Death Stare

Outside the Forge Between.

Besides Gabriel Santo, the company commander guarding the Gadinar delegation, and Aquaduna, the Emperor's son and the swordsman, waiting outside were about one hundred Primarchs of the Iron Hand.

Compared to the blue stretcher team, their presence was less about protecting the Iron Hands and more about the Iron Hands protecting them.

Unfortunately, in the end, neither side was saved.

Hmm. So it seems like they're not even as good as the stretcher team.

Before the first sound rang out in the [Forge Between], Aqua's right hand was already stroking the blade, her eyes fixed on the attendant of Gardinal before her.

Be ready at any time to deliver a fatal blow to the opponent.

Under these circumstances, no one would doubt her swordsmanship.

Especially when Aqua once defeated all the Iron Hands who thought they were "weak and fragile!" in the Dueling Cage.

Within the 10th Legion, she had become an invincible legend.

Rumors claim that Aqua Duna even once fought against the Emperor with her unparalleled swordsmanship.

At these times, Aqua would have no choice but to correct the other party's statement, pointing out that it was a rumor—it was her father who fought against the Emperor and died a glorious death, not her.

Bang!

At the same time, the assassins from Gardinal launched their attack, accompanied by a loud clang from the [Forge Between].

"That's the sound of Particle Weapon!"

"The Primarch is in danger! Prepare for assistance!"

Shouting, Santo anxiously grabbed his guns and weapons, preparing to open the gate to aid the Primarch.

But then, the foolish servant of the Gardinalians stood before him, blocking his way.

"Get out of the way!"

Santo shoved him impatiently.

Logically speaking, any mortal would be sent flying like a cannonball by the full force of this Space Marine's attack.

But the servant did not.

The originally extremely thin Gardinal suddenly began to swell, his body swelling and deforming rapidly as if being inflated like a balloon.

His palm strike felt like it hit cotton; the force was completely absorbed and digested by his resilient body.

Bio-Gene Modification from Gardinal.

It was ruthless, but it was indeed effective.

"Take him down!"

Santo shouted and lunged forward with his mechanical bionic right hand, trying to pin him to the ground.

A muffled groan suddenly burst from the mortal's throat, followed by a large cloud of white, foamy vomit that sprayed onto Gabriel Santo in an instant.

The vomit sprayed onto his Ceramite Power Armor, making a disgusting hissing, acidic sound.

Ugh, that's disgusting.

Call out!

Santo was about to deliver another punch when, in that instant, Aqua drew her sword with an incredible speed, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, and thrust it straight at the assassin.

It precisely pierced the young servant's cerebellum central nervous system.

He stopped his erratic behavior.

No, it didn't stop.

Even though the sword pierced his cerebellum precisely, the blood vessels in his body were still bulging abnormally under his swollen skin, and the fluid under the blood vessels did not seem to be flowing extremely fast; his eyes were wide open as if they were about to bulge out of their sockets.

Something's not right!

He's not dead yet!

Seeing this, Aqua hurriedly pulled out the blade and stabbed him repeatedly in vital areas such as his heart and brain.

But none of them had any effect.

After undergoing extensive biological genetic modifications, he is now quite different from the humans that Aqua knows.

Rather, it's more like a one-time self-destruct device.

The attendant of Gardinal's head began to swing wildly and erratically, and a corrosive liquid sprayed wildly from his mouth.

As his body continued to expand, a smile appeared on his already extremely distorted face.

His... he's about to explode!

Bear!

The hatch of the [Forge Between] was pushed open instantly, and a golden-red Psychic Flame instantly covered the entire area.

A raging inferno enveloped the area in front of the Forge Between.

Surprisingly, the flames did not instantly incinerate Gardinal's follower.

Instead, as if to soothe him, it slowly restored his rapidly expanding and deformed body back to its normal form, bit by bit.

As for the acidic liquid he spewed out, it was purified by the flames and returned to clear, transparent water.

After being burned by the flames and restored to its original state, the Gardinalians collapsed helplessly to the ground.

Like a bomb whose fuse has been removed, it fell silent.

Call out!

This time, Aqua delivered another swift blow, completely extinguishing the human bomb's last chance of survival.

"This is.?"

Seeing this, Gabriel Santo, who had been inwardly screaming that something was wrong, straightened up and looked in the direction from which the flames had come.

"It's me."

In his field of vision appeared a figure with Gold-Red Flame swirling around his right hand.

That was the one he knew well, the Chief Lord Commander of the Emperor's Children Legion, Kasgar Sherlock.

"But"

"But isn't the Sons of the Emperor a legion opposed to Psyker?"

Within the Third Legion, unstable Psyker are generally viewed as a malignant mutation that contradicts the Fulgrim's ideals of perfection.

Of course, the Navigator Houses is an exception.

That being said...

Kasgar looked helplessly at the flame in his hand. "But I've awakened my Psychic Power, so what can you do about it?"

Iron Fist.

Canteen.

It's never been a lively place here: the Iron Hands never valued these luxurious physical pleasures, believing they only made people weaker.

In the past, only a few Servitor would come and go to deliver some Nutrient Porridge mixed with Ceramite- strengthening powder, which tasted bland and tasteless.

But today, the Iron Hands's menu has undergone a complete transformation.

A sumptuous feast is prepared from a vast stockpile of fresh meats, vegetables, and spices stored by the Sons of the Emperor. Steaming grills, tagines, and induction cookers simmer and bubble with fragrant broth, while fine wines and other beverages await.

The delicious dishes were prepared by one of the most skilled chefs on Terra, who was assigned to the Third Legion, and together with many of the Sons of the Emperor who loved food.

It looks so delicious that anyone would drool over it.

This is an ancient tradition of the Sons of the Emperor, unlike other legions that hold victory celebrations after wars, or Space Wolves that can throw parties whenever they want.

Space Marine from the Sons of the Emperor would enjoy a lavish feast before the real war began.

Even Iron Hands, whose brains are almost entirely made of steel, are no exception.

Even if they insist that this is a sign of respect for the cultural traditions of the opposing legion, rather than a symbol of weakness.

But in reality, they often eat the most.

But that's all in the past now.

The Iron Hands now seated at the banquet tables still hesitate, unable to make their move.

Even Cicero, the Ultramarines Chapter, who was puzzled and decided to give it a try, had his wrist grabbed by the Iron Hands beside him.

Don't eat it.

At least don't eat it yet.

"Don't be afraid, everyone. As the commander of the Sons of the Emperor, I can tell you."

"During the cooking process, our Second Captain Aqua was not involved in any of the steps."

Kasgar said with a smile.

He understood the reason for their hesitation.

Hi!

You should have said so earlier!

The once silent hall was suddenly filled with laughter and cheerful chatter.

Upon hearing Kasgar's words, the Iron Hands felt a great sense of relief and began to feast on the sumptuous meal.

Turtle, the oppressive force emanating from Sword Saint Aqua.

It was enough to keep the entire Legion of Space Marine from even touching a single chopstick.

I really want to know what heinous things she did to the Iron Hands, that they are all so afraid of her.

"What are you doing!"

Perhaps sensing the curious gaze from Kasgar, Aqua angrily covered her face with the parchment-covered drawing board in her hand.

Fortunately, after that, she seemed to have completely given up her hobby of cooking and instead chose painting as her new specialty.

Painting? That's excellent.

Kasgar secretly praised him.

At least it won't pose any threat to others anymore.

"What did you draw, Master? Let me take a look."

As Kasgar spoke, he craned his neck to look at the parchment in her hand.

"These two Grox are mating are drawn quite well."

Aqua: "."

She pondered for a moment whether to accept the compliment or tell the other person the truth.

Ultimately, she chose to change the subject.

"Have you heard? The Apothecary and the sage of the Adeptus Mechanicus have released their analysis report on the Gardinal Assassin."

The advanced level of biotechnology in the Gardinalians is evident.

The servant had been genetically modified from birth to be used as a weapon by Gardinal.

His life, from the moment he was born, was a preparation for this moment of self-destruction.

"If you hadn't stopped him with your Psychic Power at the last moment, half of the Primarch's Guard of the Iron Hands might have had to join the Dreadnought earlier."

If that self-destructing servant were to explode within the Primarch's Guard, not only would Santo and Aqua, who were closest to them, not survive, but the entire Primarch's Guard would suffer heavy losses.

This is a complete provocation from the Gardinalians.

"Philus is furious about this and will probably issue Exterminatus against Gardinal."

The thought that her momentary mercy might bring immeasurable and terrifying consequences to the entire legion Philus with rage at Gardinal's ridiculous and presumptuous assassination attempt.

She wouldn't even attend banquets hosted by the Sons of the Emperor.

Fortunately, with the help of Commander Kasgar, the Lord of the Sons of the Emperor, Gardinal's assassination attempt was thwarted. Apart from two Terminator Guards were still somewhat confused by the opponent's Psychic Power attack, the rest of the Iron Hands escaped unharmed.

Otherwise, Amar of the Thousand Sons Think Tank and almost half of the Primal Guard would have perished here.

Otherwise, Philus would probably have already begun preparing to launch Cyclone Torpedo.

Slightly drunk, Gabriel Santo approached Kasgar and Aqua.

"Let's go! Get in the Dueling Cage!"

As one of the best in the Iron Hands, Company Commander Santo seems to be dissatisfied with existing as Aqua's defeated opponent.

"Okay, I'll go next!"

"Fight! Fight!"

"Whoosh—!"

Fueled by the festive atmosphere, the Astartes, whether from the Iron Hands, the Ultramarines, or the Emperor's Children Legion, all showed great excitement at the spectacle of two highly skilled warriors grappling with each other as part of the dinner entertainment.

In particular, the two sides facing off are a clash between the Sons of the Emperor and the strongest warrior of the Iron Hands.

"Then let's go."

Seeing everyone's enthusiasm, Aqua did not refuse and took the training sword handed to her by her Servitor.

"Are you going to wear Power Armour?"

"No need, let's just duel."

Thump.

The outcome of the battle remained unchanged.

Cursing, Santo collapsed to the ground again.

The fight between the two was very entertaining; any seasoned Space Marine would find it hard not to get their hands itching after watching it.

"I'll give it a try!"

Ultramarines Chapter Cicero eagerly took over Santo's position.

"I've long heard that the Sons of the Emperor, Second Captain Aqua, possesses unparalleled swordsmanship. As Sons of Guilliman, I—!"

I'm so sorry I couldn't get Lady Aqua to give it her all.

Cicero, who had been knocked unconscious, was carried back by his Servitor.

As an Ultramarines with extremely pure genes, Cicero unsurprisingly lost the duel.

He is indeed Sons of Guilliman.

"Who's next?!"

Aqua demeanor changed drastically after taking the sword, shouted excitedly.

Honing her skills in battle has always been her forte, and whenever she picks up a sword, that surging passion returns to her body.

But it seems that after experiencing countless failures, these Iron Hands have learned a lot.

We need to use some drastic measures to provoke the other party's anger.

"Is there no one left? Are all the Iron Hands cowards?"

As Aqua threw out her trash talk, a chorus of boos and curses erupted in the hall.

"I'll do it!"

One after another, the Iron Hands stood up defiantly.

Then he lay back down.

Under Aqua's invincible swordsmanship, almost all the defiant high-ranking Space Marine of the Iron Hands lay sprawled on the ground.

"Hahaha--"

She was smiling happily.

But Kasgar knew that her smile would soon be gone.

I hope he's alright.

He picked up a small snack from the side and silently mourned in his heart.

"What? Anyone else willing to give Iron Hands a try?"

"Or has the self-proclaimed powerful mechanical body bowed down to weak flesh and blood?"

"Huh? They removed the gallbladder during the mechanical modifications?"

Aqua slung her sword over her shoulder and happily paced back and forth in the Dueling Cage.

But she seemed a little strange.

Why did the banquet hall, which was originally filled with laughter and curses, suddenly fall into dead silence?

It seems that the failures stemmed not from any particular setback, but from a sense of unease and panic.

Wrong.

It is fear.

What are the Iron Hands afraid of?

What exactly happened?

Aqua looked around, trying to find out why the Iron Hands had fallen silent.

She found it.

Their eyes met, Philus Manus stood on the other side of the iron railing, watching her expressionlessly.