The Truth of War (End)

With a distinctly mocking tone, Sevatar planted the chainsaw into the ground.

Its sturdy, long pole pierced the ground and was deeply buried in the soil. He was dressed in armor, but not in a helmet.

It was already dark, and everything around was shrouded in a hazy mist. Flames burned on the ruins, and the corpses crackled. In the distance, sporadic gunshots and screams could be heard.

Sevatar squinted at the man kneeling before him, then suddenly chuckled.

"Hello," he greeted warmly. "Your Excellency Governor? Lord Thors Rasbayar?"

The man he greeted did not answer, but knelt on the ground with his head bowed, silent, his body trembling slightly. He had been offered up by the rebels in exchange for a chance to live. Unfortunately, that chance did not exist.

The Night Lords' words contained no promises; they simply hoped the rebels would be sensible and send the governor back voluntarily to avoid "wasting more time." However, the rebels, for some reason, misunderstood the meaning of their words.

"The human will to survive is truly strong," Sevatar remarked. "They just sent you here like that, Your Excellency. Don't you have anything to say?"

"You and your the Emperor, die!" Thors Rasbayar roared, raising his head, causing Sevatar's fingers to tremble slightly.

The faint smile on his pale face gradually widened, transforming from an inconspicuous smile into an extremely obvious, sarcastic mockery.

"Really, Your Excellency? These are your last words? Well, for a fool, your last words are as foolish as ever, but certainly courageous."

"Take back what you said!" Tors Rasbayar roared, interrupting Sevatar. "You have no right to speak to me like that!"

Sevatar frowned, looking at his brothers with a hint of disbelief.

Whether they were members of his squad or not, most of the Night Lords seemed just as puzzled as he was. Karen O'Fion even shrugged bluntly, pulled out her Boltgun, and pressed it against the governor's head.

"No, no, don't do that." Sevatar raised his hand to stop Orfion.

He frowned, shook his head with a half-smile, and said, "I'm starting to get curious about him—Governor, why have you come to this conclusion?"

The governor, kneeling on the ground, sneered, offering no reply but instead displaying utter contempt.

His face was covered in dirt, grime, and blood, making it look like an abstract painting, yet his arrogance and disdain remained undiminished.

He turned his eyes, and after a quick scan, he found Bellros, who was positioned to the side behind Sevatar.

"Hey, you!" Tors Rasbayar wiggled his knees as he moved closer to the Remembrancers.

He looked disheveled, but his chin was held high with arrogance.

"Come here! Yes, it's you!"

The Remembrancers raised an eyebrow in slight surprise, put down his camera, and looked up at Sevatar. The latter gave him permission with a very obvious smile, a smile full of anticipation for what was to come.

Left with no other choice, Bellros walked toward the governor.

"You're carrying a camera?" the governor asked rudely. "Who are you?"

Bellros took two minutes to briefly introduce himself, stating his name, rank, and purpose for being there. His words made Tors Rasbaya's eyes widen, and the prisoner of war suddenly burst into laughter a few seconds later.

Night fell, pressing heavily over everyone's heads. His laughter mingled with the darkness, creating an even heavier effect.

"The Remembrancers!" He continued to wriggle his knees, slowly moving closer to Bellros.

He tilted his head back, neck, and upper body, and gestured with his lip towards Bellros: "Take a picture of me, you hear me, Remembrancers? Take a picture of me and send it back to Terra! Let everyone see the face of the last descendant of the Rasbaya Family!"

"I don't recall ever granting you such treatment, Your Excellency," Sevatar retorted coldly. "You have no right to command the Emperor's personally appointed Remembrancers. You are now a prisoner of war; do you still consider yourself a governor?"

"Shut your mouth, you monster!" Tors Rasbayar turned around in disgust and yelled at Sevatar. "I don't communicate with something like you!"

After saying that, he abruptly turned his head back to look at Bellros. The First Reserve frowned again, grinding his teeth slightly in annoyance.

"Take my picture, quick!" the defeated governor growled. "Send this face to his Imperial Palace. He's building Imperial Palace, isn't he? I've heard those Rogue Trader talking about it; he's still building Imperial Palace."

Bellros frowned and did not do as he was told. In fact, he even put down his camera.

"I don't think the Emperor would want to see the face of a traitor," the Remembrancers said coldly.

"Me? A traitor?" Thors Rasbayar burst into laughter. "You fool, can't you see reality? You think I betrayed him? Betrayed the Imperium? He betrayed us!"

Bellros's fingers twitched instinctively.

The governor completely ignored the sudden silence and roared once again.

"Look at the monsters he's created!" he panted angrily, wriggling his knees and spun around comically. Covered in dust, he glared at Night Lords, his eyes Dreadnought.

"Look at them, the Remembrancers, don't you sense something's amiss?"

The Night Lords stared at him silently, without saying a word.

The Remembrancers shook his head and said, "The Astartes are superhumans created by the Emperor through genetic engineering; they are the protectors of the common people. They came from among us, and they will—"

"--Oh, save your breath!" the governor retorted loudly. "You and I both know what they really are. Anyone with eyes can see what they are! They're deformed monsters that came out of a laboratory!"

"Don't rush to refute me, Remembrancers. Think about it yourself! A young child was taken away by them, and when he returned, he didn't even recognize or acknowledge his own family! Just look into their eyes, and you'll know what they really are! Can human eyes be so distorted and grotesque?"

"So, you're an extreme human progenitor? Terra, how can you still exist?"

Bellros sighed, looking like he had a headache.

"Don't tell me that's why you started the rebellion, Governor."

"Of course not." Thors Rasbayar suddenly laughed. "Of course not."

He shook his head.

"My reason for rebellion is very simple. You can write down my words, Remembrancers, and take them back to him for a good look. I tell you, there is only one reason for my rebellion—because the people of Cappadocia can no longer survive."

Karen O'Fion couldn't help but curse in Nostraman: "Oh, so he's starting to play the good governor now. Can I just shoot him dead, Captain?"

Sevatar shook his head indifferently.

"The Astartes never stop, the Imperial Army come one after another, one after another. Every time they stop, I have to increase taxes again in a short period of time. Money, goods, people, everything is taken away by them, but Cappadocia is left with nothing."

"If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad, but where were they when we were being harassed by the Orks? I sent out a distress signal, and where were they? If it weren't for the mutual aid agreement between us and nearby planets, Cappadocia would have been an Orks paradise by now! Do you think you can still stand here Judgment me from your superior position? No, you'll only be facing an endless stream of Orks bastards!"

"You've completely distanced yourself from the situation, Your Excellency," Bellros said. "But you launched a rebellion. And your army isn't exactly noble either; they did no different from gangsters."

"Yes, I admit that."

The governor nodded with a cold smile, then suddenly glanced sideways at Sevatar.

"I can't control them, but you know what? Even so, even with the local defense forces becoming massively corrupt, the lives of ordinary Cappadocia residents are still much better than before. You can go to my residence and look through the data; I'm not lying, not a single word of it is false."

"Are you finished?" Sevatar asked.

He raised his right hand and drew his chainsaw. The monomolecular saw blades began to spin, the engine roaring. Thors Rasbayar laughed. Half a second later, a head flew high into the air and landed in Sevatar's hands. He held the head and casually handed it to another Night Lords.

"Hang the body up with it," he said emotionlessly. "Broadcast globally, telling them they must all surrender before dawn, or face the consequences."

--

"I'm sorry, I didn't show you what you wanted to see," Sevatar said with a forced smile to their Remembrancers inside the troop carrier. "I hope you won't be disappointed, Mr. Bellros."

"I'm not disappointed," Bellros said.

Sevatar nodded knowingly. There was a moment of silence inside the troop carrier, with only the sounds of the vehicle operating and Bellros checking the photos continuing.

"So," Sevatar suddenly spoke, "What kind of person do you think Thors Rasbayar is? A fool, or a liar so skilled he can even fool himself?"

The Remembrancers slowly removed his gold-rimmed glasses.

"To be honest, I don't really care," Bellros replied with a smile. "It doesn't matter who he is, I just want to see him dead, that's all. With the ringleader eliminated, and coupled with your psychological tactics, the rebels will probably surrender soon."

Sevatar flashed his fake smile again.

"This is a war, Captain Sevatarion, and you are a soldier. Your duty is to achieve victory," Bellros said softly. "As for Governor Thors Rasbaya's words and his arrogant attitude, as if he were the only one righteous, do you really care?"

"No," Sevatar said rudely. "Who does he think he is?"

Bellros burst into laughter.

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