The Nucerian high riders were not merely the ruling class.
Each and every one of them possessed formidable personal strength, and their armor and weapons were crafted to an equally exceptional standard.
As natives of Nuceria, these people possessed combat power not far removed from that of an Astartes. Even when faced with a surprise attack and the frenzied assault of a primarch, they managed—after taking losses in the opening exchange—to stabilize the line through sheer organization and teamwork.
But Bruce and Angron were hardly ordinary opponents either.
One was an Astartes clad in primarch-grade armor and wielding primarch-grade weapons, backed by a pile of bizarre tools and that godlike gift of foresight, able to predict his enemies' movements with uncanny precision every time.
The other relied on raw numbers and incandescent rage. Even the strongest among the high riders could not withstand more than two swings of Angron's axe.
The two of them even found a natural rhythm in battle: one roamed the field, disrupting enemy momentum; the other fought with complete abandon.
In less than three minutes, the slaughter was over.
Aside from the slaves, every noble and every high rider who had come before Bruce and Angron was dead. Their corpses would remain unburied.
It was punishment. Two hundred years ago, they had treated the rebels this way. Two hundred years later, they would pay the same price for "insulting a primarch."
You are the rulers, and I stand above you. You insulted me, I dislike you, so I killed you.
What problem is there?
"Nicely done, Angron. I was half expecting you to kill the slaves too—"
Bruce had just finished driving Mercy through the last high rider when he turned to praise Angron.
The next instant, the Red Angel pounced on him.
With Angron still trapped in the throes of his fury, he slammed Bruce to the ground and brought his axe crashing down.
The earth shook for several seconds. Crimson dust billowed upward. Angron's ragged breathing echoed across the battlefield.
He glared down at Bruce through gritted teeth.
"What did you do?! What did you just do?!"
It was only after the killing was done that Angron realized he had stepped into it.
He understood at once that Bruce had used him to wipe out these rulers so that the blame could be pinned neatly on him, making the World Eaters' attack on Nuceria an undeniable fact.
By tomorrow, Angron and the entire Twelfth Legion would be branded traitors who had violated the Emperor's commands.
Good. Very good, Bruce. Your calculations were exquisite.
"But you were happy, weren't you, Angron?" Bruce replied calmly, despite the fact that that last axe-blow had nearly killed him.
"You—!"
Angron's fist trembled as he roared, "You won't be satisfied unless I'm branded a traitor, is that it?!"
"And what does that do for you? What do you gain?!"
"Answer me, Bruce Wayne!"
Only now did Angron realize just how hateful Bruce's little schemes really were. From the moment he proposed the duel, all the way to now—every step had been planned.
The entire goal had been to ensure that Angron crossed the line so completely that there would be no path back.
"They insulted a primarch. That much is beyond dispute," Bruce said evenly.
"You're not a primarch! What right do you have to say they insulted one?!"
"But I represent my father, Konrad Curze. I may not be a primarch, but I have the duty to defend her honor."
"Absurd! You explain this to the Warmaster and that damned slave-master yourself!"
Still fuming, Angron smashed a fist into the dirt beside him.
Very well. You want to drag me into this? Not a chance.
"Angron, don't you want freedom?" Bruce asked quietly. "Now that the chance is right in front of you, what exactly are you resisting?"
Angron glared at him.
"If they insulted you and insulted my father, and I killed them, then that's only natural," Bruce continued.
"But if you, enraged by them, slaughter all of Nuceria afterward—that's a different matter."
"We acted within the rules. Whether it's the Warmaster or the Emperor, neither of them would have grounds to condemn us for that."
"Yes, the Imperium promised to protect Nuceria and preserve its autonomy. But that raises another point: by insulting a primarch, they were opposing the Imperium itself. There's no flaw in that logic."
"With people like that, if you don't kill them, what are you saving them for? The holidays?"
"Or do you think the dignity of the Imperium can be trampled at will?"
"What are you trying to say?!" Angron grabbed Bruce one-handed and lifted him high into the air, bellowing, "Stop speaking in circles! I hate people like you most of all!"
"If you'd use your brain for once, you'd realize there are plenty of ways to deal with Nuceria. Why keep thinking only of slaughter?"
"You want revenge, don't you? You want to prove something for your comrades, don't you? Well, now's your chance."
"And what does that do for you?!" Angron demanded. "What does that do for you?!"
Bruce could tell Angron understood now, at least in part. But because of pride, he refused to say it out loud.
If he admitted Bruce was right now… wouldn't that make him look ridiculous?
No. Absolutely not. His revenge had to be his own. By his own hand.
"The benefit," Bruce said, "is reducing losses. Nuceria cannot be destroyed, because that would damage the Emperor's credibility—and the Imperium's."
"I know you're furious. I know you want to rain exterminatus down on this whole world. But that would only harm the interests of the Imperium."
"But what if you take a different route? Don't destroy it—just clear out the nobles who refuse to fall in line. That becomes a different story entirely."
Bruce smiled faintly.
"Where I come from, there's a saying. If you want permission to open a window, no one agrees. But if you say you're going to tear the roof off, suddenly people become very willing to let you open the window."
"Use your head, Angron. You're a primarch, aren't you?"
Angron fell silent, then finally set Bruce down.
"There are still twenty-nine hours left," Bruce said, exhaling and looking toward the city below.
"If you're worried that the Warmaster or the Emperor will hold you accountable, don't be. I'll answer for my actions and my words. Even if I die, as long as it lets you vent your anger, that's enough."
Then he walked over to the slaves who had remained kneeling with their heads lowered the entire time. He picked up a weapon from the ground and tossed it to one of them.
The slave was struck by it and flinched, but even then did not dare move.
"Tch. You think killing their masters means they'll just pick up weapons and rebel?" Angron scoffed.
"I know. That's why we need a different method."
Bruce stepped forward and kicked the slave hard in the chest.
Then he barked, "I order you to pick up weapons. Right now, all of you are my prisoners. Anyone who does not arm themselves dies."
The slaves hurriedly obeyed.
"And now I issue the following orders. Every one of you will obey. If not, I will kill you."
"First: obey Lord Angron!"
"Second: follow Lord Angron in an assault on Deshya!"
"Third: come with me and bury the bones below!"
"Fourth: capture more slaves and bring them into our ranks!"
"Fifth: anyone who disobeys dies!"
"Sixth: you have only one master—Angron!"
"Seventh: the dead men are no longer your masters. You owe them no loyalty!"
"Eighth: move! Now!"
Once the eight commands had been given, the trembling slaves rushed to obey. They sprinted down the mountainside, beginning at once to carry out Bruce's orders.
To them, false promises of freedom meant little. A new master and new commands—that was something more real.
Angron stared in silence as Bruce followed after them.
He still didn't fully understand what Bruce was trying to do.
But for the first time, he felt that fighting could be… enjoyable.
So he followed.
In silence, they buried the dead of that old battlefield, raising new markers over their graves.
The work took less than an hour.
When it was done, Bruce gave the slaves a new order:
Down the mountain. Their target was Deshya.
"With this few people, you really think we can take Deshya?" Angron asked, resting his axe on his shoulder like a shovel.
"Are you scared?" Bruce shot back.
"If you die here, I'm not saving you," Angron said irritably. "I failed once here. You'll fail too."
"Back where I come from," Bruce said, "there's a saying: wherever you fall, that's where you stand up again."
"If you're afraid, don't come."
"If this time doesn't work, then next time. As long as I'm still alive, I'll keep going. This is my own personal business anyway. It has nothing to do with the Imperium."
Bruce didn't look back.
"I'm not afraid. So what are you afraid of?"
"You think I'm afraid of these insects?" Angron roared. "What if the Warmaster or the Emperor blame us? You die, and so do I!"
But despite saying that, he still followed behind Bruce and the slaves.
"Relax. The Emperor dotes on me far more than you think. Worst case, I'll take the blame. If you're afraid, stay away. If you come, then stop being afraid."
"Who said I was afraid?!"
After the group left the ridge, a door suddenly appeared in empty air.
A moment later, a number of elegantly dressed girls emerged from it, already beginning to set up arrays and unload all sorts of materials and devices.
"So this is the place?" Magnus asked. "We don't have much time. Collect as many souls as possible and evolve them. Remember—we only have nine hours."
"Why nine? This workload doesn't seem that bad…"
"Idiot. Any extra time can be used to take important books and works of craft from this world!"
Magnus huffed.
"It's still a civilization, isn't it? There must be knowledge here worth preserving. Understand?"
"Understood!"
Under Magnus's supervision, the Thousand Sons set to work.
As Bruce had requested, they would gather the souls here—and purify those spirits into heroes.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 165)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter220)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter125)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter250)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 220
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 185
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 248
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 230
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/40
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 125
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 145
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 115
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 110
My Harem Is Indescribable 100
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 105
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 67
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 80
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 85
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 78
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 80
Checking In in Demon Slayer 85
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 100
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 85
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 80
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 90
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 75
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 80
Why did they assign me to Uma 75
MYGO Beauties 70
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 70
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 80
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 80
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 57
The Uma Musume Who Became 55
I'm Definitely Not the King of 60
After Maxing Out Every Class 45
Naruto: I'm Konoha's Local Men 35
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 34
I, the Elden Sword Saint 27
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 24
No One Knows Pokémon Better 18
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 20
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