Standard Terran Calendar,
Tempest Star Territory, Planet Nessen IV, Astral Knights Chapter Monastery Fortress
The selection of the new batch of recruits of the Astral Knights has ended. This selection was completely led by the Tenth Company Commander Armin and the Chief Chaplain. In addition to the local children of Nathan IV, the participants also included those brought by the Chapter from Armageddon. orphan.
This is the third selection of the Astral Knights since they came to Naison IV. The number of places in this selection is larger than the previous two, with a full thousand people, and there will eventually be three hundred lucky ones.
Not only has the number of places increased, but the selection criteria have also been slightly relaxed, and the requirements for candidates are no longer as demanding as in the past.
Some people have criticized this, but in the context of the Chapter's urgent need to expand its army, a little opposition can't change anything - in the War of Armageddon and the subsequent conflict in the Minotaur, the Astral Knights fought continuously, and six people were killed. More than ten people were exhausted.
Similarly, although the selection process has been optimized many times and is not as cruel as it was originally, casualties are still inevitable.
Finally, when three hundred exhausted boys walked out of the selection venue, their future fate was sealed.
The thing that all the boys want to do most after the selection is to have a good sleep. The seven days and seven nights of selection are really torture, and everyone's physical strength and energy have reached their limit.
They have three days to rest, and then they will undergo a series of physical enhancement modulations to increase their survival rate during the subsequent transformation process. This is one of the experiences that Valier has summarized over the years - physical conditioning before transformation. It is effective.
For most Chapters, warriors usually choose to spend their precious few moments of rest in their own private quarters.
However, this rule does not apply to new recruits, who remain in groups until they become true Astartes.
Therefore, the new barracks in the fortress area often have three functions: sanctuary, armory and dormitory. Slaves and servants also live here in order to serve this group of immature warriors with all their heart.
But that night, there was something unusual about a certain area in the recruits' dormitory.
A strong figure hurried past, his eyes as cold as frost.
One of the heavily armed slave workers was staring at the boy crossing the room. When its mechanical eyes recognized the identity of the person, a dull and dull voice came out of its mouth.
"Applicant No. 3, do you need-"
"Shhhhhhh."
The boy hissed.
"Quiet."
His name was Herbert Loew, a boy who had excellent results in the cruel selection, and his family had already given birth to an Astartes fifty years ago, and he was currently serving in the Fourth Company.
Herbert tiptoed to the side of a bed, looked at the boy lying on the bed who was a head shorter than him, his eyes narrowed dangerously, and then he pulled out a silver short knife from his boot.
"Jacob."
He shouted softly, and at the same time, his fingers unconsciously tightened on the handle of the knife.
An unspeakable impulse roared into his mind, clamoring and urging him to cut open the body of the annoying bottom bastard in front of him, let his blood flow to the ground, and satisfy his desire for revenge. .
But the boy from the Armageddon Hive did not move at all, even though the salty smell of sweat from the opponent's body continued to pour into his nasal cavity, mixed with the unique smell of the blade. There was a sharp metal smell full of murderous intent, but he still couldn't even see
He didn't even bother to open his eyes.
"Jacob."
Herbert's voice was low and his teeth were clenched together.
"If you don't get out, I'll dig out both of your eyes with your broken knife."
Suddenly, Jacob opened his eyes. There was no emotion in them and they were extremely cold.
"I don't think so."
Herbert's eyes twitched and he slid aside, turning the short knife back and forth between his fingers with grace and skill, like a magician dancing at a banquet.
"We need to talk."
Jacob finally sat up. Now he felt extremely uncomfortable all over his body, especially his shoulders and spine. They must be red and swollen, and the pain caused to him by each part was comparable to a small wound.
I have to say that the other party was really good at picking the moment, and he perfectly ruined his hard-earned rest.
But that was not what annoyed him the most. What annoyed him the most was that the other party interrupted his dream. He had just dreamed of his mother, and the father whom he once hated and hated, but ultimately admired - when he was in In his memory, he was just a hive gang scum, but in the end he dragged the broken
The scene of his body fighting a bloody battle with the green beast in the smoke was deeply etched in his mind.
This is why he chose to become an Astartes.
"...Speak directly if you have anything to say."
"Ah, you are a despicable guy. You are so eager to pursue victory that you are even willing to betray your own team. But there is nothing to be ashamed of, right?"
"If you have anything else to do besides being pretentious and talking nonsense, I'd like to ask you to speak faster."
Hearing this, Herbert pretended to shake his head, as if he had never seen such a tragic thing.
"You were really selfish, you stole qualifications you didn't deserve and you had no shame about it."
Jacob grabbed his metal skull headdress, tied his long black hair back and tied it, and smoothly gathered the hair hanging beside his face.
This is one of the typical hairstyles worn by young members of the Hades Hive gang.
"You woke me up just to talk about this?"
"No, I woke you up to challenge you to a duel."
Herbert turned the murderous weapon in his hand, and it spun dexterously on his fingertips, shining like a waterfall of silver light.
Then he glanced at the dormitory. Just as he thought, everyone else had quietly left half an hour ago, and now it was just him and the person in front of him.
Jacob shook his head. His upper body was naked, only wearing a pair of leather pants. His dark body was covered with scars, as if he was silently telling the story of the battles the boy had experienced.
"Should I guess the reason why you suddenly came to the duel in the middle of the night?"
The muscles and tendons trembled almost invisible for a moment. Herbert's short blade swung violently, and the smooth and cold edge scratched Jacob's skin - if he hadn't instinctively shrank his head, this blow would have been enough to kill him. His ears were cut off.
Herbert grinned with something that was not a smile.
"You're just a foreign hive bitch who sneaked onto a battleship, and suddenly you felt like you could become an Astartes, the most powerful, fiercest, and smartest warrior in humanity."
"So what's bothering you is that I'm going to be an Astartes?"
"Speaking of which, should we review your performance? You still look like your eyes are higher than your head."
The light fell on Herbert's teeth, slightly illuminating them with pure white light.
"Ha, if you're worried about becoming less glorious, why don't you try to make yourself stronger, fiercer, and smarter?"
"He's really sharp-tongued and sharp-tongued."
Herbert's voice was low and sweet,
"What a pity it must be for parents to give birth to a freak like you."
The next second, Jacob's movements were equally swift and fierce. The knife originally placed in the scabbard on his calf instantly appeared in his palm, with the tip pointed at Herbert's neck.
Herbert's reaction was also very fast, and he blocked the fatal sharpness with the knife in his hand. However, this still made him a little scared, and he took two steps back.
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