nucmednet Chapter 379 Becoming a Mortal?
Chapter 379 Becoming a Mortal?
**Macurag: The Sanctuary of Death - Edge of Dreams**
Russell's consciousness floated in the gap between illusion and reality.
- **Left Ear**: Echoing the emperor's sacred words, solemn and cold—
"You are my sharpest blade; you must slay all heretics."
- **Right ear**: A chaotic whisper, like maggots wriggling—
**"He's afraid of you...like he's afraid of another Horus..."**
Deep within the dream, the phantom of **Kayans** slowly emerged.
This fallen Tzeentch wizard, behind a veil of illusion, reveals a distorted "truth" to Russell—
The dream images flickered:
1. **Guilliman Signs a Secret Order**: In the holographic image, the Regent issues an order to the Mechanicus Sage:
"If Russell is unable to control the situation, immediately activate the 'Purification Protocol'."
(But the real Guilliman never said that.)
2. **The Imperial Guard's Secret Plan:** Waldos, holding a spear inlaid with black stones, whispered:
"This 'Saint-Slaying Spear' was prepared for him."
(In reality, it was a lie woven by Kayans out of his fear of Russell.)
3. **The Deadliest Illusion:** Guilliman stood before the Golden Throne, Imperial Sword in hand, Russell's corpse beneath his feet, and whispered:
"Humanity does not need a second god."
Russell's soul trembled in his dream, his golden psionic energy went berserk uncontrollably, and the black stone walls of his prison cell in reality began to crack.
When Russell suddenly awoke, he discovered—
- He was gripping the throat of a **Mechanicus Acolyte** who had come to deliver food; the Acolyte's mask was shattered and his mechanical lungs were crushed into scrap metal.
The Blood Drinker's entrenching tool broke through the Black Stone Safe on its own and hovered beside him, its blood tank surging with dark red chaotic energy.
- Behind the monitor screen, Guilliman was rapidly issuing orders, and a team of **Silent Sisters** rushed towards the cell.
"This wasn't done by me..." Russell released the attendant and looked at his palm, which was flowing with golden and red energy.
Kayans's voice echoed in his mind for the last time:
"Look how quickly they've decided you've fallen... just like they did with the Senko back then."
The Silent Sisters' black ship has arrived above the Sanctuary.
Guilliman stood in front of the command platform, facing three options:
1. **Execute the Extinction Order:** Annihilate Russell and the entire Confinement Zone with the Black Stone Bomb (completely eliminate the risk).
2. **Exiled to the Eye of Fear**: Let Chaos deal with this "problem" (potentially creating an even more terrifying enemy).
3. **Risking Humanity:** Personally enter the cell to speak with Russell (the Primarch may also be corrupted).
His finger hovered above the button, and the Emperor's Sword hummed in its sheath.
At that moment, Russell was using the Blood Drinker to cut open his left arm—golden blood mixed with wisps of crimson.
…………
**Black Rock Cell: The Chamber of Soul Judgment**
The moment Guilliman stepped into the cell, all the runes on the black stone walls lit up, and the psionic suppression field made the air feel as heavy as lead. Russell knelt on the ground, the Bloodthirsty entrenching tool lying across his face, its blade's gold and dark red gleaming like two intertwined venomous snakes.
"My lord..." Russell's voice was hoarse, the golden flame in his left eye flickering, "If my end is to become another Horus... please end me with your own hands."
Guilliman wasn't wearing a helmet. He let Russell see every wrinkle and every trace of weariness on his face—the marks etched by millennia of warfare and the burdens of regency.
"I've seen true fallen ones." The Primarch knelt down, meeting Russell's gaze. "In their final moments, they were thinking, 'I'm not wrong.' But you… you're afraid of making a mistake."
Kaul activated the final detection device outside the cell:
- **Psionic Spectrum Analysis**: The golden light within Russell's body still retains 87.3% pure Imperial psionic energy.
- **Chaos Contamination Index**: Concentrated only in the blood groove of the Blood Drinker's entrenching tool (accounting for 12.7%).
- **Soul Resonance Test:** When Guilliman approaches, Russell's right pupil slightly dilates.
"There's hope." Kaul's mechanical tentacles calculated rapidly, "But the weapon needs to be removed."
Russell suddenly grabbed Guilliman's wrist with such force that the adamantite armor creaked and groaned.
"My lord, it's speaking to me... The Blood Drinker says you will betray me!"
Guilliman grasped Russell's trembling fingers with his other hand, and pressed his other hand against his heart:
"Then I'll tell you two things."
1. **"You rescued twelve recruits in the trenches of Barunan; they are all alive."**
(The holographic projection shows the current situation of those soldiers)
2. **“If my father had explained things a little more back then… perhaps Horus wouldn’t have fallen.”**
(The Emperor's Sword is stuck in the ground between the two people)
The Blood Drinker suddenly trembled violently, and the dark red energy in its blood tank tried to rush towards the Emperor's Sword, but was forced back by the black stone runes on the hilt.
Suddenly, Guilliman grasped the Emperor's Sword and the Blood Drinker, crossing the two weapons to meet!
The collision of black stone and golden light sparked dazzling flames.
Russell screamed and curled up, golden light flowing from his left eye like liquid.
The **Bloodthirsty Shovel** revealed a dense array of chaotic runes, which coalesced into a grinning demonic face.
"Now!" Killieman yelled at Caul.
The Great Sage activated the **Psionic Extraction Device** atop the cell—a forbidden instrument crafted from the gray marrow and black stone of the Silent Sisters. A silver light enveloped the Blood Drinker, forcefully extracting the dark red energy from Russell's body!
When the last trace of chaotic energy was stripped away:
Russell's golden light in his left eye completely disappeared, and it returned to being a normal human eye.
The Bloodthirsty entrenching tool broke in two, the head of which crumbled into rust.
- A crack appeared in Guilliman's Emperor Sword
"It's over." The Primarch, panting, helped the exhausted Russell to his feet. "Welcome back, soldier."
Outside the prison, Carleon and the super angels knelt on one knee, their wings folded into a salute.
In a corner unnoticed by anyone, amidst the rusty remains of the bloodsucker, a dark red droplet of blood quietly seeped into a crack in the ground…