Seraphs of the Emperor’s Judgment

Chapter 72: Within the Soul

"This..."

For a moment, West was entirely unsure of how to reply, merely wiping the cold sweat from his forehead continuously with his sleeve.

The demigod's indignation was like a thundercloud; the terrifying energy brewing within it was something no mortal could withstand.

However, before it could erupt, Soshyan managed to calm himself down.

"The mission comes first; ignore everything else for now."

Sol's voice drilled into his head through the vox. He knew the other was right; at this moment, the mission was the highest priority.

Thus, he straightened his back, returned to the formation, and then took long strides toward the now-open doors of the cathedral.

During this process, recalling the filthy woman clutching her child, he suddenly realized that the ring was still hanging around his neck.

Perhaps this was a memory in his mind struggling to hold on as he grew increasingly distant from mortals.

Soon, they reached their destination.Although this cathedral was not large, it appeared to be quite old and well-maintained. Stained glass windows as clean as new, manicured lawns, and spotless statues—all proclaimed that the caretakers here were quite meticulous.

Beside the cathedral's reddish-brown main doors stood a plump Bishop. He looked to be in his forties, wearing a pristine white clerical robe, holding a long rosarius in his hands, his face brimming with devotion.

Behind him were several priests and over a dozen young deacons.

“The humble servant Vangelis hereby respectfully welcomes the sacred Angels, the emissaries of the God-Emperor. We rely solely on the Holy Emperor to shelter all living beings.”

As the Angels stepped onto the stairs, the Bishop bowed deeply, then carried a smoking censer to lead the demigods into the cathedral, while the priests and deacons began to sing hymns praising the God-Emperor.

Outside the cathedral's lawn, almost everyone else halted their steps.

Once here, their exalted statuses didn't count for much.

Only West proceeded inside, though even he couldn't enter the cathedral itself. The priests stopped him, only allowing him to "await summons" outside the cathedral's main doors.

At this sacred moment, the authority of the clergymen was undoubtedly magnified, and West could only stand devoutly outside the doors, awaiting the demigods' new orders.

This might be exhausting, but without a doubt, it was also an honor that everyone in the city would fight tooth and nail for.

"This sacred garden was established almost at the same time as the city of Cetis. Under the God-Emperor's blessing and the efforts of dozens of generations of Bishops, it has reached its current scale. The thirty-first Bishop even once..."

As the Bishop leading the way chattered on with his introduction, Soshyan was observing the interior environment of the cathedral.

This cathedral truly lived up to its long history. Many of the frescoes could be seen to be hundreds of years old. To welcome the Angels' arrival, candles had been lit in every corner of the cathedral, bathing the main hall in warm candlelight. Coupled with the reflections and silhouettes from the stained glass windows, the entire interior of the cathedral seemed enveloped in a holy halo.

"Enough."

Soshyan stopped in his tracks; he didn't intend to go any deeper.

"Er... My Lord, a Chamber of Penance has already been arranged in the back."

The Bishop turned around and said cautiously:

"It might be a little noisy here..."

"It doesn't matter. You may take your leave."

Although he still wanted to say something, the Bishop ultimately abandoned the thought of disobeying the Angels. After offering a blessing, he turned and headed toward the main doors.

After he left, the doors slowly closed.

"This place is much better."

Armin removed his helmet and took a deep breath, his nasal cavity instantly filling with the strong scent of biological tallow—those candles were made using primitive methods, retaining the original odor of their ingredients.

No matter what, it smelled much better than the putrid mud piles and refugee crowds outside.

"Do you think what that man said is true?"

Soshyan also removed his helmet. Hearing his words, Sol beside him remained silent for a moment before taking his own helmet off.

"It should be."

"Then our target is confirmed?"

"That can only be determined through on-site observation, but in my opinion... If an ancient ruin truly exists, there is no reason for the Adeptus Mechanicus to miss it, especially one that has already been discovered."

Sol's words served as a reminder to Soshyan.

A ruin that had already been discovered would definitely catch the attention of the Adeptus Mechanicus immediately; they possessed an intense desire and obsession for such things.

Unless it was truly something they weren't interested in, or if it was fake.

Or perhaps, they had actually already been here.

Regardless of which it was, it didn't seem like it should be the target of Soshyan's trip.

"In any case, let's scout it out first. If it's not right, we'll switch to another area."

"What about those rebels."

Sol looked at Soshyan, tossing out a question.

Armin, however, was the first to answer this question.

"Kill them all, of course! We are the Astartes, defenders of the Emperor's authority. No matter the circumstances, it is our duty to eradicate treachery!"

Sol swept a deadpan glance over him and asked in a low voice:

"What if they haven't shaken the Emperor's authority."

"How is that possible? They are traitors, rebels. They attacked..."

Soshyan raised an arm, cutting Armin off.

"Our objective is very clear. If they don't take the initiative to attack us, we won't waste time on them either. The local defense forces and the Astra Militarum are sufficient to handle the problem."

Armin opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't say a single word. Sol merely gave a slight nod, then leaned against a marble pillar and closed his eyes to rest.

The other warriors also found their own spots to settle down.

Soshyan, however, walked alone to the massive statue of the Emperor in the cathedral's main hall.

As he gazed at the Master of Mankind watching over all living beings, he zoned out for a time, standing motionless on the spot. Though the other warriors found it strange, no one came to disturb him.

Time ticked by, minute by minute, and the veil of late night was gradually lifted by the rising morning sun.

When the first ray of sunlight pierced through the stained glass in the dome of the cathedral and shone upon Soshyan, the demigod jolted violently, then blinked his eyes like a resurrected statue.

"I..."

When he turned around, he found Sol right behind him; the two nearly bumped into each other.

"You stood perfectly still for exactly six standard Terran hours."

"...How strange."

Soshyan took a step back and flexed his limbs, finding no discomfort other than a slight stiffness.

"I couldn't feel anything at all."

"Like a machine."

Sol's deeply meaningful words stunned Soshyan for a few seconds. Just as he was about to speak, a sudden burst of gunfire rang out in the distance.

"There's a situation."

All the Space Marines stood up immediately, as if by reflex, and secured their helmets.

When Soshyan pushed open the doors and stepped out, he happened to see West rushing over in a hurry, while the Bishop and his group stood faithfully by the main doors.

They clearly hadn't slept all night.

"Is it the rebels?"

"Just a little trouble, the guards can handle it immediately, it will be handled immediately. Exalted Angels, your humble servants have prepared some breakfast for you all. Please follow—"

West wore a genial smile on his face, but Soshyan could see the nervousness and hypocrisy hidden within.

What was he hiding.

"Up to the wall."

Soshyan said. Thrusting West aside, he led his warriors up the ramparts.

Seeing the Angels descend, the guards scattered to make way, allowing Soshyan and his men to ascend to the high vantage points of the rampart.

Soon, he noticed that at the edge of the jungle, a ragged crowd holding white flags was emerging from the trees. The guards on the rampart were firing their rifles and heavy stubbers at them, trying to intimidate them into halting their advance.

But those people kept moving forward. Some collapsed in pain after being hit, ceasing to move entirely shortly after.

More than a dozen corpses already lay on the ground.

But for every person who died, another stepped out from the jungle.

"Cease fire!"

A furious bellow from the vox-grille of a Space Marine's helmet caused the gunfire on the rampart to vanish instantly.

"Open the gates, let them in."