Warhammer: Empire Reboot

They were busy cleaning up the battlefield, piling up the repairable power armor and removing the bits of flesh from inside.

They didn't even glance at them, as if the two sides weren't arguing about them at all.

At this moment, Lawson had just finished killing the last demon prince.

He also saw everything that happened here.

Lawson sneered, "What was bound to happen has finally happened."

He reached out and pulled four battle nuns from different planets over.

The four battle nuns knelt respectfully on one knee: "My lord."

Lawson stretched his limbs: "Let's go, someone suspects we're heretics, let's go check it out."

On the other side, Dante was still standing between the Inquisitor and Seth.

Dante said to Seth, "Don't get agitated. We can't possibly wrong any loyal Imperial warrior. What about the Grand Master of the White Tiger Chapter? Could we ask him to come and answer a few questions?"

Seth stiffened his neck and glared at the Inquisitor: "How should I know? He left after killing the Great Demon. In short, no one can touch the White Tiger Legion until he comes back."

The Grand Inquisitor then tries to accuse Seth of conspiring with heretics, which infuriates Seth.

Just then, the space around a White Tiger warrior cracked open.

The first person to emerge from the crack was none other than the Silverwing Commander.

Tiger King Armor, with a double-headed eagle on the chest and a white tiger on the right shoulder.

Behind him, one after another, White Tiger power armor suits emerged.

Then, four figures emerged from behind the Silverwing Commander.

Seth turned his head and froze.

The four golden beams of light were the figures of four women draped in white robes, with wings of light on their backs, floating in mid-air.

Four living saints!

Seth burst into laughter at Judge Roderick.

"They're back!"

"Didn't you say that killing a Great Impure One alone is not enough to prove loyalty to the Emperor?"

"What about those four living saints?"

"If you dare say these four are fake too, I'll shove the Bloodthirsty One up your nostrils and have him crawl out of your ass right now!"

"If you're so capable, then utter the word 'heretic' again in front of these four living saints!"

"Puke!"

"Sir, I fucking beg you to vomit!"

Roderick stood ramrod straight, like a knife held upright.

"Seth, the Chapter Leader."

"I am now even more certain than before that there is something wrong with this White Tiger Legion."

Seth's smile slowly faded: "What did you say?"

Roderick countered, "At once, four, four living saints? Don't you find that strange?"

He pointed to the four golden lights floating behind Lawson.

"Seth, how many living saints have appeared in the entire empire's ten-thousand-year history?"

Seth didn't answer; he wasn't quite sure.

“I’ll tell you.”

Roderick continued, "Twenty-nine of them are named and documented in detail."

“From Saint Ponteus to Sylvia a thousand years ago, there were twenty-nine saints in ten thousand years. On average, one saint is born every three hundred years. The birth of each living saint signifies a planet, a battle, or a period of the darkest history.”

"San Ponteus descended to save the Fedor Carnos sector, where three secondary sectors were burned to glass in that battle."

"Saint Sabina descended to ignite the fighting spirit of the last defenders in the Kazadin massacre, a battle that killed 170 million civilians."

"Saint Sylvia descended on the last day of the Third Black Cross Crusade, burning her entire soul in exchange for three days of respite for the Asdaran Fortress."

Roderick recounted each of the living saints who appeared.

“Every living saint is built upon a period of human suffering. Built upon tens of millions, hundreds of millions, billions of lives. The Emperor’s consciousness on the Star Torch is shattered, and his divine flame is very, very expensive. So expensive that the entire empire can only squeeze out a single drop every three hundred years on average.”

"And then, Chapter Master Seth..."

Roderick turned around and looked at the four living saints floating in mid-air.

"A battle group leader of unknown origin, with four others standing beside him at the same time."

"This density, Chapter Commander Seth..."

"It has only happened once in the empire's ten-thousand-year history."

Seth's breath hitched; he seemed to have guessed what the other person was about to say.

Sure enough, Roderick raised his voice: "The Age of Apostasy, Solly Akaha."

"A heretic who claimed to be 'favored by the Emperor' had three living saints appearing alongside him at the beginning of the Apostasy War. He used these three 'living saints' to win the military and political allegiance of four secondary star sectors. His army, calling itself the Army of Light, burned thousands of worlds. It wasn't until two full eras later that the Inquisition exposed his true colors in the Eusus system..."

The judge sneered, "These three 'living saints' are all extremely powerful Transformation Masters. They used warp magic to distort the perceptions of all Imperial citizens throughout the sector, making everyone see them as living saints."

"This is the most classic play of the master of all changes."

"Seth, why should I believe that these four living saints in front of you are real?"

"You said they radiate imperial aura, yes."

"But you should know that among Solly Akaha's Army of Light, there were seven complete Astartes Chapters, all of whom knelt before him."

"Just because your knees can bend doesn't mean you've knelt on the right person."

Roderick turned his gaze back to Seth's face.

"So, Chapter Master Seth."

"The arrival of a living saint is a gift from the emperor."

"The simultaneous appearance of four individuals alongside a White Tiger battle group of unknown composition is not a miracle, but rather the greatest strategic move in the history of the warp."

"The death of a great unclean being in exchange for the absolute trust of the Dark Regent is a bargain for the Lord of Change."

"Chaptermaster Seth, you're pointing a chainsaw at me right now..."

"Do you know that you're not carrying me?"

"You are carrying the lives of trillions of people on the dark side of the empire."

As Roderick finished speaking, everyone around him changed their expressions.

Including the brothers of the Flesh Rippers chapter.

Including Seth.

The reason why the Inquisition's paranoia has been relied upon by the Empire for ten thousand years is because they have never truly made a mistake.

Every time they launch an attack, they can find ten almost identical cases in history.

The moment Roderick uttered the name "Soli Akaha," Dante behind the mask of death let out a very soft sigh.

Seth's forehead began to bead with cold sweat.

He wanted to speak up and refute.

However, there is no chapter on "Soli Akaha" in the Chronicles of the Flesh Rippers, because the events of the Apostate Era were too dark, and the Blood Angels destroyed all copies of that history. Seth had only heard the name once, hundreds of years ago.

What can he use to refute this?

Dante finally spoke.

"Seth, put the sword away first."

Seth gritted his teeth and moved the Bloodthirsty One two meters away from Roderick's face.

Dante turned around and walked toward the Silverwing Chapter Commander who had been standing in front of the rift.

He stopped five meters away from Lawson and gave him a battle salute.

"The leader of the White Tiger Battle Group."

"I am Dante of the Holy Blood Angels. The Blood Lord of Baal, the Dark Regent."

"First of all, I want to thank you. Thank you for saving my sub-chamber, thank you for saving this fortress, and thank you for slaying that Great Impure One in a way I can't comprehend. The Flesh-Tearer Chapter is alive tonight entirely because of you."

"As a blood angel, as a son of Saint Gilles, as Seth's elder brother..."

"I, Dante, owe you a favor."

"but."

Dante's golden death mask met Lawson's face.

"I have another identity."

"The Regent in the Dark".

"After the Great Rift, the light of the Star Torch can no longer reach our half of the universe. The heads of all the citizens of the Empire here are tied behind this golden mask of mine. If I set off an hour late, if I misjudge the situation, if I trust the wrong person, trillions of lives will have to pay the price for me."

"do you understand?"

“If I were another chapter leader, on a sunny planet, in an ordinary battle, I would pat you on the shoulder, buy you a drink, and write a personal letter to your chapter.”

"But I am the regent in the shadows."

“I am standing next to a judge. Every point he makes is supported by historical evidence from the perspective of the apostate era.”

"I cannot let trillions of people in the shadows pay the price for a favor I owe you."

Dante took a deep breath.

"So, the leader of the White Tiger Squad..."

“I implore you to cooperate with Judge Roderick to complete the purification review process.”

“I swear to you in the name of Saint Gillespie that if the court oversteps its bounds during the trial, I, Dante, will stand by your side.”