The Death Knell

The blood of the enemy is easily washed away, disappears without a trace, and gradually fades into oblivion.

But the blood of brothers cannot be erased, and regular washing cannot clean up the dirt they left behind.

Several star sectors away, a fleet was floating in the galaxy in space. In the weathered steel fortress of the battleship 'Lion's Pride', there was a tall bald man staring at the light of the stars.

Incense-laden candles burned, their light flickering behind him, while stained glass cast images of the Chapter's history onto the walls.

Not far away are the skulls representing divinity, placed on their respective high platforms. The icons on both sides of the corridor watch everyone silently.

They are the first battle group, the ones who look for the light when the universe is darkening, the remaining embers when the dawn is approaching.

Hiding in the battlefield and attacking human enemies, they are not just angels in the darkness, but also angels seeking atonement.

In the universe, look for those who must atone for their sins and repent.

Since the birth of the Empire and the founding of the Legion, the Dark Angels Chapter has been feared by their enemies and revered by those who protect them. They fulfill their duties with eternal vigilance and enthusiasm, and are the Emperor's most loyal servants.

But for ten thousand years, the Dark Angels have buried a sinister secret that threatens everything they defend and drags them into a state of eternal doom.

Outsiders think that glory flows through their bodies along with their blood, but with every second of such recognition, the guilt in everyone's hearts deepens.

We must hurry up.

Secrets must be protected by the 'Inner Circle' and former brothers must repent.

When the previous Grand Master of the Chapter passed away in 41, Azrael inherited this position. At the same time, he inherited not only the Dark Angels' most precious sacred objects, the 'Lion Helm' and the 'Arcane Sword', but also an extremely heavy responsibility.

From then on, he was revered as the Guardian of the Truth. As the leader of the regiment, he led the regiment into battle after battle. His incorruptible noble behavior and flawless honor became a role model for all his comrades.

But now, he was holding a long, narrow and graceful sword in one hand, standing quietly, thinking about something.

What will you and your brothers face in the Gladius Galaxy? Can those people be found?

But all in all, fallen man must return to the light.

"Lord Azrael."

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a hoarse call. From the shadows of the solemn corridor behind him, Chapter Priest Orpheus wearing a skull mask, and First Company Commander Seraphis walked out.

The Grand Master turned around and looked out the window at his comrades-in-arms. In the center of his forehead was the golden Grand Master emblem of a sword with wings spread, and the head of a lion on the right shoulder of the power armor seemed to be staring at everyone.

"Orpheus, Seraphim, I called you because the time has come and the news has been received from above."

"Is it about our target?" Seraphis is a loyal warrior who has experienced hundreds of battles and is also a member of the inner circle. He knows what everyone has been looking for.

"Maybe." Azrael raised his head, his noble eyes full of seriousness: "You know, this kind of news is not always accurate, we need to verify it ourselves."

The first company commander didn't say much. He stretched out the white cloak on his right shoulder and just asked: "Where is it?"

The chapter leader glanced at him and put his hand on the hilt of his sword: "In the Gladius galaxy, there have been some problems with the technological excavation work there recently. A decaying world is actually hidden under the feet of mankind, and some of our targets People seem to be heading there too.”

"The world of Gladius? Sir, it happens to be at the border of the empire. We may encounter all known types of enemies there." Battle Priest Ophis held his chin with a huge metal hand, and placed it on his skull helmet. A pair of red eyepieces sparkle.

He was not afraid of fighting, but was reminding the Grand Commander to be fully prepared.

"The storm has weakened. We will enter the subspace jump. I hope you will assemble your troops before the jump." Azrael put his hand on the priest's shoulder and patted it a few times: "I will stay The monastery will take over, while you go and establish a forward base first.”

"Where are the coordinates?"

The first company commander is a very pragmatic person. It is undoubtedly useless to make detailed tactical arrangements in this situation, because only by landing on the ground can the specific situation be known.

"Yes." Just when the grand leader ordered the servo skull to project information and prepare to designate the assembly point, the flag bearer suddenly ran up to him and whispered a few words to him. He suddenly showed a suspicious look: "Is the intelligence true? Don't respond, we Covert operation.”

The sergeant nodded, and he swore on his honor that the navigator sensed the emergency communication on Gladius not long ago.

Not only was it a request for help signal, the mechanical spirit of the communication relay station also automatically generated a chart of the current situation of the planet. According to the analysis of the think tank on the ship, the planet has completely turned into a hell on earth.

Azrael was a little silent. Logically speaking, as a space warrior, he must have the consciousness to save and protect mortals. Although the planet has basically fallen 99.99%, since someone can send an emergency signal through the empire's verification, that means Among the enemies there are human survivors.

However, in this operation, the original purpose of the battle group cannot be known to outsiders. The secret must be strictly guarded. Saving people will undoubtedly attract attention.

However, he only hesitated for a second and immediately changed his original order.

Let the priest take the second company to use the airdrop pod to land at the relay station, while the first company commander takes the Deathwing Terminator to establish a frontline base in the Antarctic region of the planet where enemies are sparse. He himself will command the fleet battle in space from the flagship.

It has been learned through intelligence that there is a chaotic fallen fleet in the orbit of that planet.

"Also, I don't need to tell you. You should also understand how dangerous secrets are. You must be quick and don't let unnecessary people know our true goal."

He added another sentence, and at the same time motioned to the flagman to signal the navigator that he could prepare to jump.

"We understand that we are just going to clear the entire area and fight alien evil spirits. We accidentally received a signal when passing by." The first company commander nodded. He held the chain sword at his waist. He did not use long-range weapons like him and was equipped with two weapons. People who wield chainsaws have always been very confident in themselves.

The grand leader smiled and hammered his breastplate: "Go, I believe you will succeed. I will eliminate all the evil spirits outside the orbit of the planet and wait for you to bring back the lost glory."

The first company commander nodded silently and turned to prepare.

"From beginning to end, forever!" Priest Orpheus also made a sacred oath that he would do whatever it took to complete the mission.

Azrael turned around again and looked at the magnificent stained glass: "For Jonson and Father Quan, we move forward."