Blood of Calth (10, 46k)

004. M31, Calth Ground, Hell. Wingdings: ⌛︎🖲︎⬧︎♒︎◆︎⌧︎📬︎♍︎□︎❍︎

Ventanus completed a data deduction in twenty-three minutes. They were no longer in the urban area of Rude Province; they had already gone underground. This was a last resort, but also one of the best options.

After the Daemon named Samus was banished, more Word Bearers arrived. Neither Ventanus nor Shen believed that continuing to fight on the surface would bring any good—just as Shen had said not long ago, the Word Bearers had Titans.

"We have them too, but I can't get in touch with them, "Ventanus thought.

He took a deep breath, picked up the Dataslate, and began carefully comparing it with his memories, one by one, against the Calth maps stored on the Dataslate. For Astartes' memory, this seemed somewhat superfluous. But Ventanus didn't care about it.

A few minutes later, after the comparison was completed, he immediately looked up and presented his conclusions to Shen.

"We must rendezvous with Chapter Master Gage. Leptis Numinus is located in central Calth. The broadcast has been made, and any Imperial Army that receive the message will head there to assemble. Under the current circumstances, I believe this is the best plan."

The Ultramarines spoke these words while standing in a makeshift safe house within an underground cavern.

Documents were scattered around him. The Calth hadn't made any contingency plans for today, but Roboute Guilliman had.

He drafted a large number of rules and regulations to be followed for this project, which had not yet officially started. Under these rules, a large number of safe houses were built and deployed in the underground caverns.

For this army, the safe house has everything they need, even communication equipment, but it's rudimentary and can't handle long-distance communication, let alone contact Leptis Numinus's forces in the current Calth environment.

Shen nodded expressionlessly, just as he had been ever since Samus was exiled. Although he was a man who rarely smiled, Ventanus could still subtly detect some changes in him.

Therefore, he went straight to the point and revealed more details of the plan.

"However, as I mentioned before, the underground cave system in Calth has not yet been officially opened; they are not even connected."

He picked up the Dataslate, tapped it twice with his finger, and zoomed in on a coordinate.

He pointed to it and said seriously, "This means we can only advance about eleven kilometers before we have to return to the ground. We lack vehicles, and there probably aren't many shelters on the ground. We'll be going to have many fierce battles, Shen."

Shen Chao nodded, but still didn't say anything.

"Don't you have any objections to this?"

"I have it," Shen replied methodically.

"If possible, I'd like to request an airdrop of armored units to join us in attacking all the Word Bearers along the way. I'd also like to request orbital bombardment to deal with the Titans who are on the Word Bearers' side, so we can easily wipe out these bastards."

Ventanus's face twitched, as if he was trying to suppress a laugh.

"But you and I both know very well that what I'm saying is just wishful thinking. The Word Bearers did something terrible to the Sun not long ago. We don't know the specific reasons, but it couldn't have been anything good. They're even continuing to bombard the ground, which means they've also occupied Calth's orbit. Our hopes of winning this war are already very slim, Ventanus."

Shen leaned against the wall, staring down at his helmet, and said this. His tone was completely unwavering; even as he recounted such a horrific fact, he remained unmoved.

Ventanus looked at him with admiration, already knowing in his heart what Shen was about to say.

"However, it's not like there's no chance," Shen said, raising his head and walking to the table where Ventanus was standing.

He reached for the Dataslate and entered a search query: ground weapon arrays. After a brief delay, thousands of locations were immediately marked on the map.

Ventanus finally smiled, but quickly regained his seriousness.

"The orbital weapon platforms are probably completely destroyed, and only a tenth of the ones on the ground remain, but we only need to find one that is still usable to temporarily turn the tide. We still have a fighting chance. Ordinary ships cannot withstand Calth's weapon array."

"That's true," Shen said. "But I'm actually more worried about something else, Ventanus. I believe you've also noticed, it's about us and you."

He paused for a moment, carefully choosing his words. The Ultramarines waited patiently, without urging or interrupting him. Shen only gave the second half of his sentence after a moment, which was unusual and made him seem even more cautious.

"Not quite the same," Night Lords said.

"The differences I'm referring to aren't in tactical styles, personal weapon choices, or even our backgrounds, accents, appearances, or Gene-Father. We are Astartes, but Astartes isn't our only responsibility."

"Therefore, we know some things we shouldn't have known. Based on this intelligence, I can deduce the Word Bearers' next tactical objective."

"What tactics do they have?" Ventanus shook his head. "They have absolutely no military logic whatsoever. No army would fight like this when 'victory' is the only condition."

"Yes, you've hit the nail on the head. But that's exactly what they need." Shen picked up his helmet and hung it back on his waist. "They don't need logic, because everything they did on Calth was just a sacrifice."

Ventanus frowned, recalling the words of the sergeant who Word Bearers.

"This is not the kind of sacrifice you're familiar with, not the kind of sacrifice where people in a barbaric world worship ominous weather or fictitious gods. Every person they kill has a specific purpose in their blood. Their pain, hatred, and dying desire for Vengeance also have a specific purpose."

"They have killed so many, yet they are still not satisfied. The Battle of Calth will never end unless one side is completely wiped out."

"But here's the problem. The Word Bearers won't waste all their time on us, and I'd love for them to, but they won't. As that traitor named Hobel said, they must still have a large force."

Shen Qing tapped the table and, with absolute rationality and a tone remarkably similar to that of the Ultramarines, proposed a deduction.

"They will go to Terra, Ventanus; they will launch a direct attack on Terra."

Nered Ventanus pondered for a moment with a serious expression, then voiced his objection.

"But what about the other Legions and Primarch? They can't possibly remain unresponsive. Even if the Warmaster —no, Horus— did betray us and side with Lorgar Aurelian, how could they possibly penetrate the Sol System with just those two forces?"

Shen's response was a sorrowful smile.

"The Milky Way is vast, Ventanus," Night Lords said slowly. "Messages are time-sensitive. In the short time we've been talking, several wars may have already begun, you know. Sometimes winning someone over is far better than eliminating them. Who knows what Horus will choose?"

"I still disagree," the Ultramarines replied sternly. "I don't believe people like Sanguinius, Rogal Dorn, and Vulkan would betray the Imperium."

Shen didn't argue further, simply saying, "Then let's take this as a wager. First, we'll kill or drive away all the Word Bearers, then we'll set off for Terra. Then, it'll be clear who's right."

I hope I lose this bet. I thought silently.

--

004. M31, Terra, deep within the Imperial Palace.

Karyl Lohars raised his hand and grasped a chess piece.

It was quite exquisite, entirely black, and looked like a wandering Ghost, its arms tucked into its sleeves, its face a pale skeleton, and its empty eye sockets gleaming. He picked it up, but didn't put it on the chessboard yet.

The Sigillites sat opposite him, his eyes gleaming. He waited a moment, but Karyl still didn't place the piece. His brows were furrowed, and his eyes beneath them burned with a kind of blackness.

"I can't think of a move." After a long while, he slowly spoke. "This piece."

He sighed and turned it over. In an instant, it changed its appearance.

It was a pitch-black figure wearing a shattered crown, composed of dark flames with hints of crimson. Hateful, unjustly killed beings roared for Vengeance in the darkness behind it, with countless white bones piled up at its feet.

Malcador reached out and took it, casually placing it outside the chessboard. Faced with Karyl's slightly questioning gaze, the Sigillites simply shook his head gently.

"It doesn't belong on the chessboard." Malcador reached out and flipped the piece again, restoring it to its original state. "It exists outside the chessboard, Karyl, you should understand this. And once it steps off the board, it can never return to what it once was."

"I understand," Karyl said. "But I have a way."

"You always have it, just like him. The two of you, and me, we always say that." Malcador finally laughed.

"First, use a single word to express your opposition, to indicate a shift in direction, and then calmly tell the other person, 'I have a solution.' Do you really have one, Karyl?"

"I really do."

"Real?"

". real."

Malcador subtly curled the corners of his mouth in a gesture of victory. He patted the table, and the chessboard instantly transformed; the cards returned to the deck, and the pieces went back to the sidelines. Then, the Sigillites actually reached out and took the deck of cards.

"You're not planning to continue playing?"

"No, I just plan to play another version."

As soon as the Sigillites the seal finished speaking, the chessboard began to change its appearance. Large areas of black and white transformed the entire board into two opposing colors: Karyl was white, and Malcador was black.

Black goes first.

The Sigillites slowly placed his pieces. The first piece he sent out was called the Chosen One, which shone with golden light but concealed boundless darkness within. Then came the second piece, called the Lord of Hearts, who was clad in armor and exuded unparalleled nobility.

"Your turn."

"So, in this version, each player can place two pieces at once and move twice?" Karyl asked.

"No, only I can." Malcador shook his head. "Actually, in this version, I specify the rules."

Karyl smiled helplessly and casually dispatched a chess piece: the Uncrowned King.

He wore a laurel wreath, and his chest seemed to burn with a furnace. Malcador smiled and pushed the Lord of Hearts forward a step, then placed the Chosen One before the Uncrowned King.

It was Karyl's turn again. He reached out and grasped another chess piece. It was a Wraith shrouded in darkness, wielding a black blade, with hundreds of bloodstained blades floating behind it, seemingly guarding it.

"The Lord of Blades," Malcador said. "A formidable opponent, but as I said, I set the rules."

He placed a chess piece called Twin, a piece made so abstractly that it had no details whatsoever, not even hands or feet, or front or back, but it had a thousand faces. It stepped onto the board, split into two in the blink of an eye, and then disappeared.

Then came the Perfect One, a piece made of purple and gold, draped in a cloak and covered in intricate patterns, the most magnificent of all. Malcador placed it on the path of the Lord of Hearts.

Karyl squinted and protested once more: "I remember—"

"--I set the rules," Malcador said, pointing to a chess piece. "Now, you can't use this piece unless a certain moment comes."

He reached his right hand into the deck and pulled out the first card, which was a pained figure draped in an Apothecary's robe, seemingly screaming.

He placed it next to the Perfect One, flipped it over, and the card instantly transformed into a blood-soaked land shrouded in dark clouds. The Perfect One's silhouette was faintly visible within it; he was bound by shackles and faced a large group of abstract Shadow.

A line of small text was faintly visible in the upper right corner of the card.

Karyl read it aloud.

A grave mistake has been made.

He looked up at Malcador, then at the stack of cards, and sighed, "Isn't this a bit too much of a rip-off, Malcador?"

The Sigillites smiled but did not answer, only gesturing for him to continue playing chess.

With a sigh, Karyl reached out and sent out a "Gladiator," a piece covered in wounds, unarmed, its main body made of a mottled, blood-red material. At first glance, it looked as if the piece itself was bleeding.

He placed the gladiator in the path of the Lord of Hearts, intending to stop there, but Malcador unexpectedly signaled him to take another step.

"Just how arbitrary are your rules?" Karyl couldn't help but ask. "How many steps can I take each round?"

"That depends on..." the Sigillites coughed, "... my opinion."

So he sent out a shadow, a giant Raven Guard, which perched atop a broken skull. It began to fight alongside the gladiators against the Lord of Hearts.

The Sigillites smiled and took out another card. He didn't put it down immediately, but instead moved the Gladiator and Shadow a little further away. Then, he reached into Karyl's pile of pieces and took out the Lord of Darkness, the Anvil, and the Silent Steel.

He placed them together with the Lord of Hearts before dropping the card.

Karyl stared at it, remaining silent.

"Betrayal," Malcador said, the cards gleaming on the board.

On the bloody, muddy battlefield, several men stood side by side, facing a pack of wolves lurking in the darkness, their bare hands exposed. Each of them had been stabbed in the back.

He reached out again and took out a second card, a face covered in suspicion.

Suspicion.

Karyl pursed his lips and held out his hand, but Malcador held up a finger and shook it at him. "My turn isn't over yet."

He reached out and moved aside the Gladiator, the Shadow, the Anvil, and the Silent Steel, placing a card under the feet of the Lord of Darkness.

He flipped the card over, and the chess piece flipped along with it, instantly transforming. A large, dark green cloud obscured the Lord of Darkness, and the card turned into a pupa in the process of emerging from its chrysalis.

"What should you do next?" the Sigillites asked softly.

Karyl did not answer; he closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. With his movement, a force shifted the chessboard.

A blue planet that didn't exist in reality began to appear at the back of his white chessboard. He opened his eyes and placed the wandering Ghost on the planet. Then he reached into the deck, drew a card, and showed it to Malcador.

That was the image of a person laughing loudly amidst raging flames.

"Sacrifice," Malcador uttered, his expression utterly calm. "Are you really determined to do this?"

Karyl didn't speak, but simply stood up from his chair.

"Let's go." He walked to the door and gently beckoned to the Sigillites.

Where to?

"Go check on its construction progress."

The Sigillites sighed and picked up the scepter, then walked out with him, still complaining, "You're always like this; you get to a certain point in the game and then you don't want to continue. We haven't even finished this game yet."

"My chess sportsmanship is terrible, my friend," Karyl replied with a slight smile.

Update complete.

Angel, my angel--