78. Rebirth (Final)

How were these matters supposed to end? Experience suggested that there could only be chaos, death, and bloodshed. Nothing else.

You wouldn't find anything else. This goddamned world had nothing but this shit to offer you—not even a decent penny. It was stingy enough to make your teeth itch with hatred.

Karyl frowned and cast those dark thoughts from his mind. He had no idea where they had come from. All he felt was annoyance—and a small measure of agreement.

Hunter knew nothing of this and led the way ahead. His strides were steady and precise, no different from a program running according to a predetermined set of rules. No Chapter's training likely covered such things, yet it seemed fitting enough on him.

They were walking through a corridor, long and deep, with sensor lamps fitted neatly between the bricks to serve as its light source. The lights flickered on and off. From deep within the walls came the faint roar of machinery and the clash of metal. The muffled sounds grew louder with every beat, as though someone were trying to tear the world apart.

They came before a stone door. It towered some ten meters high, yet bore no carvings or decorations. It was badly weathered, and on the wall to the right of the door was a depression the size of an Astartes fist, forcefully asserting its presence to all who saw it.

Hunter stepped forward, placed his hand inside it, and applied slight pressure. Metal pressed against stone, producing a harsh, grating creak. His hand was a little larger than the depression, but it apparently still triggered some kind of mechanism.

A hum sounded. Ghostly blue light seeped from the gaps between the wall and the stone door. Then the door slowly slid open, and stale