My Life as A Death Guard (Warhammer 30K Male MC)

The Endurance, Librarium.

Now.

<+>

"So, that's how it is."

Fernando looked at Hades and recounted the past events.

Hades fell silent.

In his memory, the Four Chaos Gods only intensified their erosion of the physical universe after the Monarchia incident.

But clearly, Fernando and his companions had encountered a Great Unclean One of Nurgle.

This was even earlier than the time the Twilight Raiders encountered their Primarch!

And what the Great Unclean One said to Fernando and his group proved that its plan was working.

Could they have been bait?!

A seed of corruption planted in the Legion, a fuse to ignite the entire Legion's fall.

However, the last words of that Daemon—

"But not him."

Who was this "him" that could not accept Nurgle's curse?

It couldn't possibly be Mortarion, could it?

No...

Hades, though not one to consider himself overly important, realized that at this moment, the answer seemed obvious—

It was Hades himself!

Had Nurgle's Great Unclean One already started laying its trap for him before he even joined the Death Guard?!

A chill ran down Hades' spine. 

Could it be that because he tried to change the future—Mortarion's betrayal and ascension as a Daemon Prince—Nurgle specifically sent a Great Unclean One to eliminate him?

Was he truly that important? Or was he overthinking things?

But for now, Hades couldn't come up with a better explanation.

No, there was a way to confirm it.

Hades turned to Fernando once more.

"Your comrade back then—did he die in the end?"

Fernando trembled and fell silent again. After a long pause, he finally spoke slowly:

"I... I couldn't kill him."

But perhaps Jose was already dead.

"That's why I'm asking for your help."

Out of personal reasons, Fernando temporarily withheld the results of his divination.

Hades' current tarot card position was [The Titan, Reversed], indicating that his plans were broken.

But Fernando's card was [The Titan, Upright], meaning that as long as he took the initiative, he could achieve victory.

He couldn't hold on much longer and had no choice but to take this desperate measure.

<+>

Hades stood behind the fully armed Fernando, wielding the scythe Obituary, clad in an enhanced breathing-system version of Mk III power armor, and a flamer pistol at his waist.

Just moments ago, after Fernando briefly explained the situation, Hades immediately decided to retrieve his scythe.

At the same time, he instructed Fernando to notify Barasine to lock down a section of the ship centered around the Librarium. All personnel, servitors, or in other words, any living being, were secretly evacuated.

Fernando might not fully understand Nurgle's power, but Hades knew better—not a single oversight was acceptable.

Fernando had been keeping a Nurgle plaguebearer confined in the Librarium. That nothing catastrophic had occurred thus far was nothing short of a miracle—Emperor's protection, perhaps.

The Chief Librarian might believe his psychic bindings were effective. Hades hoped so, too, but he preferred to think of worst-case scenarios and prepare accordingly.

It was possible... The Daemon was deliberately staying aboard the ship, remaining hidden, simply waiting for the right moment.

Waiting for the moment to fulfill the "plan" it spoke of.

No one but Fernando knew exactly what was hidden in the Librarium.

Hades tightened his grip on the scythe, the heavy weight reassuring him.

Fernando's request was simple: help him kill this "Jose" and rid the Chief Librarian of his inner demons.

From Fernando's description of "Jose," Hades was certain that only two of them were currently capable of confronting it: Fernando, with his powerful psychic abilities, and Hades, with his ability to isolate the Warp.

Ordinary Space Marines exposed to such a powerful psychic entity would be courting death.

Or worse, they would succumb to Nurgle's plague, their bodies ravaged and their minds corrupted.

Although that creature was currently imprisoned by Fernando's psychic power, approaching it for close combat was undeniably risky.

When facing a being of the Warp, there was no such thing as being overly cautious.

Yet, apart from killing it, Hades had no other choice.

He couldn't just walk away and pretend nothing had happened.

The alternative was abandoning his plans to go to Mars or even participate in battles, instead staying in the Librarium indefinitely to ensure the creature didn't escape.

But he could guard it for a while—could he guard it forever?

The Warp's corruption of a Legion was pervasive and insidious.

As an outsider, Hades once again felt a profound sense of helplessness.

He sought to change fate, but that meant his opponents were the Chaos Gods themselves—beings that could manipulate time and toy with all living things.

What did he have to fight them? Just his untouchable nature?

No. There would always be a way.

At least for now, he needed to kill a Nurgle-blessed creature.

Hades realized more deeply than ever that he couldn't simply follow the Legion's path or muddle along with his previous plans. That was far too passive.

But for now, with no other resources or avenues available, he could only take one step at a time.

As for Mortarion, Hades leaned toward informing him about this incident after it was resolved.

He didn't want Mortarion to come into direct contact with Nurgle's chosen now. Who knew what could happen?

The last thing Hades wanted was for Nurgle to claim Mortarion with a single plague.

Fernando glanced back at Hades. 

Hades ended his musings, adjusted his stance, and signaled for Fernando to proceed.

They stood in a shadowed corner of the library, the darkness silently watching them.

A sudden burst of white light erupted, and warped flashes of psychic energy flared violently around Fernando.

Ancient incantations spilled from the Chief Librarian's mouth. As the words poured forth, the bookshelf before them began to shift aside.

Hades' eyes widened.

Golden runes densely covered the entire space, with intricate sigils drawn on the floor. The walls were lined with weapons bestowed upon the Legion by the Emperor.

Countless prayer-inscribed parchments clung to the massive chains, which trembled faintly with the psychic ripples.

At the center of it all was a crude psychic cage, its violent light flickering. From the room's four corners, thick chains extended, binding the creature lying at the center. The ends of the chains appeared scorched, their surfaces shimmering with an iridescent black.

The creature... the creature...

A buzzing filled Hades' mind. With memories of his past life, he recognized it immediately—

Even though its markings were faded by corrosion, even though it wore Mk II armor—

It was a Plague Marine!

There was a Plague Marine bound aboard the Death Guard's flagship all this time?!

By the Emperor!

Swollen, pale-gray intestines protruded from the ruptured abdomen of its power armor, writhing slightly. Maggots twisted in the ruptures, accompanied by yellow-black bile.

Every joint of its power armor oozed corpse fluid, which trickled down the armor's contours, soaking its rotting, greenish plating.

The most suffocating sight, however, was its head. Its breathing tubes had fused grotesquely with its mouth and tongue, leaving a thin, pointed pink tongue protruding. Where the helmet's eyes should have been were now dark, spider-like compound eyes.

Hades could imagine how horrifying those eyes would look if they moved, but for now, they resembled dusty glass—distorted and filled with agony.

Flames still burned across the Marine's body. Yet, for every bit of flesh the fire consumed, new growth emerged to replace it.

This warrior... this warrior appeared dead. And yet, his body lived on, his soul still imprisoned within this husk.

Even with prior knowledge of Plague Marine models, Hades was utterly stunned by the grotesque reality before him.

Sensing Hades' shock, Fernando spoke with a voice calm yet tinged with pain: "Every night, I burn him with a flamer to hinder his awakening."

In reality, to protect his comrade, Fernando donned his armor and slept beside this corpse every night.

Surrounded by psychic restraints, a comrade in decay and torment, and a corpse oozing with pus—Hades now realized the depth of determination and resilience in this Chief Librarian.

Hades took a deep breath. The nauseating stench of rot penetrated his bones. Raising his scythe, he signaled for Fernando to dispel the psychic cage.

But then—

The corpse moved.

<+>

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 101: As Long as You Don't Die, Keep Learning1

Link to the latest posted chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/my-life-as-death-1188652741

https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl1