Seraphs of the Emperor’s Judgment

Chapter 223: Altani

Soshyan had read of Sevatar's name. As the absolute most vicious and lethal traitor of the Great Rebellion, his name could still be found deep within the archives of countless Chapters, even ten millennia later.

But he had never imagined that this infamous butcher from ten thousand years past would be standing before him in the flesh.

"Sol, I really loathe your introduction."

Sevatar glared at the veteran who hailed from his own era, his gaze freezing cold.

"Far too much drivel."

"That was merely the tip of the iceberg."

"Aren't you dead?"

Hearing Soshyan's words, Sevatar let out a bark of contemptuous laughter.

"You've been dragging a dead man around with you, and now you have the gall to ask me that? Have the Astartes truly regressed in intelligence over the last ten millennia?"

"You—"Soshyan's temper flared instantly. He was mere seconds away from charging forward with his sword to re-engage the traitor.

But a violent tremor ripping through the floor stopped him in his tracks.

And he also abruptly remembered a critical detail: this man had engaged them, and even temporarily overpowered them, while entirely lacking power armor. His lethality was matching the historical records perfectly—he truly was one of the single most dangerous Space Marines to ever live.

"Sevatar, why are you here?"

Tearing his gaze away from Soshyan, the Prince of Crows carefully looked Sol up and down.

"Asking a question like that, I really have to suspect whether you're a Changeling in disguise."

"I'm deadly serious."

With that, Sol pushed his blade forward a fraction of an inch, the tip instantly carving a shallow score across the stasis-pod's metal casing.

"I am deadly serious as well."

Sevatar's voice dropped to a frigid whisper.

"So tell me, why are you here?"

"Because I am currently a member of the Astral Knights Chapter, deployed on a mission."

"Oh, is that so? Have you finally decided to abandon that nauseating purple? That truly is a joyous occasion."

"Answer the question, or my blade will instantly puncture this casing, and whatever happens to be inside it."

Looking visibly agitated, Sevatar roughly scratched the hair at the back of his head before forcefully violently suppressing his anger, replying:

"It's secure, it's concealed, and it's an absolutely ideal hiding hole for a rat like me to scurry into. Is that sufficient?"

"I sincerely doubt it's just that."

Sol cast a pointed look toward the thrumming machinery and the massive conduits snaking around the chamber.

"You've been exploiting this facility's resources entirely to keep this specific pod operational."

He lightly tapped the metal casing of the stasis-pod with the flat of his blade.

"You forced those cultists to provide technological components, all for this very purpose. Am I wrong?"

"Does it matter to you?"

"Damn traitor! Whatever you're plotting we—"

Soshyan attempted to hail the battle-brothers stationed above, but finding the vox still jammed, he began to step closer to Sol.

But the moment he moved, Sevatar moved with him.

"You arrogant brat! Stay away from it! Don't move a single muscle!"

Seeing the traitor advancing upon him, Soshyan was forced to halt, raising his blade into a ready guard.

But the moment he stopped, the other man halted as well.

"Sevatar, since you survived... why didn't you return to your Legion?"

Hearing Sol's question, Sevatar looked profoundly irritated.

"Must you interrogate me on every insignificant detail? If you keep asking questions, I'll be forced to butcher both of you."

"Even if I ceased asking, you wouldn't let us leave alive."

"That is a conclusion you've drawn yourself."

"Then answer me."

Sevatar slammed the haft of his chain-glaive heavily onto the stone floor, then spat violently.

"I grew tired. Are you satisfied with that answer?"

"Then do you know what became of your cursed Primarch—"

"Shut your mouth!"

Sevatar's sudden, explosive roar made Soshyan flinch involuntarily. When he realized he'd been startled, a wave of intense shame flooded through him.

The Prince of Crows took a few deep, ragged breaths, forcing down his blazing fury, though the muscles in his face continued to twitch visibly.

"I know he is dead. I don't need you acting like some grox-shit pict-thief to tell me... For a man like him, death was infinitely preferable to life. At least now, he can no longer torment himself, and he can no longer torment others."

"In all these years, you never once considered seizing control of the Eighth Legion?"

"That mob of degenerates means absolutely nothing to me. I couldn't care less if they live or die."

"Even Shen and Makarion?"

Hearing those two names, Sevatar fell utterly silent.

After a long, heavy pause, he responded hoarsely:

"They possess their own destinies."

BOOM——————————!

Suddenly, another deafening blast shook the temple, followed by cascading sheets of shattered rockcrete from the vaulted ceiling. This time, Soshyan could roughly determine the location; the explosion had detonated on the upper levels.

"Jago, those monsters are launching a full-scale assault. They won't be able to hold out much longer."

Amidst his rising anxiety, Soshyan suddenly caught an ethereal, feminine voice.

"Who said that?"

He snapped his gaze around the cavern, but failed to locate a fourth person.

Instead, both Sevatar and Sol turned to stare at him.

"He—"

Sevatar blinked incredulously at Sol, who merely offered an enigmatic smile in return.

"He is the Chapter Master of the Astral Knights, Soshyan Alexey."

"Jago, he seems to be able to hear me."

The voice echoed again. Soshyan whipped his head around, still seeing nothing but shadows.

"There is a fourth person here."

"Boy, what exactly did you hear?"

Soshyan turned his attention back to Sevatar.

"You couldn't hear it?"

Seemingly confirming his own suspicions, a look of profound realization dawned on Sevatar's face.

"Soshyan, do you know why your Grey Marrow had absolutely no effect on Sevatar?"

At that moment, Sol abruptly spoke up.

"What?"

"Because during his duel with you, Sevatar wasn't employing any psychic powers whatsoever. Every single one of those psychic phenomena was being channeled into him by someone else."

"By who?"

"Her."

Sol tapped his blade gently against the stasis-pod, then demanded loudly.

"What is your name? Answer me."

Initially, the pod remained entirely silent. But as Sol began to slowly drag the edge of his blade across the casing, a timid, frightened voice bloomed within both his and Soshyan's minds.

"I... my name is Altani..."

"You're an Astropath, correct?"

"Y-yes."

"Which choir do you belong to?"

"The flagship of the Dark Angels Legion... the Invincible Reason."

Sol froze for a moment, an incredibly bizarre expression warping his features as he slowly turned his gaze toward Sevatar.

"You've kept her... alive for ten thousand years?"

Sevatar offered no verbal response, maintaining his stance of arrogant, dripping contempt.

"No, relying solely on your own capabilities, you could never have achieved this..."

Sol bowed his head slightly, seemingly deep in thought. That momentary distraction handed Sevatar the perfect opening.

Where he had appeared utterly relaxed a second prior, he instantly unleashed himself like an arrow loosed from a bow, the jagged teeth of his chain-glaive roaring into life.

"Watch out!"

Sensing the shrieking death bearing down upon him, Sol threw his blades up in a desperate guard and was violently hurled back more than a dozen paces amidst a shower of blinding sparks.

Sevatar didn't press the attack. Instead, he repositioned himself, planting his body firmly between the two Space Marines and the stasis-pod.

"Sol, you had best prepare yourself to endure the consequences of infuriating me."

The Prince of Crows' signature sneer twisted his face. But Sol showed no fear whatsoever, simply shouting:

"Soshyan, unleash the Grey Marrow! We attack together!"

"Understood."

Soshyan instantly lunged forward.

"Jago... it's so cold! It hurts so much!"

Hearing Altani's piteous wail, Sevatar snapped his head back for a split second before turning intensely focused eyes upon Soshyan.

"What kind of abomination are you? How can you possibly be a Blank?"