Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 700 I lost my marshal's position due to the interference of the seal holder, but Lord Ninglu will definitely support my descendants.
Theo, captain of the "Lucifer Blackguards," leaped onto the city wall, took a step, turned around, and got close to the cannon.

Necromonda's finely crafted chainsaw sword spun and slashed out, its motor roaring as it drove the blade, tearing apart several charging guards.

Unlike outposts, the guards of the city walls are ruthless soldiers forged in decades of civil war.

Instead of firing haphazardly at the unstable cannons that hadn't been maintained in time, they charged towards the black-armored warriors without hesitation, amidst the splattered blood and limbs.

Theo swung his sword forward, and the blades attacked from all directions.

He parried, slashed, dodged, and thrust, piercing the bodies of more than a dozen enemies with his deadly sword.

The enemy swept in like a tidal wave, and Theo plunged into the midst of them, wielding his sword and slaughtering his way through, leaving behind a trail of corpses.

Outside the city walls, a bomb fired by Tezuka Sasebo struck the Roaring Cannon, which was far from the Black Armor Warriors and billowing black smoke.

The moment the green runes lit up, he turned his gaze to the black-armored warrior.

Lucifer's Blackguard charged forward with lightning speed, his swiftness no less than that of an Order Shadow breaking into enemy lines.

Suddenly, Tezuka Sasebo saw a Zos officer in gray armor leap and roll, his scimitar rising like a venomous snake, slithering close to the ground and striking at Lucifer's Black Guard's calf.

The black-armored warriors, who had not undergone genetic enhancement, evaded the enemy with a swift reaction that even combat reflex serums could not provide.

He reversed the blade and slashed at an angle he had never practiced before.

A look of surprise flashed in Tezuka Sasebo's eyes. The gray-armored warrior rolled on the spot, narrowly avoiding Lucifer's swift attack.

Chain instinctively rolled over to avoid the swift attack, but the dangerous shockwaves sweeping from behind kept slamming into his body, forcing him to roll with all his might.

He doesn't want to die.

He also longs to return to his warm home and embrace his wife and children.

Chain slammed his fist into the ground, using the force to propel himself up.

The excruciating pain unleashed his potential; he twisted his body, dodging the chainsaw sword, and delivered a vicious horizontal slash.

Chain was confident that his charged strike would pierce the armor; he was the best swordsman.

His confidence crumbled in an instant, as the black-armored warrior gracefully and silently dodged the attack, much like the legendary felines of Terra, the human homeworld.

With a loud bang, the scimitar shattered.

Chain crashed heavily to the ground, seeing stars before his eyes.

He felt as if all the bones in his body were broken. He strained his eyes to see the black-armored warrior who had killed him.

"Your city walls have been breached, surrender!" a mechanical, synthesized voice announced, and Chain turned his head to look.

He saw the black-armored warrior standing with his sword, looking down at him.

He felt his body tremble, and when he turned his head, he saw an even taller, black-armored giant leap onto the city wall.

“I… surrender…” Zain said with difficulty, knowing that his country could not resist the invaders who had fallen from the sky.

He felt both the shame of defeat and relief.

He could finally hug little Dinas again.

The last time he held his son, he was only four years old.

His little Dinas is now eight years old.

Four weeks later, the foundation was laid for the training castle of the "Lucifer Blackguards" next to the residence of the new planetary governor.

Theo handed the overseer over to his vice-captain, Shield Guard Laurent, and went into his mansion.

It was the estate of a powerful nobleman who resisted submission.

He walked through the withered garden, which had not yet been reclaimed.

Theo walked into the office, sat down, and spread out the parchment.

He picked up the quill pen and began to write with a swift, rapid stroke.

He wrote the opening line—"Dear General Patton."

In terms of his usual status, Theo should have been written with Barton's surname, Drake, since the Drake family was a prominent family in the "Sun Auxiliary Army".

Before he followed Lord Nimrod, he and Patton had saved each other's lives countless times on the battlefield and had a close brotherly bond.

Theo wrote quickly:
It is a great pity to hear that you missed the opportunity to become the new Marshal of the "Solar Auxiliary Army". I have no doubt that your military achievements are fully worthy of this position.

I firmly believe that you and your family will lead the "Solar Auxiliary Army" in the future.

Theodore paused for a moment, then frowned slightly.

Patton's achievements were enough to make him a successor as marshal, and since he pledged allegiance to Lord Nimrod, he has received strong support from the Shadow of Order and its allies.

The superior weaponry manufactured in Necromonda's arsenal armed fifteen regiments of Patton's faction.

The Navigator families, including the Wiescher family, and hundreds of other families provided the Drake family with support in many ways.

But this is also why Patton did not reach the highest position in the "Sun Auxiliary Army".

Theo has grown his ten-man squad to over four hundred, becoming the core of the revival of the "Lucifer Blackguards" and the undisputed number one figure in this old Hundred Regiment.

He thus gained control of a small but highly sophisticated intelligence network.

The Blackguards of Lucifer, who served as bodyguards for the nobles of Terra and the generals of the "Sun's Auxiliary Army," transmitted the intelligence they observed to Theo in an ancient, encrypted form.

He was certain that the Sealholder did not want any general who was close to the Primarch to serve as Marshal.

Theo knew that the Sealholder had always hoped to establish a regime independent of the Astartes, which included armed forces.

Theo shook his head. He had followed Lord Nimrod for nearly a century and witnessed the Shadows of Order transforming broken territories that had returned to the embrace of humanity into prosperous ones.

They are clearly better developed than the worlds directly governed by empires, those ruthlessly exploited and inefficiently bloated worlds.

As Theo pondered, he continued writing: "I want to express my sincere gratitude to you!"

I must confess that when I accompanied you to meet Lord Ninglu, I never imagined things would turn out this way.

At that time, I only hoped that we wouldn't be...

Theodore paused for a moment, then did not write down the names of the Emperor and the Seal Holder.

Forgotten, and far removed from the front lines of battle, they perished while being guarded.

I only hope that we can go to the battlefield together and win the victory, just like we did during the "War of Unification".

Lord Ninglu has provided me with far more help than I ever imagined; I owe it all to you for that day when you took me to see Lord Ninglu.

Theo quickly wrote down the events of the past decades, his words flowing smoothly in High Gothic.

As a Lucifer Blackguard, his training included not only swordsmanship, but also the ability to be proficient in high Gothic language, military command, and other fields in order to serve as a bodyguard for high-ranking imperial generals.

Theo wrote three pages in detail, concluding with these words.

Recently, Lord Ninglu bestowed upon the "Lucifer Blackguard" a world for recruiting soldiers.

Zos!

Unlike Necromunda, which has a population exceeding hundreds of millions, the people here have been forged into ruthless and desperate warriors in the crucible of a despairing civil war.

Theo thought of the 841 candidates he had selected from the Zos youth team, especially Chain, whom he had fought.

He has a good talent for swordsmanship, but unfortunately he is too old.

He was appointed military commander of the Zos defense forces.

Fortunately, Theo discovered that his eight-year-old son, Dinas Chain, was a promising talent.

He had never seen such a gifted warrior.

His future swordsmanship may even surpass his own, becoming the undisputed king of "Lucifer's Black Guard".

Theo gathered his thoughts and wrote down his final words.

I firmly believe that the "Lucifer Blackguard" will be reborn in Zos, and I owe it all to you, Patton.

It is for this reason that I must use the ancient method of writing letters to fully express my gratitude.

May you have great success in your military endeavors!
Theo forcefully signed his name: [Your most loyal comrade-in-arms, protector of Theo.]

Theo rolled up the parchment, placed it in a gilded scroll, set the key, and stamped it with his mark—a black sword blade.

It will travel through multiple transport ships via the "Shadow of Order" logistics system before finally falling into Patton's hands.

……

917.M30.

Patton's mechanical left hand rapidly tapped out fourteen digits.

Click.

Three pages of parchment popped out.

Patton unfolded the letter, and the first thing he saw was Theo's words of comfort.

He picked up his glass, tilted his head back, and drank the Hercules vodka.

Amidst the intense burning in his stomach, he laughed and scolded, "Theo, I'm not that fragile."

Patton was indeed disappointed to lose the Field Marshal, but he did not regret it.

Lord Nimrod had been supporting him all along, and thanks to the protection of the quasi-order shadow, only forty-nine members of the Barton family had died in the past century.

In the previous "unification war", the number was 185.

Each near-Order Shadow is a powerful warrior who has undergone more than thirteen modification surgeries and almost became a true Order Shadow.

During their training, they were forged into resilient and powerful warriors, and in battle after battle, they saved many Bardlake family commanders.

Patton witnessed firsthand how the Lucifer Blackguards had fallen from a powerful force to their current state, and saw military families perish in the brutal war.

He believed that, protected by the shadow of quasi-order, the Drake family would surely continue for eternity, just like Lord Nimrod.

[I lost my marshal's position due to interference from the one in charge, but Lord Ninglu will certainly support my descendants in reclaiming it.]
Patton gripped the mechanical hand and quickly read the letter.

Upon seeing Theo and the "Lucifer Blackguards" reborn in Zos, the old general couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Okay, great!"

He swung his arm forcefully, and four burly men, each over two meters tall, looked over.

“No assassins!” Patton shouted, pleased with their vigilance.

“Indeed, following Lord Ninglu was a wise decision, both for me and for Theo.” Barton’s words made the four burly men’s eyes light up, then dim again.

They had the chance to become the offspring of Lord Nimrod and become a shadow of order, but they fell at the final stage of climbing the mountain.

They were also relieved that, unlike most Legion candidates, they hadn't been turned into servants after failing.

By becoming bodyguards for generals and nobles, they not only received a substantial income but also continued to serve Lord Ninglu.

As the guards felt a mixture of regret and relief, Barton thought back to the criminals he had saved using his power, and whispered to himself.

"He should still follow Lord Ninglu."

"Staying in the auxiliary army will prevent me from fully utilizing my talents."

(End of this chapter)