Seraphs of the Emperor’s Judgment

Chapter 201: Raven

Just as Soshyan was actively exploring his family's ancient secrets, a message suddenly arrived from the distant Lord Malakim.

The mining world of Saphonius was in dire need of assistance.

According to the information relayed by the astropath, Malakim believed that the xenos threat on Saphonius had already become extremely serious. If left unattended, this vital energy production site would suffer severe damage, or even fall entirely.

Meanwhile, the main forces of the Excoriators were currently bogged down in several Hive Worlds, unable to extricate themselves in the short term. The hidden dangers on Saphonius were all located in narrow subterranean mining sectors, where the massive forces of the Astra Militarum would likely find it difficult to deploy effectively.

Soshyan naturally understood the importance of Saphonius, so he immediately issued a request for intelligence feedback from the planet.

The other party's response was also quite prompt, and a firsthand investigation report from the Departmento Justitiae soon fell into Soshyan's hands.

After a preliminary assessment, he confirmed that the xenos threat on Saphonius had indeed reached a point where it had to be resolved, and could potentially be even worse.

"The words of those bureaucrats are half-truths and half-lies, and the data is incomplete."

Soshyan stood in the Chamber of Investiture as the servitors removed his armor piece by piece, moving around him while muttering in mechanical voices.

As the servitors detached the armor plating from his torso, Soshyan felt the cool air of the room touch his skin.This time, he was not alone; Sol was also beside him.

His armor had originally been a very standard set of power armor, but later, he had added touches of purple to some concealed areas, serving as remnants of past memories.

An Aquila made of flat gold wire adored the surface of his breastplate. A bolt pistol and a sword hung at his waist, both of their hilts decorated with skeletal remains.

The servitors were simultaneously disarming Sol.

Beneath his carapace armor, black wing-like tattoos and the scars of bygone years crisscrossed his muscles in geometric lines.

Pale scars ran horizontally across his arms, back, and chest, with fine, hair-like lines slicing through his skin.

Sol stretched his shoulders, causing the feathers of his tattoos to ripple.

"The ambiguous attitude of the local administrative body is indeed worth noting."

"Did the Departmento Justitiae lie as well? Looking at the report, if they truly encountered a Genestealer population of such massive scale underground, I feel their survival rate shouldn't have exceeded ten percent, perhaps even lower. But the truth is, they managed to escape completely unscathed."

"I believe that report stated the truth, or at least a part of it. The Departmento Justitiae shouldn't have hidden too much, and moreover, there had never been a single report regarding Genestealers from Saphonius before. If they intended to hide something, there would be even less reason to reveal the tip of the iceberg at this moment."

"If the higher-ups of the local administrative body have already been infiltrated, they could have entirely continued to conceal it, or even chosen not to send this report at all. Yet the current situation is that this report has fallen directly into our hands. Why is that?"

The final piece of armor was removed, and Soshyan felt the fibers of a tunic slide down his neck.

"Because nothing is what it seems on the surface."

Sol's meaningful words left Soshyan somewhat baffled.

"What do you mean?"

"We should just go and see directly."

Sol responded while shaking both of his arms to stretch his muscles.

"The answers will be there."

——————

Saphonius, Mining Sector 14.

Shadows scattered and morphed along the walls in a manner that defied the bounds of natural possibility.

The lumen globes began to extinguish, one after another.

One of the cogitator screens in front of the Genestealer Magus shattered, erupting in a cluster of sparks.

Klaxons began to blare, rising above the wailing echoing through the hidden cathedral.

The shadows continued to shift, undulating and pooling together to form silhouettes—resembling claws, fangs, and the heads of ferocious beasts.

With a roar seemingly born from the Warp itself, darkness descended.

The Magus's bodyguards were the first to die. Those shadows made quick work of these 4th Generation Hybrids, who appeared no different from ordinary humans, enveloping them in razor-sharp death.

As the darkness surged into their gaping mouths, their agonizing screams became choked and stifled. It then tore them apart from the inside, shaking the entire cathedral as they were dismembered and shredded to pieces.

As the dark, void-like claws reached toward him, the Magus staggered backward, while serrated wisps of smoke coiled around his reading lectern.

The bodyguards had already fallen silent, alongside the distant gunfire. It had all been completely meaningless.

Now, the only sound left was his own frantic breathing.

"Four-armed God-Emperor, give me strength—"

The Magus stammered, frantically trying to recall the familiar sacred litanies.

"Your guiding light is divine, holy... burn away all impurity... pro-protect—"

But the very next second, the shadows rushed together, as if violently sucked into a vacuum.

The twisting darkness took shape, akin to a figure slowly emerging from the thick, swirling black mist. When the final lingering wisps coalesced into a solid form gleaming with a sinister light, the Magus's words turned bitter in his mouth.

Woven forth from the murderous darkness, a creature now stood in the center of the cathedral.

It stood over two meters tall, wreathed in a grotesque, dark luminescence.

The worst part was what could be faintly seen draping the entity—flayed skins, many of them ragged with time, all stitched together and pinned in place with spikes of black iron.

The Magus could see withered hands, legs, and torsos, along with staring, open-mouthed faces, hanging from the creature's waist and shoulders like grotesque masks.

Those belonged to his kin, and among them, he could even see a Patriarch he was very familiar with.

Yet they had all died like dogs.

The nightmarish presence advanced toward the Magus. With its relentless strides, the air around it vibrated, exuding massive, overwhelming energy that even caused the cogitator screens to short-circuit.

This Magus, a 4th Generation Hybrid, stumbled backward before tripping over the hem of his own robes.

"Mercy—"

He stammered, desperately searching for something—anything—that could stop this monster draped in flesh.

"Mercy, no."

With a sweep of absolute disdain, the giant used its arm to smash the heavy lectern between them across the room. The torn power coils sparked and snapped with a sharp crack.

The Magus fell to his knees, weeping and trembling.

He had never known such sheer terror.

This monster was a nightmare that had haunted their cult for hundreds of years. Had it not been for this entity, they would have conquered the entire world long ago.

The giant leaned over him, its shadow blotting out the last remaining lumen globe. It then extended its empty hand, slowly stroking the Magus's forehead.

As the spikes affixed to the metal gauntlet snagged his flesh, the Magus felt a sharp sting, but he dared not utter a single word.

Then, it spoke.

"Now, it's just you. Are you afraid?"

The Magus whimpered softly, a spreading dampness forming beneath his robes.

The nightmare tightened its grip ever so slightly.

"In truth, I have no time to torture you. You will die very quickly. You should be grateful for this—grateful to me."

The Magus let out a groan as the nightmare clamped its hand around his head and hoisted him into the air.

"Thank me."

It commanded.

"Th-thank you."

"You're welcome."

The nightmare let out a chilling, macabre laugh, and in the very next second, crushed his skull entirely.