In the secret dungeon, a dull mechanical sound reverberated ceaselessly through the brightly lit room, like the chirping of insects on a midsummer night.
Seth silently observed the room.
This room, encased in machinery, was cast in the likeness of a chapel; pale marble carved with countless intricate patterns, each symbolizing a deceased Chapter Master or Chief Librarian.
Intertwined within these patterns were even more exquisite bas-reliefs, depicting the pure nine Primarchs: Lion El'Jonson, Leman Russ, Robert Guilliman, Vulkan, Corax, Rogal Dorn, Ferrus Manus, Jaghatai Khan, and the greatest, Sanguinius.
Sanguinius' statue was a head taller than the other Primarchs, positioned in the most prominent spot, between Lion King and Robert Guilliman.
These holy effigies of the Primarchs depicted memorable parts of their lives: Lion King chasing midnight phantoms in a battleship, Guilliman drifting among the stars outside Calth, Vulkan standing pristine on Macragge, Jaghatai Khan shouting his father's might, Rogal Dorn ever-prepared as if always holding something back, Ferrus Manus beheaded, Leman Russ breaking Magnus' back.
It is said that these magnificent carvings were personally designed by Sanguinius during his lifetime, a dual manifestation of his prophetic and artistic abilities, Sanguinius' remembrance of the most memorable deeds of his eight loyal brothers, and were carved by the warriors of the Blood Angels after Sanguinius' death.
Above Sanguinius' carving, a stained-glass window depicting the Archangel's glory filtered the artificial light, casting colorful specks onto Brother Maureste, the Dreadnought Librarian, adorning this ancient warrior, a mere remnant of his former self, with a layer of radiance.
Every Astartes knows that Dreadnoughts are monuments of the Chapter; some warriors are so precious that even if they fall on the battlefield, their severely wounded bodies will be placed in a Dreadnought sarcophagus, to fight for the Human Emperor for even longer years, until a second death claims their lives.
The Dreadnought sarcophagus is so cold and lonely that even the most loyal warriors feel fear, and so most of the time, Dreadnought warriors are in slumber. But Brother Maureste was not; this former Chief Librarian remained ever-awake, enduring the cold and pain within the sarcophagus to guard this secret dungeon.
Guarding those sacred or blasphemous things, Seth's gaze involuntarily shifted to the Static Field behind the Dreadnought warrior.
Fifteen scrolls, as large as a man, floated within the field, securely protected by lead seals. These were the Sanguinius Scrolls, written by Sanguinius himself, recording all the prophecies he had seen during his lifetime.
Seth's heart stirred for a moment; he felt his two hearts almost filled with a divine presence, and the surging bloodlust within him seemed to be weakened.
It seemed that the dark parts of him retreated in the Sanguinius' fire contained within the scrolls.
Seth turned his head to look at the Dreadnought warrior, Brother Maureste; this ancient warrior was scrutinizing Alexander and Mephiston, who stood before him.
"You came for Sanguinius?" Brother Maureste asked.
Whether it was Seth's illusion or not, when Brother Maureste spoke Sanguinius' name, the bloodlust in the air around them seemed to intensify.
This bloodlust seemed beyond even Sanguinius' fire to completely cleanse; Seth slightly raised a hand to cover his head.
An uncontrollable anxiety and rage lingered deep within Seth's soul; the scene before his eyes flickered slightly, as if he were in this chapel in Angel Keep, yet also as if he were on the Vengeful Spirit.
The figures of Alexander and Mephiston before him wavered, one seemingly transforming into a twisted Warp dark god, the other into Erebus, his face covered in scriptures.
"I came for my promise with Sanguinius."
Alexander nodded slightly, his tone filled with deep sincerity, his fingers subtly sweeping across the clapperboard & robot director. Even Seth, standing nearby, seemed somewhat infected by this sincerity, but Alexander's next words...
"I came to resurrect Sanguinius." Alexander stated his purpose without hesitation.
The Blood God's gaze had already fallen; once Alexander stepped into the passage leading to Sanguinius' tomb, the Blood God would ascertain Alexander's objective.
There was no longer any need for concealment or caution.
Instantly, the scent of blood in the air seemed to solidify.
The ancient sage Brother Maureste suddenly recoiled a step, and the accompanying Librarians and Flesh Tearers warriors froze in place. Seth was also stunned into silence. Rage, endless rage, surged from Seth's spirit and body simultaneously.
His eyes were covered by a thick mist of blood; Seth was enraged, the world was enraged, everything seemed to be weeping blood.
Seth saw darkness in the blood, saw the cold and dark Warp essence behind Alexander's material body.
He saw that in the future, Alexander would drag the Archangel's body, corrupting the Archangel's soul with blasphemous power, staining the pure Sanguinius' fire with an inexplicable metallic blue.
"How dare you!!!!" A beastly roar erupted from Seth's mouth; his rage was almost uncontrollable.
Above the Brass Fortress, the orange-red interwoven Warp sky was brewing a storm of fury.
The Bloodthirsters roared, the Bloodletters shrieked and beat their war drums, and Khorne's servants, engaged in eternal war on the shattered land, also beat their chests with outstretched hands.
Rage! Rage! Rage!
The Blood God was enraged!
Khorne on his throne let out a roar that shook the entire Warp; on battlefields across the galaxy in the real universe, countless mortals inexplicably felt a surge of fury in their hearts; Khorne berserkers on Cadia plunged into deeper madness; the Scarlet Scar above Baal III glowed brightly as if weeping blood; the Tyranids shrieked in rage.
The Blood God was enraged, not because of Ka'Bandha's death.
Ka'Bandha lost in a war; even though it cost Him a little power and permanently lost a Bloodthirster, the Blood God did not care. It did not matter whose blood was shed, even if it was His own blood.
As long as there was bloodshed, the Blood God would only praise it.
The Blood God was enraged because that little Archangel, the cursed Human Emperor, and the new god gradually emerging in the Warp had deceived Him.
Cadia had drawn His gaze, the shadow of the Tyranids had obscured His vision, and the Human Emperor's Cursed Legion was advancing on the borders of His domain.
All of this made Him pay less attention to Baal, allowing that little Archangel and the new god to secretly evade His sight.
That little Archangel, who was both the cause of Sanguinius' birth and the consequence of Sanguinius' death, was attempting to escape His grasp, attempting to return to the material universe, to reappear as a Primarch.
And that new god had interfered, even having initially corrupted the little Archangel.
This was nothing but cunning and deception; they played every trick to escape the Blood God's sight, avoiding true combat. The Blood God was enraged by this.
But blood was unavoidable, war was inescapable; only through bloodshed could true victory be determined.
The Blood God let out a war cry.
A part of His power was tied up by Cadia, and also...
The Blood God looked up into the distance.
On the border of His domain, a cold and dark sun hung low; countless daemons belonging to Him were wailing, their bodies burning with fierce flames, an army like the dead advancing under the light of the cold, dark sun.
The Blood God had to use a large part of His power to deal with it.
The Blood God's wrath materialized, like scarlet blood blades cutting through the barrier between reality and the material world, piercing into Baal III, however...
The Blood God let out a furious war cry; the burning blood blades were obstructed on their way into reality.
Few things in the material world could resist the Blood God's might, even with some power diverted by Cadia and some consumed by the Human Emperor.
But on Baal, there happened to be such an entity, born in the material universe, capable of resisting the Blood God's power.
A shadow filled with greed and hunger suddenly rose from reality, layered like a dark mist formed by billions of tiny insects.
Predator! Usurper! Competitor!
The hive mind let out a sharp cry, resisting the Blood God's power.
It could still distinguish priorities.
It coveted Baal and Sanguinius just as much as the Blood God did.
But It pursued Sanguinius' material body and gene sequence in the material universe.
If Sanguinius were resurrected, It would at least still have hope of obtaining these two things.
But if Sanguinius were corrupted and ascended to daemonhood by the Blood God, then there would be no material structure left, only a pile of inedible Warp bodies.
At that point, the hive mind would have no chance of getting Sanguinius' gene sequence.
The hive mind understood that It had to step up now.
However, the moment the hive mind and the Blood God collided, eighty-eight thousand eight hundred node organisms instantly died, along with the lower Tyranids linked to them.
On the battlefield of Baal, Dante looked blankly at the scene before him.
Among the Tyranids, first one Tyranid node organism after another inexplicably died, their heads thudding to the ground, as if their necks had been severed by an invisible blade.
Subsequently, the lower Tyranids controlled by these node organisms also had their heads fall, just like the node organisms.
In just eight seconds, nearly one-third of the Tyranids on the battlefield had inexplicably died, and they were still dying.
The number of Tyranids currently attacking the Void Shield far exceeded the first wave that attacked the moat, and the one-third death toll significantly reduced the pressure on the Blood Angels.
Dante could even see sparks bursting in the sky again; that was the afterglow produced by the death of Tyranid bio-ships.
Dante showed some confusion; from all indications, this seemed to be the Blood God's power.
But why would the Blood God be so kind as to act for the Blood Angels?
"Or is this also the great power of Saint Doraemon?" Dante couldn't help but murmur softly.