Chapter 194: The Seer and the Spy
"You are excellent," the Raven praised. "Help Konrad well, and in the future, you will achieve unimaginable accomplishments. Humanity's history books are destined to record your glorious deeds."
The Raven's few words filled the First Captain with joy. He happily went to fetch the fries.
"Lord Raven, why are you here?" Konrad asked.
"Why do you ask? I'm here for you, of course," the Raven said. "Alpharius has a small problem, and he urgently needs support from a good brother like you."
"What happened to him?" Konrad asked curiously.
"He's about to be abducted," the Raven said, looking troubled. "So I came to find you to give those traffickers a profound lesson."
The smile on Konrad's face grew wider. When Mr. Raven encountered a problem, the first person he thought of was him.
What did this represent? It meant his position in the Raven's heart was the highest. Otherwise, why wouldn't he go find Horus or Sanguinius?
"What should I do?" Konrad asked.
The Raven was about to continue, but suddenly tilted his head, scrutinizing Konrad, and asked another question. "Has your condition gotten worse?"
"No," Konrad shook his head in denial, but quickly stopped and nodded. "Yes. What I'm seeing is very different from before."
"It seems your talent is awakening," the Raven paced back and forth on Konrad's shoulder. "What did you see?"
"I don't know if I should say," Konrad hesitated.
He feared no one would believe what he saw if he spoke it aloud.
"It's fine," the Raven said. "It's nothing more than the Big Guy and me sitting on the Golden Throne, squeezed into mummies, right?"
"That didn't happen."
Konrad's words made the Raven breathe a sigh of relief. Good, such a future was not foreseen.
But with the next words, the Raven's momentary relief vanished.
"I saw you collapsed in a mist-shrouded palace, your body shattered, blood flowing like waterfalls. Father was on the verge of death, sitting alone on the Golden Throne."
"I saw my other brothers, some gone mad, some dead. The entire Imperium plunged into madness, and our armies ignited universe after universe for revenge."
"It seems the future you saw is very bad," the Raven paced back and forth.
"Will those visions become reality?" Konrad looked worried.
"The future is uncertain, I told you," the Raven said. "It is woven by us. The fact that you can see those visions means someone is trying to push us toward that destiny."
"Who is it?" Konrad asked reflexively.
"I don't know yet," the Raven showed a troubled expression. "But I will find a way to figure it out. Right now, the most important thing is to solve the problems we're facing."
"Also, don't tell these things to the other Primarchs or your Father. The Imperium is currently in a rapid development stage. If you say these things, it's very likely to discourage them, and may even cause them to isolate and antagonize you."
"I understand." Konrad nodded.
"But you can tell me," the Raven added. "I know how bad the future will be, and I've anticipated it. Our enemies will be very powerful, and their methods will be vicious."
"If you feel you can't bear it anymore, come and tell me. Your visions should also provide some clues. You need to pay close attention and see if there are any hints about the enemy in those future visions."
Konrad nodded. "I will, Master Raven. First, let's talk about how we can save Alpharius."
"Oh, right, I almost forgot about the main business," the Raven brought the topic back. "An organization called the Cabal is preparing to lure Alpharius."
"Alpharius is very smart. No one can deceive him."
Konrad didn't have much contact with Alpharius, but he usually read the battle reports of his other brothers. He would analyze their personalities from their tactical styles.
Guilliman favored operations. Whenever he arrived at a world, he would promise a better future, provide advanced technology and markets, and divide local power networks, achieving peaceful compliance. If he confirmed the other party was unyielding, he wouldn't hesitate to launch war.
The Lion preferred secrets and the knightly way.
Alpharius favored infiltration, incitement, and sabotage behind enemy lines. He would entice different local factions in various ways, making them fight among themselves, leading to endless slaughter, ultimately taking them down without bloodshed.
How could such a Primarch - Alpharius, so skilled in deception, be deceived by anyone?
"Those guys from the Cabal are shamelessly awful," the Raven said. "Just come with me, and remember not to hold back. You need to break their will with fear. I need to ask some things."
"I know." Konrad nodded. "When do we depart?"
"Wait a moment," the Raven said.
"Wait for what?" Konrad asked, puzzled.
"They're here, they're here." Sevatar and several Astartes warriors ran over, looking like they were prepared for a tough battle. They hurried to the Raven's front, offering the fries and ketchup in their hands like treasures.
"Let's go. Bring Sevatar too. We'll have more people this time."
The Raven took a portion of fries, then tore open the spatial barrier, opened a passage, and led the Night Lords to Norse Planet.
Norse Planet, Utan Region.
With the arrival of the Alpha Legion, the Norse resistance front was rapidly collapsing. Even with extraordinary psychic powers and Warp-spawned aid, Norse strongholds were destroyed one after another.
The fleeing lord, his ministers, and his retinue hid in ancient ruins.
"Quick, Lord, we must flee! The front-line fortresses have fallen, and the enemy is only three kilometers away!"
A loyal Norse general burst in. The next second, the lord drew his gun and shot the general dead. The other soldiers hadn't even reacted before they, too, were killed.
The ministers and retinues widened their eyes, unable to believe what they were seeing.
The lord held the gun, turned to look at the ministers and retinues filled with fear and confusion, and smiled.
"Sorry. I am not your lord, but the First Captain of the Alpha Legion - Ingo Pech."
"Since three days ago, all operational orders have been issued by me, solely to destroy your resistance forces completely."
As the voice fell, the Norse lord underwent a transformation. His slender body rapidly expanded, his physique and appearance changing drastically, transforming him into a warrior of the Alpha Legion.
The ministers and retinues showed expressions of despair. They finally understood why the enemy could easily break through every defense line and why those hidden strongholds were detected and completely destroyed.
"Where is our monarch?" an old minister asked in grief and anger.
"He was killed three days ago," the warrior replied coldly. "When he was captured, he threatened to use the Black Cube to destroy the Imperium, so I consumed his brain and plundered all his memories."
The Black Cube was a dark technological creation from humanity's Golden Age, tainted with Chaotic power. It needed enough blood to activate.
Once activated, it could quickly gather sufficient Warp energy to change the target world's climate, making it poisonous and storm-wracked. It could destroy all surface structures and even boil the oceans.
The Norse had intended to keep it for mutual destruction, but the Alpha Legion detected their intentions and launched a surprise attack, seizing it. Now the resistance forces had lost all leverage, becoming prey for the Imperium.
When Alpharius arrived at the ruins, the old ministers and retinues had already been executed one by one in despair.
"You did an excellent job, Pech," Alpharius regarded his First Captain with satisfaction.
"Thank you for your praise, my Primarch," Ingo Pech was pleased to receive such commendation.
"Having dealt with the enemies of this world, it is time to address those vermin hiding in the shadows." Alpharius turned his gaze toward the depths of the ruins, his voice cold. "Come out. I know you are here. John Grammaticus has confessed."
"Human mental will is too fragile, but that is acceptable. He has completed his mission and brought you here."
From the dark depths emerged a member of the Cabal who had been observing the war. Its entire body was enveloped in light, a pure energy lifeform.
"Humans are an inferior species. You are latecomers, an incomplete race, a disease of the galaxy. I will bring you enlightenment, make you complete, and turn you into instruments to benefit the universe."
Alpharius's expression darkened. The creature's condescending tone annoyed him. He extended a hand and activated the Alpha Engine. A cube made of transparent spatial barriers appeared, trapping the being inside.
The Cabal member showed astonishment. It tried to strike the spatial barrier to no avail.
"Did no one tell you to put away your arrogance and stupidity?" Alpharius said coldly. "Tell me everything you know. Otherwise, you will discover why John Grammaticus revealed everything. Believe me, you will not enjoy that kind of pain."
Just then, "I am very sorry. My companion used inappropriate words."
Another voice emerged. An alien with an insectoid face and an Eldar dressed like a prophet stepped forward.
"My name is Gahet," the alien introduced himself. He gestured to the Eldar beside him. "This is Slau Dha, and the one you captured is another member of our organization. We all come from the Cabal."
"I know. You come from the Cabal," Alpharius said. "Your tricks cannot hide from me. The moment I arrived on Norse Planet, I detected an anomaly. By integrating that information, I found your traces."
"You sent a psyker, intending to infiltrate the Imperial army, but his skills were too clumsy."
"Thank you for your assessment, Alpharius," Gahet said. "But before discussing the Cabal's shortcomings, perhaps we should first talk about important matters."
"What important matters?" Alpharius asked.
"About humanity and the universe." Gahet reached out and chanted an obscure spell. Several sharply angled amulets ascended with the spell, swirling around him. The amulets glowed, releasing bright rays that intertwined, ultimately outlining a holographic projection.
"When the Cabal was established, humans were just a species that had recently gained intelligence. But as time passed, you grew, rapidly expanding by virtue of your tenacity and wisdom."
"We have always been observing you, evaluating your potential and threat."
As Gahet spoke, alien figures appeared in the projection. They continuously flashed, representing the races that joined the Cabal.
A look of disgust flickered in the depths of Alpharius's eyes. These were all xenos. He should immediately draw his weapon and execute these creatures instead of listening to their nonsense.
[End of Chapter]
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