Chapter 51: Nurgle

Chapter 51: Nurgle's Taint

A new day began, punctually, with the rhythm of a well-trained biological clock.

Before seven in the morning, all students of Class Three, Grade One, had assembled on time in their designated martial arts hall.

Unlike the usual morning training atmosphere, today, a complex expression mingling excitement, tension, and anticipation was etched on every face.

Because today was the second practical combat class of the month.

With the experience of the bloody battle against the Greenskins on planet Gamma-7 fresh in their minds, they now understood that the words "practical combat class" signified far more than simple virtual simulations—they meant real combat, with real blades, real blood, and real death.

Inside the martial arts hall, students gathered in small clusters, whispering among themselves, speculating about the challenge that awaited them.

"What do you think? Which planet will we go to this time? What kind of enemy will we face?"

"Who knows? Last time it was Greenskins. Those brutes aren't the sharpest tools in the shed, but they sure are fearless. Fighting them was exhausting."

"Greenskins are one thing. What I dread most is running into those elusive 'Shadowfolk.'"

A student well-versed in alien lore lowered his voice, a hint of wariness on his face.

"Shadowfolk? You mean those pointy-eared freaks that move like ghosts?"

"Exactly. Shadowfolk warriors are born to melt into the shadows, appearing and disappearing at will."

"I've heard of giant beasts the size of small asteroids that can swallow a starship in one gulp."

"World-Eaters are the most terrifying. They're true cosmic calamities, capable of devouring entire planets. But beings on that level shouldn't be our concern."

"Actually, I think the toughest opponents are the 'Traitors.'"

A tall, burly boy spoke in a deep voice. His father was a retired officer of the Astra Militarum, giving him a deeper understanding of the threats facing the Imperium since childhood.

"Traitors? You mean those renegade Space Marines?"

"Not just them."

The boy shook his head.

"All who have betrayed the Imperium, betrayed humanity, are traitors. They know our tactics better than any xenos, understand our weaknesses more clearly. And they are often more insane, more ruthless."

"And those cold, soulless 'Mechanoids'..."

"Wait, wait..."

Various alien races and their terrifying legends were brought up one by one in the students' discussions.

These terms, which had only appeared in textbooks like *Comprehensive Imperial History* and *Advanced Xeno-Linguistics*, now carried a weight of real, oppressive dread.

They were about to face one of them, perhaps.

Just as the murmuring reached its peak.

On the podium at the front of the martial arts hall, the space twisted violently, like boiling water.

A vast, heavy, terrifying pressure, like an avalanche of mountains, instantly engulfed the entire hall!

Under this pressure, all whispers ceased abruptly.

Every student felt as if a ten-thousand-pound boulder had been pressed onto their chests, making breathing difficult. Their psychic energy seemed frozen, sluggish in its flow.

Their faces turned pale, and they strained with all their might just to remain standing.

The next second, the figure of their homeroom teacher, Wu Shangfeng, stepped out from the twisted space.

This time, it was no ethereal holographic projection.

It was his true body, descending in person!

He still wore the same unchanging black training uniform, his expression stern, but his eyes, sharp as blades, contained a tangible, vast psychic fluctuation.

He stood there silently, exuding an oppressive aura that made it impossible to look directly at him without a shudder.

This was the presence of a true high-level martial artist.

"Silence." Wu Shangfeng spoke.

His voice was not loud, but it carried a certain magical authority, instantly calming the suffocating pressure and restoring the nearly stopped hearts of the students to their normal rhythm.

The entire martial arts hall fell into a silence so deep that a pin drop could be heard.

Wu Shangfeng's gaze slowly swept across every young face below, still bearing traces of pallor and shock.

"Today's practical combat class, I will lead personally as before."

His voice was concise and crisp.

"Now, I will announce the mission details."

"Our target is a mining planet codenamed 'Inferno-IV' in the Koprulu Sector. The mission is to purge... the rebels entrenched in a strategic mine shaft in Sector C-3 of that planet."

Rebels!

When those three words left Wu Shangfeng's mouth, the pupils of the students below contracted in unison.

The topic they had just been discussing had become a prophecy.

They were to face betrayers of humanity.

That meant...

They were going to kill.

A cold chill, different from the one they felt when facing xenos, rose from the depths of many students' hearts.

Wu Shangfeng took in everyone's reactions.

He continued, "I know what you're thinking. But you must understand: these people can no longer be called 'human.' They have abandoned their loyalty to the Emperor, abandoned the glory of being human, and sold their souls to the... Chaos Gods lurking in the depths of the Warp."

"Chaos Gods?"

This was an utterly unfamiliar term to the vast majority of students.

Qin Feng's brow furrowed slightly.

In his memory, neither his basic education in middle school nor the cultural classes of the past month at the martial high school had ever mentioned this concept.

"Your textbooks have not taught you the deepest darkness of the universe."

Wu Shangfeng said solemnly.

"Today, I will fill that gap."

"Beyond the powerful races of the material universe you know—the Imperium of Man, the Greenskins, the Shadowfolk, the Mechanoids, the Star Beasts—there exist life forms far more ancient and far more terrifying. They were born in the Warp, the embodiment of the most primal and extreme emotions and desires of all intelligent beings. We call them the Four Gods of the Warp, or the Four Great Chaos Gods."

Then came the names: Tzeentch, Khorne, Nurgle, Slaanesh.

Four names filled with ill omen and evil weighed heavily on every student's heart.

Wu Shangfeng continued, "These four Chaos Gods are the supreme beings of the universe. Their faith can transcend racial boundaries, spreading to the hearts of any intelligent, emotional life form. Whether human, Shadowfolk, or even Mechanoid—except for Greenskins—all can become their followers. That is why we call them 'Chaos Gods.'"

"And the rebels we face this time are traitors who have sacrificed their souls to 'Nurgle.'"

"So, cast aside your ridiculous, misplaced sympathy. Facing them, you must not hesitate, not waver. You must use your weapons to utterly and cleanly erase them from this universe before they can kill you!"

"Do you understand?"

Wu Shangfeng's final words thundered through the martial arts hall like a clap of thunder.

"Understood!"

All the students roared in unison, their voices filled with awakened bloodlust and resolve.

(End of this chapter)