Warhammer: I don't want to be a stinky can! ! !

Chapter 671 119. Terra Parade
The heavy smell of incense made Hades wrinkle his nose. He raised his head and looked again at the huge door towering high up.

it's almost dawn,

According to the parade process arranged by the ceremonial officer, Hades spoke first on behalf of theocracy, followed by the Pale Lord - anyway, it was a preaching, and finally people walked around the long square and then rushed to the battlefield.

He always disliked using too many words to describe a thing. Hades tended to simplify and reduce the computing power consumed as much as possible, but for others, his simplification might be too blasphemous.

Hades lowered his eyes.

This may be a bit formalistic, but it is necessary. In this world, honor and loyalty are often more valuable than gold and more precious than life.

He will reward the soldiers, give swords to the brave, encourage the cowardly to take up guns, and witness the mortals slaying the dragon.

The long team behind the door, each of them may face chaos. They will become ants piled up under the throne of the false god, and use themselves to pull down the god.

Even Hades or the God Emperor... cannot complete the journey of killing God alone. They can injure Him severely and make Him suffer - but they can never eliminate the vast chaos alone.

This will be an unimaginable war, but they must seize this rare opportunity.

What he can do is to win at the lowest cost and divest himself of personal interests. No one can be a solo player on the battlefield.

Outside the door, a sad wind blew through the night.

Hades sighed, his sharp face expressionless, he was ready.

He stood there, like a whole piece of black stone carved by nature. He ignited lightning, and tiny silver dragons clung to his body. The Milky Way dimmed because of him.

He is not eternal, but he is the darkness that loves the sun.

Behind Pluto, the tall and sharp God of Death lowered his head silently. Life was still here. He was the embodiment of all the hardships he had gone through. Every protruding bone was a resistance to fate, and the slight hissing sound declared that he was still a living thing.

Beside the Grim Reaper, the guard Vox had a cruel look on his face, and his eyes half covered by wrinkles revealed his contempt for life and death.

Velvet hung to the ground, Malcador was low-key but indifferent, with an impatient look under his hood and a pursed mouth. His withered hands once decided the rise and fall of an empire, and he could destroy a kingdom with a flip of his hand.

Incense burners swayed and emitted dim mist on the scepters held high by the believers. The two archbishops of the state religion and the underworld religion were intimidating without even getting angry. The ones who were once admired by hundreds of millions of people were nothing more than the most insignificant existence now, like dust.

[I don't think you'd let me be a morale booster...Hades.]

Death said quietly, and Hades smiled, thinking that he would not embarrass this Primarch who was not good at talking.

Although he knew that Mortarion was not unable to do so, he simply did not want to.

"I will."

At the same time, his words were drowned out by the dull sound of the trumpet.

The sound of a deep salute came from behind the door. In the biting cold wind, the first rays of morning light pierced the white snow.

Rarely opened, the Hongheng Gate, which is a hundred people tall, slowly opened—

The smoke of gunpowder shone in together with the dawn.

....................................

boom! ! !
Billowing smoke rose up, and fighter planes streaked across the sky like daggers. In an instant, three sparks exploded again, and huge dark clouds and fog descended.

"Hold!!!"

The cardinal roared and raised the scepter in his hand. The field generator in the scepter had already hummed to maximum power, and the meat paste formed by the hammer was burnt before it fell.

In front of him, the endless army formed a line, the flags of blasphemy fluttered, the enemy's huge divine planes stepped onto the battlefield, and the alien mountains were surging towards him.

But he never flinched.

...............................

The double-headed eagle flag fluttered, the pure gold shone at dawn, the imperial guards lined up on both sides of the square, and the red tassels flew.

Hades stepped onto the high platform. He looked into the distance and saw an endless stream of armies, some high and some low. People also looked up at him, hoping to see a "god".

The ceremony was hosted by the Archbishop of the Hades Cult. A huge buzzing voice sounded, but the words spoken by the Archbishop had long since dissipated in the wind, turning into a hot silence among the troops waiting for the parade.

The Archbishop of the Hades took a step back, stood in the light, turned sideways, and respectfully made room for Hades.

The sun is still moving. It is the only real "sun" in human civilization. It brings light and heat, brightness and hope to this civilization. It casts its light on the center of the marble.

On the side of the light was the eternal darkness, as dark as a soul-stirring hole, and there he was standing.

People looked up.

The ignorant, the wise, the conservative and the weathered, those who set foot on the battlefield for the first time; the strong-willed ones can still control themselves and quietly move their peripheral vision, but the others raised their heads, what they wanted to see, they couldn't explain clearly what they wanted to see - but their hearts were tightly gripped.

Perhaps what is actually being grabbed is the soul.

The sound of the wind that squeezed the heaven and earth took away everything, and the scorching sun made the eternal gate burn. They watched the gilded water dripping down, and the hazy golden light shone, and the sculptures on it also looked at them.

despair.

Strangely, it was not quiet here. On the contrary, there was the whistling wind, the roar of the engine, the pounding heart - but that slight sound was so clear, as if it weighed a thousand pounds.

Hades saw people of all kinds. He saw the proud forest green armor of the Dark Angels, the slightly dull bone white of the Death Guard, and the bright yellow of the Imperial Fists.

These transformed warriors are standing proudly, like a sword showing itself off. They will be the sharp sword that the empire inserts into chaos.

He also saw other warriors, the neatly decorated Mordian Iron Guards, the Ventrillian Nobles with white feathers on their heads, the slightly gray Krieg Death Legion... and the shoving and jostling Ogryn team. Perhaps the Ogryn team was the one that worked the hardest to train its formation.

The Mechanicus sages still held up their scepters in an incongruous manner. The glaring scarlet and incense represented their exclusion and discrimination against the rest of the people. Binary prayers and gears worked together, and Hades saw Kirkland.

The divine machinery followed these devout sages. The magnificent machinery like a mountain, the perfect creation, the even more magnificent existence could not stand here, and only a huge corner of it could be seen in the distance.

Now, they were all looking at him.

Perhaps it was rare in the history of the Empire to gather an army of this size, huge and chaotic, even mixed with alien technological creations, but in the end they got to this point, thanks to the efforts of Hades as well as the efforts of others.

They all stood here, gathered here from alien planets millions of light years away, just because they were all warriors of the empire, just because they shed the same blood.

So, what should he promise them?
The Emperor would promise them glory, Death would promise them death, so what would he promise them?
What would Pluto promise?
Hades stopped and did not drive the black domain. The darkness crawled beside him like a tamed beast. He let everyone see him clearly, without a mask, not empty, he was himself.

The faceless sculptures for thousands of years now have faces.

He has a human face and eyes, and between his pupils is the ruthlessness and compassion unique to humans. There is no doubt that this is a human being, and gods are humans.

He will promise them… truth and reality.

This is a privilege that belongs exclusively to Pluto.

He didn't want to cheat at this moment. The biggest reason that supported him to get to this point today was honesty and truthfulness. He used the truth as a sword to shatter the falsehood of language.

He does not need to decorate himself with lies and embellishments. All his previous efforts, all his persistence, all his work, every sleepless day and night fighting over documents, were all for the confidence to speak the truth.

He gave each soldier a new gun and brand new armor, drove the logistics behemoth, and ensured the operation of the medical system; he provided a comfortable environment for their families in the rear; he re-selected officers, applied the Nirvana system, and vowed not to let incompetent commanders waste their lives in vain.

At the same time, he wanted people to see why they were fighting, why the war was necessary, and why they had to win.

He just had to state the truth.

Glory, fame, money...after everything, they were promised the truth alone.

Under Pluto's feet, darkness began to flow, and in an instant it poured out like a gurgling stream, flowing down the steps and over people's feet.

The sun was still shining above their heads. He did not block the sun, but provided them with a solid ground to stand on.

There are too many falsehoods and lies in this world, and chaos uses them to play with their souls, making them suffer and fall into the bottomless abyss.

The darkness spread very quickly, and some commotion began to appear in the crowd, mainly concentrated among the various corps, but the political commissar immediately took action to stop the unrest in the team.

Hades was not offended by this. He was not the epitome of formalism. If he had proposed this, perhaps everyone would be sitting and listening to the meeting.

He felt the Styx washing over every soul, every shining and burning soul, every person born pure and shining.

Hades took a deep breath.

He is still not good at making speeches in large gatherings. When will the emperor step down?

"Respectable soldiers," he said. The examination-oriented education made him still start with sentences like "Dear leaders".

The crowd, which had been a little noisy just now, suddenly became quiet, and you could hear a pin drop in the huge square.

"I am so happy to see you, your pure and noble souls - especially to see you here."

"Terra, we are standing at the birthplace of human civilization. From this piece of soil, humans took the first step of this race."

"After that, there were thousands of years of ups and downs. After getting rid of gravity, our civilization was once glorious, but also fell to the bottom, and was only one step away from destruction."

"We have created unimaginable miracles, and we have also ignited a war that could burn the galaxy to the ground. No force in the galaxy is willing to fight against an empire that is going all out."

"But when I look at you, at the Empire, at human civilization, across the vast Milky Way, I clearly see this flickering candle flame. I used to wonder why the fate of such a great civilization is still shrouded in a haze."

"I have been searching for the answer to this question. I hope to clear the haze over human destiny and hope that mankind will prosper. So, what is the answer to this question?"

“Is it because we didn’t work hard enough?”

"But I see the sweat of every worker in the factory, hear the panting of every miner in the mine, and touch the calluses left by the soldiers from clicking the trigger. Human beings are a hardworking race. Although there are occasional termites among us, most people are not like this. They should have a brighter and better future."

"Is it because we are not smart enough?"

"But I see scholars burying themselves in endless books, and wise men seeking knowledge in the vast Milky Way. Humans are a race that loves knowledge. Although wars and disputes will cause our books to be burned and wise men to be beheaded, later generations will still persevere in the pursuit of knowledge - they should freely learn what they want and freely apply what they have learned."

Hades was silent for a moment. He looked at the people, his dark eyes seemed to be both scrutinizing and compassionate.

“Is it… because we have no faith?”

Hades said this, ignoring the slight shudder of the two archbishops behind him.

"But when I look at your souls, they are so pure and shining, real and vigorous. I listen to your prayers, I hear the believers' pleas to me, and I hear the believers' prayers to the Lord of Humanity. You are all trying hard to walk your own paths. Among you, there are those who hope to sacrifice for the Empire, and those who strive for a better life... You have your own beliefs that you fight for - humans have never been a race without faith."

"What exactly is it?"

"I have walked a long way in search of answers. I punish sinners and break off the dead branches of humanity. I establish colleges and allow scholars to speak freely. I promise everyone a better life and I answer every prayer."

“But I still haven’t found the answer.”

Hades asked,
"So what is it?"

"What is it that has become the dark cloud that lingers over the fate of mankind? What makes us fall suddenly every time before we are about to reach glory? What makes our souls stained and lead to blasphemy and madness?"

The River Styx rushed, ensuring that everyone was lightly immersed in the water.

"Finally, I found the answer,"

Hades said,

"False gods."

He felt something looking at Terra, and Hades calmly drove away those gazes.

Even if he didn't take action, the light of the Astronomican was enough to disperse them.

"In the warp," he said, "there are four false gods that are beyond our imagination and completely contrary to reality. They feed on the fluctuations of our souls and devour the extreme emotions of human beings. They are the embodiment of absolute malice and take pleasure in the suffering of human beings."

"I have personally seen noble souls sink under the bewitching spell of false gods, using lies to play with souls who hope to live. Efforts are turned into laziness, knowledge is corroded into poison, and faith is corrupted into absurdity."

"False gods appear in every corner of human history. Their followers and followers crowd in every corner that no one cares about, waiting to tear us into pieces and drag us into the hell of madness at any time."

"The battle between us and them is far more lasting and difficult than we imagined. They appeared on the first page of human history, bewitching souls with lies. After that, they instigated betrayal, distorted knowledge, and corrupted souls...

Time and again, we fight them with psychic powers, we fight them with faith, we drive them away with smoke and fire! But they always come back, in the whispers of loved ones, in the corners of papers, between the grains of rice on the dining table, they are everywhere, just to steal our souls! "

“I used to think that as long as the soul is burning, as long as humans exist, they will exist forever. No matter how we pour ammunition, use life as a fuse, and cause explosions again and again, they still exist and will never stop eroding the world we live in.”

Hades was silent for a moment. He looked at the boundless army again. Everyone was silent. He didn't know what they were thinking, but even in the low-concentration black domain, their souls were so dazzling at this moment.

"but,"

Hades said softly,
"Humanity is a lucky race - we have faith, and our souls are so shining. This is both food for the false gods and a sharp sword that pierces them. The faith of generations after generations has created miracles -"

Pluto took another breath.
"Generation after generation, hundreds of millions of noble souls, you have given your faith and vision to me and the Lord of Mankind, and used them to forge the sharpest blade in our hands. This weapon is forged by the wishes of hundreds of millions of people! The moment I saw it, I realized that the false gods hiding in the warp are not invincible."

"I realized that hundreds of thousands of years of difficulties can be put to an end here, and mankind can lift the haze on the line of destiny! We can control our own destiny!"

"--Now, I would like to tell you the ultimate goal of this expedition."

Hades said,

"We are going to kill gods."

Hades said,
"We're going to kill God!"

"The false gods are not invincible. Ten thousand years ago, I had already begun experiments on false gods. Three thousand years ago, the Pale Lord personally tore open the veil and went to fight the false gods. Six months ago, I severely damaged one of them!"

"Now is the best time to kill the false god,"

Hades said,
Slaanesh is weak, and they cannot let the god of death in his body break out. The newborn god will once again stir up huge waves in the Warp, and the Warp will be strengthened again.

"We will save the Hazy Star Region from the hands of the struggling false gods, and truly kill a false god - but this is only the first page in the history of mankind's resistance to chaos! We will behead them all! The fate of mankind will shine in our own hands!"

"Warriors, all of us will be engraved in human history! We are going to kill the gods! Mortals also have such great power - as long as we unite! With faith as the sword!"

"Yes, we will sacrifice a lot, many people will die and lose their lives - but no price is unbearable! The suffering that mankind has endured for thousands of years will end in our generation! The fall of a false god will be the greatest reward for all our sacrifices! The realm it controls will no longer blind us - we will save countless souls in the future!"

Hades said,
"Warriors, hold your swords and guns tightly, we are destined to write a glorious chapter!"

"We're going to kill God!"

The black domains rolled and surged, and the extremely low concentration would only make people feel calm - after the emotions faded, the reefs of reason emerged on the shore.

Hades turned sideways and finished speaking, but he did not intend to withdraw to the black domain. Drops of liquid gushed out from the black tide and solidified into irregular black stones, floating in front of everyone.

"Take them, warriors, this is my blessing to you."

Hades said that with such a large number, he would not have the energy to form a regular pattern. He did not stop and turned back to the shadow cast by the Gate of Eternity.

People still looked shocked. They should have been excited - but the black domain restrained them from doing so. People trembled and put away the black stones floating in front of them. It didn't matter. They would be excited again later.

But some people were still very excited. Hades saw some people in the Mechanicus team fainted, and saw the tears of some people in the legion. They were too excited -

Not everyone is born to be cherished and given gifts, especially in this world, this may be the first "gift" in their life.

Hades saw the political commissar trying to stop Ogryn from swallowing the black stone.

……

He decided to look away and stop watching the poor political commissar being toyed with by Ogrin. Some guards had already rushed forward to rescue the political commissar.

Hades winked at Mortarion, indicating that it was his turn.

Mortarion looked speechless. The god of death moved his steps reluctantly, and when he passed by Hades, he whispered,
【I don’t need to speak anymore.】

But he still stood there. After the archbishop with strong psychological qualities introduced his military position, Mortarion was the "War Marshal" of this great expedition. In order to avoid suspicion, he was now called the "Lord of the Sun".

Mortarion stood there quietly, waiting for the final restless silence in the crowd. Thanks to the makeup, he really looked like a real person.

[I am Mortarion, the commander-in-chief of this expedition.]

Mortarion said, like a merciless speaker,

【I will just say two points.】

[First, I agree with everything Pluto said.]

[Second, I once led the Death Guard to the Warp to severely damage a false god, so I am the commander-in-chief of this expedition.]

Mortarion nodded and turned to leave.

Hades thought he had seriously wasted his current acceptable look.

(End of this chapter)