Chapter 188: Don

We originally had three companies.

Fenni, in the pit, lowered his head slightly and spoke in a low voice:

"Captain Malta and Captain Daiwen shared my view; we began our mission together, leaving our homeworld for the journey to Baer."

"But along the way we faced many dangers—the Warp was strange and chaotic, and two of our three Astropaths went mad."

"In realspace, every star system we passed through had been infected by the Tyranids—as you can see, we fought throughout our journey."

"Finally, in the Aldin system, we were attacked by Warp shadows and forced into realspace—the Hive Fleet seemed to know we were coming; they waited for us there."

"Captain Malta and Captain Daiwen fell in battle; we lost two strike cruisers and most of our gene-seed, and two-thirds of our warriors died."

"Those warriors most deeply affected by the Rite of Atonement were the first to fall; these warriors we managed to protect are those who never underwent the Rite or were only lightly affected."

Fenni lowered his head. The room fell silent for a moment, then whispers arose.

The sons of Sanguinius murmured among themselves about Fenni, occasionally glancing at Zhou Yun.

They clearly wondered why a Space Marine of the Ultramarines knew so much—and about secrets that the sons of Sanguinius were bound to keep strictly.

"Because I am an Ultramarine."

Zhou Yun shrugged, his tone flat:

"We Ultramarines know everything—the Dark Angels' little secrets, the Space Wolves' little secrets, the Raven Guard's little secrets—all of them, we know."

"As for the Blood Angels' blood thirst, black rage, the Silent King, the Lost Tower, the Death Company—we know those too."

"But rest assured, we Ultramarines will protect your secrets."

The whispers vanished instantly. All the sons of Sanguinius turned to stare at Zhou Yun; the air grew thick.

Even the winged figure in the corner of Zhou Yun's eye flickered slightly.

Yet Dante himself seemed unmoved, as if it were no surprise that this blue-armored warrior knew the secrets of the sons of Sanguinius.

The sons of Sanguinius could only suppress their doubts for now.

Beneath his mask, Dante's lips moved slightly; his gaze at Zhou Yun grew subtly different.

He was not surprised that Zhou Yun knew the Blood Angels' secrets—he was astonished that this Warp entity had seen the Red Angels' movements through the Warp shadows.

What troubled Dante more was Zhou Yun's earlier statement—that as long as one remained a son of Sanguinius and was willing to wager a relic, he would accept the Red Angels' challenge. Was he implying that, in the Archangel's eyes, the Red Angels were still sons of Sanguinius?

Or at least, Fenni and the warriors he brought were.

Dante fell silent for a moment, showing rare hesitation: "I am sorry for your losses—but is your desire for reconciliation genuine?"

"Of course." Fenni lowered his head: "We are sorry we could not bring more brothers to aid you, my lord."

"But we accept all your judgments. If you wish to kill us, we will not resist."

Fenni waited for Dante's judgment. All the sons of Sanguinius waited for this moment.

Dante slowly raised his head; the golden mask carved with Sanguinius's face swept over Fenni, its expression of fury like a judge condemning his own son.

"Rise, my blood brothers!"

Dante raised his voice.

The Red Angels, who had remained kneeling, stood.

"I accept your aid. I welcome you to fight beside me."

"Now, take your seats and enjoy the feast. Before true battle comes, you deserve rest."

"My lord?" The Blood Priest Kaboro showed hesitation.

But Dante shook his head: "If Mol were standing before me, I would grant him only death."

"But these warriors are penitents—they are true sons of Sanguinius. I accept them!"

The blood slaves serving the Blood Angels approached the Red Angels, carrying the wounded to the Blood Priests for healing, while Techmarines helped them remove damaged armor. Fenni was also pried free from the wall and his shattered power armor by the slaves and Techmarines.

A look of relief crossed Fenni's face as he was carried out of the pit.

In the center of the Angel's Well, only Zhou Yun remained. Dante stepped into the pit. Zhou Yun looked at him: "Are you here to challenge me too, Commander Dante?"

"I came only to thank you." Dante gave a slight nod: "I had intended to suppress our differences with combat, but you handled it better."

"For the first time in ten thousand years, my blood brothers are united. They seem to have recognized their common ground, understood they share the same honor, realized that a blood brother's glory is their own."

As he spoke, Dante glanced at the Red Angels, then at the warriors gathered together from various chapters.

Some still debated how to defeat Zhou Yun; others discussed the differing cultures among the chapters.

"It was merely coincidence," Zhou Yun's lips curled slightly.

He had only come to collect relics from the various chapters.

One reason was to gather more credits for needed items; the other was that a new item he'd set his sights on required a large number of mechanical weapons.

"You expect me to believe my entire life has been arranged by you and the Archangel, yet now tell me all this was mere coincidence?"

Dante shook his head. In his view, Zhou Yun's precise knowledge of the Red Angels meant he had been watching them closely.

Now revealing it was both to persuade Dante to accept Fenni and to ensure the sons of Sanguinius would one day punish the stubborn Red Angels. Sanguinius's blood must not be defiled.

Zhou Yun's lips twitched—he could guess Dante had overthought this.

!. Read

But his expression remained unchanged as he asked: "Have you decided? The Hive Fleet is close."

The Aldin system, where the Red Angels were attacked, was not far from Baal—the Hive Fleet was already nearing Baal.

"... erhaps I should accept your proposal."

After a long silence, Dante said, as if recent events had deepened his trust in Zhou Yun:

"I trust you more now, but as Chapter Master, I must take precautions."

"You may go wherever you wish—but you must take more men with you."

Zhou Yun's brow lifted slightly.

This was clearly both surveillance and protection—and also support for his actions.

Dante clearly intended to send someone he trusted more to accompany Zhou Yun.

After all, only Zhou Yun and Mephiston? No one would truly feel at ease.

"... ou're not planning to give me the Red Angels, are you?"

Zhou Yun's tone turned strange as he glanced at Fenni on the distant platform:

"I'm afraid they might lose control and feed me chicken sauce."

The Red Angels' Rite of Atonement requires consuming Sanguinius's blood—who knows if they've become dependent or addicted? Zhou Yun also suspected they'd been partially influenced by the Warp.

Seeing Sanguinius's remains, they might just leap on him and lick him clean.

"... hicken sauce?" Dante looked puzzled.

"No, nothing. The Red Angels won't do." Zhou Yun shook his head.

Then he paused and added: "The Blood Knights won't do either!"

"... will carefully consider the candidate." Dante gave a slight nod.

Then Dante turned to look behind him. A large number of blood slaves entered the Angel's Well.

These servants of the Blood Angels carried food, wine bottles, and tableware, bustling within the well.

As planned by Dante, a feast for all sons of Sanguinius would follow the arena combat.

At this feast, all blood brothers would drink wine laced with a small amount of blood and savor the food of Baal.

"Interested in joining our feast?" Dante asked Zhou Yun.

"The feast looks fine, but I don't drink blood—I can't appreciate the Blood Angels' signature wine."

Zhou Yun replied with a faint smile.

Dante's body twitched imperceptibly.

My condition's been off lately—my sleep schedule hasn't adjusted. It's uncomfortable.

PS: Necrons got buffed. The Silent King received an epic buff in the new codex—stacked to max. Do you like my wholesale hit-to-wound reroll, +1 penetration, ignore cover, -1 damage Silent King?

(End of Chapter)