Seraphs of the Emperor’s Judgment

Chapter 65: Sword Fight

Over the next two days, the interior of the Starfire seemed exceptionally calm, although all the Battle Brothers were already aware that a Company Commander of the Emperor's Children from ten thousand years ago had come aboard.

But before Soshyan made his stance clear, they could only keep their respective thoughts to themselves.

It was still the daily routine of training and prayer, but amidst this mechanically dull life, there were far more Battle Brothers going to the archives to consult materials than in the past.

Soshyan certainly knew why everyone had suddenly become so "fond of reading".

However, he had no better solution; he could only wait.

During this period, Sol stayed in his cabin the entire time. He never stepped out, nor did he allow anyone to enter, not even the servitors.

Finally, when the chronometer clicked to zero hour on the third day of standard Terran time, the door to Sol's cabin opened.

He headed straight for the archives, where Soshyan and Brother Zayd were already waiting for him.

When the door opened and Saul Tarvitz reappeared, Soshyan was somewhat startled.

This warrior who had held off a horde single-handedly on the space hulk now looked like a withered, desiccated corpse abandoned on a battlefield within his damaged armor—dejected and absent-minded.The scrolls and books he had been reading were still in his embrace.

Company Commander Sol walked step by step toward the desk, placed the records upon it, and then turned to the Dreadnought before the lectern.

"I never expected the Imperium to have become like this."

"No one could have foreseen it."

"Perhaps just as the Warmaster once said, He would eventually leave us. It's just that I didn't expect the destiny of the Imperium to continue in such a cruel and tragic manner..."

"Destiny is a cunning enemy."

"Indeed, destiny is certainly a cunning enemy."

Then, after another stretch of silence, Sol spoke to Soshyan:

"Apologies, I kept some things from you. I already knew the outcome of the Battle of Terra. The last moment in my memory is not M31.014, but M36.097."

"Then how did you end up on that space hulk?"

Sol fell silent, clearly unwilling to answer.

Soshyan looked at Brother Zayd, but the latter raised an arm, signaling him not to speak just yet.

"The Imperium you once knew has already changed beyond recognition, Saul Tarvitz. So, have you made up your mind? Let us end this tedious charade."

Brother Zayd brought out the brass sphere once more.

"So be it."

Sol took the brass sphere, then gently pressed the button on it. Immediately, accompanied by a beam of light, a pale green three-dimensional image appeared above the brass sphere.

In the holographic projection, a dark golden emblem featuring a beast's head, eagle's body, twin wings, and four feet was slowly rotating, beneath which lines of fine text surfaced.

Sol, previously somewhat dejected, nearly dropped the brass sphere when his hand trembled upon reading the first line of text.

As more and more text appeared, the expression on his face grew increasingly complex, his brows furrowing tightly together.

During this process, no one spoke. A deathly silence enveloped the archives; only the faint humming of servo-skulls drifting by proved that time was still flowing here.

It was a full ten minutes later that Sol turned off the brass sphere.

"You..."

He glanced at Soshyan and Brother Zayd, hesitating for a long time, unsure of what to say.

"I assume you have already found your answer."

Brother Zayd retrieved the brass sphere, the voice from his vox-caster turning low and deep.

"You have touched upon a secret that even the Primarchs had to forget, Company Commander Sol."

"I too once pondered what exactly happened to those two lost Legions."

Sol inhaled deeply, calming his churning emotions.

"But I absolutely never thought I would one day encounter survivors and descendants of a lost Legion. To tell the truth, I am somewhat regretful now. These memories are nothing good."

"You already know."

Brother Zayd's dry chuckle echoed through the archives.

"There is no turning back."

Sol shook his head.

"Not quite."

"Oh?"

"I still cannot be certain of the authenticity of everything you've said. Your plan—or rather, your conspiracy. The Death Eagles may no longer exist, but that does not mean we have given up fighting the enemies of the Emperor, no matter the circumstances."

As he spoke, Sol cast a glance at Soshyan. That skeptical look deeply stung him.

"No!"

Soshyan clenched his gauntlets tightly, then unfastened Sol's sword from his waist and slammed it onto the table.

"If you doubt our loyalty, then let us settle this with swords! If you defeat me, then you may go wherever you please."

"Fine."

Sol picked up the sword from the table very decisively.

A duel broke out. The warriors who received the news quickly gathered at the training grounds, entirely unaware of what had happened.

However, a duel between two warriors would not be halted by confusion. By the time everyone assembled, Soshyan and Sol were already standing on the metal fighting ring, both having removed their power armor and donned their training fatigues.

Sol stood sideways facing Soshyan, his right hand raising his sword, entering combat with an incredibly nonchalant stance.

Soshyan, conversely, gripped his sword with both hands, holding it over his right shoulder as he slowly closed in on his opponent.

The vaulted ceiling of the training grounds suddenly seemed unnaturally quiet. The two warriors circled each other, searching for flaws in their opponent's defense.

There was nothing left to say; all of this could only end in blood.

Without warning, Soshyan lunged at Sol, thrusting the Holy Flame Sword forward, attempting to utilize its length advantage to strike first.

But the moment he launched his attack, Sol had already anticipated his movement.

The Emperor's Children legionnaire sidestepped, swinging the hilt of his sword downward to swat the Holy Flame Sword away from his face.

Subsequently, Sol ducked, evading a slash Soshyan spun to direct at his head.

The Holy Flame Sword clove only empty air. In the next second, Sol delivered a heavy elbow strike to Soshyan's flank, knocking him staggering backward several steps.

"Ugh..."

Anticipating an immediate counterattack after regaining his footing, Soshyan hastily created distance between himself and his opponent. But Sol merely smiled, circling him gracefully.

While Soshyan was judging the direction of his opponent's attack, the other suddenly took a step and charged forward. His longsword struck like a striking viper, thrusting toward Soshyan's abdomen with lightning speed.

Soshyan blocked the blow, rotating his wrist to press his blade over Sol's edge, swinging toward his neck.

But the ten-thousand-year veteran anticipated this move once again, nimbly dodging out of the way of his attack.

Seeing that the gap in their swordplay skills was too vast, Soshyan had no choice but to activate the Grey Marrow in his body once more.

"Hmm?"

Sensing the chill rising from the depths of his soul, Sol narrowed his eyes slightly, as if knowing what was happening to Soshyan. He then adjusted his stance, the tip of his sword pointing diagonally downward, the blade angled toward Soshyan.

Taking a deep breath and feeling the cold surging through his blood, Soshyan abruptly launched a counteroffensive.

The Holy Flame Sword subsequently forced Sol to retreat step by step in a swirling vortex of flashing steel.

"A warrior should not overly rely on power that is not his own."

Sol shook his head, parrying a fierce thrust aimed at his lower abdomen before twisting his body to deliver a lightning-fast riposte toward his opponent.

This strike was incredibly tricky, coming from an almost impossible angle.

Seeing the blade carving through the air toward him, Soshyan tried desperately to dodge backward, but he still felt the edge bite into his flesh in a sharp burst of pain.

His opponent had controlled his strength perfectly, only piercing the training fatigues and his epidermis.

Soshyan quickly retreated, blood trickling down the hem of his training fatigues, before the chill in his blood helped him block out the pain.

Meanwhile, his opponent closed in with a look of disappointment.

"If this is the best you can do, Soshyan, then you might as well give up now."

"I was just about to say the same thing to you, Sol."

Soshyan said between pants, raising his sword once again.