40k: Midnight Blade

Chapter 232 3. Two or three things about Savita (two in one)

Kahn won.

There was no suspense about the result - in fact, even Sevatar himself didn't think he could win. He was not arrogant enough to think he could defeat a company commander.

Even though he usually behaves like an idiot who doesn't know the truth, who would believe his poor disguise? I'm afraid only the real idiots would mistake the skin he wears for his real appearance.

Savita gasped and sat up reluctantly. His sword was still in his hand, but he had lost.

There were ruthless lights hanging palely above his head, and they watched his defeat without emotion. The first reserve soldier propped himself up with a chain sword, and stood up from the pool of blood little by little.

To be honest, if you look at Kahn regardless of his military rank, age, qualifications and everything else, Savita would only use the word "terrible" to describe his opponent. Other than that, he really didn't know how to describe this man.

He even had some doubts about whether Kahn was a human being.

Sevatar raised his left hand and wiped away the blood that fell from his forehead to his eyelids. Despite this, his vision was still blurred.

However, this did not prevent him from observing Kahn.

The Eighth Company Captain of the War Dogs stood there holding his blood-stained chain axe, with two intersecting wounds on his chest oozing blood. Yes, this is all that Savita left for Kahn.

The latter was currently tapping the face of the chain saw ax with the palm of his left hand. Blood splashed into the mud puddle with his movements, and the war dogs shouted for him, shouting the name of the winner excitedly.

And what about the Night Blades?

All right

Sevatar thought he would hear jeers, but no.

Even those who did not support him before the war have remained silent now. They looked at the First Reserve who lost miserably with strange eyes and remained silent. Those who support him want him to stand up and 'do what a nightblade should do'.

What should Ye Ren do?

Sevatar bared his teeth in annoyance and inserted the chain sword deeply into the soil with his usual expression.

This weapon originally did not support this method of use. If there was a technical sergeant present, he would probably have started to roar with the same force as Siani to make him pull out the sword at this moment.

However, the chainsword was not a problem under his brute force.

"You win." Saiweita tilted her head and raised her hands. "I can't beat you."

Kahn looked at him for a while and suddenly shook his head. The pale light did not stay on him, nor did the night. He was standing there, but he didn't seem to be there.

Savita didn't know if he was hallucinating. He always felt that Kahn looked like a sane madman now. A madman who is incompatible with his surroundings.

"No." The eighth company commander said. "Actually, I was defeated by force and you were defeated by underestimation. You don't like using a chainsword, do you?"

"Can you see this?" Savita twitched the corner of his mouth and forced himself to make an exaggerated expression. "My God, you are such a smart guy."

Kahn smiled.

"I hope I will have a chance to fight with you next time, Yago Savitarion." He nodded towards Savitar very politely, and then turned around and left the duel pit.

The war dogs shouted his name again and again as if welcoming a champion, and the lively atmosphere spread feverishly and was extremely hot.

Sevatar stood in the mud puddle, the cold wind blew and his blood condensed. He frowned and felt a chill.

Ten minutes later, he stood in front of Khalil.

The pharmacist in his team, Vakandwan Lyle, was treating his injuries. The pharmacist's movements were fast and his skills were good, but his strength was a little too heavy. The corners of Sevita's eyes kept twitching, but despite this, he still spoke in a calm tone.

"I'm sorry, I lost, instructor."

"Don't apologize for this kind of thing," Khalil said. "I don't think you have anything to apologize to me. The person you're really sorry for is yourself, Sevatar. Why not use the chain halberd?"

The first reserve officer raised his head, his expression clearly at a loss for words. Khalil, however, remained patient and asked again: "You are obviously better at chain halberds, right?"

"I-" Sevata pursed her lips and shook her head. "——But I may not be able to beat him with a chain halberd."

"So, are you willing to lose without trying your best?" Khalil asked with a smile.

Sevatar slowly clenched his right fist.

"It is human nature to find reasons to defend oneself after failure. However, if you prepare a retreat and reasons for yourself before success or failure is revealed, it will only make you weaker, right?"

Khalil raised his head, his expression thoughtful.

"Going forward is a stupid path, but a straight line is the shortest between two points. What do you think?"

"I don't understand what you are talking about." Sevatar replied with a wooden face.

Khalil burst into laughter.

Vakandwan Lyle slapped his captain on the back and nodded to him with a cold face: "The bleeding has stopped, dear captain. It's a pity that you didn't break any bones."

"."

Savita watched him go away speechlessly. He looked at Khalil again. He wanted to say something more, but his instructor beat him to it.

Khalil shook his head at him.

"Just take responsibility for yourself," he said gently. "Don't discuss other things anymore. As for now, you can go and rest, Sevita."

The first reserve soldier silently obeyed, and Khalil stood there watching him leave, but he did not move. He stood there and breathed calmly for a moment. A few minutes later, a smiling Angron came over.

The Nucerian was clearly in a good mood, and the aftereffects of the Butcher's Nails made his smile look scary, but that wasn't a problem for him.

He always found a way to show more kindness.

"What a wonderful battle." The gladiator praised. "It's a pity that Kleist and Karelian are not here. I miss their cheers."

"How are they doing?"

"Karelian received three commendations and Kleist five," Angron said. "In fact, most of the veterans of Burning Sand have already obtained at least one commendation."

Khalil raised his eyebrows in surprise - Burning Sand is a special auxiliary army of the War Dogs, and its soldiers are all Nucerians.

The veterans are even more special. They used to be slave gladiators who Angron regarded as brothers and sisters, and now they still fight alongside him.

It's just that such merit can be achieved in the intensity of war that war dogs have endured.

Khalil spoke softly: "May the deceased rest in peace."

Angron lowered his eyes and smiled calmly. He raised his finger and tapped the steel braid that was shaking on the back of his head. He didn't say anything, but he seemed to have said everything.

——

The orcs aboard Blasius 1 were completely exterminated five days after the war hounds joined them.

Victory?

The answer is no - for an agricultural planet, even if all the orcs are dead, it is impossible for it to return to its previous appearance. Any land stained with orc blood must undergo a complete 'renovation'.

Normally, the land will be more fertile after the war. The bones of the dead will nourish the land and make crops more lush. It's different when fighting orcs. If you dare not take any disinfection measures, just wait for them to emerge from the soil inexplicably and come back.

And if you take disinfection measures

Sevatar stood on the transport plane with a slight regret, overlooking the increasingly distant land beneath his feet, and slowly shook his head.

Will the war end?

He thought of those children, and rarely wrapped his thoughts in harsh words, but silently gave them his blessings. Next, he turned on the magnetic adsorption on the bottom of the boots through the neural connection.

Lift-off, weightlessness, docking. The tedious procedures were carried out one after another. Finally, the Night Blades of the Second Expedition returned to their battleship.

This is a punishment-class battleship. Her name is Tridesia, which is different from those ship names that carry a strong purpose and sound no different from an oath. Her name sounds like an elegant poem.

Although Sevatar was confused as to why all captains used "she" to refer to their ships, he did like the name.

What else could he say?

The first reserve stepped on the escaping mist, people were shouting, the power armor buzzed, and the joints of the armor rubbed against each other, making a constant scraping sound. Amid this commotion, the Night Blades quickly returned to their posts amid conversation.

Servants and crewmen passed busily between them, carrying toolboxes and other helpers. They will be doing maintenance on transport aircraft and other aircraft.

The technical sergeants will conduct inspections later, and their current main task is to repair the severely damaged power armor. Pharmacists and medical officers gathered together, and the collected gene seeds would be handed over after a series of examinations.

Thinking of this, Sevatar couldn't help grinding his teeth - of course there will be sacrifices in war, this is inevitable. Orcs are never easy opponents to deal with, and it is impossible without the dead.

He convinced himself with these words, and then took steps to go to the ship's command room.

The leaders of the hunting team have to go to the command room to give digital reports after each battle. Sometimes their instructors will listen, sometimes not.

These battle reports will be retained in Tridesia's data stream in the form of both voice and video, and will be stored in the 'nest' after the 'return' every eight months.

The new blood will always use these experiences, so even the most unconventional people will become serious at this moment.

No one wants to let a group of new blood die foolishly because they say less or more words, and no one will change their attitude towards this matter just because the instructor is not listening.

It took Sevatar four and a half hours and twelve minutes to do this, after which he dragged himself to the main bridge.

The interior of the Tridesia looks very gloomy, which is a common problem among almost all Night Blade ships. There is no way, whether they are Terran or Nostramo, their eyes prefer dim light sources.

He walked to a platform and looked through the porthole at the ship's spine, which stretched for several kilometers. Artillery emplacements, defensive turrets, lances, torpedo tubes

Staring at them, Sevatar couldn't help but smack his mouth.

marvelous.

He finally steeled himself from the post-war emptiness and continued on to his destination. Amidst the oncoming noise, Sevatar entered the first bridge of the Tridesia.

A tall figure has been waiting here for a long time.

Khalil Lohars stood with his back to him behind an exquisite statue and a huge rudder. He no longer wore the armor, but put on a black and white dress. The crew ignored him and went about their business, concentrating on their own business.

Sevatar breathed a sigh of relief - finally he no longer had to see that weird cloak.

He walked to his instructor, only to find that the latter was studying the tactical sandbox with his head down. The holographic projection projected a complex star map. The stars turned into light points and were presented with the power of technology. Savita glanced at them and then looked away.

"What are you looking at?" he asked.

"Look where we are going next," Khalil said thoughtfully, and suddenly stretched out his hand and clicked on a planet on the sand table. "Cappadocia."

Following his guidance, Savita looked over. He glanced at the series of readings displayed under the cursive letters of the planet's name, and quickly captured the information he needed most.

Defense power: high

The first reserve officer frowned.

"Rebellion?" he asked succinctly.

"Yes." Khalil nodded and replied. "The high defense force means that we still need to fight a few gang battles before landing. It is time to notify the destroyers and frigates in advance to prepare."

"Why do people always rebel?" Sevita asked slightly puzzled - he was not mocking, but asking this question sincerely.

To those unfamiliar with him, the difference between the two is subtle. After all, Jago Severtarion almost always sounded like he was mocking others. But this is not a problem for Khalil.

He slowly flicked his fingers, shrunk the Cappadocia star, and selected the other four planets, including them together into an acquired galaxy. Only then did he answer Sevatar's question.

"What do you think?" Khalil asked. "What is the classic reason for rebellion, Sevatar?"

Sevatar couldn't help but let out a wail.

"The corrupt governor and nobles are acting like that again?!" He spread his hands, his expression changing from slightly puzzled to a bit ferocious. "How many more of these fat-headed bastards do we have to deal with?!"

"Watch your words, young man." Khalil glanced at him and shook his head. "You can express dissatisfaction in Nostramo, but bastard in High Gothic is referential. There is no shortage of subspecies soldiers and workers in the empire."

".I apologize."

"There's no point in apologizing to me," Khalil said with a half-smile. "Keep it until you really need it one day."

He lowered his head and his voice became cold.

"The governor of Cappadocia comes from the Rasbaya family, a prominent noble family, and a Terran. Unfortunately, the glory of the ancestors of the Rasbaya family has been completely humiliated by their last descendants. Through some kind of The method has brought together the four surrounding planets and created a loose interstellar federation. The reason cannot be speculated based on the current information, but it has nothing to do with us. "

Savita smiled, a very ferocious smile, different from his usual smile.

"Don't laugh too quickly, captain of the first team." Khalil said. "We are not the only ones involved in countering the rebellion. You haven't forgotten the cooperation I mentioned, right? The war dogs are also involved. In fact, their scout fleet discovered the news of the rebellion."

"They want to attack the same planet as us?"

"Maybe." Khalil replied noncommittally. "War dogs are also very interested in killing things that cannot bear the name of nobility. In short, the specific situation will not be informed to you until I discuss it with Angron -"

He turned around and straightened his collar, his back still straight. However, for some reason, Savita always felt that he seemed very tired.

"——Remember Mr. Bellows von Sharp?"

Savita's expression suddenly turned dark.

"yes, I remember."

"Very good." Khalil lowered his head and glanced at him expressionlessly. "Our Mr. Narrator is very dissatisfied with the fact that you repeatedly abandoned him aboard the Tridesia."

"I have arranged for him to experience the stars on the observation deck."

"He is a chronicler, not a photographer."

"Isn't it the same, instructor?" Savita tilted her head pretending not to understand. "He has so many positions as a chronicler, reporter, photographer, poet, critic, and writer, but I think the one that suits him best is the photographer."

"Even if you were to deprive this venerable gentleman of his talents and make him do nothing but photography for the rest of his life, he would still be an army photographer."

Khalil patted Savitar on the shoulder with a hint of warning.

"So, you'd better not let him come to me to complain again, dear Sevita, otherwise I will have to let Shen lead his team in the next gang jumping. As for now, I have to leave . There is a shuttle waiting for me."

"Where are you going?" Sevatar managed to ignore Khalil's threat.

"Resolve," Khalil said. "Otherwise? Go back to Terra?"

He laughed and left, and Savita sighed, unable to help but miss the instructor when he didn't tell jokes very much.

——

"The Midnight Blades, a mysterious legion. Their predecessor was the Eighth Legion, known as the Emperor's executioners. It is said that they are all composed of criminals."

"There are often rumors in the empire that they like to drink human blood, eat human flesh, and like to use human skin and bones for decoration. In my opinion, these things are all false rumors."

"Although the Midnight Blades are more sinister and ruthless most of the time, it does not mean that they are as savage as the Blood Angels decades ago (praise to the great Sanguinius, I hope my descendants One stop can reach the Red Tears).”

"Anyway, I'm Bellows von Sharp, and this is my record."

A gray-haired man slowly put down his pen. It was already the seventeenth beginning he had written. He sat on a rickety chair, with an open bottle of beer beside him in addition to paper and pen.

He wears gold-rimmed glasses, a hooked nose, and sunken eyes. It's not like he's tired, but like he's born that way. Originally from Terra, he was a painter and poet. And now, he is one of the Imperial Chroniclers personally appointed by the Emperor of Mankind.

The Emperor trusted them and asked them to record everything about the Great Crusade - good, bad, neutral, none of it mattered. After all, chroniclers only need to record.

Bellows von Sharp knew very well how the materials they spent their time and energy on would eventually be altered in the hands of a group of officials. He knew very well. But he could not refuse the temptation of traveling with the Astartes.

Personally participate in this revival war to conquer the star sea. What art can be more romantic than this?

So he came anyway, and even though he was being treated perfunctorily, he never thought about leaving.

There is never a shortage of brave people among humans. Belros does not consider himself brave, but he is by no means cowardly.

That's why he was able to open the door to his room five minutes later and get angry at the person who knocked on the door.

"It's you again, respected Captain Yago Severtalion!" Belros spread his hands in feigned surprise. "Your arrival really makes me shine. Tell me, which viewing platform do you want me to sit on this time to sit there for a few days?"

Savita looked at him with a slight headache. Although his face was expressionless, he was rare and didn't know how to speak. It took more than ten seconds for him to answer the reporter's words.

"What do you think?" Sevita asked emotionlessly.

"How dare I have the answer?" The reporter chuckled. "You are the first captain. How dare I put forward my humble opinions to the great first captain?"

"You--" Saiweita's face twitched visibly. "——Well, since you have been trying to find death, I won't stop you."

He shook his head gloomily and suddenly grinned, his smile full of mockery.

"In the next battle, my team will take you with me. I will give you simple armor and a light gun. By then, I hope you can still use your words so neatly, right? Your recording instrument says what you want it to say."

"Is this true?!"

"really."

"Thank you!" Bellows von Sharp clenched his fists excitedly and closed the door, locking Savita out. He stopped where he was and didn't laugh until he heard heavy footsteps.

The gray-haired narrator's eyes sparkled with a light unique to an idealist. He turned around, threw himself at his suitcase, and dumped the contents onto the ground.

Half a minute later, he grabbed a gold medal that looked like lightning, hugged it and kissed it hard.

"For unity!" the narrator said affectionately.

I stayed up late to write it, and the update is complete.