Seraphs of the Emperor’s Judgment

Chapter 43: The Mysterious Man

Bang——!

The heavy metal doors were violently smashed open, and a giant reeking of blood barged into Loken's makeshift command post.

He stepped through the doorway with an unhurried stride, his black visors reflecting a ruthless glint. Blood still dripped intermittently from the battle axe gripped tightly in his right hand. He was looking for a target.

Then, what appeared before his eyes were two fully prepped Battle Automata.

Dadadada————!

Before he could even react, an overwhelming storm of bullets enveloped him. The searing metal pounded against his armor, leaving him dizzy, disoriented, and struggling to stay upright.

"Damn it!"

The World Eater let out a furious roar and steadied his footing. Though the bullets were still battering him, they weren't enough to pierce his vital areas.

"I'll tear you apart—"

Goaded by the Butcher's Nails, he prepared to launch a reckless charge and shred that blasted Tech-Priest to pieces with the jagged teeth of his battle axe. However, several searing cutting lasers swept in from both sides and above the doorway.Caught off guard, the laser swept across the World Eater's shoulder and leg, sending him crashing to the floor instantly—one of his arms and thighs had been cleanly severed.

As he continued to struggle, the two Battle Automata stepped forward, pressing their still-smoking muzzles against his chest and head.

"No—"

The next second, his roar was drowned out by the thunder of gunfire.

"Phew..."

Watching the massive brute reduced to merely twitching on the ground, Loken let out a long breath and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

Thank the Omnissiah that, out of concern for his personal safety, he had secretly deployed a large number of defensive weapons in his own nest. They had finally played a crucial role.

It was also fortunate that this guy was so arrogant. If he had just stood outside the door and sprayed blindly, Loken felt there was a high probability he would have already gone to see the Omnissiah by now.

"What's the situation now."

Having dealt with the immediate threat, Loken hid for a little while longer. Only after confirming that no other monsters were coming for him did he finally crawl out from under his chair.

However, just as he was about to step forward and get a look at the "dead" Space Marine, the brute suddenly lunged upward. Covered in dripping blood, he violently thrust his remaining arm toward the Tech-Priest.

"Hnnggggaaaaaarrrrghhh!"

Loken immediately shrieked like a Gretchin whose toes had been stepped on. But before he could be grabbed, a heavy warhammer struck like a falling meteor, smashing violently into the back of the blood-drenched Chaos Space Marine's head.

The attacker staggered and collapsed to the floor. Before he could scramble up, another hammer blow fell.

Clang——!

This strike smashed half of the brute's head straight into the deck. Then, the Battle Automata also stepped up and unleashed a frenzy of follow-up shots, only stopping when they had practically pulped the enemy's body.

Loken stared blankly and looked up, only to see a burly man wearing a silver-grey apron and a tall hat on his head.

"Is he dead?"

The burly man rubbed his bald head, wiping off the splattered blood. His rugged, square face bore a scar stretching from the base of his ear to his chin. Under the lights, his thick neck looked unusually flushed and greasy, and his massive arms looked scarcely any weaker than those of a Space Marine.

Seeing his attire, for some reason, only two words came to Loken's mind.

A chef.

"Where's your kitchen? Or the place where you store food."

The burly man stared at Loken and asked in an exceedingly "honest and simple" tone.

However, considering the heavy hammer still dripping with blood in his hand, Loken felt he had no grounds to refuse, so he pointed at the door and said:

"Go out the door, turn right for five hundred meters. You'll see a staircase. Head up, turn left for a hundred meters, and you're there."

"Thanks. Name's Rozim Pulimki. I snuck in on a shuttle just to restock some supplies. Don't go blurting it out to anyone."

"Oh... oh, right!"

Watching the man waddle away, Loken still felt as if he were in a dream. It wasn't until the wail of sirens pierced his eardrums that he remembered he was in the middle of an invasion.

He hurried over to the console and connected his mechanical mechadendrites to the orbital station's surveillance systems.

The results shocked him. In the brief time he was caught up with that massive brute, the traitors had already closed in on the starport.

They had found a temporary maintenance corridor. Loken could monitor most areas, but this specific sector was rarely used, so it hadn't been integrated into the orbital station's surveillance grid.

Now, the means at his disposal were few. Over a thousand defense troops had gathered at the starport, but whether they would be of any use was an unknown.

Loken held a pessimistic attitude about it.

He was already considering whether he should initiate the orbital station's self-destruct sequence. As the Adeptus Mechanicus's highest representative on the orbital station, he had the authorization to do so.

If he did that, he would be burying tens of thousands of people along with a few traitors. He certainly had a way to slip away himself, but after slipping away, it was highly likely he would never be able to return to the planet either.

After all, with such a massive loss, someone had to take the blame.

Given the situation, that fool Sola was most likely already dead. So, who better to be the scapegoat than him?

Loken found himself caught in a dilemma. Right now, he would truly trade anything for a squad of Skitarii or loyalist Astartes. Anything—

Beep, beep, beep—

The communicator suddenly chimed. Loken froze for a moment before realizing that this signal wasn't coming from the surface, but from the void.

Then, he pressed the connect button.

"H-hello?"

"Greetings, citizen of the Imperium. I am Soshyan, Chapter Master of the Astral Knights Chapter. We received a distress signal."

Without a second thought, Loken grabbed the cog symbol on his chest and planted a hard kiss on it.

Praise the Omnissiah!

"Yes, yes! I am Tech-Priest Loken of the Makand II orbital defense station! The signal was sent by me. We are under attack by a band of Imperial traitors!"

"We have already confirmed the attackers' identities. How far have they advanced? What are their numbers?"

"My Lord, there are nine of these traitors in total. I have already eliminated one of them. Their target is a Sword-class frigate that has just completed overhaul, the 'Glorious Saber'. They have already breached the central control room and are heading for the starport."

"Understood. We will head directly for the starport. When the time comes, I hope you can coordinate with us to eradicate these traitors."

"A portion of the defense force has gathered at the starport. They await your command, my Lord."

"Excellent. I need a structural blueprint of the starport, and I want you to arrange for the defenders to deploy as follows..."

"At your command, my Lord."

Just then, Loken suddenly recalled that the name "Astral Knights Chapter" sounded somewhat familiar.

"My Lord, are you leading your fleet here for a batch of supply equipment and materials?"

He finally remembered that his mentor once had an agreement with the Astral Knights, pledging to provide the Chapter with equipment supplies for two hundred years. The final shipment was supposed to have departed long ago, but the Chapter had requested a delay in delivery.

Loken had found it very strange at the time, especially since the surface authorities were constantly demanding they ship the goods out immediately to free up valuable warehouse space. But since it was a request from the Astartes, he had agreed to it.

To think that an unintentional act would ultimately become the key to saving his own life.

"That's correct. Are those supplies still safe?"

"Perfectly safe! I secured them in the safest warehouse. They haven't suffered any looting or damage."

"I am deeply grateful for your actions, Adept Loken."

Knowing the supplies were safe, the voice on the other end, which had previously been stern, softened somewhat.

"Our Thunderhawk will soon arrive at the starport. I need you to arrange... "