Blood Worthy of Sanguinius!

For a moment, an eerie silence fell over the magnificent and solemn crimson conference hall.

In the rebuilt hall, which could now accommodate hundreds of people, the Chapter Master from various Blood Angels sub-companies sat around a polished, pure white marble table, casting questioning and angry glances at the young man.

From their perspective, this is undoubtedly the legendary angelic lord "Dante" being damned deceived!

Forcing them to abandon the "Crimson Defense Line" that they should have defended to the death, and instead waste their precious combat power and lives on the Stygian System, which is destined to fall, is clearly pushing the already extremely disadvantaged Blood Angels further into the abyss!

All the chapter Chapter Master present are highly decorated warriors, hailed as heroes by the Imperium!

There were even quite a few "traitors," such as the Blood Angels' Chapter Master, whose chilling gaze revealed no attempt to conceal his murderous intent.

Feeling the intense, oppressive gazes from hundreds of people throughout the conference hall, even Alvin couldn't help but feel his heart race.

How did it turn out like this?

Alvin smiled bitterly to himself; his original intention was to let Dante meet Penny.

Using the name of the Yellow Skin, he made the Blood Angels hold out for a few days so that he could relocate the Higanbana's industry and population as much as possible.

Unexpectedly, Dante directly invited them to Baal, and upon meeting them, without saying a word, asked them to attend some kind of "Red Conference."

Alvin imagined that attending the meeting would be nothing more than a formality.

To his utter surprise... he was outsmarted by Dante!

Not only was he given the authority to act as an ally, but now he's also tasked with persuading these unruly Chapter Master!

Are you kidding me? He's just a Rogue Trader, not the regent of the Imperial Regent. How could he possibly handle this group?

But Alvin, who was forced into the situation, had no choice but to accept it, as it was his idea to come up with the plan.

The plan to "defend" the "Stygian System" was my idea.

Alvin became the center of attention the moment he opened his mouth.

Even worse, some of the more extreme Blood Angels have already revealed their ferocity, leaving no doubt that if Dante weren't there, they would have already been unable to suppress their urge to tear Alvin apart.

In the crimson conference hall, the Chapter Master whispered amongst themselves, some of them becoming restless. Dante's cold, stern gaze and solemn, authoritative voice instantly silenced the commotion. "Silence!"

The two words carried immense weight, stunning the riotous crowd.

Despite the hostile gazes of hundreds of Blood Angels, Alvin remained remarkably composed, his tone completely calm. "I imagine you are all wondering why we would waste our precious resources and lives on the already fallen Stygian System, instead of investing them in the Baal System, which is the most crucial area for defense, to further strengthen the Crimson Defense Line, right?"

The Chapter Master remained silent, their faces cold, but that was enough to answer their questions.

They can sacrifice themselves for the Imperium, but they must never sacrifice themselves on a battlefield that is worthless and meaningless!

In their view, the Stygian System, which was destined to fall sooner or later, was a useless and worthless sacrifice.

Every interstellar warrior represents the future of the Chapter, a seed. Who wants to see such precious combat power wasted on meaningless tasks?

"My Chapter Master, the reason I suggested to Lord Dante that we continue the defense and delay the Hive Fleet for another month was actually to allow for a better establishment of the Crimson Defense Line!" Alvin took a deep breath, facing the gazes of the Chapter Master, and said in a deep voice, "And during this month, I have done my utmost..."

Evacuate the population, industry, mineral veins, and resources from every planet in the Stygian System!

"I'm sure you all know very well that this war is destined to last a long time!"

"This is a protracted war, likely to last for several years. We need the support of resources, manpower, and industrial strength to gradually seize the opportunity for victory in this long confrontation with the Hive Fleet!"

"If we rely solely on the industrial and human resources of the Baal System, even if we ultimately win, it will only be a Pyrrhic victory!"

"Population depletion, nowhere to recruit soldiers, Jean Baal reduced to scorched earth—is this the result you, Sanguinius, wished to see?"

Alvin clenched his fist and slammed it against the marble tabletop, cracking the hard marble. His pupils were bloodshot as he loudly questioned the silent Blood Angels.

"No!"

Someone responded in a low voice.

Alvin exhaled a breath of stale air, then turned to the Blood Angels, whose gazes had softened somewhat, and said, enunciating each word clearly, "Therefore, if we want to win this war, we must preserve as much population, industry, mineral veins, and resources as possible!"

Being wiped out in one fell swoop could indeed cut off the Tyran's supply lines.

However, the Blood Angels trapped in Baal would also completely lose their resources, which led to the devastating Battle of Baal!

The Chapter Master present were all highly experienced, and they were well aware of whether Alvin's words were true or false.

Indeed, if they could preserve most of their resources to build the Crimson Defense Line, even if the line was eventually breached, they would be able to deal with Leviathan's massive Hive Fleet more easily.

The problem is...: Compared to the composed Flesh Tearers Chapter, a question was raised, "How can we believe you can relocate so many people, industries, and resources in just one month?"

This statement immediately garnered widespread agreement.

Yes, they are not unaware that preserving more resources and population will be more advantageous in the later stages of the war. But the problem is, not to mention the entire Stygian System, even just the Other Higanbana Civilization world has tens of billions of people!

This doesn't even include industry, mineral veins, resources, etc. Under normal circumstances, it would be difficult to completely evacuate them even in ten years, let alone in just one month.

Faced with the doubts raised by the Chapter Master, before Alvin could speak, Dante beside him said solemnly, "My brothers, have no doubt—he can do it."

"Great Lord of the Blood Angels, this concerns the lives of hundreds of Chapter Brothers, so please forgive my offense, but I want to know—on what basis do you believe he can accomplish this?!" The Flesh Tearers Chapter asked bluntly without any hesitation.

Under the gazes of the numerous Chapter Masters, Dante remained silent for a few seconds before slowly speaking, "Because the Emperor's 'War Apostle' is here, and she has brought us a prophecy!"

As soon as the words were spoken, many Chapter Masters were stunned, but their first reaction was disbelief!

The Emperor's divine interventions are so rare; without some solid evidence, who could believe it?

But soon, Dante said again, "This is not only the Emperor's will, but also—the will of my late father, Sanguinius!!!"

What?!

The moment those words were spoken, the entire audience erupted in commotion!

Even the most composed and ancient of Dreadnought couldn't help but shout angrily, "Dante, don't talk nonsense! I won't allow you to defend humanity in the name of our late father!"

It should be understood that Sanguinius is a supreme being in the eyes of the Blood Angels, almost on par with the Emperor. No matter how high Dante's prestige is, using Sanguinius to protect a human being still makes the Blood Angels furious.

Alvin was stunned, feeling the fury emanating from all sides, so intense it seemed they wanted to tear him apart; he felt completely numb.

Brother, did we have to go this far?

Dante remained unmoved, turning instead to Alvin and whispering, "Go, take up the Blade of Courage, and prove yourself to everyone."

"???"

Alvin nearly coughed up blood. Dude, are you serious?

Everyone knows Sanguinius is long dead; letting him wield that sword is just asking for trouble.

He even suspected that Dante was deliberately retaliating; otherwise, how could he have come up with such a foolish move as using the name of Sanguinius?!

"Go."

Looking at the dumbfounded Alvin, Dante gave him a reassuring look.

What exactly did Penny and Dante talk about?!

Alvin was filled with deep suspicion, all stemming from the result of Penny's private conversation with Dante after they arrived in Baal.

But now that things have come to this, Alvin had no choice but to walk over and, amidst the furious gazes of the Blood Angels' Chapter Master, who were practically ready to kill, he gripped the "relic" from Sanguinius — the Blade of Courage.

Then—a dazzling brilliance suddenly burst forth from the blade, like a radiant sun, scattering starlight like angels!

Enveloped in that wing-like light, Alvin raised his sword high, appearing almost divine!

"???"

The Alvin were dumbfounded.

How could it have turned out like this?!

Sanguinius... isn't he already dead?

Why is this relic radiating light? What's going on?

"Do you see that? This is the will of Sanguinius!"

Dante gazed at the wing-like light, his voice suddenly rising, filled with fervor. "With our late father as our witness, we will fight for the departed Sanguinius and for the people of the Imperium! We will not betray the blood of our forefathers!"

"Here! Right here!"

"We will not back down!"

"We will fight to the death, with Bolter, Chainsword, plasma beams and cannonballs, to shred those hideous insects and send them rolling back into the void, so that those invaders will feel the wrath of Sanguinius!"

"We will ultimately triumph!!!"

"We are the Blood Angels, the offspring of Sanguinius, and the Angel of the Emperor. Here, in Baal, in despair and darkness, we will seize the dawn of victory!"

Finally, Dante clenched his fist and smashed it against the several-inch-thick marble tabletop. The mask of Sanguinius gleamed with an awe-inspiring light. "By the Blood of Sanguinius, and in my name, I swear that the Imperium will continue! We are all children of Sanguinius, and we will never betray the Blood of Sanguinius!"

After his calm yet suppressed roar subsided, the entire Crimson Conference Hall fell into a brief silence, which was quickly broken!

"Upholding the Blood of Sanguinius!"

"Upholding the Blood of Sanguinius!"

"Upholding the Blood of Sanguinius!"

A roar shattered the heavens. Inside the crimson conference hall, witnessed by numerous relics of Sanguinius, hundreds of descendants who inherited the blood of angels swore to protect Baal and the Stygian System with their lives!