Seraphs of the Emperor’s Judgment

Chapter 107: Forging the Heart (1)

"Kill him?"

Haomo took a step back, somewhat in disbelief.

"You are going to become an Adeptus Astartes, are you not?"

Soshyan's voice was as cold as a piece of iron.

Both of them were hesitating, but it was obvious that Haomo could not bring himself to do it. He stepped forward and protested: "It shouldn't be like this!

I have never heard of such a thing!"

But what he didn't expect was that when he left his back exposed to his good brother, the other party suddenly struck.

"Brother, I'm very sorry."

Vayu whispered, then lunged forward, pulling a short knife wrapped in cloth strips from his sleeve.

His movements were quite swift, completely inconsistent with his previous goofy appearance. Even his footsteps were very light when he ran.This slash aimed directly for the back of Haomo's head.

But he still underestimated the agility of his older brother.

"Vayu!?"

Hanging by a thread, Haomo twisted his body like lightning and dodged the strike.

The short knife slashed past his face. The wind hit his face, and he felt a cut slice open on his nose.

Warm liquid instantly trickled down to his lips.

Missing the first strike, Vayu howled and thrust again, aiming straight for his good buddy's chest.

In his anger, Haomo also drew the Serrated dagger at his waist and deflected the other party's strike.

The two weapons clashed together, letting out a crisp ring.

Subsequently, they circled each other like dancers, arching their backs and emitting low growls, just like confronting wild dogs.

The next second, they were locked in combat again, the short knives repeatedly striking in rhythm with their footsteps.

Soon, Haomo's knife slashed across Vayu's right thigh. The other boy suppressed a cry of pain and instead swung his knife toward Haomo's forehead.

Haomo dodged sideways, but still took a hit on the shoulder. Fortunately, this strike was not very heavy; it merely dyed half his body red.

Then, he stepped back a few paces and raised his weapon just in time to block another strike from Vayu.

Vayu panted heavily and backed away two steps. He had expended too much energy in a short amount of time. Even though the wound on his thigh was not fatal, it would accelerate the loss of his stamina.

Out of his understanding of his older brother, he knew he had to utilize his strength advantage to defeat Haomo as early as possible. Otherwise, defeat and death awaited him right before his eyes.

But the one thing he didn't know was that in Soshyan's eyes, from the moment his initial sneak attack failed, he had already lost for sure.

Haomo was undoubtedly the more excellent warrior.

Whether looking at his stamina preservation or his rhythm of attack, he was far stronger than Vayu. If not for his softheartedness, Vayu would have already met a bitter end under his blade.

But by now, Haomo's mercy had gradually been worn away.

During their struggle, the openings Vayu left exposed grew larger and larger.

Haomo saw an opportunity and firmly seized it. He fiercely thrust his short knife, then sharply turned it back toward the right and hacked Vayu's wrist.

With a miserable scream, Vayu released his injured hand, letting his short knife fall to the ground.

Haomo spun in a circle and arrived at the other boy's right side. Vayu could only use one hand to clumsily put up a block now.

Subsequently, the furious boy actually put away his short knife, performed a spin kick, and viciously kicked Vayu on the right arm at the elbow.

The sound of shattering bones sounded just like two pieces of wood crashing against each other.

"Ahhh—"

Vayu let out a cry of agony, his face turning ashen from the pain.

But his cries were quickly interrupted. Haomo smashed another punch into his face, shattering his black teeth, and then planted a kick squarely on his chest.

Bile mixed with fresh blood spewed out of Vayu's mouth.

He fell backward, then scrambled up again, struggling to breathe in air.

Haomo paced around his friend like an enraged vicious wolf.

"Idiot!

Idiot!

Why did you betray me!

You actually wanted to kill me!

Who was it that dug you out of the sand dunes back then!

Who took nineteen stab wounds to drag you out of the pile of corpses!

Speak!

You beast!"

Within Haomo's reprimands, aside from fury, lay deep agony.

As a child of the slums, he had grown up inside a gang since he was little. His only belief was brotherhood.

Before coming here, in his worldview, brotherly bonds were greater than anything else, and brotherly loyalty was everything. Brothers should stick together through life and death, hiding nothing from each other. All of this could even supersede blood relations.

Therefore, he had always treated Vayu like his own blood brother.

However, the conviction he held onto was, at this very moment, torn open by the Angel to reveal the bloody truth.

The agony of this scar far exceeded the pain in his physical body.

Facing Haomo's furious roars, Vayu had nothing to say in return. He could only kneel on the ground, cradling his broken arm while coughing up blood.

"Now, finish him off."

At this moment, Soshyan cruelly urged him.

Subconsciously, Haomo's hand tightly gripped his knife once again.

As long as he stabbed him once, all of this would be over. He would win this battle, and he would obtain everything he had dreamed of.

He would become an Angel, stay far away from the filthy and dreary Hive City, and possess supreme power.

He would become a hero, proving those guys who looked down on him wrong, and proving that he was so out of the ordinary.

He would—but, is someone who kills their own brother truly a hero? "What are you hesitating for?"

Soshyan roared: "You are only one step away from entering the Chapter!

Kill him!"

Haomo looked down at his own knife—a gift he received after participating in his first gang war. Their group of young boys had all sworn an oath with the knives in their hands before the Statue of the Emperor, vowing never to betray one another.

All of a sudden, he felt that this knife had been defiled—he had actually genuinely considered the Angel's demand.

"I won't kill him."

Haomo took a deep breath and slid the half-drawn knife back into its sheath.

"What did you say?"

Soshyan stepped forward with an intimidating aura.

But the boy didn't flinch.

"I said, I won't kill him."

He yelled at the Angel angrily, completely ignoring the astonished gazes of the people around them.

Soshyan shook his head.

"You are abandoning the chance to become a Space Marine, abandoning the chance to become the Emperor's servant, abandoning the chance to become the greatest warrior in the galaxy, just for him?"

The Astartes pointed at Vayu, whose face was covered in tears on the ground.

"You are a fool!

Unworthy of the gift about to be bestowed upon you. I ask for the last time: are you going to kill him or not?"

"No."

This time, Haomo simply threw the knife and its sheath aside altogether. He puffed up his chest and said: "I can discard everything for his sake, because he reached out a helping hand to me when I needed help, and became my friend when I had none. Even if he betrayed me, it only signifies the end of our brotherhood. The debt between him and me has already been settled!

If this means I am unqualified, then I don't care. I will not serve those who make me kill my own brother."

Soshyan moved closer. The boy involuntarily took a step back.

"Think about the glory and power you can obtain."

Soshyan suddenly switched to a whisper, a voice brimming with temptation.

"Trading a lowly life for these things is a fair deal, right? Think about it, he just betrayed you and wanted to kill you, so you don't need to shoulder any moral burden whatsoever."

"I did not come here for glory or power. I only came here to prove myself."

Haomo replied calmly.

He felt he had been deceived. He had gone through so much, suffered so many hardships, and held such high hopes, only for it to be a scam in the end.

The Angels weren't nearly as great, as righteous, or as honorable as the legends made them out to be.

But what made him angriest of all was that Vayu had betrayed their brotherhood for his own personal gain; this disappointed him far more than failing the selection.

He hid all of this in his heart, preparing to face his own death with righteous awe.

"I will never associate myself with the unrighteous."