Warhammer 40k: Melee Warriors

Now, only the unpopular technical sergeant and Ezekiel in the Dark Angels Chapter have reached a consensus. They firmly believe that every machine has a sleeping spirit, and their task is to awaken the spirit and make it serve the cause of humanity.

Of course, during the exchange, the technical sergeant also had many questions that Ezekiel did not know how to answer. For example, those sleeping Dreadnoughts, according to the previous theory, the Dreadnoughts are the new bodies of veterans of the chapter, an iron coffin that stores their precious combat experience and glory.

After introducing the concept of Machine Soul, the Tech Sergeant began to rethink the relationship between the Dreadnought and the wounded veterans within it.

The wounded veterans are undoubtedly the people in the entire warband who are closest to the machines, after all, they would die once they were out of their coffins, and the Dreadnoughts are designed to be unable to start without a human crew inside...

At least every technical sergeant claimed that the Dreadnoughts they maintained were manned, and no one else would dare to open the Dreadnought coffins to take a look inside.

Thinking about it this way, could it be that the wounded veterans, in a way, became part of the Dreadnought's components, making the machine complete, and thus giving birth to an elderly mech spirit worthy of the chapter's respect?

The technical sergeant's question left Ezekiel speechless; he could only remember it and wait for a future opportunity to ask Otto for his opinion.

Besides these subtle changes, a vivid example is also key to the Dark Angels lowering their guard.

When a mortal blessed by the emperor has appeared in their lives and repeatedly performed miracles, the remaining people will naturally steer their thoughts toward that person when faced with the whispers.

Why am I so enthusiastic? It must be the inspiration of a saint!

Why am I so angry? It must be because the sage and I are of one mind, and we both hate the impurities that exist in the universe.

Khorne thus exerted his influence on these dark angels with almost no resistance from their minds. Feeling too relaxed, Khorne began to recall Dorn, thinking how easy it would be if this hard rock could be corrupted so easily.

The moment the power of Khorne descended, Azrael felt that the poison bullets fired by Abaddon's Claws were no longer a concern. The excruciating pain in his nerves was overwhelmed by the fervor of wanting to bathe in the blood of heretics. Azrael now only wanted to use the blade in his hand to shatter the evil before him and use their deaths to console the majestic emperor and the merciful savior.

"Kill all the unclean!"

Azrael roared, and the other Terminators followed with the same fervor. They quickly reached the deformed monsters and instantly ripped large amounts of flesh from their twisted bodies.

Slaanesh glared at Khorne and said, "You just don't want people to have a good time, do you?"

Khorne sneered, replying, "As long as you're unhappy, I'm happy..."

"You bitch..."

"These are the words I want to give you!"

The two gods fought fiercely, even neglecting the realities of the situation. Markus, aboard the Punisher, was finally able to stop and catch his breath, thanks to the Dark Angel's relentless attacks.

But...aren't these people's fighting spirit a little too intense?

Komi observed Azrael and the others' actions. Their movements were rough and ruthless, unlike those of a battle-hardened warrior, but rather those of a filthy butcher who didn't care about the blood and bone fragments splattering on him.

Fragments of flesh and blood from deformed monsters clung to their armor, their outer robes stained with blood, and their megaphones emitted only a single sound.

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Wow... these people are possessed! Do they see the shadow of fallen angels in these monsters?

Koji was startled by the Dark Angels' current appearance. He didn't think the Dark Angels could regain their senses after the battle. They would definitely catch their breath and then regard the remaining living people as enemies. When all the Exterminator's people were dead, they would probably realize that their loss of control was due to the evil god. From then on, the Dark Angels would have another little secret.

For the sake of his own warships and to save the last embers of the main army, Komi was prepared to fight Azrael, determined to rid them of their bloodthirsty fanaticism.

Holding the tuft of hair behind his back to secure it, Koji controlled Markars' body to attack from the other side of the mutated monster. He quickly tore through the ever-extending wall of flesh and saw Azrael covered in blood.

Azrael hadn't completely lost his mind. When he saw Markars, he paused for a moment. He didn't recognize the man who had helped him once in Talassin's museum, but he found the gray armor adorned with golden eagles quite suspicious.

Who is this? What is he here for?

The question echoed in Azrael's mind, and Komi also began to introduce his origins in a deep voice.

"My faithful servants, you have done well. I speak to you in the name of the Legion of the Dead, who save souls under the Savior's command. You have now been influenced by the power of evil and must conquer it with your own will. It is not too late to do so!"

“That’s right, Azrael, you’re not in the right state right now!” Otto shouted from afar, adding credibility to Markus’s words.

Chapter 623: The Cursed Legion: I have teammates now? When did this happen?

Unfortunately, Azrael could no longer hear anything. He was so engrossed in the glory of slaying evil in the name of the Emperor that he could not extricate himself from it. He pulled his longsword from the indistinguishable chunks of flesh of the mutated monster and charged toward Markarth without any hesitation.

Since you can't figure it out yourself, I'll help you clear your head.

Markarth was prepared. Having witnessed Abaddon's attack, Azrael could no longer put much pressure on him. He was even prepared to subdue Azrael within three moves and then smash his fist into Azrael's Helm of the Lion.

Azrael's Helm of the Lion King is also quite distinctive, with two crimson wings raised high, even longer than Abaddon's tuft of hair. Komi couldn't help but think to himself when he saw it.

No wonder you are revered as the Supreme Master. With those two feathers stuck on your head, there won't be another Space Marine taller than you on the entire battlefield.

call out!

Azrael's longsword came slashing toward Markarth's throat, but Markarth merely leaned back slightly to dodge it. Then, he clenched his left fist and flew it toward Azrael's face, grazing the deflection field of the longsword.

The Lion King's helmet was a precious sacred artifact, so Markars' punch naturally left no mark on it. However, Azrael inside the helmet was quite ordinary in comparison, and the buzzing sound made his eyes start to distort.

Azrael was still unconscious. The second blow followed. He pulled back the longsword he had swung horizontally, circled it around his arm, and then brought it down on Markarth's head.

Markarus's punch sank downwards, touching Azrael's chest and pulling him forward, causing him to lose his balance. Markarus then quickly shifted his feet forward, moving behind Azrael.

Azrael's forehead was now beaded with cold sweat. His intuition, honed during the war, was telling him over and over that he was in danger. He was powerless to launch a counterattack, nor did he have a chance to dodge an attack from behind.

Marcus didn't care about any of that. He stared at the back of Azrael's head, opened his clenched fist into a palm, and then slammed it down!

Snapped!

The metallic hum echoed for a long time. Azrael, clutching his helmet, staggered forward. He turned to look at Markarth, whose gaze behind the goggles was noticeably clearer.

Hey, that's right. Don't just watch me kill him, that Abaddon guy has escaped again.

Kojima was quite relieved to see Azrael sober. After a quick recollection, the warband leader suddenly realized just how dangerous his previous state had been.

Instead of immediately thanking Markus for his help, he looked at the Dark Angel Terminators who were tearing apart the monster's remains, "Lion King's offspring! Do not let the fury of battle control your souls!"

The Chapter Commander's words were indeed much more effective than Otto's. The Terminators, covered in blood and bits of flesh, froze, their movements stiff. They stood still, taking deep breaths and silently reciting the Emperor's holy words.

"By the Emperor... I actually let my anger control me? What a disgrace." Azrael thought through gritted teeth, closing his eyes to repent to the Emperor, vowing that he would never again be anxious about failing to capture Abaddon.

After regaining his composure, Azrael began to seriously observe Markars's appearance. He felt that the man was somewhat familiar, but he couldn't come up with any evidence to prove it.

In the end, he could only turn his gaze to Otto, hoping that this saint who had given so much could answer his questions.

Komi's will flowed between the two bodies. Although their temperaments and styles of doing things were quite different, it did not bother him too much. He told himself that everything he was doing now was just a performance to achieve a greater goal.

Otto wiped the sweat from his forehead. This wasn't an act; he was genuinely exhausted, both physically and mentally. Komi had focused most of his energy on Marcus, paying very little attention to Otto. Those few crucial throws were the result of Komi squeezing out all his potential for multitasking.

Now, Koji felt an endless wave of exhaustion wash over him, and his eyelids were pulled shut tightly, plunging him into a deep, unawakening sleep.

“Ahem… Chapter Master Azrael, please allow me to introduce you to the Savior’s servant… You don’t need to know his name, just that he is a member of the Legion of the Dead.” Otto said thoughtfully. Azrael had never seen the Sage so listless, and felt a greater sense of defeat for failing to protect the Sage.

Despite the setbacks, we still need to ask questions.

"The Legion of the Dead? What's that?"

Marcus remained silent, simply waving his hand to clean the grime off his armor like a stern and unsmiling strongman.

Otto then said to Azrael, “In your hundreds of years of service to the Emperor, have you ever heard of the deeds of a ghostly legion? We face a terrifying enemy that can desecrate the laws and transcend reason. The sacrifice of the living alone is not enough to protect the future of humanity. The dead must also serve in this war.”

"The fallen fought..."

Azrael murmured, overwhelmed by a feeling of emotion, admiration, and longing. To him and many Space Marines, what an honor it was to fight for the Emperor, both in life and in death.

But amidst his anticipation, Azrael also sensed another meaning in Otto's words. He couldn't help but take off his helmet and earnestly plead with Otto for clarification.

Otto answered generously, having already planned how he would explain the origins of the Legion of the Dead to them.

This inevitably leads us to Otto's earliest deceptive theory: that the emperor was both majestic and benevolent, and the savior both benevolent and majestic.

There are two legions of the dead. One is the Cursed Legion, forged from the flames of vengeance, a true manifestation of the Emperor's hatred for aliens and demons. Whenever a world falls into despair, they emerge from hell, accompanied by sulfur and flames. They wear armor as dark as night, a product of no nature, for it devours all light like a black hole, leaving not a trace even the most dazzling lumen of the Mechanicus.

Within and around the armor flows fuel intimately connected to the soul; it can even transform into blazing pillars of fire, vanishing from reality in a final, frenzied dance, carrying with it the very things the emperor despised.

The Legion of the Dead is an expression of the Savior's merciful side, a gentle rain after the raging fire that has burned away all evil. Rather than burning away all impurity with fire, the warriors of the Legion of the Dead prefer to shelter human souls that can still be forgiven, allowing them to rest in peace as human beings, rather than becoming playthings in the hands of the Chaos God.

Otto's explanation made Azrael nod with delight, and he began to look forward to which legion he would be qualified to serve the Emperor after his death.

To become a raging, cursed warrior, or a warrior of sin? My fate after death seems to depend on my choice...

Chapter 624: A Disappointing Subordinate

As the Dark Angels pondered their posthumous assignments, Abaddon arrived beside Kayan, pulled from a psionic portal, his armor wreathed in wisps of psionic energy.

He fell into a brief coma as he passed through the psionic gate, unable to move for a while, and plummeted straight down, his face slamming into the ground.

Kara...

The gemstone floor in Kayan's meditation room, which was as dazzling and beautiful as crystal but as hard as alloy, was actually cracked.

"War Commander!"

Without a moment's regret over his broken floor, Kayan immediately rushed to the War Marshal's side.

He hadn't seen Abaddon in such a sorry state in a long time. His face was completely covered in blood, which dried and solidified, and cracked with many lines as Abaddon's intense expressions changed. This made Abaddon's face look like a piece of cracked, dark red earth that had been dry for many years.

What's worse, Kayan just couldn't stand the way Abaddon looked anymore, until Mephitari whispered something to him and he suddenly realized why.

General Zhan... General Zhan's braid is gone!

Even though Kayan had always maintained a calm and knowledgeable demeanor while acting beside Abaddon, he couldn't help but cover his mouth in surprise at this discovery!

Although Abaddon's topknot hadn't yet risen to the status of a grand banner symbolizing the morale of the legion, the fact that it could be severed proved that Abaddon had been in a life-threatening situation during the battle.

Not to mention that the topknot wasn't just cut in the middle, but pulled out by the roots, scalp and all! What would other people think if they saw this?

They must have thought that Abaddon was no longer of any use. He had been grabbed by the hair and his body was controlled by the enemy. They could have cut off Abaddon's head with one stroke. At this moment, Abaddon struggled desperately and managed to pull off his own hair to survive.

Abaddon must be mentally and physically wounded by now. This must be a revelation from the dark gods, hinting that I should seize this opportunity to take Abaddon's throne! If he can sit on the throne, why can't I?

They managed to defeat a hellish beast and also brought down the war commander.

Kayan knew the Chaos Legion's vile nature of acting solely on self-interest and power, not loyalty. He realized that if he wanted the Black Legion to escape unscathed from a potential major rebellion, or even to win the Twelfth Black Crusade, he had to conceal Abaddon's defeat.

Kayan reached out and helped Abaddon up, then gestured with his eyes for Mephitari to fetch him some fresh human skin.

As a dark Eldar, Mephitari always carried these materials with her to satisfy her artistic needs. She reached into her bio-wings and found a stack of fresh, firm human skin.

Kayan took it and used psionic energy to create needles and thread, busily working on Abaddon's head, perfectly covering his exposed skull with new human skin.

Now that the top of the head is done, where do we find the hair?

Kayan then looked at Mephitari. His servant had extremely long and smooth hair, which should have been a hindrance in her battle, but Mephitari's killing skills had long been perfected, and she could make sure that her hair did not affect her movements when she attacked.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Mephitari tossed her head and threw her long hair to her chest, hugging it with her arms. At the same time, she let her bio-wings cover her entire body, leaving only her head exposed. "If you want to use my hair to make him a new one, you might as well sell me to those demons to be drained."

Mephitari's rejection troubled Kayan somewhat, but he himself was bald, and it was fortunate that he hadn't turned into a pile of dust like his brother.

Suddenly, Kayan thought of something. He put his hands together and opened an extremely small pocket, where he put some very precious and rare odds and ends.