Endurance.
Now.
In a private training room beside the Seventh Company's training hall, Hades stood beside the training cage, dressed in the simplest combat suit and holding a standard combat scythe.
The veteran—Hades later learned his name was Blanca, commander of the Second Battalion of the Seventh Company—stood beside Hades with his arms folded, clad in Mk II Power Armor.
A deep, muffled voice came from Blanca's helmet.
"When you defeat that Combat Servitor for the first time, come find me again."
Wait, wasn't he supposed to teach him how to use a bolter or a Meltagun first? Or at least teach him some tactical phrases?
Hades watched as a gray hemispherical barrier rose around the field, while the Combat Servitor, half a meter taller than him, descended from above the cage and slammed into the floor with a dull thud.
Blanca could not be bothered with Hades. He simply waved a hand, signaling for him to enter the training cage.
Combat Drill α-3. Moderate lethality.
The cylindrical Combat Servitor activated. The indicator on its top lit up with an ominous red glow, panels on its sides opened, and six chainsaw-like blades emerged, gleaming coldly.
With a soft click, all six chainsaws roared to life at once!
Hades raised his combat scythe and assumed an opening stance.
So this was a show of force, huh?
Though Hades had known there would definitely be something like this, he was still annoyed that they did not even bother putting on an act.
The machine charged at him, its six chainsaw blades tracing dizzying paths through the air at once!
Hades drove off the ground and leaped up, twisting half a turn in midair until his head faced the floor. Both hands turned, sending the scythe spinning as he hooked it downward!
"Hiss—"
A teeth-grinding scrape of metal rang out. Sparks burst between the combat scythe and the Servitor, scattering dazzling white light.
Hades slammed heavily onto the ground. Without hesitation, he turned and swept his scythe around, the blade tearing through the air as it ripped straight toward the Servitor—
"Stop!"
The scythe stopped the instant it touched the Servitor. A bright metal dent stood out sharply against its once smooth, polished shell.
When Hades had struck the Servitor with his first jumping blow, it had already taken sufficient damage and entered a ceasefire state. The red light above it had turned green.
Hades turned his head and looked calmly at Blanca.
A show of force, was it?
Unlike the Death Guard of Barbarus, who usually fought in groups, Hades had truly carved his own way out from piles of xenos.
Yet Blanca still stood with his arms folded, his face hidden by his helmet as he seemed to ponder something.
Type 3 Combat Servitor. Combat Drill α-3. Maximum lethality.
Blanca's calm voice sounded again, as though Hades's little provocation meant nothing to him.
Several metal straps descended from the ceiling. The Servitor Hades had just fought automatically stepped onto them and returned to its original position.
Then, a Servitor clearly twice the size of the previous one crashed down with a bang.
Hades looked up. This thing was a full two meters taller than him.
The red light came on.
"Defeat this one, then come find me."
Blanca's muffled voice sounded from his helmet again, filtered into Barbaran by the mechanical translator with an extremely strange accent.
This time, the veteran seemed extremely confident. After saying that, he walked straight out of the private training room, leaving only Hades to face off against the gigantic Combat Servitor.
As though he had already decided that Hades could never defeat it.
Hades raised his scythe again. Who was he looking down on?!
It was only bigger. Watch me take it down in sec—
At noon that day, a bruised and battered Hades appeared in the medical room of the Second Battalion's Apothecary for the first time.
The Apothecary seemed well prepared, using medical gel to fill the wounds torn open by chainsword blades.
These did not look like wounds made by the chainsaws of an ordinary Combat Servitor, Apothecary Leo thought as he treated Hades.
Even if Blanca had a bad temper, he would not throw a Type 3 at a recruit right away, would he?
Leo thought silently.
Still, it looked like he needed to prepare more basic medical gel.
Ever since the first recruit had arrived, the medical room's wound-filling supplies had always been used up quickly.
Veterans generally did not suffer such injuries during routine training. They kept their wounds within a reasonable range.
"Done."
Leo lifted the medical tray. A few drops of blood had splattered across it and were slowly trickling down its sides.
Hades sat gloomily in his seat. He truly had not expected that, despite being the same mode, the second machine would be more than three times faster.
It had been even faster than Nac'Lare's strike at Hades back then!
Damn it, he really was being looked down on!
But what Hades did not know was that Blanca had left so confidently because there were only a few veterans in the entire Seventh Company who could easily beat a Type 3 Combat Servitor at maximum settings.
The remaining veterans could defeat a Type 3 in that mode as well, but only by barely scraping out a victory.
In Blanca's original plan, Hades was supposed to spend a week being ground down by the first Servitor.
But because of Hades's calm expression, Blanca had decided to make him suffer a little more.
In less than a week, the recruit would probably be unable to take it anymore and come looking for him.
Even if Hades really defeated the Type 3 Servitor, Blanca would have trained a true warrior!
Still, the kid really did look tough!
In Blanca's rational assessment, Hades would most likely be unable to endure it and return to admit defeat.
But Blanca also wanted to see this recruit's potential. Who would not want the Emperor's angels to be even fiercer in battle?
Blanca hated these recruits. They were loud, arrogant, and full of themselves, thinking that because they had some connection to their Primarch, they could look down on the veterans.
Unfortunately, their Primarch was not like the Luna Wolves', who had met their Primarch early on.
That said, if they truly encountered a recruit who could fight, Blanca hoped he could take up their burden and win glory for the Imperium in the Emperor's name!
If this kid could really defeat a Type 3, he would definitely be a fine hand at cutting down xenos.
That was Blanca's final thought.
Feeling that his wounds would not tear open again when he stood, Hades shakily prepared to get up and leave.
But the medical room door suddenly opened.
A pale-faced, thin-bodied man who was clearly Barbaran walked in.
The wounds torn open by chainsword blades had already scabbed over and were healing rapidly.
Hades's eyes widened—
Well, wasn't that Vokes? He had finally run into someone from back home!
Enjoy reading! (ω)
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