Nareth spread his wings and swooped down.
His gaze swept over the broken walls.
A meat cleaver whistled through the air, slashing through a fur coat.
Beside a corpse trampled into a pulp, scattered fragments of black armor lay.
On the great banner, eleven heads of Shadows of Order were impaled.
A flicker of flame passed through his obsidian eyes.
The "Mentor of Disorder's" spirituality surged, locking onto the greenskin encased in the Gargant.
Threads of golden rules layered around the Ork Warlord.
Vigil's mismatched red and green eyes swiveled, as if sensing something.
The "Mentor of Disorder" spoke, pronouncing in the Dunnic:
"Greenskin, you are guilty!"
Invisible golden threads tightened.
"You led xenos into the realm of humanity."
Bang!
The golden threads constricted, like wires cutting into green flesh.
Vigil's left leg seared with pain. He staggered, almost falling to his knees.
His skin stung, oozing pus.
He looked up at the figure in the air, the black-armored, golden-winged 'umie speaking words he couldn't understand.
The "Words of Order" did not require the punished target to understand; the critical factors were the degree to which the target violated order and the crimes committed.
"'Umie! Die!" Vigil raised his right arm, the flared muzzle of his crude gun aimed at the black-armored, golden-winged 'umie.
The "Mentor of Disorder's" gaze passed over the crude weapon, six lashed-together boltguns, without flinching.
"You slaughtered humanity."
Boom!
Vigil's right arm seared with agony, as if sliced into ten thousand pieces. The crude weapon fell.
"You defiled the bodies of the Shadows of Order, keeping them as trophies."
Bang!
Vigil's head exploded.
Brains and pus sprayed.
The Ork Warlord, condemned by his crimes, was annihilated by the "Words of Order" itself.
Nareth flew down, catching the toppling great banner.
Rumble!
The corpse fell.
Light and shadow flickered in the Primarch's eyes. Telekinetic force swept out, lifting the Ork Warlord's body and hurling it into the green tide.
Boom!
The Gargant-encased body swept through the Orks, crushing dozens into pulp.
A great shriek went up.
With the Warlord dead, the greenskins scattered.
Some swung their choppas, decapitating nearby Orks.
Others fled, howling, bowling over greenskins holding shootas.
.....
The Valhallans stared up at the majestic, black-armored, golden-winged giant. With a casual wave of his hand, he mowed down swaths of the evil, terrifying greenskins.
'Lord Nareth!'
'The demigod walking among mortals!'
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Blinding beams of light pierced the blizzard, slamming into the ground.
Through the shattered walls, the Valhallans saw black-armored giants leaping forth, unleashing thundering barrages of fire into the greenskins.
They saw another giant, holding a banner high, striding towards the retreating green tide.
Shadows of Order gathered around him.
The commander of the 15th Infantry Regiment was the first to react. He roared: "Attack!"
Flames of vengeance kindled in the Valhallans' eyes. They swiftly found their squads, platoons, and companies, formed ranks, and launched their pursuit.
Nareth strode across ground soaked in a mixture of snow water and pus. Following a spiritual light, he found a crozius.
Its black shaft was stained with blood.
The Primarch's gaze pierced the blood. He saw that the shaft's material had changed, becoming crimson crystal.
Within the "Mentor of Disorder's" psychic vision, the crozius glowed red.
He silently bent down, extending his right hand, and picked up the crimson crystal crozius.
The crimson crozius was not sticky to the touch. Its shaft was warm, faintly seeming to emanate a song.
'The "Midnight Poet's" beyonder characteristic has precipitated, integrating into the crozius.'
'It has become a magical item.'
'And also... a relic weapon.'
Nareth silently tucked the crozius into his belt and looked towards his Honour Guard.
His gaze instantly found the subject of his focused assessment: Sasebo Tezuka.
The primary reason for Nareth's interest in Sasebo Tezuka was that Lord Ramsey of the Tenth Chapter had recommended him for the Honour Guard.
Recommendations for a Chapter Master's Honour Guard, composed exclusively of Court members, were exceedingly rare.
Upon inquiry, Nareth learned that Sasebo Tezuka had proactively offered to join Ramsey's Honour Guard after returning to the Chapter.
He knew and was willing, even in death, to have his soul follow his Chapter Master into battle.
This meant he was willing to be 'herded' by the "Shepherd."
Another reason Nareth focused on Sasebo Tezuka was his memory: during the Second Founding, Sasebo Tezuka would found and become the first Chapter Master of the Mortifactors Chapter.
His talent was the most exceptional among the former Faceless, second only to his refusal to join the Honour Guard because his battle-brothers had consumed xenos flesh.
Nareth's obsidian eyes focused on Sasebo Tezuka. He moved with quick, steady strides, one of the three who could keep pace with Ghurgur's long, rapid steps.
As he moved, his Bedrock-pattern bolter fired continuously, precisely shooting the heads off greenskins.
Nareth nodded, satisfied, and withdrew his gaze.
On the fourth day, as snow and wind continued to blow, the Shadows of Order and Valhallans had cleansed the Ork camps around the main city.
During a brief respite, Nareth summoned Sasebo Tezuka.
Sasebo Tezuka took a deep breath before pushing open the door.
He carried his helmet, walking past the unsettling Etrich.
His gaze swept over the black wolf and the orange-furred great cat, one on each side, lying at their father's feet.
"Father." Despite his usually composed expression, a flicker of agitation crossed his face.
He had never imagined his father would summon him alone.
He knew what this meant.
A chance to join the Inner Court.
Becoming a member of the Honour Guard was already a source of immense pride. He had never expected to be considered by his father for the Inner Court.
"Your reward," Nareth said, smiling, as he opened his palm to reveal the "Corpse Collector" potion. "Drink it."
When choosing a potion for Sasebo Tezuka, Nareth naturally decided to select one outside the "Hanged Man" Pathway.
To 'herd' an beyonder from another pathway and combine their abilities would maximize a "Shepherd's" combat potential.
Nareth did not want Sasebo Tezuka to die. His exceptional abilities would make him a true asset to Ramsey.
Their partnership would also be a powerful synergy.
Given the death-centered culture of the Mortifactors and Sasebo Tezuka's own indifference to death, Nareth chose the Death Pathway for him.
Sasebo Tezuka forced himself to remain calm, taking the dark-tinted potion from his father. "Thank You for this gift."
He opened the stopper. A stench more foul and putrid than a pile of greenskin corpses assaulted his nose.
He tilted his head back and drank, his throat working as he swallowed the nauseating, foul liquid.
Moments later, the newly elevated "Corpse Collector" clearly felt his body temperature drop by over a dozen degrees.
The light from the overhead lumen strips was uncomfortable.
Sasebo Tezuka resisted the urge to immediately put his helmet back on, kneeling on one knee.
"Father, I shall put the power You have bestowed to good use."
"I shall die in service to You and to the Legion."
Hearing Sasebo Tezuka pronounce the Vostoyan word for "die," Nareth completely abandoned any thought of making him a perpetual.
'It's up to you. If you become an "Undying"...'
Sequence 4 of the Death Pathway, "Undying," not only possessed an extended lifespan but also underwent a qualitative change in their physical form. Injuries were no longer fatal, unless their body was completely destroyed.