Chapter 220 - 185: Evenly Distributed Praise
The Black Shadow in the sky grew larger, seeming to absorb the surrounding storm clouds and darkness itself as it became ever more solid.
It hung over the battlefield like a colossal shroud, instilling an indescribable fear in all who saw it.
Henry raised his head and gazed at the enormous Black Shadow in the distance, his mind filled with questions. ’Is this Khorne?’
He glanced around and saw that everyone, from his own soldiers to the assembled nobles, was staring up at the sky, their faces etched with tension and bewilderment.
A strange sense of unease welled up inside Henry. ’Can everyone see this giant Black Shadow?’
Based on his prior experiments and theories, a mysterious force on the continent of Caladia prevented the Four Gods from descending.
Even the suit of "scrap metal" Khorne had given him was a form of spiritual communication, invisible to everyone else.
’Has that power vanished? Or has something gone wrong?’
Henry took a deep breath, steadying himself. No matter what this Black Shadow was, he had to stay calm.
"Everyone, stay calm! Clear the field!" Henry bellowed.
At the sound of Henry’s voice, the soldiers’ doubts didn’t vanish entirely, but they managed to regain their composure.
The Black Shadow in the sky made no move. It simply hovered there in silence, as if observing everything.
Its silence and stillness only served to heighten the tension.
The unknown sparks the greatest curiosity, but it also breeds the deepest fear.
Henry turned to Calvin and the other nobles. Their eyes mirrored the same confusion, but they were all struggling to remain composed.
’Could what they said be true? Those rats the Emperor slaughtered like dogs, the ones who deserved nothing more than to scurry through the gutters?’
’Could it be... that Divine Spirits really exist?’
However, just then, the Black Shadow began to change. Its form started to twist and distort, as if something were struggling inside.
Henry instinctively tightened his grip on his battle-axe, his eyes glued to the Black Shadow. Suddenly, a blinding golden light erupted from within it, followed by a flash of... pink? Scarlet? Some other color? The light blazed across the entire battlefield.
Everyone reflexively shielded their eyes. When they opened them again, the enormous Black Shadow was gone.
A dead silence fell over the battlefield as everyone wondered if what they had just witnessed was a mere illusion.
But Henry knew it was no illusion. For some reason, he could feel three powerful forces—three forces so overwhelming they nearly suffocated him.
’Khorne, Slaanesh... and what else? Was that Him? Impossible. Isn’t this supposed to be the Old World? Where did the Golden Throne come from?’
Even after the Black Shadow vanished, the air above the battlefield seemed to tremble, roiling with unseen energies.
Henry could feel three potent Divine Spirits, their powers interweaving and clashing overhead. They battered his senses like storm-tossed waves, one surge after another.
Ripples, visible only to Henry, spread out from a single point in the sky like waves on water. They seemed endless, passing through the air, the clouds, and even through the bodies of every person on the battlefield. Yet, besides Henry, no one perceived their existence.
A sense of dread crept into Henry’s heart. He started to wonder, ’Does this mean an invasion from Subspace?’
But the golden power remained, forming a delicate balance with the other two forces.
’What in the world is going on? What does this golden power represent? Is it a guardian force, or just another threat?’
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Henry’s mind.
He recalled his own reckless use of Khorne’s power to achieve a victory so terrifying it made one’s blood run cold.
’Could the golden power be weakening because I’ve drawn too heavily on the power of Khorne?’
’Have I unintentionally shattered some kind of balance, making me the ’culprit’ behind all this?’
The thought made Henry feel a little awkward. At the same time, a pang of hunger struck him.
’After strenuous exertion, you always feel drained. A good time to eat something and fill your stomach.’
As for the possibility of a Subspace invasion, Chaos running rampant, the world descending into anarchy, or the proliferation of Alien Races... none of it was enough to make Henry lose any sleep.
’Everything is going according to plan!’
The minor chaos on the battlefield gradually gave way to orderly activity. The nobles’ Quartermasters and their attendant clerks swarmed across every corner of the field, a flurry of motion like wind sweeping through a wheat field.
Their feet barely seemed to touch the ground as their quills danced across ledgers, furiously recording every possible statistic from the battle.
The Medical Masters darted among the wounded, their foreheads beaded with sweat and their eyes heavy with exhaustion.
They never seemed to have enough bandages and medicinal herbs; every dressing applied and every treatment rendered felt precious.
The groans of the wounded and their cries of pain rose and fell in waves. The casualty counts kept climbing, each new number a heavy blow to the Quartermasters’ morale.
’So many... dead? Was this really a war between two factions of nobles?’
The enemy kill count was just as shocking. Behind these numbers lay countless shattered lives and broken families.