After dealing with the most urgent matters at hand, Soshyan had one more important thing to do.
Give those fallen warriors a due ceremony——
"—May the Emperor grant them peace."
After Yazdan finished reciting the prayer, he closed the books in his hands, and beautiful but sad music came from both sides of the emperor's statue.
Then he walked into the other monks and gave up his position to Soshyan.
Rows after rows of fully-armed monks were looking at him in their well-prepared armor, and dozens of coffins were placed in front of him. Each coffin contained a fallen monk, covered from head to toe in a white shroud. covered.
Their necks were covered with bandages emblazoned with the Aquila emblem, covering the wounds left when the gene-seed was removed.
These warriors of the past are like mummies on the old Earth, awaiting a resurrection that will never come - they will never be able to walk the earth again.
Although every servant of the Chapter Astartes was gathered here, the church still seemed very empty.
This church was built exactly like the obsidian fortress of the past. Even on the original home planet of the Chapter, Soshiyan had never seen it completely crowded, even when the Chapter was more powerful many years ago. .
Every step he took here he could feel the Empire's decline, just like the withering Adeptus Astartes.
He kept these thoughts to himself, and there was no trace of fatigue or doubt in his words.
The sound grille on the power armor amplified his voice, filling the church.
"Brothers, brave warriors of the empire! We gather together today to share the sorrow caused by losing so many warriors, but don't lose hope! They used their sacrifices to buy a moment for the continuation of mankind, until the real When peace comes, we will never stop fighting until the last drop of blood leaves our veins. This is the meaning of our birth!"
He looked at the long list of names in front of him, including the Astral Knights who died in Valedor, but more of them were Soul Drinkers who fell in the civil war.
The loss of this tragedy cut deeply into his heart.
At this moment, he suddenly felt indescribably tired. If he had a choice, he would definitely put down all the burdens on his body and walk into the endless wasteland of the Milky Way so that he would no longer be troubled.
But he had no choice.
"Brother Lazo will be forever missed."
He read softly:
"He was a member of the 2nd Tactical Squad, hero of the Battle of Forren, a ruthless slayer of greenskins, beloved by his brothers and captain, who fell in action on Valedor... Brother Razor."
He stretched out his hand towards the first corpse, and the servants immediately lifted the coffin and carried it on their shoulders.
These names are not in any order, so as not to make the deeds of one monk appear more glorious than that of another.
Death makes them completely equal, they are no longer divided by military rank and status.
"Brother Alexander, he was the heavy weapons hand of the 2nd Tactical Team, the marksman, the pacifier of the machine spirit, beloved by his brothers and captain, fell during the operation on Valedo... Brother Alexander."
He held out his hand again. Four other servants came forward and lifted the coffin.
The two sacrificed soldiers were both members of Farzad's team, so the soldier who had become the third company commander had tears in his eyes at this moment.
As the names were read out one by one, the bodies in the church were gradually emptied, and another burden was placed on Soshyan's shoulders.
Finally, he read Golgory's name.
"Brother Gorgori, he died in the process of serving the Emperor. Countless enemies fell on his sword, and traitors were frightened. May people remember his name and achievements."
If death really caused Soshyan pain, then the regret and remorse in Golgri's last moments truly pierced his heart like a knife.
"He died gloriously."
As he spoke, he descended from the dais, an unusual move that made the priests and warriors look at him curiously.
"He fought until the very end and set an example for us."
Soshiyang put the fragments of his shattered halberd into the coffin, and then turned back to the high platform, hiding the emotions that were almost revealed in his heart.
The body was also carried away, and there were many names waiting for him to read out.
When the last name was spoken and the last body was carried away, only the Astartes remained in the cathedral.
Everyone was silently mourning, and a deathly silence enveloped the angels.
Marble racks await the remains of the deceased before they are transported to the Chapter's graveyard to rest alongside the heroic ancestors brought from Obsidian Fortress in the past.
Carbon mist surrounded people's feet, and the morgues stretched quietly around. The number of corpses that could be placed here was more than the number of Space Marines in the entire Chapter.
Soshyan waited quietly for the warriors to enter their resting places, and Yazdan performed a brief ceremony in front of each corpse, whispering words to them that would never be heard.
Their remains were separated by a thick pane of glass, which soon became obscured by frost.
When everything was completed, a thin layer of frost had formed on Soshyan's armor, and the ice crystals at the joints made a cracking sound as he moved.
"All is done, Chapter Master."
Hearing Yazdan's words, he nodded, but his heart was so heavy that he couldn't say anything.
After that, Soshyan disbanded the team and went alone to a secret dark space deep underground in the monastery fortress.
This space was excavated on the order of Brother Seid, and it was hidden hundreds of meters deep in the mountain. However, until Sevita appeared, Brother Seid did not explain the function of this space.
Now the function of this space is obvious - it has become the private space of the Crow Prince.
Soshyan entered through a secret entrance and walked along a long corridor.
He felt like he was walking towards a terrible prison, but now there was only one watcher in this "prison".
The walls, ceiling, and marble floor of the corridor were covered with a rune that Soshyan didn't recognize, a rune that could be seen on Sevatar's chains but nowhere else.
Soshyan tentatively asked Savita what this rune was, but the other party just told him jokingly that this rune came from the ancient earth and might be as old as the Emperor.
But Soshyan wasn't too convinced.
And Sevatar doesn't look like a wizard.
"Who's there?"
Suddenly, a sound came from the darkness, like singing, and reached Soshiyang's ears.
But when he listened carefully, he found that there was no sound.
But that tone still echoed in his mind, teasing the edges of his soul, seeming to slowly move along the walls and ceiling, crawling like a spider, ready to pounce on him at any moment.
Soshyan thought he had heard this voice before.
But today, its attack felt stronger and more direct.
"Singer?"
