Chapter 277: I Really Want to Lead a Normal Army
Whoosh—
A grey sky was roiling, leaving ripples on the solid ground, spreading outwards from the center.
Rumble—
A wreck, the massive wreck of a hive city building, pierced the sky. It was so huge that its shadow almost blotted out the entire sky. It rotated with the storm, carrying a heavy and unstoppable momentum. A single glance was enough to make one's blood run cold, a shiver running from the base of the spine to the top of the head. An unparalleled visual impact!
BOOM! BOOM!
Several scavenger convoys, fleeing from an Arbites patrol, drove their vehicles into the storm. But not long after they had entered, a barrage of artillery from within the storm precisely enveloped the convoy. The armored vehicles, which had been intact under the Arbites' autocannon fire just a moment before, were instantly stripped of their outer armor. The tech-priest inside was scraped into a bloody mist by the high-speed sand.
The storm raged on eternally, and in the blink of an eye, had wiped away all traces.
In the midst of the sandstorm, a meeting was taking place. One side was in neat formation, their figures upright. The other's equipment was old, their postures bent. It was a signal of imminent attack, like a lion, its body coiled, ready to tear the enemy's throat.
And in the center of the two forces, Arthur stood, sword in hand. No matter how fierce the surrounding sandstorm, it began to part around their formation, as if there were an invisible, indestructible barrier, stubbornly resisting the storm's erosion.
'Quite a few of them.'
Arthur's gaze fell on the group of Space Marines with their varied liveries. The Mechanicus's trailing had been expected. Since they had publicly designated the restricted area, if they had been warned and had still come looking for death, then it was not their problem.
And these Fallen Angels before him were the first to respond after receiving the secret order. The Fallen Angels stationed in Fort Vigilus also had their own purposes. The vast majority of them had never actually embraced Chaos. There were even some who had turned to Chaos but believed they could use the anti-warp properties of Blackstone to expel the subtle Chaos corruption within their bodies.
Some believed that Blackstone was the key to the salvation of the Imperium. They had gathered here because of some kind of fated arrangement, that heaven had required them to be the guardians of this secret, in order to save humanity at a critical moment. And some believed that the Lion would return, that he would pardon their crimes, and that they would once again fight for the Imperium.
The wind howled. Both sides gripped their guns, just quietly watching each other. The leading Fallen Angel looked up at Arthur, at his calm face, a dazed look in his eyes.
Arthur also noticed the insignia on his tattered cloth. A thick horizontal line, with five vertical lines of decreasing length from the center to the sides, connected to it but not passing through. The Order of the Broken Crown. Members of the former Host of Crowns, who usually served as the Lion's personal guard. The same origin as Cypher. Cypher also knew this one. There was no problem with his identity.
"Your name," Arthur asked flatly. He stood, his sword sheathed, completely exposed to the other's field of fire.
"Galahad, Lord Arthur," the Fallen Angel replied.
"You know me?" Arthur looked surprised. Even among the Space Marines, not many knew of him and Ramesses.
"There are many rumors about you in the Sea of Souls. Before we came to Fort Vigilus, we encountered a warband of the Emperor's Children. They wanted to take our bodies to get close to you, to tempt you to fall."
"..."
That sounds like something Slaanesh would do. Arthur squeezed the hilt of his sword, a sudden urge to cut Fulgrim a few times. He then said, "Thank you for your battle. For saving me from a conspiracy."
"..."
This left the surrounding Fallen Angels at a loss for how to reply. They had stressed this event more to clarify their understanding of the Primarch, to let him know not to play any little tricks on them.
"...It is my honor, my Lord," Galahad finally said, after a moment's hesitation.
"Let's get straight to the point," Arthur said, looking at the other's awkward expression. "As the rumors say, I am gathering the Dark Angels of Caliban from ten thousand years ago. I will give every Dark Angel a chance to prove their loyalty, ample arms and supplies, I will try to understand your demands, give you the honor and commendation you deserve, and a promise to meet the Lion. And as a Dark Angel under my command, you will also have to obey my orders and abide by the discipline of the Dark Angels."
"My Lord, can we have our revenge?" Galahad immediately asked.
In the ranks, Azrael instinctively tensed. He looked up at Cypher, who was as usual.
"Against the Lion, or against The Rock?"
"Against The Rock."
"The Inner Circle, yes. The Chapter, no," Arthur replied seriously. The Inner Circle was an absolute cancer, an object that had to be eradicated. But the Dark Angels who fought according to the knightly codes were innocent. If they were to indiscriminately slaughter them, then these Fallen Angels would be no different from the Inner Circle.
"We will conduct a detailed review of the entire Caliban incident, and analyze the motives behind The Rock's ten-thousand-year hunt for the Fallen. If you have any questions, you can come and ask me," he explained patiently.
A wave of disappointment spread through the Fallen Angels. But Arthur did not relent. "If you do not agree with my solution, you are free to leave. I will not indiscriminately slaughter victims who have not been tainted by Chaos. You are free to leave the turmoil of the galaxy, find a planet and live in seclusion, and wait for the Lion to return and ask me to demand an explanation for you. This is what I can do. But if we meet on the battlefield as enemies, I will show no mercy."
Arthur had no intention of muddying the waters from the start. A conflict with the Inner Circle was fine. The other side was not a good thing. The contemporary Fallen were victims, no problem. The ones who should be caught would be caught, the ones who should be branded traitors would be branded. The really troublesome ones would be locked up. But who was the enemy and who was a companion had to be clearly defined from the beginning.
Muddying the waters would only make things more difficult. He would not accept an extremist Inner Circle, and he would not accept an extremist Fallen. If he were to really take the Fallen and wipe out the Chapter, it would be satisfying, but the impact of these demigods would probably not dissipate for a few hundred years.
So Arthur's bottom line was this: no extremism, death to Chaos, and a guarantee of resettlement for those who did not want to fight. Those who fought with him would have everything they should have, and he would personally commend them for the truly secret wars. The Legion's statutes were written in black and white. If you can't change your thinking, then you will be replaced. Otherwise, why would he spend all his time, whenever he had a free moment, talking to the Dark Angels?
Under Arthur's detailed explanation, the Fallen Angels' gazes grew more and more complex. He only hoped that the Dark Angels who fought under him would not be so extreme.
He really wanted to lead a normal army.
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