Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [203]

At this moment, Yvraine looked at Rhodes with a half-smile, as if saying, "Stop pretending, I've already seen through you."

So it was the Harlequin who revealed his identity! That can't be! There was no need for the Laughing God to do that, so there's only one possibility left: the Eldar Death God, whom he'd never met, had discovered his true identity.

Forget it! Looks like I can't use the Loki identity anymore, but soon the Thirteenth Primarch will be resurrected. Once that happens, the Loki identity won't matter. After all, it was just a temporary mask, and my new primarch identity is, in a way, just another mask—a mask placed on me by the Emperor himself. So what's fake can become real.

Damn Laughing God, your Joker card wasn't very reliable! All I got was access to the Webway, though to Rhodes right now, that's extremely important.

"Lord Loki, you kept me in the dark. You fooled everyone in Commorragh," Yvraine said to Rhodes.

Impressive—one human infiltrated Commorragh, posed as a noble of the ancient empire, and deceived everyone, making all of Commorragh dance to his tune. If she hadn't awakened as the Death God's prophet, gained the power of the great Death God, and had her soul elevated—even controlling death itself—she wouldn't have known the truth either.

Rhodes' disguise was flawless, even having the Laughing God vouch for him by giving him a joker card, deceiving almost everyone. Unless someone else also had the blessing of the warp gods, no one could see through his true face.

The Eldar Death God and the Laughing God had formed some kind of deal with the Human Emperor. The Eldar needed humanity to stand at the forefront, facing all the monsters and daemons in the galaxy. That's why there was a plan to resurrect the Thirteenth Primarch. But she never expected that this man already knew she'd gain the Death God's favor.

Back when she was just a regular arena warrior, this man took a keen interest in her, saying he wanted to be friends!

Yvraine once thought he had other intentions, but it turned out his real goal was her future role as the Death God's prophet.

Even the Death God Ynnead himself was puzzled—he was treading the mortal world for the first time, and choosing her was a complete accident. She'd been born a Craftworld Eldar, then became a Corsair, and finally became an arena warrior, living the full dark Eldar experience. Maybe that's why she was chosen as his prophet. And after she was killed, she was immediately resurrected.

By rights, no one could have predicted this. Not even the Chaos Gods could foresee it—it was just a spur-of-the-moment decision by the Death God. The Laughing God and the Emperor were equally clueless—no one could understand how Rhodes knew in advance.

"Commorragh isn't exactly friendly to humans. If I'd gone in as myself, I'd have been eaten alive. Besides, haven't you put my monster warriors to good use?" Rhodes said.

It's true—the Death God's army included a whole batch of monster warriors, all genetically enhanced from the frozen beast Guigass.

"This isn't the time for this, Lady Yvraine! Since you're here waiting for us, you must know why we're here. Please, come with us back to the landing craft. We need to get back to the ship quickly and head to Macragge," said Saint Celestine.

"No, some things need to be said. This man tricked us badly, especially my best friend. Our arena queen was heartbroken, refusing to accept the truth right to the end! Aren't you going to greet your man? Lelith, get out here!" Yvraine called to a woman in red leather armor.

So this is my personal hell today? Damn! At least I didn't bring Elena.

"Hmph! Lord Loki! I think we need to talk privately," Lelith said, biting her lip as she approached Rhodes with a complicated expression.

He tricked her badly! Until the moment he arrived here, she still held onto hope, thinking Yvraine was making it up and that Lord Loki was real—after all, they had been intimate. Human physique really couldn't compare to an Eldar woman, especially not the physically powerful arena queen. But Rhodes admitted who he was, shattering her last illusion.

She also saw the sword at his waist, the same one he had the last day he'd left her room.

"Oh!" Saint Celestine covered her face in exasperation.

If this was the Great Crusade era, a Primarch pulling this kind of stunt—the Emperor would have purged him. Messing with an Xenos? Really, Lord Rhodes? Maybe I should ask the Emperor to cut off your problematic appendage so you can focus on your duties—instead of using it on a Xenos! Has Slaanesh gotten to you?

"Let's give them some private time. Meanwhile, Rhodes, you can call for your ship," Yvraine said, leading Celestine away and leaving Rhodes and Lelith alone.

"So, Lord Rhodes, aren't you going to say something to me?" Lelith asked.

To be honest, the Dark Eldar doesn't even have the word 'love'—it just doesn't exist. In Commorragh, the closest thing is to give everything, including your life, to someone. Few Dark Eldar are born naturally; the women never let themselves seem weak or show vulnerability, as that means they'll be enslaved. The city is filled with deceit and betrayal—being tricked just means you are stupid. Physical exchanges are common, but for some reason, she just felt weirdly upset.

She had devoted herself to Rhodes, cut ties with Vect, and ran his monster potion and beast-fighting business in Commorragh. In a way, she had given everything to him.

"Ahem! That day was an accident. You said you wanted to see a sword—I didn't know which one you meant!" Rhodes said, scratching his nose awkwardly.

"Heh! Let's call that day a service for you. I'm more concerned about our monster potion and beast business—are we still partners?" Lelith asked.

"If you want, no problem. I'll still provide some monster potions like before—though you probably won't be returning to Commorragh, right?" Rhodes replied.

The Ynnari would be busy for centuries in the real universe, looking for the five Crone Swords.

"I mean when I go back to Commorragh. With the great prophet leading us, the Ynnari will revive Ynnead and destroy our greatest enemy, Slaanesh," Lelith replied.

She had no plans to give up the arena—it was her life's work, and she'd return.

"Looks like you're confident. No problem, if you want, I'll keep supplying gene potions," Rhodes said.

Rhodes wasn't optimistic about the Eldar Death God killing Slaanesh. Only if he became Death for all species and all life could he manage it.

"Miclas is yours! The big cowardly guy should return to his real owner," Lelith said, handing over the monster capsule to Rhodes.

That big beast had helped her fight many times, but now it was time to return it.

"Keep it. It might protect you in the future," Rhodes replied.

It was just a Miclas—not a big deal. The Ynnari had dangerous missions ahead; Miclas could earn some extra credit. If he took it back, it would just end up in the Ork ranch.

"Tch! You don't want to keep that kind of relationship, do you?" Lelith asked.

"If you want, I don't mind. You Death God troops and we humans will be working together a lot. Why not stay by my side as my advisor?" Rhodes suggested.

Keeping the Dark Eldar arena queen nearby wouldn't hurt: she's strong, and useful at night too.

"Fine! You're the one who asked me to stay—not me clinging to you. But are you still after Yvraine?"

"Ahem."

"I'm telling you, the Ynnari is very interested in your ice monster potions. And Yvraine likes Gomora. That's your way in," Lelith said.

"Hey, you two, the ship's here—we need to go," Yvraine said, face dark.

You're the arena queen? And you got taken down like that? Are you even a Dark Eldar? Still, she does want to keep Gomora— and those ice monster warriors are just what the Ynnari needs!