After receiving the message from Soshyan, Azrael, who was fighting on the ground, immediately chose to return to the Stone Fortress in orbit, not only because he needed to know more about the situation, but also because of the important actions that would follow. He can no longer make the decision alone.
Although he is the Supreme Master of the Chapter, collective decision-making must still be adopted for major events.
When Azrael walked down the Thunderhawk and stood at the huge stone Knight's Gate, the echoing bells of the church had stopped, the lights were turned off, and even the servants who usually patrolled the passage had disappeared.
He couldn't say why, but Azriel didn't want others to discover his whereabouts, and he didn't want others to know that he had appeared here at this moment.
Therefore, he had no servants or guards around him.
The Knight's Gate is one of the few remaining ancient buildings in Caliban. There are two statues standing on both sides of the gate. On the left is a proud young knight holding a pistol and a chain sword tightly. He is walking into the world with his head held high. On the right It was an old knight with scars all over his body, his armor was broken, and his weapons were broken. He knelt on his knees weakly, but his head and back were raised high, and he looked at the door deeply in his eyes.
When Azrael passed the two statues, he reached out and gently touched the stone tablet on the right - this was a far-reaching tradition. He felt the smooth touch on his fingertips, and his thoughts drifted to thousands of years ago, recalling the past generations. Countless ancestors have done the same thing.
Then, he stepped into the Knight's Gate alone, and the artificial breeze gently lifted his green robe and pulled his hood.
After entering, Zahariel walked straight to the center of the hall.
The light in the circular hall is dim. There are several candlesticks placed on the raised platform, and a few candles are burning. The stained glass above reflects the flickering candlelight. The heroes of the past legions depicted on the glass are under the dim candlelight. He looked a little ferocious, and his eyes seemed to be staring at Azrael.
Azrael took off his helmet and glanced left and right, looking for signs of someone.
Darkness enveloped the entire hall, with the light of candles illuminating only the first few rows of stone benches.
"Ezekiel?"
he shouted in a low voice, but no answer came from the darkness.
Suddenly, Azrael suddenly turned around and saw Ezekiel, the Grand Master of the Chapter's Think Tank, appearing on one side of the platform, holding his hand on the railing.
The director of the think tank wears an ancient robe, with his face hidden in the shadow of the hood. This can reduce the strange gazes of ordinary battle brothers. The think tanks feel that any explanation cannot avoid rumors and superstition, so they simply remain mysterious.
"You came."
Ezekiel said with a smile, his figure was hidden in the darkness, and if it weren't for his demeanor and voice, Azrael really wouldn't have recognized him.
Then, the think tank master magically took out a lantern, and the warm light illuminated the place under his feet.
"Everyone is here."
Ezekiel beckoned Azrael onto the platform.
The Supreme Master nodded and walked down the stairs. These stone steps were worn and worn out, and only members of the inner circle could walk on them.
Soon, they entered another almost completely hidden space, next to a stone staircase. This spiral downward staircase was both in the center of the hall and in the middle of the platform.
But most people in the war group don't know the existence of this staircase, nor do they know what secret space there is below.
"I heard that the Soshiyang Chapter Leader seems to have some new ideas."
The two of them were chatting while walking down. The think tank's great mentor's voice was very relaxed, not at all the overly respectful way subordinates treat their superiors.
The reason is actually very simple. Every Supreme Master will have a pair of right and left hands. The first thing the Supreme Master does after taking office is to appoint his left hand and right hand, which are his two closest advisers.
The right-hand men appointed by Azrael when he took office were Ezekiel, Grand Master of the Think Tank, and Dagone, the former Grand Mentor of Priests. Although Dagone is no longer in office, Ezekiel is still the closest and most trusted person to Azrael. , and also his strongest ally in the war group.
Correspondingly, as the think tank master Ezekiel who has served three supreme masters successively, his status can be said to be second only to the supreme master himself.
The ancient history of the Dark Angels not only brings a glorious history, but also a complex internal political ecology. As the supreme master of the chapter, it is by no means as powerful and free as outsiders imagine.
"Well, his plan was successfully realized and he captured a Lord Abaddon in a fortress."
At this point, Azriel couldn't help but sigh.
"Originally, I almost captured a Chaos Warlord of the Sons of Cruelty, but Azmodai temporarily took away the Third Company, causing the success to fail."
"Yes, I heard that he led people to destroy a cultist's den, but found nothing except killing hundreds of cultists."
"He was deceived by false information and didn't even know it."
As he spoke, Azrael was already gritting his teeth.
"Why would he dare to transfer troops without my consent?"
"Azrael, this is his duty. The request to interrogate the priest must come first. This is a decision made by the inner circle thousands of years ago."
"Being an interrogation priest only requires fanaticism, doesn't it require a little reason and wisdom?"
"Okay, put your complaints aside for now, we're getting there."
Azrael simply kept silent, and after counting more than a thousand steps silently in his mind, he finally reached the bottom.
The stairs led to a brick room with a low, arched roof and no decoration, like a house built by a mortal farmer.
Similarly, this room is also circular, with the staircase ending in the center of the room. There is an oil lamp hanging from every node on the ceiling, and under almost every lamp there is a figure wearing a green robe and a hood.
The men were motionless, their faces hidden in the shadows under their hoods, their arms folded over their chests.
The eyes of those gathered were on Azrael as he entered the shadowed sanctuary, nine in all, armed to the teeth, standing around a huge granite table built into the deck, a table for dozens of the Chapter. The place where important matters for centuries have been debated and decided.
There is a helmet on the table in front of each of them. Different styles of painting indicate their command authority in the battle group. At the same time, there is an unsheathed sword next to each helmet, plus Azrael and Ezekiel. Knot, a total of twelve people and twelve swords, which represents the twelve chapter masters summoned when the inner circle was first established after the second founding of the army.
It was at that first Inner Circle meeting that the secret duty to hunt down the Fallen Angels was determined, and at the same time all Unforgiven Chapters formed their own Inner Circle organizations.
The inner circle meeting of the Dark Angels has a very long history. Before the Great Rebellion, there was a conference room deep in the Dark Angel Legion's flagship "Invincible Reason", which contained the seats of the Six-Wing Commander and the original body himself. They decide the future of the Legion here, which can be said to be the early prototype of the Inner Circle.
After the Horus Heresy and the events of Caliban, the formal Inner Circle was formed.
