40k: Midnight Blade

[You stink so much, Ghost, that's why. I remember we already agreed that you have to pay attention to your personal hygiene. 】

[You don’t have a choice, kid, you don’t have a choice! A fool's dream! The established facts cannot be changed, you must abide by them! You are destined to have a mouthful of blood and a notorious reputation. Only in this way can you become——】

[Do you know what a time bomb is, ghost? 】

[Get out. I have nothing to give you, I have no desire for you to drive. Get out! roll! Stay away from him! 】

[Don't cry, Barry. Crying is a human privilege, and you are not. 】

[Khalil, they are not human, but why are they crying? 】

[You have to learn to reject them, ghost. The instinct, gift, or curse of being able to briefly see into the future. It depends on you to exist, and you are its master. Get a handle on it, okay? 】

【.goodbye. 】

The light curtain flickered, the picture dimmed, and the light blue light slowly extinguished.

Beside the round table, all the original bodies fell into a strange and strange silence. No one spoke, but eye contact was everywhere. This one wants to speak but stops, that one stops talking but still wants to

Their reactions varied. Some clenched their fists, some had expressionless faces, and some were baring their teeth and rubbing them gently. If you look closely, there is probably only one thing in common - they are all staring at someone at the round table in silence.

Conrad Coates watched them from behind his slender black hair, one second, two seconds, three seconds.

He suddenly grinned and jumped up from the huge armchair. It was not a natural jump, but a premeditated leap high and heavy fall, as if to attract everyone's attention.

But this doesn't make sense at all. He has already received the most attention.

But he didn't care about that. He jumped directly onto the round table, and the hem of his black robe began to rub against the tabletop quickly.

He came to the video tape that was emitting blue light in two or three steps, and kicked it with his toes, sending it flying high. A pale hand then reached out from the wide sleeve robe and firmly grasped the video tape.

Five sharp nails began to rub thoughtfully on its black surface.

"What are you going to do, brother?" Horus Luperkar asked worriedly.

He was worried both about his brother's emotions and the whereabouts of the tape, wondering what Cozzi would do with it.

Frankly speaking, they actually met not long ago, and they are definitely not familiar with each other. After all, Konrad Curze returned very late among many primarchs.

However, from the few words revealed by the emperor, he could still judge the general character of this brother who was not very familiar with them, as well as his current age.

Judging from the 'deeds' that Horus heard, it is not an exaggeration to describe Konrad Coze's character as paranoid.

Of course, he would not use age to judge the maturity of the other person's mind. For ordinary people, this approach is no problem, but for the original body, this approach is very stupid.

The age of the Primarch is essentially just an illusion. They do not need at least ten years to train their mind and body to mature both.

They were products born in the laboratory, born with potential, they were created with a mission, and the Emperor made no secret of it.

And Konrad Coates did not answer his question.

He just looked at the videotape in his hand with great interest, not caring that he was still standing on the round table at this moment. After a few seconds, he spoke, but his tone was a little strange, and he still didn't take Horus' question seriously.

"A brilliant liar." He muttered and looked at the video tape in his hand. "You are indeed a good at making up stories, even I can't deny it. However, all of this is false and has never happened."

He opened his palm, placed the video tape horizontally in his palm, and began to throw it up and down, as if he were handling a blade or a toy.

His frivolous treatment caused a chain reaction. The expressions of the Primarchs began to become serious, and some were even ready to rescue the video tape from this strange brother. But the tape clearly didn't require them to stand up for it.

As it was dangerously thrown up again, a bright blue light suddenly bloomed from the dark surface of the video tape. It was fleeting, but extremely powerful, lighting up the entire room in that moment.

Conrad Coates couldn't help but narrowed his eyes and took a few steps back. The video tape fell vertically, but it did not make any collision sound with the surface of the round table. There was only a buzz that was so slight that one could not confirm it.

In the sight of the original bodies, it was floating in mid-air.

"oh"

Konrad Curze picked out the fangs from behind his lips with satisfaction.

"interesting."

He laughed, but did not do anything to the video. Instead, he returned to his seat and began to press the area around his eyes with his fingers. His movements were not gentle, and it made people wonder whether he would use those sharp nails to dig them out in the next moment. own own eyes.

The light curtain flickered, and a line of small characters rose again.

[Are you dyslexic? Yes, I'm talking about you, Conrad Coates. 】

The person whose name was called tilted his head, his eyes like two dark searchlights. He thought seriously for a while before giving the answer.

"I don't think so. I should suffer from multiple mental illnesses and at least one mental illness, but I probably don't have dyslexia."

[So, you have amnesia? 】

"nor."

[Temporary amnesia? 】

"I'm not too hurt, you little thing, are you going to start being a doctor?" Coz replied unceremoniously.

As if he was amused, he began to laugh forward and back in his chair, with such force that one almost doubted his mental state.

"I'm not going to be a doctor, but you must have some sort of mental problem, you rude, weird, pale psycho bastard. 】

[Didn’t I say beforehand that this story has nothing to do with you? In fact, all the stories that may be told next have nothing to do with you. You actually accuse me of being a liar? how? Have you been stabbed by the plot or characters in the story? 】

"It's really mean," Leman Russ muttered. "but--"

He looked at Konrad Coates: "——Have you really never met a man named Khalil Lohars?"

This sentence went straight to the point. At the same time, almost all the original bodies cast their eyes on Konrad Curze, but their pale brother suddenly stopped smiling at this time.

"No," he hissed back with a shrug. "I forgive your repeated questioning, Leman Russ. However, I have indeed never seen such a person."

"So, what about the Lohars family he mentioned?" Roger Dorn, an Invite with short gray-white hair, spoke. His still young face had a calmness that clearly did not match his age. .

"Nothing either." Kezi laughed, his voice soft but enough to make people shudder. Of course, in the ears of his brothers, this level was just enough to make them frown.

"I stayed in Nostramo for eight years and nine natural months of Terra, and every disobedient noble died in my hands. However, whether it is those cartilaginous dogs who survived, or those who have died , none of them have a surname of 'Lohars', and, seriously, don't you think this name is too hard to pronounce?"

Roger Dorn nodded and did not acknowledge his attempt to change the subject. Instead, he began to analyze on his own.

"This weird, self-aware and seemingly hateful machine came from my father, who inspired us to watch this story. And it warned us long before it began."

"It warns us that these stories have nothing to do with us and never happened, and it appears to be true. At least for now, we have no evidence to find this man named Khalil Lohars. The man has any evidence of his existence."

"Parallel universe?" Another person speculated. "Perhaps these stories are an aspect of our original destiny. Some people have made similar conjectures in some books I have read."

His tone was lively, his eyes were sparkling, and his completely red face was smiling, as if he was very happy to be having such a discussion.

"It's not impossible." Another person joined the discussion, his tone was very cautious, but what he said was a long speech.

"I have also seen some scholars discussing this in Macragge, but I think their theory is too untenable. They believe that any choice made by any person at any time can spread A completely different future.”

"Suppose there is a farmer who is used to drinking a glass of water when he goes out in the morning. He keeps this habit for twenty years. Suddenly one day, he forgets about it. So the future of his world changes, maybe for the better, maybe become bad.”

"He may go out and pick up a piece of gold, or he may see a meteorite falling from the sky and hitting him. But what if he chooses to continue drinking water? Or, he chooses to drink two glasses of water, or give this glass of water to his wife to drink, and himself What would the world look like if I had another drink? That doesn’t make sense, does it?”

He stood up and waved his arms sincerely, hoping to start explaining further to his brothers, regardless of the impatience already showing on some of their faces. He apparently did not realize that these were Primarchs just like him, and that they were as intelligent as he was.

So, someone interrupted him.

"What do you think we are? Idiots?" said Perturabo from Olympia coldly. "We've all read the book, Rich Boy of Macragge, could you please stop showing off your shallow sense of superiority?"

Robert Guilliman frowned suddenly: "I am not a rich boy. Although my adoptive father and adoptive mother have extraordinary status, they must be honest. Don't you agree with this?"

The sneer on Perturabo's face gradually widened: "Did I discuss this with you? I was just asking you to stop your insults."

"I never meant that -"

"——Yeah! It's like we haven't read the book!" The Olympian laughed disdainfully, with an extremely sharp tone. "Proud, innocent, carefree life, adoptive father and mother with extraordinary status, and an extremely wealthy childhood!"

"Did you think about other people when you were discussing this? Did you think about that pale ghost sitting over there? The existence of Khalil Lohars in the story is debatable, but North The environment in Teramo is very different from our reality.”

"He has lived in such a place for one hundred and five natural months, and yet you are discussing how many books you have read, the advanced theories you have obtained from scholars, and your adoptive parents who have an extraordinary status?"

Robert Guilliman stood up.

"I demand an apology from you." He demanded, his face pale but his cheeks red, and his hands clenched at his sides. "Your behavior is very rude."

"Is it more rude than you? I ask you to apologize to him first." Perturabo continued to mock. "If you are unwilling, I suggest you think back to what you have just done and why you have been reluctant to come to Terra."

Horus frowned. The situation had gone too far. However, someone spoke up to mediate before him. This person could even be considered one of the parties involved.

"Honestly, I don't really care."

Conrad Coates leaned back and put his feet on the edge of the round table. He looked up at the ceiling with a very vacant look in his eyes, and made strange noises from his throat as he spoke.

"You asked him to apologize to me just because you wanted to take this opportunity to suppress him. You see that he is unhappy, ha." Coze straightened his back strangely and looked at Perturabo with a twisted posture. "Did something he said offend you?"

Robert Guilliman suddenly understood, and he looked at Perturabo who remained silent.

"I see, you—"

"——Don't rush to refute yet, rich young master." Coze grinned at him. "You're not much better, he's right, you are indeed arrogant. You are both bad people, of course."

He spread his hands and placed them on both ends of the armrests of the chair. At the same time, he exerted force on his feet and began to play a leisurely game of balance. His hands are too long, so he can easily poke them directly into the ground in the process, making a sharp sound.

The Primarchs looked at him with different expressions, waiting for the next step.

".We are actually all bad people." Conrad Coates said sadly. "I've been observing you for half a month, and I haven't seen anyone who matches his description."

"He asked me to come to this so-called Holy Terra and told me that I have many outstanding brothers. According to the standards he said, I thought I could see some real heroes and great men on the way here, at least far away. It’s better than me.”

"In the end, it's either a killer like me, or a soft-hearted blacksmith or a grumpy theorist - are we really the Primarch? Has he got the wrong person?"

Horus looked at the blacksmith with an ugly expression, but Vulkan was not angry at all. He just smiled at him and patted the "killer" Corvus Corax sitting next to him. shoulders.

The latter showed an uncomfortable stiffness, but still stayed in place, letting the big dark hands stay on his shoulders. Finally, there was the 'grumpy theorist'. The Olympian had rarely suppressed his anger and was currently holding his hands in silence.

【.Wonderful. 】

The light curtain made a vibration, attracting all their attention. Some people who were ready to speak lost their chance. The words emerged and began to flow.

[What a wonderful psychological analysis. How many interrogations and tortures did you have to endure before you have such keenness? It's surprising. It seems that no matter what, Konrad Coates is destined to be a natural judge. But, how well do you know yourself? 】

"I won't bother you with that." Kozpi replied with a smile.

[I'm afraid I have to worry about this. You have made the atmosphere of this particular movie viewing very bad. You swagger around and set people on fire, but you brush yourself off lightly. What do you think of this story, Conrad Coates? 】

"Do I have to answer?" Curze asked impatiently. "You're irritating me a little bit, you—"

A flash of blue light enveloped him without causing any substantial harm or restraint, but another line of words was revealed on the light screen.

[I thought they would be different, liar. The future I saw will still not change, and the things in the illusion will still come as promised, one by one. The noble demigod is about to bring disaster to the entire galaxy, and countless people will die. How can there be any justice? 】

Conrad Coates suddenly fell silent.

【how? Have nothing to say? That's exactly what I want. It's really time for you to be silent. 】

"Can it read minds?! It read minds without the help of technology!" The red Magnus suddenly shouted. "What it just said - wait, Conrad, wreaking havoc on the galaxy? What were you thinking?"

He said this belatedly, realizing his insensitivity as most of his brothers had already stood up.

"Trouble the galaxy?" Rogal Dorn asked with a frown. "Who? Conrad? Who?"

"This man must think he has some qualifications." The hooded Barbarus said, his voice hoarse. "As well as the desire for power and arrogance, our current situation is really in line with those so-called princes seizing the throne, isn't it?"

He seemed to mean something.

"Compared to such a trivial matter, why not ask about the illusion?" Leman Russ asked lazily. "If those lines were indeed Conrad's own words, then he had seen the future."

Lorgar Aurelion's face turned red and he growled: "Who is trying to subvert father's Kingdom of God?!"

Jaghatai Khan remained silent, stroking his long beard, as if he was thinking.

Ferrus Manus folded his hands with an indifferent expression, still sitting in his seat, and seemed not to care about these things.

Fulgrim was worried, but he still maintained his composure. Ferrus Manus' calmness seemed to comfort him to some extent.

Robert Guilliman looked around with a serious look on his face, wondering what he was thinking.

Leon El'Jonson's eyes were fixed on Mortarion, and his leather-gloved right hand tapped the table rhythmically.

Angron covered his forehead, and the white gel tubes above his head suddenly burst into bright red. The medicine used to treat the sequelae of the Butcher's Nail was being replaced bit by bit by the blood that surged when he was emotionally excited.

Vulkan looked at him worriedly, and leaned over to Corvus Corax and said something in his ear.

The latter nodded and turned into a black shadow and disappeared.

Alpharius still maintained his strange silence, but there seemed to be a faint smile on the corner of his mouth.

Horus took in all this, turned his head, and asked his most valued brother softly: "What do you think, Sanguinius?"

The archangel with wings on his back did not answer, just remained silent.

However, as the center of this storm, Conrad Coates did not show any nervousness. He just lowered his legs and returned to the chair.

He raised his head and looked coldly at the light screen that could project the text from any angle. His fingers were crossed on his chest. The sharp nails had penetrated deeply into the back of his hand, and blood was gurgling. It flowed out, dripped down his fingers, and slid vertically down his black robe like a one-piece cloak.

[Can you all sit down? ] Light Screen requested politely.

No one responded, only the sound of increasingly heated discussions. The video tape rotated helplessly in a circle, and a terrifying shock wave burst out.

In just a short moment, it pushed all the original bodies back to their chairs. Even Corvus Corax, who had turned into a black shadow and left the room, suddenly appeared in the room, facing him. Obei sat in his chair in astonishment.

The Emperor's children opened their mouths and tried to speak, but no matter how hard they moved their lips and tongues, no sound came out.

Only the buzz of the light curtain remained.

[It’s really troublesome, I have to take care of the children of the transaction partner. If I hadn't collected enough money, I really wouldn't care about you - in short, watch carefully, distinguished demigods of the empire. 】

[Your brother Conrad Coates has some kind of terrifying prophetic ability. He will uncontrollably see the specific future of someone or something. But I want to make it clear that these foolish predictions provide no guidance in nature. 】

[They are pure nightmares and illusions. If someone really chooses to believe these one-sided things, then he will get nothing but torture. Don't be a fool, okay? 】

[There is never any bullshit fixed future. You should look at the so-called destiny from a more rational and calm perspective. Once you can understand, you will find that fate is just a bitch that can be grabbed by the throat. It depends on man-made things. 】

[Okay, this is the end of the soothing little class. What do you think of that story? 】

[In other words, what do you think of Khalil Lohars? Do you like this character? Do you think he is paranoid, self-righteous, possessing an inexplicable sense of superiority and a desire to sacrifice himself? 】

No one answered, the Primarchs looked at each other, and no one chose to speak.

[You can talk long ago]

"Do we have to discuss this? We are actually more concerned about another thing now." Roger Dorn asked seriously. "Can you give us some time to confirm the prophecies and visions before we get back to watching the movie?"

[Very polite, I like you very much, Roger Dorn. Unfortunately, I'm afraid I can't agree. I am very contractual, and your father's request was for me to play the stories on a loop until all the stories on this list were played out. 】

[Oh, by the way, he also asked you to express your opinion after reading each story. This has nothing to do with me. I hope you will forget about it after reading it. 】

"Okay, since I must say it." Even Dorn sighed obviously. "I think that although he is extreme, he is also noble. Every choice he makes is understandable. In fact, even if he chooses to fall into madness, I think it is probably understandable."

[Okay, okay——] The light curtain flashed twice perfunctorily. Obviously, it was exactly as it said and had no interest in the thoughts of the original bodies. 【——What’s next? Who is coming? 】

Hesitantly, Magnus raised his right hand.

[Oh, what a good student. Come on, the teacher invites you to speak. 】

"I think he obviously doesn't know enough about himself. Psionics are by no means what he describes as a 'ticking time bomb'. If he can spend a little time to study the power he has, he will find that psionic powers can completely Save Nostramo."

Mortarion snorted and immediately began to ask questions.

"And what about the voice he heard? The voice that promised him everything, and the wariness he showed about it?"

"Also, I hope you don't forget Conrad - I mean the ghost, the scream he made when he used his ability, and those words. A fool's dream is full of threats, and this is how you use your spirit. Something you'll get later, Magnus."

"You are too pedantic, Mortarion," Magnus said sincerely, his eyes sparkling. "You obviously didn't listen carefully in father's psychic class. He clearly pointed out that there are things in the vast ocean, and they are very evil things. However, if we are careful and our will is strong enough, they will take care of us. Method."

"Ha." Mortarion sneered and nodded. "May I ask if this Khalil Lohars is strong-willed?"

Magnus was speechless for a moment.

"He still adheres to an almost pedantic moral outlook in such an environment. He would rather eat that kind of nutritional ointment than eat mice with obviously higher energy. The reason is not difficult to guess, right? It's just because they have eaten corpses."

"Even if he is a madman, he is still a rare and determined madman. He will still be found by them because of a momentary mistake. How do you think you are better than him?"

Magnus stopped talking and fell into deep thought. He seemed to want to say something, but his frown prevented him from continuing to refute Mortarion. After a while, he actually nodded with sincerity.

"You're right," he said. "I do have some, but I still disagree with some of your views. After the next psychic class, I will go to Malcador to ask his opinion. I hope you can be there then."

The Barbarus glanced at him gloomily and agreed to nothing.

[The next person please speak. 】The light curtain lazily threw out one word after another. [Please don’t debate this time. I just want to hear your conclusions, not a long speech, please be concise, okay? Who is coming? 】

"I'll do it." Conrad Coates raised his right hand coldly.

He shook his hair to get rid of the strands of hair from his forehead. Now, everyone saw his dark eyes. It is very difficult to find the emotion in such eyes, but if you look at it together with the facial expression, it will be much easier.

All the original bodies clearly saw the very complicated emotions on Konrad Curze's face at this moment. It was a strange mixture of disgust, pity and confusion, but it seemed to be more than that.

"He deserves to die."

The Nostramo hissed, his accent still not changed, it was still the same very soft and tactful tone, but his words were full of coldness, like the drizzle of autumn, refreshing into the bottom of his heart.

"Pursuing justice in such a world is stupid enough. He actually expected something more. He wanted to fundamentally change Nostramo, but this was simply impossible."

"This planet has been completely overwhelmed by sin. Only fear and high pressure can achieve a certain degree of justice. If you want to ensure that a civilian can sleep peacefully tonight and have food to eat tomorrow, there must be more than ten gang members. He died of torture while sleeping."

"Such bloody justice is the limit of what Nostramo can tolerate. And what does he want to do? Transform society? And he still expects the Midnight Ghost to do this? It's a fool's errand!"

He raised his head and sneered seemingly arrogantly. He didn't pay attention to the looks of his brothers at all, and just kept talking to himself.

"So he deserves to die, do you hear that, little one? His death just proves the fact that Nostramo is hopeless, and it also proves another thing, that is, there is no justice at all. !”

"What we are pursuing is just a false illusion. Otherwise, how can we explain his death? Such a person will also die, can die, and must die! Because he was born in Nostramo, he will suffer A tortured death"

"It's really ridiculous. He actually still cares about the midnight ghost?"

Conrad Coates burst out laughing.

"Ha, just wait and see. In a few years, he will become another person, ruling the world with absolute violence and fear. He will go completely crazy because of the strong contrast between his teachings and reality. ! And I will stand on my Nostramo and laugh loudly at these two people”

【You talk a lot. 】

The laughter suddenly stopped.

[However, since you have mentioned this, I think it would be unreasonable not to show you the following facts. As it happens, it also happens to be on our story list. So, do you want to continue reading? 】

I originally wanted to create a new volume for adding extras, but it seems that Qidian does not support sorting by volume, so I just posted it ()

There is another chapter in the afternoon.