Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

"I'm here to ask you for this city, but I'm not asking you to give it to me, because I already have this city in my hands. This is just a necessary step."

"Through the principles and truths of the world, I have learned what your hearts think and how your brains work, and with this knowledge, I will bring peace to this civilization."

"I will become the evil of this city. It is my bounden duty to drag you out from the barbarism."

“Peace will rule over all, just as I rule over all.”

"All crimes will be severely punished."

"I am the leader of civilization. I will bear your sins and bring you light."

"I'm on to something great."

"so."

"I want more."

"I want to achieve more, get more, and I want to take away the responsibilities and powers that belong to me."

"I will be your king."

——————

Conrad Curze rose from the rubble.

He was huge, slender, and showed the desolation caused by a long period of malnutrition. His pale skin was covered with scars and bullet marks, and his long, messy black hair was still filled with a lingering air even after the most perfunctory care. A disgusting oily color.

This black-eyed giant wore a nondescript, unattractive dark robe, barely covering his body with a shroud-like tattered creation. This was his royal robe, although it neither looked like a The luxurious clothes are not like a set of sophisticated armor, but this does not prevent Curze from wearing it and becoming the king of Nostramo and Eternal Night.

After all, his royal power has never relied on heavy crowns and extravagant accessories, but on something simpler and more effective: he knows this very well, and has therefore become [Midnight] ghost】.

Midnight Ghost.

This was the first human word that Nostramo had taught him, and it was also the one he liked best, and when he heard these syllables sputtering out intermittently from those chapped lips that either trembled or feared, he thought Knowing that it was time for him to act.

All this time, this alarm bell has never failed Coz's trust. The fear permeated in the trembling words and the stench of urine is more credible than all the lives in this fallen world combined, and it will come again and again. Over and over again, urging the pace of the midnight ghost, until even in the darkest night, nothing can make it sound the alarm.

That was the moment Curze had been waiting for: he would no longer hunt, and his city would become a quiet hive, illuminated by the lights of reform and the silent order.

And it is not easy to achieve all this.

At least for now, he hasn't succeeded yet.

Thinking of this, Midnight Ghost couldn't help but laugh. His snow-white teeth were more thrilling than his milk-colored lips. There were bone fragments and shreds of rotten meat between the jagged teeth. He skillfully used his tongue to Cleaning his teeth was the only way he had cleaned his mouth in more than ten years.

The bones and blood between the sharp teeth came from the disemboweled wild dog at his feet. This was a prey he captured with a mouse as emaciated as himself. He tasted the liver and thighs of the wild dog to Suppressing yet another protest from the empty stomach.

Over such a long period of time, his originally delicate stomach, which would curl up into a ball from time to time, has learned to submit to the master's unlimited desire. It no longer roars for food from time to time, and has become accustomed to eating any rancid meat. Eat it in chunks and turn it into energy for the midnight ghosts to wander around.

Even after Midnight Ghost became the king of Nostramo, this habit was still well preserved. Curze never attended the banquets held to flatter him, and he never tasted the delicacies of the nobles. Still can't believe everything that comes from Nostramo.

The midnight king is content to be the worst eater in his kingdom, foraging in the solitude of all things, savoring all the "right" foods he can find, no matter how bad they are. Regardless of whether these foods are them or they.

Yes, he had tasted the guilty ones he had judged. He knew that human eyeballs tasted like warm jelly, and the reason why he did this was just to obtain enough information.

Coz laughed again, as if he was mocking his own hypocrisy. He inserted his dirty nails into the frightened wild dog's eyeball and threw it into the hungry stomach of the Midnight Ghost. The weird juice was satisfying. his appetite, and after less than a minute of feasting, the Midnight Ghost threw away his dinner.

He looked up at the night sky.

Even the madman who loves Nostramo the most will not praise the night here. There is no clarity, no silence, only an endless quagmire of horrible noises, and the dome contrasted with the steel surface by the worst painters. The bottom is coated with asphalt-like stagnation, strangling hope and the starry sky in the skinny palms.

But Coates was happy.

He is full.

Satisfied, the King of Nostramo walked forward. He came to the edge of the unnoticed rooftop and leaned next to the statue that was uglier than him. He could not recognize what kind of creature was engraved on this statue. But from the ferocious face and sharp claws, he found a few things in common.

The Midnight Ghost stands on one of the highest points of the city he rules. This ancient building originated from the rumored glorious age. The sharp top of the tower can pierce the sky, telling the story of ambition and glory that belonged to thousands of years ago. When Midnight When the ghost stopped for a while in this long-abandoned ruins, he always had a lingering thought.

He seemed to be standing by the lake, standing near a crystal clear lake. His paws were the dividing line between the two worlds. Through the non-existent lake, he could see the sparkling shadow of himself in his fantasy. , just like the miserable Narcissus praying for his lover in front of the illusory silver mirror.

Above his head, the few ancient spiers stretched out into the swirling dark clouds, stirring the weak stars hidden outside the purple-black sky. The landmarks showed the same devastation, like rough asphalt poured randomly, crushing countless hearts.

In this world, Midnight Ghost has never seen the sun, and although his mind tells him that he should have one, he does not: his sun is taken away from him, like so many things in his life. .

But under his feet, in the land where the midnight ghost has come, it reveals a dilapidation that is completely different from the sky: ever since Conrad pronounced his mercy on the already frightened nobles, his rule first began in Quintu. The hive city was established and spread like a virus to the remaining industrial cities of Nostramo. This expansion was not accompanied by military war or peace negotiations, but the cloak of the midnight ghost pierced the night sky again and again. The lonely sound.

Such a voice gave Nostramo unimaginable changes. In the past, the Kingdom of Eternal Night was hopelessly indulged in a kind of morbid prosperity. The glorious past and the promotion of fine gold were enough to make the existing people Struggling to survive on the most luxurious monuments, in the eternal darkness caused by the absence of the sun, the false warmth composed of monotonous neon lights, dilapidated billboards and hundreds of thousands of lights occupies the entire city, countless protected by armored glass Driving cars speed by on the wide streets of the old city. The two sides are full of windows covered with barbed wire, or passers-by are swaying and poking their heads. Most of them have [regular] occupations and can live in Those top layers of light.

Alongside such roads are full of dim alleys and fortresses made of mountains of garbage. More than 90% of the Nostramo people live in these smelly mounds, and no one knows about them. What do they rely on to survive? They are like a group of moles with degenerated eyes. They can only keep swallowing the phlegm and vomit in their throats, and their teeth are filled with everything they have taken by force. In order to continue their miserable lives, the only light source in the alley is the shining billboards above their heads, full of products they can never afford in their lifetime.

This is what Conrad Coze saw on Nostramo, and it is also what he experienced in life: when he slowly climbed out of the darkest corner of the planet, his first The blood-stained food was minced meat that was rotten to the point of almost melting, and was naturally stained with the ink-colored stench of the sewer.

This kind of environment that can make life miserable did not affect the emperor's heirs too much. He built a nest here. As a natural, top predator, he showed his fangs and his innate sense of justice. His best sense of smell, the story about the midnight ghost, became a lingering nightmare on the streets of Quintus in the first year of Curze's birth. In this beast-like world, Curze bit the once mighty tyrant. The person wandered out of his own kingdom among the ruins around his place of residence.

A few years later, the kingdom was overshadowed by the original ruler of Quintus, and it was not until that time that Midnight Ghost lamented too late: It turned out that he had never seen anything in Nostramo. It turned out that he had never known what the world looked like.

It turns out that inexhaustible pure water, delicate and soft silk, and food that is thrown away casually after tasting and then piled up in mountains are a real reality in a hive city that is the same as those alleys and slums.

Everything was so strange and fantastic that it even made Midnight Ghost feel uneasy until he saw the same fear he smelled when the blood splashed on the faces of the nobles.

At that moment, he smiled.

He understood that the nobles in front of him were no different from the guilty people in the alley. They were the same type of people and could naturally abide by the same rules.

So, he walked in front of them, he came among those pitiful souls who were gnashing their teeth. He slowly sat on the throne that once belonged to the Prime Minister, counting every possibility in his sight.

For a moment, he expected a different kind of courage to appear in the barrels of guns pointed at him, but in the end he could not wait for the reason for him to kill. The fear he caused carried the stench of the slums. , stepped on the carpet of the nobles majestically, crushing their knees and dignity.

He looked at them, looked at these people who surrendered silently, and laughed heartily. After that, he made a speech, gave an answer, and elaborated on a fact.

Then he became their king.

The only king.

He finally took this step because he knew very well that there was not much time left for him. He saw a fleet advancing towards Nostramo.

Here they come.

Come for him.

——————

The midnight ghost returned to his palace in a dead early morning.

This is a high tower, the pinnacle of the entire hive of Quintus, where the first and only king of Nostramo declared his rule and casually sent the last batch of The protesters hung on the rough spiers that were darkened by industrial waste gas, and continuous screams surrounded the towers for thirteen days and nights.

And all of that happened a few months ago. In this short period of time, the Nostramo people became familiar with the return of the monarchy, and the Midnight Ghost's expansion into other hives made them abandon it. With the desire to resist, those young talents who could endure the fear and the smell of blood stepped forward one after another, walked into Curze's palace, and became another pair of claws for his rule.

And when the footsteps of the midnight ghosts brought the last hive city to its knees, the crimes that had plagued the world for countless generations also came to an end in the Lingchi videos and live broadcasts of executions for several months, and every household was forced to listen to it all night long. Listen to the screams of criminals in the communication network until they understand the importance of justice.

So, when the Midnight Ghost returned to his capital, his royal court, he saw with satisfaction how the Kingdom of Eternal Night had embarked on the right path under his guidance, and how it was shrouded in a world of absolute tranquility and silent growth. middle.

Standing on the spire, stroking the dried human skin, Coz could clearly see the dying sun trying its best to cast a weak halo. In the light, groups of gray-faced workers had expressionless faces. The earth gushes out of their lairs. The only difference between them and the walking dead is the incredibly low sound of breathing. And at the end of this peaceful trend, there are processing plants and refineries rising from the ground on the horizon. , the forging furnace is working day and night inside, spewing out huge amounts of pollution, dooming every resident to be tortured by deadly chemicals for life.

This is the great age created by Coze, and everything he is proud of: trading orders with the surrounding world grow at an unimaginable rate, and the wealth of the nobles is invested in manufacturing and mining regardless of cost. To meet the jobs that can accommodate everyone in Nostramo, stability and tranquility have become the only indicators. Midnight Ghost does not care whether during his rule, the treasury of the nobles is exhausted, the breathing of the poor is difficult, and the food in the granary is Full or not, he is satisfied that under his reign of terror, no one will die from terrible harm to others, and no one dares to raise evil thoughts again, and this is his irrefutable great achievement.

He stood on the high tower, ensuring the continuation of this achievement. As for the specific rule and management, he arbitrarily left it to the city governors selected from mortals, just because he saw in these people To a rare possibility.

At the very beginning, Midnight Ghost tried his best to manage his kingdom, and his hard work did bear fruit: the King of Night learned as quickly as possible that managing anything would be his eternal disaster. His sharp claws can tear apart all evil, but they can never grasp the simplest book.

From this, the governors stepped onto the stage, and at least now, they are very obedient. The fear from the midnight ghost is still deeply imprinted in their hearts. Although they are already the masters of their respective cities, they only need to come from science and technology. With the simplest order, all the governors quickly gathered on the smelly spire.

Lord Balsius was the first governor to arrive, because he was the administrator of Quintus Hive. A few months ago, his question and answer with Curze was a prelude to the King of Night's ascension to the throne.

The Midnight Ghost did not look back, because he had already heard Balsius' heart containing beautiful dreams beating behind him. He knew that this mortal had courage and faith, so after he left, Balsius would be His spokesman in Nostramo.

"They're coming."

"My father, my brothers, and their warriors."

"They're here for me."

The Midnight Ghost's announcement was more like an obsessive murmur. When the state council under him looked at each other because of these huge pieces of information, the King of Night just raised his head and was immersed in his own thoughts. in the world.

A bold governor asked, but the King of Night did not speak. He had closed his eyes, saw another possibility, and entered another world.

The hallucinations that have appeared in his dreams from time to time since he became conscious are becoming more and more rampant. At the beginning, they were just slight tingling and occasional hallucinations, but since he became Nostramo After becoming the true ruler, this uncontrolled perspective began to spread like a virus. Soon, Coz discovered that even when he was absolutely awake, he would start to dream.

He seemed to be transforming into something new. Along with the large fleet that he had long expected, the cold and ruthless light was getting closer to him. The Midnight Ghost could clearly feel the transformation on his body. It seems to be becoming more mature, more complete, and able to be better utilized.

At the beginning, he only heard the last words of his governors a few years later and saw their faces in the future. Slowly, dreams began to invade his rest time. He had to concentrate to distinguish what was in front of him. The truth, which is the gloom of the future.

In the end, even polluting his cognition was not enough to satisfy these vicious illusions. They tore their skin apart and began to expose the most terrifying dreams before his eyes. They allowed him to see the most desperate struggles and the most twisted... Betrayal, the longest war, and the entire galaxy that is destined to burn.

Perceptions from another time and place began to attack him at any time and at any time, and the dust shining with sapphire light began to expand enough to swallow up the scenes of real life, enough to break his spirit, disrupt his steps, and make him invincible. and judgment turned into a disjointed pathetic score.

Rarely, Cozz frowned. He hated such an ability, but he had no way to do anything about it. He couldn't even choose what he could see, nor could he find anything about reality from those messy paintings. The real ending is that he is always deceived, misled, and trapped in an invisible cage called hesitation by slightly different paintings.

When he stares at the weak sun in the sky, he will see Nostramo burning, and he will see his efforts finally swallowed up by this city doomed to sin, and the angry punishment drags the long flames. Come and violently kill the source of all evil.

And when he chose to retreat into the shadows, he saw another completely opposite situation. He saw a better Nostramo, a quiet and orderly industrial country, where the bright sunlight spread. On the healthy faces of the residents, the sound of reciting in the school could be heard in the ears. This future was obviously better, but it only passed by in a flash, unlike the former which occupied the center of the dream.

These two dreams were equally real, as if he could already walk in completely opposite countries and breathe the air of destruction or hope. He could not distinguish between the true and false of each other, let alone the other: in the other Among some of the rarer fragments, Nostramo can be a self-destructive blood kingdom, a dead and lonely wasteland, or a lawless place where a group of barbarians roam freely and start wars.

It seems that everything is possible, it seems that everything is real, it seems that everything is a logical development under the existing conditions, waiting for him to find the real future: not only Nostramo, but also many things that happened in his mind Things are like this, the illusion of the future stands in his mind like a tower, but it is often surrounded by multiple shadows that are fake and real.

But in addition, other things are more accurate and single. Maybe their possibilities have not yet been discovered, or maybe their fate has already been determined: for example, that huge fleet, they have already appeared in On the margins of Nostramo, this is a destined future that will come true no matter what.

And he will leave with them, which is an unchangeable fact.

However, there are still some worries lingering in the heart of Midnight Ghost, and some changes in details are making him particularly uneasy: In the future that he could see at the beginning, the huge fleet would not arrive until more than ten years later. It would come, it would take him away after he had ruled Nostramo for a full generation, not now, not less than a year after he became king.

But this worry was not enough to break Midnight Ghost's self-confidence. When he saw the silent crowd at his feet, he became confident in the new order he had brought to the world. He believed it was beautiful. And he has done everything he needs to do.

He left cities without sin and depravity. In the face of this, whether his rule will last long does not seem to be a problem. Although the governors behind him do not have more talents and strategies, they can rely on his aftertaste. Be a good ruler.

There is no doubt that the Night King is proud.

So, he gathered his national parliament, allowed men, women, and children to temporarily leave the day and night refineries, and flocked to the oldest squares, waiting for his guests.

They are coming, coming for Him.

——————

Midnight Ghost didn't have to wait long.

The Emperor's fleet arrived at an extremely dark noon. His ships cast a huge shadow over Nostramo, but it was no darker than the world itself. When the Midnight Ghost looked up at the unforgettable ship When he saw the wonders of the void, he clearly felt six auras that were particularly important to him.

The Lord of Mankind, his five descendants, and a total of 250,000 Astartes warriors formed a phalanx that nearly fainted countless Nostramos, and slowly and solemnly advanced to the heights of the Midnight Ghost. In front of the tower, this blatant invasion left many of the Night King's subordinates stunned, and the citizens gathered in the clouds were as vulnerable as lambs in front of this unprecedented intruder.

The great battle array composed of black, gold, silver, bright purple and gray stopped at the same time. The God of Thunder and his five descendants slowly walked out. The light of the five demigods could not match that of their father. Strive for glory, because the Lord of Mankind is the legend that Nostramo fears and admires most: he is the sun, he is the fire, and he is the burning light.

Any fool who dares to look directly at the Lord of Humanity will lose their light forever, and Konrad Curze followed their wails and came to the front of his genetic father and blood brothers. He knew that he could not escape.

God stepped forward, arms open, ready to speak.

【Kang...】

The first syllable from the Emperor completely knocked down the Midnight Ghost. His heart was pierced, his blood vessels were steamed, and his cold hands burned in the light that was too close, smashing the most terrifying future towards him. caught his eyes.

No one knew what the Night King saw or thought at this moment. His reaction was really worrying. Amidst the expressionless and slightly sad faces of several Primarchs, the Lord of Humanity took a step forward. The power easily dispelled the despair in the Night King's mind.

[No need to panic, Conrad Coates, I have found you, I am your father, and I am here to take you home. 】

The words of the Lord of Mankind were only transmitted among the Primarch and the closest Custodes, and the demigods smiled with relief, except for a certain lord of Avalon, whose pupils were accompanied by the Emperor's gaze on the midnight ghost. Soothing, and a few different colors flashed through.

At the same time, Midnight Ghost had stood up. He did not kneel down voluntarily in front of the Lord of Humanity. He was unwilling to do so.

"That is not my name, Father. My people gave me that name, and I will bear that name until the day I die."

"I am the Midnight Ghost."

"And I'm fully aware of your plans for me."

These words made at least two of the Primarchs frown, but the Emperor seemed not to be angered by them at all, not even the slightest bit shocked. He accepted Curze's words and regarded him as his heir at this moment.

[Come and meet your blood relatives. 】

【You have been separated for too long. 】

Curze did not reply, but he chose to do so, and the Primarchs stepped forward in an orderly manner and introduced their names.

The first is Dorne.

Curze looked at him and felt countless fragments and possibilities blooming in his mind. They were all different, but most of them pointed to a burning palace, and Dorn was standing there, fully armed, Blood was flowing profusely, and he desperately faced a shadow that was several times taller than him, and looked like a human but not human.

The second place is Luo Jia.

The image he brought was not complicated at all. The figure in front of the statue always maintained a kneeling posture, and behind him were endless warriors. They were very similar to the Astartes in front of them, but they were taller. , too barbaric and cruel, more like a death beast that worships the evil god than a warrior.

The third one is Ferus.

Coze saw him, in countless places and moments, in chaos, like a book without any ideas. He seemed to be standing on a burning steel behemoth, and he seemed to be with the army of the dead. He seemed to be fighting in the golden palace, and seemed to be the breaker of the perfect city wall, flashing with the melody of coldness and bloodthirsty.

The fourth one is Fulgrim, with real light and warmth in his pupils.

Curze couldn't see him clearly, or he couldn't see his whole picture. He could see a noble phoenix holding double blades, but then he saw a tail dragging disgusting pus. There was a scuffle, a breakup, and three flags raised high, but at that moment they were each torn down, and it became a piece of dim history.

These were his four brothers, his four blood relatives. He had just met them for the first time, but he had already seen the sad future.

Midnight Ghost raised his head, and he was ready to face the next...

【I am Morgan. 】

"!"

Koze opened his eyes. The light of the Lord of Mankind made him unbearably painful, but he still resisted and looked at the source of the sound, at the shadow that came belatedly from behind the emperor, and at the A cool voice.

That... sound shouldn't exist.

Midnight Ghost took a deep breath. He spent about a minute simply taking a deep breath, and then looked at the non-existent fifth blood relative in the stunned eyes of all the Primarchs.

He saw it.

At that moment, the extremely hot fragments of the future poured into the eyes of Midnight Ghost like magma, tortured his rationality and persistence unbridled, and he wanted to scream, go crazy, and be like any normal person. Do what you would do.

But there was nothing he could do because he had seen those things.

He saw it, he saw countless worlds burning, he saw thousands of slaves singing and dancing on the remains of civilization, he saw star-like shadows covering those unfortunate worlds, and huge iron claws were about to come. Every star is torn into pieces.

But the next moment, he saw the twilight of the future again, he saw the ending of things that had already happened, and he saw what should have happened on the battlefield named Ran Dan.

He saw the lion-like giant raised his sword and pierced the snow-white neck under the silver hair. Surrounding him were silent black-armored warriors and mountains of silver-white corpses. And countless burning battleships and ruins.

He saw the nine most blasphemous logos flashing in the blue pupils, reflecting the only regret and mourning in the heart of the ruthless King of Knights. He saw the wolf-like wild giant, raising an unstoppable The tip of the victorious spear also pierced the dying heart, but tears were already flowing down his face.

That is the future, that is the past, that is everything that has happened, that is everything he should see.

He should see him, see Morgan, see a brother, a...

Curze breathed deeply.

He stared at Morgan, staring at her with an almost rude look, just like an ordinary human being who wakes up only to find a bunch of living dead pulling at the windows of his house.

It wasn't until this too obvious gaze attracted the attention of all the original bodies and the eyes of the Lord of Humanity that Midnight Ghost slowly spoke and spoke the first words between himself and all his blood relatives.

"Morgan?"

【It’s me, brother. 】

The smile of the leader of the Second Legion has become a little stiff, but she still maintains it well.

But Coze was not moved. He just nodded indifferently, as if he heard the words from a corpse.

Then he spoke concisely.

"Are you really Morgan?"

【certainly. 】

"That……"

"Why aren't you dead yet?"

【……? 】