Warhammer: Saving Humanity Begins with the Resurrection of Horus

Page 172

Even Astartes, upon hearing this name, must treat it with the utmost seriousness and respect.

So when he said that Hades' Nest would be destroyed by the Ork people with their immense power within a few days, the hundreds of people present listened carefully to his words without refutating or interrupting him at the beginning.

Next to Commissar Arek was a holographic projection table. He used his only remaining hand to input the coordinates, and the projection of Hades's Nest City began to flicker continuously, transforming into many important details of the two continents on this planet.

The old political commissar looked haggard and withered, but his features exuded a spirit that even young people lacked.

His eyes gleamed with a lively light as he pointed to the points of light in Hades and the surrounding area, all of which were marked as wasteland.

“Nearly sixty years ago,” he said. “A massive enemy army was defeated here. Hades is where we achieved victory, a symbol of glory, so it is only right that we deploy our defenses there.”

Whispers of agreement rose from the crowd. The commissar's voice amplified through the megaphones of the servo skulls beside him. These servo skulls were interconnected with a speaker on Commissar Arek's chin.

Grimaldos stood in the crowd, pondering as he observed the others around him.

Standing some distance to his left was Gabriel Seth, Chapter Master of the Flesh-Tearers Chapter—a notorious chapter rumored to have been afflicted by some unspeakable mutation that brought the entire chapter to the brink of destruction.

However, since joining the Maelstrom Alliance, with the help of the Star Claws, they have gradually escaped their original fate of destruction. The chapter has not only been successfully replenished in terms of personnel, but its equipment has also been greatly upgraded.

The hermit looked at Gabriel Seth and thought to himself.

The Flesh-Tearer exuded the scent of holy weapon oil, and beneath his weathered face flowed the blood of angels, along with the pungent odor of the giant lizard predator king from his native jungle.

The Flesh-Tearers represented the entire Maelstrom Alliance this time. It is said that they originally planned to send a coalition of several chapters and the Astragalus to aid Amegidon, but in the end, it seems that an unexpected situation occurred, and only the Flesh-Tearers and two Astragalus armored regiments arrived here.

However, having something is always much better than not having it.

Grimaldus thought to himself, turning his gaze to the others around him.

There were leaders from twenty different Astartes Chapters present, representing an incredibly powerful force that could influence the course of battle even on the battlefield of the Apocalypse.

However, in the face of the overwhelming orcs, these forces are proving inadequate, not to mention the internal divisions that have arisen.

"but!"

Commissar Arek's voice suddenly rose a few decibels, drawing all the attention of the people present to this frail old man.

"Gentlemen, what is the purpose of our visit here?"

The group looked at each other, none of them choosing to answer immediately.

"victory."

A deep voice rang out—it was Gabriel Seth. He walked up to Arek, lowered his head, and looked down at the mortal imperial hero.

"We are here to protect Amagidon and ensure its continued existence as a world of the Empire; in other words, we are here for victory."

"Is that what everyone thinks?"

Arek asked again, glancing around and nodding slightly after seeing that most people's faces showed expressions of agreement.

"Then, I have a suggestion to make."

Arek entered another piece of code on the data panel. This time, the holographic projection directly transformed into the entire continental plate of Amegidodon. He marked several hive cities located in the central plate and then spoke.

"I will abandon Hades hive city and concentrate all my forces in hive cities that have greater protective value."

As soon as the words were spoken, an eerie silence fell over the room, followed by an uproar.

"What a joke!"

Someone roared. Their voice was filled with rage.

The speaker was an Astartes, his power armor painted in bright red and orange, belonging to a smaller chapter—a chapter Greymadus did not recognize.

“These are Captain Amalas’ brothers.”

"It is an Imperial messenger standing beside Arek," he spoke, smoothing his blue robes and tapping the ground three times with the end of his scepter, producing a loud sound.

"Commander of the Fiery Angels Chapter."

Amaras calmed down, took a deep breath, nodded to the people around him, and then stared at Arek.

"Why would the Greenskin warlords so easily bypass the most intense battlefield of the last war? This is not normal. I think we should concentrate our forces on Hades, where the Greenskins' fiercest offensive should begin."

A few commanders in the crowd voiced their approval, and with supporters by his side, Amaras became bolder, smiling at Arek.

“We are chosen by the Emperor. Commissar Arek, you are indeed a hero of the Empire, but we are the Angels of Death, unlike you and other mortal commanders. We all have hundreds of years of combat experience.”

“No,” another voice answered the Fiery Angel. It was a roar emanating from within the helmet, amplified by the Servant’s skull. Grimadus swallowed hard, hearing the herald strike the ground three more times with his scepter.

The knight's hermitage was completely unaware that he had just spoken so loudly.

“This is Priest Grimaldus,” the herald announced loudly. “He is the hermit of the Black Temple.”

Grimaldus nodded to the assembled commanders. The Astartes and the mortal generals all focused their gaze on the knight, who took a deep breath and mentally prepared his words.

General Kulov of the Steel Legion stood beside Arek. Although he held a higher rank, his attitude and stance made him appear as a loyal subordinate, completely obedient to Arek's orders.

“These aliens think differently from us,” Grimaldos said. “The greenskins returned to Amegiddon not to wash away their shame, nor for revenge; they came here simply to enjoy the thrill of killing and fighting.”

Arek, the withered old man dressed in a black uniform, watched the knight silently.

Amaras slammed his fist on the table and pointed it at the Templar. In the brief moment of calm, Grimaldus even considered firing his weapon to fend off his cousin's possible furious attack.

"This concerns my faith!"

Amaras spoke almost as if roaring.

"This has nothing to do with faith."

Grimaldus looked at Amaras and spoke without any politeness.

"Have you ever inspected Hades's hive? If you have, then you know it's just a damn ruin, no inhabitants, no intact fortifications or walls, just a damn ruin."

Our army won't find effective protection there, and the Greenskins aren't stupid; they'll most likely choose to completely wipe Hades's nest out of orbit rather than take it from the ground.

"We cannot allow this nest to fall! It is a symbol of humanity's resistance in this world! Forgive my bluntness, Pastor—"

“That’s enough,” Arek said. “Please calm down, Company Commander Amaras, Reverend Grimaldus is right.”

Gremados bowed his head in thanks.

“I will not be intimidated by a mere mortal,” Amaras said again, though his voice was much calmer now, but still filled with rage.

Arek, the thin, elderly political commissar, simply stared at the Astartes company commander.

A moment later, Amalas turned to look at the holographic projections surrounding the hive city. Arek turned to face the assembled officers.

One of his naked eyes exuded majesty, while the other electronic eye moved within its socket, slowly focusing on his face.

"Hades won't last a week."

He repeated it, this time shaking his head.

"We must abandon this hive capital and disperse its forces to other fortresses to strengthen our military. This is not the second war in Armageddon. The scum that is about to enter this planet far outnumbers the last one. The other hives must continuously strengthen their military."

He took a moment to clear his throat, a cough that sent shivers through his body, dry and hoarse. When the coughing subsided, the political commissar revealed a smile devoid of any sense of humor.

"Hades will burn. We must establish ourselves elsewhere."

Amaras remained silent, and finally, looking at Arek, he almost forced the words out of his throat.

“Arek, you are a hero of the Empire, but you have no right to order me around.”

After these words were spoken, an eerie silence fell over the room. This was followed by a huge uproar.

The Fiery Angel's words undoubtedly represented the sentiments of a segment of the audience. For Hades, the hive city that had made great contributions in the Second War of Amegadoton, many people regarded it as the glory of the Empire and a symbol of human resistance, not to mention that many of their troops came from the Second War of Amegadoton.

From a strategic perspective, Hades' hive, reduced to ruins, offers no defensive value whatsoever. The Void Shield that once protected the hive had lost power years ago, and the towering walls and fortifications had crumbled and rusted. The hive's inhabitants had also been relocated; in other words, it was now an empty city.

Its sole purpose is as a symbol of honor.

For some, sacrificing some glory for victory is understandable.

This is the root cause of the division between the Astartes and the Star Guardians present at the scene.

However, besides this root cause, there is another point.

That is, there was no one of high enough standing to bring everyone together and form a unified force.

Even Arek couldn't do that. He was indeed a hero of the Empire, deserving of the respect of the Astartes, but he couldn't make an Astarte obey him because he was a mortal, and an Astarte naturally held mortals in contempt.

There are Astartes who can wear down this contempt, but very few.

At least among all the Astartes present, there was practically no such Astartes.

"Silence!" the herald shouted, striking the ground five times with his scepter this time. "Silence!"

“Commissar Arek, I respect you, but I disagree with your strategy.”

Amaras spoke without any politeness.

“I will not heed your advice. I will take my warriors to Hades, just as I did fifty-seven years ago. The Fiery Angels will not abandon their honor, never.”

Arek took a deep breath, about to say something, when another voice rang out, interrupting him.

"So what's my suggestion?"

The voice came from the entrance of the hall, but according to the rules, no matter who arrived, the guards at the door and the various Astartes would not let them pass.

So who is it?

Everyone turned to look, but before they could see who it was, they first saw a dark shadow falling from the sky. The shadow was the size of a person and crashed heavily into the center of the large table around which everyone was gathered.

That is........

Arek stared wide-eyed at the familiar face in the shadowy figure.

"Hermann von Schbladt, in view of his incompetence and crimes, I hereby strip him of his powers as governor and declare that from this moment forward, I shall take over the entire Armed Forces of Armageddon."

The newcomer's words left everyone present in disbelief. Amalas didn't hesitate; he shouted at the newcomer without any politeness.

"Who are you?! Do you think you're some kind of Imperial Guard?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Fiery Angel was shocked to see that the Black Templar Priest, who had been arguing with him just a moment ago, along with the other Templar Knights, suddenly knelt down on one knee, facing the newcomer and bowing their heads in reverence.

“By Terra,” Grand Marshal Helbrecht addressed the newcomer. “The prophecy was not wrong; you are indeed in this world.”

"Stand up, don't kneel."

The newcomer's voice carried a hint of anger, causing the Templar Knights to shudder and quickly rise from the ground.

It was at this moment that Amaras discovered that the newcomer's body was not only that of an Astartes, but was even much taller than the Custodians he had seen long ago.

And to be taller than the Imperial Guard, and to be able to make the Black Templar kneel upon meeting him—according to the chapter's history, could it be...?

How can this be?