The Scapegoat

The Fierce Angels saw the Chapter Master leap from the high platform.

The mortals saw the Chaos Space Marines charge toward the Lord of Retribution.

The moment Lu Jin landed, he was surrounded, but in the space of a single breath, those who surrounded him were decapitated.

The armor gifted by the Manros did nothing to slow Lu Jin's speed.

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

Anyone blocking his charge path was smashed to pieces by the armor, even Chaos Space Marines.

A Space Marine clad in Terminator armor, wielding an assault cannon, opened fire on Lu Jin.

The Iron Halo flickered, blocking all attacks.

Kao, seeing this, felt that the armor must have a soul of its own, because when he wore this armor to fight, he knew that the Iron Halo had long since failed and become a useless decoration... at least, useless on him.

Lu Jin roared, charging forward at an angle, his momentum undiminished.

The Terminator was smashed to pieces, man and armor alike.

Blood mist flowed through the grooves of the armor's structure.

Shards of debris rained down on the armor.

After smashing through a Terminator, Lu Jin raised his two weapons and charged at the Chaos Space Marine whose armor was the most ornate.

That was the commander, holding a shield in one hand and a spear in the other.

As Lu Jin's two weapons slashed down, the opponent reacted, but he, his armor, and his shield were all turned into fragments splashing outwards.

Kao's blood surged, and he turned to glare at the World Eaters.

The latter scratched his scalp with his axe blade, no longer facing the Fierce Angels, but instead charging at the nearest Chaos Space Marine and cutting him down in an instant.

The mortals, inspired by Lu Jin, also got up and pounced on the Red Corsairs' mortal soldiers, biting and gnawing with their mouths and teeth when they had no weapons.

The situation grew more chaotic.

At first, the Chaos Space Marines could still organize a counterattack, but wherever Lu Jin passed, heads and bodies flew. No matter how they organized or what formation they adopted, the end result was being torn to pieces.

As for the mortal soldiers of the Red Corsairs warband... those not held up by the Manros had already fled. Who would normally care about Space Marines stubbornly charging at a killing god?

Lu Jin could not be stopped, so some people took out their hatred and fear of Lu Jin on the mortals or Kao and the others.

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

Xenos and Kao fought hard, gradually being surrounded.

Lu Jin had already seen them and was about to rush over, but suddenly gave up, turning instead to kill the enemies in front of him.

Because Lu Jin saw that World Eaters fighting his way back from not far away.

The girl was carried on the World Eaters' back, bouncing as he swung his weapons and killed.

The World Eaters cut through the enemy lines, but did not stop after approaching Kao and the others. Instead, like the fighting style Lu Jin favored, he relied solely on his unstoppable momentum, charging back and forth, disrupting the enemy's formation.

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, his heavy armor allowing him to run faster than those in standard Power Armor. Upon catching up, he would deliver a hammer blow and an axe strike.

After a period of slaughter, the enemy scattered like birds and beasts.

Only then did Lu Jin stop, turning to look behind him.

Of the mortals who had been brought over to watch, only a little over twenty thousand remained.

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

Everyone gathered around.

"The Imperium forces have indeed stopped their advance," Lu Jin said, stepping over corpses as he walked towards Kao. "After I killed the Chapter Master of the Minotaur and the Great White Shark, they stopped attacking."

Kao breathed a sigh of relief. "It seems the Red Corsairs will also stop their attack, but like the Imperium, it will be temporary..."

"Enough for us to catch our breath," Lu Jin said, looking at the World Eaters.

The World Eaters hung their two hand axes at their waist, then placed the girl from his back on the ground and walked towards Lu Jin.

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

"My name is Kais," the World Eaters said, walking forward and kneeling on one knee as he approached Lu Jin. "I want to join you... let me join you!"

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

"My slave," the World Eaters, named Kais, replied immediately. "Her ancestors have been my slaves, serving me since I was in the Legion. Then we were separated in a war, and I only just found her..."

Lu Jin examined the girl.

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

She had no legs.

Lu Jin could guess: this woman probably fell into someone else's hands after being separated from Kais and was tortured into this state.

"Her ancestors were probably mortal servants of the World Eaters Legion," Kao said.

"Minions... hmm... slaves... what the hell's the difference..." Kais didn't bother with precise wording, his tone laced with irritation. "It's like me and my battle-brothers are slaves to the Emperor, slaves to Angron. Some say we're warriors, but I don't see the difference... hmm... no difference!"

Lu Jin remained silent.

"I became a slave to the Emperor when the World Eaters were still called the War Hounds."

"I even participated in the war to exterminate the Thunder Warriors alongside the Imperial Fists."

"I've seen countless battles... no... hmm... ten thousand battles!"

"I've hunted Angron and Kharn for ten thousand years!"

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

"..."

Kais irritably recounted his experiences.

He was someone who joined the World Eaters legion when it was 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 the Legion's rebellion. During the Horus Heresy, Kais participated in the campaign to attack Terra.

When the Captain he followed was killed while Angron lost control, he challenged Angron. He was beaten to near death and then saved by the legion serfs who served him.

The serfs found work on a ship, and Kais followed this mortal minion from place to place.

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

He drifted between various warbands.

Finally, by chance, he ended up in the Great Vortex working for the Red Corsairs.

Unknowingly, the mortal serfs around him dwindled, one by one growing old, until only one remained.

After the Slayers warband was annihilated, the Slayers' old stronghold at Tyrant's Gate was looted. The girl Kais considered his slave was also snatched away. He failed to join the Fierce Angels and searched everywhere for her. He finally found her, only to be captured by her new master using psionics.

What happened next, Lu Jin and the Fierce Angels all knew.

"Why are you so insistent on joining the Fierce Angels?" Lu Jin appraised Kais. "A veteran like you, with ten thousand years of experience, if you went to the Eye of Terror..."

"To be a slave to the gods?" Kais shook his head. "To be precise, hmm, I don't want to join the Fierce Angels, I just want to join you, because you are a true 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 placed his chainaxe on his left shoulder.

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

A new recruit would kneel on one knee, and then a veteran or the Chapter Master would draw their weapon and place it on the recruit's shoulder.

Similar to ancient knights.

"Stand up," Lu Jin said. "Since you are already a free man, there's no need to kneel."

Kais stood up.

Lu Jin put away his battle axe. "If you don't kill indiscriminately, you can stay with the Fierce Angels."

The void battle outside Manros was still ongoing.

Inside the Imperium flagship.

Moro and Tiberius walked side-by-side, entering the command deck and stopping.

Their gazes focused on the most ornately dressed person.

The commander.

He was a high-ranking Inquisitor, and had a good relationship with the Imperial Navy. The High Lords of Terra, the ruling class of the Imperium, had nominated this universally recognized individual after considerable political maneuvering to command the fleet.

After the commander issued a series of orders, he finally had time to deal with new matters.

He turned to face the two Chapter Masters.

Moro and Tiberius's armor were both scarred, with obvious modifications around their necks.

"I know about your situation."

The commander picked up his wine goblet and took a sip.

"The new Chapter Master of that traitorous chapter is indeed a formidable individual."

"But honestly, I didn't expect both of you to lose when I sent you down."

Tiberius and Moro exchanged glances, their eyes filled with hatred and hostility towards each other.

After being throat-slashed together, rescued together by a Chief Librarian, and having cybernetic neck implants installed together, they began to blame each other.

Tiberius believed Moro had deliberately tried to kill him, because Moro had done nothing else but try to strangle Lu Jin with his hands.

Moro, on the other hand, felt Tiberius had tried to kill him, because Tiberius had so many weapons, yet had chosen to use his claws to tear at Lu Jin at that moment.

Tiberius defended himself: he had intended to kill Lu Jin with ranged weapons, but they had misfired... and his claws shouldn't have only managed to draw a little blood and flesh.

"Why do the Manros have such strong willpower?" the commander continued. "Is it because of the slaughter strategy you consistently employ?"

"Yes," Moro nodded.

"Damn it!" the commander frowned, "You guys just slaughter without considering the situation! Now look, you've messed everything up. If the Red Corsairs hadn't failed to capture Manros, I would have punished you two!"

Tiberius's eyes widened in anger.

But Moro, who was more familiar with these people from his close dealings with the High Lords, immediately bowed. "Yes. This was our mistake."

"After you two were defeated, I observed the situation and ordered your respective Chapters to cease their assault."

"Your casualty ratio was 1:150. However, the Manrosians were still too numerous, their will to resist too strong, and our advance was slow."

"The fighting on the plains is still stalemated, but I've pulled a squadron of Knights from the war against the Red Corsairs on the plains. Once your two Chapters have rested, they will cooperate with the Knights in an offensive."

"You may leave."

Moro and Tiberius immediately turned and walked away.

The two left the command deck and stopped in front of a porthole.

"I thought the Chapter Master of the Fierce Angels had been corrupted by Chaos," Tiberius stared at Manros outside the porthole, "but that Soulless... it's not what we expected at all."

"That's another form of Chaos corruption," Moro said, "otherwise, what kind of person do you think could break free from my restraints without armor and then slit both our throats?"

Tiberius recalled the scene, baring his teeth like a great white shark.

"Ultimately, it was an underestimation and a mistake," Moro leaned against the wall. "We have a second chance. One more time, and he will surely die."

Tiberius thought: Perhaps.

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

As they passed through a corridor, they noticed a portrait pasted on the door of a mortal's dormitory at a corner.

Moro immediately walked over, tore down the portrait, glanced at it, and then kicked the cabin door in. He roared at the panicked mortal crew inside, "Where did you get this!"

The portrait was of Lu Jin.

Moro and Tiberius had seen this thing when they were slaughtering Manrosians below. They didn't understand why the Manrosians would paste a portrait of an outsider who had no connection to them on their door.

"This... this is something my nephew, who was a servant on the Great White Shark, found on the ground," the crew member replied kneeling. "After the ship arrived at the edge of the Maelstrom, my wife had been going mad. When she saw this portrait, she calmed down... so... so..."

The crew member's voice trailed off.

"Absurd!" Moro crumpled the portrait and threw it away, stepping on it. He then looked at Tiberius.

"Mortals go mad at the edge of the Maelstrom," Tiberius stared at Moro's foot, "and this thing is indeed useful... I have it on my warship too."

Moro was speechless.

The reason he reacted so strongly upon seeing the portrait was because he had it on his own ship. Not only that, but even on the flagship of the Imperial fleet, which infuriated Moro to no end.

And some of the individuals responsible for cleaning up the battlefield and executing the wounded behind the Space Marines at the start of the offensive discovered these portraits. Then, as if possessed, they took them back – this was likely how the portraits spread.

Moro never would have imagined.

Fighting near the Warp Rift of the Maelstrom...

The Chaos corruption they should have been most wary of hadn't arrived yet, but the Lu Jin corruption had come first.