Chapter 608: Tests
The third category was tactical deduction and squad-level coordination testing.
The candidates were divided into several groups and deployed into a intricate simulated battlefield environment to conduct offensive and defensive drills.
They needed to formulate tactics independently, assign tasks, and rely on mutual trust and cooperation to achieve their objectives.
This test focused on evaluating their real-time decision-making abilities, overall battlefield awareness, and consciousness of supporting their companions. Although most candidates displayed strictly indoctrinated tactical proficiency, the coordination efficiency between teams remained inconsistent.
Two of them showed obvious individualistic tendencies during the drill, lacking effective communication and cooperation with their teammates, which ultimately led to a failure in achieving the mission objectives.
The fourth item, and the most brutal phase, was the live-fire stress test.
The candidates were thrown into a massive simulated colosseum to face swarms of combat servitors provided by the Adeptus Mechanicus.
These servitors accurately simulated the combat patterns of various xenos and traitor Astartes, with their attack intensity and sheer numbers rising continuously over time.
The environment of the colosseum was harsh; what was being tested was no longer just technique, but the candidates' combat will, survival ability, and killing efficiency under extreme pressure.
In this phase, there was no room for clever shortcuts.
The entire evaluation process lasted for several standard days.
Sigismund and the instructors watched coldly from the sidelines throughout, recording every single detail.
They did not merely look at the final outcome, but observed every reaction, every choice, and the attitude toward failure and pressure exhibited by the candidates during the process.
Finally, the assessment came to an end.
All data was aggregated and analyzed.
Sigismund and the instructors held a prolonged closed-door review.
Combining physiological diagnostic data with behavioral observations, they conducted a comprehensive evaluation of each candidate.
Inside the review chamber, the atmosphere was solemn.
Sigismund looked at the seventeen names and their corresponding assessment reports on the holographic projection:
Alvaro: Unshakeable will, formidable physique, strong tactical execution. Evaluation: Excellent. Suitable for the First Company or the Black Templars.
Glum: Superior strength and endurance, fierce in battle, though tactical thinking is somewhat direct. Evaluation: Good. Suitable for assault squads.
Cax: Agile, adaptable, outstanding individual combat capabilities, but teamwork awareness requires reinforcement. Evaluation: Pass. Recommended for assignment to scout units.
Candidate A: Weak willpower, easily susceptible to interference. Does not meet requirements.
Candidate B: Flawed combat instincts, sluggish tactical reactions. Does not meet requirements.
Candidates C & D: Lacks team spirit, struggles to integrate into the sequence of battle-brothers. Does not meet requirements.
Ultimately, out of the seventeen candidates, thirteen passed this grueling trial of the Imperial Fists.
Four were eliminated due to glaring shortcomings in willpower, combat instincts, or teamwork.
Sigismund expressed approval of this result.
Although the elimination rate was slightly higher than the theoretical upper limit, considering this was the first batch produced by a brand-new modification process, and both the final count of successful candidates and their overall quality were remarkably impressive, this undoubtedly proved the immense potential of Ryo's method.
The efficiency was far higher than traditional methods, and the success rate was indeed much greater.
He informed Ryo of the review results.
Regarding the four eliminated candidates, Ryo voiced no objections, merely stating calmly: "Hand the eliminated candidates over to me. Their physiological modifications are a success and possess research value."
Sigismund agreed.
Although these four eliminated candidates failed to reach the entry standards of the Imperial Fists, their bodies remained precious samples that might help optimize subsequent modification workflows.
The thirteen newly born Astartes were about to face the final confirmation of their identities and their journey to Holy Terra.
Gaining Sigismund's approval was merely passing the first threshold.
For these thirteen Astartes brought forth through non-traditional means, they still needed higher-level confirmation, particularly recognition from their genetic source.
A strike cruiser belonging to the Imperial Fists, specially modified for the voyage, quietly departed Necromunda's orbit.
Aboard the vessel, aside from Sigismund and his personal retinue, were the thirteen silent recruits.
During the voyage, Sigismund did not leave these recruits idle.
Utilizing the ship's training facilities, he continued observing and guiding them, honing their combat techniques, and further instilling the Chapter dogmas of the Imperial Fists and the crusading spirit of the Black Templars.
The recruits absorbed everything like parched earth, as their indoctrinated baseline knowledge met real-world heritage at this moment, gradually internalizing into their own beliefs.
Alvaro demonstrated leadership potential, often taking the initiative to coordinate his companions during training; Glum remained the undisputed pillar of physical strength; Cax, with his sharp powers of observation, repeatedly offered valuable suggestions during simulated tactical deductions.
They were rapidly transforming from "successfully modified subjects" into true "battle-brothers."
When that holy planet bathed in the Emperor's light—Terra—appeared before the viewing port, every recruit, regardless of personality, felt a tremor of reverence surging from the depths of their genetic core.
That was the site of their creator, the Master of Mankind, and the seat of their Primarch, Rogal Dorn.
After undergoing meticulous inspections and identity verifications, the cruiser was granted clearance to land at a specific spaceport within the Imperial Palace grounds.
Stepping onto the soil of Terra, feeling that solemn, heavy atmosphere so starkly different from Necromunda, the recruits involuntarily straightened their spines.
They had no time to admire the grandeur of the Imperial Palace and were led directly to the core fortress of the Imperial Fists within the Palace—a structure as immovable as a mountain range, where every stone was inscribed with a history of battle and sacrifice.
In the innermost audience hall of the fortress, they finally beheld that legendary Primarch—Rogal Dorn.
Dorn's stature was far more imposing than in any holopic archive. Standing there, he was as unshakeable as Terra itself.
His gaze was calm and profound, as if capable of piercing through all superficialities to gaze directly at the core essence.
Sigismund stepped forward, dropped to one knee, and concisely presented the full record of this gene-seed modification project, along with the origins and assessment results of these thirteen recruits.
Dorn listened quietly, his gaze subsequently falling upon the thirteen recruits.
He did not speak immediately, but stepped forward slowly, inspecting them one by one.
His inspection was no mere glance.
An intangible pressure rooted in genetic primacy enveloped the recruits.
Dorn's gaze swept over their physiques, postures, and eyes, as if sensing the pulsation of the gene-seed within their bodies.
Occasionally, he would extend a hand, touching a recruit's shoulder guard or arm with a precision and gentle touch unexpected for his massive frame, feeling the density of their muscle and the strength of their bone structure.
He asked a few questions—not about dogma, but regarding tactical choices in battle scenarios, the understanding of sacrifice, and the definition of loyalty.
The recruits, drawing from their indoctrinated knowledge and recent experiences, answered cautiously and firmly.
Dorn's inspection lasted for quite some time.
The audience hall was dead silent, save for the heavy breathing of the Primarch and the carefully controlled heartbeats of the recruits.