Rising up from a Nobleman to Intergalactic Warlord!!-Chapter 185
---3rd Person POV---
With the breach properly repaired, the duo headed topside to assist the giant ice wolves in finishing off the few remaining daemons. Once the dark city was cleansed of their presence, Victor willed the storm to subside as he flew toward the spaceport to meet with their family. Feeling his body slowly becoming his once again, he assumed that Aremus’ time amongst the living was finite and soon he would disappear forever. Wanting to give him a chance to say goodbye to his brothers and father, as soon as they were clear of the gloom, Victor took a step back and gave his ancestor free rein to do as he pleased.
This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.
“Not to be ungrateful, Victor, but a little heads-up would have been very appreciated. We were not sure what was going on when you…”, Yvraine began to say, sensing something was amiss with the Primarch. “Did something happen during the – “
“Yvraine, save your questions for a later time. Another soul is currently sharing Victor’s body, and they are not long for this world now.”, Yncarne said, able to see the rapidly fading soul intertwined with Victor, ‘I have never seen such extensive damage before… even amongst those that were freed from She Who Thirst’s gullet. They must have fought something truly horrifying to end up in such terrible shape.’
Looking at her patron deity with confusion, she wanted to know more about Victor’s conditions but chose to remain silent at her patron deity’s request. Following Yncarne’s guidance as well, Eldanial and his colleagues stood silently by and observed things from the sideline. Giving the Aeldari god of the dead a grateful nod, Aremus slowly hobbled toward his family as tears began to run down his face. Rushing forward to check on their nephew, fearing something terrible had occurred, Dorn and Guilliman were stopped by the Emperor, who already had a hunch about what was happening.
“Aremus, is that you in there?”, the Emperor questioned, feeling wounds many millennia old in his heart beginning to open again.
“It is, Father. I have returned home, as promised…”, Aremus said, forcing himself to smile warmly at them. “Hello again, my beloved brothers. It has been a while, has it not?”
Feeling the warmth of his words in their chests, the primarchs sheathed their weapons and rushed forward to hug their brother. Unsure how exactly this was possible, they chose to ignore the logic and simply embrace their brother once again. Asking him dozens of questions about what happened after he left the Imperium and where he had been all this time, all Aremus could do was give them a weak smile. Sensing something was wrong, one by one they began to realize their brother was slowly fading from existence before their eyes.
“I am sorry, dear brothers; unfortunately, I do not have time to give you a proper answer to all your questions. Several thousand years ago, I fought and lost against our brother Varrim Zephrim as I was returning to Terra. The weapon he slew me with not only killed my mortal body but also mortally wounded my very soul.”, Aremus spoke, jumping straight into what he had to say. “I know not what has come over our brother, but he is no longer the man that we knew long ago. The kindhearted, peace-loving man that helped unite the Imperium of Man has been replaced by a callous, cold-hearted machine. It is almost as if his body was taken over by some unknown entity.”
“Unlike you, Zephrim dove into the deepest parts of the Warp in search of his answers. Could he have been corrupted by the Warp’s taint, as I once was?”, Corvax questioned, trying to make sense of what Aremus was saying.
“No… During my travels, I have seen the terrible effects of the Warp’s taint; that is not what afflicts Zephrim. His graceful, calming aura has been painted over by a bloodthirsty, ominous energy that permeates the very air around both him and his legion.”, Aremus commented, recalling their fight, “Every blow I traded him was filled with a venomous, unbridled hatred for the whole of creation. Yet underneath all of that… there was a hint of sadness and sorrow. That is why I cannot understand what happened to him.”
Startled by this news, the Emperor and his sons were unsure what to make of Aremus’ words. While the traitorous Primarchs had lost a portion of their original personality during their fall to Chaos, none of them had undergone such drastic changes. Angron was the one who underwent the most changes after his fall, yet the remnants of who he once was still lingered to this day. Wondering if an awakening fifth Chaos God was responsible for this, they nervously looked at one another, hoping that humanity had not created its own downfall as the Aeldari once had.
“If, by some misfortune, you happen to encounter Zephrim as well, his blade is not the only thing you need to worry about.”, Aremus explained, trying to wrap things up quickly. “Zephrim possesses a small, orange-hued stone that appears to bend the very essence of the Warp to his will. During our fight, he used it to collect a ridiculous amount of psychic energy and bestowed it upon his legion. They began to radiate a purple aura and obtained strength rivaling that of us Primarchs.”
“I have never heard of such a powerful relic before.”, the Emperor said, turning to the Aeldari. “What of you? Did your ancestors create the object he is referring to?”
“Our ancestors did attempt to bend the Warp to our whims on many occasions throughout the years, but it always resulted in catastrophic consequences for us. If such a relic does exist, it is not of our making.”, Eldanial asserted as one of the foremost experts on their ancient past.
“Aremus, it sounds like Zephrim got his hand on an ancient relic called the Soul Stone. It, along with five other stones, was created before the dawn of the universe by an unfathomably powerful entity named Nemesis.”, Victor spoke up, “Let them know that I will explain things properly another time.”
Relaying Victor’s words to everyone, Aremus turned inwardly to speak with Victor privately. Wishing he had more time to spend with his descendant, he spoke quickly as his consciousness was beginning to slowly fade away now.
“Victor, head to the Imperial World of Solshura Nine and search for my flagship, the Spiritus Libertatis. It should be somewhere in warp space not far from there, assuming no one else has found it over the millennia. Claim it for yourself and review all of the information in the ship’s database. I name you as my official heir, both as the Second Primarch and the Emperor of the Caspiel Empire.”, Aremus said, “I want you to know, I am honored and proud to call you my descendant. We may have only just met each other, but I can tell you are everything I strove to be in life. Never forget the powerful, noble blood that courses through your veins, Victor. Be well and live a long, fulfilling life as I did.”
(AN: Spiritus Libertatis is Latin for Spirit of Freedom.)
Thanking Aremus for his kind words, Victor swore to do his utmost to live up to his legacy. Assuring his descendant that he already had, Aremus turned his attention back to his family for the last time. Hugging each of his brothers one at a time, he embraced his father last and held him as tightly as he could manage.
“Please forgive me for not being here to protect our homeland during its darkest hour. When I set out on my journey, I left seeking answers to the trouble I saw brewing on the horizon. By the time I found what I was looking for, nearly everything we achieved together was reduced to ashes.”, Aremus choked up, “When my eyes saw the devastation that the Horus Heresy had wrought on our nation, the guilt I felt inside brought me to my knees. My father had been interned upon the Golden Throne, three of my beloved brothers lay dead, and eight more danced upon the ashes of what once was.”
“Nothing that came to pass was your fault, Aremus. Zephrim and you tried to warn us many times that the Imperium of Man was going down the wrong path, but we failed to heed your words. Everything that happened after your departure is on our shoulders alone.”, Vulcan said, beginning to choke up as well. “Do not allow yourself to carry that burden to the grave.”
Agreeing with Vulcan, the Emperor and his brothers assured Aremus that he was blameless for what happened. Telling him to let go of the burdens that still weighed him down, they wanted him to pass on with a light heart.
“When Victor brings Ferrus and Sanguinius back among the living, let them know that the debts they owed me now go to Victor. By my count, that should be several barrels of ale, a replacement cape, a new trumpet, and a pair of boots.”, Aremus laughed, “Farewell, Father and my brothers. May you all find the same happiness I found out there amongst the stars.”
Fading away into the ether after finishing his sentence, Victor was once again alone in his own body. Taking a moment to ensure that everything was functioning normally again, his grandfather and uncles walked away from everyone to have a private moment. Noticing tears falling from their faces, the Custodes and Marines took a knee to silently mourn the passing of Klordius Aremus.
---Victor POV---
Changing back into my normal form, I released a long sigh as a sudden wave of exhaustion hit me. Recalling that overuse of the Odin-Force exhausted its wielders, I was grateful that I had not gone too overboard when Nurgle appeared. Wanting to go aboard my ship to check on Isha and the other Aeldari gods, Loki came stomping over to me before I had the chance to do so. Turning around to greet her, the Asgardian goddess of mischief began jamming her finger into my chest.
“Explain yourself, mortal! Just how in the nine realms did you gain access to the Odin-Force?!”, Loki shouted, pointing back at the thousands of giant ice wolves staring at us from afar. “Also, why did you make copies of my son Fenrir!?”
“All I did was tap into the power Odin bestowed upon Beta-Ray Bill, nothing more. Since Odin and Thor are technically no longer in this universe, it probably named me as their successor.”, I said, grasping at straws. “Hehe, I put the Odin-Force to very good use, though. The attack may have been rather crude, but it was more than enough to knock Nurgle down a few pegs.”
“Wait, one of the Chaos Gods showed up here?!”, Yncarne shrieked, having been unable to sense him due to the intense power coming from the blizzard.
“Yeah, he revealed his ugly mug to us as I was about to seal the breach that Khaine’s Door once covered. While Aremus distracted him, I spirited Isha out of her cage and onto my flagship. When he noticed her disappearance, the Lord of Decay flew into a rage… so I blasted him in the face with an overwhelming amount of fire and lightning magic.”, I chuckled, “Thinking about it now though, I most likely crippled the ugly bastard permanently. Oh well, haha!”
Before anyone could respond to my words, the four Aeldari gods aboard my ship hastily disembarked from my ship. Hearing Lileath calling out to me, I turned around just in time to see her come flying at me with a heavenly smile. Completely disregarding everyone else, she nuzzled her face against mine with a giddy laugh.
“You brought my mother home, thank you, Victor!!”, Lileath said, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I cannot begin to tell you how much this means to me.”
Silently walking up to us, the goddess Isha stared at her daughter intently for a moment with a mischievous smile. Able to take a proper look at her now, I was astonished to discover that she looked strikingly like Hestia from Danmachi. The main differences were her elf ears, taller height, and white hair. Giving me a rather suggestive wink, she loudly cleared her throat to garner her daughter’s attention.
“You have matured quite a lot during my imprisonment, haven’t you, Lileath?”, Isha giggled, “I recall the days when you could hardly muster the courage to give your father a kiss on the cheek when he left on his hunts. Now here you are openly flirting with a human in front of us. My, how the times have changed.”
“It is as I said, dear sister. Our precious Lileath has fallen hopelessly in love with the savior of our pantheon.”, Cegorach snickered, “Make sure you practice safe intimacy with one another before you make things official. We do not want another Ahnakh-Yth on our hands.”
“Do not bring that up in front of our worshippers, Cegorach!”, Vaul sighed, smacking his nephew upside the head.
Realizing that five of their twelve gods were standing before them, the Eldar respectfully dropped to one knee and bowed their heads. Insisting that they not stand on ceremony today, Isha wanted this to be a happy occasion, as their presence here today marked a major turning point for the Aeldari people. Greeting Eldanial and the other Aeldari warmly, she thanked them for their continued prayers to the pantheon over the millennia since the Fall. During her captivity in Nurgle’s Garden, their kind words were what kept her from slipping into despair.
“Speaking of prayers… I received quite a strong one from a certain Eldar woman last night.”, Isha said, looking back at me. “She absolutely adores you, Victor, and has big plans for your future together.”
“Oh no… Please do not bring this up here and now…”, I pleaded, wanting to avoid exposing Amallyn’s deep desires.
“Do not be like that, Victor. It fills my heart with joy to know that love is still alive and well in the Aeldari people. I have not seen such burning passion in several millennia now.”, Isha commented, stepping closer to me so only Lileath and I could hear her, “Do you have room for one more in your harem, Victor? I am interested in experiencing what you gave Amallyn last night for myself.”
Letting go of my neck, Lileath slid down my chest to the ground and swiftly spun on her heels. Stretching her arms out in front of me, she vehemently rejected her mother’s advance as she puffed out her cheeks in anger. Seeing her darling baby girl in that moment, Isha instinctively reached out and patted her on the head before she realized what she was doing. Pushing her mother’s hand away, Lileath made it clear that papering her was not going to work on her today.
“Hehe, you really have grown up, my dear daughter.”, Isha praised her. “In that case, I have even more reason to pursue a relationship with Victor. I am interested to get to know the man that turned my baby girl into a fierce woman. How about it, Victor?”
“Absolutely not, I am not handing Victor over to you or any other goddess!”, Lileath refused.
“I would never steal your husband from you, Lileath. The two of us can share him easily enough; from what I hear, there is plenty to go around.”, Isha purred, pushing her breast out. “Well, big guy? How does that sound to you?”
Opening my mouth to say something back, Cegorach butted into the conversation.
“Yes, Victor, you have the rare opportunity to sample both expired and unfinished Aeldari wines!”, Cegorach snickered, immediately running away from us.
Processing what he said for a moment, the two goddesses turned their gazes toward the fleeing god and bolted after him. Calling him many unsavory Aeldari curse words, they swore to kick his ass for those insults. Reminding them that they would need to catch up with him first, he continued to laugh as they disappeared aboard my ship.
“Victor, take care of them. They did not deserve the torment they endured all these years.”, Vaul whispered to me, “Do not worry about Kurnous; he only temporarily stayed with Isha because of Lileath. Now that she is fully grown, Kurnous will most likely return to the lone wolf lifestyle he once lived. He has preferred the solitude of nature to the passionate romantic life Isha wanted.”
“Well… I do have a thing for mature women… so…”, I murmured, scratching the back of my neck, “I will see what I can do.”
Suggesting we begin scouring Commorragh and the nearby Webway for Vect and the other Archon’s hidden caches, I wanted to see exactly what sort of treasures the Drukhari had kept hidden away from prying eyes.
