"I am a warrior and I will not disobey the Chapter Master's orders!"
Sarpedon spoke loudly, his voice echoing in the empty meditation chamber as a vision floated before him, flashing above the burning body of an astropath.
It was also a tall figure wearing golden armor, but his eyes looked extremely hollow. Smoke and hissing continued to come out of the armor's vents. One of his hands was a power claw, and the other hand held a burning long sword.
This is clearly the image of the Holy Emperor.
Looking at each other, Sarpedon's skin tingled and sweat poured out.
On the floor, the stretched-out Astropath's body was twitching, and blisters sprouted from the surface. It would not survive - although it was a waste, there was nothing that could be done about it.
The Warp gives the Think Tanks many powers, including navigation and communication across vast distances of space.
Although Navigators are still relied upon to guide most ships, and Astropaths are used to send messages to dispersed armies, the Librarian's sophisticated skills and mystical conception allow for greater precision.
Even through some dark means, they can enable ships to sail through storms powerful enough to crush the mightiest fleets, and communicate across galaxies as clearly as if they were speaking in the same room.
But, like the power possessed by all beings involved in the Warp, it all comes with a price.
Sarpedon originally despised this method, but the situation forced him to use this method
Before the heart and soul fire were split, the man lying on the ground had been an Astropath.
Now, his soul is united with the beings of the Warp, allowing Sarpedon to seek help from the Warp.
But this method of contact costs blood and lives, and in many cases the purpose is defeated with these creatures.
On this night, he had killed three Astropaths.
"I just need you to help me find the Soul Spear. Only by finding that thing can I explain it to the Chapter Leader."
Sarpedon leaned on his chainsword, his armor shaking slightly.
"I am the messenger of destiny. Your destiny is in my eyes. If you don't resist, you and your comrades will be destroyed by the lackeys of the Lord of the Corpses."
"Empty talk, nonsense, twister."
"Haha, look at you, Sarpedon. You have served the Chapter for five hundred years, but you have to obey the command of a rookie. He doesn't understand the mission and vision of the Soul Drinkers at all!"
The creature soon changed its tone.
"The empire is completely decayed. You know this deeply. Gorgori is just a conservative person who blindly follows the oaths of the past. He will only make the Chapter become vulgar and weak, but you can make the Chapter stronger. , you should become the real master of the war group! You should enjoy real honor!"
"Shut up, devil. You are just a flatterer. Tell me what I want to know. It can only be called honor when the decision comes from the owner and not his dog."
"The Soul Spear is on the Brokenback, an abandoned space city. It's not far from you."
"Tell me the specific direction."
"You haven't offered a real sacrifice yet——"
"etc!"
The opponent disappeared so quickly that Sarpedon could only see a blurry afterimage.
In the blink of an eye, the image disappeared, leaving only the smell of sulfur and caramel rolling in the air.
The Astropath on the ground began to twist violently, and then his body exploded, and a large amount of blood poured out of the blind man's mouth.
A high-pitched wail sounded in Sarpedon's mind. He stared at the empty front for a while, then pulled out his bolt pistol and fired.
In an instant, minced meat and bones were splashed everywhere, and the air became quiet.
"Such a haphazard waste of this material."
A grunt came from behind.
"It explains something."
Sarpedon turned around without putting down the gun in his hand, his eyes immediately locked on the target.
He may be a little angry, but after all, he is still an extraordinary person. He has no unnecessary movements, only his finger on the trigger.
"What does it say?"
Sarpedon asked.
Beneath a black cloak, a pale skull stared at Malorgest, spinning slowly as he aimed and held his finger on the trigger.
"Maybe it says you're kind."
Behind the skull, a slightly joking voice answered.
"Then how did you get in?"
Sarpedon spoke slowly, like afternoon chatter.
The figure approached silently. It was very tall, and the large number of skulls on the armor gave it a stinging feeling of Sarpedon, but he did not give up his aim because of this.
"Maybe it means you're angry."
"Answer my words, Ictinos, or I will tear you to pieces and fling you into space."
"Maybe it means you're cruel."
Sarpedon's fingers tensed, the ignition inside the bolt pistol ready to fire.
"Don't provoke me, Pastor."
"It says if it's useless, I'm going to throw it away."
Chief Chaplain of the Soul Drinkers, Holy Master of the Chapter, Ictinos tilted his head.
"Is that so? I will write it down for authenticity analysis."
Although Sarpedon understood him, Ictinos always made him unable to stand it and wanted to burn the bastard on the spot.
Unlike most pastors, he is too emotional, too mysterious, and too disturbing.
"How did you get into this room."
"As the spiritual representative of the Chapter, I can go anywhere."
"Not here."
"Wherever there are chapter brothers, I can go."
Ictinos tilted his head.
"However, if my intrusion has caused you emotional discomfort, I will apologize to you and allow you to regain your balance."
Sarpedon lowered his weapon and took a deep breath to calm his mind.
For think tanks, anger has its uses, and all emotions have their uses.
No matter how much his instinct wanted to kill the priest, he could not do it.
As Ictinos preaches, he is the spiritual symbol of the Chapter and the caretaker of the souls of his battle-brothers.
Sarpedon knew nothing of the real him, but could detect the scent of the Warp in him.
He couldn't kill him, and he couldn't kill himself, and if both tried, it would undoubtedly spark civil war within the Chapter.
And the danger of the first civil war was already approaching.
"What do you want from me?"
Sarpedon decided to change a topic that would make him less excited.
"It has been five days since the Astropath received the message from our Chapter Master. How do you plan to respond?"
Behind his calm face, Sarpedon had many thoughts running through his mind, but what was confirmed was that not many people knew about it.
"This has nothing to do with you."
"No, it has something to do with us. I will pay close attention to it."
"He is the Chapter Master and his orders are above all else."
"So you're going to take it easy?"
Ictinos pulled up his hood and walked towards the place where the smoke was condensing, where the Astropath's remains lay.
"The truth of your words is incomplete. You don't really think our action was wrong, do you?"
"Whether it's wrong or not is up to Gorgli."
Sarpedon didn't care and met the gaze of the skull visor opposite him.
"You can leave now. I still have work to do. The sightseeing ends here. You'd better say hello before coming back."
The priest paused for a second, then slowly disappeared into the dark entrance.
"Soldiers are not blind, Sarpedon. You shoulder everyone's hopes. You should..."
Iktinos paused, obviously thinking about it.
"Make the right choice."
Then he left the meditation room.
"I--"
Sarpedon said to himself while watching the door close.
"Yes."
