6. Wrathful Flames (II)

Karyl could smell the blood; that was quite obvious. But it was merely a footnote to death, not something to be concerned with too much.

Death is a word that is both abstract and concrete, but on the battlefield, if you want to observe it, the most direct way, besides seeing it, is by smell. And the smell of death is not singular; it has many kinds, and sometimes, they are even mixed together.

For example, right now, the bodies of city guards piled together and burned, along with the ubiquitous smell of blood, create a complex odor.

He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and calmly shook his head.

Troop carriers and tanks rumbled through the streets, and the richly dressed civilians watched in terror. Some screamed, but immediately fell silent at the mere glance of the giants clad in blue armor.

The Ultramarines didn't treat them politely, but there was a reason for this attitude—initially, they were willing to talk things out, until they discovered that almost all the civilians in the city were oppressing their fellow citizens in some cruel way.

Slave.

This enraged the Ultramarines —they knew of Nuceria's well-known gladiatorial traditions and slave-hunting teams, but they never imagined that these traditions had spread to such a destructive extent. So they no longer held back.

Nuceria, Desh'ea. Standing atop the towering city lord's mansion, Karyl murmured the name.

From his vantage point, he could overlook most of the city, with most of it visible except for the arena.

The people who lived in this mansion probably had the same purpose, which is why they built it so grand and so towering. It's quite interesting that all feudal rulers seem to enjoy this feeling of being superior.

He squinted, slowly rubbing his right index finger and thumb together. At that moment, Karyl missed his two knives terribly.

However, although he didn't actually participate in the Ultramarines' battle, it didn't mean he stood idly by. In fact, he was the one who solved some of the hidden traps within the city lord's mansion.

The Nuceria do possess some unique technologies, some of which are extremely dangerous and can physically inflict devastating damage on Ultramarines encased in Power Armour. Others, however, are more enigmatic.

For example, the ruling class's personal guards here have been implanted with a silver mechanical tentacle implant. This thing is called Silvervine, and it can be a weapon, armor, or even form a vehicle.

If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad, but the force exerted by these mechanical tentacles is abnormally high, even capable of damaging the Power Armour. This is quite interesting.

However, they were still unable to resist the Ultramarines' attack. The rain of fire falling from the sky was enough to destroy their fighting spirit to some extent, not to mention the Ultramarines themselves.

Even though Desh'ea only had a thousand Ultramarines fighting at this moment, the High Riders and their personal guards could not organize any effective counter-offensive.

Some died, some were wounded. The Ultramarines didn't give them many choices: surrender or die, nothing more.

Roboute Guilliman himself was not here; he had taken another three thousand Ultramarines to advance into the southern plateau. Nuceria had multiple ruling classes; Desh'ea was merely the nominal capital.

"This is a mess," Karyl thought.

He shook his head and jumped down from the city lord's mansion. Several commoners who were fleeing together, carrying heavy wooden boxes, screamed in fright when they saw his sudden appearance.

They dropped their gold and jewels, and stumbled away in their fine clothes. Karyl chuckled, finding the strange familiarity a bit absurd. But he didn't intend to kill them.

Firstly, this is not a battlefield belonging to the Eighth Legion. Secondly, even if it were, indiscriminately killing civilians is not a justifiable method. These people are indeed oppressors, but the laws of the Imperium will naturally Judgment them.

Karyl narrowed his eyes.

Unless the law proves useless, then his blade may appear once more.

The communication headset given to him by the Ultramarines rang the next second, quite coincidentally, but the voice of the speaker was not very gentle, and even carried a hint of anger.

"Instructor Karyl, we've discovered a human modification lab in Desh'ea. All the victims are dead. Their skulls have been tortured by a horrific machine, riddled with holes, and their brains have even fused completely with it. Based on the Eighth Legion's experience, how should these people be disposed of?"

"It's clearly stipulated in the Imperium Law," Karyl raised his right hand, pressed it against his earpiece, and answered softly. "Anyone who conducts human experiments without permission will face death, regardless of the purpose or means."

"Understood." The person on the other end of the communication channel replied in a cold, hard voice. The next second, a burst of Boltgun rang out.

"Control your anger, Second Company," Karyl said. "While I am not in a position to advise you in this way, Judgment should be emotionless when carrying out his sentence."

"I can't do that, Instructor Karyl," the Second Company of the 1st Chapter replied sullenly. "Just thinking about their actions makes me furious, no matter how many times it happens."

It's true, like father, like son. This resemblance is truly an astonishing coincidence.

Karyl slowly shook his head—after so many days, he had naturally noticed the often uncontrollable rage emanating from Roboute Guilliman.

In most cases, the Primarch of the Ultramarines can keep their rage firmly under control thanks to their reason and past education. However, given the chance, that rage will be unleashed, becoming something that consumes him and everyone else.

To be honest, this feeling was familiar to him.

"Well then, good luck, Second Company."

Karyl hung up the communication, used several leaps to climb the wall, and reached a high point.

He observed the Ultramarines' actions and memorized every detail. The Eighth Legion was small now, but who knows how many more they would have in the future? When that happened, they would need this kind of experience.

However, a deafening explosion interrupted his thoughts. Karyl turned his head and looked in that direction, half of his face instantly illuminated by the raging flames.

He narrowed his eyes and disappeared into the darkness the next second.