

Because the oath of alliance between the two still held true, Russ swore in the name of Fenris that he would share power and glory with Balder. Since Russ had not retracted this oath, Balder could indeed claim to be second in command of the VI Legion, even though the command structure of the Space Wolves had not yet been established...

And it was a great honor for him to invite the officers of the Dark Angels to provide assistance as the deputy of the legion. After all, the highest officer present was still far from the level of deputy of the legion...

Furthermore, with the order from a high-ranking lord, the request was reasonable and not excessive. It could even be considered a concession. And with Balder stating that he would not pursue the previous matter, the already intimidated Dark Angels naturally went along with it.

Then, Balder came to the herald and asked for a list of Dark Angels officers. He chose Nemean and invited him. Thus, Nemean was involved in this mission in a daze.

Afterward, Nemean accepted the mission and reported to Marius his observations and reflections on Balder's actions. It could be said that Balder, purely in terms of ability, truly lived up to the Seal Holder's trust, demonstrating prodigy status in every aspect. While he did have some personality flaws common to geniuses, they were all tolerable. So far, there had been no issues.

"And today, we are going to start the second phase of testing. You and the target person will go to Area 15. There, the target person will encounter the blood relatives of the Primarch, who are dissatisfied with Balder. We will take advantage of this contradiction and then see the target person's reaction." Marius said.

"Whose order is this? Doing so could have serious consequences, even if the target person..." Nemean said in shock, and tried to tell Marius.

"Are you worried that Balder might suffer an incurable injury?" Marius asked. In the training room of Area 15, there were over a dozen carefully selected members of the Leman tribe who were dissatisfied with Balder.

"No, I'm worried that they might be easily wiped out by the angry Balder! Just like we blow out a candle." Nimien said with horror on his face.

"What a joke! We've already taken precautions. All 15 of them are wearing power armor, and five of them are wearing Terminator armor. Even though they don't have lethal power weapons, they won't be defeated by an unarmed mortal, right?"

Marius knew Balder was powerful, but even if he exaggerated his imagination of his opponent's combat power, he could not imagine how an unarmored mortal could deal with these heavily armored warriors, even if he was a psyker.

Marius knew the strange power of psykers, but even for skilled and powerful psykers, it took time to cast spells. In such close combat, psykers simply could not cast spells smoothly in the face of continuous attacks.

Therefore, when designing this mission, Marius took the safety of both parties into account. Although Jolin Bloodhowl and his companions were individually fragile, they were all protected by power armor and even storm shields. As for Balder, to ensure his safety and prevent an irreversible outcome during the test, the Primarch's relatives were not equipped with offensive power weapons. Those weapons were locked in a nearby weapons locker. This plan was approved by the Emperor.

"He is a psychic, a powerful psychic, a very scary one. My intuition tells me that he is very scary."

"Because of intuition? According to your records, he has never even displayed psychic powers in front of you." Marius was very dissatisfied with Nemean's answer, because these words were full of subjective assumptions and speculations.

Chapter 25 Fenrisian Persuasion 1

"My lord, this is an intuition, an intuition that belongs only to psychics. My intuition has always been accurate. I hope this operation can be temporarily suspended..." Just as Nemean was still trying to persuade, Marius suddenly made an interrupting gesture, because just now, the Emperor had decided to implement this plan.

"Carry out the order; it is irresistible and inviolable," said Marius.