Chapter 173: Hades, Lord of the Underworld
People—just people—packed shoulder to shoulder, crowding against the observation windows that lined the inner curve of the Star Ring.
Most wore the standard-issue uniforms of the factories. Though not exactly filthy, their clothes were rumpled and stained with fresh oil. Some were dressed more cleanly, their garments bearing the stitched insignia of Imperial officials—these were clearly the uniforms of servants.
Men and women, young and old—every pair of eyes was fixed on the planet below, a soft green glow from its surface casting an eerie tint across their pale faces.
On the Star Ring above the planet, every factory had ground to a halt. The streets of its cities were deserted.
Nearly the entire population of Barbarus had gathered at the observation decks. They had abandoned their machines and the demands of their Imperial overseers. Whole families stood together, shoulder to shoulder, waiting for a moment that would go down in history—
The day the toxic mists of Barbarus were finally purged.
Everyone was waiting.
Tall, imposing Death Guard soldiers of Barbarus descent were stationed throughout the crowd. They had been personally assigned by Primarch Mortarion to maintain order. In truth, the crowd's silence and stillness required no such control.
But Mortarion hadn't deployed them for crowd control. The towering Primarch understood all too well the quiet unrest that had long simmered among the ranks regarding Barbarus.
After all, they too were children of that world.
Though they appeared to be standing guard, the Death Guard were watching just as intently as everyone else.
All eyes were on the planet.
They stood on the ring, looking down—down at that beautiful, mist-shrouded green world.
Their home.
And on the surface below, Hades stood alone in the wastelands, looking up through the ever-present fog that had, for centuries, been the prison of his people.
The towering black spires of the control towers loomed over the bleak terrain.
Now, finally, the moment has come. The clock's hand moved past fate's boundary. The carefully built stage was about to collapse. The puppet, long bound by strings, was stepping off into the unknown—ready to write a story of his own.
Inside the main tower, in a cramped and dimly lit room, Hades stared at a simple screen. Above it, warning lights blinked.
Each flash of red indicated another tower was ready. It was thanks to Sister Nera and her Sister of Silences—dedicated, unspeaking warriors who had taken responsibility for inspecting the secondary towers.
Far off in the distance, the Sister of Silences stood like statues beside the sentry towers, performing their final checks, just as Hades had instructed.
Soon, all the red lights were lit.
Signals came in from Graia. The Mechanicum had confirmed that all systems were primed. As soon as the anti-psyker field dissipated, their machines would be deployed without delay.
Graia's Tech-Priests, accompanied by their Skitariis and servitors, filled the uppermost atmosphere of Barbarus. The skies were thick with shuttlecraft, each one suspending massive industrial machines that dangled beneath them, swaying ever so slightly.
This altitude was carefully calculated—the closest point where the machines would not be disrupted by the anti-psyker field.
Every sensor was active. The Tech-Priests were determined not to miss a single detail.
Everything was ready.
Hades exhaled deeply, focusing his thoughts. He raised his blade—edge down—and drove it into a small crevice in the floor. The blade slid perfectly into the black surface, as if it belonged there.
This was the control point—the final circuit breaker of the Black Tower.
The signal to begin the main tower's activation was sent.
Above, on the Star Ring, Mortarion stood watching Barbarus.
For once, the Primarch felt a twinge of nervousness.
The miasma of toxins that perpetually clung to him now drifted down from his armor, swirling around his feet like a ghostly fog.
Beside him, Vorx remained silent, his eyes locked on the planet below.
Hades took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Carefully, he began to manipulate the Black Domain.
Dark energy flowed down the length of the blade, seeping slowly into the crevice below. It filled the gap and began to surge along the circuits embedded in the earth.
Faint green lightning flickered into being around Hades, crackling erratically. The air twisted around him, space itself seeming to fray and ripple.
All color drained away, replaced by that singular, unnatural green. The world faded into a void.
Out on the wastelands, the dim green light pierced through the eternal fog. The sky trembled, and the beasts panicked.
Animals scattered across the plains. Flocks of birds took to the skies in terror, but at the rear, one bloated Plaguehawk faltered—slower and slower—until it fell, plummeting straight to the ground like a broken arrow.
Then, all at once, it happened.
Countless bolts of necrotic green lightning exploded across the desolate landscape. In an instant, they tore through the thousand-year fog, shrieking like the cries of the dead. The thunderclaps split the heavens. The world shuddered under the storm.
The earth shook. The very fabric of space blurred and twisted. Sight itself fractured.
Within the thick fog, a sea of green lightning surged violently, tearing it apart—ripping it, dismantling it, devouring it.
From the far reaches of the warp, came maddened howls and deep, guttural murmurs. But here—here and now—the laws of physics reclaimed their dominion.
The chaos was cast out.
In its place, unshakable order and rules would be etched into the foundation of this world.
The storm surged.
It converged.
It churned, crashing against the material world—and against Hades's mind.
The Lord of the Underworld watched it all.
Expressionless.
Emotionless.
All souls shall perish.
—THE UNDERWORLD DESCENDS—
And then... silence.
Stillness.
The color bled away from the world.
The devastation from moments before seemed like a fleeting illusion. Witnesses to the divine miracle blinked in disbelief.
But nothing remained—only the slow curling of mist.
Then the world began to fade.
Color receded like the tides against the shore, washing away from the edges of vision.
All souls would be lost—drawn down into an abyss far lonelier than death.
This world, this land, was always touched by chaos. Perhaps it was madness, not reason, that formed the foundation of the souls born here.
This world's fate had never welcomed him.
Hades stood at the edge, gazing into the deep.
Beneath the waves, corpses drifted—birds and beasts alike.
And in time, this place would be strewn with the bones of mankind.
A skull turned, hollow eyes fixed upon him.
"Why are you here?"
It asked, its sockets glowing with blood-red light.
Like fresh blood, they shimmered.
Hades blinked.
The indicator light turned red.
The first phase was complete.
He pulled the blade from the ground with stiff arms, disbelief heavy in his stare. The world around him pressed in—overwhelming, unreal.
Heavy. Exhausting.
In the dark, nothing moved.
Only the blinking of the light remained.
Hades tried to leave. He gripped the door to the small control chamber and pushed it open with force.
Bang—it burst outward.
A wave of thick, humid air washed over him.
It was raining.
Hades removed his helmet. Raindrops the size of beans struck his face, tracing paths along the scar that split his face.
He inhaled deeply.
Fresh rain filled his lungs.
It reminded him of back then.
Of the scent after rainfall in the apartment block where he grew up.
And then the downpour began.
Cleansing everything.
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind paying $5 each month to read the latest posted chapter, please go to my Patreon [1]
Latest Posted Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 188: No One Can Reject Horus[2]
Link to the latest posted chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/131840711?collection=602520[3]
https://www.patreon.com/collection/602520?view=condensed[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/131840711?collection=602520
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/131840711?collection=602520
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/602520?view=condensed