"Truly? By combining these three materials, you can create this metal. Fascinating."
"Yes. This metal will act as an alarm system against any Chaos-touched individual once it absorbs a certain kind of energy."
You know… watching a 2.7-meter-tall demigod eagerly observe you while you tinker is nerve-wracking. Not because I fear their judgment, but because of that expression. The eager look on his face reminds me of a child staring at a brand-new toy.
If that child were 2.7 meters tall and built like a tank.
"May I?"
"Of course. Go ahead."
I watch as Captain Mulcebar retrieves his hammer and begins working the metal as if he has done this his entire life. This metal is called Blackmetal—a name I chose to honor the OG: Blackstone.
It can act just like the Blackstone, repelling the warp if fed with Null Psychic energy from the people with the Pariah Gene.
I watch as he melts the materials together, working them with practiced precision. Within minutes, he is finished. A pitch-black ingot rests in his bare hand, and I wince slightly.
As expected of a Salamander. They have a massive resistance to heat and fire. Holding a barely hardened metal without care requires considerable resistance to fire and heat. Hell, I can still see the slight glow from the metal in his hand.
"How do you make the metal react to the presence of a Chaos-tainted individual?"
"Ah, that part is easy."
I wave my hand and summon my [Banishing Fire], allowing the metal to absorb it. We watch as the Blackmetal drinks in the flame. A few seconds later, it shifts from pitch black to silver-white.
"As you can see, the metal can absorb certain forms of energy. We tested it with psykers as well—it vibrates in the presence of anyone with psychic capability, not just those tainted by Chaos."
"And what makes this fire special, my lord?"
"Banishing Fire will not harm anyone except daemons or those corrupted by Chaos. It makes anything made from this metal to vibrate in the presence of chaos-tainted individuals."
"I see. That is truly a powerful ability."
I nod.
"It is indeed useful against the damned. In fact—"
Before I can finish, someone knocks on the door to my workshop. I tell them to enter, and I see Rita enter my workshop.
"My lord, everyone is ready. We are prepared for the first deployment."
"Ah, perfect. Thank you, Rita. Tell the others we depart in ten minutes."
"Yes, my lord."
After she leaves, I turn to Mulcebar.
"Well, it seems duty calls, Captain."
"Of course, my lord. Into the fires of battle, unto the anvil of war!"
He gives me a final salute before departing for his Chapter's temporary barracks. I also leave my workshop and head toward my personal armory—the one the Mechanicus constructed specifically for me.
Inside, a group of serfs is already performing the rites around a coffin-like storage unit.
I place my palm on the skull-shaped scanner, watching as the coffin opens. Taking a deep breath, I step onto the platform within.
I exhale and remove my clothes. The serfs and servitors move in, fitting me piece by piece with a custom-made suit of armor crafted by the Mechanicus. It takes a couple of minutes to complete the Rite of Armory. I release a deep breath as a serf places the Rosarius as the last piece of the armor.
This is the same power armor worn by high-ranking Inquisitors when entering a battlefield or investigating lawless worlds.
With one last rite, the Head Serf presents me with a bolter—an iconic weapon known throughout the Imperium.
I wait as the ritual concludes. Once finished, I nod and leave the armory. Rita and the rest of the Guardians are already waiting outside the room. They will serve as my bodyguards, alongside the Inquisition Warband.
Speaking of which, I spot Rannick and the others waiting on the far side of the tunnel, fully equipped. It appears only three canon figures are joining the first deployment: Rannick, Zola, and Marrow.
We proceed to the deployment room. A massive table dominates the center, a hologram of Tertium floating above it.
"How is the situation?"
Marrow steps forward.
"It is a mess, Your Holiness. The heretics have seized half the hive while we focused on fortifying the Sanctuary. Fortunately, Commander Taro of the PDF managed to push through the hive and secure spots for us. Sadly, the heretics manage to react fast enough to halt his movement. He has requested immediate reinforcement."
Right. Commander Taro leads the first wave that pushes through Tertium—rescuing civilians and sending them back for training or expansion work in Sanctuary.
Last I heard, they had advanced three kilometers into the hive. It appears they have taken it even further.
"Where will we strike from?"
"With the help of the Salamanders, we will attack from two directions."
He draws two lines—north and south.
"We push from the south, while the Salamanders drop from the north and break their formation. There is an opening that the Salamander can use as a dropping point from their Thunderhawk. However, we must reinforce the first wave first and push further to gather the attention of the heretics who hold the ground."
"Perfect. We know what needs to be done. Let's depart."
"Yes, Your Holiness!"
They salute and board the vehicles bound for the frontline.
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|Taro — Commander of the PDF of Tertium|
"Aim for the heavy weapons! Artillery—focus on the heavy vehicles! Don't let them get close!"
I roar as I fire my hellgun into the screaming heretics. Once again, we are surrounded—but this time, I am confident. Reinforcements are coming.
We are no longer abandoned humans. We are warriors of the Emperor.
God walks among us. Even as darkness descends, we fight. Even if death is our only end, we fight. Even if all of Chaos descends upon us—we fight.
"WE ARE THE DEFENDERS OF TERTIUM! WE HOLD THE LINE! WE FIGHT FOR THE EMPEROR AND THE IMPERIUM!"
I roar again, keeping morale high as the heretics attempt to break our will.
"Your false God is nothing but a corpse!" a heretic screams. "Our God is here! Look at his creation! Join us and be at peace under the embrace of the Grandfather!"
I level my hellgun at him.
"FOOL! IF YOU BELIEVE THAT, THEN YOU ARE MORE DELUDED THAN YOUR FALSE GOD! HE WHO SITS UPON THE GOLDEN THRONE HAS SENT HIS CHOSEN INTO THIS WORLD! HIS WILL IS MADE MANIFEST! THE GOD EMPEROR WALKS AMONG US AND WATCHES OVER US!"
Las-fire reduces the heretic to nothing—a fitting fate.
I have witnessed miracles. I know the God Emperor has a plan.
And I have seen it with my own eyes.
Under His Holiness Kael, Atoma Prime will become the Beacon of Humanity. It shall become the bastion of Humanity. But first, the heretics must burn.
"KILL THEM ALL! BURN THE HERETICS!"
Explosions thunder. Lasers scream. Basilisk batteries unleash devastation, while Manticores rain the Emperor's wrath from above.
"Commander!"
I turn as a captain runs toward me.
"What is it?!"
"Reinforcements arrive in three minutes! His Holiness is leading them!"
I grin at the news.
"Perfect. Then we push deeper into the hive."
I continue firing, checking my auspex. My grin widens as signatures flood the display.
"WE ARE THE WARRIORS OF THE IMPERIUM! LOOK UPON THEM! SEE THE BEASTS WHO HAVE ABANDONED THE EMPEROR'S LIGHT! THEY SCREAM FOR FALSE GODS! FOOLS! WE FIGHT FOR A LIVING GOD—NOT DAEMONS SCHEMING IN THE WARP! LOOK AND WITNESS!"
I spread my arms as thousands of drones surge in from the south, firing bolters, lasers, and plasma. Each of the drones bears the sigil of the Imperium.
"WITNESS THE EMPEROR'S WRATH! WITNESS YOUR DEMISE!"
A few seconds after I said that, tanks rolled forward. Hellhounds unleash roaring torrents of fire, burning heretics where they stand. The soldier on top of the Hellhound roars as he unleashes a torrent of bullets at the heretics trying to get near the tank.
This is the kind of firepower you receive when Salamanders become your reinforcement. Promethium shall be your allies, and fire shall be your weapons of righteousness.
It is a shame they are fighting inside the hive, or there will be aircraft flying above them, bombarding the heretics. Fortunately, the drones are sufficient to provide us with air support.
I watch as the heavy fire support pushes back the heretics, allowing us to go on the offensive by following the tanks. I stay behind and see a familiar face walk toward me. He is wearing golden power armor with a boltgun on his hip and the familiar Long-Las on his back.
I kneel in front of him and say.
"Greetings, His Holiness Kael."
"Rise, Commander Taro."
He smiles—the same kind leader who once saved me: Kael, the Beacon of Humanity.
"How is the situation?"
"Under control, Your Holiness. We lost approximately seventeen percent of our forces, but secured three critical points."
"Excellent. How many civilians?"
"Approximately two hundred thousand, sheltered in the makeshift bunker not too far away from here."
"And the scans?"
"No vibrations from the medallions so far."
I've been given a medallion by the mechanicus. It is a medallion created by Lord Kael, a precious item that can help us fight against the heretics, as it will vibrate when chaos-touched individuals approach the medallion.
"Very well."
He turns to the Inquisition. Orders are given without words. Then he faces me again—no longer just a leader, but a warrior and general who shall lead us to victory.
"Lead on, Commander Taro."
"Yes, Your Holiness!"
Fighting beside the chosen of the God Emperor once more.
I am truly blessed.
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