40k: Midnight Blade

Chapter 319 39. Blood of Calth (11)

004.M31, Calth Surface, Hell.

Sevatar watched indifferently as the last blessed son died.

He looked like a monster at all, and his face was not human. You could hardly see any 'human' features. Angel Tai decapitated him with a chainsword, and he wasn't dead yet—or rather, he wasn't dead fast enough.

The ocean from the dark world surged in this body, giving him the powerful vitality to regenerate his severed limbs, and also allowed him to live for a few more moments even if he was beheaded.

He can even talk.

At this moment, the forest is no longer what it used to be. Flames were everywhere, and the charcoal caused by lightning emitted a pungent stench. The rain was pouring down, and raindrops heavier than bullets fell on their heads in an endless stream.

If you look up, you can also see an extremely hot light, which is one of the evidences that the sun of Calth is fissioning. Soon, the surface of the earth will be completely filled with deadly radiation.

No one could survive that level of radiation unless they went underground, otherwise the only outcome would be death. In this apocalyptic scene, the voice of the Blessed Son rings out.

"This is not the end," he said, staring at Angel Tai. "This is only the beginning, brother, this is only the beginning. You are being deceived now, but you will soon see the truth. The Emperor is a liar, and none of what he claims is true."

The son of Aurelion held a blood-stained chainsword and stared at him until he died completely without saying a word. He gave the blessed son nothing but contempt and hatred.

The monster's corpse turned into black mud and began to hiss in the rain, then washed away, leaving only pale and broken bones. It wasn't until he saw this scene that Angel Tai turned around and stretched out his left hand towards Savita.

"No, thank you," said Sevita.

"Why? Are you going to die?"

"Not really, I just don't want to get up for the moment." Sevita spat out these words little by little, and then more.

He spoke very slowly, just like those bureaucrats from Terra who would deliberately slow down their speech in order to ensure that they were more dignified. And Angel Tai knew that this was not his intention.

"Let me sit quietly for a moment, huh? Cousin?"

Angel Tai stared at the pale face in silence, the rain streaked across, taking away the blood on the latter's face, and there was still an unquenchable blue light surging deep in the dark pupils.

He nodded to him, sat down, and began to lower his head to check whether the chainsword's blade could still survive the next battle.

The sky was filled with the sound of explosions. As the sun began to transform from a star, large tracts of unnatural misty light penetrated the broken clouds, forming a magnificent spectacle. Savita looked up at this scene and suddenly smiled.

Angel Tai asked without raising his eyes: "I thought you said you wanted to be quiet for a while."

"I've changed my mind," Sevatar said. "How many of us are left?"

"I don't know. If you want to know, just issue the order yourself." Angel Tai said.

His right hand was resting on the edges of the saw blades and tapping gently, hoping to identify the factors that might cause them to break.

"What? Don't you want to know?"

"The number of people is meaningless." Angel Tai raised his head, his eyes extremely serious. "Enemy are everywhere anyway, all we have to do is fight."

Sevatar nodded in understanding: "So you are already determined to die?"

"No, why do you say that?"

"Because only those commanders who don't think they can win would say such things." Sevatar grinned and stood up slowly.

Pieces of armor slipped off his body as he moved. He glanced down and simply punched his breastplate a few times. Under constant hammering, it gradually deformed and turned into a twisted shape.

Angel Tai looked at him and shook his head: "You need to replace at least four parts to ensure that this set of power armor can help you in the next battle."

"Isn't it the same for you?" Sevita looked at him slightly sarcastically. "Who cut off half of your left shoulder armor? And who tore the armor on your right leg?"

"They are all dead." Angel Tai said flatly. "Toradero, Glak Vikas, Urnit."

"Do you know them?"

Angel Tai smiled, even though it was only for a moment, but Sevatar caught it: "They were all my brothers once, Yago Sevatarion."

He stood up slowly, raised his feet, and crushed the pile of bones that were already very fine.

"But they are only traitors now," the Son of Aurelion said softly. "They are the children who cannot protect the original body, cowards who broke their oaths in the past, and fools who were deceived by lies. Now, they can be my enemies and enemies, but they cannot be my brothers."

"It's such a profound passage. Can I use it?"

"Yes, yes, but where do you plan to use it?"

"I don't know." Sevatar shrugged. "Before I die, right? If I am killed by the Word Bearers, I will relay these words of yours before I die."

Angel Tai cast a disapproving look, stood up, and began to gather the troops, count the number of people, and look for the injured.

Their initial count was six hundred and twenty-three, three hundred and sixty-six Nightblades and two hundred and fifty-seven Sons of Aurelion. After a period of time, these two numbers increased to 392 and 281 respectively, and 673, all of them were slightly injured, and no one was seriously injured.

No one seriously injured survived the Word Bearers' attack.

At the same time, a portion of the Imperial Army survived—a portion of them, forty-two people. It is worth mentioning that the technician is also among them. She was lucky enough not to die, and nothing major went wrong.

Seriously, repeating the name of Ohm Messiah and reciting numbers like a broken radio is no big deal, right?

"Then go underground," said Sevatar. "I hope the Ultramarines still like to make backup plans as much as I remember."

Angel Tai did not answer this sentence, but concentrated on tapping the chain sword in his hand. Washed by heavy rain, they walked deep into the forest.

——

004.M31, Calth Orbital, Macragge's Glory.

"Head northeast, Toro."

Robert Guilliman stood at the front of the auxiliary bridge with his back to everyone, holding a communication device in his hand as he narrated. He was facing the dying sun of Cowes, his free left hand resting on the edge of a porthole.

"I repeat, head northeast and be sure to reach Leptis Numinas. You have gathered ten companies of the Ninth Chapter, which will be great news for the defenders there."

"I understand, Primarch." Toro Nicodemus, one of the Four Heroes of Ultramar, replied in the hoarse electric signal. Guilliman was glad to hear his voice again, and to know that he was fighting behind the lines in Erud.

His support will stabilize the defense lines of Leptis Numinas and the surrounding plains, so that this temporary communication network built on the three watchtowers on the Leptis Numinas plain can have Longer operating time.

As long as it remains operational for one second longer, Robert Guilliman will be able to directly command the remaining forces on the ground at Calth.

"We set out immediately, Primarch," said Toro Nicodemus. "Also, how's it going on the track?"

"Not very good," Guilliman said, narrowing his eyes. "I won't lie to you, but the engines of Macragge's Glory have just been restarted. Our fleet is being torn apart by the Word Bearers, and we cannot spare time to support the ground."

"Understood, Primarch." Toro Nicodemus hung up the communication, he was always so neat.

Guilliman lowered his head and began to operate the instrument himself. After waiting patiently for the sixteenth minute, he successfully contacted Ekos Rayamide, also one of the Four Heroes.

Guilliman had spoken to him not long ago, so he got to the point directly this time.

"Prepare to move towards Leptis Numinas, Ikos. We will use that as a foundation to rebuild Calth's ground communications step by step. The watchtower will ensure that there is always a communication bridge between you and me."

"In addition, there is a Sun Auxiliary Army fighting near you in Desert Outpost No. 72. Southeast, about twenty-six kilometers. Support them, and then go to Leptis Numinas with them."

"Understood, the original body." There was a heavy breathing from Ekos Layamide. Even though he was so far away, even if the electromagnetic signal almost dismembered his voice, Robert Guilliman could still hear it.

He understood that Echos was injured.

But who doesn’t?

He hung up the communication with a cold heart and started to connect to the next command target. He began to do what he was good at. The war was moving towards the multi-front approach that Roboute Guilliman was familiar with, and he was not at all relieved about it.

He didn't even desire 'victory', because he knew in his heart that the Seventeenth Legion had already won the battle of Calth.

Whatever they set out to do, they succeeded.

Perhaps there was only one failure, they failed to kill Robert Guilliman.

They failed to kill him.

This will become a lifelong painful nightmare for them.

Guilliman clenched his left fist.

He spent the next three hours continually rebuilding his command network, with senior officers and staff working behind him, matching the Primarch's orders with the temporarily altered map of Calth.

Few could keep up with Roboute Guilliman's thinking, so the job became an arduous chore. At the same time, the acrid smell of burning corpses began to spread on the bridge.

The bodies of the loyal are being burned, as are the remaining traces of the demons. Guilliman caught the scent, but he remained unmoved.

He clicked his finger, changed the signal, and entered the call with Marius Gage through the reserved connection.

"I have gathered sixteen troops and marched towards Leptis Numinas." Guilliman said, and turned to Ampion and gestured to him to send the list data of these troops to Gage. .

"Really? This is really good news, Primarch."

"The number of people is still unknown. Get ready, Gage. I need a specific number of people. In addition, Nared Ventanus and Sergeant Shen of the Fourth Company of the Midnight Blade proposed a battle plan to me."

"It's good to hear they're alive."

"They believe that they can find a possible survivable weapons array on the surface of Calth and use the surface platform to attack the Word Bearers' ships. They are heading to you, and I want you to help them complete this with your greatest strength. Plan. Those who are still in low-Earth orbit and bombing will all pay the price."

"I understand, Primarch," Marius Gage replied slowly and deeply. "Also, do you have any regrets about leaving the anti-psionic force on Macragge?"

Guilliman knew what he wanted to express. In fact, he had thought about it himself.

Why couldn't I make up my mind from the beginning?

He had seen what the Warp could do, he understood it better than anyone else, but why was it that when Horus's command came, his first instinct was to believe it?

It wasn't until the Word Bearers officially arrived and until he saw the inhuman auxiliaries that he finally made up his mind. He didn't even think about mobilizing anti-psychic troops, because he still had a little hope in his heart that they were going to kill the orcs.

Think, think, think.

Inference, inference, inference.

After a brief but lengthy theoretical derivation, Robert Guilliman came to the conclusion that he was responsible for the tragic state of Calth today.

If he could be hard-hearted, if he could shoulder his responsibilities, perhaps today's situation would be different. If the monarch of Calth, the person who learned the truth was Leon El'Jonson, I am afraid that the Lion would start preparing for war the moment he received the order.

He was different, he was too soft-hearted, and he still looked at Horus as he looked at his brother, but was Horus Luperkar really still the person he knew?

Robert Guilliman thought of Lorgar Aurelion, the Lorgar Aurelion who was twisted, obscured by darkness, and surrounded by demons.

"Yes, I regret it," Robert Guilliman said.

"But they won't blame you," Gage said.

"I can."

Guilliman closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"As soon as support arrives, begin massing the offensive. The first priority is to execute Nared Ventanus and Shen's plan. If successful, we will be free to send orbital support. The Word Bearers' Titan will no longer be a question."

"Understood, Primarch."

"Then we end this war."

"Understood, Primarch."

"Then."

"And what, Primarch?"

"Nothing," Guilliman said. "Fight on, Chapter Master, and keep hope alive."

Yes, code.