The Scapegoater

The Fierce Angels watched their Chapter Master leap down from the platform.

The mortals watched as the Chaos Space Marines charged toward the Lord of Retribution.

The instant Lu Jin landed, he was surrounded. Yet within a single breath, those surrounding him had been severed from head to body.

The armor gifted by the Manrosans did not slow Lu Jin down in the slightest.

Before dozens of heads could hit the ground, Lu Jin shot forward like a cannonball.

Anyone standing in the path of his charge was smashed apart by his armor, including the Chaos Space Marines.

A Space Marine in Terminator armor raised an assault cannon and opened fire on Lu Jin.

The Iron Halo flashed, blocking every attack.

Seeing this, Kao felt that the armor must have possessed a soul of its own. Only after wearing it in battle had he learned that the Iron Halo had long since failed, becoming a useless decoration... at least, useless on him.

Lu Jin roared and charged forward sideways, his momentum undiminished.

The Terminator was smashed to pieces along with his armor.

A mist of blood flowed through the grooves in the armor's structure.

Fragments rained down against the armor.

After forcibly smashing apart a Terminator, Lu Jin raised both weapons and charged before the Chaos Space Marine wearing the most ornate armor.

That was the commander. He held a shield and a spear.

When Lu Jin's two weapons slashed and smashed down, the other had already reacted—but he, his armor, and his shield were all blasted into chunks that flew in every direction.

Kao's blood surged as he turned and glared at the World Eater.

The latter scratched his scalp with the edge of his axe. Rather than continue facing the Fierce Angels, he instantly charged at the nearest Chaos Space Marine and hacked him down.

The mortals were also inspired by Lu Jin. They climbed to their feet and threw themselves at the Red Corsairs' mortal soldiers, using their mouths and teeth to bite when they had no weapons.

The situation grew increasingly chaotic.

At first, the Chaos Space Marines could still organize counterattacks. But wherever Lu Jin went, heads and flesh flew everywhere. No matter how they organized themselves, no matter what formations they took, they ultimately ended up slaughtered into scattered pieces.

As for the Red Corsairs warband's mortal soldiers... those not held up by the Manrosans had long since fled. What sane person would care about Space Marines who stiffened their necks and stupidly charged at a god of slaughter?

Lu Jin could not be stopped, so some vented their hatred and fear of him upon the mortals or Kao's group.

More and more Chaos Space Marines surrounded the Fierce Angels and that World Eater.

Jenos and Kao fought with difficulty and were gradually surrounded.

Lu Jin had already spotted them. Just as he was about to rush over, he suddenly gave up and instead continued slaughtering the enemies before him.

Because Lu Jin saw that the World Eater had fought his way back from not far away.

The girl was strapped to the World Eater's back, bouncing as he swung his weapons and slaughtered his enemies.

The World Eater carved through the enemy lines. After approaching Kao and the others, he did not stop. Instead, like Lu Jin's preferred style of fighting, he relied on his own unstoppable force to charge back and forth, throwing the enemy ranks into disarray.

Another three minutes passed.

The morale of the Chaos Space Marines and the Red Corsairs' mortal soldiers collapsed, and they turned to flee.

Lu Jin pursued them all the way. Though clad in heavy armor, he ran faster than those in standard Power Armor. Once he caught them, it was one hammer and one axe.

After the slaughter, the enemies scattered like frightened birds and beasts.

Only then did Lu Jin stop and turn to look behind him.

Of the mortals dragged here to watch the battle, only a little over twenty thousand remained.

Three Fierce Angels recruits had been killed by the enemy during the pursuit due to their inexperience.

Everyone gathered around.

"The Imperial side has indeed stopped attacking." Lu Jin stepped over corpses as he walked toward Kao. "After I killed the Chapter Masters of the Minotaurs and the Great White Sharks, they stopped their advance."

Kao sighed in relief. "It seems the Red Corsairs will also stop attacking. But like the Imperials, it will only be temporary..."

"That is enough time for us to catch our breath." Lu Jin looked toward the World Eater as he spoke.

The World Eater hung his two short-handled Battle Axes from his waist, set the girl from his back onto the ground, and walked toward Lu Jin.

Lu Jin wanted to thank him for saving his people, but what the other wanted was more than gratitude.

"My name is Kais." The World Eater walked forward, then dropped to one knee as he neared Lu Jin. "I want to join you... let me join you!"

Lu Jin hesitated, his gaze falling upon the mortal girl. "What is she to you?"

"My slave." The World Eater named Kais answered immediately. "Her family has served as my slaves for generations. She attended me while I was still serving in the Legion. Then we were separated in a war, and only recently did I find her..."

Lu Jin examined the girl.

She had only two empty eye sockets, no eyeballs, and a rose slave mark branded onto her face.

She had no legs either.

Lu Jin could guess what had happened. After becoming separated from Kais, she had likely fallen into someone else's hands and been tortured into this state.

"Her ancestors should have been mortal servants of the World Eaters Legion," Kao said.

"Servants... yeah... slaves... there's no fucking difference..." Kais could not be bothered with such wording. Irritation filled his voice. "Just like my battle-brothers and I were slaves to the Emperor, slaves to Angron. Some call us warriors, but I don't see any difference... yeah... no difference!"

Lu Jin fell silent.

"I became the Emperor's slave back when the World Eaters were still called the War Hounds."

"I even took part in the war to wipe out the Thunder Warriors alongside the Adeptus Custodes."

"I have fought through a hundred battles... no... yeah... ten thousand battles!"

"I have hunted Angron and Karn for ten thousand years!"

"Now I want a warband worthy of me, a warband of truly free men."

"..."

Kais irritably recounted his past.

He had joined the Legion back when the World Eaters were still called the War Hounds. After the Legion's Primarch, Angron, returned, he received the Butcher's Nails, just like everyone else.

Then came the Great Crusade.

Then came the Legion's rebellion. During the Horus Heresy, Kais had taken part in the attack on Terra.

After the captain he followed was killed when Angron lost control, Kais challenged Angron. He was beaten to the brink of death, then saved by the Legion servant who attended him.

The servant found work aboard a ship, and Kais followed that mortal servant from place to place.

After the rebellion failed, they entered the Eye of Terror.

Then they drifted between various warbands.

Finally, through a twist of fate, he came to the Maelstrom to work for the Red Corsairs.

Without realizing it, the mortal servants around him dwindled one by one, grew old one by one, until only one remained.

After the Slayers warband was destroyed, the Slayers' old base at Tyrant's Gate was ransacked. The girl Kais regarded as his slave was taken away. Unable to join the Fierce Angels, he searched everywhere until he finally found her, only to be captured by her new master using psychic powers.

After that, Lu Jin and the Fierce Angels all knew what had happened.

"Why are you so determined to join the Fierce Angels?" Lu Jin studied Kais. "A ten-thousand-year veteran like you, if you went to the Eye of Terror..."

"Become a slave to the gods?" Kais shook his head. "To be precise, yeah, I don't want to join the Fierce Angels. I only want to join you, because you're a truly free man... I don't want to be anyone's slave anymore. I've had enough."

Lu Jin fell silent. Looking at Kais kneeling on one knee, he gently rested his Chainaxe on his left shoulder.

This was the initiation ritual written in the Chapter's codex.

A recruit was to kneel on one knee, then a veteran or the Chapter Master would draw a weapon and rest it on the other's shoulder.

Much like the knights of ancient times.

"Stand up," Lu Jin said. "Since you are already a free man, you do not need to kneel."

Kais stood up.

Lu Jin put away his Battle Axe. "Do not kill people recklessly, and you can remain with the Fierce Angels."

The void battle beyond Manros continued.

Inside the Imperial flagship.

Moro and Tiberius walked side by side into the command deck before coming to a halt.

Their gazes focused on the most extravagantly dressed man.

The commander.

He was an important figure in the Imperial Inquisition and had good relations with the Imperial Navy. Only after considerable political maneuvering had the High Lords of Terra, the Empire's ruling class, put forward this man recognized by all sides to command the fleet.

Only after the commander issued a series of orders did he finally have time to deal with the new matter.

He turned to look at the two Chapter Masters.

Both Moro and Tiberius bore scars across their armor, and obvious signs of augmentation at their necks.

"I know all about what happened to you."

The commander lifted his wineglass and took a sip.

"That new Chapter Master of the traitor Chapter truly is remarkable."

"But honestly, before sending you down there, I never expected the two of you to lose together."

Tiberius and Moro exchanged a look, their eyes filled with mutual hatred and hostility.

After having their throats cut together, being saved together by a Librarian, and undergoing augmentation surgery together to receive artificial necks, the two had blamed each other.

Tiberius believed Moro had deliberately gotten him killed, because Moro had done nothing except choke Lu Jin with both hands.

Moro believed Tiberius had tried to get him killed, because Tiberius had so many weapons, yet chose to dig into Lu Jin with his claws.

Tiberius defended himself: he had intended to kill Lu Jin from range, but his weapons had malfunctioned... and his claws should not have merely torn out some flesh.

"Why is the Manrosans' will to resist so strong?" the commander asked again. "Could it be caused by the slaughtering strategy you have always carried out?"

"Yes." Moro nodded.

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" The commander frowned. "You only know how to slaughter, no matter the situation! And now you have ruined everything. If the Red Corsairs had not failed to capture Manros, I would certainly punish you two!"

Tiberius glared furiously.

But Moro, who had more dealings with the High Lords, was more familiar with people like this. He immediately bowed. "Yes. This was our fault."

"After you two lost, I observed the situation and ordered both your Chapters to stop attacking."

"Your casualty ratio was one to one hundred and fifty. But there are still too many Manrosans, and their determination to resist is far too strong, so our advance has been slow."

"The war on the plains remains deadlocked. However, I have pulled a squad of Knights from the battle against the Red Corsairs on the plains. Once your two Chapters have rested, you will attack alongside the Knights."

"Leave."

Moro and Tiberius immediately turned and left.

After leaving the command deck, the two coincidentally stopped before a porthole.

"I initially thought the Fierce Angels' Chapter Master had been corrupted by Chaos." Tiberius stared at Manros beyond the porthole. "But that Blank... in any case, he is not what we thought."

"That is simply another kind of Chaos corruption," Moro said. "Otherwise, what kind of person could forcibly break free from my restraint without armor, then cut both our throats?"

Tiberius recalled what had happened and bared a mouthful of shark-like sharp teeth.

"We were careless and made a mistake in judgment, nothing more." Moro leaned against the wall. "We still have a second chance. Next time, he will certainly die."

Tiberius thought, Perhaps.

The two turned and left, preparing to return to their Chapter flagships.

While passing through a corridor, they noticed a portrait pasted to the door of a mortal crew quarters at the corridor's corner.

Moro immediately walked over, tore down the portrait, glanced at it, then kicked the hatch apart and roared at the panicked mortal crewman inside, "Where did this come from?!"

The portrait depicted Lu Jin.

Moro and Tiberius had seen these things while slaughtering Manrosans below. Neither understood why the Manrosans pasted pictures of an outsider who had nothing to do with them on their doors.

"This... this was found on the ground by my nephew, who serves the Great White Sharks." The crewman answered on his knees. "After the ship reached the edge of the Maelstrom, my wife kept going mad. But when she saw this portrait, she calmed down... so... so..."

The crewman's voice grew quieter and quieter.

"How absurd!" Moro crumpled the portrait and threw it away, stomping it beneath his foot before looking at Tiberius.

"Mortals go mad at the edge of the Maelstrom." Tiberius stared at Moro's foot. "And this thing really does help... my warship has them too."

Moro was momentarily speechless.

The reason he had reacted so strongly upon seeing the portrait was that his own ship had them too. That alone was bad enough, but even the Imperial fleet's flagship had them. This made Moro furious beyond measure.

Some of those responsible for cleaning up behind the Space Marines and shooting wounded soldiers at the start of the offensive had discovered these portraits, then inexplicably brought them back—this was probably how the portraits had spread.

Moro had never expected it.

Fighting near the Warp Rift known as the Maelstrom...

The Chaos corruption most worth guarding against had not yet arrived, but Lu Jin's corruption had come first.