Please Continue Believing in Our Chapter

Fortunately, Cecilia and Iron Hammer had not betrayed his trust. It was true—there really was a massive gathering of cultists on Istvaan III, with leaders such as sorcerers among them.

Anyone could guess what they were trying to do.

Tyrennius still needed to check whether Lin En had been corrupted.

In Warhammer 40,000, anyone who had come into contact with Chaos forces could have picked up something unclean. Everyone had to be examined.

There had been far too many painful examples of traitors corrupted by Chaos suddenly stabbing their allies in the back.

Lin En was currently lively as ever, his eyes even lighting up at the sight of the Astartes.

But he had spent over twenty days in the cultists' lair.

If an ordinary person stayed in a place like this for that long, their mental state would more or less develop some problems.

Lin En thought it was perfectly OK. He understood completely and cooperated fully.

At present, the Imperium's method of checking for corruption was to first look for physical mutations or mental instability, then assess whether the person's faith in the Emperor remained steadfast.

Judging by his appearance alone, Lin En looked perfectly normal. He had no bodily mutations and showed no signs of mental instability.

Lin En was remarkably calm about it, even spreading both hands for him to inspect.

Other than being a little dirty, there was nothing wrong with him.

Lin En checked himself every day. So far, he had not grown anything extra—not even a single pimple.

The Blood Angels turned to Cecilia. "How is his mental state normally?"

Cecilia hung her helmet at her waist and crossed her arms over her chest.

Lin En's mental state...

At the question, Cecilia's lips twitched. That was a good question.

"Mental state..." she repeated, turning toward Lin En.

Were you going to say it yourself, or should I say it for you?

"My mental state is great." Lin En grinned foolishly.

Cheerful.

Tyrennius processed the amount of information in that statement.

He had been chased by cultists for nearly two months, and he was cheerful?

"His personality is rather unusual, but his mental state truly is fine," Cecilia added from the side, suppressing a laugh. "Lin En, show him that thing."

Lin En turned to look at her. "Which one?"

Cecilia said, "The one you're best at."

Oh~

Lin En immediately launched into a rapid-fire rant, cursing the Four Gods and the xenos.

Thank you, for that pure and simple hatred of the Four Gods.

What? The Four Gods had positive qualities?

He did not believe it. They did not.

What kind of trash dared lay claim to virtuous qualities? All beautiful virtues belonged to our Emperor.

It came straight from his heart.

Especially now, when he was facing a Blood Angel from his favorite Chapter.

It was Iron Hammer's first time witnessing such a bold performance.

He had originally been scanning the surrounding ore formations, but now his mechanical auxiliary limbs froze in midair, one of them still holding up a scanner.

The data on the screen continued to flicker, but Iron Hammer himself was no longer looking at it.

His red bionic eye faced Lin En, its aperture widening as though his pupils had suffered an earthquake.

Cecilia tilted her face slightly to one side and raised a hand before her mouth, her Power Armor glove concealing the curve of her lips.

Tyrennius's eyebrow rose slightly.

For an Astartes looking at a mortal, that degree of expression practically counted as shock.

"The xenos are brain-dead ugly freaks, and Chaos is a bunch of lunatics and perverts! The Emperor bless humanity—my statement is complete!!! For the Emperor!!!" Lin En shouted, raising an arm.

Even Tyrennius nearly laughed.

He shifted his helmet to his left hand, raised his right, and touched the area beneath his nose with a finger.

An Astartes's finger joints were enormously thick, covered in Ceramite armor, enough to block his entire face.

The gesture made it seem as though he were hiding some expression behind his hand.

Then he lowered it.

Very good. His mind was clear, he was not corrupted, and his faith in the Emperor was exceptionally steadfast.

For a psyker with such delicate skin, someone who clearly had never suffered hardship, to be thrown into an abandoned Hive City and still endure without corruption was truly rare.

*********

After Tyrennius laughed, the atmosphere actually eased for a while.

It seemed that even in a cesspit like 40K, life could occasionally have warm, flickering moments.

But Tyrennius soon put his helmet back on.

The sealing ring clicked shut, red light flared in his lenses, and he became the Emperor's cold and stern angel once more.

It was like chatting with a friend at home, only for that friend to suddenly stand up and put on his coat.

He did not say anything, but you knew he was leaving.

Tyrennius turned to look deeper into the cave passage, toward the direction from which the cultists had poured in.

The red glow of his lenses swept over the area, confirming that many enemies remained inside.

Now that it had been verified that cultists were indeed gathering here in large numbers,

Tyrennius wanted them to leave the battlefield first.

"A massive gathering of cultists is highly abnormal."

The group they had eliminated belonged to the ritual's auxiliary units. The red-robed priest's staff had been set with high-purity Warp Crystal. A ritual implement of that level should not have been in the hands of a surface patrol.

Its presence here indicated that the ritual deeper in the caves had reached a greater stage.

When high-grade goods appeared at the front line, it meant something even bigger was happening in the rear.

And on this planet, that bigger thing could only be a Warp Rift.

What came next was not something civilians could handle.

"From this point onward, I am taking full command here. Withdraw immediately."

Tyrennius turned around, his blood-red Power Armor facing Lin En and the other two.

His figure appeared exceptionally tall within the cave passage. His Ceramite boots crushed the loose stone beneath them with heavy grinding sounds.

He could not leave yet. He needed to monitor the movements of these cultists.

He had already sent a tactical briefing through the Imperium's orbital communications network. Blood Angels forces, or forces from Ultramar, would arrive within forty-eight hours.

But the number of cultists gathered on the surface and throughout the underground caves far exceeded previous estimates.

The red-robed priest's death would trigger their counterattack.

Over the next forty-eight hours, the intensity of Chaos activity in this region would increase exponentially.

The Blood Angel took two steps forward, positioning himself between Lin En's group and the cave exit.

That stance was itself a barrier. The Blood Angel had placed himself between them and the threat.

"Your mission is complete," he said. "Battle Sister, the intelligence you brought back made the Imperium take notice of what is happening on Istvaan III. Mechanicus Sage, your ship and equipment maintenance have provided crucial support for my operation. Thank you very much."

The red light from the Blood Angel's helmet lenses fell upon Lin En and paused.

"You survived alone for over twenty days deep within the cultists' lair. You remained uncorrupted, your will steadfast. The Emperor has witnessed your loyalty and courage. And thank you for your trust in our Blood Angels Chapter. Please continue believing in our Chapter from now on. Now, leave the rest to me."

He wanted them to leave first, while he faced these enemies here alone.

Cecilia had clearly understood what he meant as well. She opened her mouth.