Chapter 129: The Victors |
"That boy——"
The slaughter inside the secret stronghold was watched by the Astartes inside the Thunderhawk the entire process.
What they were surprised about was not the bloody cruelty within it. Compared to a true battlefield, this couldn't even be considered a competition. What they were surprised about was the people inside.
"His name is Bahram."
Soshyan drew out a Dataslate from the side. On it was displayed the boy's information, including the data and past history of his parents and family.
"A descendant of the Tate family. This family also once used to be prominent and illustrious in the upper levels a hundred years ago, and were later relegated down to the bottom-level Hive City."
Sol pointed at the boy on the screen, whose face was full of blood and was panting heavily, and said:
"His agility is abnormally nimble. Judging from his techniques, he is not an experienced warrior, yet has the reactions of an experienced warrior."
"Is it possible he's a Psyker?"
"Not likely. I'm more inclined that he might be——"
He suddenly lowered his voice and said:
"That legend of the Black Templars. Do you still remember it."
"You think he is..."
Soshyan couldn't help but be given a startle by this thought of Sol's.
"But even if he truly is, that should appear within the Black Templars, rather than here with us. And shouldn't that kind of champion only appear after transformation? He is still just a Candidate."
"Who can speculate the Emperor's will? Before Sigismund, wasn't there no such precedent either."
"This——"
Soshyan's brows instantly squeezed into a lump.
Sol's hand instead suddenly was placed on his shoulder, saying:
"Relax, hand him over to me."
"Right now it's still not confirmed whether he can endure through the transformation."
"My intuition tells me that he can endure through it."
At this time, only the two of them were inside the cabin, so Sol only then said the following sentence with his mind set at ease.
"Including the Gray Marrow transplant. I believe he can also endure through it."
Soshyan nodded his head. He also hoped so.
Not long ago, the Apothecary who joined the secret society extracted a portion of Grey Marrow raw fluid from his spine. According to the statements of Brother Zayd, this batch of raw fluid's success rate had already been greatly elevated. Apart from being able to transplant into the bodies of currently existing warriors, it could also be directly added in during the Recruit transformation stage—the latter's effects were much better than the former's.
But Soshyan still maintained a cautious attitude, preparing to select only two Recruits to conduct experimental transplantations.
"The results this time are quite good."
Sol shifted his gaze onto the screen continuously jumping with data. After the trial concluded, a total of 284 people survived, among which 61 people successfully smoothly advanced.
Compared with the 20 Recruits each year previously, not only was this batch's quantity three times the previous, their quality was definitely also much better than previous—after all, the screening at that time had been relatively peaceful.
Moreover, those 223 eliminated people were not entirely useless. They would be the reserves for the Chapter fleet's future command level, outstanding backbone officer forces of the Mortal Auxiliary, and could also expand the scale of the Adeptus Mechanicus within the Chapter.
In short, for the Astral Knights who had half a foot stepping on the edge of annihilation, this supplement could be considered to have relieved a great breath of air.
Now it just depended on how the results of the transformation afterwards were.
"Alright, now let us go welcome our young lads."
When the transport aircraft carried the victors of the trial back to the landing zone they departed from, Soshyan had already led a team waiting here.
The losers had already taken other transport aircraft and been sent to a new assembly point. They would welcome new futures over there—futures even more suitable for humans.
Along with the heavy doors of the transport aircraft opening wide, shells that had lost their souls dropped off their spirits walked out from inside the cabin one by one.
The majority of them had unkempt hair and dirty faces, their clothes in rags, their entire bodies covered in bloody filth. There were even people with crippled legs and broken hands, needing the support of others to be able to advance.
Compared with the bustling and lively scene previously, the scenery right now appeared exceptionally quiet and cold.
The boys only walked silently. Occasionally injured ones let out low hums.
Quickly, they gathered together. Facing the Angels, the majority of people had no joyous expressions on their faces; there was only fatigue and numbness.
"Children."
Soshyan took a step forward and said loudly:
"Congratulations to you all. You all have become the final winners."
There were no cheers, neither were there acclamations. There were only faint sobbing sounds.
"I know this is very hard for you all, especially when killing people for the first time. But this is an obstacle you all must step across. Because what you will welcome in the future is a war completely unimaginable to the current you; its cruelty and darkness is ten thousand times what you have experienced right now!"
Soshyan's loud shout finally made these Candidates recover their souls. They let out heavy pants, straightening their backs one after another.
"From this moment on, your lives will no longer belong to yourselves, but belong to the Chapter, belong to the Emperor! You all will also no longer be children! We will call your names directly, and crown you with Brother in the future."
As he said this, a giant Airship belonging to the Ecclesiarchy slowly floated down. The Aquila on it shined with a golden light under the sunlight.
"This Instructor Sol will be your team leader. You will head to the Chapter's temporary Monastery-Fortress to conduct body-function adjustments."
Saying this, Sol by Soshyan's side stepped out.
He swept his gaze over the boys once, suddenly revealing his teeth in a smile.
"Alright, young lads, let us go."
Under his leadership, the boys lined up in three columns and walked toward the Airship. However, Soshyan instead suddenly called a person to stop.
"Robin, you come to my place here."
Hearing this sentence, Bahram and everyone in Oskar's squad all shifted their gazes onto the body of that boy whose face was gloomy the whole time.
The other party stopped his footsteps, but did not walk toward Soshyan.
"Hehe, the Chapter Master is calling you."
Haomo used his hand to lightly touch the other party's shoulder, yet was shaken off by Robin.
"I know."
After saying this, he walked straight toward Soshyan.
Soshyan looked at the other party standing in front of him without uttering a single word, then waved his hand.
"Come with me."
After following Soshyan and walking into the Thunderhawk, he was taken into an independent cabin.
Inside the cabin there was only a small table. Placed on the table was a piece of paper.
Soshyan walked to the side of the table, pinched up that piece of paper, and read softly:
"Roswell Venaether, the eldest son of Governor Bastis Venaether. Because his mother was a maid, he was viewed as an illegitimate child. After his mother passed away he was fostered to a wealthy family in a certain upper-level Hive City, and studied at the Soms Nobles Academy. Once obtained the academy's first-class excellent student award twice. Afterwards suddenly dropped out of school, concealed his name and went into hiding in the bottom-level Hive City, mixing in amongst the bounty hunter groups. His age at that time... twelve years old."
After Soshyan finished speaking, he loosened his fingers, allowing that piece of paper to fall to the ground.
"Signing up with a fake identity, deceiving an Astartes Chapter. Do you know what kind of crime this is."
Facing Soshyan's interrogation, the boy raised his head, looking straight into his two eyes fearlessly, and calmly said:
"Names are only symbols. I believe what the Emperor favors is the soul itself, rather than the labels on the physical body."
"Then your label is deception?"
Soshyan sneered, lightly knocking the table with his fingers.
"That Governor seems to regard you extremely highly, pleading me no matter what to not conscript you into the Chapter. Changing perspectives and thinking about it, compared to becoming an ascetic cultivator fighting your whole life, acting as a Planetary Governor, having the best material enjoyment, having the best women accompanying you, seems to not be bad either."
"I refuse."
Robin, or Roswell, answered stiffly. He could feel his limbs trembling and attempted to strive with all his might to control them.
A dissatisfied scowl crossed Soshyan's brows.
"Why?"
"Because resistance is the meaning of life."
Within the cabin, silence spread out.
A few minutes later, Soshyan opened his mouth to say:
"I have no intention to intervene in your family affairs. But looking from your experiences, your father seems to also not owe you too much. Compared to that cowardly younger brother of yours, he is more inclined to hand the inheritance right into your hands."
Roswell began shaking his head.
"I know I am not cut out to be Governor, and moreover I understand completely what is hidden inside that palace."
He dug out a pendant from his neck. On it was a silver Emperor Statue that was worn down extremely severely.
"Right before dying mother told me, to stay far from that place, to never, never ever go back. Over there there is only betrayal, conspiracy, and depravity."
At this time, Roswell suddenly revealed an eerie smile. He said softly:
"There is a secret even that father of mine doesn't know. My mother... actually is blood-siblings with him."
The corners of Soshyan's brows faintly twitched, but there was no expression whatsoever on his face.
"My grandfather, gave birth to my mother with a maid. Everyone completely believed my mother had already been drowned back when she was an infant, but she wasn't. She lived in that hive lair the entire time, until she was forcefully raped by her own older brother after a bout of getting drunk."
Hanging on Roswell's face was an expression where one couldn't tell whether he was laughing or crying. He said with a hoarse voice:
"Chapter Master, are you all still willing to accept a monster produced by close-kin incestuous rape."
Soshyan looked at him, calmly saying:
"I promised that Governor, to give you one final opportunity to choose, Roswell."
"What if I am unwilling?"
"Then you shall follow us and walk upon the exactly same path."
The boy nodded his head, swallowing the aftertaste of fresh blood remaining in his mouth.
"Then perfectly simply let it be like this."
