Chapter 154: Praise the Ten Thousand Machines God

In the room behind the tavern, Zhou Yun sat on a chair made of scrap metal, pulling a red circle and a blue cross from his fourth-dimensional pocket.

The True-False Diviner, an item capable of determining the truth or falsehood of any question.

Zhou Yun had once rented it in Asford, confirming he could exchange for the Gate of Emperors in Asford, the Emperor's condition, and Bai Guang's winged figure's identity.

It was an extremely useful item, renting for one million five hundred thousand credits for ten questions.

Zhou Yun pondered his wording for a moment, staring at the circle and cross on the table, then asked softly:

"Will I successfully find Saint Guilliman's remains in Angel's Keep and resurrect Saint Guilliman without suffering any form of serious harm?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Yun fixed his gaze on the circle and cross on the table.

But neither moved—this meant the question had no clear answer.

Zhou Yun felt a flicker of disappointment.

Based on his experience in Asford, if the True-False Diviner confirmed the truth or falsehood of a question, it became an unchangeable future.

If the True-False Diviner had just confirmed the answer, then before resurrecting Saint Guilliman, Zhou Yun would suffer absolutely no serious harm and would inevitably succeed in resurrecting Saint Guilliman.

But since the True-False Diviner deemed the question neither true nor false, it meant uncertainty still remained.

"But Saint Guilliman's remains are indeed in Angel's Keep," Zhou Yun murmured, stroking his chin.

If Saint Guilliman were not in Angel's Keep, the True-False Diviner would have immediately judged it false.

Zhou Yun fell silent for a moment, then asked again:

"The force blocking my resurrection of Saint Guilliman originates primarily from the Blood God in the Warp."

The red circle rose, affirming Zhou Yun's statement as correct.

Indeed, it was the Blood God Khorne meddling in this matter; Zhou Yun's intentions remain unknown to the beings of the Astronomican.

But Baal lies within the Crimson Scar, a place deeply tainted by the Blood God's influence; Khorne and his Greater Daemons have always watched this place, and Baal especially draws their gaze.

Zhou Yun has not yet attracted attention, but as soon as he draws near to Saint Guilliman's remains, he will inevitably be noticed by the Blood God.

"The force blocking me is a Greater Daemon of the Blood God," Zhou Yun asked again.

He did not name it, nor even attempt to describe its features, for doing so might draw the daemon's attention.

Kabanha, Khorne's Bloodthirster, a fanatical devotee of Guilliman, once shattered the Archangel's two legs.

But Guilliman recovered, tore off its wings, and crushed its spine with his knees.

Since then, Kabanha has been obsessed—no, fixated—on Guilliman and the Blood Angels; not long ago, it was exiled by a joint force of Blood Angels and Grey Knights.

Now, Baal hosts the greatest concentration of Blood Angels in ten thousand years—nearly thirty thousand may have already drawn Kabanha's gaze.

Without doubt, it is already attempting to breach into the material universe.

If it discovers Zhou Yun is trying to resurrect Guilliman, the creature will spare no effort to arrive.

Yet to Zhou Yun's surprise, neither the red circle nor the blue cross on the table moved, indicating his question had no right or wrong answer.

This left Zhou Yun momentarily bewildered.

Could there be more than one Greater Daemon of Khorne? More than just Kabanha?

Zhou Yun furrowed his brow slightly, then considered a possibility.

"The force blocking me is one of Khorne's Greater Daemons and one of his Daemon Princes."

Khorne's Greater Daemons—the Bloodthirsters—are native demons of his realm, among the most powerful creations of the Blood God.

Khorne's Daemon Princes, however, are mortals chosen from the material world, granted Chaos blessings, and elevated to demonic nobility.

Kabanha, Skarbrand, and Angarath are Greater Daemons; Angron and the Seed of Destruction are Daemon Princes.

The red circle on the table rose. A flicker of insight passed through Zhou Yun's eyes.

As he suspected—not only Kabanha, but also a Daemon Prince.

The Seed of Destruction was sealed five thousand years ago within a statue of Guilliman by a group of Blood Angels and remains unbroken to this day.

The other, lesser Daemon Princes—given Khorne's obsession with Guilliman—are unlikely to be sent.

The most likely candidate is Angron, Guilliman's brother, the Daemon Primarch—the Lord of Red Sands, the Crimson Angel, the World Eater.

Of course, also the Jester's Honorary Member, the Mount of the Butcher's Nails, the Chosen of the Laughing God, ascended by Khorne.

During the Siege of Terra, Guilliman banished him; Angron, driven by the same rage from ten thousand years ago, may now invade the material realm to seek vengeance upon his brother.

Though his life has been tragic and absurd, his mind weak, and his victories often used as stepping stones, a Daemon Primarch remains a Daemon Primarch.

Even Guilliman himself, alive and whole, would struggle mightily to defeat him. Zhou Yun rubbed his temples slightly.

Kabanha and Angron—one would be enough to contend with; now there are two.

Khorne is truly committing his full strength, sending two of his top warriors simultaneously.

Even if Guilliman is resurrected, Zhou Yun alone would stand little chance against both Kabanha and Angron.

For a moment, Zhou Yun even considered finding a star map, stealing the Sleeping Beauty, Leman Russ, from Caliban, and bringing him to Baal.

Then, after stealing him, he'd dump the Lion on Fenris and frame the Space Wolves.

"At least two Primarchs are needed for a fair fight," Zhou Yun muttered under his breath.

The star Adalia—bound by the Emperor's will and compressed by His psychic power—blazes fiercely within the Chamber of the Solar Sanctum, supplying energy to this Blood Angels' library.

Each time Chief Librarian Mephiston passes through the Chamber of the Solar Sanctum, he marvels at the Emperor's immense psychic power, seeing the star Adalia suspended within Guilliman's statue.

To compress an entire star into a sphere barely ten meters across, without losing any mass, and sustain the Blood Angels with its energy for ten thousand years—such a miracle.

Even Mephiston, a powerful psyker, trembles at the thought, imagining the Emperor's presence walking among mortals.

Yet Mephiston refuses to linger in the Chamber of the Solar Sanctum; he is accustomed to darkness, to the night.

The searing heat of the sun weakens his psychic power.

This gloom makes many of his battle-brothers fear him, even despise him.

Mephiston shook his head, passed through the Chamber of the Solar Sanctum, and entered the Tomb of Marephes.

Most battle-brothers dwell in the Hall of Blood Caskets, but that is a place of life—unsuitable for Mephiston, who returned from death.

He is a man of death; the Tomb of Marephes holds the corpses of most Chief Librarians of the Blood Angels—here, his residence is fitting.

Within ivory-white coffins, regular blood transfusions keep the corpses of past Chief Librarians preserved.

Mephiston can almost sense the lingering psychic echoes within them, hoping to receive wisdom from his predecessors.

The Tyranids advance on Baal; Chaos Warmaster Abaddon strikes Cadia once more; a strange blue figure appears in the Stygian Shield system—Mephiston's psychic warnings scream incessantly.

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He approached his stone sarcophagus and lay within its velvet lining.

The sarcophagus slowly sealed; blood surged within Mephiston's veins as darkness gently enveloped the man who returned from the Black Fury.

Fire, roaring and wild, ignited in the darkness; countless mad visions flooded Mephiston's mind.

He instantly understood—he was dreaming. This was exceedingly rare.

"Blood," a clear voice whispered beside him, like a girl's gentle song: "Blood flows on Cadia."

A dread premonition stirred in Mephiston's heart; the visions rippled like waves, gradually revealing clear images.

Black stones glowing with green light shattered one by one before him, revealing a planet straddling a twisted rift.

Cadia and the Eye of Terror—Mephiston recognized the planet and the rift.

"The Place of Collapse, the Scream of Ruin, the Homeland and the End," the voice echoed again, laced with sorrowful sobs.

Mephiston saw countless warriors gathered on Cadia—more than even on Baal.

Blood and violence, blasphemy and loyalty, spilled across Cadia; uncountable daemons and traitors poured from the Eye of Terror, sworn to destroy Cadia and drive blood, vengeance, and terror into the heart of the Imperium.

The Black Legion marches; the World Eater roars; the Iron Warriors forge blasphemous machines; the Emperor's Children sink into lustful debauchery; the Death Guard spread plague and pestilence; the Night Lords hang corpses from their towers; the Thousand Sons summon ash with sorcery; the Word Bearers chant blasphemous scriptures; the Alpha Legion claims eternal loyalty.

Nine Traitor Legions have returned to the material world, seeking to reignite the war of ten thousand years past.

Mephiston saw many fragmented visions.

He saw a beast bathed in blood and flame roaring aloud.

"Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!" the beast bellowed.

He saw a massive, red-robed Machine Sage.

"I have come for the true Master of Macragge," the Machine Sage declared.

He saw the Lion, slumbering upon a great stone, slowly opening his eyes.

"You are merely old," someone said to the Lion.

He saw a blue figure holding a cane standing before the roaring Bloodthirster.

"Don't you want to know where Erebus is?" the figure smiled as he asked the Bloodthirster.

He saw a wooden stick draped in white cloth gently tapping a silver skull.

Each tap ignited a soul-fire within the Warp.

"Praise the Omnissiah! Praise the Dora Omnissiah!" The chants never ceased.

Gulp, there are too many comments—I haven't organized them yet. I'll sort them out, extract the results, and post them in the discussion thread and tomorrow's chapter. Also, I've finished painting Dante as the prize—I posted it in the discussion thread. The Blood Angels hero blind box arrives tomorrow.

(End of Chapter)