Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 237 The Brilliance of Humanity

More than a hundred mortals, led by the Primarch, defeated the Eldar raiders.

It wasn't until the Eldar retreated in panic that the mortals wielding weapons realized, belatedly, that they had actually succeeded.

On the scorching Nocturne Star, humanity, long oppressed, overcame their fear and repelled the enemy with a surge of courage!
The mortals looked at the pale-skinned yet sinister alien in Vulcan's hand, who raised his weapon to the sky and shouted victory:

"Vulcan!"

"Vulcan!"

"Vulcan!"

The crowd, moved to tears, chanted the name of the black giant and knelt on one knee to express their utmost respect.

“Please rise,” Vulcan said, grabbing the witch spirit with one hand, tossing down his weapon, and gently helping the kneeling man to his feet with his large black hand.
"Kneeling represents respect and submission. I am not a ruler, and you do not need to kneel before me. We fight side by side; we are comrades and compatriots. You are my comrades-in-arms, shoulder to shoulder with me."

The mortals were moved to tears again by Vulcan's words, deeply touched and profoundly impressed by the giant before them, who was outwardly terrifying but inwardly gentle.

He remained gentle throughout, never displaying violence or arrogance, and lived among his fellow human beings.

When he was needed to stand up, he did not hesitate to take up arms and lead the people in resisting violence and massacre.

Vulcan was never a hero, or a ruler or monarch; he was just a blacksmith.

The common people stood up and called out Vulcan's name in the local slang: "Vulcan, son of the blacksmith."

The word spread like wildfire. The crowd chanted Vulcan's name, offering their blessings to their extraordinary compatriot.

"What exactly are you?" Just then, the Eldar, who was being held by Vulcan with one hand, asked in broken human language, "You are definitely not human."

The witch clung tightly to the giant human hand to avoid being strangled, her eyes wide with hatred.

Her spoken human language progressed from unfamiliar to fluent, and finally became clear and lively, using only a few bytes.

Upon hearing the alien speak human language, the mortals were at a loss and all looked at the woman whose appearance differed from that of a human by only slight differences.

“I am human.” Vulcan’s voice boomed, filled with anger and disgust.

He was furious that the aliens denied his human identity, and his disgust seemed innate, flowing naturally from his words.

"You are definitely not human!" Wu Ling denied again, her voice high-pitched and shrill, continuing to deny the black giant: "I have seen countless humans, but I have never seen a 'human' like you."

The aliens emphasized the word "human" and refused to acknowledge that the black giant could be associated with humans.

In her eyes, aside from their human appearance, giants did not possess any characteristics that were the same as humans.

Strength, speed, courage, intellect, and that radiant humanity—there is no baseness or cowardice in him; he could never be human.

As if stripped of all human darkness, the black giant has a pitch-black exterior but a warm and pure heart.

"I am Vulcan, the blacksmith's son." Vulcan reiterated his identity, shaking his arm to try and wake the alien.

Speaking of his father, he suddenly woke up and looked around for his father's figure.

The old blacksmith still stood in the crowd, a proud look on his face, looking at his gentle yet powerful son.

Vulcan breathed a sigh of relief; the weight that had been hanging over him had finally been lifted.

The city's residents flocked out to surround the brave men who had stepped forward, offering them their blessings and praise.

From then on, with these brave warriors protecting it, the town was finally able to avoid the calamities of plunder and no longer had to live in constant fear.

The cheering crowd looked at the naked alien, their eyes blazing with hatred; they yearned for revenge.

They lost loved ones in the alien attack, and today they can finally take revenge!

The cheers gradually turned into curses and wails. People picked up stones from the ground and vented their sorrow and anger at the alien.

In just a moment, the alien was covered in wounds, blood gushing from its wounds, and it was on the verge of fainting.

Vulcan frowned. He knew people craved revenge, but not in such a "barbaric" way.

“She will be tried and made to pay for her crimes.” He lifted the alien up and broke away from the crowd to beat it wildly: “How are we any different from them now?”

The angry crowd roared, "They tortured and murdered our loved ones, can't we take revenge?"

“Revenge is possible!” Vulcan roared in a low voice, using his imposing presence to quell the increasingly agitated and enraged crowd eager for revenge: “She committed a crime and should atone with her life.”

"You may execute her after the trial, but you cannot mistreat or humiliate her!"

"We are human beings, humans with the noble quality of 'compassion.' If we abandon compassion, how are we any different from aliens?"

"It was out of compassion that my father carried me back from the edge of the volcano, allowing me to stand up today and fight against the aliens to protect you." "Let her await her sentence, kill her with human compassion, and show mercy to the alien-human hybrid!"

After listening to Vulcan's account, the crowd gradually calmed down, and their chests, which had been heaving with anger, regained their composure.

"Vulcan!"

They shouted in unison, agreeing with Vulcan's point of view, ceasing their retaliatory abuse, and showing the alien the mercy it deserved—giving it a quick death.

Vulcan smiled broadly and returned to town amidst the crowd, receiving cheers of victory.

On a distant mountaintop, two people witnessed everything and smiled with satisfaction.

The emperor was delighted; his son, full of humanity, was teaching mortals with simple kindness.

Like his sons, Number 18 was filled with goodwill towards ordinary people, embodying the most precious kindness in humanity.

Doom nodded slightly. Although he had a slightly different opinion, he admired his brother's tolerant heart.

Perhaps it is the connection between the father of genes and the offspring of genes that makes the Eighteenth Legion seem to show compassion for mortals in battle.

The Eighteenth Army of Astartes made slow progress in the Great Expedition, and they were always very cautious about attacking and conquering strongholds.

The operational plan was formulated to minimize civilian casualties and strive to reduce casualties to a minimum.

In war, they would not hesitate to give their lives to protect ordinary people.

The actions of the 18th Army Corps were seen as irrational by many brother corps, who even considered the sacrifices excessive.

The Legion should indeed protect mortals, and this is one of the reasons why Astartes exists.

But Astartes' mission is to conquer the galaxy for the Emperor, and they need to use their lives carefully to avoid wasting the divine power bestowed upon them.

Saving and protecting mortals is commendable, but wasting lives is tantamount to delaying the Great Expedition.

To exchange the life of an Astartes for the life of a mortal.

No legion could afford such a price; the sheer number of Astartes meant that commanders often couldn't protect mortals.

The Eighteenth Army Corps was different; they would make many unreasonable sacrifices in battle to protect ordinary people.

They would use their bodies to shield ordinary people from bullets, sacrificing themselves just to protect a few ordinary people.

Many legions disliked fighting alongside the Eighteenth Legion because their "excessive" pity increased many unnecessary casualties.

The Eighteenth Army Corps continued to do things its own way, slowly carrying out the Great Expedition, ignoring any criticism or scrutiny.

The actions of the Legion warriors are admirable, but that doesn't stop some from secretly calling them foolish.

Doom appreciated his brother's actions, but only with admiration; he had no other opinion.

The Doom Soldier population is small and cannot withstand excessive sacrifices.

He would cherish the lives of his offspring and do his best to ensure that they die a worthy death, avoiding their lives being wasted cheaply.

"Aren't you going to fetch him?" Doom asked in a low voice, seeing the excitement beneath the emperor's robes.

"The time is not yet ripe." The emperor shook his head, his expression extremely mysterious.

"Are you going to play parent-child games again?" Seeing his expression, Doom's lips twitched, and he immediately knew the Emperor's plan.

He didn't know what kind of quirk it was, but the Lord of Humanity liked to use certain methods and "games" when recognizing his son.

They call it "enhancing relationships."

Perhaps because he hadn't experienced it firsthand, Doom found the Emperor's methods somewhat inexplicable.

He first concealed his identity and made contact with his sons, then impressed them with various challenges, and finally made them kneel on the ground and call him "Dad".

Sometimes Doom was glad that he had found the Empire of Man, otherwise he didn't know what kind of "parent-child game" he would have faced.

"Let's go and continue to observe his behavior." The emperor used his spiritual power to conceal himself and went into the city to observe his son.

Doom nodded silently, stretching his cloak to cover his body, leaving only his eyes visible.

His cloak shimmered with light, and his adaptive camouflage activated, allowing him to blend seamlessly into the environment and disappear completely from sight.

The two most powerful people in the galaxy stealthily made their way towards the town of Nocturne.

(End of this chapter)