Chapter 402: with translation of chapter title

The geocentric world of the Never-Sundered.

Inside the upper laboratory of the research center…

"Let go of me! You weird freak! Let go of me!"

Resonating with a thick nasal tone, an angry howl.

The source of this howl was none other than Motarian, who had his power armor forcibly ripped off and was bound to the operating table by solid light beams, unable to move.

And the person being cursed by this 'strongest-smelling' OriginalBody was none other than the plague doctor, who wore a bird-beak mask, a black hooded coat, and over that a white lab coat.

"Oh, child…" hearing the howl, the plague doctor glanced at Motarian, then seemingly helplessly shook his head, raised his left hand preparing to touch Motarian's skin that still had festering sores and pus, and said in a teasing tone: "Can you be a little quieter? After all, you're my old patient—why won't you listen? Do I really have to resort to some small measures?"

"…" Upon hearing that, Motarian immediately fell silent.

"He" admitted he was scared.

Since being captured, Motarian has endured extreme inhumane treatment at the hands of the plague doctor…

However, "he" no longer looks human either, and what baffles "him" most is: just what kind of freak is this doctor before him??

Even though his Spiritual Energy is suppressed and he himself is bound, his physique shouldn't be subject to wanton 'slaughter' and 'violation,' yet before the plague doctor, none of that is a problem.

Meanwhile, the four Grey Knights guarding the laboratory felt regret for Motarian in their hearts, for today is the plague doctor's final experiment; after it ends, this fallen OriginalBody will face judgment by their mentor (Artemis), namely being shot and purified by the Moonbow.

At the same time.

As the plague doctor eagerly conducted experiments, even plotting a 'craniotomy' on the fog-rimmed Falgoreum that had degenerated into a 'serpent staff,'…

The underground prison area of the research center.

Here are imprisoned tens of thousands of different traitor legions' Chaos Astate, also the flesh of Falgoreum possessed by demons, and Conrad Koz leading the uncorrupted Midnight Lord Legion, who rejected Chaos worship and voluntarily surrendered.

At this moment, the OriginalBody known as the 'Midnight Wraith' is located in a special cell with shielded positioning.

Koz likewise shed his power armor, revealing the sturdy physique befitting an OriginalBody and his unique pale skin, seated on a specially made metal chair, his wrists and ankles bound by solid light beams.

Judging by treatment alone, Koz is the most comfortable among the traitor OriginalBodies, not suffering broken limbs, yet he must still undergo the plague doctor's medical exams and experiments; thus, Koz, who had only just arrived at the Never-Sundered less than forty-eight hours ago, proved highly cooperative, showing no intent to resist or any violent tendencies.

The only abnormal thing is that Koz's eyes show more red veins, his mental state is deteriorating, he mutters to himself more often, always whispering something under his breath.

Also present in the cell are four black-gold-white-plumed guards wielding thunder spears at each corner, as well as Kelakesi, ever ready to extend his bloody claws and stay vigilant, and…

Wearing black-gold armor, opening his helmet to keep a smile, with his hands behind his back, Sui Bian entered the cell through the just-opened gate.

"You…" At that moment, Conrad Koz, whose mental state was on the verge of collapse for unknown reasons, upon seeing Sui Bian, his eyes already filled with red veins turned even more bloodshot, and his somewhat stabilized emotions became quite agitated…

It was as if he had endured great pain and suddenly released these repressed emotions.

But soon Koz forced himself to regain composure, and upon seeing Sui Bian now standing before him, he said respectfully: "You are indeed as I foresaw, a worthy human lord, and I too, as I foresaw, have preserved my legion, my people…"

"Now, I only wish to complete redemption."

"Oh?"

Hearing Koz's puzzling words, Sui Bian let out a sound of doubt, and Spiritual Perception told him that the Midnight Wraith's emotions were extremely tumultuous, yet his entire body truly had not a trace of Chaos power, so he grew more interested and asked:

"Foresight, preservation, and redemption—well, that means you already 'saw' this scene coming, but I want to know what you did all this for? And if I'm not mistaken, the redemption you seek… is death, right?"

"..."

Upon hearing that, Koz fixed his gaze on Sui Bian, then his bloodshot eyes lowered slightly as he nodded lightly and continued: "Correct, it is death; the redemption I seek is true death; as for what I foresaw…"

Next, Koz recounted in full, without reservation, what he had seen and witnessed, as well as the entirety of the rebellion that occurred over two hundred sixty years ago.

Initially, "he" and all his brothers followed the Human Emperor's orders, carrying out the Great Crusade in an orderly manner, and "he" also, adhering to his own sense of justice, led the Midnight Lord in imposing absolute rule over occupied planets and star systems, ensuring there would be no more 'crime,' 'corruption,' 'fraud,' and so on.

However, such absolute rule would greatly hinder the Midnight Lord's crusading efficiency, since every star system and colony requires corresponding Midnight Lord forces and mortal soldiers to maintain, and its progress could match that of the loudspeakers proclaiming the Emperor as a god, the Truth-speakers, being 'on par.'

However, the Human Emperor of the 03rd Universe did not reprimand Conrad Koz and the Midnight Lord as he had warned and punished Lorgar Aurelius and the Truth-speakers Legion; it was as if the Emperor gave tacit approval.

Thus, the Truth-speakers and the Midnight Lord rarely clashed thereafter, though compared to a bunch of 'madmen' seeming Midnight Lords, the Truth-speakers hated even more the elite warriors who destroyed their perfect city.

And as Koz and his legion were about to seize the entire dark star sector, the images of the future forming in his mind grew ever clearer…

It was the dark future in which the Empire fell into civil war due to Helusi, and the Emperor was ultimately placed upon the Golden Throne by the traitors.

What devastated Koz most was that "he" himself was among the ranks of the rebels.

Learning this made the already solitary Koz become even more extreme; "he" could not understand why he would betray, but once Helusi established the new Human Empire, the prophetic images again grew vague.

Fortunately, Koz of the 03rd Universe, because the vision of rebellion sowed suspicion, hostility, and vigilance among all his OriginalBody brothers, "he" decisively ordered the legion to continue the crusade while personally leading the guard to rush secretly to Shensheng Tala to negotiate thoroughly with his father, the Emperor, who had just begun preparing to 'conduct research'.

But when "he" had laid out the dark future in full, the Emperor father was not as angry or surprised as "he" imagined; instead, he remained very calm, even his facial muscles showed no change, maintaining a detached demeanor.

At that moment, Conrad Koz nearly broke down, for "he" had not expected his father to be indifferent—or perhaps his father intended to wait until the crusade ended, then directly eliminate "them," the OriginalBodies and Astartes??

Fortunately, the Emperor of the 03rd Universe, who rarely spoke in riddles, noticed Koz's condition and immediately gave an explanation, saying he had always known that half of the OriginalBodies and legions would rebel, and also understood…

He would ultimately end up seated upon the Golden Throne, becoming a living corpse for the traitors to exploit for their last bit of value.

Moreover, the Emperor of the 03rd Universe specifically instructed Koz to follow the foreseen path and choose rebellion, but to keep his original heart, uphold the extreme justice Koz had always adhered to, and patiently await the emergence of another 'Human Lord'.

Having received this information, Koz was bewildered yet still chose to act as his father had entrusted.

This is also why, when Helusi rebelled and brutally slaughtered his former brothers and comrades, Koz and the Midnight Lord, while openly supporting and participating, always sought to avoid clashing with the loyalists, avoiding them as much as possible, and usually merely provided logistical supplies to aid the rebels.

Although Helusi originally objected to Koz's repeated leniency, he reasoned that gaining an extra fighting force was far better than creating a new enemy.

Furthermore, Helusi's view of Koz was that he was crazy, yet he might harbor a shred of affection, unwilling to strike against his former brothers and 'nephews'.

Besides, with the establishment of the new Human Empire, Koz also appeared lost in his own world, solely focused on imposing his inner justice to shape the dark star sector into an ideal model.

Within a century of the new Human Empire's founding, the various colonies, forge worlds, and hive worlds of the dark star sector returned to the right path, quickly becoming the Empire's top priority.

Most importantly, besides refusing to worship the Chaos Gods and spread Lorgar's *New Imperial Truth*, Koz also showed an attitude of blind obedience, accepting all policies, which caused Helusi to temporarily lower his guard toward "him."

Yet during this period, Koz was mentally tormented.

Although he was obeying his father's wishes and choosing rebellion as foreseen, when "he" saw his brothers slaughtering each other, and saw his father, grievously wounded, being hoisted onto the Golden Throne by Helusi, Lorgar, and Anglon, he still had to put on a face of joy at winning the war and overthrowing the Tyrant's oppression.

In the following 240 years, Koz essentially lost the ability to sleep, for whenever he closed his eyes, he would see his brothers die miserably and his father become a living corpse.

Thus Koz devoted his whole being to building the dark star sector, also compelling the Midnight Lord to despise and loathe the Chaos Gods, to preserve human nature and essence while endeavoring to bring fairness and justice to his domains and worlds, and further demanding that the Midnight Lord not massacre innocents, but when encountering sin, to punish it with the most extreme measures.

The incessant work, supervision, and patrols kept Koz perpetually on the brink of collapse, but to fulfill his father's injunction, "he" had to grit his teeth and persevere.

Until two years ago, the overworked Koz was simply exhausted and needed proper rest to relieve stress.

It was just during that brief rest, Kezi again foresaw the future, 'he' saw that the vortex Space Gate would, under the scheming of the evil god demons, link Universe 03 and the Main Universe; subsequently, 'his' isotopic brothers from another universe will join with another Human Lord to 'restore order'.

After foreseeing these, Kezi, who had been slumped over the office desk, suddenly woke up.

Although he had only dozed for less than half an hour, Kezi's mental state had eased considerably, after all 'he' finally had a goal to wait for, no longer needing to be as aimless as before.

Thus, Kezi devoted even more energy to management, construction, and maintenance, until the arrival of the Main Universe expeditionary force, then he presented with both hands the Dark Star Region—where the people knew nothing of other space and the Chaos Gods, yet its intact system remained—giving the Main Universe expeditionary force an immediate 'foothold'; in the future, the Main Universe could also rely on the Dark Star Region to quickly gain a foothold in Universe 03.

"..."

After hearing Kezi's words, Sui Bian even put away his signature smile, his brows slightly furrowed as he fell into contemplation.

So the Human Emperor had long known of his existence? Sui Bian felt a hint of incredulity, yet also 'it made sense'; mainly because Universe 03 was vastly different from the Warhammer 30, 40k he knew.

Moreover, since the evil god of other space can perceive the multiverse, who says the emperor can't? You should know that this famous 'Human Lord' has pulled various 'free ticket' stunts from other space.

Thus, no matter how many abnormal acts the Human Emperor commits, Sui Bian will also find them quite normal.

He fell silent for a moment.

"Hmm, I understand." Sui Bian nodded at Kezi, who had prepared himself to face death calmly, but then he changed tack, saying: "But I cannot give you the salvation you seek; no, I should refuse to give it."

"Why?!"

Kezi was puzzled and confused, after all, what this midnight wraith wanted was simply to obtain true peace after fulfilling his father's dying wish...

He just wanted to avoid the scene that would appear upon closing his eyes—witnessing his brothers' horrific deaths and his father becoming a living corpse—'he' truly needed proper rest, preferably eternal sleep, for 'he' was utterly exhausted.

"Because you shouldn't have come to this, go to sleep, child." Sui Bian said, and his pupils flashed with a faint golden light.

"What do you mean… huh…" Kezi hadn't even finished his question when his eyes rolled up, his head slumped down, and the instant his eyelids closed he entered a deep sleep.

"Father." Gazing at the scene before him, Kelakesi couldn't help but ask: "Do you want to use him for some kind of experiment?"

"That's right." Sui Bian didn't deny it, and after slightly turning his head to look at this fair‑skinned, equally handsome sixth son, he once again broke into a smile and explained:

"This child can be saved, whether in soul or body; moreover, I indeed want the plague doctor to use the G‑gland on him for some experiments, so as to prepare after the distant expedition ends."

But there is one thing Sui Bian did not tell the sixth son: that he seems to have some kind of connection with the Human Emperor.

"Understood." Kelakesi simply nodded, unbothered.

(End of chapter)