Big Is Strong!!!

Cecilia led Lin En all the way out of the cultists' lair.

Lin En had thought the passage beyond the exit would lead outside the planet. Instead, beyond the cavern that housed the cultists' lair was an even larger cavern. It was a vast underground world, and the portion occupied by the cultists was only a small part of it.

"The surface of Istvaan III was completely bombarded and destroyed under Exterminatus. Now, all that remains of Istvaan III is the underground world."

The Battle Sister beside them lifted her faceplate and answered Lin En's question.

The face beneath the faceplate was indeed Sister Cecilia.

She stood in the middle of the passage, her Power Sword hanging at her side. The blue glow along the blade slowly dimmed, while her expression remained as calm as ever.

Lin En was still clutching the bent steel pipe. His Guard Army leather armor was riddled with holes, his face was covered in dust and dirt, and his toes stuck out through holes in his boots. He looked just like a pitiful little vagrant.

Seeing Sister Cecilia again almost made him let out a happy squeak.

"Sister."

Cecilia looked at him and said gently, "I told you I'd come back."

Lin En leaned against the eagle-like, power-armored Battle Sister and gave her a thumbs-up!

As expected of his Battle Sister!

Battle Sisters were just that strong!!!

However...

Cecilia had originally been about the same height as Lin En, but after putting on Power Armor, she was now a head taller than before. Lin En craned his neck to look at her and felt like a chick nestled beside a mother hen. "Sister, you're so tall now."

"The combat boots in the Power Armor have height-boosting insoles."

"...The combat boots in the Power Armor have height-boosting insoles?"

"They do."

"Designed by the Emperor?"

"Designed by the Emperor."

Lin En fell silent for three seconds.

"The Emperor has excellent taste."

So what if Power Armor had height-boosting insoles?! Bigger was better, and bigger was stronger!!!

Cecilia returned the Power Sword to the scabbard on her back. She glanced in the direction the cultists had retreated. "The cultists won't be pursuing us for the time being. I scouted this area before coming here, and it's still fairly safe outside."

Lin En breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness. They were safe for the time being.

Who knew what kind of life he had lived through over the past fifteen days? Even a Khorne Greater Daemon would have wept for him.

Another person came over from behind Cecilia.

He was not tall, and he wore a dark red robe with a hooded cloak.

However, his deep-red cloak was nothing like the ragged robes worn by the cultists. His was neat and orderly, decorated with cogwheel and skull emblems. A respirator like a gas mask covered his face, while tools and cables hung from his waist.

He was a...

A member of the Adeptus Mechanicus—a Tech-Priest.

Or rather, he was a Mechanicus engineer.

The mechanic poked his head out from behind Cecilia. Most of his face was hidden by the respirator, leaving only a pair of gray-blue eyes that held a hint of curiosity.

All sorts of wrenches, screwdrivers, welding torches, data-slates, and other tools hung from his waist. They clinked and clattered as he walked.

"You're the person who was chased by several hundred cultists for fifteen days?" His voice was young, carrying the distinctive curiosity of a Mechanicus apprentice. It was a little dull and awkward, but not malicious. "You really didn't die?"

The Battle Sister had been so frantic to return and rescue someone that he had thought she was insane.

In Warhammer 40,000, he had witnessed all kinds of sacrifices, but he had never seen someone push a comrade away to stay behind and hold off the enemy, only for that comrade to return and find them still alive.

Lin En looked toward Cecilia.

Who was this?

Cecilia introduced him. "This is Brother Herix Ironhammer, a Magos Errant of the Adeptus Mechanicus. I encountered him outside."

Cecilia had found the mechanic outside. He was a wandering engineer, alone, and able to join their group.

Iron Hammer removed his respirator, revealing a young face with a few freckles.

He had gray-blue eyes, a faint scar across the bridge of his nose, and golden hair sticking messily out from beneath the edge of his hood.

He looked perhaps a few years younger than Lin En. He still looked mostly human and had not extensively transformed himself into some bizarre mechanical creature.

Iron Hammer hung the respirator from his belt and nodded at Lin En in a friendly manner. "Hello. My name is Herix Ironhammer. I'm from the Forge World of Acastelan, on the western frontier of the Ultramar sector."

Hmm? Lin En's ears immediately perked up.

"The Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar? Isn't that the home of the Ultramarines...?"

Ultramar was the realm of the Ultramarines, their home turf and happy place. It encompassed thousands of planets, collectively known as the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar. It was currently the territory of the Imperial Regent, Roboute Guilliman, Primarch of the Ultramarines.

In Warhammer 40,000, the Ultramarines represented "reliability," "reason," and "civil servants." Since most of their Power Armor was painted blue, players affectionately called them blue tin cans or Smurfs.

Iron Hammer smiled. It was clear that he was proud of the Ultramarines as well. He said happily, "That's right. We're a Forge World directly under the jurisdiction of the Ultramarines."

Lin En immediately developed a favorable impression of him.

The Ultramarines were one of the few reliable factions in Warhammer 40,000 that did not casually use civilians as cannon fodder.

An old brother from the Ultramarines' home of Ultramar—he ought to be trustworthy.

Iron Hammer continued by explaining that he had come to Istvaan III to search for minerals unique to the planet.

The underground cave system of Istvaan III had developed some unique crystals because of the Warp contamination from that time. Those crystals could not be found anywhere else and would form only in rock permeated by Warp energy.

He had brought three Combat Servitors down with him, but—

Sigh, he had underestimated the strength of the Chaos forces here. There were far more cultists than the intelligence reports had claimed.

The Combat Servitors had broken down one after another. The last one had finally failed three days ago, and he had nearly been trapped here and unable to leave.

Cecilia had gone outside to look for reinforcements, but there were no Imperium troops stationed on Istvaan III at all.

She happened to encounter Iron Hammer, who used some materials he had found outside, along with the wreckage of the Combat Servitors, to cobble together a crude set of Power Armor for Cecilia.

Fortunately, the Power Sword and boltgun from the Combat Servitors were still functional. The Power Armor was crude, but that was not a major issue.

"Croak, croak, croak." Lin En looked at the young wandering engineer with admiration and applauded him.

He had cobbled together Power Armor in the middle of nowhere. Impressive.

Iron Hammer looked a little embarrassed. "I just assembled it from the humanoid armor components removed from the servitors. It isn't complete. It only has the basic power-assist system, armor plating, and life support. There's no integrated helmet display or communications array. It's very crude."

That was still incredibly impressive.

No wonder the Imperium called the Mechanicus the Doraemon of the galaxy.

A mechanic, combat power, and a flashlight. Excellent. Their main group was more or less complete now. They had everything they needed—a perfect all-round team.

The three of them decided to form a party.

They would leave the cavern together, then go board Iron Hammer's ship.

Iron Hammer's ship was still outside. Afterward, they would all leave together.

Whether they went to Ultramar or somewhere else, it would be better than staying here.

And best of all, Iron Hammer had a detailed map of the underground cave system!!!

Iron Hammer pulled a data-slate from his waist and tapped the screen twice, bringing up a map. It was a map of the underground caves of Istvaan III.

"The exit from Istvaan III's underground cave system is in this direction."

Iron Hammer pointed to a location on the map. "This is an abandoned mine shaft leading to the surface. I came down through here. If we take this route, we can leave the cave system and return to my exploration station."

Excellent.