Chapter 322

Zhou Yun knew perfectly well what the purpose of Tear Plague was.

As a disease hastily cultivated by the Benevolent Father, its sole function was to slow down Guilliman's progress.

It reluctantly withdrew its blessing when Guilliman appeared, then returned with even greater ferocity after he left, forcing Guilliman to race desperately across all of Ultramar, while confronting an agonizing choice: Ultramar or the entire Imperium of Man.

Should he protect his people and fulfill his duty as Lord of Ultramar, or journey to Terra to fulfill his duty as the Emperor's Son?

A thousand years ago, Guilliman chose Ultramar—and failed to reach Terra in time to fulfill his duty.

Now, certain malevolent eyes within the Warp yearned for Guilliman to make this same painful choice again.

But this plan would ultimately fail.

Zhou Yun had followed Guilliman through every region ravaged by Tear Plague and had already identified the locations with the highest concentrations of plague bacteria.

He had held back until now, waiting to eradicate all these bacteria at once, inflicting maximum damage upon Tear Plague—and upon the Nurgle demon born from it, the very essence of Tear Plague itself.

Clad in the guise of Doraemon, Zhou Yun swiftly wound the spring mechanism behind his back several times, then swallowed a high-efficiency pill.

Before the eyes of the Ultramar Auxiliary troops, who stared as if witnessing a legend, Zhou Yun became a blur, flickering across the entire encampment as if present in every corner simultaneously.

In his hand, the handheld lantern emitted a faint pale glow.

The light swept instantly over every plague-infected patient, piercing their skin, burning through inflamed, swollen tissues and glands, and striking directly at the Tear Plague bacteria within.

"Lamp for Eradicating Useless Bacteria," a free gift purchased with the "Random Bacteria Generator," capable of eliminating any type of bacteria.

In the instant the light passed, pale smoke rose from the patients' eyes, nose, and mouth; the stench of decay turned to the smell of burning; swelling and inflammation vanished instantly; blind eyes reopened to receive light once more.

The patients gasped open their eyelids in wonder, seeing a blue figure standing before them—and believed the Primarch had returned to heal them.

But as their vision cleared, they saw before them a round, blue creature with a red nose: a raccoon cat.

The Ultramar Auxiliary soldiers stood frozen, as if struck by lightning.

They had heard the name, but the Auxiliary always carried Imperial Cult chaplains; their devotion was reserved for the Emperor and Guilliman themselves, and they had always harbored suspicion toward this new cult of Saint Doraemon.

In private, some Auxiliary soldiers even spoke of it with skepticism.

But now, as they were truly saved, the Ultramar Auxiliary soldiers felt as if struck by lightning.

They were utterly bewildered.

"Aaaaaaaaaaah!!!!"

A piercing scream suddenly echoed from the void; the veil of reality trembled, and agonized sobbing filled the air.

As if some blasphemous thing had been burned, writhing in agony.

Nurgle demons born from specific diseases are intrinsically tied to the plague itself.

The more the disease spreads, the more suffering it causes, the stronger the demon grows.

Conversely, when the disease is cured and the bacteria killed, the demon born of it in the Warp weakens.

With so many Tear Plague bacteria destroyed in an instant, the agony inflicted upon the Tear Plague demon in the Warp caused it to weep uncontrollably.

The Ultramar Auxiliary soldiers were startled by the horrifying, piercing cry.

"It's a demon!"

Leina's voice carried both fury and piety:

"It is the blasphemous demon of the Plague God, spreading plague, hiding beneath the veil of reality, corrupting your bodies."

"But Doraemon healed you, burned that blasphemous demon—will you not praise His name?!"

The first prayer of the Ultramar Auxiliary soldiers rang out: "Holy be Doraemon!!"

One soldier, Zhou Yun, having been healed, removed his helmet and knelt devoutly on the ground.

Soon, more and more Auxiliary soldiers followed, kneeling and bowing before the round blue figure, praying to it.

"Praise you, Saint Doraemon, Trinity of Death, Primordial Force, and Eternal Dragon!"

"Thank you, Doraemon, for your salvation."

"Save our souls!"

But Zhou Yun paid no further heed to these prayers; he merely nodded swiftly to Leina, then darted through the Door of Anywhere.

Besides Taralasa, many other places still needed cleansing of this plague.

Zhou Yun had to kill the majority of Tear Plague bacteria before the demon could scatter them, inflicting a crushing blow in one stroke.

The Tear Plague demon wept bitterly in the Warp; the mites forming its massive eyes died in swarms, leaving only seventy-seven hollow, empty sockets dripping clean, bacteria-free tears. Too cruel! That blue raccoon cat is too cruel! That blue raccoon cat must have been sent by Tzeentch!

Too cruel, these blue bastards! Too cruel, Tzeentch! The Benevolent Father must punish that bastard Tzeentch!

Though newly born and possessing a mind as simple as a child's, the Tear Plague demon already understood the conflict between Nurgle and Tzeentch; seeing the creature that killed its bacteria was blue, it naturally blamed Tzeentch.

That blue raccoon cat, that Doraemon, raced swiftly across every planet of Ultramar—faster than the Black Death's spread, faster than Ebola's lethality—so fast that Tear Plague had no time to scatter its bacteria before the cruel lamp swept over them.

That lamp! That lamp is the worst!

One flash—and all its bacteria died, even the marks inscribed by the Benevolent Father could not withstand it.

This defied the laws of the material universe—and the laws of the Warp!

The sheer number of bacteria killed at once dealt a severe blow to the Tear Plague demon's form.

Worse still, so many patients were healed—and now devoutly worshipped Doraemon, beginning to think: "Tear Plague isn't so terrifying; as long as Doraemon shines his light, everything will be fine!"

These recovered patients all thought the same thing; their collective thoughts converged, weakening the Tear Plague demon further.

Moreover, these cured believers could no longer be reinfected by Tear Plague—the demon was further weakened.

To survive, it instinctively began adjusting the very bacteria that had birthed it.

To survive, it must make Tear Plague more covert, no longer manifesting such severe symptoms or possessing such potent toxicity.

Many Nurgle demons born from specific diseases do the same.

Some, because killing too many hosts shrinks their population, must reduce toxicity.

Others, because medicine has become too powerful, must adapt by becoming more covert.

Some, to prevent patients from seeking treatment, must lighten symptoms to ensure continued transmission.

Nurgle's broad palm gently cradled "Tear Plague." Facing the now-crippled demon, He sighed, sorrowful and helpless.

"Tear Plague" wailed to the Benevolent Father, accusing the cruel raccoon cat—insisting it must have been sent by Tzeentch—and begged the Father to punish it swiftly.

But the Benevolent Father shook his head hesitantly.

!

Nurgle knew the blue raccoon cat had nothing to do with Tzeentch; rather, it was a fellow practitioner, equally skilled in cultivating bacteria.

Those skilled in cultivation are often skilled in destruction—just as Nurgle himself had once cultivated bacteriophages. That Doraemon had eradicated "Tear Plague" so swiftly was, in truth, unsurprising.

Nurgle placed "Tear Plague" into the swamp of his garden, letting it soak and slowly recover, then wore a small, melancholy expression.

It was not because "Tear Plague" had been defeated, nor because Mordian's task had failed.

He had never truly wished to hinder Guilliman from meeting his father—what reason was there to stop a child from going to his father?

He had created "Tear Plague" for Ultramar only because Mordian had pleaded with him.

And if he truly wished to delay Guilliman, he could create countless other diseases.

From parasites to fungi, from viruses to bacteria—nothing beyond his reach.

Yet Nurgle hesitated slightly.

He felt this was now a contest between himself and Doraemon—a battle of bacteria. Was it fair to deploy diseases beyond bacteria? Would it anger Doraemon, further souring their already thin relationship?

Like two artists deciding to settle their rivalry through painting—yet one suddenly composed a poem? A piano piece?

Must he betray Mordian's request?

Sigh—if only he could speak face to face with that Doraemon.

If only he could invite Him to his garden.

Nurgle believed that between beings, understanding and harmony like family were possible.

But Doraemon never responded—how sad.

The Benevolent Father stirred his cauldron, cultivating more varieties of...

"Why not ask one of His friends to make an introduction?" A clear voice echoed beside Nurgle.

The voice sounded pure, as if untouched by the Nurgle Garden.

Of course!

Nurgle rejoiced at Isha's suggestion.

A stranger's invitation always breeds suspicion—but an introduction from a familiar face changes everything.

"Go find Mung and Marquett at once!"

(End of Chapter)