(_) The Warmaster’s last words
It is obvious that the sword wound on Warmaster Horus's shoulder has become more and more serious. It is said that it is so serious that he cannot get out of bed or even sit up.
And that kind of injury would be reasonable if it were an ordinary person, but for the primarch who was as strong as a god, and for Horus, whose ability and prestige was second only to the Emperor in the Empire, it was indeed true.
Very weird and incredible.
But there is no way...
The extremely powerful primarch, Warmaster Horus, who claimed to have almost as much power as the Emperor, really fell down because of a small wound caused by a sword. That is an ironclad fact!
Moreover, the key point is that the wound actually made the best medical staff in the legion helpless. No matter what treatment methods the pharmacists adopted, the advanced technologies used, and even some alien aliens.
Despite the race's technology, the original body's sword wound continued to bleed and fester, and its physical condition continued to deteriorate due to the incurable wound.
As for the original body, it was obviously impossible to work.
In fact, most of the affairs of the Sixteenth Legion's Sons of Horus and the Great Expedition Fleet directly under its command are now handled by the Captain of the First Company, Abaddon.
Although he had already blocked the news when he saw that the situation was not good, and prevented the Warmaster's situation from spreading. The other Legion Primarchs and the Emperor were still completely unaware of the situation, but he himself also knew about their Warmaster's situation.
It's very pessimistic. They must think of a solution as soon as possible, otherwise they won't be able to hide it anymore.
And once the Emperor or other Legion Primarchs learn about the current situation of their Warmaster, and that their Warmaster suffered such tragic injuries during the counter-insurgency battle on a small planet like Devon and still developed...
If they were on the verge of death, Abaddon could not imagine what kind of cruel punishment their Sixteenth Legion would be subjected to by the furious Emperor!
So, today, just like yesterday, after Abaddon was busy with those unimportant matters, he hurried to Horus's room immediately, ready to see how the original body of the legion and the father of their legion was doing.
.
"!!"
"First company commander!"
"Abaddon, are you here?"
"Company Commander!"
Seeing Abaddon's arrival, those who were guarding in frustration outside Horus's room stood up and gave Abaddon bitter looks or feeble greetings.
"..."
Seeing this, Abaddon knew without much thought that the situation of their original body was definitely not good.
At least……
The situation is definitely not better than yesterday!
"..."
Therefore, after looking at the other company commanders, some officers, and the incompetent doctors who were guarding the room, Abaddon finally said nothing, but waved his hand tiredly and said:
"so!"
"You guys get out first!"
"Leave this to me. I want to talk to my father alone."
As he spoke, Abaddon gestured with his eyes and gave everyone an unquestionable look, indicating that he wanted to be alone with their primarch and their father Horus for a while, and did not want so many people here.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Seeing Abaddon's insistence, everyone waiting here did not say anything. Including the officers such as Second Company Commander Togaton and Tenth Company Commander Loken who were present, they all just nodded towards Abaddon and then left one after another.
They stood up from their seats and walked out as quietly as possible.
"..."
It wasn't until everyone left that Abaddon walked into the inner room with a heavy heart, which was the room with a bed.
Then……
He saw that in the dark and heavy room, the light was blocked by heavy curtains, and only a few weak starlights penetrated the gaps and shone on Horus' pale and haggard face.
At this time, the originally high-spirited and extremely strong War Commander was lying on the dark bed, his face as pale as paper, cold sweat dripping from his forehead, his eyes half-open and half-closed, full of exhaustion and unwillingness.
The sword wound looked particularly ferocious on his broad shoulder. At the sword wound, the old blood had solidified into dark red, but new blood still seeped out from time to time, dyeing the bandage wrapped on the wound red, and there was still emanation from the wound.
A faint smell of corruption filled Abaddon's mouth and nose.
And his breathing was even more weak and rapid, as if every breath exhausted his whole body's strength, and the fire of life swayed in his body, as if it was about to go out at any time.
"..."
Looking at the dying original body, looking at the father of their legion, Abaddon's figure standing beside the bed was stretched by the starlight outside the window, with pain, sadness and helplessness intertwined in his eyes. Even though there were all kinds of words, this time
The moment also turned into an indescribable sadness.
So, in the end, he didn't say anything. He just gently stepped forward and half-knelt down in front of the bed, then reached out and slowly held Horus's hand hanging by the window.
Once upon a time, those big hands were as high-spirited as their owner, waving the stars and issuing orders. Worlds and planets succumbed and were even destroyed under the torrent of steel from the Legion. But now, they have become weak and powerless, along with
Its owner could only lie powerlessly on the bedding, and it was extremely fragile to hold?
"Father is handsome..."
"We will find a way, we will."
"We will not give up. No matter what the cost, we will find a way to cure you."
"I swear!"
For a long time, Abaddon couldn't help but feel sad when he looked at the haggard Warmaster Horus, who was taking in less air and giving out more air. So, sobbing a little, he gritted his teeth and trembled in a low, hoarse and firm tone.
.
"Abaddon..."
"Are you here again?"
After hearing Abaddon's words, Warmaster Horus finally turned his head slightly and opened his eyes. A rare hint of relief flashed in his eyes, but was immediately replaced by deeper exhaustion and ridicule.
"Okay..."
"Stop comforting me..."
"Abaddon, my son, I have never doubted your loyalty... But this time, even the best doctors are unable to do anything..."
"Perhaps this is fate?"
At this point, his weak voice stopped, and then he smiled miserably, as if he had begun to compromise with fate.
"!!"
When Warmaster Horus said this, Abaddon's eyes instantly became moist, but he still held back his tears and kept them from falling.
"No!"
"Father, we still have hope."
"The empire's technology is boundless. There are always areas we have not touched, and there is always a glimmer of hope."
"We'll find it!"
"If the empire doesn't have it, then go and ask for it from other alien races. There will always be a way!"
Yes, Abaddon has already begun to make preparations, intending to compromise with certain races that are technologically powerful, but have little friendship with humans, and even have quarrels with them.
Now as long as he can save their original body, no matter what method or what it is, he can do it, he swears!
"Oh……"
However, Horus smiled bitterly and shook his head with difficulty. In that smile, there was both attachment to life and helplessness and relief for the future.
"Abaddon..."
"You are too persistent."
"Remember, true strength is not only a manifestation of strength, but also the tenacity of the soul... Even if I leave, you must continue to move forward, for the sake of our beliefs and the future of the empire."
Maybe it’s because a person’s words are kind even when he’s about to die?
Anyway!
Horus took a rare opportunity to persuade Abaddon while he still had the strength, as if he wanted Abaddon to be prepared for the worst possible loss of him?
"..."
Hearing this, Abaddon lowered his head instantly, and then the hands holding Horus's hand trembled slightly, as if he didn't want Horus to see the weak thing in his eyes?
"yes……"
"Father, we will do it."
"But until the last moment arrives, I will never allow you to face it alone!"
"no way!"
Obviously, Abaddon has not given up. Even though their original body and their warmaster have run out of gas, he feels that they still have a chance. Even if it is just a little bit, he will never give up easily.
!
"cough……"
First he sighed, and then shook his head with a forced smile again.
Horus thought for a while, and finally did not argue too much with Abaddon. Instead, he followed the few wisps of weak starlight and looked at the stars outside the porthole. After a while, he seemed to have gathered enough strength before he returned.
He sighed quietly:
"Speaking of which..."
"I am not afraid of death, nor do I blame my father, nor do I blame our emperor for what he did on Terra..."
"I know, I know why he did that..."
"Knowing why he excluded us Astartes from the core center of Terra..."
Having said this, Horus paused, and then ignored Abaddon's slightly shocked and surprised expression, and just continued speaking:
"Actually..."
"Emperor..."
"He doesn't love us Primarchs, or even any individual standing in front of him..."
"What he loves is all mankind, and what he loves is the entire human race..."
"Yes."
"You may not believe it, but that's the truth... He gave up all his personal emotions and humanity..."
"He puts the interests of the entire species before all individuals, including himself..."
"certainly!"
"Including us..."
"It's ironic, isn't it?"
"When you heard about what happened on Terra, didn't you argue passionately for several days?"
With a wry smile, Horus glanced at Abaddon again.
"For a certain purpose, he can sacrifice everything, including himself, including us sons and all Astartes..."
"Even most of the imperial soldiers..."
"We have always called him 'Father', but you know, he has never regarded us as his heirs..."
"We are all just his tools..."
"Now that the Great Crusade is almost over..."
"The empire that is about to be at peace does not allow a group of people with extraordinary strength and long lifespan to control power, so we are excluded from the center of power..."
"It can only be used as a weapon and cannot touch authority. That is not allowed by him."
"He loves humans so much..."
"Love to the point of being ruthless and almost cold..."
"Whether it's for us, him, or everyone..."
"The only thing he cares about is his duty as the emperor..."
"Perhaps, when the Great Crusade is completely over and all threats are eliminated, he will definitely think that we are a threat to mankind and start to deal with it, right?"
As he spoke, Horus no longer cared about Abaddon's expression that gradually turned to horror and disbelief. He just smiled to himself as if he was laughing at himself.
If it were in the past, he would never have said this to Abaddon.
However, now he has no time, and he doesn't know how long he can hold on, so while there is still a chance, he plans to make certain things clear to Abaddon, who will take over the control of the Sons of Horus after he leaves.
.
As for whether Abaddon can accept it, whether he can give it to the Astartes in the future, or just find a way out for them as the 'Sons of Horus', then he is helpless and can't control that much if he wants to.
"Time flies so fast..."
"In the blink of an eye, the Great Crusade has lasted for more than two hundred years..."
"pity……"
"We Astartes have finally reached this point. I don't know if we will end up like the first-generation Thunder Warriors in the future."
"I hope not?"
"But who knows..."
"Father……"
"I still can't figure out some of the emperor's thoughts..."
"Cough! Cough!"
Having said this, Horus stopped again, coughed hard twice, and then his face turned slightly rosy.
Of course, it's just a little bit, not much. It may be caused by excessive exertion, but it doesn't look like it's getting better anyway.
"..."
Therefore, Abaddon naturally did not dare to strike up a conversation or say anything. He just continued to kneel on the edge of the bed and listened seriously, sadly and intently, for fear of missing any words.
"..."
Horus did not speak again, but was silent for a moment, seeming to be thinking about something.
Suddenly, his eyes became extremely bright, as if looking back at the light and he sighed:
"That's it!"
"Speaking of which, Abaddon, I have always had an unfulfilled wish."
As he spoke, Horus looked at Abaddon beside the bed.
Ezekiel Abaddon, along with the Imperial Fist Sigismund and the Blood Angel Radolon, are known as the Three Heroes of the Great Crusade.
One of the great officers was Hastur Sejanus, the most famous warrior during the Great Crusade.
But it is a pity that Hastur Sejanus has been missing for a long time. Some people say that he is dead, and some say that he was drawn into the subspace and became a monster. But no matter what, Horus only knows that right now he only has A
With Patton being such a reliable candidate, he had no choice.
"!!"
Hearing this, Abaddon did not dare to be negligent and immediately straightened his body with a firm gaze.
"Please give me your instructions, Commander-in-Chief!"
"No matter how hard it is, I will finish it."
"It can definitely be done!"
Staring at the somewhat distracted eyes of the War Master, Abaddon stroked his chest with his right hand and assured loudly.
"No……"
"Maybe it can't be done..."
However, Horus smiled bitterly and sighed, and then said:
"Huagai Star..."
"You remember, right?"
Then, Horus suddenly and abruptly said the name of a planet.
"??"
"Canopy Star?"
"!!"
"Father is handsome!"
"What are you..."
When he heard the war commander mention the matter of Huagai Star again, distant memories came to his mind. Barton was startled at first, and then he quickly realized what he was doing and frowned, trying to say something.
But yes, before he could speak, Horus stopped him with his eyes.
"You know what?"
"At that time, we could have sought a future for us Astartes. Even if one day, our father, our Emperor, completely abandoned our tools, we would still be able to survive and survive in this universe.
Continue to reproduce?"
"It's just a pity..."
"I failed, I am a loser after all..."
"I don't know if there is still a chance?"
"Maybe it's gone?"
As he spoke, Horus, who thought of something, smiled bitterly again, his pale and weak face full of bitterness and helplessness.
"Father is handsome!"
"I listen to the reports from the Termini Galaxy Observatory every year, but the Astartes arranged there have not found any abnormalities so far."
"That planet has not appeared for sixty years..."
"The micro-galaxies are now reaching a balance..."
As he said this, Abaddon couldn't help but lower his head in frustration.
If their warmaster Horus wanted to ask Abaddon to do other things, he could still grit his teeth and give it a try. However, the Huagai Star had already escaped into the void and into the subspace.
It has been decades since he got up, and there is nothing he can do!
"I know……"
"You don't have to blame yourself..."
"I'm just a little unwilling..."
"Huagai Star..."
"That planet carries so much of our hopes."
"At that time, I wanted to win a future for the Astartes there, a future in which we could continue to thrive even if the Empire and the Emperor abandoned us?"
"But unfortunately, I failed."
"so……"
"Abaddon, you have to remember!"
"If it appears, you..."
"We must find a way to get the remaining information, we must remember it, remember..."
"Ahem——"
"Cough cough cough——"
As he said this, maybe he was too impatient, or maybe it was for other reasons. In short, Horus, who was already very weak, coughed hard again, prompting Abaddon to quickly step forward and carefully caress his chest.
"..."
To be honest, Abaddon is actually the same as Horus. He has always been brooding about what happened back then and the failed expedition, and he was as disappointed and unwilling as their warmaster, but there was no way, it had happened.
He can't change things.
But soon, perhaps knowing what his original father wanted, Abaddon hurriedly assured loudly:
"Father is handsome!"
"Although it has been a long time since that incident, I still don't have much confidence..."
"But don't worry!"
"I never forgot!"
"I will personally check and inquire about the teramicro galaxy observation report every year. I will not give up looking for traces of that planet. I promise you."
Yes, this is indeed what Abaddon said.
After all, the thing they failed to capture back then had huge benefits for the Astartes, the Sixteenth Legion, and Abaddon himself, so he naturally had no reason to refuse.
"Thank you, Abaddon."
Rarely, Horus actually smiled slightly, and then solemnly thanked Abaddon for the first time. Although, there was more bitterness in that smile?
"..."
Seeing this, Abaddon couldn't help but feel an inexplicable choking in his throat, but he still took a deep breath, then tried to calm down and asked:
"Father is handsome..."
"Father! Is there anything else you want to say?"
Now Abaddon just wants to satisfy his original body as a son and fulfill his father's last wish, nothing more.
"No more..."
"How I wish I could take a look at our future before I die..."
"I want to take a rest..."
With that said, Horus waved his hand, indicating that Abaddon could go out.
"..."
Seeing this, Abaddon was hesitant to speak. Although he wanted to say something comforting, in the end, he just stood up silently, lowered his head, turned around and strode away.
"cough……"
And as the sound of Abaddon's leaving footsteps gradually faded away, the room fell into silence again.
Horus looked at the cold steel ceiling, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
For some reason, he began to recall the years he spent with the Emperor, the days they fought side by side, and the grand plans they drew and discussed together for the future of mankind.
However, reality is always cruel...
From what happened on Terra, he had gradually realized that he was, after all, just a pawn in the Emperor's grand plan, a tool created to achieve a certain purpose.
But even so, he never regretted his choice.
He loves his regiment and the brothers who fight alongside him.
Together they experienced countless battles and sacrifices, and together they created a legend in the galaxy.
But at this moment, when he was lying on the hospital bed, feeling life passing by bit by bit, he cherished the hard-won brotherhood even more.
"..."
He didn't know how long it took, but when he slowly closed his eyes, a distant and mysterious planet began to appear in his mind.
It was the holy land in his heart and the future home he planned for the Astartes.
He was extremely eager to see that day come with his own eyes, to see the Astartes, men, women, old and young, multiply and live there and establish a civilization of their own.
But the reality is cruel, and he failed to realize that vision after all.
"Hero Federation..."
"Kprulu Sector?"
"And that little girl Head of State..."
"Anne Hastur?"
"Oh!"
"What a pity..."
"I am a loser after all..."
Finally, after sighing softly, Horus slowly closed his eyes, and then fainted from exhaustion.
…
At this time, outside the hatch of Horus's room, Abaddon saw Erebus, the chief priest of the 'Word Bearers' accompanying the army, who had hurriedly arrived.
"Abaddon!"
"I found a treatment plan..."
"On the planet Devon, there is a secret witchcraft. Those ancient temples worship the original god of darkness!"
"According to the Devin Secret Cult..."
"If you put those dying people who cannot be cured into the temple, under the power of the God of Darkness, those people's injuries will heal automatically?"
"So I thought..."
"Since the Warmaster was injured on Devin, why don't we try to cure it using Devin's method?"
At this point, after seeing the frown on Abaddon's face and the hesitant expressions of the company commanders and officers around him, Erebus, the chief priest of the Word Bearers, hurriedly added:
"certainly!"
"I just find ways and make suggestions. As for whether you accept them or not, that's up to you?"
After saying that, Erebus, the chief priest of the Word Bearers, bowed slightly, saluted Abaddon and others, and then slowly stepped aside.
"..."
Abaddon did not speak, but glanced at the surrounding officers with a cold face.
"Then what are you waiting for?"
"The Primarch's time is running out!"
"Let's go!"
"Prepare the landing craft!"
"Let's go to Devin Star!"
When he saw that no one present had any better suggestions and no objections, Abadon, who was feeling depressed and hesitant, immediately gritted his teeth and made a decision.
——————————
()What about the monthly pass?
Chapter completed!