Chapter 465: Ariman: I

The Conqueror?

At Khaen's roar, everyone present froze in stunned silence.

The name was utterly foreign to most here, for the flagship of the World Eaters had vanished from the galaxy for ten thousand years.

Thus, when most heard the names Lotorra Saelin and the Conqueror, they could only stare blankly, bewildered.

Only Zhou Yun, Ariman, and the silent Raven Guard showed any reaction to these names.

Did Erebus enslave the Conqueror?

Zhou Yun raised an eyebrow slightly—it was indeed a viable plan. The Conqueror, constantly moving through the galaxy and the Warp, its interior warped and chaotic from corruption, could naturally hinder teleportation and locator staves.

But what truly caught Zhou Yun's attention was that Erebus had actually succeeded.

The Conqueror—on the hands of that petty World Eater Chaos lord, Kosolax—this insignificant warlord could never have stopped Erebus.

But the problem was, the Conqueror was not as ownerless as it appeared.

"Lotorra Saelin—I remember that name," Ariman glanced at Khaen. "She was the captain of the Conqueror—a mortal, a woman, yet captain of the Conqueror, third in command of the World Eaters. That alone astonished me back then—has she survived?"

"Could she have fused with the ship? Become something akin to a machine-spirit?" Ariman raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

As a master of the Warp, Ariman easily deduced Lotorra Saelin's current state.

"You guessed correctly. She still resides aboard the Conqueror. She continues fulfilling her duty—I can feel it."

Khaen opened his mouth like a bloodthirsty hound, baring jagged, bloody fangs, rage radiating from him:

"But you're wrong again. Saelin isn't the third in command of the World Eaters—in a sense, she is the first."

"Angron and I were nearly mad during the Siege of Terra. It was Saelin who maintained contact with Horus, who kept the World Eaters and the Conqueror operational. Both Angron and I respected and loved her."

"Erebus, this beast dares—"

Bloodthirsty aura surged on Khaen like a tide, yet his voice remained eerily calm, as if a beast lurking beneath a sea of blood, waiting to strike its prey.

Zhou Yun's gaze flickered slightly.

Lotorra Saelin, captain of the World Eaters' flagship, the Conqueror—one of the few who could speak to Angron, even somewhat "command" him.

The entire World Eaters Legion held her in some measure of respect; she, in turn, remained loyal to this broken, twisted, mad legion, and to Angron and Khaen.

Though slightly absurd, Angron and Khaen were like two mad hounds—Lotorra Saelin was the only one who could bind their sanity with bonds of loyalty and friendship.

At the end of the Siege of Terra ten thousand years ago, Captain Lotorra Saelin had fused entirely with the heavily corrupted Conqueror, becoming the Conqueror itself—a being akin to its blasphemous machine-spirit.

Precisely because of her, Zhou Yun found it strange that Erebus could enslave the Conqueror.

Even after ten thousand years, Lotorra Saelin still maintained some link with Angron; she could even summon him, call him, and bring him to the Conqueror.

Erebus, no matter his raw strength, could never defeat Angron—unless the Blood God aided Erebus.

No wonder Khaen was so furious.

"My lord," Khaen's voice took on a prayerful tone as he bowed his head to Zhou Yun. "I beg you—"

"Let me speak for this clumsy fool,"

The demon Lorm, dwelling within Khaen, emerged and raised a round hand in salute to Zhou Yun.

"My lord, Khaen begs you to save the Conqueror and Lotorra Saelin. He has no one else to turn to."

"I can persuade Saelin, my lord," Khaen said in a low, hoarse voice. "I can make the Conqueror swear fealty to you—you shall gain a glorious flagship, the Glorious Queen—"

The Glorious Queen herself trembled slightly, as if displeased by Khaen's words.

At night, keep away from the boiler—suddenly, the Glorious Queen's petulant voice echoed in everyone's minds.

Khaen's expression twitched slightly.

The Glorious Queen's machine-spirit had always been lively and friendly; when Khaen suffered under the Butcher's Nails, it would even lower mechanical noise to spare him further agony.

But Khaen's words had clearly offended it.

Zhou Yun couldn't help chuckling softly—his crew of oddities was truly amusing.

"I'll help you. We're already hunting Erebus, aren't we?"

"Yes, quickly compile a report on the Conqueror's condition. Sketch its internal layout from memory."

"Though warped by ten thousand years of corruption, its interior may differ vastly from the past—but it can still serve as a reference."

Khaen nodded, indicating he understood.

"Professor A, you're assigned to locate the Conqueror. But I won't hire you to join the operation," Zhou Yun turned to Ariman.

Though Ariman claimed that Tzeentch was currently occupied absorbing new domains and reclaiming lost ones, with little attention to the material universe, and though Ariman possessed unique techniques to obscure his fate from Tzeentch's surveillance,

Zhou Yun trusted none of it. Ariman was, after all, a Chosen of Tzeentch—a Chosen meant to be the unluckiest fool ever chosen by Tzeentch.

Zhou Yun believed in Ariman's skills and abilities—but not in his resistance to deception.

Ariman clearly understood why Zhou Yun made this decision. He sighed faintly, slightly mournful over losing a job.

Indeed, he, as an outsourcer, was little more than a lowly civil servant, no higher in status than the Terran-born soldiers in many Legions during the Great Crusade.

Too bad Ariman couldn't quit Tzeentch, and Tzeentch would never be as generous as the Blood God, who had let Khaen go.

Zhou Yun also ordered Karin, the former Captain of the First Company of the Blood Angels now leading the Terminators, to prepare for a boarding assault on the Conqueror—if teleportation failed to breach the Conqueror, the old method of boarding would be necessary.

The remaining, specific strategy was left to Khaen, Seth, and the silent Raven Guard—the more experienced warriors—to discuss and deliberate.

After the meeting, Khaen couldn't help rubbing his temples.

The news that Erebus had enslaved the Conqueror stirred up a flood of rage in his mind.

The rage intertwined with the pain of the Butcher's Nails, leaving Khaen with a pounding headache.

But he still had work to do. As Zhou Yun ordered, he had to compile a report on the Conqueror's interior.

Afterward, he had to attend a small war council to discuss operational strategy.

He was merely a World Eater—why was he burdened with such brainwork?

"Saul, help me compile the Conqueror's interior data."

Khaen decided to recruit someone to assist him. Saul was a good choice—his temperament was calmer and steadier than Khaen's, and his documentation was logical and orderly, ideal for such tasks.

"If time permits, I can guide you further."

Khaen deployed his dwindling talent for empty promises to Saul.

Intrigued by Khaen's promise of guidance, Saul joined him in compiling the Conqueror's interior data.

As it turned out, Khaen's judgment was correct—under Saul's help, he completed the task swiftly.

He even had time to instruct the purple-armored Primaris warrior before the small war council began.

"Your swordsmanship is exquisite, reminiscent of the Emperor's Fist style of old."

"The Imperial Fists, Lord Khaen," Saul replied, swinging his longsword.

"But you rely too much on swordplay, Saul," Khaen flicked out a casual punch, striking Saul's face precisely.

"I knew a Shadow Wolves company commander named Lokken. He once said: Know your enemy, and win by any means necessary."

"Don't cling only to your blade. You yourself are a powerful weapon—forged by the Emperor and Belisarius Cawl. Don't waste their craftsmanship."

Saul bowed humbly, accepted defeat, stepped back, and prepared to try again.

He could now withstand Khaen's half-hearted attacks for a short while.

But before the two could begin again, a noisy voice echoed beside them:

"The Glorious Queen has been breached. Available Primaris warriors, respond immediately to compartments 8-13."

"Breached?" This didn't surprise Khaen or Saul.

Every time the Glorious Queen entered realspace, some foolhardy warband, pirate, or cultist attempted to harass it.

Most were likely acting on Erebus's or Tzeentch's orders—but deceived by their lies, ignorant of the Glorious Queen's true strength, they foolishly challenged enemies they couldn't possibly defeat.

Their fates weren't too grim, for Khaen, Saint Dora, Ariman (when aboard), and the Raven Guard never intervened. Instead, they left these fools to the inexperienced Primaris as training.

"Go. Use the battle to digest what you've learned today," Khaen nodded to Saul.

Saul bowed politely, saluted Khaen with the Eagle salute, then asked the comm: "Who are the intruders? Warband? Pirates? Cultists?"

"A warband."

"An Emperor's Children warband."

(End of Chapter)