40k: Midnight Blade

Chapter 102 5. Raging Flame (1)

"Nukeria," Guilliman said.

He read the name in High Gothic and looked down at the data pad on the table. The laurel wreath shone in response to the light in the room.

After a while, he raised his head: "A barbaric civilization."

There was a vague, subtle anger flashing across his face, and Gage caught it. He knew the reason, but he didn't argue.

How do you counter the facts?

"Savage indeed, Primarch, but not without its merits." Gage explained to his Primarch. "At least they have a lot of technology that clearly comes from a lost era."

"The development of science and technology can only highlight their own ugliness, which does not help the facts at all." Robert Guilliman said with a frown.

His hand slid up and down the dataslate, and it responded obediently to his control, presenting more information about the world before his eyes.

The Ultramarines obtained this information through a series of complex means, and now it is available to Robert Guilliman.

"Actually" Gage seemed hesitant.

He paused, as if unsure how to proceed, and his primarch solved the problem for him after a few seconds.

"Actually, their technology is not very advanced either." Guilliman raised his head and looked at his First Chapter Commander with a very serious expression.

"People in most areas still live very primitively. I really can't believe there is such a planet in the extreme star field. The rulers are covered in silk and satin and live in splendid and advanced palaces, but their people are like They are fighting against nature in the form of tribes like savages.”

Guilliman shook his head in disbelief.

"Am I dreaming, Marius? They will even be captured by slave squads and thrown into the gladiatorial arena to fight each other for the amusement of the so-called 'high cavalry'?"

The First Chapter Commander was silent for a moment before answering the question.

"This is not unusual, my lord." Gage said solemnly. "At least for us veterans. We've dealt with a lot of this before you came back. People are either oppressed by their own kind, or by the aliens, or sometimes both."

He shook his head and said no more, because Robert Guilliman's eyes were filled with determination.

He turned his head and looked at a sitting giant, who was holding a long parchment scroll and reading with a calm expression. The original-size sofa seemed just right for him.

"What do you think of this planet, Khalil?"

"You already have the answer, Robert." The giant raised his head and smiled. "So why bother asking me again?"

"My answer may not be what you want."

"Why should you please me?" Khalil raised his eyebrows. "Nukeria is not an agricultural world."

"It could be," Guilliman said seriously. "Judging from orbital scanning and the information sent back by the scouts, the soil of this planet is quite suitable for large-scale agricultural activities, and these people who have been oppressed for a long time obviously need a legitimate job to allow them to live a normal life. life."

Khalil didn't answer, but slowly rolled up the parchment in his hand little by little.

After doing this, he glanced at Marius Gage, who was trying hard to keep his gaze straight. The first chapter leader's power armor was extremely shiny, and the smell of engine oil was also very obvious. He was obviously coming to see their original body. It had been well taken care of before.

"I think it's better to leave this matter to Chapter Commander Gage." Khalil said softly. "After all, if you plan to use force to conquer this planet, the First Chapter will definitely take the lead, right?"

Robert Guilliman turned his head seriously and looked at his First Chapter Master.

The latter's expressionless face at this moment added more interesting meaning to his silence that lasted for a minute and a half. Of course, Guilliman did not ignore this. He soon realized what Gage's silence at this moment was. What's the meaning.

"If you have anything to say, just say it, Marius." Guilliman said helplessly. "Isn't that what we used to do? Say what you have to say."

Gage still didn't answer his primarch's words. He remained silent and thought for another forty seconds before giving a cautious sentence.

"Wheat will grow more vigorously on land that has been ravaged by war," Gage said. "I have no intention of hiding anything from you, Primarch. The First Chapter does desire glory - but the people of Nuceria also need us to remove the tumors that harm them, don't they?"

Guilliman smiled.

"Then let the war begin," he said softly but firmly. "Start immediately."

Eighteen minutes and forty-one seconds later, discrete rains of fire fell from Nuceria's orbit.

——

Kleist woke up from her sleep, her bones, muscles and skin trembling together. She lay on the smelly hide with her eyes open. It took her a while to realize that this was not her imagination, because the rock wall was also shaking, and sand and gravel fell down, splashing her face.

She sat up suddenly, feeling annoyed. The torches burned and the smell of tallow was still evident. And Karelian still stayed on the rock wall, leaning on it as if it were his feet.

They all woke up.

"What's going on?" someone asked in a low voice. "Are the slave owners planning to have a few rare night jousts?"

"They have a dance tonight and they don't have time to worry about us." Another man laughed vulgarly. "These are bastards who should be eviscerated and thrown into the mud."

A burst of piercing laughter suddenly erupted in the cave, as the gladiators always did. Their words were their only weapon that could hurt the slave owners. So every one of them will learn to use it and become proficient in it, no matter where they come from in the past.

Children of gladiators, children from the forest, children from the sand, volcanoes, oases, and plains, regardless of age or gender, they turned their words into armor and weapons, then puffed up their chests, one after another under the gaze of the slave owners. One goes to death.

No one can escape.

At least not in Kleist's memory. She has been in this arena for three years. In these three years, no gladiator has walked out alive. They were either buried in sand pits or died in the mouths of wild beasts.

The discussion continued for a while, and the crude jokes and cynicism also continued for a while. There was a commotion in the cave, but no guards came to stop it.

This is strange. In the past, those high cavalry henchmen would not miss any opportunity to show off their power. They would seek every opportunity to torture them, including the noise at night.

The cave gradually became quiet, and they all realized something was wrong.

Kleist looked at the man who was leaning against the rock wall with his eyes closed, and asked softly: "Karelian, do you know what is going on?"

"I don't know." Karelian replied with his eyes closed. "But I suggest you all calm down and conserve your energy."

His suggestion was effective and everyone fell silent. There were eight people living in this cave at first. Six died in the battle three days ago, and now eight more people have come in.

Except for Karelian, who had his eyes closed, everyone else had their eyes open, looking at each other in the dark, talking silently, even Kleist.

——But she was not thinking about the trembling of the rock wall, she was thinking about the roar that came from the ground from time to time. The owner of that scarlet face had spoken his name to her a few hours ago, and she considered it an honor.

Angron.

She shuddered as she silently recited his name. The audience in the stands excitedly called him Angronius, or the Invincible, but how many people really cared about his name?

She lay on the hide, staring at the rock wall, thinking about it all, feeling a terrible sense of confusion. However, this sentiment did not last long.

A low and sharp sound suddenly sounded, creating an unbearable and terrifying noise in everyone's ears. But before they had time to react, they suddenly felt a huge vibration on the ground. Although it was only for a moment, everyone felt it.

"What?" someone asked in the dark.

No one answered him because no one had the answer.

The rock wall is closed, and if the door is not opened, there is no other way to see the outside world. The gladiators might not even be able to tell the difference between day and night if it weren't for the light shining down from the vents at the top of the rock wall.

They waited with bated breath for a moment, wondering how the guards in the arena would react to this, but they did not hear the iconic screams—in fact, what they heard were human screams, and A heavy sound that sounded continuously.

The discussion resumed, with people offering their own opinions.

Some people say it was a coup. After all, this is Daishea, the capital of Nuceria. Some people said that the dead gladiators came to claim their lives, and they said so seriously. At the end, he even shouted the word revenge with his broken gong-like voice.

Short and powerful, it hit the rock wall, like some ancient echo.

They were excited. Kleist thought.

The child from the forest jumped off her sand-covered bed and came to the heavy iron gate. She put her ear to it and listened carefully.

At this moment, there were many secret sounds that strangely passed into her ears. The most obvious one was the screams and sirens of the guards, and then the low hum of their weapons firing.

But what about other than that?

She also heard the heavy sound and the sound of many uniform heavy footsteps. They were so neatly arranged that she was astonished - were they moving many men in armor, or one man with many legs?

She couldn't get the answer, because just two seconds later, there was an explosion that completely blew her away.

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