Nareth gazed at the unassuming banner, about 1.4 meters long, among the many artifacts.
Using the same tone as his previous inquiries, he asked the Emperor.
Nareth keenly noticed that the Emperor seemed lost in recollection, staring at the banner for over ten seconds before speaking.
"It is a banner, commemorating a bloody war."
Seeing the Emperor had no intention of elaborating, Nareth cautiously considered activating his Spirit Vision to examine the banner within the runic stasis field.
The moment the thought arose, he immediately felt as if bathed in flames.
'It was this... that messed with my Spirit Vision...'
Nareth's expression remained calm as he continued, examining the artifacts one by one.
Finally, he stopped before a golden shield carved with a tiger.
"Have you decided?" The Emperor came to his side.
Nareth glanced at the Emperor, then nodded.
"I've chosen."
He went to the banner.
"You want this?" The Emperor's voice held a hint of surprise.
"It is the artifact that most draws me. I feel blood and glory in it."
He looked again at the Emperor. "I am eager to take it now."
Nareth believed it was a mystical item. Without channeling psychic energy into it, or even "linking" with it, nothing would happen.
Even if it were somewhat dangerous, the Emperor wouldn't let his Pegasus come to harm.
If there were hidden dangers or the Emperor was testing him, the Kingdom of Disorder could protect him.
As long as the Emperor didn't use crude methods to directly invade his mind, the Kingdom of Disorder would not be exposed.
Nareth didn't actually think the Emperor would use Morro-like methods on him. Both he and Magnus possessed psychic abilities.
Even if he couldn't resist, he would be aware.
Perhaps, when the Emperor chose Primarchs for Molech, he had specifically overlooked him and Magnus.
As Nareth pondered, the Emperor deactivated the runic stasis field.
He ascended to the third level of the Telema state of mind. His right hand extended, pausing slightly when it touched the banner's shaft.
Nareth felt warmth in his palm.
'Hmm?'
A reaction.
Nareth closed his hand, gripping the banner.
The warmth spread rapidly. He felt as if he were beside a furnace.
No terrifying mutations.
No psychic shock.
Nareth relaxed slightly, but remained alert, maintaining his state of mind, discerning the sensations the banner gave him.
Warm... and something like respect.
'Respect.' Nareth almost smiled, doubting this inexplicable feeling.
'Could this banner possess emotion?'
Holding the banner, Nareth followed the Emperor out of the vault.
His gaze swept over the rings on the fingers of the Shield-Captain.
Ring weapons.
Nareth knew some elite Custodes wore ring weapons matching their hand shape and combat style.
Undoubtedly, the Emperor could also command space simians to craft ring weapons for the Custodes.
The probability of such large-scale coincidental creations was nearly zero.
The idea of equipping Astartes with ring weapons flashed through Nareth's mind, especially for Shadows of Order without psychic or magical Beyonder abilities.
'I currently have one hundred seventy-three Jokaero "linked."
'They are setting up simian fields for the increasing number of ships.'
'Once that's largely complete, I can have them start crafting ring weapons for Shadows of Order, perhaps also protection orbs.'
As Nareth walked towards the Primarch's courtyard, he cautiously experimented.
He raised the shaft, waved it, channeled a tiny amount of spiritual energy into it.
He tried everything except channeling psychic energy.
Nothing changed. The shaft remained warm.
The Honor Guard members standing guard, seeing their Father approaching with the shaft, showed puzzled expressions.
Nareth entered the villa. With a thought, the prone hyper-psychic cat, John, immediately ran to him.
"Hold it!"
Nareth bent down, simultaneously instructing the "Calamity Priest" via psychic link.
He saw John grip the shaft with both paws. Nothing happened.
Through the psychic link, Nareth sensed that John felt no warmth when holding the shaft.
It was like an ordinary shaft, neither hot nor cold.
Nareth sent another thought-pulse: "Divine it."
The "Calamity Priest" closed his eyes slightly. Just as he began to divine, he felt as if consumed by flames.
He dropped the shaft in terror, sliding backward, colliding with the black wolf, Freddy.
"What are you doing?"
Freddy impatiently pawed John aside.
Nareth stared at the upright shaft. Unheld, it stood firmly on the ground, as if its base were embedded.
Through the psychic link, he sensed John's feeling of being consumed by flames.
'Iron-black shaft, stained with blood.'
'Warmth... respect... "Calamity Priest"... flames...
'Could it be...'
Nareth's pupils dilated. He stared at the banner in shock.
'The uniqueness of the Red Priest Pathway.'
Though the Blasphemy Slate had not yet revealed the secrets of Sequence 0, Nareth knew each path had only one True God because there was only one uniqueness.
'Hmm... The Red Priest's authority is not only war and destruction, but also ritual.
'The Red Priest can pray to the sefiroth, the sefiroth, for power or for its projection to descend.'
'It can even pray to other sefiroth it does not belong to, including, of course, the Kingdom of Disorder!'
Nareth suddenly understood why the Red Priest's uniqueness warmed him and evoked a sense of intuitive respect.
When he held the uniqueness, the Red Priest, with its authority over rituals, perceived the existence of the Kingdom of Disorder.
He was the chosen one of the Kingdom of Disorder, with a considerable level of authority.
Holding the banner, Nareth focused, forming the thought of a flame appearing before him.
The next instant, he felt his palm sucked dry like a pump.
The "Baron of Corruption's" psychic energy instantly lost a quarter. A formless, colorless flame appeared before him.
The "Calamity Priest" showed fear. Freddy's fur bristled, ready to shift to his eight-legged form.
Nareth focused, thinking of the flame disappearing. As a fifth of his psychic energy flowed into the banner, the flame vanished.
'It really is the uniqueness of the Red Priest Pathway.'
'Perhaps those mystical items showed no anomalies not just because of the runic stasis field, but because of the uniqueness's presence. After all, the Red Priest is too domineering.'
'Unexpectedly, my first uniqueness is not Black Emperor or Justiciar, but Red Priest.'
Sefirah exerts a certain attraction on items belonging to their paths. Fate's coincidences lead to chance encounters.
Perhaps the Hand Order power gauntlet came to him through such a coincidence.
Black Emperor and Justiciar were obviously the most likely uniqueities to encounter.
'Emperor, I am very satisfied with this reward.'
Holding the Red Priest's uniqueness, Nareth thought of the vast amount of spiritual energy he had just lost and frowned.
'If I were to use the authority of war to, say, instigate war on a world like Ar Rija, which I just acquired, or tear it apart with destruction, or even make the entire world submit using the authority of conquest...'
'Not to mention whether the uniqueness's limited respect for me would grant such authority.'
'Even if, as the master of the Kingdom of Disorder, it gave me such authority, I would be drained dry.'
Nareth's eyes deepened. 'Besides flames, did the uniqueness have other uses?'
Amidst the fearful gazes of Freddy and the "Calamity Priest," he walked to the sofa.
The black wolf and hyper-psychic cat, not sprawling near him as usual, ran out of the Primarch's villa, one after the other.
Nareth turned the warm shaft in his hands, thoughts swirling.
'Primary authorities: War, Conquest, Destruction, Ritual, Charisma, Masculinity.'
'Subordinate authorities: Fire, Disaster, Courage, Divine Kingdom.'
A sudden inspiration struck him.
'Ritual. Source. Kingdom of Disorder...'
'The war against the Hrud will be easier.'
Elated by acquiring the Red Priest's uniqueness, Nareth's thoughts raced.
In an instant, the morning bells of the first day of 875 sounded.
Nareth placed the shaft behind his neck. Even if it made him resemble some Ork warbosses,
it was worth it. It was a uniqueness, the authority of the Pathway.
Feeling the warmth on his back, Nareth walked out of the courtyard. His keen senses already detected Perturabo's arrival.
The moment he stepped out of the villa, he immediately noticed something more in the Honor Guard members' gazes as they looked at him.
He found the answer in the eyes of Perturabo's Trident.
Admiration, respect, loyalty...
'Hmm... A passive effect of carrying the Red Priest's uniqueness. A passive manifestation of the authority of charisma.'
'My charisma has greatly increased.'
'Perhaps the reason this unassuming banner was placed in the vault was due to the authority of charisma.'
Nareth stared at the flicker in Perturabo's ice-blue eyes and thought to himself.
'Hmm... If I could truly fully activate the uniqueness's authority of charisma, with our previous connection, I might have Perturabo kneeling in fealty immediately.'
The Red Priest was the most charismatic of males. It inspired loyalty and the desire to serve, but also extreme hatred in enemies, who felt compelled to destroy it.
"Nareth, it is complete. Forrix will deliver the model to your flagship."
"I will complete it." Nareth keenly noted a trace of gloom in Perturabo's otherwise calm eyes.
"Looking forward to our reunion," Perturabo said calmly. "Father has ordered me to Zavarich to put down a rebellion."
Nareth was momentarily stunned. He thought to himself.
'Though the Zavarich rebellion was in 876, I recall Expedition Fleet 611 pacified it without casualties.'
'Since Perturabo was on Terra, the Emperor gave him the task?'
Nareth thought of Perturabo's style. The Emperor might have assigned the wrong task.
Perturabo's abilities were not the issue, but he would not be so lenient with traitors.
Nareth recalled what the Emperor had said to Perturabo at the celebration yesterday.
He would face many trials, be tireless, unyielding, unstoppable.
Nareth knew he had said the same thing when he first met Perturabo on Olympia.
'The Emperor truly works Perturabo like a pack mule!'
'Just yesterday, he was at the celebration. Now, within a day, a new task.'
He sighed inwardly and spoke.
"Looking forward to our reunion."
Nareth also left Terra that day, heading for the Kalium Gate zone.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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