Warhammer: Angron Training Manual

Chapter 157 Duel Ground

The two company commanders walked out of the Triumph Hall.

They walked along the corridor, passing mortals who bowed when they saw them, and made their way to the fighting arena on the flagship.

Some legionnaires were already engaged in bloody battles in the arena.

Among them was Orenst, the fiery champion of the Eighteenth Company.

He had a conflict with a sergeant, and had forced himself to keep the conflict to the present in the hive world. So when the 18th Company and the 8th Assault Company returned to the fleet, he immediately grabbed the person with whom he had a conflict and brought him to the duel arena to resolve the problem through a duel.

Mago and Kahn stood in the waiting area outside the dueling arena and watched them fight.

Mago also saw the flag-bearing officer of the 18th Company standing at the edge of the arena.

The flag bearer saluted his captain, Mago returned the salute, and then the former continued his job of supervising the duel.

Before Angron's return, the Banner-Bearer was the highest-ranking officer in the Legion, after the Legion Master and the Captain.

Those who can become flag-bearers are either highly respected and have rich qualifications, or are brave and fearless with amazing military achievements. They often give up promotion opportunities and choose to become a flag-bearer, because the company's flag is the soul of a company.

When others see the flag, they will immediately recognize the company the flag represents and the glory that the company represents, so the flag bearer is often regarded as the representative and soul of the legion.

Whether before or after the Primarch's return, the Banner-Bearers were responsible for enforcing Legion discipline. Now, after the Primarch established new duel rules, they have become referees and supervisors.

"For Angron!"

The Axe Champion swung the invincible two-handed axe in his hand and slashed at the Space Marine in front of him.

The latter was unable to defend himself, and his chainsword broke into pieces, with one of his arms cut off along with the blade.

When Orenst subconsciously decided to continue the attack, the flag-bearing officer of the 18th Company raised his arm and gave a thumbs-up.

This is a new tradition.

It originated from the Nuceria uprising war that year, when Qin Xia entered the arena and raised his thumb, and together with Angron eliminated the guards present, and led the gladiators to fight out together.

It means the end of a battle and that the participants in that battle must be alive.

The duel is over and the winner has emerged.

Orenst roared, slammed the battle axe in his hand to the ground, and stretched out his other hand to grab the neck of the Space Marine in front of him: "If you think there is something wrong with me, then tell me in a duel! Otherwise, I will chop off your limbs one by one!"

The loser has nothing to say, he accepts defeat and nods silently.

The pharmacist stepped forward and picked up the defeated man's arm, took out a small box with the "Kro Bio" logo printed on it, took out the ointment from it and squeezed it on the broken arm and broken surface, then put the arm together and put it on the shoulder.

The defeated man sat on the ground for a few minutes to relax, then stood up to stretch his broken arm and saluted Orenste.

Orenst returned the greeting.

The two men walked out of the arena side by side as if nothing had happened and saluted again when they passed by Mago and Kahn.

Conflicts between fighting brothers can be brought into the dueling arena, but cannot be brought out of the dueling arena. This is a tradition.

"Call everyone in the company to assemble. I will start the company's internal commendation ceremony in a moment."

Mago ordered this as Orenste passed by.

The Tomahawk Champion nodded and left.

"Come." Kahn walked ahead and entered the empty duel arena. After glancing at the other duel arenas that were swallowing up conflicts, he walked to the weapon rack and picked up the chainsaw axe.

Mago also walked to the weapon rack and picked up a spear.

"Captain of the Eighth Company." The flag-bearing officer of the Eighteenth Company saluted Kahn, "I think the flag-bearing officer brothers of the Eighth Company should also be present."

"No need, Brother Astarcus." Kahn retreated to a distance of fifty meters from Mago and saluted the flag bearer. "This is not a fight. I am just venting with the captain of your 18th Company. We are all too excited."

The flag bearer named Astarcus saluted, turned around and walked to the duel arena next door holding the flag of the 18th Company, indicating that the two soldiers of the 18th Company inside could start dueling under his supervision.

"When you wiped out the Thunder Warriors on Terra, you used a spear." Kahn pointed at the spear in Mago's hand, "This was even the one you used back then."

Mago looked down at the spear in his hand.

Kahn was right, this was the spear he used back then, but there was a reason why he didn't use it now.

boom--

The weapons collided, the chainsaw axe and the spear brushed past each other, splashing large sparks.

Kahn suddenly attacked Mago, and Mago quickly blocked with his spear.

The first round of confrontation did not determine the winner, and the two players kept a distance from each other.

"Thunder Warriors," Kahn said with a smile, "They were too powerful. Because of their power, they completed the unification cause, but because of their power, they were abandoned and purged."

Mago recalled the Thunder Warrior.

When Terra was full of warlords, the Emperor - at that time he was not called the Emperor, he was called the Lord of Thunder. Anyway, the Emperor at that time began to purge the warlords and tried to complete the great cause of unifying Terra.

The Thunder Warriors were the Emperor's original supporters during the Unification Period.

They are amazingly powerful.

The MK1 armor they wore was the armor originally equipped to the superhuman warrior corps. It didn't even have a power backpack, and the Thunder Warriors relied on their own strong physical fitness to support the heavy armor.

The Thunder Warriors were then eventually purged by the Emperor's order, and the Custodians and several Space Marine Legions killed the Thunder Warriors together, including the XII Legion.

And he and Kahn were eyewitnesses of that war.

"They were abandoned for a reason," Mago said. "They could not control their bloodlust, they were unstable, and they decided to express their dissatisfaction with the Emperor through rebellion. We had no choice but to do so."

"Just like us before the Primarch returned." Khârn rushed in front of Mago and swung his axe.

Mago responded calmly with spear in hand, blocked the attack, and said in a deep voice: "We, the Twelfth Legion, are tools and weapons. We were once owned by the Emperor, and now we are owned by the Primarch. We have no will of our own. When the Emperor needs to quell a rebellion, we, as weapons, must of course kill all the rebels." The sawteeth roared and turned, leaving scratches on the shaft of Mago's spear.

Sparks splashed out from the teeth like raindrops, pouring on the helmets of the two company commanders.

"It's a little late for you to say that now. You should have said it when we first met the Primarch." Khârn slashed again.

Margo resisted again.

The two fought for several more rounds.

Kahn said again: "Fortunately, our Primarch has the ability to read minds. He realized that we are weapons and tools, so he did not choose to cleanse us."

"Or they chose to exile us and replace us with Nuceria." Mago thrust out his spear. "Yes, we should feel lucky that our weapons are being transformed instead of abandoned."

Margo could predict whatever Kahn wanted to say.

The two are more than just fellow Terra folks, more than just friends.

Before becoming a Space Marine... He met Kahn when Mago finally couldn't stand the hunger anymore and killed the entire family of the tribal chief. After the tribe surrendered to the emperor, he was accused by the new chief and was imprisoned.

So of course Margo knows Kahn very well.

"We were once executioners, but now we are saviors. We act according to the will of the Primarch."

Kahn said as he stood still.

"We are weapons and tools."

"We changed from executioners to saviors not because we loved those mortals, but because our users asked us to do so."

"If he asks us to kill, we will kill. If he asks us to save, we will save. If he asks us to die, we will die."

"Perhaps one day in the future, the Primarch will feel that he is a slave owner because he has 150,000 slaves under his command. Don't correct me, there should be no difference between weapons and tools and slaves in the eyes of the Primarch. They are all dominated."

"..."

When Kahn wanted to continue, Mago raised his hand to interrupt: "You actually want to ask me whether we will be abandoned like the Thunder Warriors and replaced by the Nukelians, right?"

Kahn neither nodded nor shook his head.

Margo stared at Kahn.

He knew that the captain of the Eighth Company was not like the others who were completely obedient and belonged to the Primarch physically and mentally. This did not mean that Kahn would refuse the Primarch's orders or the changes brought about by the Primarch, but it meant that Kahn had his own opinions and judgments on the matter of loyalty.

While others considered themselves the Chosen of the Emperor, the sons of the Primarch, Khârn realised that the Legion was and is essentially a weapon and a tool, even if they may not realise it.

But Margo also knew that although Kahn understood the situation, he would not take any action or make any changes.

Kahn will accept it honestly and clearly, whether he is willing or not, whether he thinks what he accepts is good or bad.

There is only one thing that makes Kahn feel suspicious, that is, weapons or tools can be discarded at any time as long as there is a more convenient one, just like the Thunder Warrior.

"You know everything, why don't you say something?" Kahn demanded when he saw his old friend was silent.

He wanted to seek Margo's explanation because he knew that Margo was not a person who followed the crowd.

When Mago chooses to do something, he must first believe that it is right. Otherwise, he will resist, no matter whether the other party is the legion commander or the primarch, he will do so.

Margo responded.

The captain of the 18th company approached Kahn at a speed that seemed astonishing to Kahn, and stabbed Kahn's head with the spear in his hand.

After a muffled sound, Kahn felt his brain stop working for a moment. When he came to his senses, he found himself sitting on the ground.

He realized that he was so eager to seek explanations or comfort from Margo that he ignored the fact that the two were fighting in the arena.

"Kahn." Mago threw the spear back onto the weapon rack and extended his hand to Kahn. "You are really smart. Sometimes the philosophy you casually say makes me think that you have used the gene seed of the Thousand Sons. But sometimes you are stupid, so stupid that I am helpless. Sigh."

Kahn frowned and looked up at Mago, remaining silent.

"You said that the Primarch chose not to punish or purge us because we are tools and how to use us depends entirely on the will of the user."

"I agree, but that's not the whole story."

"Secondly, you should be worried that the Primarch is too emotional and sentimental, so he will make choices and decisions beyond your expectations. This is why you cannot rest assured."

"But first, our Gene-Father, Angron, he was a Primarch."

Mago said, tapping his head.

"He can judge, he can think, and he can make decisions. On Novsendak-5, he did not choose to let us go to war with the Iron Warriors, nor did he choose to kill the Iron Lord, proving that he can make appropriate judgments."

Kahn listened in silence and gradually fell into deep thought.

"I don't believe you didn't realize this." Mago said, "It's just that the Thunder Warriors' incident left a deep impression on you. So deep that... when those Thunder Warriors cried out about how they were betrayed and abandoned, and then easily tore apart our brothers in battle at the same time with their bare hands, and even hacked and killed the invincible Imperial Guards in our eyes, you were stunned where you were."

After saying this, Margo still maintained the posture of extending his hand to Kahn.

Kahn pondered for a while, looked up at Mago, and nodded silently.

Then Kahn suddenly moved.

Mago subconsciously stepped back to block, thinking that Kahn would attack him by surprise, but Kahn just sat on the ground and moved, then looked at him with a smirk on his face.

Mago turned away angrily, leaving behind a sentence: "Don't even think about making me spar with you a second time."

"You should have said don't think of asking me to spar with you for the eighth time." Kahn looked at Mago's back and shouted, "This is the seventh time you've said something like that."

Margo didn't respond, didn't even turn his head, but just raised his hand and gave him the middle finger.

(End of this chapter)