As soon as the Blade Feast was announced, all the warriors suppressed their excitement.
Soshiyang stood on the viewing platform of the battle group and stared at the main stage.
Then, there were four roaring cannons.
Before the giant disappeared, a flashing blue-white energy appeared out of thin air on the main stage, and then expanded into a radiant lightning sphere.
The tortured air molecules screamed, and the teleportation effect twisted the laws of physics to the point of collapse in the blink of an eye.
After a second, the violent glare and noise completely disappeared, leaving only nineteen figures standing proudly.
Their flawless bright yellow battle armor was decorated with jet black trim, and they were covered with coats of arms and ribbons from head to toe, and the coat of arms on their chests shone brightly.
They are huge shadows that strike fear into the hearts of all who dare to look directly at them, their solid plate armor and fiery eyes instilling awe and fear in them.
On their shoulders, the clenched iron fist pattern is clearly visible.
The appearance of these Terminators is imitated from the Heskal Guards, Dorne's close followers during the Great Crusade.
The Heskar Guard were the first warriors to swear allegiance to the Primarch after Dorn returned to take charge of the Seventh Legion, and their names were also the first to be engraved on the walls of the Phalanx's Oath Temple.
It was a group of Heskar who escorted the Primarch Dorn aboard the Vengeful Spirit during the final stages of the Battle for Terra at the end of the Horus Heresy.
However, after the second founding of the army, the guard was abolished. Only during the Feast of Blades will they appear again with the honor of the fallen warriors.
And their mission is to escort the two holy objects.
The two holy objects were placed in a transparent glass cover, and each was carried by four Heskars. They were the Hand of Dorne and the Sword of Sebatus.
The Hand of Dorne is the most direct relic left by Dorne, and it is also the only remains of their father that the heirs of Dorne have found. In order to commemorate the great father of the Primarch, each hand bone is engraved with the name of the former Chapter Master. Along with the Heraldry, a ritual performed by each Chapter Master in the course of assuming their duties, this constitutes the highest form of the Chapter's sculptural tradition.
Over the millennia of the Imperial Fists' history, these hand bones have been covered with names and sigils, but many more spaces remain blank.
Now, it will once again bear witness to the Feast of the Blades, symbolizing the Primarch's personal presence.
The warrior at the front of the team stepped forward. His armor was more luxurious than the others, and his body was covered with various honor chains and military merit badges. A metal cloak woven by the Martian Sage hung on his shoulders.
When the two holy objects were in place, he pulled out a gold-encrusted bolt pistol from his waist, raised it high above his head, and then fired a shot into the sky.
The bullets roared out with deafening thunder, and before the shells landed on the marble beneath their feet, the sons of Dorne were already shouting in unison the war cries that their forefathers once howled on the battlefield.
"Primarch above, for the glory of you and the Lord of Earth!"
Before the roar died down, the warrior put away his weapon and took off his helmet, letting everyone see his face.
He is the current leader of the Imperial Fists Chapter, Vladimir Pugh.
"Brothers! Blood relatives! After many years, we are reunited again. There are many old faces here, and there are also many new faces. We mourn the fallen warriors and cheer for the new ones! But no matter when, No matter where we are, we are the last high wall of the empire! We will never surrender, never retreat, and never fail!!!!"
After that, all the contestants were gathered together. They stood on the auxiliary stage next to the main stage. A pair of metal gloves was placed in front of each person.
This kind of glove, also known as the Pain Glove, is an improved version of the original Pain Glove. It no longer needs to cover the whole body when used, and of course the pain caused is no longer so extreme.
This device was first created during the Great Crusade. It was a unique Chapter culture developed by the Imperial Fists out of their obsession with overcoming pain and penance, and imitating the Primarch.
The main function of the pain wrap is to stimulate pain neurons, causing severe pain without causing any physical damage.
Its function is no longer just a simple means of punishment, but in a sense a measure of negative reinforcement and promotion of positive spiritual values.
Therefore, this is also one of the rituals of the Feast of Blades.
Participants will experience the pain experienced by the Primarch in the past, endure the severe pain caused by the equipment on the basis of strict self-discipline, and recall the glory of Dorne, in order to perfect the spiritual communication between them and the Primarch.
"start!"
Vladimir Pugh gave the order, and all the soldiers put their hands into the sleeve of pain without hesitation.
In the next second, their faces were almost distorted, but even so, they still had to recite the prayers along with the priest while breathing in pain.
"Pain is the teaching of the starry sky and the universe, the protection of damage, the source of immortality, the weapon of purification of the soul, the cup of the hero's communion, the panacea of the weak, the essence of devotion, the baptism of sublimation of life, gold The sublime flame of the spirit—"
Some of them had experienced this, or the war group had participated in the Feast of Blades before, and knew about this rule, so they trained in advance and basically didn't seem too sad.
But for a novice like Ustad, this was life-threatening. The moment the gloves were activated, he almost fainted from a black eye.
More importantly, he does not have the talent to endure pain like the Imperial Fists!
In his life, he had never suffered this level of severe pain.
But in order to defend the honor of the battle group, he could only grit his teeth and fight hard. After a while, the veins on his forehead jumped.
After thirty hellish seconds, Ustad finally breathed a sigh of relief as the gloves closed.
At this time, not only were his lips white, his hands and feet were trembling slightly, but his whole body was soaked with sweat, as if he had just been fished out of the water.
After the opening ceremony, it was time to draw lots.
Each fighter walked to the transparent box and took out a piece of paper with their opponent written on it.
"How about it?"
After Ustad returned to the viewing platform of the battle group, Soshyan quickly stepped forward to ask. Ustad's condition looked a bit bad.
"fine--"
Ustad took a deep breath, took a bottle of energy potion from his comrade next to him, and drank it all in one gulp.
The bloodline of the Undead Army may not be very capable of enduring pain, but its ability to recover is very strong.
In just a few moments, Ustad looked like he was back to normal.
"Who is the opponent?"
"The champion of the Hammer of Dorne, Fabian Banega, is a warrior who has served for more than two hundred years. His weapon is a warhammer."
The Hammers of Dorn are a relatively young war group founded in the early days of M41 and are currently participating in the Achilles Expedition.
"Are you confident?"
Ustad nodded.
Soshyan then smiled and patted the other party on the shoulder and said:
"Relax, I believe you, but don't use that power."
"yes."
Soon, the budget competition officially began. It was divided into three batches, and Ustad was the second batch.
On the viewing platform, they watched the battles on different arenas through large monitors. Among them, the ones that impressed Soshyan the most were the champions of the Black Templar and Crimson Fist. These two veteran battle groups were also the main contributors to past championships. winner.
The Black Templars had a huge conflict with the Imperial Fists during the Beast Wars, so they did not participate in the Feast of Blades for a long time.
But blood brothers cannot hate each other forever. Since the M37 period, the Black Templar has returned to the Feast of Blades sequence.
From Soshiyang's point of view, the contestants of these two groups are all top players, and even he is not sure of victory.
If they encounter them, Ustad will have a greater chance of defeat.
But he didn't expect to win the championship.
About half an hour later, when the winner was decided on the last stage, the first batch of winners were born.
Then, when it was time for Ustad to play, he had already changed into training armor for competition.
"Go ahead, show your strength and give it a try!"
Nodding vigorously at Soshyan, Ustad walked down the viewing platform and walked towards his first opponent——
