Chapter 35 When My Mother Returned to the Empire, I Became a Deserter (Please Read On)

When my mother returned to the Empire, I was there.

(I am Captain of the Fourteenth Company of the Ghost Legion, Garnett, a veteran of Terra. This chapter is written in the first person.)

This is the reception hall of the Sixteenth Legion's flagship, the Silver Moon Wolf. It is lavishly decorated, with marble collected from the equator of Terra supporting its ceiling. Carpets made of beast fur hang from the walls on both sides, and are hung with all kinds of honors won by the Silver Moon Wolf during the Great Crusade.

People -

All kinds of people crowded this wide and bright hall.

Strong servitors with tattoos on their heads, recorders holding cameras or narrative boards in their hands, official dignitaries of the parliament, and proud warriors of the Silver Moon Wolf in silver-white armor.

Of course, the most important.

And the most gorgeous in the crowd, is Horus, the master of the Sixteenth Legion, the first son of the Lord of Mankind, wearing the "Giant Serpent Scale" Terminator armor.

He stood in the crowd, shining brightly and hard to look at.

His face was filled with expectations that could not be expressed in words.

His sister.

The Emperor's daughter, the ninth Primarch.

She is also our genetic mother, and is about to return to the Empire.

Everyone held their breath, including the famous commander, waiting for this moment to come.

The steady sound of mechanical engines and gears turning came rhythmically from the thick floor under their feet.

The landing deck of the Spirit of Vengeance was lifted up powerfully under the powerful power provided by the promethium engine. A group of Gastlin veterans wearing Hades Terminator armor had already stood in a semicircle at the edge of the landing platform, holding ceremonial swords in their hands. At the end of this group of veterans was Horus who had been waiting here early.

Finally, the silver steel thunder eagle floated in through the glittering air protective film.

Under the cold touch of deep space, the fuselage of the spacecraft immediately formed a thin layer of shining frost in the moisture of the air, and then turned into wisps of thin smoke and dissipated.

I saw Horus, completely disregarding safety protocols, standing directly under the nose of the Thunderhawk as its burning exhaust pipes belched thrust and hovered and turned. Behind the armored glass on the top of the cockpit, I glimpsed a hazy figure flashing by, and then the ship landed, stirring up smoke and dust on the landing pad.

That feeling!

It couldn't be wrong.

Both of my hearts were beating violently.

My blood, rushing through my veins, rushed like a river bursting its banks, washing away my reason. Two sharp teeth bared out from my lips, and my jaw clenched my teeth tightly until I felt blood, blood gushing from the torn wound, and then I felt better.

In the sound of mechanical vibrations, the Thunderhawk's hatch was finally opened.

Hundreds of clicks, countless flashes.

A perfect figure walked out.

So perfect.

No!

Even "perfect" is not enough to describe that fatal beauty.

I can sense the deadly danger hidden under the beautiful appearance, as well as the aggression that emanates from her all the time.

But people may overlook this.

Those ordinary people are only attracted by her pale and beautiful face.

Intoxicated by her gestures, she exudes beauty like a dancer.

Everything about her is a microcosm of human ideals

Except for the pair of ice-white wings.

But even so, the pair of wings also symbolizes symmetry, wisdom, and faith, shaping her into a true angel.

The sixteenth gene primarch Horus was already very tall and sturdy, shining brightly.

Wherever he went, he was the focus of the crowd.

But now.

The light on him was suppressed by his mother.

Everyone present was attracted by the returning primarch.

I saw some narrators holding their breath, trying their best to capture every scene on the scene; and some narrators were in tears, all their spirits were occupied by the deadly and sacred beauty, and they could hardly get up from the ground by their own strength.

I also saw Horus.

Horus was talking to my mother.

Even though it was the first time for the two of them to meet, their attitudes were like those of friends who had known each other for a long time.

Horus was known among the Primarchs for his easygoing personality. Whether it was the Astartes warriors in the Legion or the ordinary workers on the lower deck, Horus could respond with just the right attitude and talk freely. But this time, Horus seemed to have a lot more to say.

Rivers of endless praise flowed from the mouth of the Shadow Moon Wolf.

The angel's few light responses were enough to make the Lord of the Moon Wolf burst into a hearty laugh.

Then——

I also saw the Gastlin Terminators surrounding my mother.

That position, that position should have belonged to us!

But now we are like rats in the sewer, hiding in the corner of the hall. No one noticed us except the angel's emotional eyes.

We were forgotten.

The legion was also cruelly split up and scattered throughout the galaxy.

We had won so many wars for the human empire, but what we got was not honor and praise, but fear and even hatred!

I took a step forward.

I wanted to return to my mother's side, and I saw a flash of joy in her eyes.

Then -

I stopped.

When I walked out of the shadows, the light of the incandescent lamp flickered on my armor.

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Blood, mud, craters, all traces of war.

The blood drop pattern representing the legion became mottled.

It exuded a rotten and foul smell.

So dirty.

No slaves were willing to serve us. The endless war exhausted us and kept our armor flawlessly.

And the Gastlin veterans surrounding the mother were wearing pearl white armor, with a distinctive wolf head emblem sprayed on their shoulder pads, and even exuding the fragrance of holy oil.

They were loved by the people, and the slaves maintained their armor like their own children, trying their best but unable to find any flaws on it.

Of course -

For me, this is secondary.

What is more important is the desire when I step forward.

Like a beast, the forbidden desire washed through my blood vessels and finally surged into my brain. From the time I was reshaped on Terra to the Great Crusade, countless wars, I have never hated myself as much as I do now. I want to vomit, I wish I could spit out the darkness hidden in the blood from my throat.

I looked at my mother's neck.

The white and delicate neck, I imagined piercing my fangs into it.

Drinking blood.

Then, I saw my mother's worried eyes.

I don't know when, she appeared in front of me, and there was a sudden silence in the hall, a deathly silence, and everyone's eyes fell on me.

She reached out and wanted to touch my forehead.

But I dodged.

"I'm already a damn beast." I said to my mother, "I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it."

I looked into my mother's eyes and slowly backed away.

One step, two steps, three steps...

The technological barbarians on Terra never hurt me, and the cannibal tribes on Pluto never defeated us.

But now, I was defeated.

I couldn't face my mother, I became a shameful deserter.

I turned around and ran away from the hall.