met free Chapter 13 Knight Planet
Chapter 13 Knight Planet
After a month of sailing in subspace, the Thousand Sons Fleet finally arrived at the first target of this expedition—Warnum II.
This is a temperate planet covered by ancient oak forests, with twelve gray stone spires scattered among the trees, each adorned with a statue of a sword-wielding knight.
The knightly families here have a history of eight thousand years, piloting ancient mechs engraved with star runes and adhering to the ancient doctrine of "Oak Tree and Holy Sword".
The imperial envoys arrived a month ago to persuade the country to surrender, but were driven away on the grounds that "outsiders were desecrating the holy land," and even the emperor's edict was burned in public.
"The scan results are in."
Ahriman's voice rang out on the bridge of Magnus's flagship, Fatep. The new chief mage of the Black Raven School, a Terran, had somehow appeared before the star map.
His fingertips trembled uncontrollably as he traced the dark green planet on the holographic device, his usually cold eyes now eerily empty.
Levi stood beside Magnus, his eyes catching a glimpse of the gleaming silver oak leaf badge on Ahriman's shoulder armor, and he sighed softly to himself.
Ahriman's "spiritual energy" fluctuations were too intense, and Li Wei inadvertently touched upon his scattered fragments of thought.
He saw a powerful Thousand Sons warrior, who ultimately fell victim to the Thousand Sons' mutated flesh.
That is Azak Ahriman's twin brother, Olmuzid.
Before Magnus returned to the Empire, the youngest company commander in the history of the Thousand Sons Legion, with only a few dozen soldiers, reclaimed a Knight Planet that was almost identical to the one before them, relying on his powerful psionic energy.
"Something's probably not right here."
Li Wei gazed at the planet and murmured softly.
He glanced at Magnus, who was listening to Ahriman's report, and his heart sank.
A bitter feeling welled up in Li Wei's heart. In his recent interactions with Magnus, he had gradually realized that Magnus's arrogance was ingrained in his very being.
This Primarch, possessing the most powerful mind in the entire galaxy, firmly believes that his intelligence can control everything, including the warp.
He believed that there were no gods, no good or evil, only pure energy tides in the warp.
Magnus was actually a follower of the Ironclad Empire's truths.
The so-called imperial truth states that there is no problem with the supremacy of humanity in the galaxy.
But the claim that there are no gods, only science, is nothing more than a well-intentioned lie used by emperors to unite the will of mankind.
He could only guide, only use facts, one by one, to gradually awaken this proud original.
The warp is divided into good and evil, and contains gods, as well as bloodthirsty behemoths lurking in the darkness.
Suppressing the turbulent thoughts in his mind, Li Wei continued to look through the data terminal for information about the planet. He suspected that this was a trap set by that ever-changing being against Ahriman.
In his memories of his past life, Ahriman was arguably the strongest psionicist among the Thousand Sons besides Magnus.
Tzeentch could very well have his eye on Ahriman, this psionic genius.
This planet.
It is highly likely that Tzeentch exploited people's obsessions to set up the most insidious and inescapable trap.
When Magnus was formulating the initial landing operation plan, Levy spoke up:
"I will personally go down and negotiate with the ruler of this planet."
He wasn't going to investigate; he had already prepared for the worst—he felt something was wrong.
The moment Magnus agreed to Levi's request, Ahriman abruptly raised his head, his eyes filled with an almost obsessive determination:
"I want to go to the surface with Li Wei. I want to see it for myself."
Li Wei looked at the pale and handsome Aliman in front of him, whose blue eyes were filled with an undisguised obsession and longing.
He knew that if he refused, Ahriman would not give up.
Moreover, Ahriman's attitude was resolute, and Magnus looked approving. After pondering for a moment, Levi finally nodded.
"Okay, let's go together." Li Wei sighed softly. "Stay alert, and tell me immediately if anything seems amiss."
Three hours later, Stormhawk landed in the square in front of St. Oak Castle.
In the center of the square stands a statue of a knight holding a sword and gazing at the starry sky.
Ahriman stood before the statue, his body trembling slightly, his fingertips repeatedly stroking the silver oak leaves on his shoulder armor, remaining motionless for a long time.
This is his brother's keepsake, a talisman given to them by their mother before they went to war.
Li Wei stood three steps behind him, without disturbing him.
He could clearly sense Ahriman's turbulent emotions: longing, pain, and a deep-seated fear. What was he afraid of? Was he afraid of seeing a similar scene repeat itself, afraid of losing someone important to him again?
Li Wei thought to himself silently.
Just then, the castle's heavy stone doors burst open.
Highlord Thranduil emerged, clad in black and gold knight armor and wielding a runic greatsword engraved with oak leaves. Behind him followed thirty fully armed knights, each with eyes filled with ingrained arrogance and hostility.
"Outsiders, get out of Varnum!" Thranduil raised his holy sword, his voice echoing across the square. "This is the territory of the oak and the holy sword, not your self-proclaimed emperor's playground!"
The knights raised their weapons simultaneously, and the mech engines roared with a deep rumble.
Ahriman snapped back to reality, a glint of blue light flashing in his eyes. Li Wei pressed down on his arm and whispered through the telepathic link, "Leave it to me. Don't let your emotions control you."
He stepped forward alone, his deep red power armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight. Without further ado, Li Wei slowly raised his right hand.
The next second, a powerful psionic storm erupted without warning.
A golden-purple light swept across the entire plaza. The Abyss Resonance Technique quietly activated, and pure spiritual energy transformed into invisible shackles, firmly locking all the knight mechs in place.
The roar of the engine came to an abrupt halt. No matter how hard the knights tried, the mech remained motionless, and even the operating system was completely paralyzed.
Thranduil's expression changed drastically. He roared and activated his Dominator-class knight mech, swinging his holy sword at Livi.
But just as the holy sword was raised halfway into the air, it was firmly blocked by a purple psionic barrier. No matter how hard he tried, he could not advance even an inch further.
I said, stop.
Li Wei's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.
The psionic pressure suddenly intensified, and Thranduil's mech emitted a piercing metallic creak as he buckled at the knees and slammed heavily onto the stone floor.
The entire square was completely silent.
All the knights stared in horror at the man before them. Their prized knight mechs were as vulnerable as toys in his presence.
Li Wei slowly lowered his hand, the psionic pressure dissipating. He looked at Thranduil kneeling on the ground, his tone calm: "I'll give you one more choice. Swear allegiance to the Emperor, preserving your traditions, your lands, and all your honors. Or, be wiped off your planet by the Empire's cannons."
Thranduil raised his head, looking into Livy's unfathomable eyes, and then at the knights around him who were unable to move.
Pride is utterly vulnerable before absolute power. He slowly lowered his head and placed the holy sword on the ground.
"I... am willing to pledge allegiance to the Emperor."
All the knights simultaneously laid down their weapons and knelt on one knee.
Ahriman stood there, staring at the scene before him with a complex expression.
Just like Olmuzd did back then, he conquered the planet Varnum with absolute power and won the respect of the knights.
This time, however, no one will die from the flesh mutation.
Li Wei walked over to him and gently patted his shoulder.
Ahriman turned his head and gave him an extremely rare, relieved smile.