"If you want to rebel, just say so, brother. We're already mentally prepared for it."
Russ watched the Eldar pacing back and forth in front of him, climbing up and down what Perturabo called his new inventions – which were essentially improved versions of Eldar Titans. For the first time, he felt that this brother of his could no longer be described with mere words like 'audacious' or 'reckless'.
"I reckon Father wouldn't mind giving you a big chunk of the Eastern Fringe either."
Lion and Russ were both feeling somewhat numb by now.
"So, this is your new invention?"
Lion looked at Perturabo beside him and couldn't help asking.
"Yes, my latest development. No pilot needed, very high mobility. But its ranged weapons can't compare to our Titans."
"You always have to sacrifice something to maintain mobility."
Perturabo said.
"I thought these Wraithbeings (Eldar) couldn't build these anymore? How did you make them? And you even recruited them?"
Russ asked, curious.
"They're now a psyker-specialized abhuman sub-species. They have official Imperial abhuman status, certified by the Emperor himself. But that's only for the three Craftworlds under my command."
"You managed to subdue three Craftworlds?"
"With collaborationists, what's impossible? If they don't submit, just turn them into servitors without removing their prefrontal lobes, wouldn't that be easy? I have countless mining worlds under my command; there are always mines with the harshest conditions suitable for them."
"You can't say the Wraithbeings are completely cowardly and afraid of death, but if they have a chance to survive, why would they refuse? Plus, since I can build these things, why wouldn't they follow me?"
"Would they have such a good life if they didn't side with me?"
"Brother, you can never trust xenos. If you do, you'll eventually pay a heavy price."
Russ could easily sense the ill intentions of these Eldar. Regardless of how pious some of these Wraithbeings might look, most of them acted like they were just doing a job.
If something unexpected were to happen on Perturabo's side, it's hard to say what kind of brain-dead, rage-inducing moves these Wraithbeings, who always love to cause trouble for humanity, might pull.
Russ had once encountered an Eldar Farseer.
Back then, that Wraithbeing had been standing right in front of him, claiming everything it did was for the good of humanity and everyone, all while attacking the Sixth Legion and the baseline human auxiliary forces.
Russ never wasted words on these xenos with broken brains.
Under the Farseer's stunned gaze, Russ quickly closed the distance and chopped its head off.
The Sixth Legion slaughtered all those White Wraithbeings, leaving not a single one alive.
"Are you sure they're reliable?"
Lion didn't trust any xenos.
"They're not."
Perturabo's answer surprised both of them.
"Then why use them?"
"Why rely on a tool being reliable? It just needs to be useful. The Wraithbone they produce is incredibly valuable; my next research project is to figure out how to make that material myself."
"Plus, they're experts in psionics and assassination. When delicate work is needed later, I don't have to bother my own sons to go. It's just that their usefulness isn't really apparent in this current Rangdan campaign."
"Anyway, I don't need their loyalty. I just need them to be useful to me."
Seeing Perturabo's confident expression, Lion and Russ didn't know what to say. But whenever those White Wraithbeings got close to them, they always felt an intense, terrifying murderous intent.
"What are you planning to do now, brother?"
The primary goal was still the extermination of the Rangdan xenos. Although letting these xenos stay near them made the Lion agitated, he managed to restrain himself well.
"Track them all the way, and sweep through. I've already had the Emperor order our brothers to send some of their sons to seal off the Halo Stars region."
"If they try to run, we'll block them. I also left a portion of my Legion stationed at the edge of Ultima Segmentum. Robert is personally stationed there, and Ferrus will soon join him to help us tighten the net."
"Our goal this time is to utterly exterminate the Rangdan. And also test out these new Titans I brought, along with some other gear I developed a while back."
"More?"
Lion and Russ were a bit stunned. Was this brother of theirs really this clever?
"I made some micro black hole bombs. But these are quite dangerous – a single mistake could destroy an entire star system. I'll need to find the right opportunity to test them."
"Also, a psychic absorption nuclear device. It combines a nuclear warhead with a miniature psychic absorption device. It's not only specialized anti-psyker, but it also amplifies the nuclear blast yield by five times! The cost is a bit high, though, and I don't know the side effects yet. I'll have to run tests."
"And also…"
Perturabo listed his recent inventions one by one. Truth be told, many of them were things the Imperium already had; he just took the prototypes and upgraded or improved them.
But a good trick is a good trick. This time, the Rangdan xenos would serve perfectly as test subjects.
Anyway, those planets were likely beyond saving. He could just drop a few small black hole bombs on them first to see the effect.
If things got out of hand, Perturabo would step in personally. Regardless, there was no way the Rangdan xenos were getting away this time.
"Let me test that psychic nuke first. I've grown rather fond of these things lately."
Russ grinned, showing his canine teeth, staring at the two-meter-tall warheads with excitement in his voice.
Although it was painful to destroy those worlds, throwing nukes was seriously addictive.
He absolutely loved these little devices that could 'boom!' and wipe out hordes of xenos at once.
"Remember to take five hundred of the new Titans down with you. I need to record their performance data and see if any further improvements can be made."
"Lion, you too. Have your sons take more as well. We lack nothing this time."
"If you need men, I'll give you Abominable Intelligence. If you need ammunition, I'll supply enough Cannoness Cannons (or Earthshaker/artillery pieces, ambiguous) and Titan Legions. Take whatever main battle tanks you want. I have only one request: Not a single one of these Rangdan xenos is to escape."
"The Emperor told me before I departed: if, with all our Legions pursuing and blockading, we still can't exterminate a single xenos alliance…"
Perturabo's gaze fell upon the two.
"Lion, don't let the Emperor down."
"Understood."
…
On the bridge of the Iron Blood, the group watched the holographic projection of the dark red star sector being slowly devoured piece by piece.
Some of those star systems belonged to the Imperium, others were yet unconquered. Now, they had all become sources for the Rangdan to produce slave soldiers and biological war beasts.
Dark red biomass covered these planets. Thick, chitinous growths spread like moss, consuming the hive cities and factories of those worlds, turning everything into the same nauseating sight.
Lion and Russ still vividly remembered that sticky liquid.
The overwhelming, nauseating, and mentally assaulting images and smells had once been too much even for some Astartes to handle.
Especially under such psychic contamination, those Sloss Worms (or similar creatures) were masters of stealth. A single moment of carelessness, and a brother in arms with an invaded mind would be instantly overwhelmed by those slave armies on the battlefield.
Then, the battlefield would gain a few new bio-modified monstrosities.
In the command room of the bridge, Lion and Russ sat by the massive holographic strategy table, staring at the constantly refreshing data with extremely grim expressions.
No human could feel good seeing such terrible data.
The dense red dots meant at least over forty star sectors had been invaded. How had the Imperium failed to notice such abnormality during all these years of the Great Crusade?
The victories the Dark Angels had won previously hadn't drawn the Imperium's attention.
"It's hard to estimate how many humans have been enslaved here. The minimum unit for calculating human casualties this time is 'trillions'."
Perturabo had known about the terror of the Rangdan for a long time, but he never imagined it would be this severe.
Ever since the Halo Stars region lost the Eldar's suppression, every monstrous demon and ghost had been restless.
Those Wraithbeings back then were the same – keeping them around for what? Instead of wiping them out for good, they played their perverse games.
Look at the mess now. They've hurt both themselves and others.
Looking up at the huge 'Eye' above him, Perturabo couldn't help but feel some emotion. The Great Vortex had driven his original body mad. It was hard to imagine what would have happened if the original body had landed in the Halo Stars and been 'watched' by this thing.
"The Rangdan still have stationary fleets. My sons will deal with them. Try to find planets for testing that aren't too heavily contaminated. If we can't find suitable targets, then forget the Titan tests for now."
"There's nothing left on these worlds worth saving anyway."
Perturabo coldly pronounced the doom of these planets.
"I'll take the stars. You two can decide what to do with the rest. The Iron Warriors don't need glory like that. You can split it amongst yourselves."
Perturabo stated this upfront to avoid any hard feelings between his brothers.
"We haven't destroyed the Rangdan yet, brother. Isn't it a bit early to talk about this?"
Russ forced a smile.
Lion's expression was very dark. The Dark Angels had suffered the heaviest losses this time, with thirty thousand sons buried here. But he didn't say much else.
If it weren't for the Fourth Legion this time, they wouldn't have known how to even deal with those sixteen war satellites.
"I'm not competing with you for accolades. I only want tangible benefits. This way, I can ask the Emperor again for the Custodes conversion surgery. This time, he has no reason to refuse me."
What asking for the Custodes conversion surgery implied went without saying. Using Abominable Intelligence was already toeing the line dangerously. If the Emperor granted the Custodes surgery this time, what would be left to reward this brother when he performed another great deed?
"Is that such an excessive request? I haven't even asked him for the technology left over from the Dark Age of Technology yet. This is nothing."
Lion and Russ felt that this brother's fate might not be good in the future. And it was highly likely that the Emperor and they themselves might have to take action.
Just like the First Legion acting as executioners to get rid of the Thunder Warriors.
Well, forget that for now. Let fate decide.
…
"… Third planet, contamination level exceeding 30%."
The report from the Logic Engine made Ferrix very silent. This meant that star system was also doomed and had to be utterly destroyed.
"Commander, Fourth Company requests permission to deploy ground forces to the third planet."
Dantioch's voice came through the comm channel.
"No need. Launch the two-stage cyclone torpedoes directly. Those planets are beyond saving."
"But the third planet still has viable…"
"There are no human survivors left up there. Even if there were, they aren't worth the cost of saving. This planet's value is mediocre; its output doesn't justify such a high expense."
"Captain, set aside your compassion. You can't be merciful every time."
Ferrix's words were somewhat ruthless. The other end of the comm was silent.
"Barabbas, don't be so indecisive. You know what I mean. As a commander, you cannot show weakness."
"I understand, Commander."
The communication cut off. Dantioch looked at that planet, still holding a shred of hope, and remained silent.
He knew full well the Commander was right. The cost required to purge the Rangdan xenos on that planet was exorbitant.
But Dantioch couldn't stop thinking about the humans suffering up there, struggling in agony. They needed saving.
That was supposed to be the duty of a Space Marine. Father had told them so.
But now, the Legion no longer considered such issues, deeming them too costly.
Granted, compared to the worlds under Olympia's rule, these particular humans weren't worth the Fourth Legion spending such resources to save. But wasn't saving humanity their duty?
"The Commander refused you."
Berossus said from beside him.
"You're always like this. You know these things are unnecessary, so why do you still do them?"
Berossus truly couldn't understand what his friend was thinking.
"It's precisely because of this that the Commander hasn't yet given up his position as overall commander. Your will determines the survival of our brothers and the Legion's actions, Barabbas."
"But your weakness will always be easily seen by our enemies. The Iron Warriors don't need that."
"I don't intend to be commander."
Dantioch had no ambition for it.
"But everyone knows you are the next successor. After this Rangdan campaign, Father and the Commander will entrust that heavy responsibility to you."
"You shouldn't fail such great expectations, Barabbas. Our brothers have no objections to you. The Commander has repeatedly praised your strategies. Even Father admires you greatly. The Commander always assigns us the most critical tasks."
"You complete them the best every time. If it weren't for your mercy, you would be the one commanding the Rangdan campaign right now."
Dantioch looked out the viewport at the warships already launching two-stage cyclone torpedoes to destroy those planets. He closed his eyes in pain.
"This isn't your fault. You don't have to torment yourself by bearing this anguish and guilt every time."
"Give the order, Captain."
"Issue the Exterminatus order."
Soon, the third planet shattered before Dantioch's eyes, turning into stardust drifting around the warships.
So many planets disintegrating had formed a massive asteroid field around them. The dense boulders crashing against the ships created a slight dragging sensation.
"Commander."
The Logic Engine's voice sounded.
"Kolaris system purged. All eleven planets destroyed. The remaining Rangdan forces have been annihilated."
"Continue advancing."
The Iron Warriors' fleet pressed forward. Behind them were eleven dissipating balls of fire and drifting 'ash'.
…
"Father."
A marine's voice came through the comm.
"Ground scan complete. The planet's surface holds three Rangdan bio-factories, one large-scale slave barracks, and one Bone-Eater breeding nest."
"Conservative estimates place the slave army at over three hundred million."
"Destroy the Rangdan warships. Prepare to deploy ground forces."
"Yes, sir."
"It's up to you now, Russ."
"Just watch me."
Russ grinned, then boarded a Stormbird.
Looking at the ready psychic nuclear warheads, Russ felt like he had an inexhaustible supply of brute strength.
Drop pods slammed into the surface from orbit. Stormbirds and Thunderhawks followed close behind.
The Iron Warriors' armored forces were the first to charge. Three thousand heavy Stormblades aimed their volcano cannons ahead and fired a single volley.
Everything returned to dust.
But the slave armies were fearless. The Sloss and Rangdan xenos hid far in the rear. They had learned their lesson this time.
Why bother brawling with these brutes and dullards when they could watch their slave armies grind them down? They didn't have to worry about their own safety and could deplete the enemy's strength.
If the timing turned bad, they would flee immediately. The galaxy was vast; surely there was room for them to hide, right? An alliance? What was that?
We'll support you as long as you bring us benefits!
Can't provide that? Expect us to share your hardship? Sorry, but we all have our important duties. Better to just disband on the spot.
"For Russ and the Allfather!"
The Space Wolves fought on the front lines, wearing noticeably larger-sized Terminator armor and master-crafted power armor.
This was armor custom-tailored to their measurements by the Logic Engine.
This Terminator armor was far better than the Mechanicum's stuff. Not only was the defense thicker, but it also retained a certain degree of mobility.
The Space Wolves, who always loved close-quarters combat, absolutely adored this gear.
Truth be told, they were quite traditional. Armor that incorporated cultural elements from Fenris was what every Wolf-kin truly liked best.
But…
Grimnar split a bio-monster clean in two with his power axe.
The micro-missile system on the back of his Terminator armor instantly cleared a path tens of meters ahead, wiping out the slave soldiers.
Bolt shells and melta rounds barely left a scratch on this Terminator armor. Even taking a plasma blast point-blank didn't hurt him much.
It was incredibly powerful!
Grimnar felt that tradition might not be so important after all.
Fight! Awesome!
The Space Wolves, whose mental state was subtly slipping as they got more and more into the slaughter, failed to notice the changes happening to some of their brothers beside them.
Titan Legions and Knight suits had already landed and were pushing the line forward. The shorter, sleeker new Titans advanced very quickly.
Their special blades and agile mobility allowed them to handle the Bone-Eaters with ease. In one-on-one fights, they almost always annihilated those bio-beasts, which weren't much more agile than Imperial Titans.
Pulse cannons blasted the enemy lines like foam. The fastest charging slave soldiers were reduced to slag in an instant.
The five hundred new Titans advanced so quickly on the line that the Wolf-kin hadn't even fully satisfied their bloodlust before the front had moved to the next trench.
This unleashed their savage brutality fully. The Iron Warriors had already slowly withdrawn from their cousins' lines.
No point competing with these madmen for kills. The main purpose of this ground battle was still to test Father's new weapons.
Main battle tanks equipped with plasma blast-guns and electro-nova cannons had already advanced to the front.
Earthshaker cannons were set up in the rear, ready to fire.
Russ was already hovering above the planet.
The Stormbird's energy shields allowed it to ignore the anti-air fire pouring into the sky.
Russ aimed at the largest bio-factory in the distance, took a deep breath, and casually grabbed a warhead.
"Time to blow, you bastards!"
The warhead, trailing a dark gray exhaust, streaked across the sky and slammed into the center of the bio-factory.
White light swallowed everything. Russ felt the world turn completely white.
Then, the massive shockwave tumbled the Stormbird end over end dozens of times before it could stabilize.
On the ground, the Iron Circle automata, battle-automata, and Titans closest to the blast were staggered backward by the shockwave.
The residual heat and shockwave were still sweeping outwards. Russ steadied himself and watched the huge, brilliant mushroom cloud rising in the distance. The corners of his mouth nearly split to an inhuman degree.
The bio-factory had vanished. In its place was a five-kilometer-wide deep crater.
Around the crater's edge, some dark red biological chitin lay fused to the ground, burnt to black crisp by the high temperature.
Smoke billowed from the center of the crater. The rock there had been melted.
The psychic shockwave caused the Sloss on the planet to clutch their heads and howl. Then their bodies exploded into writhing worms that dissolved into pools of thick green blood.
"Ha ha ha!"
"Good! One more!"
That day, Russ personally threw a total of fifty-seven psychic nuclear warheads.
Six bio-factories, three slave barracks, two Bone-Eater breeding nests – all reduced to nothing but black, charred ash.
The planet's surface was pockmarked with fifty-seven craters, each at least five kilometers in diameter, scattered all over and making the planet's surface resemble the moon.
When the last bio-factory collapsed, Russ stood on the ruins, watching the remaining slaves being mopped up by the Iron Circle and battle-automata. He let out a long, satisfied breath.
Awesome!
"Brother, how's the data collection?"
"Not bad. But I need at least twenty sets of data. I only have three so far. You've got a lot more work to do."
Russ's eyes, cunning and sharp as a wolf's, looked toward the sky. He could almost see the desperate screaming of the Rangdan xenos as a psychic nuke headed their way.
"Then let's prepare for the next battle! My pups haven't had enough fun yet!"
"Hou! Hou!"
Listening to the howls in his ear, Perturabo was quite dissatisfied with these barbaric, reckless savages. There was no need for this behavior. Couldn't they change their backwater culture?
Why play the savage when you could be civilized? Look at Lion, how well he conceals his barbarism…
"Ah!"
Lion punched the head off a surviving Rangdan Warleader, then used his shield to smash another bio-monster's head down into its chest cavity.
Then, relying on his Primarch's incredible physique, he went on a rampage, charging into the slave armies like a one-man army. His normally green eyes were now almost brown, filled with blood vessels.
Koswain, Alajos , and the other marines were running so fast their legs were practically smoking, but they still couldn't keep up with him.
Psychic warheads detonated everywhere. Even the Eldar Titans were hacking at the Bone-Eaters in a chaotic frenzy, with no rhyme or reason to their movements.
The First Legion was in complete disarray. The overwhelming firepower, combined with their long-suppressed rage, had driven them completely mad during this apocalyptic campaign where casualty rates were kept remarkably low.
Forget about testing. Power weapons were swung so fast they sparked. Melta guns and plasma guns ran overcharged until their machine spirits burned out their last spark of vitality for the battle.
The fervor was so contagious that even the Iron Warriors were nearly affected. Some of the already worked-up Iron Warriors charged forward with a roar, joining the fray.
"Repent, heretics!"
"Iron within, iron without!"
"For the Emperor!"
…
Watching both his brothers completely lose themselves, Perturabo didn't bother criticizing them.
He could collect data next time. If they didn't release all that pressure, who knows what might happen.
Savagery was acceptable for now; they could work on it later.
But some of those 'kids' needed more training. Getting this fired up even after so many drills meant a lot of veterans would be sent back this 'Eleventh'.
The data for these new Titans was mostly gathered. They just needed a bit more evidence to prove it wasn't luck.
Looking at the black mechanical sphere in his hand, Perturabo thought it might be best to drop it directly on the Rangdan xenos' homeworld.
He didn't know its exact yield anyway. The Rangdan homeworld needed Exterminatus, and its planetary shields definitely couldn't stop this.
Time to open the Rangdan's eyes wide!
…
Three years later.
The core of Rangdan-controlled space, their homeworld's location – the Caldera system.
Onboard the Iron Blood, Perturabo and the others looked at the twenty war satellites and sneered in disdain.
"Xenos are xenos. Even now, they're still thinking about preserving their own strength. The resistance we've faced on this entire journey has been negligible."
"Rotten oranges stay rotten. When faced with a real enemy, they turn cowardly. A pack of craven mongrels who bully the weak and fear the strong."
"Pulling all their forces back here for a final desperate stand? Looks like they've realized we've sealed off the Halo Stars. They can't escape."
"Too afraid to die, but unwilling to abandon their home base. Too scared to head out of the galaxy. They only dare make a last stand here. Fine, let's grant their wish."
"Bury them here. That will avenge those they slaughtered."
The Lion hated these xenos the most. No father could see their children's bodies desecrated like that and not explode with rage.
"I'll exterminate them!"
"Calm down first. There's still one weapon to test. If it goes well, we might be able to finish them off without firing another shot."
Perturabo calmed the Lion down and produced a small mechanical ball.
"So this is your black hole bomb? This tiny little thing?"
Russ looked at the ball, barely larger than his finger, with a puzzled expression.
"You sure this little trinket is better than your psychic nukes?"
"This isn't a trinket, brother. If we're careless, the Rangdan won't be the only ones wiped out. Our own fleet could be caught in it."
"That powerful?"
"Exactly that powerful."
"So how does it work?"
Lion asked.
He just wanted to destroy these mongrels now.
"Remote operation. The command is already set."
A holographic prompt appeared, displaying the words "Initiate?" labeled with a stark red warning.
Extreme Danger!
Perturabo casually forced open a small portal to the Rangdan xenos' homeworld. Seeing that desecrated world within, the Lion's eyes reddened again.
"It's up to you, brother."
He handed the ball to the Lion. The Primarch of the First Legion aimed at the largest, most blasphemous bio-structure and hurled the sphere with all his might, smashing it through a spire.
Perturabo closed the portal.
"Alright, order the fleet to pull back a safe distance. Start retreating now."
The Rangdan Warleaders watched the Imperial fleet gradually pulling back, puzzled. They certainly didn't think the Imperium was scared.
So why were they retreating?
What was wrong?
Their instincts screamed danger. Some considered sending out scouting vessels, but the orderly retreat formation of the Imperial fleet made them hesitate.
The Rangdan were genuinely terrified now. Over thirty war satellites had been destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of their ships had been melted into slag.
Those madmen in the human Imperium were utterly fearless and incredibly vicious.
They had abandoned dozens of star systems without a second thought. The Imperium issued Exterminatus orders so readily it made the Rangdan wince.
It had taken them so many years, painstakingly 'building' those planets one by one!
Only they knew the blood, sweat, and tears (or xenos equivalent) invested. Their once-thriving expansion had suddenly run headlong into the rapidly rising human Imperium.
Those tin cans were incredibly fierce, especially the two shorter ones who only came up to the Warleaders' shoulders. They were terrifyingly brutal.
That one in black armor with the two white wings on his helmet was the scariest ghost. He had personally crushed the heads of at least five Warleaders. And his skill at killing Sloss Worm-men was unparalleled – how they could detect the Sloss approaching was a mystery.
Even Rangdan Warleaders couldn't always sense the Sloss's psychic camouflage.
And then there were the star forts, even larger than their war satellites.
Dozens of massive yellow-and-black striped star forts stood out starkly in space. Their ferocious firepower had left a deep impression on the Rangdan.
What did it mean that their artillery could completely envelop three star systems?!
The Rangdan stationed on the homeworld had been utterly baffled when they first heard the reports.
It wasn't until over forty star forts, each the size of Terra itself, appeared before them that they truly grasped the meaning of 'envelop three star systems.'
Damn, literally enveloping three star systems!
They initially thought it meant they could fight battles in three systems simultaneously.
They had wanted to run long ago, but they were too attached to their extensive holdings and years of invested effort.
After some minor species that secretly fled earlier were wiped out by the Imperium, they realized they were already surrounded.
Furthermore, the Imperium was closing the net on the Rangdan, contracting the lines. They estimated they were already surrounded by hundreds of thousands of tin cans, with at least ten thousand capital ships.
Their only chance now was to flee outside the galaxy. But abandoning everything tore at them.
So, they decided to fight!
Even if they ran, they would run with…
What is that thing? Why is it so dark?
Wait, what's happening to the homeworld!?
Why can't I move!?
No, no, NO!!!
…
"Pull back! Pull back!"
"Quickly!"
Perturabo instantly vanished from the Iron Blood. His boundless psychic power immediately blocked the massive black hole that was extending towards the edge of the fleet.
The terrifying gravitational pull instantly annihilated the Rangdan homeworld and its entire star system.
The immense gravity and mass tore the war satellites apart, crushing them to debris.
No screams. No weapons fire. No chaotic contamination. No super-powerful black technology.
They were crushed directly into powder finer than dust and absorbed into the black hole. Even the local star, ten times larger than Sol, was devoured instantly.
Were black holes supposed to be this powerful?
Perturabo had no real concept because he had never observed black hole data. He didn't know what a real black hole was like.
But he knew he had just created something terrifying.
Even Perturabo, with his boundless psychic power, could barely withstand facing such a monstrous black hole.
Fortunately, the fleet had enough time to retreat.
Perturabo gradually stabilized the situation. His psychic power, which had already reached the peak of the physical universe, began to compress the enormous black hole.
The crews on the ships watched in stunned silence as the massive black hole that had nearly consumed them was compressed until it vanished.
Lion and Russ stared, dumbfounded.
They watched Perturabo reappear inside the Iron Blood, holding a small, constantly spinning black sphere.
Previously, when they saw Perturabo collecting stars and compressing them into spheres, they thought they had developed strong nerves.
But now, they realized their nerves weren't strong enough.
"Brother, can I ask you something?"
Russ's throat felt dry.
"What is it?"
Perturabo looked tired. He truly hadn't expected that little thing to be so powerful.
"Could Father do that?"
"You mean what I just did?"
"Yeah."
"Probably. If I can do it, he probably can too."
"Then… are you two really gods?"
Russ, who had never believed in such things, was starting to waver.
"I am NOT a god!"