The archangel forced himself to take a step in the snow, and then stood still, gritting his teeth and holding his breath.
He slowly turned his head and looked behind him.
A black wolf stood on the white snow, with black fur, bloody muzzle, and wounds dripping with blood.
It looked at him, its eyes shining like silver coins in the moonlight.
"Ruth——"
As soon as he opened his mouth, the wolf jumped up and drowned out the sound of the wind with a howl.
The smell of blood filled his nose, and the fangs closed in on his neck, but it wasn't Sanguinius, it was Soshyan.
Realizing that it was him who was approaching the wolf, he quickly retreated.
But it disappeared in the blink of an eye, as if the action just now was just some kind of warning.
And somewhere, far away yet so close, Sanguinius' hand turned over the next card.
Starlight and fire, a throne rising from the steel deck, a world ignited by explosions that rippled across the surface.
Sanguinius stood, forcing himself to rise from where he had fallen.
There was silence, shadows wrapping around the pillars that lined the room, hiding the walls.
High above, flags hang from chains of bones.
He knew this place, even though it had been years since he had last visited it, and its spirit had not yet changed - it was the Vengeful Spirit, the flagship of Horus.
"Who are you?"
A voice came from the throne located in front of the burning world.
Sanguinius looked up.
A shadow sat on the throne, light wrapped around it, icy lightning flickering around its edges like an approaching storm.
"Who are you? Whose ghost has come to my court?"
The sound was like a knife being filed against a dry skull.
The man on the throne stood up, and there was the rattling sound of armor and the hissing sound of sword blade. The shadow of the wrapping flowed from the armor, and Soshyan could see a face emerging from the darkness, pale, with the burning on it. Illuminated by the Crown of Fire.
The sound was on the verge of a scream, followed by a whimper, and the man took a step forward.
"my brother……"
Sanguinius gasped, the figure growing in size as he walked forward, swelling upwards and outwards.
Ashes fell with his steps, and the scene in the room burst open. Beyond this, Soshyan could glimpse the world and vistas that extended to the end of his field of vision.
The sea of humanity prostrates itself to the ground, iron fire machines surround it, and the Eye of the Forge selects the next victim to be dragged into the sky.
A towering figure stood in the shadow of the gods, draped in skin and silk, with blood-stained hands and eyes that were dull and merciless.
"Ah, it's my brother."
The man said, standing before Sanguinius, claws of fire and blades extended.
"I see you reaching into the future to find hope..."
Bladed fingers wrapped around Sanguinius.
"Look at me, know that I am here, I am existence, witness me, know that I am the future, it is the only hope you can find."
Then the fingers snapped together.
Soshyan felt a moment of agony as, in reality, Sanguinius' fingers turned over the last card.
Suddenly, it started to rain.
Soshyan could feel the rain pouring down his face, the painful image of the past still haunting him, but the feeling dissipated as the cold rain soaked into his skin.
A bolt of lightning struck from the sky. Sanguinius looked up at the light for a long time, and then nodded slightly, as if accepting the inevitable he had witnessed.
"After we have given everything we have, our future remains the same..."
He whispered to himself as lightning lit up the land around him, filling the valley with shadows and drowning the distant mountains in light.
In front of them was an ancient castle that almost collapsed. Soshyan blinked. If he recognized it correctly, this was the remains of the monastery fortress of Naisen No. 4.
Confused and shocked, Sanguinius had strode inside.
Shadows spread on the damp stone slabs. An angel wearing a crown and a ghost from ten thousand years later are almost walking side by side...
When Sanguinius passed through the gate, the raindrops disappeared.
In the center of the ruined assembly hall, flames burned with fallen branches, damp wood emitting sparks and smoke, and above, the shattered roof, battered by wind and rain.
A man sat in front of a fire, with a spiral sword thrust diagonally above the fire.
The person in front of the fire is wearing metal armor and a black cloak. The crown on his head is a silver ring. He wears a silver mask with no expression on his face. He has a halberd beside him and a half glass of wine in his hand. .
The man stared blankly at the flames, the reflected firelight dancing in his dark eyes.
He looked like a lost king, like every king who had ever been remembered in a story or a song—not sitting on a throne or clad in golden armor, but alone, sitting in the center of a kingdom. among the last remnants.
As if aware of the footsteps, the mysterious man looked up at Sanguinius, his eyes full of exhaustion.
"You're still looking for a way out."
The man said softly, and Suoshiyang felt that the voice was inexplicably familiar for some reason.
"All along, you have been trying to peek at a different path, a path that can lead to a different direction in the future, but nothing changes every time, and you are still looking for it."
“Do you blame me for seeking hope?”
Sanguinius asked rhetorically.
The man shook his head and looked towards the flames.
“How could I blame someone for behaving like this?”
The archangel looked up and saw another bolt of lightning outside the cracked roof, making the sky white.
"So this is all that's left? Disaster befalls us? Destiny becomes inevitable?"
The man by the fire raised his head, his eyes suddenly sharp.
“What has always been necessary is the price we pay.”
"Blood..."
Sanguinius whispered.
"and killing,"
The man said, picking up the wine glass and holding it to the lips of the metal mask. The liquid in the glass was dark and thick.
"sacrifice……"
"...And, death."
Outside the castle, there was lightning and thunder.
"exactly."
The man did not drink, but put down his glass.
"Exactly, but who exactly? When? Between now and the future? None of this is written on the back of the card."
With that said, the man took off his mask, and Soshiyang immediately opened his mouth.
That face turned out to be his own!
He stood up slowly, and his skin gradually became covered with a surging silver metal, and it kept getting higher and higher——
"Your testimony, destruction and rebirth, the dreams of the past will eventually have an echo!"
In Soshiyang's shocked eyes, that "him" transformed into a terrifying metal god as vast as stars, with his hands raised as if to lift up the dark cloud-covered sky.
The next moment, crazy lightning struck the gods in mid-air, the light covered the sight, and the thunder swallowed up the sound.
The horrified Soshiyang fell all the way, and the roar of collapse followed him...
For a moment, he fell into another room. The flame of the candle was swaying in the air, and smoke rose from the cards on the table that were caught in the flames.
The Archangel burned all the cards except the last one.
And in the silence, alone and unaware, Sanguinius' tears formed in his eyes and eventually ran down his cheeks.
Soshyan opened his eyes again. He was still in his private room, sitting on a chair, but the card in his hand had turned into countless small black fragments.
"Sanguinius, what on earth are you telling me..."
Suddenly, he recalled the spiral sword. Although he didn't pay much attention to it at the time, but now that he thought about it, that sword seemed to be very similar to the Sheng Yan Sword.
"Is it related to the Holy Flame Sword?"
After thinking about it, Soshyan decided to wait until he returned to his home planet. He had many questions that he needed to consult with Brother Said before he could decide.
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