Who Would Be Fighting Whom

As he piloted the gunship away, Jenos abruptly turned around.

An explosion sounded behind the gunship.

In his field of view, something blew the top of the Command Vehicle sharply to one side. Its entire upper half tilted left.

Propelled by its momentum, the Command Vehicle rolled forward for dozens of meters before slowly coming to a stop.

No more orders came from inside.

Reinforcements from Manros's armored forces were arriving from underground barracks near the plains.

As if they had been waiting for this moment, more squadrons of aircraft arrived once the anti-aircraft weapons mounted on the Command Vehicle had fallen silent.

"We've got this in the bag," Jenos muttered, turning the gunship around.

Inside the Command Vehicle.

The Mercy Emissaries Chapter Master led a hundred men from the First Company and stopped before a sea of flames.

Radiation filled the air, making their tactical lenses display a field of static.

"Is he dead?"

Someone asked over the vox channel.

But the next second, a man emerged from the flames.

The Ironclad Terminator armor didn't have so much as a scorch mark on it.

Even the red cape covering the right half of his body had escaped the flames unscathed.

Golden lines on the cape shimmered, forming a changing image. The Ironclad Terminator whom people had once knelt before transformed into a figure clad in that very suit of armor, raising a Battle Axe and a Warhammer above a sea of corpses.

The Chapter Master frowned and looked back at the hundred men he had brought.

They were the Chapter's elite, all clad in Terminator Tactical Dreadnought armor.

Though they weren't Ironclad-pattern Terminators, and their armor wasn't ancient, the Chapter Master still felt that even an Ironclad Terminator shouldn't have that kind of defensive capability.

Everyone was on high alert, raising their guns or gripping their Warhammers as they warily watched the figure ahead.

Lu Jin emerged from the flames and stopped twenty-two meters from the Space Marines.

He slowly raised his head and crossed his arms, with both weapons crossed in front of his legs.

The pose resembled a warrior at prayer.

But he wasn't praying. Lu Jin was simply dazed from the explosions.

The first blast had sent him flying. Then the explosion in the reactor room had blasted him away a second time, and he'd crashed down onto this level.

Anyone would be stunned after that.

"It seems the Fierce Angels have completely turned into heretics under their new Chapter Master, becoming servants of the great enemy, Chaos."

The Chapter Master scrutinized Lu Jin's armor.

Its surface was covered in an ivory-white layer of ornamentation formed from countless tiny skulls.

The Chapter Master and all the Space Marines behind him wore skull-shaped decorations too. They were symbols of humanity's purity in the culture of the Imperium of Man. But to them, the ornaments on Lu Jin's armor were evidence of Chaos corruption.

"Weren't the Fierce Angels lured into an ambush by you, then forced to flee into the Maelstrom?"

Lu Jin lowered his head to look at them.

The Chapter Master visibly paused. "You don't even know your own Chapter's history?"

As Lu Jin remained silent, the Chapter Master went on to recount the Fierce Angels' past.

"You slaughtered two Imperial worlds!"

"You killed billions of Mortals!"

"The Inquisitor came to hunt you down under orders from the Imperial Inquisition. You resisted, and after our spies disabled the Ragefang, you gathered in the Hall of Honor and took the Mortal crew hostage to force us to stand down."

"Then we destroyed you. Just as you charged in to kill even after the Inquisitor took your crew hostage, so did we!"

Lu Jin remained where he was as he listened.

The Chapter Master asked in a low voice, "We heard your story while investigating Manros... Now answer me: what makes you think we deserve to die? What makes you think the Fierce Angels are the ones you should stand alongside?"

A gunship swooped through the breach left by the explosion.

Fourteen veterans leaped out of the cabin.

Jenos piloted the gunship back outside.

"You said the same kind of bullshit to us back then! You bunch of bastards!"

Kao stepped forward and pointed at the Mercy Emissaries Chapter Master, cursing him furiously.

"Bena's sister, the Inquisitor, took us to investigate the massacre. Then we ran into you. You joined us halfway through, under the pretense of helping with the investigation. When the investigation turned up something, you said you wanted to discuss it with us, then tricked us into going down to the surface and slaughtered ninety-nine percent of our people!"

"Your Mercy Emissaries were among the Chapters of the Cursed Founding!"

"Your master, that damned bastard of an Inquisitor, drove most of the Chapters—including the Black Dragons—into rebellion, branded the Lamenters as suspects, and forced them to go on a penitent crusade!"

"Your bastard of a master even went to Badab back then, indirectly causing the Badab War and driving Huron to betray the Imperium for Chaos..."

At that, Lu Jin whipped his head around to look at Kao. "What was that Inquisitor's name? Don't tell me it was Kawakawa?"

Kao was about to continue his tirade.

The Mercy Emissaries Chapter Master suddenly laughed.

It was an awkward but polite laugh.

Beneath his helmet, a long, narrow, dark-purple tongue slid from the Chapter Master's mouth and licked his lips.

"Heh, heh, heh..." He chuckled. "Actually, we were also the ones behind the massacres on those two worlds."

"You're a bunch of people who should've died long ago." Lu Jin strode forward, weapons in hand. "The moment I saw you, I knew you were bastards. Sure enough, my 'people who should've died long ago' radar never fails."

Speaking of his radar, Lu Jin raised a hand and tapped the side of his helmet with the haft of his Chainaxe.

Both sides charged at each other.

Just as the Mercy Emissaries' heavy weapons, such as their assault cannons, were about to open fire, the wall behind the Command Vehicle exploded.

The Fierce Angels' gunship blasted a hole in the wall with missiles, then Jenos used his superb piloting skills to steer it through the narrow opening.

He even used the jolt from scraping through the breach to adjust the gun's aim.

The autocannon unleashed a storm of fire at the enemy below.

After a furious barrage, the gunship roared out of the Command Vehicle, while Lu Jin and the Fierce Angels took the opportunity to close in on the enemy.

The Chapter Master's bodyguards were cut in half the instant Lu Jin reached them. Their severed bodies and armor crashed to the ground together.

As for the Chapter Master himself, Lu Jin's Chainaxe smashed his weapon after he'd cut down more than a dozen men and still carried enough force to charge forward. In the next instant, the Warhammer swept up from below and sent the Chapter Master flying.

The Fierce Angels fought in coordination with their Chapter Master.

Their next tactics were the same ones they'd used to break through the earlier ambush.

Lu Jin darted back and forth like an unstoppable storm, scattering the enemy in every direction.

No matter how large the enemy force was, his onslaught created local numerical advantages.

The Fierce Angels, skilled in close-quarters combat, followed in Lu Jin's wake and cut down the enemies he left behind.

Jenos flew the gunship back around and strafed the ground.

After a chaotic melee, the Chapter Master was the only one left alive... and even his legs had been taken by some savage Fierce Angel.

He could only lie on the ground, grab an assault cannon from beside a corpse, cradle it in his arms, and raise it to aim at Lu Jin as he approached.

There were ten Lu Jins in his field of view, but only two assault cannons... Even the double vision in his blood-red sight had no advantage.

The Fierce Angels executed the remaining Mercy Emissaries.

After another strafing run from the gunship, they glanced at the heaps of scattered body parts, then walked toward Lu Jin and surrounded the Chapter Master behind him.

Lu Jin didn't dodge the wavering gun barrel, which seemed unable to decide whom to aim at. He didn't approach immediately, either. Instead, he lowered his head and pondered.

About a second later, he looked up at the Chapter Master and asked, "I'm waiting to think of a way to finish you off. What are you waiting for?"

"FINISH HIM!"

A voice echoed in Lu Jin's ears, as though something were urging him: "Finish him!"

It was the same voice that had earlier urged him to kill all the crew. The Blanks' presence couldn't suppress it, which meant it didn't come from the Warp. It came from inside him.

Some instinct told Lu Jin that if he finished off powerful enemies in a variety of ways, he would gain just a little more strength after killing them.

He hung the Warhammer and Battle Axe on his back.

Lu Jin seized the assault cannon by force, then swung it in a wide arc and smashed it into the Chapter Master's face, knocking out more than twenty teeth.

Lu Jin leaned close, straightened the Chapter Master's face, which had been knocked askew, and rammed the assault cannon into his mouth. He stepped back and kicked the weapon hard.

The Chapter Master wasn't biting down on the assault cannon. The weapon simply occupied the entire space below the top half of his face.

The cannon barrel had even been driven into the wall behind his head by Lu Jin's incredible brute strength.

Only then did Lu Jin take the Warhammer from his back, raise it high, and bring it down with all his might.

"Those who should have died..." Lu Jin raised the Warhammer in his right hand, his voice booming. "...are dead!"

The Fierce Angels lowered their heads one by one, silently remembering the brothers who had been lured into the ambush and offering comfort to their departed spirits.

But the Inquisitor was still alive, along with several companies of the Mercy Emissaries. They hadn't been in the Command Vehicle.

"Brothers..." Jenos suddenly spoke over the vox channel. "Go take a look outside through the breach."

Lu Jin and the Fierce Angels immediately headed for the opening.

When they looked up, they saw more than twenty warships beyond orbit.

They weren't Imperial ships. They belonged to the Red Corsairs.

The Black Hand insignia of the Red Corsairs was clearly visible on a massive vessel more than twenty kilometers long.

The colossal vessel aimed toward the surface and unleashed a dense web of beams.

Then, on the distant plains, a pillar of light rose from the ground, and dozens of Mercy Emissaries tanks within it suddenly evaporated.

The armored conflict on the plains ended with the Imperials in retreat.

The surviving forces fell back to a fortress behind the plains and took up defensive positions on the defenders' own turf.

Underhive Command Center.

Lu Jin and the reinforcements had just returned and met up.

As Lu Jin entered the command center, he noticed that all the Mortals were holding their breath.

The resistance forces' Marshal, who had been commanding the battle earlier, lay dead on the ground. Two nearby officers had also been killed, and the remaining officers were gripping their guns tightly, terrified as they aimed them at the unexpected visitors.

"Leader of the Fierce Angels warband."

Among the unexpected visitors, a black-armored Space Marine approached Lu Jin.

Lu Jin took a closer look. It was a Justaerin Terminator, one of the Black Legion, the personal guard of Abaddon, the Chaos Lord.

"I come on Huron's behalf." The Space Marine, who should have been Abaddon's subordinate, spoke in a low voice. "His orders are to perform a ritual on Manros, summon a Warp storm to blockade the enemy fleet's routes, and allow the original strategic plan to proceed."

Lu Jin glanced at the corpses beside him, then looked at the man before him. "You're Abaddon's men..."

"I came to the Maelstrom on the Warmaster's behalf, and now I come on Huron's behalf. Is there a problem?"

The other man drew a sword that gleamed with black light and asked coldly.

Lu Jin stared at his helmet.

"The ritual they're planning will sacrifice everyone!" an officer shouted from behind Lu Jin. "We refused, and then they—"

"Shut up!" the warrior, who represented both Abaddon and Huron, barked. Then he turned back to Lu Jin. "I know the Red Corsairs can't follow orders cleanly and efficiently like we can. So do you understand a threat? If you don't—"

A chainsword roared.

His right leg flew into the air.

The Justaerin Terminator sank to one knee in a daze. Before he could even wonder why the man before him had done that, a hammerhead filled his vision and crushed his skull.

"Reinforcements..." Lu Jin turned to the Mortal officers. "No, new enemies... Tell every underground barracks not to let them in. If they come down and try to attack us, we'll fight them too!"

A short while later.

The fleet beyond orbit began bombarding Manros's surface.

But aside from blowing up a few mountains, it had no effect.

When the fleet assigned to carry out the orbital bombardment had first arrived in the Manros system, it hadn't seen any warships in orbit.

All it had seen was the Imperial army fighting the locals in an armored battle on the surface.

The fleet commander assumed the Imperial fleet had fled the system.

The virus-ravaged environment was dangerous enough for anyone. Any army that came here would have to fight in armored vehicles.

So, with no Imperial fleet left to defend Manros, slowly bombarding the planet, then choosing an opportunity to seize the underground facilities and drag everyone out to sacrifice them, seemed the best option.

But the orbital bombardment ended in less than ten minutes.

The Imperial fleet had arrived.

More than a hundred warships entered the Manros system.

The Imperial fleet had two flagships in total.

Inside one of them, a Space Marine wearing a strangely shaped Terminator suit stood before a viewing port, looking down at the entire planet.

On his shoulder guard, a bull's head insignia still gleamed brightly in the dim light.

"Don't let them make sacrifices on Manros, or Huron will have us dancing on his strings like dogs again!"

The Inquisitor bellowed behind the Space Marine.

Aboard the second flagship.

A towering Space Marine likewise gazed down at Manros.

A shark emblem was clearly visible on his shoulder guard.

"The people on this planet... We might be able to use them to pay the blood tithe," he said.

The Imperial fleet wasn't the only unexpected visitor to arrive after the intruders.

Another fleet appeared at the edge of the system: reinforcements from the Red Corsairs.

Huron's flagship sailed at the head of the fleet.

On the command deck.

Fully armed, Huron walked through the hatch. As all the Space Marines turned to look at him, lowered their heads, and stepped aside to make way, he walked up to the strategic hololith.

"I'm going to turn Manros into a meat grinder!"

A blue Daemon with two heads stepped onto the command deck behind Huron.

The demon cackled.

"Yes, yes. I've lured the enemy into a fatal dead end. I've already awakened the Psykers among them, allowing them to glimpse the future after the ritual succeeds and the storm wreaks havoc. They must either choose to fight to the death on Manros, or be completely sealed off on the edge of the Maelstrom once the storm breaks, unable to reach the front lines on Cadia."

"No, no! Don't listen to what my other head says! It's deceiving you!"

New information reached the command deck.

Huron noticed that the color marking the Manros defenders on the Strategic Image had changed from green to red.

That meant they were now enemies.

Huron could guess the reason with his eyes closed.

That emissary Abaddon had sent must have tried to sacrifice the locals, and Lu Jin had surely killed him.

Huron hoped that bastard was dead.

Still, Lu Jin and the Manrosans, now in a state of attacking anyone who crossed their path, were undoubtedly a problem too.

Before the Thirteenth Black Crusade officially began, a war broke out in the Maelstrom region as its prelude.

Looking back on that moment in the future, Lu Jin wouldn't know whether the butterfly effect of his arrival had caused the war, or whether a war that would be overshadowed by the Thirteenth Black Crusade had always been destined to take place here.

He only knew that, among the series of wars collectively known as the "War of the Maelstrom," the one fought here on Manros was called—

[Manros Meat Grinder]