Only the High Marshal of the Black Templars knew how many Black Templars there actually were.
That was a rumor. The High Marshal himself had no idea.
Just as Evan still had no idea where Nian Cijin's Trade Fleet had gone, how many troops it had, or how Sisyphus's development was coming along.
After the Black Templars' warriors crossed blades with the Chapter's experts...
(.-ω-)zzz
They lay asleep in a sprawling heap.
Both sides' anesthetic blades were coated with kolan and drugs gifted by the Imperial Fists, combined with enhancement drugs. Unless the Wolf Brothers came along, who might have somewhat greater resistance, the fights would end very quickly.
Overall, the Black Templars' veterans were stronger than ours, but our Chapter had more people.
With enough people, a few absolute monsters were bound to emerge.
The troops directly assigned to the Light of the People were undoubtedly among the elites. With their greater strength as well, the battle-brothers who took the field performed quite well.
The Black Templars' veterans thoroughly enjoyed themselves. They thought they were fighting experts from more than a dozen Chapters.
The Chaplain, meanwhile, was invited to tour our various structures. As a former Chapter flagship, it still bore statues of the great figures who had once led the various Chapters.
To a Black Templars zealot, spending one's entire life fighting for the Emperor was only natural. Even so, he found it profoundly sacred that these loyal, courageous warriors had fought the traitors to their final moments, regardless of the cost.
He recited a passage from the Hymn of the Emperor. It had been a long time since such a sacred ritual song had echoed here.
Normally, after their friendly sparring, the Black Templars would leave. Respect and trust were two different things. Unless the Adeptus Custodes