Chapter 382 First Army

"The final battle has begun, I wish you victory."

"You'd better hit the ground running."

"Because at this moment, the Three Saints Council is observing this area with me as its eyes: although I am not the best candidate in their mind to serve as an observer, in this era where decay and sleep are the main themes, the council's choice is indeed It’s not much, and I’m still a little famous.”

"Privately, as your unrecognized friend, I am happy to pray for your victory and give you a little help, but publicly, once you fail, I will not have the slightest regret. Hidden, because the Council of the Three Saints has never been known for waiting, and they have never been very patient with me.”

"I can't help it. Who told my career to always be accompanied by those groundless slanders?"

"In this matter, a sharp weapon is all the selfishness I can give: this is the expectation and recognition for you and the human race, and in the future, I will enforce the law impartially: this is for me race.”

"The position of the Council of Three Saints has been very clear: as long as he dares to step out of this galaxy, the dynasty will be mobilized and the army will set off, although because most of the dynasties are still addicted to their eternal sleep, although we are not now We don’t want to have more conflicts with your race, but if the development of the situation crosses the red line in our hearts, the Necrontyr Empire will still be fearless.”

"After all, the things he stole are enough to arouse our anger. Whether it is the World Engine or his attempt to fuse the fragments of the Star God, it will attract the direct intervention of the Three Holy Guards: When the Three Holy Guards come, this piece of There won't be anything left in the sector."

"So, good luck to you."

"try your best."

"Kill him so that I can get the World Engine and the Star God Fragments to go back and negotiate. Then our next meeting will not be a sword-fight: believe me, a war with us will not be good for your so-called empire. "

"kill him."

"For your empire."

"For your own sake too."

…

…

"You're going to kill him, right?"

——————

[Of course I will kill him. 】

[The legion is ready, the battle lines have been sorted out, and everything that will happen after that has been assigned to people who are trustworthy enough. Now, the only thing left to end this war is a clean beheading operation. 】

"You always like to behead people: that's not the real art of war."

[It’s just the situation. 】

"So, which legion will you send? Or a coalition of several legions?"

[No, it will only be the First Legion. 】

[The other legions will not stay near the spire. After we enter, they will begin to shrink the front line, retreat to the landing base, and then begin to gradually evacuate the world and return to the fleet. 】

[Whether it is the madness of my brother or the demon army from the subspace, the confrontation with these things has become meaningless, and this war is no longer something that these Astartes warriors can intervene in. . 】

[If we complete the beheading of Hedrich, then what we need to do next is to completely destroy this world: this is the job of the Navy. 】

[And if we fail, then after I drag my brothers back to the battleship, we will need to use means that we have never dared to imagine to carry out a crazy destruction in this galaxy: these tasks will Not even the navy could intervene. 】

"What a clear sense of self. I've always admired that in you."

"However, retreat will not be as easy as you said. If nothing else, this world has become a heart of hell where flesh and blood and demons are rampant. How can you retreat calmly? And how should you deal with those who stay on the ground? Mortal auxiliary troops?"

"Although they are only some engineers and supply personnel, as well as a very small number of combat auxiliary personnel, their numbers are huge and they cannot be completely evacuated in a short time: anyone can do it to start a war, but who can stay away from the war? Neither can be done.”

[Leave it to my children: they will not let me down. 】

"..."

【Any more questions? For the sake of the artifact you provided, I don't mind answering a few more questions from you. 】

"..."

"Why only the First Legion will participate in the final battle: haven't they already sacrificed too much in this battle, so much that it is unbearable for themselves, and now they have to leave more blood?"

【……】

[In the face of the most difficult trials, it is natural to look for the greatest soul. 】

【not to mention……】

[In this matter, Jonson will not trust anyone: he will only trust his legion and his warriors. In addition, even if it is the Forbidden Army or my Dawnbreaker, he will not give full of trust. 】

"Heartwarming."

"But even if he trusts his heirs, do his heirs trust him: The contradictions and whispers among the Dark Angels are not a deep secret. Even I know it. Does your brother not know it? "

【……】

[He will take care of it all. 】

"Did you give him some advice?"

[In this regard, I am not qualified to tell him what to do, but even without my help, he will complete these tests and training on his own: just watch, just wait and see here. 】

[After all, he is my brother, he is... Zhuang Sen. 】

——————

"Are you proud of this?"

[Jonson deserves my pride: He always deserves this. 】

——————

"Five hundred people."

"I need five hundred people."

"I need to select 500 people from you: not the best 500, but the most suitable 500 to join me in the next battle and follow me to death."

"..."

The air was quiet, as if the sun was dying.

In the specially opened open space filled with disgusting flesh colors, the breeze blowing across the face brought the smell of the distant battlefield. It was the smell of blood and corpses. It was a terrifying thing originating from human instincts. , that is a monster that requires great courage to defeat.

And now, there's no shortage of courage here.

There’s not even a shortage of legends here.

Thousands of soldiers from the First Legion gathered here, or perhaps tens of thousands of them. They wore shawls and sharpened their shoulders, were fully armed, and were silent. They were divided into large and small groups according to some rules or classifications that outsiders would never know. , a well-proportioned queue, just like God's envoy spreading his ruthless wings, each snow-white feather is no different from a sharp sword blade, and these sword blades gradually converge, gradually gather, and finally focus on the angel On one person.

At this time, the angel here is the original gene, Jonson.

Everyone is around him.

Everyone: the Emperor's warriors, the Astartes, the Uncrowned Prince, the Heavenly Host, the Seraphim, the Dark Angels, the Sons of Jonson...

These people have had countless names, and these people have changed countless identities, but the only thing that remains unchanged is their strength and glory, and their determination to fight to the death in the name of the Emperor and the Empire.

This determination stems from those glorious days hundreds of years ago, from the allegiance sworn by the first batch of five thousand Astartes warriors to the Lord of Mankind: among those present, there is no shortage of those A member of the five thousand Astartes, the wars and history they have experienced far exceed anyone's imagination. The name of any one of them is a living legend.

But legends all come to an end, maybe today.

But legends have a finisher, and maybe it’s Jonson.

In other words: it must be Johnson.

"This time, I will not use my five hundred people, nor will I use my guards: this is not a matter of ability and attitude, but because their own functions and nature determine that they are not suitable to participate in this battle. The war has determined that this honor and burden do not belong to them."

The original body of the First Legion stood at the front of the open space. He stood on a hill similar to a parade platform. Combining the original body's superhuman senses with the specially created amphitheater-like terrain around him, Cali The leader of the class can truly observe the faces of every Dark Angel gathered in front of him.

Zhuang Sen watched them. Whenever he uttered a decisive sentence, he would remain silent for a short period of time to carefully observe every face in front of him: he observed so slowly and so greedily. , as if every face was carefully imprinted in his mind.

Jonson knew them, he knew every one of the tens of thousands of faces, he knew their names, knew their positions, knew what role they played in his First Army, and what kind of hard work they had done. .

He did not tell anyone that when he first came into contact with the Dark Angel Legion, how hard he worked to remember every person in the legion and every face in the legion. This created the current system of the First Legion.

These warriors in front of me have their own strengths, weaknesses, and areas of use. They have been cleverly placed in positions where they can best utilize their capabilities, and they have separated from the old organization. Became a member of a new organization: changes like this almost reshaped the entire Dark Angels Legion from beginning to end. Every detail of this remodeling was personally handled by Johnson.

Therefore, Caliban is familiar with every face in the Legion: even if some faces have never looked at him for a long time, and he has never had any communication, but when he observes those subtle features , or just by glancing at the coats of arms and numbers on the shoulder blades, he could call out their names accurately.

He can do this.

However, he has never done so,

He never told anyone about these things.

He knew that if he was willing to spare his energy from his busy schedule, learn from some of his brothers, greet his heirs, call them by name and merit, and make a big show of it as one of his great abilities. , maybe some of the Dark Angels will be closer to him.

But he won't do this: his warriors are no different from himself. They are all the Emperor's blades. They are all nameless daggers wielded by the Empire to distant lands, and a sharp blade does not need to be directed towards There is no need to be grateful if the other sharp blade bows its head.

As long as the Dark Angels could obey his orders, as long as they would not disobey his requirements and ideas, he didn't care what they thought of him: they were his knights, and he was their commander, and the contract between them was Obligations between superiors and subordinates are the most important relationship, and everything else is irrelevant.

"..."

In Zhuangson's mind, such an idea once again crossed his mind. It was as bright as a star and as solid as a rock. It was a truth that could never be shaken. And just as the Lord of Caliban was in his mind, he once again When he confirmed this idea, his words had already caused small waves among the thousands of Astartes warriors in front of him.

Some people were whispering, some were expressionless, and some people had almost no cover for their dissatisfaction. There was no real respect in their eyes when they looked at the Primarch: standing at a high place, Jonson could Take it all in easily.

He did not continue to speak, but waited quietly, waiting for the whispers below to gradually subside, waiting for a Terran veteran to finally step out of the array and ask the question on everyone's mind.

"Is this a call for battle, my lord?"

The voice was hoarse and sounded like Gramaya's. Zhuang Sen glanced at his heir in the silence. He recognized him.

That was a soldier recruited by the First Legion in the industrial world Gramaya. He had served in the Great Crusade for at least seventy years: Gramaya was the temporary warrior chosen by the Dark Angel Legion for itself after leaving Holy Terra. The mother planet, to this day, holds a very important position in the system of the First Legion.

The Lord of Caliban gave the warrior a solemn look. He knew that the warrior's question was the voice of everyone present: If it were just an ordinary tactical mission, there would be no need to go to such great lengths.

The original body withdrew his gaze. He no longer focused on one person, but evenly looked at the thousands of warriors in front of him. His voice was loud, like a monarch on the throne speaking to his lords and generals. They issued a call for the next war.

"No."

"I need you to understand something: This time is different."

Zhuang Sen narrowed his eyes slightly, his emerald pupils exuding cold light. He didn't seem to be looking at anyone, but he seemed to be looking at everyone. In front of his sharp edge, even the most unruly warrior , and couldn't help but straighten his back and prepare for the attack.

"listen."

The primarch's tone was low.

"This time, I'm not ordering you to fight."

"I am ordering you to sacrifice."

"..."

The commotion and more violent whispers in the crowd seemed inevitable, but Jonson didn't care about it. His next words were as cold as his pupils.

“Here, I am not going to hide the truth from you, see that spire behind me, that blasphemous fortress hidden on the horizon: our enemy, the cause of this expedition and all this. Just hide inside, and next, my blood relatives and I will go in and kill him, end all this, and complete the mission entrusted to us by the empire."

"And in this process, I need a legion to follow us. I need five hundred of the most elite warriors. Their fitness can keep up with our pace, and their strength is enough to help us block obstacles along the way and cover us. To reach the last bastion: that is their entire mission."

"But I can also tell you that these five hundred people did not go to fight, they went to sacrifice, because that final fortress has become a country of nightmare and tyranny. You will not be able to come back alive, because your thoughts cannot Those who resist his contamination, you will surely become slaves to that degenerate one there.”

"Unless you use your own weapons or ask your brothers to end your lives before you are completely controlled by him: I hope you will do this, and I also hope you have completed the imperial transfer before doing so. and your mission.”

"..."

On the other side of the clearing, Leman Russ and Conrad, who were watching silently, looked at each other, shook their heads helplessly, and communicated with their eyes.

"Is he always like this?"

"..."

"Yes, this is Jonson."

"This is Jonson."

"..."

——————

The silence continued until it was drowned in the increasingly turbulent whispers of the Dark Angels. In the military formation, there were even some so obvious and unconcealed voices of protest and slander that could reach the ears of the Primarchs.

Zhuang Sen seemed to be deaf to all this. He just stood there, so determined that nothing could stop him.

"This time, I have summoned the most elite veterans of you just for this task, and I do not intend to assign it to any team: whether it is my five hundred people or my Guards, or Any of my knights."

"I will not assign anyone. I will wait here for about three minutes: during these three minutes, those who want to participate in this operation, please come out on your own. Your strength needs to be strong enough. You Your experience needs to be rich enough to ensure that you can complete this mission with the greatest possibility."

"I need five hundred people, and I will wait three minutes for these five hundred people. If there are not enough people after three minutes, I will start to choose people from among you to make up the team: I hope this shame, It won't fall on us."

"Now, if you have any questions, you can ask them."

"I'm here, I'm not going anywhere, and I'm not avoiding any issues."

"..."

Zhuang Sen finished the words in his heart in one breath. He did not wait or hesitate. There was not even the slightest mercy or softness in his tone. The ruthless command was like a heavy steel hammer, hitting the ground. Above the heads of many Dark Angels, many warriors who had been fighting fiercely for hundreds of years even looked at each other, somewhat disbelieving what they had just heard.

And more people seemed to have accepted the content of Zhuang Sen's words, and they were not angry. There was no curse, only an eerie silence was returned to the Primarch.

Caliban just faced his descendants, maintaining the same silence. He seemed to be waiting for the first question, waiting for all the questions to be answered, and then started the three-minute timer.

For a moment, silence became the theme: silence has always been a theme for the Dark Angels, and it was also a theme for Caliban.

Jonson waited, and he didn't wait long.

Soon, a question was asked from the Dark Angels' array. The originals couldn't see clearly the face of the questioner because he was standing in the center of the First Legion's array. In other words, there was no one there now. Care about who the questioner is.

"Will you fight with us, my lord?"

"certainly."

Jonson just nodded.

Another question rang out.

"This battle will end everything and declare the victory of the expedition, right?"

"certainly."

Nod again.

"..."

"Will the Empire and Terra be safe again, my lord?"

"..."

Zhuang Sen did not respond, he just nodded again.

And his affirmation did not make the Dark Angels appear active in the slightest. There was only an increasingly depressed atmosphere, shrouding everyone's heads like a dark cloud over the city: until the question that everyone wanted to ask was finally answered. come out.

"..."

"Are you asking us to die for the empire? My lord?"

"..."

Zhuang Sen narrowed his eyes.

He seemed to be looking for the questioner: but there was none, because he answered the question almost without thinking, as if he had been prepared for it.

"Yes."

"I'm asking you to die, or sacrifice."

"..."

"..."

"Then you don't want to say anything more to us?"

In the midst of the burst, someone shouted this question in a hoarse voice. This question even shocked the Dark Angels, and they started to look at each other in new confusion: because this question was so un-Dark Angel.

But no one refuted the question: everyone seemed curious.

"..."

Zhuang Sen lowered his eyebrows. No one could see clearly what kind of light was shining in those emerald pupils. He seemed to be smiling, but he seemed to be crying with grief and anger, but when you watch carefully , you will find that he always maintains that expressionless, bloodless face.

"I won't say anything more to you, and I will never promise you anything."

"I will only do one thing, warriors."

The Primarch took a step forward.

"I will only fight side by side with you, I will only be at the forefront of all of you, I will only be the first to join and the last to quit in this war, I will only fight as equals with you Brothers: In the final battle of your lives.”

"I command you to fight, for I will join in the fight."

"I command you to sacrifice because I, too, go to meet this sacrifice."

"..."

These low, self-destructive words had an even more serious impact on the First Legion array than the previous ruthless sentence, but Jonson did not stop speaking. He just said it again. He looked around at his legions, not even having time to carefully observe the faces that were familiar to him.

"I will fight with you, side by side, and let our enemies suffer the punishment of the Empire and the Emperor."

"If we fail, I will not escape. We will die here together, and others will take our place until the Emperor's will is fully carried out."

"And if we triumph, I will return to my battleship in solitude: I may not be able to take away your corpses. I may not be able to have your names engraved on the Legion's wall of honor. I may not be able to let the Empire Everyone in the world sings about your achievements just like they sing about the Luna Wolves or the Imperial Fists."

"If we win, then this war and this enemy must be completely forgotten: forgetfulness is the best reward the empire will give us."

"And what I can give you is not much."

"..."

"What will it be, my lord?"

It seems like a lot of people are shouting this.

"..."

Zhuang Sen did not raise his head, but he was indeed looking at each one and saying each name.

"My warriors."

"I'll remember your names."

"I will remember your sacrifice."

"I will use the sword in my heart to carve characters in my mind, and let each of your names be engraved in my soul."

"I will use my fleet to completely destroy this world to ensure that your sacrifices will not be wasted. Our enemies will be completely destroyed, and the security of the empire will be truly guaranteed."

"I can……"

The original body suddenly fell silent. He was like a tiger trapped in a cave filled with rocks. His firm lips were biting together tightly, as if struggling to spit out the next sentence.

"..."

Before the Dark Angels could cause a commotion, Jonson spoke.

"I will find our enemy, I will defeat him at all costs, I will risk my life to end his threat to the Emperor and the Empire: I will knock him down, I will cut his neck, hack Take off his head."

"No matter what, no matter what it costs me, I'm going to do it."

"I'll kill him."

"..."

"..."

"Revenge for you."

——————

"..."

"Has the three minutes started?"

[Start: What’s wrong, Akao? Do you feel disappointed because you were not called up to Jonson as a veteran? 】

"No, sir."

Next to the Lord of Avalon, the Lion King shook his head in disappointment.

"As a Caliban, it is normal that I did not join that team, because I am far from a veteran. At this point, Arachos on the battleship is more unlucky than me. After all, he is definitely qualified to be there.”

【……】

[So: Obviously you are not qualified to stand there, so why do you continue to move there until I stop you? 】

"..."

The Lion King Steward glanced at the arm stretched in front of him and sighed. He knew that he could not bypass the primarch's obstruction, and he had to give a reason.

"Because I want to join that team: you also know how dangerous this mission is. If you want to get five hundred soldiers to die voluntarily within three minutes, you must have an example."

[Do you want to be that role model? 】

"There has to be a first person: since my genetic father trusts me and values ​​me, now is the time for me to repay him."

[If you really want to repay him, then stand here, live, and live into the future, Akao, and don't underestimate these Terrans. They are not cowardly enough to need a role model to bear the brunt of it. 】

The Lord of Avalon raised her lips, and she ignored the confused Coswayne behind her: when her eyes turned back, Morgan had already seen the Dark Angel who was the first to take steps.

No one knows what second of the three minutes this is. Maybe the three-minute limit is almost over now, or maybe Jonson has just started timing.

But that doesn't matter anymore.

Because when the last words of the Primarch of the First Legion fell to the ground, a burst of quietness and silence first swept the entire open space, and then, there was a short, imperceptible commotion and thinking: these only occupied a moment. After the stagnation, dozens of figures began to move.

Ten.

Twenty.

Thirty.

Forty...

More and more, faster and faster.

There was a full ten seconds between the first volunteer and the tenth volunteer, but the seventieth volunteer and the eightieth volunteer came out almost at the same time.

At the end, the Dark Angels almost rushed to the front of their genetic father. Even Astlan, who was originally in the last row of the team and looked at Jonson with negative eyes, saw it. After there were only a few vacancies in the volunteer team, he finally gritted his teeth, sighed deeply in his heart, and took his own steps.

He wasn't fighting for Jonson.

Astelan whispered in his mind.

He knew one thing very well: he was fighting for something nobler, not for Jonson: but in this battle, Jonson would fight alongside him.

While whispering and moving forward, Astlan could feel the envious eyes cast on him when he passed through the battle brothers who were standing there.

This made him feel better.

However, just as this veteran Terra veteran gritted his teeth and was about to rush into the queue of volunteers, someone pulled his shoulder, and a smoky voice came to his ears. Gramaya accent.

"Wait a minute, brother."

"Can you please give me the last seat?"

"...!"

Astelan turned around and saw the Gramaya warrior who stopped him: just before the war started, they had a brief exchange in the corridor of the Queen of Glory. In fact, this one The warrior with a smoky voice is one of Astlan's few friends in the Legion, and their friendship is also the thing that the Terran veteran cherishes most.

"But……"

Astelan tried to name his friend, but the Gramaya warrior just smiled and interrupted.

"There is nothing wrong with it: this operation requires the most suitable people, not the strongest people. Keep your abilities. The future of the legion still needs people like you to support it. Leave this sacrifice to me. Give me this honor.”

"..."

"You don't have to fight for Jonson, brother."

Astlan gritted his teeth.

"He will only grant us oblivion."

"I know, I never fight for him."

The Dark Angel warrior from the industrial world smiled and shook his head. His voice was still hoarse, but full of determination.

"I will fight."

"I will sacrifice."

"But not for Jonson, or anything else."

"Just because I am the Dark Angel and the six wings of the Emperor."

"Just because I am the first army."

"If death and oblivion are the endings given to me by the Emperor, then let me embrace and kiss them. Then let me die silently as a loyalist."

“There’s no better ending than this, no better reward than this.”

"after all……"

"Loyalty is its own reward."