Ultimately, among the six thousand soldiers of the Rostov Defense Force's Seventh Regiment, over one hundred instantly became golden torches, while another three hundred or so had golden flames ignite on their bodies but were not killed.
The Commissar's expression was not good regarding this outcome, but he was already fortunate that it was only this result.
With just a brief combat encounter, so many people in the Seventh Regiment were contaminated by Chaos. One can imagine what fate awaited the Seventh Regiment today if the battle had continued longer and they had been exposed to Chaos contamination for an extended period.
And now, at least those who survived the Seventh Regiment were saved, and the Seventh Regiment's designation and honor were also preserved.
After all, they had just undergone the Divine Emperor's trial, and they had proven their loyalty.
Observing those in the Seventh Regiment who were engulfed in golden flames but not burned to death, both Luka and Kaldor Draigo developed an intense interest.
"They weren't burned to death. Why?" Kaldor Draigo felt exceptionally puzzled.
It was normal for some people to drink sanctus wine and be fine.
After all, while Chaos contamination was dangerous, it wasn't guaranteed to infect upon sight; a firm faith could still resist it.
Those who were burned to death also came as no surprise; fighting Chaos was like that, one careless mistake could cost one's life.
One second you might be fighting fiercely and cheering for the Imperium, but the next second you could be a blood sacrifice to the Blood God, or a skull for the Skull Throne, or perhaps grow boils, chickenpox, and a series of scabs and pustules, becoming flower fertilizer in Father Nurgle's garden.
Mortals truly had little resistance to Chaos contamination. Only just over one hundred out of six thousand survivors were burned to death, which was an extremely low proportion, sufficient to prove the Seventh Regiment's soldiers were loyal enough to the Emperor.
Of course, this also related to the small scale of the attacking Chaos Warband and the Imperium's absolute numerical superiority.
However, those who were not burned to death were somewhat peculiar. The appearance of golden flames on their bodies proved that the sanctus wine had an effect on them, indicating they also had Chaos corruption.
But not being burned to death, that was worth discussing.
Was the degree of corruption not high? Or was the dosage consumed insufficient?
For Kaldor Draigo, these people were all potential sources of Chaos contamination, and he would have preferred to execute them all for good.
But now that the effect of the sanctus wine had manifested, proving its effectiveness in cleansing Chaos contamination, he could no longer suggest Luka kill people.
After all, the sanctus wine, to a certain extent, represented the Emperor's own will. Since the Emperor did not execute these people, what right did he, Kaldor Draigo, have to place his will above the Emperor's?
However, he still wished to confirm whether these individuals were insufficiently corrupted or had not drunk enough wine.
He himself was inclined towards the latter situation.
Luka was also curious about this, as for Huang Lao Han, if there truly was Chaos contamination, he would certainly not let it go.
No matter how one looked at it, these people should not have survived.
There was no such thing as a middle ground in the 40k era Imperium; disloyalty was absolute if loyalty was not absolute.
Once Chaos contamination was contracted, there was absolutely no possibility of recovery.
Had Huang Lao Han changed his ways? Or had he rediscovered his humanity?
Luka didn't know, but verifying the specific situation was simple: just drink another cup.
So, these soldiers who had not been burned to death were asked to drink another cup of 'loyalty'.
This time, each of them had a Battle Sister standing beside them, and in addition to the wine bottle, each Sister had her hand on her weapon.
The other soldiers of the Seventh Regiment and the Commissar watched these recently unburned soldiers with complex expressions, hoping they were fine, while also agonizing over whether they should rush forward to demonstrate their loyalty to the Emperor if something truly went wrong.
After all, these were all soldiers of the Seventh Regiment. If problems arose, even if the Governor and others didn't pursue it, the Commissar would still have to enforce discipline, making the soldiers reaffirm their faith and reflect on why most of the regiment was fine, yet only a few hundred people had issues.
Was their faith not firm enough? Had their loyalty to the God-Emperor wavered?
In short, a comprehensive re-training awaited the Seventh Regiment.
Especially these soldiers who had not been burned to death earlier, even if they were proven innocent later, the Commissar would still flay them alive upon their return.
Who told them to catch fire? Their loyalty to the God-Emperor must have wavered during the battle.
If this matter were handled by a more extreme Commissar, these people would not even get a second chance; they would be immediately taken out and shot.
In fact, the Commissar of the Seventh Regiment wanted to execute all these people right now.
But seeing that Luka had given them a second chance, the Commissar could only stand by and watch.
Soon, under the stern gaze of the Sisters of Battle, these individuals drank the second cup of sanctus wine.
This time, they had no reaction whatsoever.
"Very good, you have passed the trial. The God-Emperor deems you still salvageable." Luka spoke before anyone else, defining the matter as the God-Emperor deeming these people 'still salvageable'.
Kaldor Draigo originally had some differing opinions, but after Luka spoke, he hesitated and then chose to remain silent.
Yes, the God-Emperor himself didn't deem these people worthy of death, so how could he, Kaldor Draigo, have the right to execute them?
If something truly needed to be done, they could simply be incorporated into the Astra Militarum and then sent to a battlefield where death was certain, to be expended.
The Emperor's currency was precious and should be used in a more appropriate manner.
"For the Emperor!" A group of surviving Defense Force soldiers immediately shouted Huang Lao Han's name loudly; this truly was the God-Emperor's protection.
"Great Sister, please lead them in prayer to the God-Emperor, to thank His Majesty for his protection." Luka looked towards the Great Sister of the Sacred Rose Convent, indicating for her to conclude the matter.
"Yes, Governor." The Great Sister walked over and then said, "Loyal soldiers, today you have undergone the trial given by the God-Emperor. Congratulations on passing the trial! Let us praise the God-Emperor and thank him for his protection!"
Immediately, the Sisters of Battle of the Sacred Rose Convent present began to sing hymns, while the Great Sister personally guided all the soldiers of the Seventh Regiment present to kneel and pray together to the God-Emperor.
"Governor, I have something I'd like to discuss with you privately." Kaldor Draigo approached Luka and whispered to him.
Luka looked at the Grey Knights Librarian, his eyes shifting before he nodded.
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The story doesn't end here 😉 The next chapter is already up on Patreon, you can read it here: [patreon.com/TripleCrown07]