The crowds continued to cheer, and the holy hymns continued to echo.
In the plaza, golden sunlight spilled over the two giants in golden armor, as if draping them in a layer of divine radiance.
Dante and Karna shook hands. This scene instantly beca the focal point of the entire square. Countless illustrators standing beside the Ecclesiarchy priests hurriedly grabbed their canvases, eager to record this sacred eting with their brushes.
Their brushstrokes were swift, attempting to forever immortalize the solemnity and honor of this mont on canvas.
Romulus stood to the side, his eyes locked on the scene.
He had originally wanted to step forward, but Arthur grabbed his arm. He looked back.
Romulus's gaze swept over the cheering citizens in the plaza as he pondered inwardly.
Supre High Marshal Ledodes had ntioned more than once that socializing was best left entirely to the progeny of Sanguinius. Because of Lord Guilliman's holy to, the relationship between Baal and Ultramar—the two Primarch howorlds located in the north and south of the Ultima Segntum—had always been sowhat delicate.
In such a situation, his presence might indeed make the atmosphere awkward. Rather than risk that, it was better to let Karna and Dante handle the eting. He believed his companion could properly navigate all of this.
After all, the Ultramarines did not have the best reputation among the Blood Angels.
Karna stood before Dante, his gold-and-red armor gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight.
Dante's gaze pierced through the visor of his golden helm, fixing upon Karna with a trace of complex emotion and anticipation.
eting Dante's fervent gaze, Karna slowly spoke. His lowered voice carried only to the ears of the progeny of Sanguinius.
"I am not the reincarnation of Sanguinius."
The eagerness in Dante's eyes instantly dissipated, replaced by a complicated mix of emotions.
As the noble Blood Angels, they had always upheld the teachings of Sanguinius, striving to beco paragons of nobility and elegance.
However, fate was cruel. Even a founding Chapter like the Blood Angels could not completely suppress the increasingly thick scent of blood within their souls following the death of Sanguinius.
It was the sweet aroma exuding from festering flesh after Horus had brutally torn away the Great Angel—the very scar that covered their deepest wound. Such a scent was enough to drive the four scavenging vultures of the Warp into a frenzy.
"I believe we need so ti to understand each other. It will not be too late to make a decision then, will it?"
Karna's tone was calm and composed, as if soothing the impulsive urge within Dante's heart. This cool rationality quickly snapped Dante out of his previous fervor and brought him a sense of relief.
He realized that his actions just now had nearly placed both sides in a precarious position.
"Yes, my lord. It is only proper."
Dante replied in a low voice, a hint of lingering fear threading his words.
He recalled past incidents in the history of the Blood Angels where impostors had claid to be the reincarnation of Sanguinius. Those upheavals had nearly torn the Chapter apart.
Had it not been for the decisive actions of the Sanguinary Priests and the instinctual suspicions of the Chapter Master at the ti, the entire Chapter might have been overthrown by a conspiracy woven by a Greater Daemon of Tzeentch.
And such things had happened more than once.
This fragnted history made Dante exceptionally vigilant toward any claims regarding the reincarnation of Sanguinius.
Therefore, the mont Karna spoke, Dante imdiately understood his intentions.
But in the presence of this lord...
Dante's gaze fell upon Karna once more.
His pale hair and silver-blue eyes looked exceptionally striking in the sunlight, like so transcendent being. The history of the Blood Angels held no record of such a unique visage, stirring a ripple of doubt and curiosity in Dante's heart.
He tried to find any flaws in Karna, but even with centuries of experience, he could not shake off the profound charisma radiating from him, even after Karna's disclair. It was as if an invisible barrier shrouded Karna, making it impossible to pry into his true essence.
"The trials endured on the path to becoming an angel are never the endpoint, Dante."
A deep, cold voice drifted from behind, breaking Dante's train of thought.
He turned his head and looked at the man stepping out from a concealed corridor.
The figure wore a suit of power armor painted pitch-black. His white hair fluttered slightly, and his entire being exuded an ethereal aura, like a phantom erging from the shadows.
"phiston?!"
Dante's voice carried a hint of surprise, even disbelief. This guy was actually willing to step out of his Librarius?
Dante had initially harbored no hope when he sent out the summons.
It was not just him; even the Transmigrators present were shocked by phiston's appearance.
They exchanged glances, their eyes filled with confusion. In their mories, phiston should still be known as Kalistarius at this point in ti. His legendary feat of overcoming the Black Rage and changing his na was supposed to happen during the Second War for Armageddon in 941.M41.
But now, all of this had occurred two hundred years early.
Rases instinctively looked up, his gaze sweeping over the angel statue on the high platform. He noticed an ethereal winged figure standing upon the statue's shoulder, offering him a gentle wave.
Rases's pupils constricted slightly before he relaxed.
"The Sanguinor... Then it is fine."
The Sanguinor's exact origins were unknown, but he undoubtedly had a deep connection to Sanguinius. He could essentially be considered an Emperor-sanctioned Greater Daemon issued to the Blood Angels.
It was likely The Emperor pulling so strings again due to the presence of the Transmigrators.
"The blood flowing through our veins subjects us to too much prying, too many lies, and endless deception."
phiston's gaze swept over the crowd. Aside from the Transmigrators, everyone who t his eyes felt an invisible, crushing pressure, as if they were facing a pitch-black Beast desperately suppressing its boundless fury.
phiston's gaze finally settled on Karna, his tone laced with scrutiny and vigilance.
"But you, my lord, I truly cannot detect any falsehood in your words. Please forgive ; my experiences over the past six months have forced to reevaluate this world."
"I have felt it—the creeping shadow encroaching from beyond the Galaxy. It is precisely what you have co for."
His words were like a sharp blade, striking directly at the heart of the matter. phiston's arrival undeniably provided everyone with a graceful out; his appearance tactfully shifted the topic and eased the awkwardness of the scene.
Dante exhaled deeply, feeling a twinge of relief at phiston's tily arrival.
He nodded to the Chief Librarian, then turned to the group and said, "Please follow , everyone."
Dante regained his composure. Carrying the majesty and poise of a Chapter Master, he strode directly toward the Fortress of Angels, his steps steady and powerful.
phiston followed close behind him. His pitch-black silhouette was like a silent shadow, forming a stark contrast with Dante's golden armor.
The Transmigrators exchanged glances before following suit. Their hearts were still brimming with questions, but they understood that this was not the ti to pry.
The cheers in the plaza gradually faded behind them, though the lodic hymns continued to echo in the air. The golden sunlight cascaded over the group, seemingly draping them in divine radiance as Dante led everyone through the long corridors and into the depths of the Fortress of Angels.
High above on the platform, standing upon the shoulder of the angel statue, the ethereal winged figure remained. Its gaze watched intently as the group departed.
Rases glanced back over his shoulder, deep in thought.
——
The interior decor of the Fortress of Angels, accumulated over ten millennia, was breathtakingly magnificent. On their way to the grand eting hall, after the Sanguinary Priests had collected gene-seed samples from the thirteen Crimson Paladins, Dante patiently recounted the history of the past to these Elders who had been separated from the Chapter for ten thousand years.
Sepatus studied the crimson wasteland beyond the ornate viewport.
He noticed that sothing seed to be missing.
"Where is Alaxis?"
Alaxis, the City of Angels.
Built during the Great Crusade to accommodate the Blood Angels Legion, it was a sprawling tropolis where over a hundred thousand Blood Angels lived and interacted with countless citizens.
"It has been buried beneath the sand and storms."
Dante, who had been busy introducing the history depicted on the reliefs, showed a flash of embarrassnt.
"After the Blood Angels were divided into Chapters, we no longer had the manpower to maintain the city's infrastructure. We had no choice but to seal it away."
After ten millennia, the population of Baal was even lower than it had been when Sanguinius first descended. They could only maintain a loose, tribal society.
"That accursed Codex Astartes!"
Sepatus gripped his Power Glaive so tightly that the haft groaned.
"Indeed!"
Beside Sepatus, Commander Drakus of the Invictus Guard nodded in heartfelt agreent. He reached out and held back the Chapter Master of the Nesis Chapter, who, despite also treating the Codex's restrictions like utter nonsense, was preparing to speak up in defense of his Primarch.
Although Drakus was an Ultramarine from the era of the Second Founding, and had supported Lord Guilliman's division of the Legions at the ti, seeing the Chapters ten thousand years later still clinging to the Codex as if it were an infallible holy relic was truly too much to bear.
The Ultramarines were originally ant to adapt to their circumstances, constantly evolving to overco the challenges before them. They were never ant to be rigidly confined by a so-called holy book.
Ten thousand years... He did not know whether to criticize the sheer pedantry of the modern age, or marvel at Lord Guilliman's wisdom in creating a manual that could actually remain in use for ten millennia.
Drakus sighed inwardly.
It was a pity that he had fallen alongside Thiel while fighting the Daemon Primarch Fulgrim. Otherwise, if he had known Lord Guilliman would end up in a Stasis Field, he definitely would have sought an audience with Lord Dorn to have the Codex revised.
With Sepatus leading the charge, the surrounding Crimson Paladins began to eagerly discuss the matter with the Invictus Guards.
The Crimson Paladins voiced their harsh criticisms, simultaneously throwing shade at Lord Guilliman for failing to participate in the Siege of Terra, only to swoop in, mandate the fracturing of the Legions, and pluck the fruits of victory.
The Invictus Guards simply ignored the emotionally charged slander, voiced their agreent with the core criticisms, and proposed theoretical solutions.
The juniors surrounding them dared not make a sound. Only the Transmigrators, the Black Templars, and the Nesis Marines silently committed those proposed strategies to mory.
anwhile, Dante, leading the procession in silence, felt a creeping sense of despair as he realized that he probably couldn't count on this Elder Sepatus to help manage Chapter affairs in the future either.
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