Chapter 296: Painting
Jin took a deep breath. He felt the arc of excitement coursing through his organs, dopamine spreading—he had rarely experienced something that thrilled him so much.
"My lord, this… this truly suits you."
Through his interactions with Hades, Jin had come to realize something profound: Hades himself was not one to care about appearances. The lord was the kind of man who would weld strange parts onto his armor just because they were useful… never once considering overall aesthetics or harmony.
For a warrior, a machine of war, such concerns were of course irrelevant. But as a leader, as a god who needed to serve as a source of psychological support for his people, he had to pay attention to his bearing.
He must be solemn, heavy enough; sacred, distant enough. He had to embody the most primal aesthetics of humanity, awakening the deep definitions embedded in human genes.
And the set of armor Jin had provided Hades—the Armor of Lamentation—clearly combined beauty with practicality. The artistry of Jin, Korklan, and the Empire's technology was on full display in its design.
Jin shuddered again. The candle flames upon him flickered, and the blackstone pendant at his chest swayed with his movement.
He stared intently at Hades, this lord of the Underworld who remained utterly unaware of himself.
The pitch-black armor remained dark as night, even in the light of the flames, like an unfathomable abyss gazing back at those audacious enough to pry into the mysteries of the underworld god.
From the edges of the black armor peeked thin layers of fine steel, wrapped with meticulous care, flashing with a chilling brilliance. Though it was puresteel, it radiated an icy bite.
Upon the breastplate, the imperial double-headed eagle glared sharply down upon the world. Most suits of armor bore the imperial eagle across the chest—but in light of the one who wore it, perhaps only he could truly bear the weight of two heads.
Other than the imperial eagle, however, the Armor of Lamentation bore no other prominent insignia.
On the pauldrons, where most armor displayed symbols of identity, were instead carved blackstone droplets, great teardrops cascading down in layers.
They were the mourning tears dripping from the candles placed by a coffin; they were the boundless waters of the underworld's sea at the moment of suffocation; they were the drops of grief from the corner of a god's eye at the sight of humanity's endless suffering.
They symbolized his humanity. They marked his destined path to godhood.
He would shed tears, he would bleed, until sorrow ceased, until all gods slumbered.
The tears stripped away his humanity, while the blood erased his weakness…
Jin trembled, gasping. He had personally pushed his benefactor onto a path of self-distortion. He was destined to be a sinner, even if the masses would sing of his achievements and praise his devotion to the Lord of the Underworld.
Would Hades realize any of this? Realize the burden of faith his followers placed upon him—even if it crushed him?
Hades was curiously studying his pauldron—did he realize?
Jin watched as Hades reached out and tapped the shoulder guard.
"Oh," Hades said.
"Jin, did you use some kind of high-temperature enamel firing technique for this? By the way, why not just stick a Death Guard insignia on it? Would be more convenient that way—otherwise, once I'm back on the battlefield, these patterns are all going to get scratched off."
The flickering candlelight froze.
A smiling face appeared on Jin's display.
:)
"My apologies, my lord. Forgive my inadequacy—I cannot fulfill that request."
Hades was human, clearly—only a human could have such atrocious taste. Gods, after all, generally enjoyed adorning themselves.
Just as he had thought, Hades had no talent for aesthetics. Damn Barbarus, for poisoning every last one of his aesthetic sensibilities.
. . . .
Hades was satisfied with the Armor of Lamentation Jin had provided him. The color scheme was simple, free of gaudy ornamentation, and carried no overt religious overtones.
The patterns on the pauldrons were still within an acceptable range. Hades guessed that Jin probably thought the pauldrons looked too empty and had casually carved something on them for decoration.
Hades sometimes did the same—like sketching a checkered pattern or something. Simple and elegant.
What he didn't understand was why this set of armor was called the Armor of Lamentation. Jin seemed unwilling to explain, either.
'Probably just a random name he'd slapped on,' Hades thought indifferently. If it were him, he would've simply numbered his designs: 01, 02, and so on.
The only thing he found a bit unsatisfactory was that the armor lacked any Death Guard insignia.
'But then again,' he thought, what if he did something outrageous outside and someone held a grudge? Better not flaunt the Death Guard insignia, otherwise enemies might take revenge on them.
Hades fixed his blazing gaze on Jin, as if to suggest something.
Jin froze for a moment.
"My lord, there is another accessory I've prepared specifically for you. You may decide whether you want it."
He gestured, and two servitors came forward carrying trays. Resting upon them were several chains.
Hades's eyes lit up. Oh, weren't these Mortarion's censers?
He picked one up. Though they looked similar, they were slightly different. Mortarion's bronze censers were the simplest form, crude brass exuding a brutal aesthetic.
But the one in his hand had been altered. It looked more like an eyeball… eerie green luminescence seeped through the cracks, exhaling the fragrance of death.
Yet the censer's secret went beyond this. When it appeared in Hades's Black Domain vision, he immediately sensed its extraordinary quality—
"Lord Hades, the censers burn the carefully selected remains of psykers."
"They will irresistibly draw the gaze of any psyker… and then terror will crawl up their spine."
Exactly as Jin had intended, Hades showed keen interest. He eagerly strapped on the censers, clearly delighted by these subtle nods to the Death Guard's style.
Once he had fastened the psyker censers, he turned his shining eyes back toward Jin.
"…?"
Jin stared at Hades, fully armored, not quite understanding what he was implying.
Hades spoke, "A helmet, Jin, where's my helmet?"
Jin silently averted his gaze from Hades. Ignoring a fleeting awkwardness, he motioned toward a shadowy corner of the room.
A small girl walked out, carrying a black iron halo. Unlike most Martians, her body bore little sign of modification.
Compared to the girl, the black iron halo in her hands was enormous. In the candlelight, the vast object reflected no light at all—so black it seemed almost two-dimensional.
Hades cast a questioning look at Jin.
"This is…?"
"The Crown of Solitude. It's fitted with a powerful refraction field—you won't even need to wear a helmet anymore. Beyond that, it resonates with your Black Domain, assisting it to some degree."
"Of course… I added a minor function. Perhaps a bit superfluous… but when you activate it, it will dim the surroundings and interfere with any scanning waves."
Hades blinked. He saw the little girl come running up, holding the halo up to him. He seemed to understand her intent. Hades lifted the girl, letting her fix the halo into place at the back of his neck.
"That's not what I was asking, Jin," Hades said. "Who is she? Don't tell me you're modifying children into servitors."
On Jin's display appeared a silly face.
"Lord Hades, this is a child I picked up from the Martian wastelands. She's a natural-born human, so she was abandoned."
Hades gave Jin a sidelong glance.
He vaguely recalled that Jin himself had been a natural-born, scavenged by Korklan from Mars…
The little girl smiled at him, then scampered away, disappearing beneath the folds of Jin's layered crimson robes.
"All right then,"
Hades stretched out his hand, "But I still want a helmet, Jin."
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind paying $5 each month to read the latest posted chapter, please go to my Patreon [1]
Latest Posted Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 351: The Onlooker Sees More Clearly Than the Player[2]
Link to the latest posted chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/145213204?collection=602520[3]
https://www.patreon.com/collection/602520?view=condensed[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/145213204?collection=602520
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/145213204?collection=602520
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/602520?view=condensed