Aboard the Hyperion, the atmosphere was so tense it felt explosive.
Any servants passing by would instinctively give the area a wide berth. The Dark Angels Dreadnought was currently holding a bronze-buckled leather belt. It looked like bronze, but its actual effects were probably known to no one.
Zhou Ye's idea when creating it had been simple and crude: I thinks I needs a bronze-buckled leather belt that can make an Astartes feel pain.
At this moment, Aldrich was exceptionally furious. Such a glorious moment. They were about to face a Daemon Primarch, Fulgrim. Such a momentous battle. And he was being held back by a few little brats. He was being denied participation in such a glorious war.
Aldrich's entire Dreadnought chassis was radiating displeasure. Before him stood Asmodai and the others, completely stripped of their armor.
It was well known that an Astartes's tolerance for pain was immense. Even when they interrogated Fallen Angels, they often relied on verbal therapy. So what was this excruciating pain that lanced through them with every strike?
After being forbidden by Ai-chan from performing the Aruba, Aldrich had resorted to whipping them with this thing instead.
"You will repent for your mistakes! We are facing the Daemon Primarch Fulgrim! I should have been at our Lord's side, embracing a moment of glory! It is all because of you!!!"
Aldrich was about to blow a gasket from sheer rage. Such a perfect battle, and he could only watch.
The last person to be bullied this badly was Rylanor, and that guy had already assembled all the Emperor's Children and was currently on his way here. And he, Aldrich, could only watch.
"Ancient, what is the meaning of this?"
After realizing the Ancient's identity and being strung up for a thorough beating, even the most fanatical Asmodai had calmed down. If this Ancient were to return to the Chapter, he would be the oldest and most untainted Dark Angel in existence. He could even be the final arbiter on who was truly Fallen.
Although the Dreadnought before them bore few markings of honor, they could not mistake that ancient aura.
This was one of the original five hundred honor guards, one of the most ancient Astartes. A being who had fought alongside the Emperor Himself during the Unification Wars. They would accept a beating from someone like him, and even consider it an honor.
Though they couldn't quite understand why this bronze-buckled belt caused such excruciating pain. It was probably some kind of holy relic...
"Ancient, how did you survive back then? And how did you come to be interred in a Dreadnought?"
CRACK!!!
"AHH!!!"
"I barely escaped Istvaan III with my life, and then during the Siege of Terra, I was blown into this Dreadnought by an Ordinatus cannon that the Lion gifted to Perturabo! What do you think happened?!"
"..."
In an instant, the entire chamber fell into a bizarre silence.
Asmodai and the other Inner Circle members stared dumbfounded at the Dreadnought, the expressions on their faces twitching.
The group exchanged a look of tacit understanding. This was a secret. A secret that must never be spoken of. It would damage the dignity of both their Primarch and this venerable Ancient.
Damn it, hold it in. Don't laugh.
They had to distract themselves. Wait, what did the Ancient just say?
Oh, Fulgrim... wait, FULGRIM!!!
"Such a glorious moment! NO!!!"
At that moment, Asmodai and the others let out a sharp, piercing cry.
A Daemon Primarch! Such a glorious moment! And they were relegated to this Battle Barge! What a blasphemy!
Although they were all extreme fanatics, they were still Astartes. To be trapped here during such a glorious battle was more than they could bear.
"So now you understand!!!"
Seeing the reaction of the little brats, Aldrich let out a humorless, mechanical laugh. Shouting "Repent!" at that Lord? Why didn't they go and make the Lion repent?
Of course, if the Lion were standing in front of him right now, he would genuinely dare to punch him and make him repent.
"Ancient, please, a moment of such glory, we cannot..."
"I know... Don't be hasty. First, let's get your armor repaired." Aldrich sneered, the massive electronic eye of the Contemptor Dreadnought making the Astartes shrink back.
"By the way, Ancient, our Lord mentioned earlier that the Lion is... in the Rock?"
Asmodai didn't know Zhou Ye's identity, but since their own millennia-old Dreadnought referred to him as "Our Lord," he followed suit without question. While being strung up and whipped, they had recalled the Lord's words about their Primarch.
How was he in the Rock?
"That is a secret. If you wish to know, you must join the Inner Circle."
"But we are the Inner Circle..."
"..."
The scene fell silent once more. Aldrich seemed to have stalled.
"Now is not the time for him to awaken. Forcing him to wake now would kill the Primarch, just like Guilliman on Macragge. When he is needed, he will return... According to our Lord, the Lion will return within a century."
"Ah..." Asmodai let out another sharp cry. This was glory! What unimaginable glory!
Click...
Just then, the chamber door opened. Asmodai and the others' pupils constricted.
You'll never guess what they saw. A group of little Tech-Priest figures.
Of course, these weren't actually Tech-Priests; they were Zhou Ye's Armed Puppets.
They weren't Klein, but rather mass-produced models. Since Zhou Ye refused to use servitors and Klein was busy mining for him, he needed these Armed Puppets to operate and maintain the ship.
To avoid attracting attention, Zhou Ye had thoughtfully disguised them as Tech-Priests.
But before they could say anything, the Dark Angels' faces twisted.
They saw that their Terminator armor had been fully repaired. The problem was, the livery had been changed. It was now pure black.
"I don't know why you use green, but as loyal Dark Angels, you will either put on this armor and jump back into the fight, or you will get in a stasis field and wait until this war is over."
Aldrich could wait no longer. He desperately needed to return to the battlefield. He even took out a paint sprayer, and a few of the little Tech-Priest figures began painting his own armor back to black.
Zhou Ye had needed to hide his identity before, but now that he'd run into these Dark Angels brats, what was the point of pretending?
So, everything was switched back to the Star of Trailblaze livery he had so carefully designed. This sight nearly gave the Dark Angels a heart attack.
Were they really going to fight in black armor? Although the Ancient before them had no idea what had happened in the intervening millennia, they...
Of course, this was all Zhou Ye's idea. Aldrich had been communicating with him. It was clear the old lion wanted to continue the glorious boarding action, and seeing the reaction of his own brats, his heart had softened a little.
So, Zhou Ye gave them one condition: wear the black armor.
Excellent. Now you're a Fallen Angel too. Don't you dare cause any trouble. Otherwise, you can get in a stasis field and watch this awesome boarding action from the sidelines.
The Astartes bullying had commenced!
In the end... a Contemptor Dreadnought, painted pitch black and bearing the Star of Trailblaze insignia, leaped down onto the battlefield, followed by a squad of black-armored figures.
"This will be a secret, one we must all keep. This is the Ancient's affirmation. We are loyal Dark Angels!!!" Asmodai declared to all within their private Inner Circle channel.
In the end, they were still Astartes. They could not resist such a glorious boarding action.
---o---
On the other side, Zhou Ye saw the group of fanatics appear, a joyful smile spreading across his face.
He had been annoyed with these people for a long time. Making them wear black armor now was just too amusing.
However, from their slightly stiff movements, he could tell their minds were not at ease.
Indeed, no Astartes could withstand Astartes bullying, especially the threat of being left out of a boarding action.
But Zhou Ye quickly refocused his attention. As they drew closer to the heart of the battlefield, everyone drew a sharp breath. Before them was a massive tide of Greenskins.
An Ork that possessed a Battle Moon could not possibly be weak, and its Greenskin horde would be enormous. So...
At that moment, Zhou ye slowly raised his longsword.
"We are not your sons, we are the Luna Wolves!"
"Primarch-Progenitor, to your glory and the glory of Him on Earth!"
"No Pity, No Remorse, No Fear!"
"Iron Within, Iron Without!!!"
"For the Emperor's Children, slay the father's foe!"
As Zhou Ye sounded the charge, a chorus of different war cries rang out.
Hearing these voices almost made the newly arrived Dark Angels stumble and fall flat on their faces.
Emperor above, where are we? Isn't this a Space Hulk? Where have they taken us?
More secrets...
A hint of numbness crept onto the Dark Angels' faces. But before they could say anything, they saw the squad of War Hounds move to their Dreadnought's side.
"Ahem..."
Hearing the chaotic mess of war cries, Zhou Ye cleared his throat. This wasn't going to work. He needed to unify their cry.
"May you one day reach the stars!!!"
As the unified war cry was bellowed, the entire force charged forward.
"Repent! Repent! All of you, Repent!!!"
The Dark Angels Dreadnought, Aldrich, charged like a World Eater with his Butcher's Nails firing on all cylinders. Under the dumbfounded gazes of the Dark Angels, he led a squad of War Hounds straight into the enemy.
For some reason, Asmodai suddenly had a strange feeling.
They... might... perhaps... possibly... have been usurped.
"Repent! For tomorrow you die!"
With a final roar, Asmodai also charged forward.
He and his men were surprised to find that their Terminator armor, for some unknown reason, was performing better than before, and its machine spirit was more content.
Like a hot knife through butter, they sliced directly into the massive green tide.
---o---
Meanwhile, on the other side.
The Lamenters, Flesh Tearers, Ultramarines, and Inquisitor Chris had finally made landfall.
Not everyone was as reckless as those other lunatics. They moved with practiced coordination.
The Flesh Tearers, in particular, had deployed nearly their entire force. This sight made the others' brows twitch.
Mario, especially, saw something in them... a self-destructive tendency.
Why? Because he recognized a bit of it in himself. It was only after our Lord had replenished their numbers to a full company and their own Dreadnought had beaten them soundly that he had abandoned the idea of self-annihilation.
These were new recruits, after all. They bore no sin. And as quite possibly the last of the Lamenters, Mario felt a heavy responsibility to lead this new batch of soldiers well.
"All units, advance to the core Battle Moon! Only by destroying it can we deal with this Space Hulk!"
They were surrounded by Genestealers and all sorts of other abominations. But soon...
"You have so many Terminators, so why do you also have Centurions!!!"
Not long after they landed, Seth stared, dumbfounded, at the thirty suits of Terminator armor and three Centurion suits that the Lamenters had deployed.
Seriously, brother, how are you guys so rich?
There were also three Redemptor Dreadnoughts, but Zhou Ye hadn't installed any wetware in them yet. They were empty sarcophagi. The meaning was clear: if anyone was critically injured, they could be interred immediately.
"For a glorious death in battle!!!"
Hearing this, Mario immediately roared and led the charge. They had the best equipment; it was only right that they lead the way.
Besides, he had no idea how to explain it. Our Lord had told him never to reveal his existence to others.
"Wait, is that a Gellar Field over there???"
Just then, someone cried out in alarm. The group was surprised to see that a ship, embedded in the Space Hulk, still had a small Gellar Field active.
But before they could say anything, the Gellar Field shattered.
A few little yellow figures roared and charged out, followed by a priest of the Ecclesiarchy who was using his faith to maintain a barrier, protecting several hundred civilians behind him.
"All of you, we will protect you! Now, leave with us!!!"
"Malakim???"
Seeing this, Mario couldn't help but cry out in shock.
The Chapter Master of the Lamenters... he was here.
"Execute him immediately!!!"
Seeing this, Seth almost instinctively raised his weapon. Despite the protection of the Gellar Field, in an environment like this, he was surely corrupted. Killing him was undoubtedly the simplest and most effective solution.
---o---