Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

"Everything in the world is filled with fear."

"Even the gods are the same."

"The gods fear: because they are by no means eternal creatures, because they are not immortal beings, because they have never escaped the master of finality and death."

"They are entrenched on the throne, wearing the great crown firmly on their heads, using the burning and lamentation of billions of races to continue the fire of their rule, and have become the noblest masters and prisoners without hesitation. Until the moment of end that your race speaks of comes."

"But even so, they are by no means eternal."

"They cannot defeat their own nature any more than they can defeat finality and death."

“They are just that: gods.”

"From the most distant times, from the collapse of heaven that these races will never understand, God has been a being that can be killed. It can be spied on, threatened, even completely wiped out, and destroyed forever. Forgotten."

"More than one god has finally fallen to this fate: they can be the true pioneers of the subspace, the creators of countless races in the mortal world, or they can be the predators of stars and devouring, shaking the world with their own power. The Lord of Destruction for the entire galaxy.”

"But they all died. They all died as a god and became the bones at the feet of their successors, as well as the stories and foils in countless ridiculous paintings."

"They are not eternal. Although the crowns and thrones they control will last until the end of all things, they are only users of the crowns and thrones, not owners. Although their own consciousness is so powerful that they are invincible, they are It’s not as perfect as their crowns and thrones.”

"What really matters is the crown and the throne, which will enjoy eternity and which will usher in glory and sublimation, victory and unity at the end of time, not the gods themselves."

"The crown needs to imprison a head, and the throne needs to support a reign. As for the existence and death of the god who rules the world, it is not a question of real value."

"Because, no matter what kind of will and ambition the king has, when he finally chooses to sit on the throne and wear the crown, his past and self will be irrelevant. His thoughts are destined to be unable to defeat the crown, and his will He will never be able to leave the throne, and his name will be completely erased from the past and future."

"Then he became: God."

"The crown will give God his true name, and the throne will give God supreme authority. This is the reward God deserves, because if there is no God to sit on the throne and wear the crown, then the throne and crown will be nothing but the most precious. They are just treasures, and only when someone sits in that position will they become a nightmare for countless races."

"So, when another king walks towards the vacant throne and picks up the crown, everything in his mind will be satisfied, and the kingdom in his heart will be established, but he will only get one thing. Thing: that is true eternity, that is contempt for the end.”

“For it is the crown and the throne itself, not God, that truly governs these.”

"Authority is eternal, but God is not."

"So, the gods will be afraid, they will be afraid of their real threats, they will abandon their burdensome power, they will indulge in the playful, meaningless, so-called eternal game to avoid The great end that belongs to the gods alone.”

"No one expects the end, not even the gods themselves."

"However, no one can stop the end: not even the gods themselves."

——————

The twisted steel god crawls in the hall, brazenly displaying its indescribable existence full of blasphemous aesthetics.

This weird existence that calls itself [Vashtor] is an orphan that can only be born in the wildest fantasies of every Omnissiah believer. It is a stain that can crack the foundation of faith in countless forging worlds. Its existence even made the Spider Queen feel an almost irresistible desire for destruction. Only the deep-rooted rational thinking could make Morgan suppress the urge to sing an elegy of destruction.

It itself is just like any existence of the same level, it is as vague as a concept without an absolute form, but when it wanted to show respect and sincerity, and to ensure the smoothness of the conversation, it left its territory in the Soul Furnace and came to the Gene Queen. When it was in front of it, it had to temporarily accommodate its existence in an equally terrifying body.

The blasphemous steel body exuding steam and smoke is as huge as a knight's mecha, and the biochemical mechanical limbs like human muscles are covered with strange dark technological creations. The creator's pupils are like It burned like a bright lamp, and the same flickering mouth was constantly churning out dry coughs that were like gears churning flesh and blood. Its slender arms hung down, and its sharp claws could scratch the ground, and it relied on these claws, After tearing apart the long-dead casting sage, the ox-like hooves crushed the followers of Omnisiah and arrived at this desolate stone hall.

It was so tall that its high arched spine seemed to be at the same position as the ceiling of the hall. The ferocious shadow engulfed the Primarch and her attendants together, even though there was a huge gap between them. Round Table, but in Morgan's eyes, she was still too close to this bastard with no background at all.

But the Spider Queen was not panicked, she could even take her time stroking the hair of the Virgo beside her to comfort her: in response to the sudden situation just now and the terrifying creation in front of her, Virgo's strength was enough to drown thousands of Asta The firepower organization of the special warriors has been completely spread out. Judging from the size alone, it is not inferior to the Creator by much.

But neither Morgan nor Vashtor seemed to notice this terrible firepower. The Creator just glanced at the Spider Queen's first creation casually with a critic's gaze, and then gave A perspective amidst the sound of roaring gears.

"Nice idea."

"But you can do more: since you have opened the fusion of spiritual energy and machinery, you don't have to be so stingy with spiritual energy. You can give it more authority, terror and power: you know how You know how to make it a real disaster."

"Its upper limit will be more terrifying than those chief demons who show off their power in the Sea of ​​Souls. It can drag ten star regions into the waves of the sea of ​​death and blood on its own. You can completely make it like that. Because you have that kind of knowledge in your mind.”

Morgan blinked, cold waves rolling in her eyes.

[What does my creation have to do with you, devil? 】

"Of course it doesn't matter. I'm just giving a suggestion. You can understand this as a necessary goodwill, an opening statement to pave the way for our next transaction to proceed smoothly: In your race, This step seems necessary.”

Vashtor waved his hand to disperse the dust raised by its footsteps, then pointed at the [goods] on the table, and continued his story and [goodwill] with an unquestionable authority.

"Just like the things you ordered, they can indeed achieve the effect you desire, similar to [spiritual bones], and can be produced on a large scale, but if you use an appropriate method when creating this raw material, If you add the ashes of the Eldar in a certain proportion, its effectiveness will far exceed your imagination, and it can even produce extremely strong resistance to the subspace."

"Those who call themselves the Ark Eldar and the ashes of the Harlequin Troupe are the most effective in this regard. Those who wander on their own in the wild world are less effective. As for those Comorian races who claim to be the orthodox Eldar race, if they If their death is accompanied by absolute pain, then their ashes are also high-quality building materials."

"Of course, it all depends on your own thoughts. I am just proposing an opinion. As for whether you will choose this path, and whether you will swallow the fruits of success or failure, it is not determined by my will. "

"Now, I think you've witnessed my sincerity: can we get started?"

"Or do you need to ask for permission?"

Morgan's brows jumped. She admitted that she was a little interested in the words of the thing in front of her, but she did not want to let this maverick devil be complacent about it: even with the blessing of some special means in her mind, She could confirm that every word spoken by the demon in front of her was indeed true and reliable.

For a demon, this is truly a rare miracle.

The Spider Queen was silent for a moment. She could feel the devil's pupils staring at her. It was waiting for the conversation to really start. It was waiting for Morgan's answer and nod.

【……】

Morgan was not silent for long.

[So, what do you want to talk to me about, or trade, devil? 】

"A simple exchange of equals."

【Simple? 】

"It depends on how you choose: I will make every detail of the transaction very clear, but whether you agree to this transaction and whether you will benefit from this transaction is all your own responsibility: I will Take my share, and whether you get more or less, I’m not interested.”

The voice of the Creator boomed from the loudspeaker in the room, and at the same time, it was whispered with static in the Spider Queen's armor audio device, while the Spider Queen listened with the most careful attitude. I reviewed all of Vashtor's words over and over again in my mind, carefully searching for possible mistakes and traps, and exploring the possible hidden tricks in the Creator's words.

The Creator sensed this cautious and vigilant attitude, but it did not respond with any anger. On the contrary, its gear tone actually reflected a wave that was closest to the concept of "pleasure".

【……】

【what do you want to trade? 】

Every word spoken by the Lord of the Second Legion occurred after a long silence. She expressed her thoughts in short, broken sentences, her brows always furrowed, and the sparkling psychic energy at her fingertips never faded.

"this."

The Creator spoke concisely. His hooves hidden in the flames and smoke stepped on the stone slabs, making a clicking sound. The twisted creation climbed onto the marble platform behind the round table, where the top was covered by a large curtain. When he got up, he could only vaguely see a huge cage.

The Creator lifted the curtain, and what he saw was an almost impossible cage: This prison was made of pure black steel and weathered stone pillars. Its complex structure told its delicacy, but its The appearance is simple enough to be seen through at a glance, but it also seems to be some kind of temporary product put together from here and there.

Of course, in front of the prisoner it held, these contradictions were not worth mentioning: the Spider Queen's pupils couldn't help but dilate the moment the curtain came down, for no other reason than that this building was about the size of a war engine. Inside the cage, there are actually...

An asteroid?

Yes, an asteroid.

Although it sounds ridiculous, both its true appearance and the flickering perception of the Primarch are certain of one thing: this is indeed an asteroid, which was used by the Lord of the Soul Forge in a strange way. Captured and imprisoned in this contradictory cage.

Vashtor's voice sounded at the right time.

"Please allow me to introduce this thing to you: this thing is called [Heart of Plague]."

"Its history is far more distant than any ancient monument you can find. It was born in an ancient time when gods, heavens and miracles existed. It was placed high hopes and missions by its creators and was hidden away. In a place that is almost impossible to find."

"In the long years of countless races and civilizations alternating, even the degenerate hedonists who imprisoned it have long forgotten its history and truth, and its cage decayed in the eternal cycle until it was completely The earth turned into a puddle of scorched earth, allowing it to escape the obstacles of its prison and return to the Milky Way again."

"Countless overlords and warlords once had its authority. Even the owner of the Rotten Garden once sent his subordinates to pursue this power. The name Plague Heart was also born at that time, but in the end, it Still it came into my hands.”

"In order to completely remove those traces of decay, I soaked it in the soul furnace countless times to ensure that it looks like this now: absolutely indifferent purity, and can be used as part of our deal."

The words of the Creator echoed over and over again in the Spider Queen's ears. Morgan took a moment to clear up her confusion. She slowly narrowed her eyes, thinking about the value and pitfalls of these words, and also thinking about herself. Do you still have the ability and confidence to terminate this transaction at any time?

This time, she remained silent for an especially long time.

[I have a problem, devil. 】

[Answer them, or we end this conversation immediately. 】

Vashtor didn't reply, it just returned to Morgan, with a vague sound in its voice as a response to Morgan's words.

"Speaking."

"As long as I can answer it for you now, I will disclose it."

【……】

Morgan fell into thinking, and countless torrents of thoughts were tumbling in her mind, sweeping up one roaring wave after another: she had too many questions to ask, but they were either too trivial or too obvious, Or it might reveal her lack of confidence.

In the end, after a brief but intense thinking, there was only one last priority option left in the Spider Queen's mind, an issue that became increasingly important because of her selfish nature and involved her extremely cautious and sensitive heart.

She looked at the Creator and spoke.

[Why, you chose me? 】

[What do the names you revealed to me mean? 】

——————

【Master of two fields】

【Princes of Three Kingdoms】

[Those who eat relatives, ministers who kill kings]

【King of the True West, Lord of the True South】

Over and over again, Morgan recounted these titles in his mind, constantly hammering and honing their authenticity, thinking about the meaning behind each word.

Some of them she could understand, but other names made her feel a little confused and familiar, as if they did have some connection with her, but she had lost this connection at some point.

This even made her irritable.

Therefore, after a short period of thinking, the Spider Queen decided to resolve the troubles caused by these names first, and then think about this transaction that was being promoted at various levels under surveillance.

"Ah, that was my oversight."

Morgan originally thought that she would be greeted with a burst of surprise, a laugh, or simply a sound of gears mixed with irony and vague meaning. However, what actually happened next was more complicated than she imagined. A little simpler, a little more bizarre.

Faced with this question, Vashtor hesitated for a rare moment. It did not start to answer immediately as usual. Instead, it was like a machine that had stopped running. After a moment of real silence, it lit up again. He opened his eyes and apologized.

"Then, please allow me to make up for this oversight and give you the answer."

The slight pleasure that once appeared has completely disappeared from the friction of its gears. Now the Creator is standing in front of Morgan, ten meters away from her. Its movements reflect absolute rigor and formality, as if it is treating A worthy opponent.

"Forgive me, Queen of Slavery."

"Out of some habit and negligence, I used the titles you can take in the future to call your current state: but considering the time state in the subspace, you are worthy of these titles now. It’s just that you haven’t realized it yet.”

"You are nobler, more important, and more tragic than you think."

"Perhaps in some respects, you are the same as the blood brothers you mentioned, both are peerless weapons created by your genetic father, but you are fundamentally different from them, which can be called a ravine. difference."

"Their future is freedom, your future is imprisonment."

"Their mission in life is to seize, and your mission is to preserve at all costs."

"They are sacrifices in a destined great war, bargaining chips in a deal that will eventually collapse. Their fate will be forged with the laughter of the gods and their own blood."

"But you are different. You were born for that unexpected future, for the choice that scares everyone, for the king's resolute sword swing after the war failed, and for the red line of rationality for both parties after the deal was broken. Your destiny will be determined by Others will decide, and the choices of those confused people and your awareness will determine what kind of existence you will become."

"To put it simply, your brother is the sword your father forged for conquest, and your existence is the detonator your father prepared to drag everyone into destruction in order to prevent his plan from completely failing. ."

"You bear this fate, not only for you, but also for another of your blood relatives."

【……who is he? 】

"I can't say that this is beyond my authority and risk assessment, but you will soon know that person's name, and he will be imprisoned on the border between death and survival until the country you jointly created comes to an end: This is the punishment he will bear."

"And you are one of the executioners."

"You will serve as your genetic father's envoy to execute him: for his failure."

【……】

Morgan's pupils flickered, and she did not continue to delve into this issue, because she had already guessed who this brother was: Who else needs her to be the executioner?

At the same time, the Spider Queen had to sigh: Compared with other existences, the Lord of the Soul Furnace is indeed much more frank and even sincere, although this cannot erase its nature as a demon at all.

Her pupils became colder.

[Continue to answer the question I just asked, devil, you have been avoiding it. 】

"I can guarantee I didn't."

Vashtor's voice became a low slow rhythm, making it unclear whether it was hiding or angry.

"I will tell you as much as I can reveal."

[Then say it quickly. 】

"OK."

"In the subspace, there is some kind of distinction that you don't know yet: although from an outsider's perspective, the kingdom of the gods is extremely chaotic and intertwined, their respective domains are extremely clear. You just can’t see it.”

"There is only one palace of chaos, but surrounding this final palace, there are eight realms. Each realm will have a lord, a throne, and a crown. Among them, there are four The first crown has been placed upon the head of the god, and the fifth will soon have its wearer."

"In other words, among the eight territories of Chaos, there are actually five that already have or are about to have their masters. Although the four gods who have come to rule have tried every means to get involved in other territories, they The only real realm is the one they are king of, because they can never be united, and any god who sets foot in other realms will be quickly and ruthlessly surrounded."

"In this case, the remaining three territories remained blank. They were not taken away by any god, but continued to wait for their masters: among the eight-pointed stars moved by Chaos, these three territories The empty realms occupy due east, due south, and due west.”

"As for the fifth god who is about to ascend the throne, it has already reserved the throne in the true north. That is the authority of finality and death, and it is the music of betrayal and loneliness."

"As for the remaining three crowns, what is opposed to the fifth one is the loneliness created by greed and hatred, the kingdom of eternal futility, eternal stupidity, forever trapped in the spiral of self-destruction, the kingdom that devours everything. Desire is the hatred that burns all things."

"This is the country due south, and this is where your power will take root."

【……mine? 】

"Yes, your flag will be planted in that land, but it will not be firm. You do not have the blood or claim to rule there. You can only become a firm tyrant, using power and violence to drive the power of that land: you He won’t be the king there, but he will be the supreme one there.”

"Because you occupied it in the only way that Chaos can admit."

【……】

Morgan blinked.

For a moment, she wanted to ask what the so-called "correct way" was, but she stopped this desire because the question was not necessary.

She spoke, pointing to the core of this tirade.

[However, according to your previous words, I will have another land, a domain that belongs to me: corresponding to you? 】

"That's right."

The Creator nodded, its huge head turning at a suspicious angle.

"You don't seem surprised?"

[No words coming out of the devil's mouth will surprise me. I will listen to your story, but I will not immediately accept it as a real future. 】

"Wise choice."

A brisk whistle of smoke came from the Creator's chest, and it raised a hand and continued its tirade.

"As I said, apart from the fifth god who is about to return to his throne, and the King of Zhengnan who opposes it, there are only two ownerless territories left next to the palace of chaos: Zhengdong and Zhengdong. Xi, if they are called by the harmless words of you mortals, they are [Vicious Art] and [Invisible Distortion] respectively."

[Then let me guess, you are the claimant of the crown of vicious skills. Although you have not really obtained this authority, you can already use some of its power? 】

"So do the gods."

The roar of the Creator is like a rather ironic smile.

"Yes, even though I am the chief candidate of the Zhengdong Realm and the one most likely to ascend the throne, I am still not a real god. However, because there are currently no other competitors, or I With a huge advantage among all candidates, I can still temporarily mobilize some authority."

"Because I already hold the key to that crown."

【key? 】

"The crown doesn't care who wears it. No matter what past you have or what methods you use, as long as you win the competition, defeat other potential candidates, and get the key that corresponds to the realm and the crown, you will You can step onto the throne that belongs to you.”

"The key is so important. When you become its owner, you can already be called a god in a sense. You can even carve out an independent territory and kingdom in the subspace. Any existence No one can easily touch its land."

【……】

With the thoughts of the Primarch, it was a piece of cake to sort out these simple words, but Morgan remained silent for a long time. It took her a long time to calm down the turbulent waves in her heart and maintain at least the appearance of her face. Indifference and composure.

After temporarily ignoring the terrible meaning hidden behind these words, the Spider Queen was able to focus her attention again, following the words of the Creator, and thinking about the core content of the topic at this point.

She found it quickly.

【key? 】

[What’s that like? 】

【Do I own it? And you use this to infer that I am your kind, your mirror? 】

The Creator shook his head.

"I have another way to judge your identity: but I can't say, I can only tell you that the keys to each crown are different. They have no fixed existence, appearance or even concept, but when you When you realize what your key is, you will be able to join my ranks."

"It won't be long. You will soon realize your power and authority."

"Trust me, you won't turn it down."

【……】

【How long will it be soon? 】

"About a century, or maybe longer, mortal time means nothing to me."

【……】

Morgan took a deep breath.

【last question. 】

[Can you tell me now, why do I have this key, or this...qualification? 】

The Creator's profane body trembles with its laughter.

"About this, ask your creator. He knows better than anyone else. He is the true creator, controller and even beneficiary of all this. He is far more powerful than you think, and he is far more powerful than you think. crazy."

——————

"do you know."

"The gods fear your creator."

"They feared the fire he had stolen from the Warp, a priceless treasure he had snatched away with his meanness and strength."

"When he can master this flame, he can pose a real threat to the will of the Four Gods, he can reverse the logic and structure of Chaos itself, and he can issue initiatives and threats to the void, because the Four Gods I will maintain a certain compromising posture towards him.”

"He stole the fire, he was Prometheus driven to madness."

"He stole too many things, too important things. They were so numerous and important that they could only be vaguely referred to by the word flame. His great cause was running because of these stolen sparks, and he continued his plan in an orderly manner. .”

"And you."

"It's also his treasure."

"And you."

"Also part of the flame."

"He stole you from the warp, along with something else just as important as you."

"So now, the four gods have prematurely paid attention to the land of reality, and have prematurely confronted each other with your creator, fighting and compromising in silent contests."

"The purpose of the Four Gods is nothing else."

"The steps of the Four Gods are here for you."

"They want to take you away, but your creator has already built a terrible trap with you as the center. Even the gods dare not step into his plan rashly."

"They're scared."

"because……"

"You and your future."

"It's the existence that scares the gods."

"so."

"The gods thirst for you."

"Follow You."

"Around you."

"At the same time, I am also afraid of you."