The moment Nareth's psychic projection arrived on Terra, he heard Magnus's scholarly voice.
"Only with open eyes can you avoid being dazzled by the light."
He keenly detected the anger in Magnus's voice.
"Look who's here," Magnus's normally colorful pupils were now red. He laughed. "Russ, I heard Nareth knocked you out."
Russ's gaze turned vicious. It shifted from Magnus to Nareth.
He felt his nose collapse, the back of his head throbbing, as if back on Dulan.
Nareth looked at the others, gauging their reactions.
Guilliman sighed softly. He did not want conflict among the Dauntless Few.
But the outcome was inevitable. As the key figure, Nareth would surely be the victor.
Hannibal, his cheekbones so prominent they seemed about to pierce his skin, looked at Russ mockingly.
Perturabo's ice-blue eyes were as calm as a still lake. He looked at Nareth, wondering why he had clashed with Russ.
Mortarion glanced darkly at Russ, finding it foolish that he targeted Nareth instead of Magnus.
Vulkan recalled his competition with Nareth on Nocturne. Nareth was slightly weaker than him in strength but far faster, and had saved him while hunting salamanders.
Vulkan, who often restrains his own power to avoid harming others, smiled.
Omegon's gaze lingered on Nareth briefly, then shifted to Magnus. 'Such a secret, my Legion had no knowledge of. How did Magnus know?'
Lion El'Jonson and Jaghatai Khan, their eyes deep, examined Nareth and Russ from a swordsman's perspective.
The Lion and the Warhawk recalled Nareth's performance at Taxal and on the Rangdan homeworld, their minds carefully reaching the expected conclusions.
Horus Lupercal and Sanguinius exchanged glances, reading the same thought in their close friend's eyes: only they could match Nareth in combat.
Lorgar Aurelian was greatly surprised. He looked at the rough Russ, never imagining he would be defeated in personal combat.
Rogal Dorn's rock-like expression froze for a long moment. Having little interaction with either, he fell into thought.
Fulgrim looked at Ferrus Manus, but was surprised to find his gaze not on him. His silver-coin eyes blazed, fixed on Nareth.
A voice like lead, laced with heat.
"Nareth, let's fight."
"Regardless of the outcome, I will give you a weapon I forged myself."
Nareth thought to himself, 'Here it comes. Ferrus, who challenges his brothers to become stronger, has arrived.'
He recalled Ferrus challenged his brothers to improve himself.
He knew of four such challenges: Guilliman was uninterested and declined.
Vulkan didn't want to fight and declined.
Dorn was the only one he knew who accepted, but the outcome was unknown.
Fulgrim also declined, not because of their friendship, but fear of shattering his perfection.
He considered with interest: 'Ferrus and Fulgrim both seek perfection, but their approaches are very different.'
'Ferrus hopes to be defeated, to find his flaws and become more perfect. Fulgrim cares more about perfection itself, unwilling to have his perfection marred.'
'Indeed, Fulgrim is more aligned with Slaanesh's preferences.'
"I accept," Nareth said without hesitation. "But I want a suit of custom-made armor."
His armor had shattered on Taxal. The Forge Lord's skills were still below Ferrus's.
For Ferrus's armor, he would accept.
Vulkan, hearing this, immediately thought of forging armor for Nareth to be delivered with his next batch of weapons.
It would be both thanks for the fortress-grade void shield technology that had allowed the Salamanders to protect over a hundred human worlds from xenos and disasters, and a chance to receive Nareth's feedback to improve his own craft.
A flicker of disappointment crossed Perturabo's eyes. Then he thought of how Nareth always used his plasma gun, and that he had built the powerful stasis device for him.
And Nareth was building his grand theater. His ice-blue eyes gleamed.
"You'll have to wait. I'm busy recently."
After the Emancipation of Drune, he would perform his advancement ritual.
Then he would convert the Perpetuals. He wasn't in a hurry, but Arsena and the others couldn't wait long.
He had no time for a duel in the near future.
"Good. I'll wait." Ferrus's silver hand clenched.
Fulgrim watched his friend, wondering if he should accept his challenge.
"Nareth, let's fight again. I will definitely defeat you." Russ roared.
"Fine, as long as you have something that interests me."
Nareth didn't mind adding another piece to his collection. Though the Lion collected more weapons, Russ, unlike Vulkan, Ferrus, or Perturabo, wasn't a skilled craftsman, but he had used more famous weapons than any other Primarch.
He stared at Russ, who had lost the Russ Wolf Helm and the cloak of Black Mane, thinking silently.
'I've been too good to Russ. I helped keep the secret of the Canis Helix's mutation, and I've lightened his burden of choosing weapons.'
He thought further: 'Neither the Wolves nor I will ever speak of Dulan. Rumors...
'Magnus must have heard it in the Warp.'
As he pondered, the Emperor, Constantin Valdor, and the Fabricator-General of Mars entered the hall.
The Emperor acknowledged the salutes, took his seat, and spoke.
"Drune, the beacon of human civilization, now has hollow-eyed, ragged citizens, like puppets."
"Balsar, Librarian of the 19th Legion, discovered the local populace was under the control of a xenos creature. He also found the psychic nodes the xenos used to control them."
Hearing this, Nareth frowned slightly.
'Hmm, I recall it was a White Scars Stormseer who discovered this. How did it become Balsar?'
As he thought, the Emperor looked around.
"Horus, Nareth, Mortarion."
"You will go to Drune. Liberate its people."
Nareth was surprised again. He remembered Jaghatai had also been sent to Drune.
The three Primarchs fought the Enslavers for six months, killing all that had invaded.
All the participating Stormseers died. The enslaved humans also died simultaneously with the Enslavers.
Sixty million years ago, during the War in Heaven, the Enslavers that had delivered the final blow to the Old Ones varied in strength. Size and number of eyes were external indicators.
In Nareth's memory, the many-eyed, enormous Enslaver that the three Primarchs ultimately faced was very powerful.
Alone, it had bound the powerful Horus, the perceptive Jaghatai, and the resilient Mortarion, immobilizing them.
Finally, the last remaining White Scars Stormseer had freed Jaghatai, allowing him to approach and kill the Enslaver leader.
'Without the White Scars Stormseers participating in the Emancipation of Drune, it will be harder.'
The thought had barely formed when Nareth smiled slightly.
'Targutai Yisugei, the most powerful White Scars Stormseer, could break that psychic binding. I certainly can.'
'Shadows of Order's Librarians and beyonders are also stronger than the White Scars' Stormseers.'
With this thought, after Horus and Mortarion acknowledged the order, he spoke.
"As you command."
After the Emperor rose, Nareth called out to Perturabo.
"Perturabo, wait a moment."
When the others had left, he spoke.
"I encountered that xenos race I described to you, the Hrud."
"I fought them. I found that as their numbers increase, their overlapping entropic fields become more powerful than expected. The stasis device was overwhelmed by over a hundred million Hrud."
Seeing Perturabo's look of surprise and a hint of embarrassment, he continued.
"I knew little about the Hrud before."
Nareth took the responsibility. His knowledge of the Hrud had been limited. Perturabo should not bear the blame.
He had led the Iron Warriors against the Hrud, learned about them firsthand, and designed the stasis device. Yet it had been overwhelmed by the nearly billion Hrud in the Gurgan system.
Now, Perturabo hadn't even seen a single Hrud.
Expecting him to design a device to counter billions based only on his description would be impossible, even for a genius.
But now, things were different.
"The Techmarines recorded data from the three engagements with the Hrud."
"The psykers also created crystal cages and deployed psychic fields to restrain the Hrud."
"I believe with these, you can certainly design a stasis device powerful enough to overwhelm billions."
"The Hrud number in the hundreds of millions?" Perturabo exclaimed. Billions of time-distorting creatures, and Nareth's Legion was at war with them.
No one in the Imperium knew. Nareth was silently fighting such a powerful xenos race.
The Iron Warriors were sent to the Imperium's frontiers to fight xenos. They were not alone.
'I will complete Father's trials.'
'Tireless. Unyielding.'
"I will build a more powerful stasis device for you."
"I have no doubt." After affirming Perturabo's ability, Nareth continued.
"Construction of your grand theater has begun in Vostroya."
"The foundation is laid."
Perturabo's eyes gleamed. "Thank you, Nareth."
"It will bring the enjoyment of art to your people."
"I look forward to seeing it completed." Nareth smiled. He then agreed with Perturabo on how to deliver the stasis device and the Hrud captives.
Returning to the Shadow's Sovereignty, he walked to the Primarch's Office, simultaneously pressing his communication bead, sending a message to Arsena.
"Set course for Drune."
Then, he went to the fourth layer of the Kingdom of Disorder.
The "Baron of Corruption" extended his spirituality. Confirming Balsar was alone, he pulled him into the Kingdom of Disorder.
"My Lord." Balsar bowed respectfully.
"You went to Drune." Nareth asked.
"My Lord, I was sent to Drune by Lord Horus..."
After learning the details, the "Baron of Corruption" saw that Balsar's spirit was seamless.
"You have already mastered the power I bestowed upon you."
"Yes, my Lord." Balsar replied.
"Shortly, I will grant you new power," Nareth said, and black mist swallowed Balsar.
Moments later, Balsar, having shed his armor and donned a black robe, drank the potion.
The "Barbarian," slightly taller and broader, burst the robe.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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