Chapter 184: Angels Are Fine, Just a Bit Worse Than the Ultramarines

Erwin walked out of the dueling pit with the expression of a man who had just lost his battle-brothers, step by step.

The power axe, their chapter's sacred relic, had been taken by the Space Marine clad in metallic blue power armor, and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Dante raised an eyebrow slightly, his expression turning peculiar.

Then he noticed that not only Erwin, but many battle-brothers from different chapters wore similar expressions.

Hollow, lifeless, wounded, and tinged with a despairing, soul-crushing sorrow.

"My Codex Fist!!!" roared Kaon, Warmaster of the Crimson Blades, clutching his head: "How am I supposed to answer to my predecessors?!"

Dante noticed that the chapter relic, the "Codex Fist," was gone from his hand.

Including the mysteriously vanished "Halderos' Blade," Kaon had now lost two chapter relics on Baal.

Dante's lips twitched involuntarily.

Most chapter relics were not only powerful, master-crafted weapons but also vessels of their chapter's history—each a treasured heirloom, wielded only by the most exceptional warriors. For example, the Hammer of Baal, carried by First Captain Calian of the Blood Angels; the Morthalis Axe, held by Dante himself; and the Soulblade Vitarus, wielded by Mephiston.

Of course, the Spear of Final Triumph, once wielded by Sanguinius himself, was also a chapter relic of the Blood Angels—far more precious than any ordinary relic.

"Including Erwin, that's the twelfth challenger—eight or nine chapter relics have now fallen into the hands of that mysterious warrior in metallic blue armor."

Before Dante could fully grasp the situation, Chief Sanctifier Kobra stepped up beside him.

"Lost?" Dante blinked slightly: "Wasn't it stolen by that dirty blue-handed bastard?"

Upon hearing Dante's words, Kobra paused, seemingly confused by what Dante meant.

"No, though it's deeply painful, that Space Marine truly won over a dozen chapter relics through fair and honorable combat."

Dante raised an eyebrow, urging Kobra to explain.

"This morning, Mephiston brought this Space Marine—he claims to be from an unnamed Ultramarines chapter."

At this point, Kobra's lips twitched slightly:

"He said he learned of the disaster facing Baal and came personally to aid it, bringing with him a relic—one tied to Sanguinius."

The moment the holy relic was removed, nearly all warriors who carried the blood of Saint Guilliman resonated with it—a resonance from the depths of their souls.

"The blue-armored warrior declared: he would give this relic to Sanguinius's heirs, but with so many chapters present, he didn't know who deserved it."

"He believes only Sanguinius's most worthy descendant is fit to claim it."

"Therefore, he proposed resolving the dispute through combat: whoever defeats him first shall claim the relic. Of course, if they lose, they must surrender one of their own chapter's relics in return."

Dante glanced at the blue-armored warrior below, then at the shell-shocked warriors surrounding him, and couldn't help but twitch his lips: "So… no one has won yet, correct?"

Kobra nodded dejectedly: "All defeated."

"It began with Kaon of the Crimson Blades. Previously, they mistakenly believed Guilliman was their gene-father, so their chapter possessed almost no relics connected to the Archangel—'The Codex Fist' certainly isn't something a Blood Angels successor chapter would have. Kaon sought to win the blue warrior's relic for his own chapter."

"How did the fight go?" Dante asked, his facial muscles twitching slightly.

"Honestly, Kaon is a skilled fighter with far more combat experience, but the blue-armored warrior was faster, stronger, and quicker to react. On top of that, he taunted Kaon constantly, luring him into mistakes—until Kaon was finally bested, becoming the first to lose his relic."

Dante nodded slightly; Kaon's defeat wasn't surprising.

What truly intrigued Dante was whether the blue-armored warrior's lack of combat experience stemmed from his incomplete adaptation to a physical body in the material universe.

"After Kaon fell, the blue-armored warrior sighed regretfully, saying he'd expected Sanguinius's heirs to be far superior."

As Kobra spoke, his expression darkened—this mockery carried too much venom.

Dante understood that by now, it was no longer merely about relics.

An Ultramarine, carrying a relic tied to Sanguinius, had come to Baal and challenged over twenty Blood Angels successor chapters, defeated a chapter master, and then lamented that Sanguinius's heirs were insufficiently worthy.

Knowing his blood-brothers as he did,

"Then Goren, Warmaster of the Holy Angels, grew impatient. He openly revealed the Crimson Blades' mistaken belief about their gene-father and bluntly claimed this was why Kaon had grown weak." Kobra's face twisted with disgust:

"And then Warmaster Goren lost his relic—a power pistol called 'Blood-Eagle's Fire.'"

Dante glanced at Goren, the Holy Angels' Warmaster, sitting beside Kaon, looking utterly bewildered.

Goren and Kaon had never been close—Goren's Holy Angels believed those who fell to Black Rage were unworthy of sympathy, as they succumbed due to their own weakness.

Meanwhile, Kaon's Crimson Blades, lacking prior experience with Black Rage, had many warriors who fell into it, compounded by their mistaken belief about their gene-father—making relations between the two chapters strained.

"To be honest, I once held prejudice against you," Goren said, staring at his empty belt holster, his lips trembling: "You fought well. Your experience is profound. You're formidable."

"No, no, no—you fought excellently too. What a pity. What a terrible pity," Kaon patted Goren's back, offering comfort.

After facing the blue-armored warrior, Goren now understood Kaon hadn't lost due to weakness, but because his opponent's speed and strength were unnaturally overwhelming, his attacks were bizarre, and his taunts were maddening—Goren had actually performed worse than Kaon.

Thus, Goren acknowledged the Crimson Blades' strength, and Kaon, with remarkable tact, comforted him—suddenly, their relationship improved.

In fact, not just them—every Blood Angels successor chapter within the Well of Angels had begun to unite in shared outrage.

They glared at the blue-armored warrior with fury; all previous rivalries were set aside for the collective honor of Sanguinius's heirs, their resentment redirected toward the distant Ultramarines.

"Though your chapter is obsessed with art, you're still better than the Ultramarines."

"You may disdain mortals, but at least you're not as pretentious as those Ultramarine bastards!"

"We're blood-brothers—let's put our differences aside for now. Protecting the honor of Sanguinius's heirs is paramount—what if we send in the Librarians? Will psychic powers work?"

Dante watched this scene, unable to suppress a wry smile.

Warriors from various chapters were gathering, exchanging tactics, discussing how to defeat the blue-armored warrior below.

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Then a Librarian from the Tomb Guardians stepped forward.

The Tomb Guardians' first Warmaster was the famed Death-Caller Zefon, a Sanguinius-descended warrior of the Great Crusade who had lost his arms and legs to xenos, forced to undergo extensive cybernetic replacement—but due to rejection reactions, he could not fight. Yet in the end, he overcame the rejection and even participated in the Webway War.

However, the Tomb Guardians were chosen to test psychic tactics not because of their founder's legend, but because

they possessed an enormous number of relics, many dating back to the Great Crusade, making them among the wealthiest chapters in terms of heirlooms.

According to Kobra, this was already the Tomb Guardians' third attempt.

The Tomb Guardians' Librarian raised his voice, attempting to suppress the blue-armored warrior with psychic energy—or at least create a momentary opening.

But the blue-armored warrior seemed utterly unaffected; his speed was astonishing, as if his power armor wasn't forged from ceramite but molded from lightweight clay.

In a flash, he appeared before the Librarian, who frantically raised a psychic shield.

Yet the blue-armored warrior delivered a light, effortless punch that shattered the shield, his fist stopping mere inches from the Librarian's face.

"Thank you," the blue-armored warrior said cheerfully, extending his hand.

The Librarian sighed, removed a small device from his belt, and handed it over.

"Chapter relic: 'The Death-Cry Cage'—it generates a two-meter-radius stasis field."

With that, the Librarian nodded to the warrior; his face showed no sorrow over losing the relic, only the disappointment of defeat.

Immediately, he joined the other warriors, helping them analyze the blue-armored warrior's weaknesses.

The blue-armored warrior glanced around, his gaze lingering briefly on Dante, then chuckled softly:

"I've long heard Sanguinius's heirs are exceptional warriors—today's battle proves it!"

"Just slightly inferior to the Ultramarines. A little. Just a little."

Instantly, the arena erupted in uproar; the faces of Sanguinius's heirs burned with fury.

Dante sighed—he hadn't expected the successor chapters to unite so suddenly.

"Let me see that relic!!!" Before Dante could speak, a blood-curdling roar echoed from the entrance.

Jor, Warmaster of the Blood Knights, entered the Well of Angels, his entire body radiating bloodlust, brimming with rage.

The blue-armored warrior smiled faintly, his fingers twitching.

Instantly, Dante felt his soul tremble—the object now in the blue-armored warrior's hand was suffused with the holy essence of Sanguinius.

(End of Chapter)