Chapter 201: I Understand Now!
The Endurance glided silently through the void, leaving a faint scar in the fabric of space. Meteorites scattered with a dull crash as they collided with the massive ship.
Horus once again stepped aboard this oppressive, heavy-hearted vessel.
The narrow corridors of the starship were dimly lit, the moss-green walls and bone-white floors giving him the impression of being entombed in a damp grave.
Even for someone as fond of conversation as himself, living too long on this ship would surely turn one into a silent corpse.
Horus couldn't help but think that everything aboard the Death Guard's ships seemed designed to repel the living.
The gentle white light from his armor faded.
On the screen in front of him: black. Silence.
No one spoke.
The two Primarchs silently watched the footage from Hades' helmet.
The recording began with Hades separating from Branka and the rest of the team.
And that alone—shocked Horus to his core.
The banner of the Luna Wolves had flown over countless battlefields.
The Emperor's favored son had borne witness to countless tragic, glorious stories.
In the chaos of war, miracles and catastrophes alike were commonplace.
He had seen his Luna Wolves accomplish the impossible again and again—like carving trenches through solid rock.
Miracles had always favored them. Their deeds had become legendary epics in the eyes of other Legions.
So Horus understood miracles.
He believed they could happen.
He knew they did happen to the warriors of the Imperium.
But this?
Even miracles had to obey some fundamental logic, didn't they?
If not for his own sharp eyes verifying the footage hadn't been tampered with—he would've genuinely suspected that Mortarion had fabricated this entire video to deceive him.
The silent recording showed a miracle so implausible it bordered on delusion: the sky and earth choked with writhing, bloody tentacles.
Eyes—too many to count—glared furiously from within the flesh, staring straight at the helmet's wearer.
Attacks capable of flattening entire sectors fell from above.
The grotesque meat filled the entire frame, assaulting the camera's bearer with relentless, feral malice.
Scenes like these would instill unspeakable terror in even the most battle-hardened Astartes veteran.
Even if not fear—revulsion and hesitation would be the bare minimum reaction when trudging through that viscous tide of flesh.
And yet—the tentacles in the video grew larger and larger, closer and closer.
The helmet's wearer charged without pause straight into the storm's heart.
If the footage had sound, Horus could easily imagine the whooshing wind that would accompany the blitzing advance.
"Fluid."
That was the word that came to Horus as he watched Hades' movement.
It was a motion like flowing water, practiced a thousand times.
The storm of flesh surged like a maelstrom, but the swallow gliding through it remained untouched by a single drop.
Moreover, as Horus recalled, didn't Hades usually wear the Tartaros Pattern Terminator Armor?
To enhance defense and firepower, that armor sacrificed a degree of mobility—and even if it was one of the more agile models among Terminator armors… it was still Terminator armor!
Within the Luna Wolves, Abaddon was famed for his ability to maneuver effectively in such cumbersome gear.
But those impossible dodging maneuvers in the footage… that sense of lingering in midair… Could a mere Astartes really achieve that?
Horus glanced at Mortarion.
That terrifying level of agility shown in the footage stood in stark contrast to Mortarion and his Death Guard, whose very aura conveyed the opposite feeling:
They were warriors who delighted in dragging war into the mud, slowly, inexorably grinding down their enemies as fatigue took hold.
Horus racked his brain, trying to recall the rare times he had seen Hades in person.
Regrettably, apart from noting that the man was tall and broad, Horus had never paid him any special attention.
Who exactly was this Death Guard named Hades?
Even being a Pariah—an Untouchable—shouldn't allow for this kind of performance, right?
Or was it… that the Sisters of Silence weren't actually the strongest type of Untouchables after all?
"...So, that's the truth of it."
A sigh-like voice broke the silence.
Seeing that Horus was still absorbed in the footage, Mortarion had no choice but to speak again.
"It's true. Hades, in cooperation with the Death Guard's orbital bombardment, eliminated the enemy."
Horus turned slowly to Mortarion and nodded solemnly.
The footage had shown the truth clearly and methodically.
Even if logic screamed in protest, he had no grounds left to dispute Mortarion's account.
This dispelled his earlier suspicion that the Death Guard might be hiding a specialized counter-psyker unit.
Horus was still grappling with the question of how a single Astartes could possibly reach such heights.
In his understanding, unless…
—But, for now, he had to respond to Mortarion's expectant gaze.
Mortarion had shown him sincerity, and the Lupercal couldn't afford to be cold.
"A remarkable warrior—exceptional, truly."
"I envy you, my brother. To have such strength within your Legion… he will be the pride of the Death Guard."
Hearing Horus's words, Mortarion nodded in agreement.
"I know that well."
"…So. He really is an Untouchable?"
Mortarion blinked in surprise.
The facts were laid out before them—why was Horus asking again?
"To my knowledge, Hades is an Untouchable," Mortarion affirmed.
But Horus wasn't convinced.
The Lupercal understood that being a Blank simply allowed one to resist a degree of psychic assault.
It didn't explain Hades's overwhelming superiority in both agility and strength.
It just… didn't add up.
The Black Domain could not be observed by the naked eye, and naturally, the video couldn't transmit that instinctive sense of dread and revulsion it inspired, so Horus still refused to accept Mortarion's explanation.
Able to resist a degree of psychic assault.
Possessing immense physical strength.
Achieving miracles that should be impossible...
So… Hades was actually a—Psyker.
A high-level psyker could repel warp-based attacks and enhance their physical abilities through psychic power.
In fact, among the Librarius, it was not uncommon for warp disturbances to catalyze "miracles."
Aside from the questions of what level of psyker could withstand that psychic aberration, and why Mortarion insisted on calling him a Blank, everything else formed a neat logical chain in Horus's mind.
Most importantly—Horus and the other Primarchs knew that psykers powerful enough to shatter stars with one hand did exist.
But someone like Hades, claiming to be a mere Untouchable with that kind of power?
That completely shattered their understanding.
Realizing this, Horus glanced thoughtfully at Mortarion.
Why, exactly, would his brother go to such lengths to disguise the truth?
To present himself as opposed to psykers while secretly nurturing one?
Mortarion, unaware of Horus's bizarre line of reasoning, simply continued along the lines he had planned:
"My brother," he said, "I hope you'll keep this matter to yourself—including Hades's nature."
Mortarion's face didn't flinch. He didn't actually care whether Hades's nature was revealed or not—But the mere act of making this request would entangle Horus's attention in this narrative, and steer it away from more dangerous suspicions.
"Untouchables are usually taken away by the Black Ships. But Hades is my right-hand man in the Death Guard. I genuinely want him to remain with us."
And just like that, Mortarion's words sparked an epiphany in Horus.
Taken by the Black Ships…
So in truth, Hades was a psyker—possibly one who had dabbled in forbidden knowledge.
And Mortarion clearly didn't want the Imperium to learn about this.
Horus had also heard that on Mortarion's homeworld, psykers weren't exactly seen as honorable beings.
This brother, newly integrated into the Imperium, still didn't fully understand the unspoken rules:
Officially, the Imperium imposed strict limits on psychic practices.
But in reality, many Legions were secretly researching psychic powers behind closed doors.
Yes… his brother was just too cautious.
Perhaps after this, Horus could arrange for Magnus to have a conversation with Mortarion, to help guide him past some of this paranoia toward psykers.
Hades was an exceptionally gifted psyker, he shouldn't be held back just because of Mortarion's caution.
"My brother, I'll keep this matter confidential."
Finally, Horus said with a warm smile.
Seeing that Horus didn't press further, Mortarion smiled in satisfaction as well.
And so, one man who had just sold out Hades's identity and another who had completely misunderstood it formed a strange and unwitting alliance.
Hades, for his part, knew none of this.
He was still in the medical room, pretending to be unconscious to skip out on work.
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