My Life as A Death Guard
Chapter 420: Mortarion Left Behind on the Ground
In the palace corridor, Mortarion ran into Angron, who was rushing out, and Guilliman, who was chasing after him.
The Lord of the Red Sands was overflowing with fury; the worry in his expression was almost tangible. He gripped his chainaxe and had two of his World Eaters bodyguards slung over his shoulders.
Without even sparing him a glance, Angron brushed past Mortarion, stirring up a gust of wind.
"Angron?!"
Behind the Lord of the Red Sands, Guilliman's shout barely carried through. The giant in blue armor was doing his utmost to catch up to Angron.
Without hesitation, Mortarion turned and chased after Angron as well.
"Angron!"
Mortarion's hoarse voice rang out. He saw Angron's steps pause for a brief moment—then continue forward.
"I have to return to my sons!"
Angron shouted. In his ears he could hear distant roars, the shattering of power armor, and the rough swing of axes.
"Angron, nearby Ultramarines have already gone to reinforce them! You don't need to be so anxious. It might just be aging equipment at the spaceport! This is indeed my negligence—"
Before Angron's eyes flashed those blasphemous visions—piles of blood and skulls. He felt the pain of his sons at the moment of their deaths.
"This is not an accident!"
Angron roared.
"That damned coward hasn't given up! I can feel it! It's been watching me the whole time!"
Guilliman clenched his teeth. His communication channel kept ringing in his ears. The spaceport was still undergoing secondary explosions. The flames from the blasts, along with massive chunks of torn structural debris, had caused some damage to the World Eaters' warships.
He couldn't understand why the World Eaters' ships weren't pulling away from the area. In the observation feeds from the station, the warships simply lay quietly in that raging sea of fire.
"I have to go back and be with them! The World Eaters cannot bear any more bloodshed!"
Angron shouted as he ran out of the towering building. A roaring transport craft waited in the open ground ahead, ready for the Lord of the Red Sands' command.
The panting Guilliman finally caught up. Mortarion glanced sideways at him, reached out a hand, and pulled Guilliman forward slightly. Guilliman shot him a grateful look.
"—Angron, this is a trap!"
Mortarion shouted, though he was certain Angron wouldn't listen now.
Still some distance from the transport, Angron first tossed Khârn and the other unfortunate World Eater he had been carrying into the cabin.
Then the Primarch made a tremendous leap. With a loud bang, Angron's massive figure crashed into the transport.
The craft shook violently as it began to lift off.
"Hey!"
Guilliman stared at the ascending craft. In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
The Macragge space dock where the World Eaters' ships were stationed had exploded.
If it were any other ill-tempered Primarch, upon hearing this news they might have given Guilliman a stab and immediately rushed back to defend their fleet.
After all, the operation of the spaceport was the responsibility of the Ultramarines.
Even if the incident were resolved, the relationship between the Ultramarines and that Legion would be difficult to repair… and in these extraordinary times, Guilliman did not want to lose Angron as an ally. He needed to set an example, to mend the relationship between the Legions, to express his apology—
"Angron! You can't be so reckless!"
Guilliman shouted.
Mortarion looked up and saw Guilliman's figure soaring into the air.
At the door of the ascending transport, Angron leaned halfway out and grabbed Guilliman—who had also chosen to head for the spaceport—in a single sweep.
As if in slow motion, the two Primarchs turned their heads and looked down at Mortarion, who still stood on the ground.
Under Macragge's brilliant sunlight, Guilliman's golden hair and Angron's red helm gleamed brilliantly in the light.
For a moment, in a daze, Mortarion thought Angron and Guilliman were inviting him along.
?!
"GUILLIMAN!! ANGRON!!!!"
Mortarion let out a furious roar.
"THIS IS A TRAP!!!"
His rebreather mask hissed.
"And—Macragge needs someone to stay and defend it!"
And that person should be Guilliman, not him!
Guilliman's hurried voice drifted out from the closing hatch, carrying a hint of apology.
"Mortarion, I'll be back soon. Administrative matters will be handled by Gage. You can leave as well—"
The roar of the transport drowned out everything else. Guilliman paused and swallowed the rest of his sentence.
He turned his head and saw Angron leaning silently against the wall with folded arms, eyes closed, his expression grave.
Guilliman sighed. He opened a communication channel with Mortarion.
"I'll be back very soon. I'm only going to direct the Ultramarines. It won't take long, Mortarion, you can return to your fleet first, or come with us to the spaceport where the incident happened."
From the orbital spaceport above Macragge to the planet itself was only a few hours' journey.
Guilliman had decided to comfort Angron while also heading to the scene to direct disaster relief.
He tilted his head as a string of unpleasant muttering came through the channel. Judging from the context, it was probably Mortarion cursing him in Barbarusian.
Guilliman simply shut off the comm.
The transport finally disappeared into the distance, leaving Mortarion standing there in silence.
At this moment, Garro and Vorx—who had been struggling to catch up to the Primarch—finally arrived.
And what they saw was Mortarion trembling slightly with rage, the hand gripping his scythe quivering.
"The situation with the fleet, Vorx." Mortarion suddenly asked.
Vorx snapped to attention and replied:
"My lord, the shockwaves from the spaceport explosion have disrupted communications. At the moment we cannot contact the fleet. However, before the explosion occurred, everything in the fleet was normal—maximum alert level."
Vorx paused briefly.
"My lord, do you wish to return? I have already notified the Death Guard Stormbird. It will arrive in thirty seconds."
Mortarion cast a deep look at the tiny speck in the sky.
He suddenly turned and walked back into the palace.
"No."
Mortarion said, "Someone must remain here now."
. . .
[Macragge First Hospital]
A noisy crowd packed the entrance of the cardiovascular department. Nurses hurriedly called out patient numbers. Those called squeezed through the crowd and struggled into the consultation rooms.
"So many people are getting sick this year."
One nurse whispered to another. The hospital had already opened several emergency channels to handle the surge.
Lowering her voice, she said, "I heard Doctor Alder say that the symptoms people are showing this time are very similar to those psychic patients who went mad before."
The nurse listening to her immediately covered her mouth.
"Don't talk nonsense! The lords protect us. Everything will be fine."
She glanced toward the Ultramarines standing nearby, maintaining order among the crowd.
The young nurse pushed her friend's hand away.
"I was just saying it casually! Everyone's talking about it. I've heard even scarier rumors—"
The light above the door went out. The nurse immediately stopped talking. She called the next patient's name.
"Next—Sevin!"
<+>
Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 460: Fenris Runs Deep — It's Not Something You Can Handle[1]
Link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/155930421?collection=602520[2]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/posts/155930421?collection=602520
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/155930421?collection=602520