Warhammer 40k: Melee Warriors

The tranquility of the pure white hall cast a gentle halo over the hull of the Punisher, making the Chaos Eggs, whose bodies were filled with chaotic essence, unable to look directly at it. They screamed and searched for a shadowy corner.

Kayan felt it even more deeply; he sensed that the terrifying psionic energy he had released on the Exterminator was swallowed up by this light and then transformed into a more natural force that flowed into the universe.

What does this resemble? Kayan found a fairly apt example to describe the current situation.

He originally possessed the power to ignite flames from dry wood, a powerful and ancient force that could kill enemies but also harm himself, so he needed exceptional talent to control the flames.

Now he poured the flames over, and the heat contained in the flames was dispersed, extracted, and even reduced back into gases that aided the combustion of the flames and into part of the dry tree.

This eerie feeling left Kayan at a loss, and it also caused his psionic dragging of the Punisher to fail step by step.

No, I have to make sure Abaddon achieves his goal! I have to hold on no matter what!

Kayan roared inwardly as he bit down on a small, hard lump of spirit marrow hidden in his teeth, hoping to gain more, but very unstable, spiritual energy.

The sudden increase in spiritual energy made Koji feel somewhat strained, but he was unwilling to give up and drew more power from the pure white hall to launch a fierce attack.

The Exterminator groaned louder and louder as it was torn apart by the two forces. The demons that resided on the ship begged Komi to stop his powers, or they would be turned into mindless warp creations under the influence of the power of tranquility.

At this point, Koji wouldn't listen to the devil. He gritted his teeth and increased his strength, determined to settle things with Kayan.

The increasingly bright white light was also seen by Azrael and his companions. These warriors, who had experienced countless wars, had seen Slaanesh's lewd pink light, Nurgle's decadent green light, Khorne's slaughterful red light, and Tzeentch's ever-changing blue light, but they had never seen such pure white light.

"What is that?" Azrael asked Octar, hoping the elder could give him an explanation, but Octar just stared silently into the distance, his heart filled with confusion and doubt.

"Waaaaah..."

Suppressed, restrained sobs came from behind. Azrael turned around and saw that it was his advisor Ezekiel staring blankly at the white light, tears streaming down his face.

Could it be that... Ezekiel's psychic eye saw the true nature of that thing?

Realizing this, Azrael lunged at Ezekiel and cried out, "What, Ezekiel! What did you see! What did you sense!"

“I sensed death… such a peaceful, such a natural death…” Ezekiel said softly. “Do you remember, Chapter Master Azrael? A Space Marine’s life is destined to be spent in endless war. Our duty can only be truly ended in death, and the spirits of the fallen will return to the Golden Throne…”

"I know that..."

"But... isn't this just propaganda from the state religion? We've seen countless deaths and graves covering the entire planet, but we've never seen the Emperor's abode where human souls reside, have we?"

"You mean... what comes after that light is..."

"Beyond that light lies the resting place of the dead! A place where souls are not desecrated. That is the merciful haven provided by the Emperor... the Savior for humanity, a race that has endured countless sufferings in the universe, so that they will not become food for demons after death, nor become part of the chaotic winds of the warp!"

Ezekiel became more and more excited as he spoke, and his words, when they reached the ears of the other warriors, also made them yearn for the afterlife.

Space Marines are indeed powerful, but the responsibilities they bear are also extremely heavy. Endless wars wear down their nerves, and the older a Space Marine is, the heavier the weariness and powerlessness in their heart become.

Exhaustion can sometimes make Space Marines contemplate suicide, but the weight of their duties prevents them from easily giving up their lives. In the end, they can only console themselves with the thought that their dedication will be recognized by the Emperor and that their glorious lives will be remembered beneath the Golden Throne.

But as Ezekiel said, although everyone thought so, there was no evidence to prove the existence of the Golden Throne, this glorious place after death!

On the contrary, the traitors showed them countless examples of how, after death, a person's soul would inevitably return to the warp to be tormented by demons!

How could this not confuse them?

Chapter 605: The Faith of the Big Block

Now, the confusion has been resolved.

Just as Buddhists chant scriptures day after day, finally glimpsing the edge of the Buddha's realm; just as Christians pray day after day, finally seeing the shadow of heaven...

Fanatical believers dare to risk their lives in the name of God without even confirming the existence of Heaven and Hell. It is not hard to guess what actions the fanatical believers will take when God's abode is proven to exist.

After Ezekiel explained, all the Space Marines and the busy mortals on the bridge were enlightened, as if reborn!

In an instant, the confusion vanished, the wavering disappeared, and in an instant, all the traitors' clamor—that their souls would not go to the Golden Throne but would be relegated to the Warp—fell flat and became lies despised by everyone!

But while everyone was excited, there was one person who disagreed: Azmodari. He gripped the priest's staff tightly, and although he didn't know why, he felt that Ezekiel's words were standard heresy.

“After death, we should return to the Golden Throne, where a sacred and vast aura should emanate. But that white light only gives me a sense of tranquility; it is definitely not the Golden Throne,” Azmodari said coldly.

Ezekiel wasn't just spouting nonsense; he had his own well-developed theory. He immediately explained, "My brother, in the human empire, there are always some destined to be ordinary, but their ordinariness should not be forgotten or despised. If it weren't for the countless people of the empire silently fulfilling their duties, how could we Dark Angels continuously obtain the resources to fight our enemies? The Golden Throne is for the heroes of the empire, for the loyal subjects worthy of remembrance, and at the bottom of that throne, the merciful Savior also reserves a place for the insignificant masses!"

Ezekiel's words left Azmodari speechless, but before he could finish, he took a breath and continued, "Not only that, the Savior has also reserved a place for mankind's friends since the beginning of time!"

"Friends who have existed since the dawn of humanity?" Even Octar couldn't help but ask this question. Ezekiel immediately drew his finely crafted explosive pistol from his waist and showed it to everyone.

"That is the Machine Soul! The Machine Soul already existed and was defined by His sacred words when the Savior was still walking among humans."

The mechanical priests looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and then chose to activate the recording device to write down everything Ezekiel said next.

Today's discovery might just influence the future development of the Mechanicus!

"The Savior said: The so-called machine spirit is a wondrous thing created by mankind with sweat and wisdom, and into which they have poured their emotions and thoughts! Whether it is the oldest, forged tool made of bone, or the most advanced, enormous equipment that surpasses the imagination of mechanical sages, they all operate according to this sacred rule! The machine spirit flows within it, waiting for us to awaken it, waiting for us to communicate with it. It lives with us and dies with us."

At this point, Ezekiel pointed sharply at the Punisher, "Do you know why that warship was able to perform one impossible miracle after another? It's because Saint Otto remembered the Savior's words. He completely awakened the warship's mechanical spirit, transforming it from a beast made of steel into a close friend of mankind!"

"This...this..."

Ezekiel's words were increasingly beyond everyone's imagination. Azrael looked confused and puzzled, Samuel's face was numb and stiff, Azmodan muttered in a low voice, and only the ever-victorious Octar nodded in full approval.

Original origin...

Octar wondered if this was the purpose of Primarch Fenus's return. The technologies he invented were not the point; the most important thing was that he brought back the long-lost mechanical truth.

Although the exact function of this mechanical truth is unknown, Octar believes that Primarch Fenus will restore the current ignorant and corrupt human empire to the prosperity it enjoyed during the Great Crusade.

As he envisioned a bright future, Ezekiel took out the book he had sealed in the iron box and used the stories within to help his brother better understand what a true machine spirit was.

Azrael's eyelids twitched faster than Tzeentch's incessant chatter.

"If the Predator tank's soul had a physical form, what would it look like...?"

At this moment, Koji was unaware that Ezekiel had helped him spread the Bo religion. He was just cursing in his heart how that damned Kayan still had the strength to fight him. This guy's psychic talent was really extraordinary!

If Kayan is this strong, I can't even imagine how powerful and domineering Ahriman and Magnus must be!

"Sir! The enemy's 240 boarding torpedoes are 30 nautical miles away and are expected to hit the port side in two minutes!" the bridge officer shouted a warning. Once these boarding torpedoes hit, coupled with the Black Legion warriors who had once again boarded, the Punisher would be reduced to ashes.

Koken was troubled by those two crucial minutes, but then he felt a strange but powerful force flow into the pure white hall.

What is this?

Komi frowned as he sensed this power. It was different from the soul bricks formed by the soul after death, and different from the countless dust particles formed by faith and praise. Its form was somewhere in between, like a piece of soft, broken stone.

Ignoring the source and composition of this power, Komi took it and directly slammed it onto Kayan's psionic energy.

"Ugh..." Kayan bent over, his psionic energy showing signs of getting out of control. His body became increasingly ethereal and unpredictable. Even Abaddon couldn't be sure whether he was in reality or in the warp.

Should he watch his brother struggle on, or should he intervene and interrupt his ceremony?

The question echoed in Abaddon's mind, and then he looked up at the Punisher, which was stuck in mid-air and unable to move, and the many boarding torpedoes flying past. He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and decided to let his brother hold on a little longer on the verge of losing control.

It will only take a few tens of seconds, just a few tens of seconds!

However, Kayan could barely last a few seconds, let alone tens of seconds. The force that Komi had thrown out became the last straw that broke his back. He now felt that he was not facing an eerie silence, but a vast dark forest, where an unknown hunter was chasing his soul, and once it bit him, there would be no chance of survival.

"Owner!"

Finally, a sharp cry rang out, and the sound of flapping wings could not keep up with Mephitari's speed, closely following the tail of the bio-feathers.

Abaddon's attention was entirely focused on the Punisher. He immediately turned around but couldn't stop Mephitari. He could only watch helplessly as the Dark Eldar rammed Kayan out of the center of the ritual field, forcibly interrupting the psionic spell.

The Punisher instantly broke free of its restraints and plunged into the subspace rift once again, disappearing from sight. Many of its boarding torpedoes also missed their mark.

Abaddon glared angrily at Mephitari, his eyes revealing his boundless murderous intent.

It was just one second off!

The Exterminator will be riddled with holes by boarding torpedoes, and the secrets of ultra-short-distance subspace jumps will belong to him!

You've ruined it all!

Enraged, Abaddon opened the Claw of Horus, preparing to stab Mephisto, but Kayan, standing in front of her, made it difficult for Abaddon to strike.

No updates today due to overtime.

Fugen, you are loyal to me, the Imperial Eagles are yours.

Horus, you are a brother, and I hereby give you the title of warlord.

Perturabo, your hard work and achievements are truly remarkable. I will reward Dorne with the task of building the palace.

Chapter 606: The Warp Stone

Upon entering the warp, Koji did not rush to find a way out of the storm, nor did he command his crew to stop the Chaos soldiers entering the Exterminator. Instead, his consciousness entered the pure white hall, where he searched for the magical power that had just repelled Kayan.

"What is this?" Koken grabbed the remaining power, and as he kneaded it, the large chunk of power turned into dust that floated in the pure white hall.

There are many similar pure white halls with dust and ancient appearance. Under his operation, this magical realm can not only house the souls of the dead, but also receive the power of faith that points to the Savior.

However, faith is more ethereal than the soul, so the substance formed by the power of faith in the pure white hall is just dust particles. Gu Jian has not yet found a way to utilize these dust particles, so he can only let them pile up to form small mounds that do not hinder his movement.

Sometimes the machine spirits would rush inside to play, like children on the beach, trying to build their own kingdom out of sand. Most of the time, Komi could see the machine spirits shaping the sand into the machines they were born from, but these machines existed for a very short time. They would crumble and return to their original state within five minutes of taking shape.

But these forces... these new forces...

Komi tossed the remaining powder in his hand toward the hill, and the difference between the two became extremely obvious in comparison. The pure white powder was as fine and dense as high-quality salt, while the new powder was larger in size, rougher in appearance, and not as smooth to the touch.

Komi also noticed a subtle difference in color between the two. When the new dust fell onto the white dust, it showed a barely perceptible dark green color. This color was fundamentally different from the decaying color of the Nugget realm. It was clean and conspicuous, like a yellow warning tape deliberately applied to remind people to pay attention to safety.

"This thing...could it be the power of faith of the dark angels?"

Komi muttered to himself, but there seemed to be no better reason to explain the current situation.

Although Markarus leads the Unified Hand Warband, their faith in the Savior is superficial. They only refrain from questioning what the Savior is simply out of respect for Markarus's authority. Therefore, Komi cannot obtain any spiritual power from them.

But the Dark Angels are a different story.

While there are Space Marines who view the Emperor as a great man rather than a god, from Komi's perspective, their so-called rational view of the Emperor is essentially no different from that of religious chapters.

It's just that one person shouts "For the Emperor!" during a hard-fought battle, while the other shouts "For the God Emperor!" The titles have changed, but the core of respect and worship for the Emperor remains the same. Not to mention that they would have priests mobilize the troops before the battle, and those battle slogans that the warriors would repeat countless times on their knees could easily become popular in the monasteries of the state religion.

So Ezekiel successfully persuaded some dark angels to convert to the Savior? That's truly good news...

Koji nodded in satisfaction at Ezekiel's work. Just as he was about to leave, the power of faith born from the dark angels' ideology changed. The dark green faith dust attracted the pure white faith dust below, and then compressed it, eventually forming two dark green gems with dull luster, rough appearance, and extremely irregular shape.

Komi grabbed the gem and tried to piece it together, but he failed.

These gems felt very cool to the touch, even a little damp. When you close your eyes, the feeling is amplified, and you can even hear the sound of wind blowing through the forest, rustling the leaves and branches.

His eyes widened suddenly, and Koji's breathing quickened. He stared intently at the gem, his mind racing with bold thoughts.