Warhammer 40: My Fiancée Fulgrim.

Chapter 248 The Little Angel Searches for Her Mother
She looked out from the unpainted earthen walls and stone windows.

At dawn, a pale red light shone on the stone slabs.

Most mornings on Victoria II are filled with a biting cold, yet they are also extremely beautiful. The silky sky is tinged with rose color by the light of the red scar, and the rosy glow shines on it. This beauty is enough to make one forget how much she hates her life.

But it only lasted for a fleeting moment.

She was the daughter of a salt miner, and her name was Louise.

As a wasteland covered by radiation fields and deserts, most people here are unlikely to have any interaction with Space Marines in their entire lives, even though this is one of the homeworlds of the Blood Angels. Every few decades, the Chapter selects suitable young people from the planet to join.

Louise is only eleven years old, although she has loved listening to her father, Areas, tell her stories of the Blood Angels since she was little. The salt gatherers, who roam the land for survival, are not a warlike group, and naturally, they wouldn't be considered high-quality recruits by the Blood Angels.

They were few in number and had no ambitions beyond survival; they simply wanted to live a peaceful and uneventful life in this sparsely populated area.

On Eustachian II, there are quite a few people like this.

The brilliant sunrise was fleeting in Louise's eyes—soon, a thick red mist enveloped everything before her.

The red fog was something she disliked most: it was a suffocating, sand-filled storm with a heavy, rusty smell.

Although she did not understand the formation principle of the red fog, she was even less aware that it could only occur on low-gravity satellites like Europa.

Louise's worldview is inevitably quite limited.

All she knew was that a day's business was ruined. The red mist had a sharp, iron-like smell and texture, making it unsuitable for salt collection.

But this was also an opportunity for her, a rare opportunity.

At this moment when everyone's career is limited by the red mist, she finally has the opportunity to break through this layer of mist and go to the training ground where the warband selects talents.

No one, including Louise's father, believed that she, at only eleven years old, could become a Blood Angel.

She needs to act alone.

Under the crimson fog, she drove the stolen dune buggy towards the place in her memory.
She had no idea where the training grounds were; she just kept driving forward, never stopping.

This journey through the desert seemed exceptionally long—the red mist surrounding her made it impossible for her to discern her location; she could only press forward, with no way back.

She seemed to see her body change. With the help of the angel gene neutron bullet, she became a tall, beautiful and healthy giant. With the help of others, she put on the legendary armor of the Holy Blood Angel and soared freely in the sky with a flight backpack that looked like wings.

Between the rise and fall of the blades and guns in their hands, countless enemies of humanity have perished.

In the red mist, she saw herself clad in golden armor and wearing a mask of compassion.

She became the Blood Angel in people's eyes.

What about Areias?
How heartbroken would her father be when he learned that she was never coming back?
"."

Remembering this, Louise wanted to drive the dune buggy back, but the thick red fog wouldn't give her a chance to back out.

As the crimson mist churned and rose, Louise seemed to see her father sitting and gazing at the dawn and dusk, which shimmered like silk with crimson clouds, waiting day and night.

Even though all the salt miners said she had definitely died in the trial grounds, he still couldn't believe that this was Louise's fate.

He believed that Louise had now become a glorious angel.

However, since she is already an angel, she should be addressed by her angelic name.

What will Louise's angelic name be?

He had been waiting for her return.

"No"

Tears streamed down her face beneath the red mist, but she no longer had the right to stop.

there has never been.

The world still needs her, and she must fight for it.

Over the long years, the five silver service studs on her forehead were melted down and transformed into one gold service stud.
As time continued to pass, the five service gold nails were melted down and combined to form one.
—Serving in the military [Dante].

"grown ups."

"grown ups.?"

Of course, now that she should be called "Dante" according to the angel's name, she opened her eyes again.

"what's up?"

"Your bathing time is over. The chapter leaders of all the sub-churches are waiting for you in the monastery hall to perform the [Chapter Sacrament]."

Those are all ancient things from the past. Was it a thousand years ago? Or two thousand years ago?
Dante was unaware of this, but the feeling of guilt lingered in her heart for a long time.

She was so old—she could even feel the marks of time on her face and in every part of her body while bathing.

Even if she survives the next battle, there will be enough time for her to be the final assassin and take everything away from her.

Thinking of this, a relieved smile gradually appeared on Dante's face.

She's getting old and dying soon.

After completing this arduous task, she will return to the Golden Throne and to the side of the Angel Mother Saint Gilles.

This is an unusual event for a Space Marine, whose casualty rate is extremely high.

The Leviathan Hive, the largest Tyranid swarm ever to appear in the galaxy, is now engulfing the Blood Angels homeworld of Baal. According to reports from the front lines, they are about to face an almost endless swarm attack, whose numbers even exceed those of all living beings above Baal!

Moreover, as the Zerg fleet drew closer, the warp shadow of the Great Devourer was killing or driving the Star Speakers on the planets insane, making it impossible for their messages to be transmitted through normal means.

If it weren't for the intervention of their chief think tank, Morpheus, their communications for help would have been delayed.

Even though they had successfully requested aid from within the empire, their situation remained far from optimistic.

Their greatest ally—the Ultramarines—also appears to be under attack by the Hive Fleet. Moreover, according to reports from the front lines, the Chaos forces that have slumbered in the warp for millennia are beginning to spread corruption throughout the Ultramar 500 and even the entire Ultrasector.

Reports of the plague within the Extreme Starfield are becoming increasingly frequent. The Ultramarines, already burdened with both Chaos and Xenomorph threats, seem unable to spare the resources to provide assistance at this critical moment.
Meanwhile, in the central region, an orc warlord force known as the "Beasts" is rising in Amegidodon, plunging the nearby front lines into silence.

The once glorious human empire is now in a perilous situation, surrounded by enemies on all sides.

Whether it's the Chaos Heretics or the Aliens, they all come from those who are eyeing this galactic overlord who is showing signs of decline and fatigue.

The main hall of the Baal Fortress Monastery.

At this moment, the hall of the Holy Blood Angels, sculpted with the beauty of art and sacrifice, is filled with chapter commanders from various sub-command groups, or company commanders or generals representing their chapters to participate in the Battle of Baal.

The Blood Angels' sub-groups are second only to Ultramarines in size among all the newly formed groups.

As one of the very few Primarchic Legions among all the founding chapters, the Blood Angels can easily identify their sub-chapters by having female Space Marines, thus reducing the possibility of other chapters trying to infiltrate under false pretenses.

Not to mention the angels' innate beauty and artistic talent.

"Dear children of mothers, dear compatriots, we have been waiting for you."

Dante, clad in full golden armor and wearing the mask of Saint Gillespie, emerged from the hall. Behind her, the relief depicting the Passion of Saint Gillespie appeared even more poignant in the Baal sunlight. Beneath the mask, her aged yet still bright eyes shone brightly amidst the many figures in the fortress monastery hall.

Holy Angel, Angel of Light, Crimson Angel, Blood Legion, Blood Wings, Burning Blood, Bloodletter, Flesh Tearer, Blood Knight, Lamenter.
They, children of various blood angels and also descendants of Saint Gilles, are now gathered together at the Baal Fortress Monastery.

Some chapters were even on the verge of corruption, and Dante was unwilling to admit that the Space Marines who were killing in the name of their mother, Sanguis, were also her offspring. But with Baal's life hanging in the balance, she had to make good use of all available forces.

However, Dante, who believed he had lived long enough, did not recall any of Saint Gilles' offspring being known as the Son of the Phoenix.

There is no record of this in the register of the fortress monastery.

Where did these tall, muscular guys come from?

"I apologize, everyone, but before the Chapter Sacrament begins, there is one thing I need to clarify."

"Charlotte, Commander of the [Son of the Phoenix], on behalf of the Holy Blood Angels and all its sub-commands, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for your arrival."

"But I have one more request—if you are not children of Saint Gilles, the upcoming Chapter Sacraments may involve core secrets of our Blood Angels."

The Holy Blood Angels' sacraments are extremely mysterious.

Dante, a veteran of a thousand years, is only comparable in reputation and prestige to Calgar, the Chapter Master of the Ultramarines, within the human empire.

"Lord Dante, thank you for your kind reminder. However, according to the examination report of the great sage Belisarius, we, the Sons of the Phoenix, are all offspring of the Holy Blood Angels."

Now, his purple-gold paint job has been replaced with red-gold Casgar, who has adopted the alias Chapter Master Charlotte. Together with his lieutenant Nulus (Tetus), he entered the fortress monastery under the title of Commander of the Blood Angels. The initial impressions of these two mysterious guests who suddenly intruded were limited to one:

Big.

Compared to the original Space Marines, the average Space Marine appears shorter in comparison.

There are no angels whose offspring are this big.

"He is not simple."

As for Morpheus, the chief curator of the Blood Angels' think tank, he still seems to be very wary of Casca.

"I hope you really are here to help us fight the Zerg, just as you say."

Before Dante came out to preside over the Chapter's sacrament, he spoke to Casgar with great caution.

"This is thanks to the new technology from the great sage Belisarius—the original casting technology."

Seeing that almost all the squad leaders and Dante were casting incredulous glances at Casca, he calmly offered his explanation.

He had already prepared his speech and the choice of the envoy before he even arrived.

Since demons can possess the concept of "Chaos Unbound Demons," then the mysterious Phoenix Children, derived from the gene seeds of various warbands (veterans salvaged from the Comoros Arena), could also be considered a form of Empire Unbound.

The Empire has no warbands!

Although most of the rescued Comorian veterans were Guilliman's sons, this did not prevent a few who were actually original Forged warriors from the Blood Angels from going to the fortress monastery as guards accompanying the Casgars to land in Baal.

Next, Kasgar recounted how his Phoenix Sons suffered heavy losses and nearly perished during their expedition into the Warp.

However, at this critical moment, the miraculous Doraemon delivered crucial Prototype Space Marine technology to them—a modification process that would have required nineteen surgeries and was much more complex, could be completed in just a few months.

New recruits manufactured using the original casting technique not only form quickly, but also save a significant amount of training and reserve time.

Furthermore, because a large amount of pre-existing technical and tactical knowledge was injected during the original casting surgery, although they were all new recruits, in terms of technical skills, each of the Phoenix Sons was no less skilled than any veteran—this was the combat experience of those veterans who had been rescued from the Comoros.

Faster, bigger, stronger (more Waaaaagh) Proto-Forged Space Marines, the Phoenix Spawns, are about to be deployed into real combat as the first new force of the Caul.

"If the response is positive, I think he will be willing to help all of our Space Marines complete the Primal Forging upgrade in the future."

Casca's words caused a huge stir.

“Cauer? How can that guy claim to have improved upon the Great Emperor’s creation? The Space Marines are already perfect!”

“I don’t believe what he’s saying. They’re clearly a bunch of extreme warriors painted in red. I don’t see any love for his mother in his eyes.”

“That’s right. This is not the look a child of a Saint Gillespie should have.”

"Perhaps you really should get out of here with that nonsensical original casting technology—"

"Ugh."

Faced with numerous questions from regimental and company commanders regarding Casca's explanation, Dante stepped forward and signaled for everyone to stop.

As a living fossil who has served for over a thousand years, she has gradually become the embodiment of an angel in legends. It can be said that Dante's prestige among all the Holy Blood Angels and their subgroups is now second only to the angels themselves.

"Let the sons of the phoenix join our sacred rites."

With a formidable enemy at hand, if the Blood Angels were to argue over such a trivial matter as whether the other party was a pure descendant of Saint Gilles, they would only face the fate of being swallowed up by the Zerg Hive fleet.

Since the Phoenix Children are all newcomers participating in the Chapter Sacred Ritual for the first time, let them experience the unique Chapter culture of the Blood Angels, which will make it easier for them to integrate.

Perhaps this will also awaken their deep-seated "love" for their mothers.

"."

"I have a bad feeling."

Titus, who was standing next to Casca, said this after Dante returned to the main position.

The Chapter's sacrament begins with a grand feast.

Despite the barrenness and high radiation levels of the land in Bar, the food at this feast was absolutely top-notch and luxurious.

Not to mention the fine wines served at the banquet—countless treasured wines were unsealed here on the eve of Baal's impending doom.

As a glorious warrior about to bravely die towards the Zerg Hive fleet, the Holy Blood Angel would naturally not be stingy with its treasures.

Casca took the bottle of wine from the waiter and took a small sip.

Not bad.

But it still can't compare to Fugrim.

Before the grand feast, Dante also described the current situation.

Currently, there are 60,000 Space Marines defending Baal and his two satellites.

"It's doubled compared to the original situation."

It seems that due to the efforts of Regent Guilliman, the Blood Angels, whose numbers were limited by the Codex Astartes, have regained some of the glory they had during the Great Crusade.

But compared to the enemy they were about to face, this was still far too weak.

The Leviathan Hive fleet alone has 150,000 bio-ships, meaning each Blood Angel would have to take on a single Tyrannical bio-ship.

Even if Kasgar now possesses Primarch-level psionic power and combat strength, it's impossible for him to wipe out the entire Zerg Hive fleet single-handedly.

Even if he could wipe out all the insect swarms around him, he still couldn't possibly defend the entire planet's area.

We must find a better way to stop the Zerg hive fleet's attack from invading the nodes and cut off the command and control of the Terran swarm.
But how can he then perform node intrusion?
Just as Casca was pondering a solution, the holy bell in front of the fortress monastery hall rang out melodiously.

圣礼
and many more.

He suddenly realized a blind spot.

If Kasgar remembers correctly, the original Holy Blood Angels Sacrament was supposed to be a blood-drinking ritual to suppress the Chapter's thirst for blood to some extent.

but!

At this point, hadn't the Blood Angel already been cured of his thirst?

So what exactly is the purpose of this Chapter Sacrament?

Before Casca could think further, halfway through the feast, almost all the promethium torches and candles in the entire hall went out in an instant.

The light dimmed, leaving only the central relief of Saint Gillespie, whose expression of compassion and suffering was like a stage.

Behind that beam of light, Dante, clad in golden armor, slowly emerged.

Next, please enjoy the stage play performance by Dante, the leader of the Blood Angels, for everyone present – ​​[San Gillenor].

Snap, snap, snap.

As Dante's powerful and passionate aria came to an end, the commanders erupted in applause, their eyes filled with tears.

Even at the climax of the performance, one could occasionally hear the painful cries of "Mother!" from all over the hall.

He couldn't understand Titus, but he was deeply moved.

Casca understood, and the shock he felt was no less than what he had experienced in the past ten thousand years.

It's those Holy Blood Angels again!

Ten thousand years have passed, and the angels' condition has not only failed to improve after losing Saint Gillespie, but has actually worsened.

broken.

It seems he's stumbled into the Heavenly Palace by mistake.

"I seem to remember them saying that each warband would have to perform on stage?"

Titus, who was in a great shock, and Casca, who understood what was happening before their eyes, looked at each other in bewilderment.

(End of this chapter)