The Steadfast Will sailed steadily through the turbulent waves of the Warp.
The Geller Field generators worked stably, creating a fragile yet crucial bubble of reality around the ship, isolating it from the bizarre and malevolent Warp energies.
Inside the ship, most areas were bathed in dimmed red lighting to conserve energy, and the crew members performed their duties, accustomed to the oppressive and monotonous atmosphere during long jumps.
The members of Second Squad were scattered throughout the ship.
Sergeant Golden was in the tactical room studying the topography of Gloom IV; Lex was in the armory maintaining weapons; Cliff and Thor were checking equipment in the medical bay; Dorian, bored and slightly uneasy, paced restlessly in the common lounge; Gaius was in his cabin, meditating, trying to further control himself and isolate the unsettling deadness in his left arm; and Luna Aisa, as always, was immersed in data.
She was in a secondary monitoring room near the engine room, assisting in monitoring various ship system parameters and engaging in brief exchanges with the lower-level technical personnel—her relationship with these mortal crew members had always been good; they admired her technical skills, and she respected their hard work.
In the deepest maintenance level below the engine room, the light was dim, pipes crisscrossed, and the air was filled with the smell of oil and ozone.
Few people came here, only the minimum number of automated servitors and a few low-ranking mechanical maintenance specialists would regularly come for routine inspections and maintenance.
Among them was the maintenance specialist with cloudy eyes and mechanical movements—the pawn marked by the Lord of Change.
He was holding an ancient multi-tool wrench, seemingly clumsily tapping the casing of an energy transmission pipe, emitting rhythmic clanging sounds.
The sound echoed in the empty maintenance level, like some strange ritual drumbeat.
His lips moved silently beneath his filter mask, chanting incomprehensible, twisted logic and paradoxes.
In the depths of his consciousness, the eerie blue light grew brighter and brighter, almost spilling out of his mortal eyes.
"...The Veins of logic...intertwined here..."
"...Break the shackles...embrace the truth..."
"...For the...Lord of Change..."
His movements became faster and faster, the wrench striking with increasing precision, finally stopping at the edge of an inconspicuous cover plate, seemingly an inspection port.
He pried it open with force, and the cover plate sprang open, revealing a dense array of cables and crystalline pipes flashing with various colors.
At the center of these complex circuits was a core device, wrapped in layers of protection, continuously emitting faint energy fluctuations—a regional relay node for the Geller Field generator.
Without any hesitation, his hands, controlled by the will of the Chaos God, with a dexterity and precision far exceeding his usual clumsy demeanor, swiftly and violently tore several critical stabilization lines, and then plunged the wrench fiercely into the node's core!
Crackling—!
A dazzling burst of electrical sparks erupted, illuminating his entire body in a stark white glow!
His body convulsed violently, as if all strength had been drained from him, and he slumped softly to the ground, the wrench in his hand clattering down.
His filter mask was burned through, revealing a common face twisted by extreme pain, and eyes completely consumed by the mad blue light.
Yet, a satisfied and eerie smile spread across his lips as he uttered his final delirium:
"...Plan...successful..."
Almost at the very instant he completed the sabotage—
Whoosh—!!!!
A piercing alarm, sharp enough to rupture eardrums, instantly blared throughout the entire Steadfast Will!
It wasn't an enemy attack, nor an engine overload, but the most terrifying and despair-inducing alarm—
Geller Field failure!
Geller Field failure!
Reality barrier collapse!
In an instant, all lights inside the ship began to flicker and twist wildly!
Metal walls seemed to turn into flowing wax figures, softening and dripping!
The cold deck became sticky and warm, as if stepping on the internal organs of some giant creature!
A sickly sweet and putrid stench filled the air, mixed with countless insane whispers, screams, and blasphemous songs!
"Emperor! What's happening?!" Dorian screamed in terror in the common lounge, feeling the floor beneath his feet wriggle!
"The Geller Field! The Geller Field has collapsed!" Gorden roared into the comms in the tactical room, but only static and distorted screams remained on the communication channel.
Gaius was violently jolted awake from his meditation, feeling a cold and defiling energy instantly penetrate the bulkhead, attempting to corrupt his soul!
He felt the phantom pain of the Mind Repulsion Collar on his neck again!
His left arm, that dead arm, seemed to… pulsate ever so faintly?
But the next moment it returned to stillness, as if it were just an illusion.
The most terrifying changes came from the viewports and all external sensors not rigorously shielded.
Outside the windows, the Warp landscape, which had originally been just distorted light bands, now became incredibly "real" and terrifying!
Multicolored energy storms, as if composed of pure emotion and mad concepts, swept in!
Within them, countless twisted, grotesque, and blasphemous entities could be clearly seen swimming, cackling, and devouring each other!
They were Warp Daemons!
They had discovered this unprotected "feast" and were swarming in frantically, preparing to gorge on flesh and blood!
"Daemons! They're Daemons!" A crew member who saw the external scene through an observation window let out a hysterical scream, and then his body began to swell and mutate unnaturally!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bulkheads in multiple areas inside the ship seemed to turn into fragile membranes, torn apart by unseen forces!
Vibrantly colored, strangely shaped mists poured into the corridors like living things!
Accompanying the mists were various indescribable horrors!
There were Pink Horrors, made of pure treachery and flickering flames, cackling and scattering magical flames that ignited sanity; there were bloated Nurgle Daemons, flowing with plague pus, chittering and crawling, leaving trails of decay wherever they went; and even more powerful Daemon entities, wielding twisted weapons, began to coalesce!
In an instant, the Steadfast Will transformed from an Imperial warship into a hunting ground ravaged by Warp Daemons!
The screams of the crew, the roar of Bolters, the shrieks of Daemons, and the sound of tearing and twisting metal echoed in a cacophony!
Chaos and despair spread like a plague!
"Everyone! Battle stations! Purge all xenos!" Sergeant Golden's roar rang out through the squad's internal channel, one of the few lines that could still barely maintain communication.
The members of Second Squad immediately sprang into action.
They rushed out of their rooms to confront the surging Daemons.
Dorian roared, cleaving a Daemon that had just coalesced, appearing to be made of rusty blades, with his Chainsword!
Lex's Heavy Bolter roared in the corridor, blasting a chittering group of Nurglings into putrid pulp!
Cliff and Thor stood back-to-back, accurately firing at the Horrors attempting to approach!
Gaius calmly fired his Bolt Pistol, each shot aimed at a Daemon's core or weakness; his movements remained steady, but a tempest raged within him—why had the Geller Field suddenly failed?!
Luna Aisa's monitoring room was not spared either.
Several Horrors cackled as they phased through the wall, lunging at the crew and technical personnel inside!
Luna unhesitatingly drew her Laspistol, firing accurately while shouting, "Get down! Take cover!"
She tried to organize effective resistance, but mortal soldiers were too fragile before the Daemons; instantly, two were ignited by magical flames, screaming as they turned to cinders!
Just as the entire warship was about to be completely submerged by the Daemon tide, and despair enveloped everyone—
Three silver lightning bolts suddenly tore through the chaotic colors!
The Grey Knights, finally made their move!
They appeared from nowhere, like three scorching blades, cutting into the battlefield with precision and ruthlessness!
They didn't even use Bolt weapons, but directly employed their powerful force weapons—massive Nemesis Force Halberds and Psychic Swords!
The leading Grey Knight Captain's Nemesis Force Halberd shone with pure silver psychic light; a single simple sweep cleared a large tide of Horrors and lesser Daemons in front of him like trash!
The moment those Daemons touched the silver glow, they let out incomparably shrill screams, their bodies melting and disintegrating like snow in the sun, returning to the Warp!
Another Grey Knight (the one who had fought Dorian and the Champion) moved like a phantom; every thrust and slash of his Psychic Sword inevitably struck a Daemon's core with precision, whether physical or ethereal, instantly collapsing under that pure, Chaos-destroying energy!
His movements were efficient, concise, without any superfluous showmanship, only the utmost efficiency in killing!
The third Grey Knight wielded a massive Daemonhammer with both hands; he didn't even need to strike directly, simply slamming the warhammer onto the deck, and the explosive silver psychic shockwave would pulverize large areas of lesser Daemons around him!
Their appearance instantly turned the tide of the local battle!
Wherever the silver psychic glow reached, Daemons fell and dissipated in droves as if meeting their bane!
The three of them formed a simple triangular formation, covering each other, steadily advancing, and wherever they went, Daemons were swiftly purged, leaving behind a purified deck still retaining the afterglow of silver energy.
The members of Second Squad all witnessed this scene.
Dorian had just chainsawed a Plague Daemon that tried to pounce on him, gasping for breath, and saw the Grey Knight he had fought with, with a single sword stroke, cleave a massive Daemon Prince that would have taken all his effort to deal with, from head to toe, the Daemon didn't even have time to scream before turning to ash!
Dorian's mouth hung open, the hum of his Chainsword seemed to halt.
All his previous defiance, all his anger, were shattered in the face of this absolute power and efficiency!
He finally realized, directly and brutally, that the Grey Knights and regular Astartes like them existed on two completely different planes of existence!
Their duties, their enemies, their power… were not even comparable concepts!
Provoking them? His previous actions were utterly ridiculous!
A cold dread and an unprecedented sense of awe instantly filled his heart.
He no longer dared, nor entertained any thought of provoking the Grey Knights.
Gaius, while firing, calmly observed the Grey Knights' battle.
Their power astonished him, but also offered a glimmer of hope.
At least, in combating Chaos, they were incredibly reliable… for now.
Gorden directed the squad to assist the Grey Knights in their purge, equally awestruck.
He finally understood why the Grey Knights were so mysterious, possessing such high authority.
Their very existence was the sharpest spear against the Warp.
However, this silver-glowing purge was not only directed at Daemons.
In one corridor, several crew members who had miraculously escaped the Daemon's clutches huddled in a corner, terrified, watching the three Grey Knights easily destroy the formidable Daemons like gods descended.
Their eyes were filled with the joy of surviving and gratitude and adoration for the Grey Knights.
But just then, the leading Grey Knight Captain stopped pursuing the Daemons, his cold gaze turning towards those surviving mortals.
No warning, no explanation.
He raised his hand, not a Bolt weapon, but the Psychic Bolter equipped on his arm.
"No… Sir… we…" A crew member seemed to realize something, trying to speak in terror.
Whoosh—!
A pure, yet absolutely destructive, silver energy beam flashed.
Those crew members, along with the expressions on their faces, were instantly vaporized, vanishing without a trace, leaving not even a speck of ash.
As if they had never existed.
The same thing happened in various corners of the warship.
Any mortal crew members, Tech-Priests, and even some low-ranking Servitor Skulls and automated servitors who witnessed the Grey Knights' valiant combat, if their recording equipment could possibly capture images of the Grey Knights, were thoroughly "purified" under the silver glow.
Silencing.
Ruthless, efficient, thorough silencing.
This was the ironclad rule the Grey Knights had followed since their inception: mortals were never allowed to know of their existence.
Witnesses, only death.
In the past, even regular Astartes warriors, if they accidentally witnessed Grey Knights, would have their relevant memories forcibly erased.
As times changed and the threat of Chaos intensified, the Grey Knights' actions became increasingly difficult to conceal entirely, and their Astartes brothers gradually learned of their existence.
After Guilliman's return and his assumption of the role of Lord Regent of the Imperium, this rule was relaxed for Space Marines, but the order to eliminate mortals remained unchanged and was executed even more resolutely.
Luna Aisa had just cooperated with a Grey Knight to clear the Daemons in her monitoring room.
The Grey Knight even nodded to her, seemingly acknowledging her calmness and shooting accuracy.
Luna had just let out a sigh of relief when she saw the Grey Knight Captain at the end of the corridor, unhesitatingly purifying the surviving crew members.
Her body instantly froze.
Those crew members… she knew them.
One was a young technician who had just been analyzing data with her, and another was an elderly chief engineer who often smiled and allocated her extra lubricant…
They had just survived the horror of the Daemons… only to die at the hands of their "saviors."
Why?
Just because they saw something they shouldn't have?
Just because they were… mortals?
A cold, sharp pain suddenly pierced Luna's heart, suffocating her far more than any physical injury.
She had always gotten along well with these mortal technical personnel; she understood their work, respected their efforts, and even saw in them a reflection of her past on Vesta IX.
They, like her, were just ordinary people in this cruel universe, diligently doing their jobs…
But… were they just… so worthless… erased?
Her data-driven rationality could not comprehend this "necessary evil," and her emotions could not accept this cold "purification."
She stood rooted to the spot, looking at the empty, seemingly wiped-clean corner, feeling a chill run through her body, her hands trembling slightly.
The Grey Knight who had just fought alongside her seemed to notice her abnormality, his cold gaze sweeping over her.
There was no apology in that gaze, no explanation, only an absolute, unquestionable indifference.
As if what had just been erased were not several lives, but merely some bothersome dust.
The Grey Knight withdrew his gaze and continued to advance, purging the remaining Daemons, and simultaneously "cleansing" any mortals who might witness them.
Luna stood there in a daze, the sounds of battle, the shrieks of demons, and the roar of Bolters all seeming to fade away from her. She felt only a massive, heavy sense of sorrow and helplessness engulfing her. Dozens of familiar, vibrant faces had just vanished… for the sake of a cold, hard rule.
Sergeant Golden also witnessed this scene; his face was ashen, and his fists were clenched, but he said nothing. He knew this rule, and he understood the reasons behind it—to prevent panic and Chaos from spreading through the fragile minds of mortals. But that didn't mean he could accept it calmly. He could only force himself to look away, channeling his fury into the remaining demons.
Dorian also saw it; the awe on his face turned to shock and a hint of fear. He finally began to understand what kind of beings these 'silver cans' truly were. He shrank his neck, becoming completely subdued.
Gaius fired silently, observing everything: the power of the Grey Knights, their duty, their ruthlessness… and Luna's face, which had instantly turned pale and sorrowful. A mix of emotions churned within him.
Under the absolute military intervention of the Grey Knights, the demons within the ship were quickly purged. Damaged bulkheads were temporarily sealed with emergency partitions, and the twisted reality structure gradually returned to normal after the Geller Field was emergency-restarted (engineers risked their lives to repair some nodes, but the core was damaged, making the field extremely unstable). However, the sickly sweet smell of blood and char, along with a deathly emptiness, permeated the entire ship.
The number of surviving mortal crew members had sharply decreased, and they were all trembling, hiding at their respective stations, not daring to come out. Even when facing the Ultramarines who had saved them, their eyes were filled with fear and lingering dread—not just of the demons, but even more so of those mysterious silver giants.
The Grey Knights trio, after confirming the threat was temporarily neutralized, vanished as silently as they had appeared, retreating into a corner in the ship's shadows, as if they had never been there. Only desolation and a deathly silence remained.
Luna Aisa stood alone in the empty corridor, beneath her feet the dried, eerily colored demon blood and scorch marks from energy. She gazed at the empty corner in the distance, unmoving for a long time.
The Laspistol in her hand hung limply.
A cold tear, unnoticed even by herself, silently traced its way down her grimy cheek, dropping onto the cold, sticky deck and instantly vanishing.
The darkness of the Imperium did not just come from obvious enemies.
Sometimes, the deepest chill came from the absolute shadows, where the light of protection could not reach.
The remains of demons lay like foul snow throughout the corridors of the Steadfast Will, the air thick with ozone, blood, and an indescribable, pungent smell of purified Warp residue. Emergency lights flickered erratically due to damaged wiring, casting unsettling shadows on the shaken faces of the survivors. The brief battle was over, but the wounds and fear it left were deeply ingrained.
The silver figures of the Grey Knights had long vanished, as if they had never appeared, but the shock and chill they brought were more profoundly etched in everyone's hearts than the claws of the demons. The surviving mortal crew members huddled at their stations, not daring to speak loudly or even look at each other, fearing they might attract silent destruction.
Sergeant Golden, his face ashen, was directing the able-bodied team members and crew to clear passages, count casualties, and assess ship damage. The losses were severe, not just in personnel, but more critically, the core of the Geller Field generator had suffered catastrophic damage.
"Report, Sergeant," a Tech-Priest with burn marks on his face (his assistant had just been 'purified' by a Grey Knight in front of him) reported, his voice trembling, "The main generator node was… physically and violently destroyed, beyond repair. The auxiliary system can only maintain a minimum strength, unstable field; we cannot make another Warp jump, nor can we stay in the Warp for long. The reality barrier is extremely fragile!"
"Can it hold until Gloom IV?" Gorden asked in a deep voice, already bracing himself for the worst.
"If there are no further impacts… perhaps… but it's very dangerous. Warp energy could seep in again at any moment…"
Just then, a commotion came from the entrance to a lower maintenance tunnel. Several lower-level maintenance workers, covered in oil and blood, brought up a struggling man, tied securely with thick cables. The man being escorted also wore a maintenance worker's uniform, but his eyes were vacant, his mouth drooled a mixture of oil and foam, and his face bore a crazed, eerie smile as he constantly mumbled:
"…for…the great logic…clear Veins…all things change…"
The old foreman escorting him, his face filled with fear and anger, saw Gorden as a savior. He hurried forward, his voice hoarse, "Sir Sergeant! We found him! Omicron! It's this traitor! He destroyed the Geller Field node! We checked the logs and surveillance and found his behavior abnormal, and he eventually went to the node area! When we found him, he was giggling at the burned-out node!"
The old foreman dared not look at the Grey Knights who might be hidden in the shadows, so he could only hand the prisoner over to Gorden: "He's yours, sir! This madman…he killed so many people!"
Gorden looked at the maintenance worker named Omicron. His condition was clearly abnormal, as if he had taken a powerful hallucinogen or…suffered severe mental corruption. This was by no means a simple technical malfunction or operational error, but premeditated sabotage!
"You did well." Gorden nodded to the old foreman, signaling two team members to take the prisoner. His heart sank; an infiltrator… and one corrupted by Chaos, was hidden on this very ship!
Almost the very next second the prisoner was handed over—
"Clang!"
Like cold silver flames sweeping through the air, three Grey Knights reappeared at the end of the corridor without warning, instantly drawing everyone's gaze! Their appearance brought an invisible pressure, and the surviving mortals gasped in terror, instinctively recoiling, wishing they could shrink into the walls.
The Grey Knight Captain's gaze immediately locked onto the bound Omicron. His cold voice spoke directly, not to Gorden, but more like stating a fact:
"The stench of Chaos…so clear. It was not an accident after all."
He stepped forward, walking towards the prisoner, his silver armor radiating an undeniable majesty in the dim light. His objective was clear—to take this corrupted individual for "purification" and "interrogation."
However, just as the Grey Knights approached, an unexpected event occurred.
A young female technician named Lina, who had been hiding behind a nearby instrument console with a few companions, was terrified by the sudden appearance of the Grey Knights. Her companions scrambled away, but she, perhaps due to extreme fear, her legs turning to jelly, was a step too slow!
When she reacted and tried to flee, the three Grey Knights were already very close! Their cold silver armor, their emotionless beaked helmets, the lingering demon bloodstains on them, and the powerful psychic pressure instantly shattered her psychological defenses! She let out a short shriek, instinctively scrambling towards the closest figure that seemed to offer security—Luna Aisa, who was standing not far away!
"Lady Aisa! Save me! Don't let them…" Lina clutched Luna's arm armor tightly, hiding behind her, her body trembling like a leaf in the wind. She had clearly witnessed the Grey Knights' previous 'purification' of mortals, and fear had completely overwhelmed her reason.
Luna's body instantly tensed. She knew Lina, a diligent and eager young woman with a talent for mechanics, who often sought her advice, and they had a good relationship. She could feel the strength of the girl's grip on her arm, a grip born of desperate fear.
At this moment, the three Grey Knights' steps halted. Their gazes, like three cold scalpels, shifted from the prisoner Omicron to the suddenly appearing, out-of-place mortal female technician, and finally, landed on Luna Aisa, who was attempting to 'shelter' her.
The air in the corridor instantly solidified, as if turning to ice.
The Grey Knight Captain's gaze fixed on Lina, and his emotionless voice spoke again, pronouncing her fate:
"Mortal. You have witnessed that which should not be known. By holy decree, you must be purified."
Lina was so terrified she almost fainted, shrinking completely behind Luna, unable even to cry.
Luna's heart clenched! She could almost imagine what would happen next! The silver weapon would be raised, and then Lina would, like those other crew members, silently vanish!
A strong, unprecedented impulse overcame her awe of the Grey Knights and her rational calculations! She suddenly lifted her head, meeting the Grey Knight Captain's cold gaze, and shouted with all her might, "No! Wait!"
Her voice was a little sharp from tension, but it was exceptionally clear in the deathly silent corridor.
All eyes focused on her. Gorden's face changed. Dorian's eyes widened. Gaius clenched his fists. Lex's bionic limb made a slight hydraulic hiss.
The Grey Knight Captain's head turned slightly, his abyssal gaze focusing on Luna's face, seemingly evaluating her actions.
"Esteemed Grey Knight!" Luna's voice held a trace of imperceptible tremor, but more so, determination, "She… she only saw it by accident! She did nothing wrong! She's just a child! Please… let her go! I can guarantee she won't speak of it! I can erase her memory! With technical means! Please!"
This was the first time Luna had spoken so emotionally, almost pleadingly. She tightly shielded the trembling Lina behind her, like a mother bird protecting its chick, facing an irresistible predator.
The Grey Knight Captain remained silent, his cold stare seemingly able to freeze souls. Time passed, second by second, each feeling like a century.
Finally, he spoke, his voice still cold, but carrying an undeniable, absolute authority, as if from an ancient law:
"Tech-Sergeant Luna Aisa. Your request is invalid."
One of the Grey Knights slowly raised his hand—the arm wielding that massive, grotesque Daemonhammer! A chilling silver psychic light began to gather on the warhammer, and the aura of destruction pressed down tangibly on Luna and the girl behind her!
"To purify mortals who witness Chaos and its adversaries is the Emperor's sacred edict! Furthermore, it is the highest directive personally re-emphasized and strengthened by the current Lord Regent of the Imperium, Lord Roboute Guilliman, upon his return! It permits no defiance! Nor any exception!"
"To protect the Imperium's foundation and prevent the whispers of Chaos from spreading through the fragile minds of mortals, this sacrifice… is necessary and mandatory!"
Lord Guilliman's name and "personally re-emphasized" struck everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer! Even Sergeant Golden's breath caught! This was a direct order from a Primarch, from the highest ruler of the Imperium! Its weight was enough to crush any doubt or plea!
Luna's face instantly turned ashen white. She could defy the ruthlessness of the Grey Knights, but how could she defy a law personally decreed by a Primarch? A deep sense of powerlessness instantly seized her. But she still did not back down, still shielded Lina with her relatively slender body, her eyes filled with desperate defiance.
The atmosphere instantly became extremely tense!
Just at this critical moment—
"Clang!"
A heavy metallic crash rang out!
It was Lex! He suddenly stepped forward, his intact hand already gripping the haft of his power axe, the heavy axe-blade thudding loudly on the deck! His bionic limb also emitted a low hum of full operation, his red optical sensors locked firmly on the Grey Knight Captain! Although he knew the other's strength far surpassed his own, a warrior's instinct and the urge to protect his comrades made him react directly!
Dorian also instinctively tightened his grip on his chainsword; although his face was pale, he gritted his teeth and stood to Luna's front-side. Cliff and Thor also nervously raised their weapons. Gaius, meanwhile, silently moved to another angle, his Bolter pistol's muzzle slightly lowered, but his finger already on the trigger guard.
Sergeant Golden's heart leaped into his throat! He absolutely could not allow the squad to engage in direct conflict with the Grey Knights! That would be catastrophic!
"Esteemed Grey Knight!" Gorden rushed forward, standing between the two parties, his voice urgent but trying to remain calm, "Please, calm your wrath! My team members mean no offense! They are just… just emotional! This mortal, leave her to us! We guarantee we will act according to… according to the decree! No need for you to trouble yourselves!"
He tried to salvage the situation, even if it meant personally executing the innocent girl, it was still better than a direct confrontation with the Grey Knights now!
However, the Grey Knight's arm, raised with the Daemonhammer, did not lower; instead, the gathering psychic light grew even stronger. His cold gaze swept over the tense Lex and the other members of Second Squad, finally returning to Luna's stubborn and pale face.
In the corridor, the air seemed to turn into a viscous gel, filled with the crackling sparks generated by the psychic standoff. On one side were three Grey Knights, representing the Imperium's highest secret military force, wielding the power of life and death; on the other, the emotional Second Squad of Ultramarines, attempting to protect their comrade.
And at the center of the incident were a young female technician, collapsing from fear, and a Tech-Sergeant willing to defy a Primarch's decree to protect her.
The silver light of destruction flickered on the Grey Knight Captain's warhammer, as if about to strike the next second, annihilating the defiant and the target to be purified together.
Luna could feel Lina's almost stopped heartbeat behind her, and she could also feel the power in front of her capable of instantly vaporizing her. She closed her eyes, awaiting the final judgment, but her body still did not move an inch.
The air in the corridor solidified like ice, and the destructive silver psychic energy blazed on the Grey Knights' Daemonhammer, reflecting Luna Aisa's pale but stubborn face, and Lina, the young technician behind her, who was almost melting from fear. Lex's Power Axe struck the ground with a defiant roar; Dorian, Cliff, and Sore gripped their weapons tightly; Gaius, like a panther poised to strike, searched for the slightest flaw; Sergeant Golden stood in the middle, his heart burning with anxiety, trying to calm the impending catastrophic conflict with words.
The Grey Knight Captain's gaze was as cold as ancient ice, and the Primarch's name and iron laws were like an unshakeable oracle, suffocating everyone. Luna's plea and Lex's defiance seemed so pale and futile in the face of such absolute power and law. The raised warhammer seemed ready to descend at any second, to carry out that cold and ruthless 'purification'.
Just at this critical moment, with everyone's nerves stretched to their limits—
A highly dissonant, twisted, and crazed laugh suddenly broke the dead silence of the standoff!
"Hehehe…hehehehe…hahahaha—!"
The laughter came from the repairman, Omicron, who was tightly bound and thrown into the corner!
Everyone's gaze was drawn by this sudden change, and even the Grey Knights' psychic energy gathering motion paused slightly.
Omicron had somehow raised his head; the crazed smile on his face was twisted to an inhuman angle, and the previously scattered blue light in his eyes was now incredibly condensed and deep, as if countless swirling, multicolored vortices were born and dying within them! The grease and saliva on his body seemed to come alive, shimmering with an eerie glow. An indescribable, vast, and treacherous psychic pressure spread out from him like a tide, faint but its essence made the three Grey Knights treat him as a formidable enemy, instantly turning their full attention to him!
"Ah…what a…deeply moving scene…" Omicron spoke, but his voice had completely changed! It was no longer a human's hoarse voice, but a grand chorus of countless tones, countless languages, and countless thoughts superimposed, full of endless wisdom and mockery! This voice drilled directly into everyone's minds, shaking their sanity!
"The minuscule individual…trying to defy established rules…trying to protect even more minuscule dust…how…interesting…and yet…futile…"
The Grey Knights' Daemonhammer unhesitatingly turned its direction, pointing at Omicron! The silver psychic glow surged, filled with an ultimate will to purify!
"Daemon! Go back to your abyss!" The Captain's cold voice carried an unprecedented solemnity.
"Abyss? Hehehe…" The possessed Omicron tilted his head, looking at the Grey Knights with those eerie compound eyes, full of contempt, "Where is reality? Where is the abyss? You foolish silver-helmed toys…do you think…with that stolen, faint spark…you can contend with true…'logic'?"
His gaze swept over the three Grey Knights standing ready, his laughter full of amusement: "Your existence…your struggles…your ridiculous 'purification'…are themselves part of the Great Game…the most interesting diversion…when I am bored…"
Then, his swirling gaze passed over the Grey Knights, precisely, as if tangible, nailing itself onto Gaius!
Gaius felt a cold and familiar sense of being watched instantly pierce his soul, as if he was back in that desperate moment on the Medical Deck! In the dead depths of his left arm, something seemed to resonate ever so faintly!
"Ah…my dear…'seed'…" the Lord of Change's voice became deep and seductive, like a lover's whisper, yet carrying supreme authority, "Look at them…the cage they built for you…how fragile…how ridiculous…"
"Do you think silence is safety? Do you think distance is liberation?" Tzeentch's voice echoed directly in Gaius' mind, full of endless mockery and absolute confidence, "No…that power is already with you…it is the cornerstone of your transcendence…it is your…true destiny!"
"What you are avoiding…is yourself!"
"You…are my…Lord of Change's…carefully chosen…Champion!"
"You…cannot escape!"
Boom—! Gaius' brain felt as if it had been blasted blank by this declaration directly from the Chaos God! He was cold all over, as if falling into an ice cave, all his blood seemed to freeze! Champion?! I am not! I am just a…just a soldier! He wanted to shout but couldn't make any sound, only able to freeze in place, his face drained of color, his pupils constricted by extreme shock and fear.
The Grey Knight Captain had clearly heard this blasphemous whisper; he roared, no longer hesitating, and the Nemesis Force Halberd, imbued with terrifying power, thrust out suddenly!
"In the Emperor's name! Silence! Foul Daemon!"
Boom—!!!
Pure silver psychic energy, like a bursting mountain torrent, instantly engulfed Omicron! That corrupted flesh, before this power born to destroy Chaos, could not last even a fraction of a second, instantly vaporizing, decomposing, turning into the most basic particles, along with that twisted soul, completely erased from the real universe! Not even a speck of ash remained!
Tzeentch's grand and treacherous voice abruptly ceased.
Silence returned to the corridor, broken only by the crackling of residual silver psychic energy and everyone's heavy breathing.
The suffocating presence of the Chaos God had vanished.
But His last words, like the most venomous curse, were deeply etched into everyone's consciousness, especially Gaius'.
However, just a split second before Omicron was completely purified, the Lord of Change's superimposed voice seemed to leave a fleeting, almost casual 'farewell message,' echoing in the gradually dissipating psychic ripples:
"…Ah…right…I almost forgot to remind you boring pawns…"
"…The navigation route of your dilapidated toy…has been…quietly altered…by me…"
"…You are about to pass…the edge of my…'generous' and 'loving' brother's…little garden…"
"…Are you ready…to welcome…'guests'? Hehehe…"
"…May your…'journey'…be full of 'surprises'…"
The voice completely disappeared.
Leaving only a deathly silence and a cold chill.
The Grey Knight Captain slowly retracted his Force Halberd, psychic energy swirling on his silver armor, clearly indicating that the previous strike had consumed a considerable amount of power. He stood silently in place, his faceplate turned in Gaius' direction; though no expression could be seen, the heavy sense of his gaze felt like a thousand pounds.
Gorden, Lex, Dorian, and the others were all stunned, speechless for a long time. The Lord of Change…the Chaos God himself…had personally possessed a humble repairman, just to convey this information? Especially about Gaius…a Champion?!
Everyone's gaze involuntarily turned to Gaius.
Gaius remained frozen in place, his face terrifyingly pale, his eyes hollow, as if his soul had been drawn out. His body swayed slightly, almost losing his balance. Dorian instinctively reached out to steady him, but was pushed back by the extreme shock and resistance emanating from Gaius.
"Gaius?" Gorden called out worriedly.
Gaius showed no reaction; he was still immersed in the immense shock brought by the Chaos God's earth-shattering declaration. Champion…the word echoed like a nightmare in his mind. All his struggles, fears, and persistence…were they destined to be futile from the start? Had his fate already been marked by a supreme Chaos God? This dormant left arm…was it really not a blessing, but…a curse and a shackle?
Luna also recovered from the previous standoff. She looked at Gaius' distraught appearance and recalled the Lord of Change's final words about 'Nurgle's Garden' and 'guests,' and alarm bells rang in her heart. She instinctively shielded Lina, who was behind her, more tightly—strangely, after the greater shock of the Chaos God's appearance, the fear brought by the Grey Knights seemed somewhat diluted, and the Grey Knight Captain, after purifying Omicron, seemed to have temporarily ignored this small 'violator'.
The Grey Knight Captain was silent for a few seconds, then his cold voice rang out again, this time directed at Gorden: "The situation…has exceeded expectations. The Lord of Change's direct intervention indicates that the conspiracy is far more complex than merely disrupting navigation. His mention of Nurgle's domain…is no idle threat. Immediately notify the bridge; at all costs, attempt to change course and circumvent any potential Warp contamination zones!"
His tone carried an unprecedented urgency. A direct warning of a route crisis from a Chaos God was absolutely the highest level of alert.
Gorden immediately reacted, no longer concerned with Gaius' state or the mortal, and instantly contacted the bridge via comms, relaying the Grey Knights' warning.
However, what came from the comms was the helmsman's terrified and desperate voice: "…Unable to change course! The Warp tides have become abnormally violent! It's as if a huge force is pulling us! Engine output is already overloaded! We are being forcibly dragged towards a…a Warp vortex filled with the stench of decay and plague!"
As if to confirm the helmsman's words, the entire Steadfast Will suddenly vibrated violently! Unlike the previous daemon invasion, this time the entire hull groaned under the strain! Outside the viewports, the kaleidoscopic Warp scenery began to be encroached upon by a foul, yellowish-green color, as if filled with pus and disease! An indescribable scent, sickly sweet with an extreme stench of putrefaction, began to seep into the ship through the unstable Geller Field, in wisps and tendrils!
"Nurgle…" Medic Sore's face was ashen. As a medic, he had a deeper aversion and fear of such forces of disease and decay.
The Grey Knight Captain suddenly looked up towards the ceiling of the corridor, as if he could see through layers of deck plating to the outside. "…Too late." His voice was still cold, but with a hint of gravity, "Prepare for battle. Nurgle's 'love'…always manifests as plague and death."
He no longer paid attention to the others, including the female technician Lina, who was still hiding behind Luna. Clearly, compared to the impending threat from another Chaos God's forces, a mortal who had inadvertently witnessed them had become insignificant. He gestured to his two squadmates, and the three instantly transformed into three streaks of silver light, rushing towards the bridge at astonishing speed—they had to go to the front lines to deal with the greatest threat.
In the corridor, only the members of Second Squad, the still-shaken Lina, and the still-frozen Gaius remained.
"Damn it! Just got rid of one schemer, and now another plague-spreader?!" Dorian cursed as he grabbed his Chainsword, but his eyes were filled with fear of the unknown.
Lex silently rested his Power Axe on his shoulder, his bionic limb humming with stored energy. Cliff and Sore checked their ammunition and medical kits, their faces incredibly grim.
Sergeant Golden glanced at the distraught Gaius, then at the increasingly thick, nauseating yellowish-green mist outside the viewport, knowing it was not the time for comfort. He took a deep breath, suppressing the shock and unease in his heart, and issued an order:
"Second Squad! Maximum combat readiness! Repeat, maximum combat readiness! All personnel put on protective respirators! Sore, prepare for biochemical and plague threats! Lex, Dorian, prepare for heavy impact! Cliff, provide fire support! Luna, try to analyze environmental data, look for weaknesses or safe paths!"
His gaze finally fell on Gaius, his voice hardening: "Gaius! Whatever you heard! Whatever it was! Now, suppress it! You are an Ultramarine! Your duty is to fight! Understand?!"
Gorden's roar, like thunder, finally jolted Gaius slightly awake from his extreme shock. He suddenly looked up, his eyes still filled with confusion and fear, but the instincts forged by long training and the Sergeant's command made him instinctively straighten his back.
"…Yes…Sergeant…" His voice was incredibly dry, like sandpaper rubbing.
He glanced at his still-dormant left arm, which felt as if it carried a thousand pounds of weight, then suddenly raised his right hand, drawing his Bolter, his eyes gradually replaced by a desperate kind of resolve.
Whether he was a Champion or not, whatever his fate, at this moment, he had to fight.
For survival, and for the brothers beside him.
And outside the ship, the yellowish-green Warp vortex, filled with endless plague and loving death, had opened its rotten embrace, completely engulfing the Steadfast Will.
Nurgle's 'guests' were about to knock.
The true nightmare had just begun.
The Grey Knight Captain's warning about 'Nurgle's domain' had barely finished echoing before the terrifying reality descended. The Steadfast Will, like a small boat in a storm, was swept away by irresistible Warp tides, plunging headfirst into that foul, viscous, yellowish-green realm emanating a sickly sweet stench of putrefaction.
The last images transmitted by the ship's external sensors were horrifying—the originally bizarre and colorful Warp energy storm had been replaced by an boundless 'ocean' seemingly composed of pus, decaying flesh, and festering organic matter. Huge, plague-ridden bubbles constantly formed and burst, releasing toxic mist capable of instantly melting mortals. Indescribable, bloated, colossal shadows were vaguely visible, slowly cruising through this sea of stench, casting despair-inducing shadows.
Bang! Thump! Crack!
Ear-grating impacts and scraping sounds began to intensely batter the hull's exterior, as if countless slimy, decaying things were trying to climb onto the ship, or striking the metal plating with their rotten limbs and rusty weapons. The already fragile Geller Field generator emitted an overloaded shriek of distress, its light flickering rapidly, as if it could extinguish completely at any moment.
"Geller Field strength is dropping rapidly! 60%... 40%... 20%...!" The communication from the bridge was filled with desperate shouts, "There are too many of them! The field can't hold much longer!"
Inside the corridor, the members of Second Squad could even feel the deck becoming slick and sticky, and the cloying, putrid smell in the air grew thicker, almost nauseating. Medic Sore immediately distributed the highest-grade protective filters and purification tablets to everyone, but even so, the stench, as if it could directly corrode the soul, was inescapable.
"Prepare for contact!" Sergeant Golden roared, his voice muffled by the filter but his resolve clear. All the team members gripped their weapons, nervously watching for potential breaches at both ends of the corridor. Luna shielded the still-trembling Lina behind a relatively sturdy instrument cabinet in a corner, raising her laser pistol, her eyes sharp.
Gaius forced himself to temporarily suppress the horror of being a "Chosen Son," focusing all his attention on the immediate threat. He gripped his Bolter pistol tightly in his right hand, his palm slick with cold sweat.
Just then—
Sizzle—!!!
A sharp, deafening roar, like fabric being completely torn apart, came from the mid-section of the ship! It was followed by countless terrifying sounds of shattering glass and twisting metal!
The Geller Field had completely collapsed!
The last barrier between reality and the Warp was gone!
"Awoo—!!!"
"The Father's Blessing!!!"
"Rot! Embrace new life!"
Countless twisted, frenzied, and pathologically joyful roars and gibbering poured into the ship like a tsunami! The bulkheads in multiple areas at both ends of the corridor seemed to turn into rotten membranes, easily torn and dissolved! A viscous, yellowish-green torrent of filth, carrying countless nauseating figures, surged in!
Nurgle Daemons!
They varied in form and size! There were chattering Nurglings, rolling in groups like rotten potatoes; bloated Plaguebearers, oozing pus and wielding rusty swords or plague sprayers; and even larger, despair-inducing behemoths, like moving plague fortresses, vaguely visible in the filthy torrent!
Wherever they passed, metal corroded and rusted, the deck became slick and rotten, and the air was filled with deadly plague spores! As soon as ordinary soldiers were touched by the yellowish-green mist, they would immediately let out piercing screams, their bodies melting like candles, or growing terrible pustules and rotten mushrooms, twisting and deforming in extreme pain, eventually becoming part of the daemon torrent!
"Open fire! Free fire!" Gorden roared, his Bolter spitting angry flames, blasting several Nurglings at the forefront into exploding pus!
Lex's Heavy Bolter let out a deafening roar, its powerful firepower temporarily suppressing the tide of daemons surging from one side of the corridor, shattering the limbs of the Plaguebearers and sending pus flying! Dorian roared, swinging his Chainsword, slicing several approaching daemons in half, but the splashing putrid blood corroded his armor with a sizzling sound! Cliff and Sore fired precise bursts, and Gaius also shot calmly, his Bolter rounds accurately hitting the daemons' twisted single eyes or vital points.
However, there were too many daemons! And they were utterly fearless of death, even enjoying this "dissipation" and "rebirth"! More daemons poured in from the breaches, the plague mist grew thicker, and rust and strange mold spots were already appearing on the team members' armor! The effectiveness of the protective filters was rapidly declining, and Sore had to frequently inject himself and his teammates with broad-spectrum antitoxins and stimulants.
Luna, while firing her laser pistol at the sporadic daemons attempting to approach from the side, tightly shielded Lina behind her. The girl's screams and cries were drowned out by the deafening gunshots and the roars of the daemons.
The situation instantly became extremely critical! At this rate, they would soon be submerged by this endless sea of plague!
Just at this desperate moment—
"In the name of the Emperor and the Sacred Council! Purge!"
A roar like thunder overwhelmed all the noise! Three dazzling silver beams of light, like divine spears, suddenly shot from the direction of the bridge, accurately blasting into the most densely packed areas of the daemons!
It was the Grey Knights!
They had finally made their move! And what a move it was, earth-shattering!
The Grey Knight Captain at the forefront stood tall, his Nemesis Force Halberd no longer cold metal, but a condensed mass of pure silver psychic energy! He did not engage in precise targeted kills as he had against the Tzeentch Daemons before, but instead slammed his halberd heavily onto the ground!
Boom—!!!
A massive silver rune, composed of pure psychic energy, suddenly erupted with him at its center, spreading rapidly outwards like a shockwave! The Nurgle Daemons swept by the silver ripple, whether weak Nurglings or powerful Plaguebearers, and even the thick plague mist, were like encountering the ultimate nemesis!
The Nurgle Daemons let out agonizing, piercing wails, utterly unlike their previous frenzied joy! Their bodies, those structures filled with disease and decay, under the illumination of the pure silver glow, rapidly melted, vaporized, and disintegrated like ice thrown into a steel furnace! Their so-called "immortality" and "rebirth" became a ridiculous joke in the face of the destructive power specifically aimed at the essence of Chaos! Swathes of daemons vanished instantly without a trace, like snow melting in the sun!
Another Grey Knight (the one who had fought Dorian) raised his psychic power sword with both hands, its blade radiating light like a small sun! He suddenly swung it forward!
A crescent-shaped silver psychic blade, spanning the entire corridor, whistled out! Wherever it passed, all daemons, whether physical or ethereal, were effortlessly cleaved in half and then utterly annihilated in the silver glow! This blade even directly cut through the thick plague mist, clearing a large area of pure space!
The third Grey Knight stood like a rock on the flank, and each swing of his Daemonhammer brought forth a terrifying psychic vortex, smashing approaching daemons, along with their thrown plague weapons, into their most basic particles! He didn't even need to directly hit; the psychic shockwave caused by his hammer hitting the ground could clear a large area!
Their power was different from when they had dealt with the Tzeentch Daemons! It seemed that against Nurgle's chaotic forces, which emphasized physical decay and disease erosion, their psychic purification was even more overbearing and utterly crushing!
The silver glow, like three insurmountable dams, firmly blocked the torrent of plague! The power they displayed transcended the understanding of regular Astartes; it was an almost rule-level, absolute restraint and annihilation of Chaos!
The members of Second Squad even forgot to fire, all staring in speechless shock at this breathtaking scene.
Dorian's mouth hung open, his Chainsword hanging limply. That slight nonchalance he had felt earlier because the Grey Knights had "spared" Lina vanished instantly without a trace, replaced by a deep-seated reverence and... trepidation. He finally understood that when the other party had "sparred" with him in the medical bay, they probably hadn't even used one ten-thousandth of their true power.
Lex's Heavy Bolter ceased its roar. He watched the silver figures, sweeping away daemons like gods, and silently put away his axe. He knew that the battle here no longer needed them.
Cliff and Sore also lowered their weapons, watching everything before them in disbelief.
Gaius gripped his Bolter pistol, his fingers trembling slightly. The power displayed by the Grey Knights startled him, but it also made him more deeply realize the terrifying existence from which his "attention" came... and the absolute and... inhuman power the Imperium wielded to counter such horror.
Sergeant Golden let out a long sigh of relief, but his mood grew heavier. The stronger the Grey Knights were, the more ridiculous and dangerous their previous confrontation seemed.
Luna also stopped firing. She shielded Lina, watching the daemons melt away in the silver glow like snow in the sun, her eyes complex. This power was protection, but it also came with ruthless rules.
The battle ended extremely quickly. Under the Grey Knights' crushing, Chaos-specific terrifying psychic power, the Nurgle daemon army that had poured into the ship was completely purged in a matter of minutes! Even the nauseating plague mist was thoroughly purified, leaving only the corroded, pockmarked deck and bulkheads as proof of their former existence.
Silence returned to the corridor, broken only by the crackling silver psychic energy lingering on the Grey Knights' armor, like electrical arcs, and their heavy, steady breathing.
The three Grey Knights put away their weapons, and the suffocating psychic pressure slowly receded. The Captain at the forefront turned around, his cold gaze sweeping over the chaotic corridor, over the corroded marks, and finally resting on the members of Second Squad, especially lingering for a moment on Gaius and Luna (and the still-hidden Lina behind her).
His voice spoke directly again, still cold, but seemingly with a few less of the previous absolute killing intent, and a hint of an indescribable... prudence?
"Nurgle's vanguard has been purged. But its power has corroded the ship, and the Geller Field must be restored as soon as possible."
His gaze finally settled on Luna and Lina behind her.
"As for that civilian..." The Captain's voice paused, "...she witnessed a battle beyond her comprehension, and... our existence."
Luna's heart leaped into her throat, and she instinctively shielded Lina further behind her.
However, the Grey Knight Captain's next words surprised everyone.
"This matter... and the direct appearance of the Chaos God today, are of great significance, far exceeding regular purification protocols." The Captain's voice carried an unprecedented solemnity, "I will meticulously record everything today, including your reactions, your choices, and especially... the Lord of Change's declaration, and directly report it to... the highest commander of the Grey Knights Chapter under Regent Roboute Guilliman, for his decision, and potentially... to the Regent himself."
"The final judgment... will be decided by the Primarch's will."
Having said that, he said no more, gesturing to his two squad members. The three Grey Knights, as if having completed a routine cleanup mission, turned and, with steady and resolute steps, disappeared once again into the shadows of the corridor, heading to other areas of the ship that required purification.
They left.
In the corridor, only the members of Second Squad, the still-shaken Lina, and the wreckage remained.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, as if they had just escaped from the jaws of death—not only the threat of the Nurgle Daemons, but also the uncertain judgment from the Grey Knights.
Gorden immediately grabbed his comms, contacting the bridge and engine room: "Grey Knights have cleared the internal threat! Restore Geller Field with full power immediately! Repeat, restore with full power immediately!"
Perhaps the Grey Knights' purging action also bought time for the engineers, or perhaps the Machine Priests unleashed their potential in desperation. A few minutes later, accompanied by a series of overloaded hums and flickering lights, the desperately weak Geller Field was finally restarted with difficulty! Although its intensity was far from before, it finally isolated that terrifying yellowish-green sea of plague outside once again!
"Field restored! Accelerating to depart current area!" Good news came from the bridge.
The Steadfast Will, like a scarred refugee, dragged its battered body and shaken passengers, desperately accelerating, struggling to break free from the edge of Nurgle's domain, and once again plunged into the relatively "normal" Warp currents.
The crisis was temporarily averted.
Inside the corridor, the few surviving civilian crew members began timidly to clean up the scene. Luna finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling utterly drained. She turned around, looking at Lina, who was still curled up in the corner, trembling and pale.
She crouched down, trying to make her voice sound gentle: "Lina? It's alright... the daemons are gone... we're safe..."
Lina looked up, her eyes filled with tears and endless fear. She suddenly threw herself into Luna's arms, sobbing loudly: "Lady Aisa... I'm so scared... those monsters... and those silver ones... they..." She was incoherent, clearly greatly traumatized.
Luna gently patted her back, clumsily comforting her: "Don't be afraid... it's over... it's all over..." She looked at the crying girl, remembering the "purified" crew members, and the slight sense of security she had felt from the Grey Knights' power was once again replaced by a heavy sadness and confusion.
Why did the Imperium's protection always come with such a cruel price?
And Gaius still stood in place, head bowed, looking at his silent left arm. The power of the Grey Knights, the horror of Nurgle, could not dispel the huge shadow cast in his heart by the Lord of Change's curse-like declaration.
Chosen Son...
These four words, like the heaviest shackles, were firmly placed upon his soul.
The road ahead seemed to lead only to deeper darkness.
....
The Steadfast Will, like a survivor narrowly escaping a nightmare, struggled through the turbulent Warp.
Its damaged Geller Field flickered like a candle in the wind, barely maintaining the fragile barrier of reality, each slight fluctuation sending shivers down the spines of the bridge crew.
Engineers and Tech-Priests, like busy ants, scurried through the ship's interior, reeking of burnt wires and a faint putrid smell, repairing circuits corrupted by Nurgle Daemons, reinforcing torn bulkheads, and purifying lingering plague contamination.
Although the external threat had temporarily receded, the atmosphere inside the ship was more oppressive than before.
The immediate horror and physical discomfort brought by the Nurgle Daemons had not fully dissipated, and the blasphemous prophecy delivered by the Lord of Change through Omicron's mouth was like a more intangible, yet more lethal, poison, eroding the minds of everyone, especially Second Squad.
Sergeant Golden wasted no time.
After confirming the ship was temporarily out of danger and ordering his squad to undertake minimal rest and equipment maintenance, he immediately gathered all members of Second Squad, including Tech-Sergeant Luna Aisa, in the tactical room assigned to them on the Steadfast Will for an emergency meeting.
The hatch was tightly sealed, and the sound-dampening field activated, ensuring that the internal discussion would not leak out.
The tactical room was brightly lit, but the light could not dispel the gloom on everyone's faces.
A faint scent of disinfectant still lingered in the air, attempting to mask the subtle, unsettlingly sweet putrid smell.
Gorden stood at the head of the tactical table, his expression more severe than ever.
He didn't look at any data-slates, his gaze sweeping over his squad members one by one: Lex silently wiped his heavy Bolter, his mechanical prosthesis occasionally emitting subtle calibration sounds; Cliff and Sore sat together, pale-faced, clearly not yet fully recovered from the shock of the plague's horror; Dorian nervously tapped the table with his fingers, his eyes darting, seemingly afraid to meet anyone else's gaze, especially Gaius'; Luna sat quietly in the corner, a data-slate on her lap, but her gaze was not focused on it; and Gaius sat closest to the door, head bowed, hands on the table, his silent left arm particularly conspicuous, as if he was enveloped by an invisible shadow.
"Brothers," Gorden's voice was low and hoarse, breaking the suffocating silence, "We have just experienced a... Warp disaster far exceeding expectations.
We lost many crewmen, and the ship is severely damaged.
But these are not the most pressing matters right now."
He took a deep breath, his gaze finally settling on Gaius, his tone as heavy as lead: "Now, we need to confront that... 'thing'... spoken through Omicron... about Brother Hohn."
"Chosen Son."
These four words thundered in the small tactical room, making everyone's bodies tense instinctively.
Dorian abruptly looked up, opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately just ran a hand through his hair in frustration, swallowing his words.
"That... that's a trick of Tzeentch! Right? Sergeant?" Medic Sore's voice trembled slightly, trying to find a rational explanation, "It's to demoralize us! It's to plant seeds of doubt in Brother Hohn's mind! Just like it always does!"
Cliff nodded, his voice dry: "Exactly... the Chaos Gods are best at deception and lies..."
"Lies?" Lex stopped wiping, looked up, his mechanically augmented face unreadable, but his voice was unusually calm, "Does the Lord of Change need to sacrifice a... lowly Tech-Adept and appear in person just to tell an easily debunked lie? Just to demoralize one of our squads?"
His words were like a bucket of cold water, dousing the hope that Sore and Cliff had just ignited.
Indeed, the Chaos Gods might be cunning, but such a grand display, merely for a psychological tactic, seemed somewhat illogical.
"And..." Luna Aisa suddenly spoke softly, drawing everyone's attention.
She looked up, her eyes holding the analytical calmness characteristic of a Tech-Sergeant, "Based on the limited information I've reviewed... and the energy signatures and logical coherence of Omicron's words when he was possessed (if it can be called logic)... it is highly probable... that it is true.
At least, in the Lord of Change's perception and planning, it is true."
The tactical room fell silent again.
Even Dorian, the most reluctant to believe, looked extremely grim.
"But... why Gaius?" Dorian finally couldn't help but ask, his voice hoarse, "What's so special about him? Just because of that damned arm?"
"Isn't that arm 'special' in itself?" Lex retorted, "Coming from unknown xenos technology, capable of resisting a Grey Knights' mark, even attracting a Tzeentchian avatar's personal recruitment... isn't that 'special' enough?"
"But the Chosen Son..." Cliff swallowed hard, "This means... Brother Hohn's future... might already be..."
"Means he might eventually turn to Chaos?" Sore finished the thought, his voice filled with fear and a hint of imperceptible repulsion.
"Enough!" Gorden slammed his fist on the table with a loud bang, interrupting the increasingly dangerous speculation.
His gaze, sharp as a knife, swept over each squad member, "Remember who you are! You are Ultramarines! You are Gaius' brothers! Not Inquisitors of the Inquisition!"
He walked in front of Gaius, looking down at him, his voice stern yet with unquestionable support: "Gaius! Look up!"
Gaius' body trembled slightly, and he slowly raised his head.
His face was still pale, his eyes filled with confusion, pain, and a hint of bewilderment, but deep down, there was still a trace of an Astartes' resilience.
"Tell me, Soldier!" Gorden stared into his eyes, "Do you believe that Chaos God's nonsense? Do you think you're that damn 'Chosen Son'? Do you crave power? Do you long for Chaos?"
Gaius met Gorden's gaze, his lips moving a few times, and finally, he answered in a dry but incredibly firm voice: "No! Sergeant! I don't believe it! I never craved that kind of power! I am the Emperor's Angel of Death! A warrior of Ultramar! All that I am belongs to the Imperium of Man!"
His voice grew louder, as if he was fighting against his inner fear and those blasphemous whispers.
"Good!" Gorden clapped him heavily on the shoulder (avoiding the left arm), "That's enough! As long as your will doesn't waver, as long as your loyalty remains, no matter what schemes that Chaos God has, no matter what label it puts on you, you are still Gaius, a member of Second Squad, our brother!"
He turned around to face all the squad members: "Did you all hear that clearly? Brother Hohn needs our support and vigilance, not suspicion and rejection! From today onwards, everyone must pay closer attention to Gaius' condition, especially any changes in his mind and that arm! But at the same time, you must give him absolute trust! This is our responsibility as brothers! Understood?"
"Understood, Sergeant!" Lex was the first to respond, his voice steady. "Understood!" Cliff and Sore also immediately nodded. Dorian forcefully thumped his chest plate: "Of course! Gaius is my brother! To hell with any Chosen Son nonsense!" Luna also nodded gently: "I will continuously monitor for any abnormal data fluctuations."
Gorden's gaze finally returned to Gaius: "And you? Gaius? Can you bear this 'attention'? Can you continue to fight?"
Gaius took a deep breath, the confusion in his eyes gradually suppressed, replaced by a resolute determination as if burning his bridges: "I can, Sergeant.
I will prove my loyalty to the Emperor and the Primarch with my actions and my life."
"Good!" Gorden nodded, "Meeting adjourned.
Remember today's conversation, keep it in your hearts.
Now, return to your posts, we are not far from our destination."
The meeting ended, and the squad members left with various emotions.
Although Gorden had forcibly unified their thoughts, the shadow cast by the Lord of Change was not easily dispelled by a single meeting.
That doubt and worry were merely temporarily buried.
The subsequent journey seemed unusually long amidst the apprehension.
Everyone unconsciously watched Gaius, while also remaining vigilant against potential threats that might reappear—whether from the Warp or from within the ship.
However, the three Grey Knights, ever since their display of power during the Nurgle Daemon attack, seemed to have completely vanished.
No one had seen them again; they were as if they had merged into the ship's steel, or had never existed.
No one actively sought them out, and even in private, they avoided discussing them; the pressure of their absolute power and cold rules made people unwilling to easily approach them.
But undeniably, their existence (or rather, their known existence) was like a sword hanging over one's head, especially for Gaius.
Fortunately, the engineers and Tech-Priests on the ship demonstrated astonishing efficiency and resilience.
Under their tireless repairs, the severely damaged Geller Field generator, though unable to fully recover, significantly increased in stability; corrupted bulkheads and systems were repaired or replaced; and widespread plague remnants were largely purified.
The Steadfast Will, though scarred, had ultimately endured.
After one last heart-stopping Warp jump, the ship lurched, and the distorted light outside the windows abruptly vanished, replaced by the familiar, cold, and stable starry sky.
"Exited Warp! Entering Gloom system real-space!" The navigator's relieved voice came from the bridge.
A grey, seemingly dust-shrouded planet appeared in the distance.
That was their destination—Gloom IV.
The Steadfast Will adjusted its course, its weary and scarred hull slowly moving towards the silent planet.
A new, unknown mission was about to begin.
And Second Squad brought not only the mission of battle but also an unspoken, heavy internal shadow, and the lingering whispers of the "Chosen Son."
The Grey Knights might have hidden their tracks, but everyone knew they were surely watching everything from some shadowy corner.
And the Lord of Change's prophecy would certainly not remain silent.
The Steadfast Will, like a battle-scarred veteran, silently entered synchronous orbit around Gloom IV.
From a distance, the planet appeared a dull grey, with massive industrial scars, abandoned mining pits, and sparse artificial light sources forming its primary surface features, exuding an aura of desolation and oppression.
Before the ship had fully stabilized, Sergeant Golden immediately attempted to contact the Steel Paladins Chapter stationed there via an encrypted channel.
Communication was not smooth, filled with static interference and a certain technical distortion, as if the entire planet's communication network was in a semi-paralyzed state.
After some difficulty, the communication finally connected.
The holographic projection flickered a few times, revealing an Astartes in deep grey power armor adorned with steel wings and a shield emblem.
His armor style was heavy and unadorned, full of utilitarianism, and the optical lenses on his faceplate gleamed with calm light.
It was a Company Captain of the Steel Paladins Chapter.
"This is Warden, Captain of the Steel Paladins' 3rd Company," the voice on the comms said, steady but with a hint of weariness. "We received your signal, brothers of the Ultramarines. You are later than expected."
"I am Sergeant Golden of the Ultramarines' 7th Company, 2nd Squad," Gorden replied. "We encountered a severe Warp storm and... technical malfunctions en route, which delayed our journey. I am reporting for duty and request a mission briefing and resupply."
"A Warp storm?" Captain Warden's tone seemed to grow more serious. "The Warp in this sector has indeed been restless lately. What is the extent of your losses?"
"The ship is damaged, and there are personnel casualties, but our combat strength is largely intact," Gorden answered concisely, not mentioning the Grey Knights or the Chaos God. "Our immediate priority is to restore supplies, especially ammunition and replacement parts for the Gellar Field stabilizer."
"Understood. We will arrange for a transport ship to deliver supplies as soon as possible. As for the mission..." Captain Warden paused. "The situation is more complex than anticipated. Gloom IV's main industrial hub, Drilling City-7, has been confirmed to be under the control of Dark Mechanicum tech-heretics and their renegade Cult Mechanicus. They have stolen the planet's core data and are attempting to activate an ancient, deeply buried mechanical construct. The Planetary Defense Forces has suffered heavy losses and can only barely maintain an outer cordon. We need your strength to assist us in launching an assault to reclaim control of Drilling City-7 and stop their mad scheme."
"Understood. Second Squad is ready for combat at any time," Gorden accepted the mission without hesitation.
"Good. Once supplies arrive, we will dispatch a Thunderhawk to guide you to the frontline staging area. May the Emperor protect you," Captain Warden concluded the communication.
Supplies were quickly delivered by a small Steel Paladins transport ship, accompanied by several Tech-Priests to assist the Steadfast Will with emergency repairs. Luna Aisa brought Lina along to help with docking and inventory. Although Lina was still a bit shaken, her mood had visibly stabilized in the familiar mechanical environment and away from those terrifying silver giants. She even helped record some data. Luna kept her close, both for protection and because she valued Lina's technical talent, which proved very helpful.
After a brief rest and replenishment of equipment, Second Squad boarded a Thunderhawk Gunship, guided by a Steel Paladins escort, and pierced Gloom IV's thin, polluted atmosphere, heading towards the planet's largest industrial zone.
From above, Drilling City-7 looked like a massive, festering metallic scar. Most of the towering drill rigs were idle and heavily rusted. Many of the intricate pipelines were ruptured, leaking unknown colored smoke and liquids. Outside the city, the makeshift defenses and patrolling armored vehicles of the Planetary Defense Forces could be seen, while inside, explosions and intense firefights occasionally erupted, indicating that the Steel Paladins' vanguard had already engaged the enemy.
The Thunderhawk landed near a Planetary Defense Forces frontline command post. Upon disembarking, a strong, pungent smell of oil, gunpowder, and some strange burnt metal assailed them. Captain Warden of the Steel Paladins, accompanied by several warriors, came to greet them. Their armor was already scarred by battle.
"Sergeant Golden, welcome to Gloom IV," Captain Warden said, bumping fists with Gorden. "The situation is urgent, so let's skip the pleasantries. The Dark Mechanicum scum are using the underground pipeline system to move unseen. Their weapons are filled with malicious radiation and distorted energy, and the Planetary Defense Forces soldiers have suffered heavy casualties. We need your squad to utilize your extensive experience in urban and underground warfare to cut in from this abandoned maintenance tunnel on the flank, striking directly into their core control area. We will apply pressure from the front."
"Leave it to us," Gorden said, taking the data-slate, which showed a partial structural map of Drilling City-7 and the suggested route.
Second Squad immediately moved out, following the direction indicated by the Planetary Defense Forces soldiers, quickly entering a labyrinthine area of abandoned factories and pipe networks. The environment here was extremely complex, with very low visibility, rusted metal, discarded machinery, and dripping unknown liquids everywhere. Besides the smell of gunpowder, the air was filled with a more unsettling, strange odor, similar to overheated metal and ozone mixed – a typical characteristic of Dark Mechanicum activity zones.
The squad members advanced cautiously. Lex's heavy Bolter was ready to fire at any moment, Cliff and Medic Sore covered the flanks, Dorian led the way, Gaius and Gorden provided central support, and Luna was responsible for technical support and pathfinding, with Lina following closely behind her.
They soon encountered a small group of Dark Mechanicum renegade Cult Mechanicus. These former Adeptus Mechanicus faithful had largely been transformed into grotesque yet efficient killing machines, their eyes glowing with ominous red light, their weapons firing green radiation beams or distorted sound waves. An intense firefight erupted instantly.
The Ultramarines, experienced and coordinated, quickly suppressed and eliminated this enemy group. But during the battle, Gaius noticed some unusual details—on the wreckage of some destroyed Cult Mechanicus, besides the Adeptus Mechanicus symbol, there were also some extremely subtle, strange symbols, as if left by burning or corrosion, which made him feel a faint unease.
Just as they finished clearing the battlefield and were preparing to move on—
"Who's there?!" Lex, covering the rear, suddenly growled, his mechanical prosthesis raising his Bolter and pointing sharply at the shadows of a pile of tall, abandoned containers!
All squad members instantly became alert, their weapons uniformly aimed in that direction.
From the shadows, a faint, metallic scraping sound was heard. Then, a figure slowly, like a ghost, stepped out of the darkness.
When they saw the attire of the newcomer, all members of Second Squad gasped!
It was a tall Astartes, wearing deep blue power armor, but the style of the armor was not the familiar Mark series; it was older, more grotesque, adorned with pale skulls and flayed skin patterns—it was the armor of a traitor legion, the Night Lords! And judging by its quality and decorations, the wearer was by no means a common soldier.
However, what shocked the members of Second Squad even more was when the Night Lord raised his hand, seemingly without hostility, and lifted the terrifyingly spiked visor of his helmet, revealing his face—
"Jerrison?!" Dorian was the first to exclaim, his eyes wide as saucers!
Gaius, Gorden, Lex, and the others were all stunned, barely believing their eyes!
It was Jerrison Fall! The Night Lords Champion whom they had captured on Brakka VII and who was subsequently taken away by the Dark Angels! He was here?! And... his Night Lords Champion armor, although covered with new battle damage and repair marks, had clearly been repaired! It was no longer in the tattered state it had been in before.
Jerrison looked at his dumbfounded "old friends," a complex and strange smile on his face, with his characteristic mix of cynicism and wariness: "Well... if it isn't my dear Ultramarines 'friends'? Really... this galaxy is still too small."
His gaze swept over everyone, lingering for a moment on Gaius' conspicuous inert left arm, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, but quickly returning to his lazy demeanor.
"Jerrison Fall!" Sergeant Golden snapped, his weapon still raised. "How are you here?! Weren't you taken by the Dark Angels..."
"—Imprisoned? Yes, that's right," Jerrison interrupted him, shrugging, his movements as natural as if chatting with an old friend. "I was interrogated for a very, very long time by those rigid green guys... asked about the Fallen, about the Primarchs, about all sorts of old history... utterly boring."
He patted his newly repaired armor: "But, there's always an opportunity. After all, I'm a Night Lord; stealth and evasion are our specialties. During the chaos of one of their fleet movements, I just... slipped out. And 'borrowed' one of their inconspicuous small ships, by the way."
He said it lightly, but everyone could imagine the process must have been absolutely thrilling.
"As for why I'm here?" Jerrison pointed upwards. "Pure bad luck. That crappy ship was shoddy, almost fell apart after one jump, and the navigation went haywire, so I crashed onto this godforsaken planet. The crash landing almost killed me, but fortunately... these old bones are still sturdy."
It was then that everyone noticed Jerrison's armor was laden with all sorts of equipment and supplies of unknown origin—different types of magazines, energy cells, and even several parts suspected to be salvaged from Adeptus Mechanicus devices, making him look like a walking arms dealer's stall. Clearly, he had been "collecting" supplies here.
"What about you?" Jerrison looked at them curiously. "Why are you here in this wretched place? Helping those Steel Paladins clean up?"
"We are on a mission," Gorden said coldly, not revealing details. "Jerrison, you'd best behave yourself here. Otherwise..."
"Otherwise what? You'll call the Dark Angels to catch me again?" Jerrison scoffed, waving his hand. "Come on, Sergeant. I have no interest in your business or the Steel Paladins' problems. I just want to collect some useful things here and then find a way to get a working ship to leave this hellhole. This place makes me feel... very uncomfortable."
His tone suddenly became a little more serious, his gaze sweeping over the dark corners around them, and he lowered his voice: "For the sake of... uh... 'old times' sake, I'll give you a piece of advice. This wretched place is not as simple as it seems. It's not just those mad Tech-Priests and their iron golems causing trouble."
He paused, his voice dropping even lower, almost a whisper: "While I was moving around down here, I saw... things. Not mechanical constructs, nor mutated Cult Mechanicus. It was a more... 'traditional' horror. There were shadows of daemons moving, right in those deepest, abandoned tunnels that even those tech-heretics wouldn't dare approach easily. This place... is unclean. You'd best be careful too, and get out as soon as you're done."
With that, without waiting for Gorden's response, he pulled down his helmet visor again and quickly merged back into the shadows, leaving only a final, slightly teasing remark floating behind him: "Good luck, Ultramarines. I hope next time we meet, it's not in an even worse hellhole..."
Just as he came, Jerrison disappeared silently, leaving the members of Second Squad looking at each other, their mood growing heavier.
Dark Mechanicum... and now the possibility of daemon activity?
Jerrison's words, the Lord of Change's prophecy, the Grey Knights' caution, and the strange symbols they had just seen, were subtly connected.
The mission on Gloom IV seemed, from the very beginning, to be drawn into a deeper, darker vortex.