Things happened so suddenly that many people were still in a state of shock.
Hundreds of great nobles, as well as the planetary governor, several hundred high-ranking officers, and even the Ecclesiarchy's bishops and the Mechanicus' Tech-Priests, were all consumed by the fire!
But immediately after, the Fernando family, with lightning speed, took control of the PDF and announced that they had received authorization from the planetary governor, in the name of the Great God-Emperor, to purge the heretical cult forces of Chaos lurking in the Wanderer's Port!
But as for who the heretics were, wasn't that for them to decide?
The Fernando family, holding the banner of righteous vengeance and capitalizing on the power vacuum in the PDF, took control of hundreds of thousands of troops.
Their first targets were those nobles who had previously held positions contrary to their own!
Thus, the PDF, swept up by fury and righteousness, turned its slaughtering blade towards the noble class, who had once been high above them and oppressed them!
Any family that had a grudge with Fernando could not escape the wrath of the PDF!
At this moment, Jackal returned in a hurry.
"How are the intelligence reports I asked you to gather?" Emrys asked without turning his head.
"Just as you predicted, a large number of Defense Force troops are massacring nobles, and several important starports and hive city entrances have also been blockaded," Jackal reported truthfully.
Emrys looked at the soaring flames within the hive city from the window of his confined manor, his brows furrowing involuntarily.
"What a brilliant move to divert the water and kill with a borrowed knife!"
In his opinion, where were the heretics?
This was clearly a well-orchestrated play, The Island, by the Fernando family to seize power and silence dissent!
In fact, the ease with which the Fernando family could control the PDF showed how deeply that cunning old fox had infiltrated the grassroots over the years. It was likely that almost all the lower-ranking officers of the entire PDF, with the exception of a few high-ranking ones, had long been members of the Fernando family!
Otherwise, even if the senior officers were lost, with the planetary governor's orders in place, the Defense Force loyal to the Planetary General should not have so easily obeyed the Fernando family's commands!
Lloyd had managed the Wanderer's Port for so many years; calling him a 'local emperor' was no exaggeration!
Hundreds of thousands of PDF troops, along with ample armaments, were enough for the Fernando family to overthrow the entire rule of the Wanderer's Port!
This was not what worried Emrys the most. He looked up at the sky, shrouded in flames and thick smoke, and murmured, "The real threat should be in space—how will you deal with the Imperial Navy?"
The key to deciding victory or defeat was not in controlling the PDF, or even in the Wanderer's Port, but in the Imperial Navy fleet!
As long as the Imperial Navy fleet remained, even if Fernando truly controlled the Wanderer's Port, he still couldn't withstand the Navy fleet's macro-cannons and orbital strikes!
To put it bluntly, as long as the Imperial Navy fleet was still there, it was like a Sword of Damocles hanging over the Wanderer's Port and the Fernando family's heads, capable of overturning the entire situation at any moment!
"Unless—" Suddenly, Emrys put himself in their shoes, and as he thought about a way to break the deadlock, a flash of inspiration crossed his mind.
"No! Jackal, quickly contact Carol and tell her to be vigilant in the surrounding star systems, and watch out for Eldar pirates and Chaos Lords!"
"Yes!"
Jackal rushed out the door.
But soon, he returned with a bitter expression.
"We were a step too late. Just a few minutes ago, Carol already detected that the Imperial Navy fleet encountered a combined attack from Eldar pirates and Chaos Lords."
"Such speed," Emrys sighed lightly, pinching his brow. "It's not that we were a step too late; it's that they were already prepared to simultaneously attack the Imperial Navy fleet when they attacked the Wanderer's Port!"
"So what do we do now?" Jackal asked.
"Break out!" Ilia said expressionlessly, wiping her executioner's greatsword. "With me here, no one can stop you!"
"Are you crazy, or am I crazy?" Emrys glared at her, speechless. "There are hundreds of thousands of fully armed PDF troops outside. Do you really think you have the God-Emperor's blessing?"
That was hundreds of thousands of PDF troops, and they were fully armed!
Judging by the weapons and heavy equipment deployed, they were no less formidable than a regular Astra Militarum force!
Does anyone really think the PDF is easy to bully?
The upper and lower limits of the PDF in each planetary hive city are quite extreme. Some PDF' combat capabilities can only deal with ordinary citizens rioting in the underhives, but some PDF are themselves reserve forces for the Astra Militarum.
Unfortunately, the PDF of the Wanderer's Port happened to be one of the recruitment sources for the Astra Militarum in the Calixis Sector.
"I also advise you to abandon this naive idea."
At this moment, Jackal rubbed his nose and handed over a report.
"This is the result of the Spartan team's investigation after infiltrating the Wanderer's Port. I think you should take a look."
Emrys took the report from his hand, and just a glance already made his head ache.
Just the first line of the report made his eyes widen.
"Are you sure you're not joking with me?"
"I wish it were false." Jackal's expression was serious, and he sighed deeply.
"Unfortunately... it's all true."
"Who can explain to me where a PDF, stationed for local hive city defense, got an 'Emperor-class super-heavy Baneblade tank'?!" The types and models listed in the report almost made Emrys lose his composure.
"
And Gorgon heavy transports, Macarius Omega tanks—I don't even have these things!"
Even within the Astra Militarum legions, only a few armored legions would be equipped with such things.
How could a Defense Force, meant to defend a local hive city and primarily used to suppress riots and cults, possess such heavy weaponry?
"In fact, they also have a heavy armored regiment." Jackal sighed, saying helplessly, "Equipped with over a hundred Medusa self-propelled siege guns, as well as Griffin mortar carriers, HYDRA anti-aircraft gun arrays, and even light Leman Russ battle tanks."
"Is there any worse news?"
Emrys pressed his throbbing Sun temples, trying to calm his restless mood as much as possible.
"Yes, Sky Talon Valkyrie gunships." Jackal seemed equally helpless, shrugging his hands.
"All these equipments,
They all came from the Fernando family's sponsorship. It's no exaggeration to say that the combat power of this local Defense Force is already comparable to the Astra Militarum."
How wonderful! From the ground to the sky, the Fernando family had considered every aspect!
No wonder they were so eager to control this Defense Force.
With this Defense Force, even if the Imperium sent the Astra Militarum to suppress them, it might not necessarily succeed.
Emrys crumpled the paper into a ball, only able to be grateful that he had been cautious enough.
Otherwise, if they had followed the original plan, what they would be facing now would be an entire PDF with Astra Militarum training, powerful backup, firepower, and weapons!
"The Fernando family is really rich"
As he said this, Emrys' heart was filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred.
His carefully cultivated Holy Terra Auxiliary Army hadn't even used such luxurious equipment yet, but a frontier Rogue Trader Dynasty had the ability to equip hundreds of thousands of Defense Force troops. Could he possibly be balanced in his heart?
Mr. Talos Novan stood on the dilapidated family fortress.
Through the observation scope, he saw the neat green wave ahead, his heart filled with bitterness and anger.
That was the PDF of Roaming Port, marching through the streets like burning asphalt under the Imperial Aquila banner!
The roar of treads and gears, mixed with the scuff of military boots against the ground, transformed into a terrifying momentum that advanced step by step.
"They even brought the 'Emperor's Bane'!" Castor's android eye glowed with a terrifying red light, and the War Machine rolling in along the hive city streets in the distance made his heart tremble.
"This is clearly a slander! The Fernando family has no evidence whatsoever to prove that we attacked the banquet!"
"Castor, don't you see?" Lord Talos sighed, caressing the gleaming medal on his chest.
"This is nothing more than a chess game orchestrated by the Fernando family themselves, with the aim of purging families in Roaming Port who pose a threat to them."
A day earlier, the Fernando family claimed to have found the evil Chaos Eight-Pointed Star in the Novan family's territory. Then, without giving them any chance to defend themselves, they dispatched a large number of PDF, under the pretext of 'blood for blood' and raising the banner of 'God-Emperor and Imperium', launching a thunderous assault.
The few families who still harbored illusions finally understood the Fernando family's conspiracy after witnessing the slaughter of the other noble houses.
But it was too late. One by one, families were massacred and purged, leaving only the Novan family leading a small number of others, resisting the PDF here.
However, Talos knew very well that this was only temporary.
The Fernando family's actions were too swift, so much so that many families had no time to react, let alone organize any effective resistance.
Due to special circumstances, the Novan family's stronghold was outside Roaming Port, which fortunately bought them time to mobilize.
But even so, the PDF, with its vast superiority in weaponry and numbers, was still not something one family could resist.
In just half a day, the lands cultivated by generations of the Novan family were obliterated under powerful artillery bombardment.
Boom!!!
The deafening roar of artillery, accompanied by a piercing shriek, tore through the blood-red setting sun.
The first cannonball struck the fortress, and Talos seemed to hear a wail. The outer wall of this steel fortress, which generations of the Novan family had sworn to defend to the death, peeled away in the fierce bombardment, revealing twisted and broken steel wreckage.
The PDF's bugle calls were mixed with the electronic chanting of the Ecclesiarchy priests.
They cleared the way with fire, and ahead was a dense rain of cannonballs. One by one, the Novan family banners fell.
"Claudius, we are not traitors!" Amidst the fierce artillery fire, Talos clutched the megaphone, still holding a glimmer of hope.
"This is a conspiracy by the Fernando family! Open your eyes and see clearly who your real enemies are!"
But in the face of Talos' shouts, Claudius remained unmoved.
"In your Novan family's territory, the Eight-Pointed Star, symbol of Chaos, was found!" The sole remaining officer's gaze was firm and resolute.
"What is this if not treason? Talos… for the sake of our acquaintance, surrender immediately, and I can give you a chance to explain!"
Surrender?
Talos' face showed bitterness. Once they surrendered, it would truly be over.
He knew very well that with the Fernando family's methods, even if they did surrender, there would be no chance of survival.
Seeing this, Claudius ordered the armored regiment to continue the attack.
The southern fortress defenses had already been breached. Watching the bloodline of each family use their bodies to shield against the artillery, being blasted to pieces, Talos' heart was twisted with pain. Those people were loyal citizens of the Imperium!
"For the God-Emperor, fight them to the death!!!" Castor led the family's elite troops, directly clashing with the Defense Force pouring into the fortress.
The two sides engaged in a brutal struggle in the narrow passage.
Above, cannonballs shattered the last defensive barrier, and the entire Novan family stronghold was completely overrun.
More and more Defense Force soldiers charged forward fearlessly. Talos was forced to join the battle, but as time passed, fewer and fewer people remained by his side, until finally only he was left, facing the constantly surging Defense Force from all directions.
"Talos Novan, in the name of the God-Emperor, we command you to surrender immediately!"
People in the Defense Force shouted angrily, trying to make him give up resistance.
"There are only dead Novans, never Novans who kneel in surrender!"
Talos limped, but he still clutched the Aquila banner.
The golden medal on his chest seemed to infuse him with infinite courage. He ascended to the highest point, looking at the Defense Force that had already swarmed the ramparts, and firmly and decisively drew his dueling sword, a symbol of honor.
"Our Novan family once followed the Emperor on his Great Crusade. The glory of our ancestors flows in our blood, and we will never allow ourselves to surrender to these damned traitors!"
As the family lord, Talos had also been an Astra Militarum soldier in his youth.
But unfortunately, at over two hundred years old, he was no longer the agile hero who once galloped across battlefields.
His old age made his movements stiff, and he was quickly disarmed of his dueling sword by several Defense Force soldiers.
"For the God-Emperor…"
In his final moments, Talos still cried out the name of the God-Emperor.
"You are not worthy to utter 'God-Emperor', you damned Chaos scum!" A Defense Force soldier drew a dagger and fiercely plunged it into his chest.
Blood gushed out, and Talos felt his thoughts drifting away as he collapsed with a thud.
He saw his favorite grandson, eighteen-year-old Julian, who always yearned to become an Astra Militarum soldier. But now this excellent young man had half his body blown away, leaning against the broken family banner solely by willpower.
"We… are not… traitors…" Julian whimpered, spitting out a large amount of blood, his eyes vacant as he fell.
The dying Talos despaired completely, and with his last bit of strength, he murmured.
"Claudius, the ones who betrayed the Imperium… it's you, it's Fernando."
The Novan family's resistance was ultimately futile. Under the powerful firepower of the Defense Force, they were quickly purged. After stepping onto this charred wasteland, looking at the Novan family members who had all fallen in battle, with no one left alive,
Claudius was expressionless.
In his view, these were all damned traitors, enemies of the Imperium!
"Burn everything here!" Claudius coldly gave the order. They had to uphold the justice of the Imperium and purge all the Chaos scum who dared to challenge the Imperium's dignity.
"Leave no one alive. This is the fate of betraying the Imperium!"
With that, he turned and left. There were many more families waiting to be purged!
But at Claudius' feet, he suddenly kicked a damaged Novan family servitor head.
The head rolled, and as if malfunctioning internally, it emitted a sputtering oath of loyalty.
At this moment, Claudius froze. A violent headache made him dizzy, as if something was burning his nerves.
"Ah, damn it…" He overcame the burning pain with firm willpower, his gaze growing fiercer as he looked at the charred Novan family stronghold, muttering to himself.
"We are not wrong, we… are the Emperor's loyal warriors!"
?
But just then, Claudius looked down and saw another badge, covered in dust.
On that golden badge, the image of the Lord of Humanity seemed to shed a line of blood tears.
Claudius' heart trembled. A fear colder than death, like an invisible hand, gripped his heart.
But before he could think further, he heard his subordinate's terrified voice.
"Major Claudius, we have been locked on by a long-range fire control system!"
"Long-range fire control system?" Claudius paused, then subconsciously asked.
"Who has locked onto us? Have you found the source?"
"It's… it's…" The comms officer's voice suddenly froze, as if he had seen something unbelievable!
"Private First Class, answer my question!" Claudius demanded angrily.
"Tell me, whose fire control system is it?"
"Major, it's… the 25th Armored Regiment." The comms officer's face was filled with terror.
"We… have been locked on by the 25th Armored Regiment's fire control."
The next moment, on a distant hillside bathed in the setting sun, countless giant cannons began to roar!
Cannonballs, trailing shrieks, tore through the sky in the blood-red sunset, plummeting towards their position!
As Claudius watched the falling cannonballs, the last thought that flashed through his mind was the name of the God-Emperor, which Talos had cried out before his death.
At this moment, he felt deep regret. It turned out he had truly been used!
The Fernando family's conspiracy allowed them, without lifting a finger, to make two loyal forces exhaust their last drop of pure Imperial blood in their mutual destruction!
"Ruthless!" Emrys' brows furrowed when he received the battle report, and he couldn't help but exclaim.
This was intelligence gathered and transmitted by Spartan warrior teams who had infiltrated various locations, with the latest information constantly refreshing.
After the tens of thousands of people from the Novan family were annihilated by the elite assault army led by Claudius, that valiant Imperial general was also completely wiped out by the 25th Armored Regiment from the rear, through a barrage of artillery fire!
A full hundred thousand assault troops were inexplicably buried by their own people, and even until their dying breath, they still believed they were warriors loyal to the Imperium and to the God-Emperor.
Tragic, pathetic, hateful!
And such cases were not isolated; almost all the great nobles of Roaming Port suffered devastating and terrifying blows!
In addition, those warriors loyal to the Imperium and the God-Emperor became the targets of the Fernando family's purges immediately after the war!
"Lord, if we wait any longer, I'm afraid tens of PDF will be wiped out," Jackal said worriedly, looking at him.
Although these people had taken the wrong side, they were all warriors loyal to the God-Emperor and should not be exploited by the insidious Fernando family, dying on a meaningless battlefield!
He used to be in the Astra Militarum, so he could better understand a warrior's pride and mindset.
"When did I say I was giving up on them?" Emrys glanced at him, a smile on his face.
"The intelligence gathering is almost complete, and I can roughly distinguish who belongs to the Fernando family."
In any war, whether large-scale or localized, the most crucial thing is intelligence gathering!
Only by possessing sufficient intelligence can one find the path to victory in the rapidly changing war situation!
Although he had been staying in the manor, seemingly under house arrest, this was not actually the case. After the Spartan teams infiltrated Roaming Port, they dispersed into various PDF, gathering intelligence from all directions, and now was the time!
As the saying goes, strike a snake at its seven inches!
To dismantle tens of PDF, it was necessary to understand their weaknesses!
How could tens of PDF possibly obey the orders of a merchant family?
The reason was simple: they targeted the high command of the army, first eliminating the planetary generals with supreme command authority, followed by senior officers of various legions, while most of the remaining officers were at the grassroots level.
The Fernando family had bribed a large number of grassroots officers long ago, and taking advantage of this 'accident,' these officers successfully rose in rank.
The true orchestrators behind all of this were actually these bribed grassroots officers. After receiving orders from the Fernando family, they seized the opportunity to incite those principled officers to participate in the war, and after clearing obstacles,
they then rounded them all up, truly achieving maximum utilization!
Sergeant Mark of the 25th Armored Regiment, who was responsible for dealing with Claudius' assault army after the battle, was undoubtedly a mole planted by the Fernando family within the PDF!
Now that the key to the conflict between enemy and self was clear, the next steps would be easier.
On the data pad, Emrys combined the intelligence gathered by the Spartan teams and listed all the suspected and confirmed legion designations one by one.
"I want you to first remove these 'nails' that the Fernando family has planted within the PDF!"
"As long as these 'nails' are removed, the Fernando family will no longer be able to so easily control hundreds of thousands of PDF."
"Secondly, without these 'nails,' we can also better reduce the casualties of the PDF."
R
At this point, he turned his gaze to Jackal.
"We are few in number and must not engage in direct conflict. So, I need you to lead the Spartan team, infiltrate these command centers, silently eliminate them, paralyze the PDF' command system, and create chaos—the bigger, the better—preferably making them too busy to attend to anything else!"
"Understood, isn't it just sabotage?"
Finally, coming to his area of expertise, Jackal was overjoyed and couldn't help but grin.
"Don't you worry, I'll make sure they're completely disoriented!"
"Excellent, then this mission is yours."
With that, Emrys adjusted his collar and turned to look at Ilya, who was still wiping her blade.
"You come with me; it's time to talk to Mr. Lloyd."
"You're going on another adventure?!"
Upon hearing this, Jackal immediately protested, rushing up and grabbing his sleeve, pleading.
"Please, I beg you, can't you just stay here obediently? If 'that person' finds out, she'll skin me alive!"
"—What do you mean 'another adventure'?" Emrys said, exasperated, pulling at his sleeve.
"You're afraid of her, but I'm not. Besides, I'm just going to talk to someone, not wield a knife. Why are you so anxious?"
"Do you even believe what you're saying?" Jackal already knew he couldn't stop him, but he still held a sliver of hope.
"Even if I am afraid of her, can't you not go? Otherwise, when we go back, she'll definitely skin me alive!"
Before leaving, 'that person' had 'instructed' him several times to watch Emrys carefully, not to let him go on adventures again, or she would skin him alive!
"Don't forget, you're a brave and strong man from Catachan!" Emrys patted Jackal's shoulder, and said earnestly.
"Don't be afraid of her; she's just a woman, isn't she? I believe in you!"
"You have to go?"
Jackal looked utterly desperate.
"Mm."
Emrys nodded. If he didn't go, how would he reclaim his family's star chart?
Then, under Jackal's ashen, half-dead gaze, he walked out of the manor with the fully armed Silent sister, Ilya.
"This can't be blamed on me—" Jackal muttered, secretly pulling out a medal from his in my arms.
"Hello?"
"Is this the esteemed Lord the Living Saint? Yes—yes, I couldn't stop him, um—he left."
After hanging up the communication, Jackal looked in the direction Emrys had left, silently sighed, and made the sign of the Imperial Aquila on his chest.
"It's not that I don't want to help Lord, it's just that—that person is a bit too ferocious!"
Inside the Cruiser Excalibur, after listening to Jackal's little report, the entire bridge fell into a deathly silence, and a chilling pressure permeated the air!
Even the Necron Lord next to them couldn't help but shiver, shrinking its neck and wisely retreating to a corner.
"Uh."
Carol's forehead was covered in cold sweat. She wanted to argue a few words for her "Lord," but when the words reached her lips and she met those cold, indifferent golden eyes, she swallowed the rest of her words back.
Can't afford to provoke, can't afford to provoke—Lord Emrys, you'd better pray for yourself.
"Prepare the Valkyrie transport," Winnie said, her pale golden eyes seemingly brewing a storm, as she looked expressionlessly at Carol.
"And—those people in the cargo hold, release their restraints, and prepare their armor and weapons."
"Saint Winnifred, those people—" "—Isn't that a bad idea? Why don't you take someone else? Like the Silver Templars, aren't they more suitable?!" Carol became even more panicked.
Others might not know, but he was highly trusted by Emrys and knew exactly what kind of people were in the cargo hold—they were a bunch of bloodthirsty madmen!
If they were unleashed, wouldn't they tear Roaming Port apart?!
"With me here, they won't go mad."
Winnie sneered, her gaze fixed on Roaming Port.
"This time, I must teach him a lesson. I told him not to take risks, not to take risks, and he treats my words as wind in his ears, doesn't he?!"
Krast shivered, only able to cast a pleading glance at the only person who could stop this Saint—Morgana.
Who would have thought that Morgana would also nod, a hint of schadenfreude in her tone.
"Good, good, Big brother should be taught a lesson; he always likes to take risks!"
Carol's cold sweat trickled down. The two masters' opinions were actually unified; the lord was probably in for a big disaster!
Emrys, completely unaware of the terrifying scene he was about to face, inexplicably shivered.
"Strange, why do I have such an ominous premonition?"
He scratched his head in confusion, wondering if Lloyd had stirred up some new trouble!
!
Ilia, who had shattered a bullet with one sword strike, then leaped into the air like a nimble dragon, wielding a greatsword taller than herself, swatting away well-trained soldiers like flies. As she landed, she just happened to see him shiver.
"You… you need to replenish yourself." After a long pause, Ilia managed to blurt out this sentence, nearly making Emrys die of anger.
"My body is perfectly fine!" He glared at Ilia irritably, "It's you, go easy on them. These people were also deceived by Fernando."
"Don't worry, I've controlled my strength," Ilia said, carrying her Executioner's Greatsword, showing no hint of the solemnity a sister of Silence should possess. "They'll just be severely injured at most, a few months of rest and they'll be fine."
Emrys' mouth twitched as he looked at the defense forces who had been swatted away and embedded in the wall. In the end, he couldn't be bothered to argue with her.
"Forget it, let's keep going. Don't waste any more time on them."
The defense forces they encountered along the way were almost instantly swatted away by Ilia's sword before they could even react,
or they were knocked unconscious by psychic suppression.
Bang!
With a powerful psychic slap that sent the guard at the door flying, the gates of the Fernando family mansion opened before them.
"Be careful." At this moment, Ilia blocked his path, her gaze extremely serious as she looked at the seemingly ordinary road. "I can feel a very deep, evil psychic energy inside!"
"—Please stay away from me."
Emrys, dizzy and almost letting out a sharp screech, endured the discomfort throughout his body and retreated several steps, moving away from Ilia.
"Oh, I'm sorry—" Ilia's face showed a hint of apology. "I was a bit too nervous and temporarily forgot to control the range of my 'domain'."
Only when the Null-Zone contracted did Emrys feel much better. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, a wry smile on his face.
"Is this what a sister of Silence is like? Just a few seconds of contact and I feel like I'm going to die."
The Null-Zone's suppression of psychics and ordinary people was too strong. He even felt that if Ilia wanted to kill him, she probably wouldn't even need a single finger; she just needed to stand there for half a minute!
No wonder even a powerful renegade Primarch like Magnus, one of the most skilled psychics, could only flee in panic when surrounded by thousands of sisters of Silence.
This feeling was simply too painful!
His soul felt as if it was being devoured, and his connection to the Warp was completely severed, much like an internet addict going through withdrawal, and even hundreds of times worse!
Maintaining a distance of several meters between them, the two entered through the gates of the Fernando family mansion.
However, what puzzled Emrys was that there was no one inside the entire family mansion; it was as if everyone had vanished, which was quite strange.
Moreover, there was almost no light. Even when Emrys used a flashlight, the light would be compressed within a one-meter radius by an invisible force!
"I feel like something's not quite right—" Ilia spoke again to warn him, clutching her Executioner's Greatsword. "It feels like something around us—is constantly watching us!"
Emrys, hiding outside the Null-Zone, also had this feeling.
"I thought it was just my imagination.
So you feel it too?"
Ever since he stepped in here, his The Sixth Sense had been constantly alerting him, every nerve twitching violently, as if foretelling that the seemingly calm mansion was far from as simple as it appeared!
Suddenly, a shadow darted out from the corner, pouncing towards Emrys!
Ilia's mind was constantly tense, and her reaction was incredibly swift. With a step for leverage, her Executioner's Greatsword intercepted, carving a perfectly arcing strike!
Crack!
The thing was cut in half at the waist, but the remaining half was still active, snarling as it lunged at Emrys.
Seeing this, Ilia drew the crossbow from her waist and fired an explosive bolt, pinning the thing's head.
With an explosion, it finally stopped moving completely.
"What is this thing?" Emrys knelt down and shined his light on the ground. Only then did he clearly see that the thing that had just attacked him was a suit of armor filled with rotting flesh.
"It has the power of evil sorcery," Ilia also felt very strange. "No, that's not right. Logically speaking, creatures imbued with Warp sorcery like this should disintegrate the moment they approach me, but it seems to be different—"
"It's not pure daemon, nor is it pure machine." Emrys found twisted cables inside the shattered armor, his brows furrowed. "Let's go further inside; there should be more of these things."
Relying on his memory, Emrys found the elevator that led to the 'shadow Dome'. The two took the elevator, going deeper and deeper.
Then, they heard sounds of combat ahead!
"Let's go check it out!" Emrys and Ilia sprinted, quickly arriving at the scene of the battle.
In the center of the circular auction house, none other than the long-missing Inquisitor Aldrich was fighting fiercely amidst an endless siege of demonic armor, one hand holding a bolter, the other a power sword.
And those demonic armors were all pouring out from a chasm-like opening in the very center of the auction house, resembling an abyss.
"Help!" Emrys commanded, and Ilia leaped out, her Executioner's Greatsword flashing up and down, her agility and power displayed to their fullest, combining skill and might!
"How are you here?" Aldrich asked, wiping sweat and panting.
"I was going to ask you the same thing, how are you here?" Emrys was also surprised, not expecting Aldrich, who had been missing for so long, to have made his way here!
"No time for details!" Aldrich was in a hurry, pointing at the abyss-like well. "Lloyd is down there. I'll hold these things off; you hurry down and stop him!"
"Me?" Emrys was stunned.
"Who else?" Aldrich grimaced in pain, clutching his abdomen. Only then did Emrys see that his abdominal wound was still bleeding.
"Now it's just you!" Aldrich said, panting, "Lloyd is communicating with a God named 'Vashtorr'. You must stop him as soon as possible, or more 'Daemon-Symbiote Armors' will be awakened below, and then all living beings in Port Wander will become his sacrifices!"
"Vashtorr?!"
Emrys suddenly realized. No wonder the monsters they encountered along the way were all products of mechanical and flesh symbiosis!
"No more talking, I'll buy you some time!" Aldrich took a deep breath, drew his power sword, and looked at the evil, soul-defiling horrors with a look of defiance unto death. "You take the sister of Silence and go deeper to stop Lloyd's plan. I'll clear a path for you!"
"You—can you do it?" Emrys expressed serious doubt, given Aldrich's current condition.
"Who do you think I am?" Aldrich sneered, his power sword glowing blue, a fierce look in his eyes. "I am Inquisitor Aldrich von Braun of the Ordo Hereticus. Countless daemons have died by my hand. Do mere demonic constructs think they can stop me?"
"I do have another idea—"
Emrys hesitated for a few seconds.
"You have an idea?" Aldrich, who had just prepared for a fight to the death, nearly deflated upon hearing this, casting a resentful look at him.
"Then why didn't you say so sooner?!"
"I was just afraid of you," Emrys chuckled awkwardly. "You're an Inquisitor, what if you come after me later?"
"Whatever it is, use it quickly!" Aldrich gritted his teeth and glared at him. "You're already the Inquisition's number one suspect; one or two more won't make a difference. Do you have to wait until I die to use it?!"
"Alright, I'm recording this!" Emrys finally relaxed, patting his shoulder. "You said it, from now on, we're 'accomplices'."
"—I beg you, hurry up!"
Aldrich's forehead bulged with veins. If the situation hadn't been so inappropriate, he probably would have wanted to shoot Emrys in the head!
Then, under Ilia and Aldrich's stunned and shocked gazes, they saw a large number of Space Marines suddenly emerge from behind Emrys!
The addition of dozens of Space Marines instantly turned the tide of the battle. In front of these black-armored warriors, the Daemon-Symbiote Armors fell in droves like straw!
"Wait, why do these Space Marines' power armor look a bit familiar?" Aldrich was puzzled, his brain temporarily freezing.
The black-painted armor was fine, but the emblem on the shoulder pad—why did it look like a vertical longsword wrapped in unfurled white wings?
For a moment, cold sweat streamed down Aldrich's neck. He stiffly turned his head to look at Emrys beside him.
"These people, they couldn't be—"
"Fallen Angels."
Emrys patted his shoulder and smiled.
"Now, we are accomplices. If you don't want to be taken to the Rock, you'll have to keep my secret, Inquisitor Aldrich."
Aldrich had never regretted anything so much.
He should have died there, rather than witnessing the existence of Fallen Angels!
By the Emperor, what sacrilege is this?!
Aldrich had originally thought that the Inquisition shouldn't harbor such strong doubts towards a glorious family like the Emrys family, which had deep historical roots and was almost intertwined with the Imperium's life and death.
Especially after learning about the deeds of the Emrys family's sole heir, 'Merlin Emrys,' he was even more puzzled by the Inquisition's attitude.
Born a Lower Hive scavenger, he nonetheless thwarted the planetary governor's conspiracy on Roselle, and, witnessed by all, slew a 'Chosen' blessed by Khorne.
Later, he even risked his life, bravely infiltrated Vigilus, swiftly purged those disgusting genestealers with thunderous might, upholding the Imperium's dignity and territory, and even teamed up with the great lord Calgar to annihilate half of the black Crusade's fleet. If that's not a hero, what is?!
But now, Aldrich retracted his previous opinion, stating he was still too young.
What hero?
This guy was clearly a bastard who blasphemed the Emperor; he should be dragged to the Inquisition!
Oh—no, he should be dragged to the 'Rock Fortress,' to let him feel the wrath of those terrifying Inner Circle members, and under the 'iron fist' of Grand master of Repentance Asmodai, properly repent for his sins!
"Don't be so agitated, Inquisitor lord." Seeing Aldrich's lips turn blue and the veins on his forehead bulging, Emrys was genuinely afraid that this Inquisitor would be angered to death right here, so he hurriedly spoke to comfort him.
"They are not ordinary 'Fallen Angels'"!
Hearing this, a glimmer of hope appeared in Aldrich's eyes, and his blue lips trembled.
"Then... who are they?"
"They are repentant Fallen Angels."
Emrys said righteously.
"To be precise, they are pardoned Fallen Angels!"
"...Who pardoned them?" Aldrich's last shred of hope was mercilessly extinguished, and he stared at him with a deathly pale face, his eyes seemingly holding murderous intent.
"Uh—that person isn't awake yet."
Emrys gave an awkward laugh.
He couldn't be blamed; who told that 'Lion King' lord to still be sleeping in the forest of the Rock Fortress?
"—Alright, you don't need to explain further to me." Aldrich took a deep breath. With just these few words, he felt his wounds were about to burst open.
Fortunately, his years as an Inquisitor were not short; in all these years, what kind of monsters hadn't he seen?
Aren't they just 'Fallen Angels'?
Even if this group of people was more fallen, they were still better than Fernando, weren't they?
Comforting himself like this, Aldrich let go. What loyalty or disloyalty? First, kill the Chaos scum in front of them; that was the real priority!
It must be said that ever since the 'Fallen Angels' joined, the entire battle had almost turned into a one-sided trend. The endless daemon symbiote armor pouring out from the 'wellhead' couldn't be slaughtered as fast as these fiends!
The Captain of the First Company, wielding a power axe, was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep amidst the daemon symbiote armor modified by 'Vashtorr'. A simple charge made Emrys recall the fear of being dominated by the 'Hundred Ton King'!
Any enemy attempting to block their path was instantly shredded!
Making efficiency and ruthlessness their bywords!
Who would refuse such a battle group, unparalleled in combat power and efficiency, whether in frontal assault or infiltration and sneak attack?
Even Aldrich, who was initially hostile towards the 'Fallen Angels', couldn't help but feel a covetous desire after witnessing the 'Fallen Angels'' efficient killing, looking at Emrys with ill intent and asking with a look of affection.
"How about—I help you deal with these 'troubles'? You wouldn't want to be targeted by those terrifying Inner Circle members, would you."
"—" Emrys' mouth twitched. Stealing people right in front of him—if it weren't for Aldrich being an Inquisitor, he would have wanted to blast this guy.
"Don't even think about it." He decisively shook his head, directly rejecting Aldrich's suggestion.
However, Aldrich still wouldn't give up.
"Think about it carefully, if you take them and the Dark Angels discover them, it will be over!"
"—It's as if you're not afraid." Emrys was quite speechless, glaring at him.
"I have the Inquisition behind me!" Aldrich said proudly.
"Having the Inquisition makes you great?" Emrys scoffed. Given the Dark Angels' nature of being able to chase to 'Gomorrah', let alone the Inquisition, even if they were in the Imperial Palace on Terra, they might not hesitate to break in.
"You misunderstood my meaning." Aldrich mysteriously leaned in and whispered.
"I mean—transfer them to the 'Deathwatch' to become Blackshields. Even the Dark Angels would have a hard time finding them!"
"You say that so skillfully, your Inquisition must have done this often, haven't you?" Emrys eyed him suspiciously.
"Uh... ahem." Aldrich felt guilty, turning his head to look elsewhere, very stiffly changing the subject.
"The enemies are almost cleared. I think we should hurry and stop Lloyd's conspiracy!"
Seeing his guilty look, Emrys immediately understood and couldn't help but snort lightly.
"So, you, the Inquisition, talk a big game, but you've done no less of the most blasphemous things against the Emperor!"
Just from how quickly Aldrich could suggest how to deal with 'Fallen Angels', one could tell how many unsavory things the Inquisition usually crammed into the Deathwatch's Blackshields.
Perhaps there were even HYDRA members?
Emrys maliciously speculated, catching up with Aldrich and Ilia.
"This is an elevator shaft." Aldrich glanced at it and said, "It's very deep, probably at least several hundred meters, and there are likely more of these things below."
The elevator shaft was pitch black, and lighting was restricted here, making it difficult to count how many more such monsters were below. Moreover, daemon symbiote armor, dense like cicada nymphs, was still climbing up the well walls.
It was not hard to guess that there would be even more of these things below!
Rushing down would probably only lead to being ambushed!
At this moment, the Company Champion of the First Company stepped forward, volunteering.
"Lord, I can lead the assault team down to clear the Chaos creations below for you."
This was indeed the best method: let an elite assault team penetrate deep into this elevator shaft to create space for them to descend.
"Good, then I'll leave it to you, Reinhardt." Emrys looked at this Company Champion. This name was very special, and he also used a sword, so it left a deep impression on him.
Reinhardt selected ten people, almost all of whom were the most excellent warriors, then changed into jump packs, preparing to assault this elevator shaft.
"Wait, let Ilia go in with you." Emrys considered for a moment. To be cautious, it would be best to have the Silent sister accompany them.
This way, even if there was 'Chaos sorcery' below, the vanguard wouldn't be completely wiped out!
Space Marines, in front of mortals, were indeed as strong as demigods, but they were still no different from mortals in the face of the evil forces of the Warp!
After making all preparations, Reinhardt and the Silent sister jumped into this bottomless elevator shaft. Gun muzzles bloomed with fire, shooting at the daemon armor constantly roaring and pouncing from all directions on the well walls,
until even the fire from the muzzles disappeared.
"It's our turn."
Emrys waited for a moment. Seeing no more daemon armor surging up from below, he knew they had established a position, so he called for Aldrich to follow.
"Cough, cough—" Aldrich coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood, his face growing paler, and he seemed to be swaying as he walked, but he still insisted on following.
"Are you alright?" Emrys was quite worried by his appearance.
"Perhaps you should rest up here."
"No, cough, cough—cough, cough—"
Aldrich spoke, coughing up a few more mouthfuls of blood, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins, but he still refused to give up.
"I am an Inquisitor of the Imperium. I have an obligation to witness the Chaos scum being purged. Let me go with you; I won't hold you back."
Seeing him say so, Emrys could only agree, and with the Fallen Angels of the First Company, rapidly descended using the elevator cables.
After rappelling to the deepest part, Emrys noticed that the fog here was even thicker than above, and scattered demonic symbiotic armor was everywhere.
"Could it be that he has exhausted his tricks?" Emrys wondered, looking at the cleared area, always feeling that things weren't that simple.
But time was pressing, leaving him no room for much thought.
"Keep moving forward."
Emrys and the others continued to walk into the depths shrouded in thick fog.
During this time, they also saw the demonic symbiotic armor factory, where flames from the Warp burned countless tormented souls, integrating their grievances into the twisted demonic armor, ultimately forming the appearance they had seen!
After ordering the place to be blown up, Emrys and his group continued to walk deeper.
"Cough, cough—cough, cough." Aldrich's cough became more severe, and he even swayed as he walked.
"It's nothing, don't mind me----" His lips were pale, his eyes bloodshot, looking somewhat terrifying, but his gaze was very firm.
"My life is nothing----cough, cough, Roaming Port must not----cough, cough, be destroyed."
Although Emrys felt reluctant, when he thought of Lloyd performing an unknown chaotic ritual in the depths, he swallowed the words he was about to say.
However, as they advanced, they suddenly heard a thud behind them, like a heavy object falling.
Emrys looked back, only to see Inquisitor Aldrich, unable to hold on, had collapsed to the ground.
"Your Excellency Inquisitor Aldrich?" He hurried over, wanting to help him up, but Ilia, with quick eyes and hands, raised her hand to stop him.
"Don't go over!" A wary glint appeared in Ilia's pupils, as she stared intently at Aldrich, who lay on the ground as if unconscious.
"I have a bad feeling, you absolutely must not go over!"
Emrys heeded her advice and had a Dark Angel go to help Aldrich up.
The Dark Angel behind him walked over, knelt down, and supported Aldrich's shoulder, pulling him up from the ground.
But this action made everyone present's hearts stop!
Sizzle!
The sound was chilling, like the tearing of cloth, harsh to the ears!
But even more terrifying was that Aldrich, who had been helped up by the Fallen Angel, had a bloody, fleshy face, stringy like willow catkins, as horrifying as a ferocious ghost or vengeful spirit, and the skin on his face was actually stuck to the ground!
It turned out that the strange, unsettling sound just now was the sound of his entire face sticking to the ground and being forcibly torn off!
When his facial skin was torn off, there were even a few strands of flesh, pulled into threads, still adhering to Aldrich's face.
Upon closer inspection—they were "eyeballs"!
His eyeballs were also stuck to the ground!
Looking at Aldrich, with his face "peeled off" and half an eyeball dangling, this bizarre scene made Emrys' stomach churn, almost making him vomit.
What is going on?!
His mind was full of questions; he and his group hadn't encountered any attacks since they came down, so what exactly was happening to Aldrich?
"Cough!"
Suddenly, another cough came from the thick fog!
The sound was like a heavy hammer, pounding hard on everyone's hearts. Emrys' pupils contracted sharply, and he turned to look at the source of the cough!
And the person coughing was none other than the Fallen Angel who had just helped Aldrich!
Slash!
Ilia drew and struck in almost a tenth of a second, her blade unhesitatingly slashing towards the Fallen Angel who was coughing!
However, her speed was fast, but Reinhardt's speed next to her was even faster; his power sword extended, precisely intercepting her strike!
At the same time, the surrounding Fallen Angels also drew their bolt pistols and pointed them at Ilia's head.
"What do you want to do? He is our comrade!"
"What are you doing?" Emrys was shocked by Ilia's sudden action and quickly told her to stop.
"He's been infected!" Ilia's eyes were vigilant as she stared at the Fallen Angel, slowly explaining the reason.
"Although I don't know the exact cause, he also showed the same symptoms after contacting the Inquisitor. For safety's sake, killing him now is the best option!"
At this moment, the Captain stepped forward, pushed down Reinhardt's sword, and turned his gaze to Ilia.
"Your Excellency Silent sister, I agree with your view, but this is our own business!"
Ilia's gaze was cold; she shielded Emrys behind her, her muscles tensed, ready for the worst.
"Are you going to cover for your comrade and put Your Excellency Emrys in danger as well?"
The Captain froze for a moment, then looked at the expressionless Emrys, and quickly knelt.
"No, we absolutely have no such intention, Your Excellency Emrys!"
"And you?"
Emrys' eyes were indifferent as he scanned the surrounding Dark Angels.
"Pointing guns at me, do you want to kill me?"
He could understand the Dark Angels' desire to protect their comrades, but that didn't mean he could allow these people to point guns at him!
The Dark Angels who had been holding their guns also put down their weapons, knelt on one knee, and lowered their heads.
Looking at the kneeling Captain, Reinhardt, and the silent Dark Angels, Emrys said with an unwavering voice.
"This is the first time, and also the last time. Otherwise - you'll go back where you came from, understand?"
"Yes, Lord Emrys!"
Cold sweat beaded on the Captain's forehead inside his helmet.
"I will report this matter truthfully to your Chapter master. As for the punishment - let him handle it."
Emrys paused for half a second before continuing.
"Now it's your turn, any thoughts?"
"Lord Emrys, I believe that directly eradicating the hidden danger is effective, but it will also make us more passive." The Captain stated directly.
"We will not cover for our comrades. I believe a more effective method is to observe his condition after infection. This will help us clarify what exactly happened."
"Then how do you guarantee that he won't affect Lord Emrys?" Ilia questioned.
"From now on, immediately isolate Aldrich and any warriors who have come into contact with him." The Captain said in a deep voice.
"Lord Emrys, please stay with the Chaplain; he will chant the Holy Word and simultaneously activate a barrier shield!"
"Good, let's do that."
Emrys nodded, agreeing with the Captain's method.
As they continued to walk deeper, the warrior also described his symptoms.
From initial weakness and lack of strength, to later severe pain throughout his body, and then, like Aldrich, suddenly falling to the ground, silent.
And this time, no one touched him again.
Soon, the armor on his body seemed to grow twisted flesh, oozing from the gaps in the armor connections, and he shakily stood up.
Before Ilia could react, the Captain decisively drew his plasma gun and directly vaporized the warrior.
They thought the crisis was over, but unexpectedly, just after the warrior was vaporized, another cough came from the crowd!
"Cough!"
"Cough—cough!"
"Cough!"
Emrys' pupils contracted sharply; this time, the number of infected people had dramatically increased, becoming dozens, almost encompassing the entire company!
It was only then that he suddenly realized they seemed to have walked into a trap; everyone here, except for himself and Ilia, had been infected by an invisible virus!
"Cough, cough—"
The coughing sounds rose and fell.
In just a few minutes, the infected people became increasingly severe; even more terrifying, their entire skin and bones seemed to be slowly dissolving!
They'd been tricked!
Emrys' face became extremely grim; this was clearly not the ability of 'Vashtorr'!
Vashtorr the Creator is in the domain of chaotic knowledge and machinery; he can fuse daemons and machines, forging chaotic artifacts and even terrifying demonic fleets!
But, he absolutely has no ability to create "viruses"!
Looking at the fog-shrouded, decaying, ugly, and nauseating flower garden, he gritted his teeth and a name burst from his chest.
"Nurgle!"
The Plague Father, the Chaos God symbolizing disease, plague, decay, and rebirth, and also the God of life symbolizing the cyclical order of things moving from decay to new life!
But, whether from the God Lloyd worshipped, or from the demonic symbiotic armor here, it should have been the creation of 'Vashtorr,' so how could it suddenly become 'Nurgle, the Plague Father'?!