[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-warhammer-the-11th-primarch-the-black-emperor":3,"chapter-warhammer-the-11th-primarch-the-black-emperor-warhammer-the-11th-primarch-the-black-emperor-chapter-597":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Warhammer: The 11th Primarch - The Black Emperor",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1511343,1962,"Chapter 597 - 596: A Unique Communication Method Exclusive to Shadow of Order","warhammer-the-11th-primarch-the-black-emperor-chapter-597",597,"\u003Cp>Oliver, Captain of the Fourth Chapter's 1st Company, did not know how many times he had swung his shock weapon during the long night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His physical attributes had increased slightly as a \"Corpse Collector,\" and as a \"Gravedigger,\" he had grown robust, significantly stronger than an average Astartes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, after less than a day of battle, he felt a strange weariness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at his command squad. Their armor showed widespread signs of corrosion, as if it had not been maintained for over a decade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CRACK!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A squad member in Saturnine-pattern Terminator armor suddenly disintegrated, as if a relic from a million years past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oliver rushed forward, swinging his shock weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shockwave screamed through a group of Hrud's distorted fields, tearing their spines into fragmented bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fall back!\" he shouted to his command squad members.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oliver's defensive line extended. Facing more Hrud charges, he swung his weapon without pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't even have time to look up at the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He longed for the faint starlight to illuminate the surface as never before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oliver soon reached his limit. He was covering four positions alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His shock weapon swung like the wind, pounding the ground like a pile driver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He repeated the mechanical motion until a rune blinked on his helmet's tactical layer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned. The bare ceramite was pitted and scarred, as if exposed to the elements for ten millennia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Guard member's skin had thinned, covered in age spots. Veins bulged, blue. His pulse weakened by the moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He fell. Dust poured from his armor's joints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His death took less than a second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oliver lost three more command squad members. Each died differently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only commonality: aging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On a fifth squad member, the black paint on his armor began to blister and peel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oxidation spots dulled the black ceramite. In his Spirit Vision, the systems within rapidly dimmed, turning to black.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As dust fell, countless Hrud retreated like a tide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oliver took a deep breath. The Hrud's acrid stench filled his rebreather.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He coughed. His voice held weariness and age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oliver felt, after one night, he had aged forty years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not severe, but perceptible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked up. Dim light was visible. Dawn was near.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \"Spirit Medium\" was suddenly struck. He heard the Hrud's cries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He immediately activated \"Eye of Death.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if leaving his weary, aged body, his perception detached from his flesh, overlooking from a higher plane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \"Spirit Medium\" saw a giant Hrud specter circling the battlefield, twice the size of a living Hrud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his \"Eye of Death,\" it had twelve deep-set eyes. In reality, it was thousands of Hrud specters condensed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oliver felt a surge of joy. Since becoming a \"Spirit Medium,\" he had encountered few specters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Black Emperor had told them that when most creatures died, their spirits entered the Warp, becoming part of the Sea of Souls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only in special worlds, or when disturbed, did spirits linger in reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before, this had happened most at Taxx.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Slaugth's evil will could overpower psykers and affect the Sea of Souls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Fourth Chapter often encountered specters in battle. Captain Keon had become a true \"Spirit Medium\" during that war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he had missed that campaign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chapter Master Adams had become a true \"Spirit Medium\" on Medusa, the Iron Hands' homeworld, by communicating with the ancient specters that lingered there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Is it because the Hrud's entropy fields distort time?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Hrud specters, dying at different times, have become entangled.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Oliver pondered, he messaged Adams, \"My Lord, I have Hrud specters here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, he overlooked his body, slinging his shock weapon on his back, and walked towards the writhing Hrud specter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \"Spirit Medium's\" spirituality extended, touching the Hrud specter. He asked in Dunnic, \"Can you tell me what lies within the tunnels?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Court Brothers activated their Spirit Vision, watching the specter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Non-Court Brothers looked ahead in confusion, unsure who their Captain was speaking to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hrud suddenly stopped writhing. \"Mediumship\" made it understand the meaning of the rust-armored warrior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It arched its spine, its scaly hide spreading like a cobra threatening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oliver shook his head. He knew these specters, entangled, had fragmented, piecemeal memories. They could not perceive his friendliness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oliver thought of his five fallen Guard members. Trusted battle-brothers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \"Spirit Medium's\" gaze turned cold, colder than his own chilled body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised his shock weapon, pointing at the weakness he perceived through \"Eye of Death\", a point a quarter of the way up its spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I strike here, you die.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tell me. Or die.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hrud shrieked, its body recoiling like a startled cobra, ready to attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the warrior's wrist move, the hammer-like weapon always aimed at it,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>it felt an inexplicable chill. Its attack stopped. It bowed its head submissively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'This is the Astartes' way of being friendly.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hrud spoke, its voice sometimes a bat-like shriek, sometimes a mouse-like squeak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \"Spirit Medium,\" through the \"Mediumship\" link, understood the Hrud's ancient language.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The tunnels house our archives, containing books from various races we have collected...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oliver nodded slightly. He recalled the Black Emperor mentioning that the Hrud collected vast amounts of historical, cultural, and technical information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They treasured this data. If it were destroyed, the Hrud would attack with storm-like fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \"Spirit Medium\" felt the iceberg within him melt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his overlooking perspective, the Death Lord's figure appeared. The iceberg completely melted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'I have become a true \"Spirit Medium.\"'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \"Spirit Medium\" felt his spirituality grow more lively. His weariness vanished. It was as if he had regained the life he had lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adams walked to the Hrud, extending his psychic energy into its deeper regions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \"Spirit Guide\" spoke in Dunnic, his tone cold and grim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Specter, I will make you my messenger...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hrud raised its arm, ready to attack the black-armored warrior who sought to enslave it. But the moment the thought arose, under the cold gaze, it trembled and stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \"Spirit Guide\" intoned \"Language of the Dead,\" while taking a copper tube from his belt and removing a parchment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfurling it, the \"Spirit Guide\" examined the \"Spirit Contract\" written in Dunnic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It stipulated that the messenger could not peek at the letter, discard it, or harm the contractor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The contractor's obligation was to inform the messenger if the letter's content involved them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To ensure the contract's effectiveness, its final section invoked a deity's honorific name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After verifying the contract was unaffected by entropy fields, the \"Spirit Guide\" took a quill from an approaching Guard member and wrote in Dunnic on the parchment:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Twin-Headed Wolf of Fenris, Guardian of the Death Realm, Death Regent subordinate to the Black Emperor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the words were written, one after another, they ignited with dark green flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \"Spirit Guide\" produced a whistle made of dual-numbered black gold, pressed it onto the parchment, and signed his name: Adams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the \"Spirit Guide\" finished, the parchment floated, carrying the black gold whistle and quill, to the Hrud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the Hrud specter wrote a long string of names, the dark green flames rapidly connected, enveloping the whistle and parchment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seconds later, the parchment turned to ash. The black whistle, unchanged, fell into the \"Spirit Guide's\" outstretched palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Hrud specter's form rapidly faded and vanished, the \"Spirit Medium\" Oliver watched with envy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'My \"Mediumship\" only allows communication with spectral entities. Against powerful specters, or those not temporarily bound to reality, threats like mine earlier are useless.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'My Lord can not only communicate, but compel cooperation, even use them as messengers.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the \"Spirit Medium\" pondered, he deactivated \"Eye of Death.\" His perception returned to his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come with me to the command center. Report to my Lord.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As you command, my Lord.\" Oliver then pointed to the new tunnels the Hrud had excavated as they retreated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as an enemy, Oliver had to admit the Hrud were natural-born excavation experts. They surpassed even the Pluto Tunnelers, even the Termite Tunnelers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oliver ordered, \"Establish defensive lines.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then followed Adams towards the landing pad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the pale light, Golghis's grey rock was blurred. Shadows and rock were indistinguishable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if the entire planet, like the Hrud, wore camouflage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Techmarines directed workers from Necromunda, crushing and sintering rock, using it to build fortifications.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two boarded a black Stormbird, emblazoned with a green skull on one side. Its engines started.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments later, Oliver, through the narrow viewport, saw a grey armored vehicle. He knew it was Lord Perturabo's gift to the Black Emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Stormbird landed. They walked down the ramp, entering the Black Emperor's command center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My Lord,\" Oliver bowed respectfully. \"Last night...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arsena Dunn, Marlena Skala, and Diana Pauline examined the black whistle in Adams's hand, marked with \"XI\" and \"XXXIII.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How do you summon your messenger?\" Diana asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Blow the whistle. Chant in Dunnic: 'I summon, in my name, the spirits that wander in the void, the friendly beings at my disposal, the messenger unique to Adams.'\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Diana looked at the Black Emperor. Seeing Him nod slightly, she took the whistle, blew it, and recited the summoning incantation Oliver had given.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After chanting, nothing changed. But the \"Hypnotist\" felt a chill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She thoughtfully activated her Spirit Vision. She saw bones scattered on the ground, forming a bizarre fountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seconds later, a spectral creature appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It extended an arm towards her. Diana, without a letter, stood frozen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nareth scrutinized the messenger, thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Is the contracted messenger in the Sea of Souls, or in a special pocket dimension?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Fenrisian myth speaks of a underworld, guarded by the twin-headed death wolf, Morkai. Russ sought guidance there before attempting to assassinate Horus.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'But do only Fenrisian creatures go there? Or would creatures like this messenger also go?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nareth decided to explore the underworld with Sanchez, who had received the cloak of Morkai, and Adams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Hmm, but that must wait until the Kingdom of Disorder unlocks the \"Black Emperor's\" resurrection ability.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Nareth pondered, Adams told Diana the incantation to end the summoning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Diana blew the whistle again and chanted to the messenger, who kept reaching out but received nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I end this summoning in my name.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having received nothing, the messenger vanished angrily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nareth compared this to astropathic communication, also Warp-based.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Astropathic communication is fragmentary, requiring guesswork to reconstruct complete messages. Messenger-delivered messages are complete. An advantage.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'The drawback: astropathic messages can be sent to anyone.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Messengers can only deliver to their master and receive replies. Large-scale application would require a large number of messengers.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Overall, inferior to pulling people into the Kingdom of Disorder, but among the Legion's high command, it is a new method, unique to Shadows of Order.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nareth stared at the vanished messenger. He knew, to ensure the contract's effectiveness, the honorific name inscribed at the end should preferably be a deity of the relevant domain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a necromantic contract. Normally, it should invoke a Death God. But none existed yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next best was a description of a high-ranking entity in the death domain, or the underworld itself. The binding would be weaker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nareth was unsure if Fenris's underworld met the conditions, nor did he trust placing his messengers under its jurisdiction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until a high-sequence Death Pathway beyonder was cultivated, he would use the bronze mask from the Morkai temple on Fenris, a magical item associated with Sequence 2 \"Death Consul,\" in its place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, its Sequence 2 status, though inferior to a true \"Death Consul\" in binding spectral entities, was still above Sequence 3.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Using the Death Consul has negative effects. I rarely use it.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Now, it finally has a use.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Hmm, perhaps when I advance to high sequence and leverage the Kingdom of Disorder's power, I can eliminate those effects?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \"Baron of Corruption\" turned to Oliver. Seeing the uniform dark green within him, he asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You have mastered the power I bestowed upon you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My Lord, just today, when my Lord contracted the messenger.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nareth nodded slightly. \"Leave. Oliver, return alone in ten minutes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the three bowed and left, he went to the Kingdom of Disorder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nareth brought the Slaugth's necrotic scepter and burial shroud to the Jokaero, ordering it to concoct the Sequence 6 \"Spirit Guide\" potion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After digesting the \"Baron of Corruption\" potion and unlocking the other half of the Blasphemous Tablet's recipes, he knew these were the main and supplementary ingredients for \"Spirit Guide.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had previously promoted Adams and Keon to \"Spirit Guide.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the space simian concoct the potion, he thought about the \"Spirit Guide's\" acting method.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Without spectral entities, the \"Spirit Guide\" is hard to act out. Adams needs more to digest.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mind raced. He thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Hmm... the Coronid Deeps does have a world with a large number of specters of two xenos races.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'No rush. It will be over five millennia before Rogue Trader Solomon Haarlock discovers that region in the 36th Millennium.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'My plan is to conquer the Calixis Sector after the Heresy. Hmm... if I can win Perturabo over, I'll give him the more distant Koronus Expanse.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he pondered, Nareth went to the third layer. He looked at the banner, linked to him by black threads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took it and placed it behind his neck, on his iron halo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was an upgraded version of his iron halo, crafted by the Emperor's artisans after the Wheel of Fire Campaign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oliver, meeting the Black Emperor, saw a banner flying on His left, behind Him. The Dionysian Spear usually on His right shoulder, was absent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Still my Lord's asymmetrical style.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'With it on His back, He looks... the most perfect deity.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought came, then guilt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'My Lord has always been most perfect.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Drink this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oliver took the potion from the Black Emperor's open hand with joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was overall yellow, speckled with green.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even unopened, a strong stench of decay emanated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a seasoned \"Corpse Collector \" and \"Gravedigger,\" Oliver did not find the smell unpleasant. He took it and drank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless phantom forms walked before him. Countless knowledge flooded his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt as if he had entered a realm of the dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments later, Oliver reined in the overflowing power of the potion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My Lord, I thank You for Your gift.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He clenched his fist. 'Tonight, I can do more.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nareth nodded slightly, walking out. He would begin preparing to capture all the Hrud on Golghis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>.....\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[email protected]\u002FDaoistJinzu\u003C\u002Fp>",2404,"2026-06-06T05:05:27.789Z",1,"novelbin.me","5169c677e8ccb997ed413ed5230417801dd19f901b17b002b77f4740f9f1e66d","warhammer-the-11th-primarch-the-black-emperor-chapter-650","warhammer-the-11th-primarch-the-black-emperor-chapter-649",698,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwarhammer-the-11th-primarch-the-black-emperor-cover.jpg"]