My Life as A Death Guard
Chapter 466: In This World, Only Devotion to the Emperor Remains
In the dimness, the towering dome stretched high into darkness, as if it were watching them. Silence and cold filled the space, leaving only a faint glimmer of light.
That light came from Horus Lupercal—from the Warmaster himself, and from the small, chirping birds hopping around him.
For some reason, Leman Russ felt a mixture of unease and disgust toward those birds. He wanted them away from his brother.
The Wolf King swallowed, cautiously watching Horus. His palm felt cold—the golden shaft of the spear biting into his hand.
After a brief assessment, Russ naturally sat down opposite Horus. He placed the Dionysian Spear beside him, within easy reach.
Horus paid no attention to Russ's caution.
"Why are you here, Horus? I remember you were supposed to be in the Ultima Segmentum, near Baal."
Horus smiled faintly.
"Do you still not understand, my brother? This is a dream. In dreams, you can go anywhere."
The Wolf King frowned.
"This isn't a dream, Horus. I'm real. And something's wrong with you, what kind of winter have you gone through?"
Horus clicked his tongue softly and casually stroked the small birds glowing with a faint blue light beneath his hand.
"It doesn't matter," Horus said.
"There's no difference between dream and reality to me. You're not the first to say that to me—and you won't be the last, my brother."
A low, indistinct growl rose from Russ's throat. He bared his fangs.
"Fine then. What are you doing here, Warmaster?"
Russ saw it clearly—the word Warmaster made Horus pause for just a moment.
Horus hesitated, then lifted his gaze and looked at his brother with sincerity. Russ could see the chaotic colors swirling deep within Horus's eyes.
"…I… I'm not sure. Or perhaps I just wanted to see you."
Horus turned his head and glanced at the massive alien structure behind him.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he said suddenly, without context.
"Xenos technology, perhaps Aeldari… or something even older."
Russ clenched his teeth. He couldn't understand what Horus was trying to say.
"I never knew Fenris had anything like this."
Horus turned back, glancing at Russ.
"This is… fate," the Warmaster said.
"Russ, after me, you were the second Primarch to be found."
Without drawing attention, the Wolf King shifted his hand closer to the spear. He stared at Horus.
He would never forget the first time he met him. In that moment, Leman Russ had seen something beneath the shell of "Horus"—a presence driven mad by not being the Allfather's only son.
As the first Primarch found after Horus, Russ was the only one who had truly seen Horus's twisted attitude toward the Emperor.
Horus had stood there, glaring at him with cold hostility—and Russ, with his wolf's instincts, had felt it clearly, even if it lasted only an instant.
After that, Horus hid it well. He turned himself into a "proper" elder brother, sharing the burden of their "father."
Russ felt his throat go dry.
"And what does that prove? We both know how the Allfather sees us—you are the Warmaster, and I am the sword at his side."
Horus smiled faintly.
"I envy you."
The fur on the back of Russ's neck bristled. Anyone could have said that—except Horus.
"What… do you mean?"
Horus explained patiently:
"He knows you will not question his orders, that you will only carry them out. In that, I envy you."
Slowly, very slowly, the Wolf King leaned back.
"That's not something to envy, brother." He bared his teeth unconsciously, like a threatened beast, his expression turning fierce.
Now, even Leman Russ felt as though this was a dream—because the Horus he knew would never say such a thing.
The Space Wolves had always been the Emperor's executioners. What was there to envy?
Horus fell silent. He lowered his gaze, hands clasped, his tone hesitant.
"Leman Russ… answer me this…. if he ordered you to kill him, what would you do?"
"The Allfather gave you that order?! Horus?!!!"
The Wolf King sprang to his feet. Without hesitation, he drew the sword at his waist, its tip pressed against Horus's throat.
Horus did not resist. He even smiled as he looked at Russ, slowly raising his hands.
"Say that again." The Wolf King spoke through clenched teeth, "What did you just say?"
"It's far more complicated than I made it sound," Horus replied, feeling the cold edge at his neck.
"But I'm not surprised by your reaction."
The Warmaster smiled. "I swear I am loyal to Him. Now, can you put down the sword and listen?"
Russ's gaze locked onto him. Then, in an instant, the blade withdrew. The cold gleam vanished, and Russ sat back down in silence.
This time, he made no attempt to pretend to be a mindless beast.
Of course, Horus thought with a faint smile. Only he—only Horus—had seen Leman Russ's true nature on the day he was found.
A man pretending to be a wolf.
Horus watched him. His eyes drifted briefly to the Dionysian Spear at Russ's side… a gift from their father.
What extravagance, Horus thought. To give a spear of truth to someone who plays the fool.
"This is the Webway," Horus said, tilting his head. Russ's gaze followed toward the structure behind him.
"Our father's hope."
There was no emotion in Horus's tone.
"He left the Great Crusade—left us—for this."
"Xenos technology?" Russ asked in disbelief.
Across from him, Horus smiled faintly—but it was a mocking smile.
"Yes. Xenos technology." Horus spoke casually, almost in a murmur.
"He wants all humanity to ascend into something higher, into a psychic race that can harness the Warp."
Russ was silent for a moment.
"I support it," the Wolf King said simply.
"The Allfather has his reasons."
Horus let out a long, weary sigh. His eyes were filled with exhaustion—and concern.
"But he has been deceived."
"Do you see it, Russ?"
Horus raised his head, his gaze seeming to pierce through layers of earth, toward Fenris's pale wolf-moon.
"Do you see the monster that is about to descend upon Fenris?"
His voice was low, restrained, and cold. Russ was startled to find the entire space dimming around them.
In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through the Wolf King's mind. Meanwhile, Horus's voice continued to echo in his ears:
"Our father… has been deceived. By Malcador, and by it."
The alien structure began to tremble, as if some vast, incompatible presence were approaching it. Dark fissures crept along the corners, like frost spreading before the coming of winter.
"Russ, I have seen much. I have endured much—I have faced the betrayal of a dear friend, and I do not blame him. I have seen brothers turn against one another, and I know it was the result of deceit by false counselors…"
"But I have truly seen his end… the end of our… father."
"What?!"
The floor shook violently. Russ felt as if he were standing on the back of a leaping giant wolf. He rose to his feet as stones began falling from the ceiling.
Strangely, Horus remained seated, unmoving, along with those strange little birds—though now his form flickered like an unstable projection.
"…I cannot accept it."
Blood-tears streamed from Horus's eyes.
"He raised a beast with his own hands—allowed it to grow, to grow strong enough to wound him grievously. Yes, everything here is hostile to humanity—but on this matter, we stand aligned with them."
Horus spoke slowly, spreading his hands.
"The Astronomican has gone dark. It is because Father is hiding from it—we must help him. Until that monster is slain, the Astronomican will never shine again."
That monster tore everything apart with its own hands—the galaxy, the Imperium… all of it was the backlash of its actions.
He had seen it with his own eyes—the Emperor, grievously wounded by the beast's claws… and dying.
Horus stood up.
He walked over to the shaken Russ, and slowly, firmly, grasped the hand that held the Dionysian Spear.
"I am not a fool," Horus said. His hand slid downward along the cold shaft of the spear until it reached the sharp tip.
"I know well that the things of the Warp are not to be trusted. They are merely tools—temporary allies. Their words are both true and false… which is why I came to verify the truth myself."
"Dionysian Spear," Horus whispered.
Russ saw it then—strange light emanating from those damned birds. The flowing glow made the Wolf King's vision blur for a moment.
"Our father's wisdom—those pierced by it may gain a portion of his knowledge. He gave it to you."
Horus lowered his gaze.
"I want to see whether what I have realized is true. Nothing is more suitable than the Dionysian Spear. It is his creation."
"Whether he will truly be wounded by that monster… or something worse."
Horus showed an utterly exhausted smile. As Warmaster, he had failed—but as a son, he refused to fail again.
"I did not protect the Imperium he entrusted to me. But this time… I will not let him be harmed again."
"And those who were abandoned… they too need the head of that monster, to soothe their souls."
A drop of blood slid from the razor-sharp tip of the Dionysian Spear.
Russ roared. He reached out to grab Horus—whose form had already begun to fade—but like a dream dissolving upon waking, Horus's figure scattered like mist. Russ's hand passed straight through the illusion.
After the piercing blue light came a crushing sense of powerlessness, like a curtain falling.
The Wolf King's pupils suddenly contracted.
He felt something familiar—
Magnus's psychic power.
"MAGNUS!!!"
Leman Russ roared in fury. In that instant, his suspicions were confirmed—that damned psyker was using his cursed powers again!
The familiar sensation told the Wolf King, with absolute certainty, that Horus's appearance and disappearance were connected to Magnus.
As the violent trembling intensified, the space around him began to collapse. Russ had no time to ponder what Horus truly meant—he realized he needed to stop that damned Magnus immediately!
He might not understand Horus, but Magnus was undeniably the Emperor's charge to him!
Leman Russ's first priority was to keep that damned Magnus in check!!!
Guided by instinct and the howling cold wind, the Wolf King plunged without hesitation into the fracturing Webway.
Something had already descended upon this place. Two forces were clashing here.
The power he felt affinity with pulled him away, while the unfamiliar force dragged him toward his destination.
After a dizzying moment of disorientation, the Wolf King suddenly found himself standing in Fenris's raging blizzard.
At the tip of his nose, he caught the scent of the Crimson Sinner.
Without the slightest hesitation, the Wolf King stepped into the storm.
Driven by urgency to stop the Crimson Sinner, he disappeared into the raging blizzard. Against the overwhelming fury of nature battering his small figure, everything that had just happened seemed almost like a dream.
But at the tip of the spear on his back—a trace of dried blood remained.
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