Legion Life

The Vicious Fang Strike Cruiser, the Fierce Angels Legion's sole warship, sailed through the Warp.

During this time, all mortals not on essential duty were gathered in the Hall of Honor.

Because supernatural phenomena occur during Warp transit, those with weak wills would go mad and cause trouble. Gathering the mortals in the Hall of Honor to supervise them was the Fierce Angels' method of preventing trouble.

Lu Jin lived according to the Legion's traditional schedule, spending his days eating, drinking, and training, with occasional prayers to the Emperor.

This life continued for one Solar Month before changing, but the change was merely the addition of shooting practice.

Shooting practice took place in a sealed area of the ship.

It was personally taught by the Chapter Master.

Lu Jin crouched behind a shooting slit in a blast door, aiming his Laser Rifle at the Greenskins wandering the corridor beyond.

"Hold your breath, aim steady, don't rush."

"The Legion Relic will interfere with their vision; they won't spot us. They can only wander here forever."

The Chapter Master crouched behind Lu Jin, gripping his arm to correct his stance.

Lu Jin took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.

A crimson beam grazed the Greenskin's arm as it passed through.

"It's alright," the Chapter Master said gravely. "You have no prior shooting experience, take your time. Keep the Xenos' head centered in your sights, and you'll hit it after a few tries. Then you'll get the feel for it."

"Don't rush."

"Take your time."

Lu Jin pulled the trigger again, and the beam struck the Greenskin's foot.

"Good, you hit it," the Chapter Master said. "Keep practicing, find the feel."

Lu Jin took a deep breath, pulled the trigger once more, and the beam pierced the Greenskin's skull.

"Excellent," the Chapter Master said, patting Lu Jin's shoulder. "Savor that feeling, then try again."

During this Solar Month, the Chapter Master often sparred with the Space Marines and, at night, created Psionics illusions for Lu Jin to help him firmly remember the combat knowledge taught by the Apothecary during the day.

Lu Jin found the Chapter Master to be a very refined man, speaking softly. Apart from the first day they met, when he seemed to have a hyperthyroid episode and roared twice, he hadn't had another.

"You're quite suited to be a teacher," Lu Jin said as he aimed at the next Greenskin.

"Before the previous Chapter Master fell, I was the Legion's drill instructor and Chief Librarian," the Chapter Master said, lowering his head to recall for a moment. "I know that if you want to teach someone a skill, yelling, suppressing, and forcing them will only backfire, making them more inclined to go through the motions and be perfunctory."

Lu Jin nodded vigorously, strongly agreeing.

Before Lu Jin transmigrated here, he had been an intern teacher, the youngest teacher in the school's history.

Perhaps due to his talent, he was good at understanding others' psychology and empathizing with their feelings.

Lu Jin discovered in his teaching that if he forced a student to understand, bombarding them with knowledge while yelling, the student would pretend to understand—because they were afraid and only wanted to get through it.

The Chapter Master's philosophy reminded Lu Jin of his teaching career, then of a timid, subservient child in his class who one day didn't come to school. The next day, he saw her death on the news... beaten to death by many, including her adoptive father.

However, Lu Jin only thought about it for a moment and didn't dwell on the memory.

Because he had no regrets—he had dealt with those thirteen people, in the most brutal way possible.

"Fierce Angels," Lu Jin mused, savoring the Legion's name. "I thought you'd be a group of extremely zealous, warlike, bloodthirsty, and cruel individuals."

"We are."

The Chapter Master pointed to the Greenskins wandering past the shooting slit.

"But the Legion's creed states:"

"Bloodlust and cruelty are for our enemies. Benevolence and mercy are for the Emperor's subjects. The skulls of formidable foes shall be the glory we claim with our own hands, while bullying the weak is our shame. Every roar and fierce attitude we direct at a weaker being will bring shame upon our Primarch Roboute Guilliman."

Lu Jin shot the Greenskin in the stomach.

The Chapter Master gestured for Lu Jin to continue, then said, "Speaking of which, you're really stubborn. No one passed that previous ritual by slaughtering the Greenskins, only you. Did you really think you had to kill all of them to pass the ritual?"

Lu Jin turned to the Chapter Master. "So... even if they were Degenerate Orks, I didn't have to kill them all to pass the trial?"

"Why would you think a mortal should kill all the Greenskins?" the Chapter Master countered. "Actually, the key test is character and personality. Someone was knocked unconscious by the Greenskins before, and we fought our way out to rescue him... That's why we waited in the chamber at the end of the corridor, precisely to prevent anyone from dying in the ritual."

Lu Jin was momentarily speechless, his gaze drifting down to the Chapter Master's neck.

"You don't seriously think you could harm any of us, do you?" the Chapter Master said, patting Lu Jin's head. "Don't you want to become one of us?"

Lu Jin said nothing, turning back to aim.

"I just don't understand why you're reluctant to join us. Do you know how glorious it is to become an angel of the Emperor?"

"You don't even have to worry about the augmentation surgery failing, because I will use my Psionics to ensure your absolute success."

"Brother 18, every step of his augmentation surgery could have killed him, yet I forcibly ensured his survival."

"What are you resisting, what are you afraid of?"

The Chapter Master gazed at Lu Jin.

A moment later, he asked again, "Even if we treated you like this, you'd still be able to attack us? If you were stronger, would you put a gun to my neck and kill me before I could react...?"

"I'm not some ungrateful beast! The way you've treated me... I know you already see me as a battle-brother!" Lu Jin said. "Even if I were stronger, at most I'd just give you a scratch. That would count as an injury, and then I could leave."

Hearing this, the Chapter Master smiled and asked, "Then what are you resisting? My battle-brother?"

"Losing myself." Lu Jin aimed forward.

"Don't worry." The Chapter Master adjusted Lu Jin's aiming stance and said softly, "The characteristic of our gene-seed is that it cannot influence the mind. Although it makes us warlike... we are warlike by nature anyway... The Chapter's traditions only exist because we are willing to abide by them, like the tradition of defending mortals."

Lu Jin felt the Chapter Master was coaxing him, but he didn't say anything else, just pulled the trigger.

This shot still hit him in the stomach.

The Chapter Master chuckled helplessly. "Battle-brother, it seems you're really not suited for ranged weapons. However, you've only trained once or twice. Even if you never get the hang of guns, I can give you a Tactical Dreadnought armor suit so you can focus on charging into the fray and close combat."

Lu Jin blushed and shrugged. "It's mainly... it's mainly that I can't aim with one eye closed when I shoot. I've been like this since I was a child... It's not that there are skills I can never learn..."

The Chapter Master actually noticed this characteristic of Lu Jin.

Lu Jin couldn't close one eye while keeping the other open. Both eyes had to be closed or both open, which made aiming difficult.

Some people were born with this issue, which was why some people were inherently unsuited for firearms.

"Practice slowly." The Chapter Master stood up, leaning on his crozier as he looked down at Lu Jin. He extended his left hand. "Let's go. It's time for the weekly Blood Feast."

"Blood Feast?"

Inside the Hall of Honor.

Armor plating still covered every porthole.

The mortals had laid out sleeping mats on the floor of this grand hall for a Solar Month. However, today they weren't sitting on the floor chatting and admiring the heroic figures of the Angel of the Emperor training. Instead, they had left the Hall of Honor to attend to their duties.

When the mortals returned, each of them was carrying an iron bucket, and they proceeded to arrange the contents of the buckets.

When Lu Jin and the Chapter Master arrived at the Hall of Honor, they found that the floor was covered with platters of food.

There were also barrels filled with crimson wine placed around the Space Marines.

The Space Marines sat on the floor, forming a circle.

The mortals also sat like this, surrounding the Space Marines in several layers. They wouldn't just watch the Space Marines eat the good food; they would also benefit from it.

Lu Jin finally understood that drinking crimson wine during a feast was what was called a "Blood Feast."

The Space Marines had left two empty seats.

The Chapter Master sat down, with the Chapter's second-in-command to his left and the empty seat to his right reserved for the Chapter's last member.

Lu Jin was the new recruit, the last member, so he sat next to the Chapter Master.

"Battle-brother, how is your training going?"

Someone asked.

The Chapter Master then recounted the progress of Lu Jin's firearms training.

"Alright, it seems he's suited to be someone who specializes in assaulting enemy positions."

"Our twenty-second battle-brother can't close or open his eyes simultaneously. He's like the water purification device invented by a master craftsman in my homeworld's hive city. The input and output ends of the device can only be activated or deactivated, and then..."

"Drink!"

The Space Marines dipped their cups into the wine barrels beside them and scooped out a large cupful.

Lu Jin also scooped a cup. The twenty-first Space Marine, who loved making comparisons, grabbed Lu Jin's hand. "You can't drink this before you're modified. It's like how children on my homeworld can't drink adult wine."

The Apothecary spoke up. "He's different from ordinary mortals. It won't harm him."

"Brother Apothecary, how can I trust that your words won't get our little brother killed?" the twenty-first said. "You only know how to stick needles into our bodies, like the quacks on my homeworld who use the same medicine and methods to treat humans and livestock."

Lu Jin took the wine cup and downed it in one gulp.

The other Space Marines watched him. After a moment, Lu Jin just let out a hiccup. Seeing this, the others let out approving laughter, and then continued to eat and drink.

The Space Marines chatted about a past battle.

During this topic, which Lu Jin couldn't interject into, the Chapter Master would ask Lu Jin what he would have done if he had been present.

Lu Jin enjoyed the atmosphere of the gathering.

He preferred to listen.

After eating and drinking their fill, Lu Jin suddenly thought of the plan he had always adhered to: escaping to an Imperial world... All he wanted was the current state.

Not to be a slave, to live a normal person's life, and to give himself time to slowly "grind" his strength, utilizing his own traits, until one day he had the ability to protect himself before considering anything else.

But if he stayed with the Furious Angels, he would inevitably undergo modification.

A rumbling sound interrupted Lu Jin's thoughts.

The plating on the portholes of the Hall of Honor began to retract.

This was a sign that their Warp travel had ended.

"Where are we?"

Lu Jin quickly got up and walked to the porthole to observe the outside.

What he saw was a field of purple stars.

Lu Jin froze for a moment, his mind racing.

Purple stars...

There was a place in this universe called the Eye of Terror, which was a Warp rift, a blurred boundary, or an overlapping zone between reality and the Warp.

Those who lived around the Eye of Terror would see a expanse of purple, and eventually their pupils would mutate into purple as well.

"All hands, rest for one day. Navigation will resume tomorrow morning."

The broadcast sounded.

Hearing this announcement, Lu Jin realized that the ship would continue its journey, even deeper into the Warp rift, rather than docking at an Imperium world outside the rift.

Inside the Warp rift were Chaos Space Marines, Daemons, Xenos...

"This isn't a ship going to the Imperium!" Lu Jin turned back. "Where are we going?"

The Chapter Master took a bite of bread and replied, "To the Maelstrom."

The Maelstrom was also a Warp rift, and like the Eye of Terror, it was a place where traitors and monsters gathered.

"Why... why are we going to the Maelstrom?" Lu Jin dropped his wine glass, clenched his fists, and stared at the Space Marines before him. "You're not right."

Normal Space Marines would not go to Warp rifts like the Maelstrom or the Eye of Terror.

This was because the Imperium was always on the defensive, never on the offensive.

There was only one reason to enter a Warp rift—to defect to Chaos.

"We are not heretical traitors!" The Chapter Master suddenly stood up and moved closer to Lu Jin.

The mortals present watched this scene, holding their breath.

The Space Marines also stood up one by one.

Lu Jin had only one thought: compared to defecting to Chaos by entering the Maelstrom, even the path of undergoing augmentation seemed like a viable option.

Because throwing oneself into Chaos would result in eternal, endless enslavement.

Everyone would become a plaything of the Chaos Gods.

"Listen, this is a complicated matter." The Chapter Master approached Lu Jin.

Lu Jin took a step back, but his retreat was not out of fear or evasion; it was to pick up a heavy hammer from beside a mortal laborer.

However, before making a move, Lu Jin asked, "Are you... are the Angry Angels going to the Maelstrom to fight, or..."

"Not to fight," the Chapter Master replied. "The Imperium considers us enemies, so of course we are not going to fight."

"I'd rather die than defect!" Lu Jin charged at the Chapter Master. "You swore allegiance to that throne before; I shouldn't have believed you!"

The Chapter Master raised his hand and unleashed Psionics, stunning Lu Jin. Before Lu Jin hit the ground, he extended his hand and caught him steadily.

"Carly," the Chapter Master turned and ordered Lu Jin's mortal servant. "Take care of him with the Apothecary. Once the augmentation surgery is ready, he will become one of us."

Carly crawled to Lu Jin's side and asked tremblingly, "Lord... Lord... are we truly going to abandon the God-Emperor?"

The Chapter Master was silent. "Child, do you want all of us to die? To die at the hands of those we fought for, those we defended?"

Carly shook her head.