Seraphs of the Emperor’s Judgment

Chapter 97: Return of the Knights

The sunlight, sliced by the leaves and branches high in the treetops, turned into individual blades, imprinting highly mottled halos on the ground ahead of the warhorses.

A large group of young men rode their warhorses along the forest path.

The air was filled with a fragrant scent; this was undoubtedly a calm and peaceful day.

As the capital of the planet Nathan IV, the Soms Hive was quite different from most other Hive Cities. The Hive City was built clinging to the highest peak of this world, Soms Peak, resulting in its namesake.

This towering mountain peak had an elevation of over seven kilometers. The massive Hive City was like creeping vines clinging to the mountainside, completely covering the original rock and vegetation. The rulers of the Hive City lived at its very summit, in a complex of palaces called the Winter Palace, which was covered in pristine white snow all year round.

Like most Hive Cities, Soms Hive was also divided into different tiers. The lower and underhive formed the main body, crowded with tens if not hundreds of billions of pitiful, ordinary souls. They struggled to survive amidst putrid gutters and toxic waste. A tiny minority would be conscripted as Astra Militarum soldiers, or become priests of the Ecclesiarchy.

But the vast majority of the rest would die between the ages of forty and fifty from various diseases or gang warfare.

The areas between three and five kilometers in elevation belonged to the mid-hive, where the natural environment was preserved relatively intact. As for the upper hive above five kilometers, the natural environment made it hard to imagine this was a Hive City at all.

This extremely precious high-altitude forest belonged to the Soms Nobles Academy. Thanks to the environmental terraforming technology of the Adeptus Mechanicus, tall trees could still grow at such a high elevation.

"Hah—"The young noble, Oscar Herman, loosened his tight grip on the reins, stretching his body in the saddle, allowing the precious warhorse imported from an alien world to control its own pace.

The morning forest was no longer a place of thrills and terror; illuminated by the brilliant light, it had become a paradise for adventure.

By Oscar's side was his biological younger brother, Dadd Herman, who had removed his helmet.

The young man smiled at his older brother, hoping he would find joy in this forest stroll. However, Oscar's mood was still not very high.

They were actually here for a class. For the students of the Nobles Academy, hunting was also a part of the curriculum.

However, because there was no pressure, the students' formation was very loose, and the entire group appeared very relaxed and peaceful.

Everyone was intoxicated by the beautiful scenery of their homeworld; this was a calling from the heart.

At the rear of the procession were some attendants and servants. The attendants were responsible for looking after spare weapons, while the servants carried the logistical supplies. Together, everyone formed a hunting party.

"A strange party heading into the wilderness, wouldn't you say?"

Oscar suddenly spoke, but only Dadd heard his voice.

"I guess the academy really has no more classes left, so they can only let us out to wander around."

Dadd replied with a smile.

"Are you saying we should have graduated?"

"Not yet."

The younger brother shrugged.

"But it's only a matter of time. We've been at the academy for eight years now."

"But we missed the most important step! The true graduation ceremony."

Seeing Oscar finally voice the root of his frustration, Dadd felt that although listening to his brother's complaints was annoying, at least he was no longer suppressing himself. His recent state of mind had been quite worrisome.

What Oscar was referring to was the screening ceremony that used to be the most exciting event every year—the most direct opportunity for a mortal to reach out and become a great hero.

An Astartes Chapter would descend before the graduation ceremony, selecting the lucky few from among the graduates suited to become Angels of the Emperor.

Their name was the Astral Knights.

But this year, the graduation ceremony had already passed, yet there was no sign of the Angels.

Rumor had it—only a rumor.

That the Astral Knights were completely wiped out in a distant war, so they would never return here to recruit new blood again.

As soon as this rumor emerged, it was harshly rebuked and banned from spreading by the academy authorities and the Ecclesiarchy, because the Emperor's Angels would never suffer such a defeat.

However, they also had no better excuse to explain the fact that the Angels had failed to appear for three consecutive years.

Some also believed that Nathan IV had been abandoned, that the Angels thought the recruits here were not excellent enough, and had instead sought better recruitment grounds.

Regardless, the glory of the Soms Nobles Academy was much dimmer compared to the past.

"Even if I die, I want to try becoming an Astartes!"

Oscar angrily cracked his whip, urging his horse forward.

"Brother! Calm down, tormenting Gospel won't help anything."

Dadd urged his horse to follow behind Oscar. They reached an open clearing; to their left was a steep cliff, below which lay a profound valley. The mountain peak was composed entirely of white rock. Ahead, a waterfall cascaded down from the mountain top with the momentum of rolling thunder, plunging into the deep pool at the bottom of the valley.

The rushing torrent crashed against the rocks, splashing water in all directions. The air was filled with a water mist that refracted a colorful rainbow.

The surroundings were lush and green, with vibrant greenery stretching its body in all directions.

In contrast to Oscar's agitation, Dadd only felt a wave of peace spreading through his entire body.

At this very moment, he felt his soul fulfilled and his spirit refreshed.

"Angels, Angels, where are the Angels? War, war, where is the war?"

Gripping the hilt of his sword, Oscar looked around, but failed to discover anything of interest.

Instead, he only saw two crossed longswords nailed to the thick branch of a large tree, shining dazzlingly under the sunlight.

This thoroughly surprised and delighted him.

"They never left."

Oscar whispered, but only Dadd clearly saw the expression on his face—it was a kind of restless anticipation.

Just as he was about to speak, a strange gust of wind quietly swept by.

The air began to turn blistering hot, filled with a pungent smell, a scent somewhat similar to the exhaust fumes emitted by factories.

Dadd looked up and saw some massive silver 'thing' roaring overhead.

It was a behemoth with a sharp, angular, and robust chassis, a pair of giant wings swept backward, and blue flames spewing from its rear.

When this 'thing' flew overhead, the accompanying scorching heat made everyone involuntarily cry out in alarm.

The students urged their mounts into a circle. As the massive flying beast roared past once again, Dadd drew his longsword.

"What the hell is this thing!"

The ear-piercing noise filling the clearing forced him to roar at the top of his lungs.

"I don't know! Perhaps it's an enemy!"

"Impossible! There was no warning from planetary orbit!"

Dadd looked at Oscar again, trying to figure out what was happening, but his brother merely sat peacefully in his saddle, quietly watching the giant object fly overhead.

A joyous smile appeared on his face. His hands tightly gripped the reins, and his shoulders trembled uncontrollably.

"The Angels, they have returned!"