Upon receiving Kion's message, Nareth immediately confirmed that the First Company of the First Chapter had encountered a Rangdan Cerabvores, and that it was highly likely to be the warlord of the Advex-Mors system.
He unfurled his golden wings and soared into the skies, flying directly toward the rune beacon Kion had sent, staying beyond the range of Rangdan's anti-air fire.
When Nareth arrived at the battlefield, he saw the Cerabvores open its maw and devour the head of a Shadow of Order.
A cold glint flashed in Nareth's black eyes. Yet, he did not lose his composure or throw the Dionysian Spear in rage.
'Though any Cerabvores can be used to brew the 'Baron of Corruption' potion… the stronger the Cerabvores, the more potent the potion becomes. I must ensure the body remains intact.'
With that thought, light flickered in Nareth's eyes as he donned the Howling Mask.
He then unleashed Howl, consuming vast amounts of spiritual energy.
The Primarch's superhuman body amplified the power, merging the psychic scream of a psyker with his beyonder ability howl, and released it straight at the Cerabvores.
A thunderous roar erupted, a storm of psychic terror crashing through the Rangdan warlord's mind.
The Cerabvores, horrified, spat out half of the half-eaten head. He gathered his willpower, desperately trying to erect mental barriers against the soul-shattering wave.
Nareth immediately sensed his resistance, stronger than that of any foe he had met before.
Not as mighty as a Primarch's mind, but far more resilient than Marlena.
Seeing this, Nareth changed tactics. Instead of crushing the Cerabvores's psyche outright, he used the techniques of the Osiris Psybrid to weave an illusion within the creature's mind.
In the Cerabvores's consciousness, countless delicious brains appeared, radiating irresistible aroma.
He knew this was a psychic illusion crafted by the golden-winged figure descending from above, but the overwhelming taste and joy drowned out reason.
The flavors were exquisite, richer than any Ork skull he'd devoured, more delicate than the minds of any Aeldari he had consumed before.
Without realizing it, the Cerabvores was lost in a grand feast of imagination, gulping down brain after brain.
When Nareth reached him, he saw the creature's mouth curve into something like a smile.
He drew the Dionysian Spear, charged it with psychic energy, and hurled it, the glowing spear pierced through a overlord nearby.
Then Nareth grasped the Cerabvores's corpse with one hand and lifted it from the ground.
The Primarch rose into the air, scanning the battlefield below with a single sweep of his gaze.
'Saisek is dead.'
Nareth felt a tinge of sorrow. Though this Terran-born son had never truly fit among the Shadows of Order, he had never betrayed his father's will either.
He also saw dozens of Shadows of Order warriors lost in madness, slaughtering the Rangdan indiscriminately.
Nareth's golden eyes flashed, and he spoke a single command:
"Shadows of Order, do not drown in bloodlust."
His voice echoed in their ears. One by one, the Terran-born warriors awoke from their frenzy, and upon seeing their father, bowed their heads like chastised children.
The Rangdan troops, witnessing their warlord's corpse clutched in the golden-winged giant's hand, broke ranks and fled in terror.
"Kion, you will assume command of First Company."
"By your command, Father," Kion replied after glancing at Saisek's broken body.
Nareth then ordered Arsena to lead the Honor Guard alongside Kion to continue the pursuit of the retreating Rangdan.
Once out of sight, Nareth returned to the Kingdom of Disorder. There, he gathered the eleven teeth of the Ork Warlord from the Wheel of Fire campaign, along with the strongest Osiris Psybrid, and approached the cauldron.
Under his command, the Jokaero began brewing the Baron of Corruption potion.
Various potent materials shrank rapidly and merged into the boiling Vovosth solution.
Moments later, Nareth raised his head and swallowed the black, jelly-like potion in one gulp.
As it slid down his throat, countless black filaments shimmered within him.
Threads appeared within his vision, a web of laws and hidden structures. The mist of the unseen realm unraveled into strands of color and meaning.
A massive torrent of information surged into his mind. The Primarch's brain processed it instantly, analyzing, categorizing, and comprehending.
A few breaths later, he smiled.
"I've ascended to Sequence 6, Baron of Corruption. This is also the qualitative transformation stage of the Black Emperor Pathway."
"Just like how the 'Fool' Path's Sequence 7, the Magician, undergoes a metamorphosis, the Baron of Corruption also evolves in eleven distinct aspects."
From his memory, the Baron of Corruption was only supposed to gain three new abilities.
'Hmm. I've gained eleven. Two explanations, either I never knew the Baron's full potential,
or the difference in potion ingredients, stronger, rarer, more spiritually potent, caused the Black Emperor pathway itself to shift, showing qualitative change at Sequence 6.'
Pleased, Nareth began assessing his new powers.
The first was Power Surge, as in his memory, but vastly stronger in his Primarch body.
'Now, if I arm-wrestled Vulkan… I'd win.'
'Which means my burst strength is now the greatest among the Primarchs.'
Second was the Vision of Rule-Lines.
'The 'Fool' Path's Sequence 5, the Marionetist, gains the ability to see spirit-threads.
I, at Sequence 6, can already see the rule-lines themselves, the underlying patterns of reality.'
'The Baron of Corruption may appear lawful, but its true power begins with distortion, and to twist the rules, one must first see them.'
He recalled the Fra'al's techniques, realizing:
'Thanks to the Emperor's gift of perception, I already have psychic aptitude.'
'But now, with rule-line vision, I possess supreme talent in both Telekinesis and Technomancy disciplines, since both manipulate the laws of structure and motion.'
He decided to prioritize mastering these two disciplines.
The Baron's signature ability, Distortion, remained unchanged, twisting words, actions, or intent to reshape order itself to one's favor.
However, the second hallmark, Corrosion, had evolved dramatically.
Originally, it merely darkened hearts within ten meters, making minds greedy and irrational.
Now, its range extended to thirty-three meters, and it subtly bent wills toward loyalty to the Baron himself.
'Much better. Before, Corrosion only bred chaos.'
'Now, it breeds devotion, perfect for managing my rotating Honor Guard within the Shadows of Order.'
'As my Sequence rises, its reach and potency will only grow.'
He then reviewed the other newly granted powers:
Geometry – You comprehend rules through geometric patterns, turning abstract lines into physical, mystical structures with varied effects.
Concept Swap – You can interchange similar categories; e.g., a chainsword is a sword, a power sword is a sword, thus a chainsword may function as a power sword.
Force – You can influence force itself: its direction, intensity, or presence.
Rope – You can generate ropes from nearby materials with chosen traits, chains to bind, whips to strike.
Spiritual Sculpture – Create living sculptures imbued with transient animation to obey simple commands.
Burial – Truths you bury cannot be divined; only distorted outcomes remain visible.
Multi-Prism – Craft prism-like psychic structures that refract and disperse incoming attacks until they dissipate or overload.
After cataloguing them, Nareth organized the abilities by spiritual cost and potency:
'Those without spiritual cost, Power Surge, Rule-Line Vision, Corrosion, are intrinsic to the Baron.'
'Those with minor cost, Rope, Spiritual Sculpture, Burial, Prism, serve as supportive techniques.'
'The major, high-consumption ones, Force, Geometry, Concept Swap, and Distortion, directly alter the rules themselves.'
Having finished his analysis, Nareth approached the Blasphemy Slate to examine the newly unlocked formula for Sequence 5, "Mentor of Disorder".
.....
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