Chapter 501: The Fallen Angels

Especially the black-knight-like Astartes suddenly appeared in the cargo hold,

these warriors were enveloped in a mysterious aura—resilient, unyielding, terrifying—each forged through countless battles, so formidable that even the seasoned Flesh Eaters and Space Marines could hardly withstand them,

especially since their leader was a Prince of Chaos,

Prince Malphas, the demon prince with a lion's head and a pair of wings, the most fallen among the Fallen Angels, so deeply corrupted that he earned the favor of the gods and was elevated to Prince of Chaos,

it was he who, taking advantage of the chaos unleashed by the Great Rift, rescued Lu Se from the deepest prison of the Rock Fortress,

many Fallen Angels had gathered around Lu Se for various reasons,

some out of lingering loyalty to Lu Se, some believing he could resurrect Lai En and absolve them of their sins, others weary of hiding and hoping to rebuild the First Legion,

while Malphas acted purely out of hatred—extreme hatred—he despised Lai En, he despised the Dark Angels,

he was the descendant of the Wolf Knights, the order destroyed by Lai En on Caliban, and had hidden among the Dark Angels under the gods' aid, fueled by hatred,

he had always been a poison needle planted by the gods within the First Legion; yet due to the gods' own headache-inducing structure of the First Legion, his infiltration had never been truly successful—he never rose to the upper echelons, remaining merely a common warrior,

Malphas's purpose in extracting Lu Se was merely to obey the gods' will and further destroy the First Legion,

he was among the few who knew Lu Se had been deceived by Ai Er Ba Si and the gods, and now watched with mocking eyes as the foolish Fallen Angels clashed with the Space Marines and Flesh Eaters,

but he soon felt dissatisfaction—the killing efficiency was too slow,

the Space Marine Titus, blessed by Konrad Kors, had collapsed from exhaustion while fighting Bi La Ke, and was now surrounded and protected by Space Marines and Flesh Eaters; in Malphas's view, Titus was the most valuable prize,

yet although the Fallen Angels had suppressed the Flesh Eaters and Space Marines, they could not break through,

currently leading this force was Flesh Eaters' Chapter Master Seth, who now clashed with a Fallen Angel wielding twin pistols, a chainsword, and bearing the emblem of the Wings of Fear,

Seth was wreathed in thick blood aura, a dark fury surging from his eyes—Blood Thirst and Black Rage both empowered this Flesh Eater, momentarily overpowering the Fallen Angel,

the old training of the Dark Angels Legion proved effective—he recognized the Fallen Angel's identity from the faded heraldry on his worn power armor,

Knight of the 3rd Company, 15th Chapter, Second Destroyer Squad, member of the Wings of Fear and one of its original founders, Steward of the Holy Triad Key Knights,

Malphas remembered this warrior—he recalled he was a Terran-born—Malphas harbored less hatred for Terrans, for they bore no blood debt from the Wolf Knights—and this warrior had been one of the Emperor's first five Space Marines, one of the original "Crownless Princes," the precursor to the Dark Angels,

he had grown old, feeble, decayed—unable even to defeat a mere Chapter Master of a sub-chapter—how ugly,

this was the consequence of stubbornness and refusal to accept the gifts of Chaos—aging, weakening, powerless,

Malphas sneered, resolved to enter the fray himself,

"Stand down! Zabriel!" Malphas commanded coldly, ordering the Fallen Angel named Zabriel to withdraw, letting the Prince of Chaos himself deal with Gabriel Seth,

Zabriel obeyed, seemingly pleased, slipping away with perfect grace to leave Seth to Malphas,

Malphas was satisfied—but he did not notice Zabriel's final, subtle gesture toward Gabriel Seth before stepping back,

as he retreated behind Malphas, his eyes flickered with a peculiar cunning unique to the Sons of the Lion,

combat did not occur only within this cargo hold,

in the cargo hold where the Seed of Destruction and Khaen fought, the Fallen Angels also descended,

seeing the Seed of Destruction and Khaen, both drenched in blood, their flesh shredded and grotesquely mutated, appearing as demons, the Fallen Angels hesitated,

which one was the Seed of Destruction, which one was Khaen?

How had Khaen changed so drastically from his appearance ten thousand years ago?

Why were the Blood God's Chosen and a Prince of Chaos fighting each other?

Which side should they aid?

The Fallen Angels hesitated briefly—but not for long,

one reason was their sharp observation: they quickly noticed the remnants of power armor on Khaen's body, confirming his identity,

another reason was that barely had they charged forward when the Axe of Khorne, wreathed in blood, slammed into them,

the Seed of Destruction swung his axe and slew the first few Fallen Angels who approached,

"Filth! Do you know what a man's joy is?"

"Chasing your enemies, invading their lands, plundering their wealth, listening to the screams of women and children, and challenging foes as fierce as ravens of death."

"Khaen is my opponent, not my enemy—get out of my way!"

the Seed of Destruction laughed wildly, fighting Khaen while using his axe to drive back Fallen Angels who tried to aid him,

in truth, the Seed of Destruction never intended to help Ai Er Ba Si—he was here only because the Blood God commanded it,

the Blood God aided Ai Er Ba Si because Ai Er Ba Si promised to help corrupt Titus,

but now Ai Er Ba Si had failed—what reason did the Blood God have to aid him anymore?

the Seed of Destruction remained here not to help Ai Er Ba Si, but simply to enjoy his battle with Khaen,

this was his great pleasure—he did not wish the Fallen Angels to share it,

as for Ai Er Ba Si, the Seed of Destruction felt even a single axe blow against him would sully his axe,

Khaen, drenched in blood, stared at the Seed of Destruction,

"Seed of Destruction, I regret that in the past ten thousand years I never fought you like this, never stood beside you."

"You are truly a man of honor—I respect your nobility. If fate grants me another chance, I will repay you with another battle to the death." Khaen's voice was dull and calm, stirring a sense of unease in the Seed of Destruction,

"What do you mean?" the Seed of Destruction asked, voice low and sharp,

"I mean—you are a man of honor, and I am merely a vile avenger."

"An avenger will use any means necessary—an avenger has no honor—an avenger does not fight alone."

Khaen replied calmly,

then a terrifying gunshot rang out,

the cry of the Death Raven, ferrying the living to the other side of death,

after realizing he could not defeat Bi La Ke, Sha Luo Jin swiftly moved through shadows back to this cargo hold, hiding in darkness, waiting for the moment to assist Khaen in eliminating the Seed of Destruction,

then the trigger was pulled,

a large-caliber steel needle pierced the Seed of Destruction's skull—three old standards detonated simultaneously—half his brain exploded before Khaen's eyes,

the Seed of Destruction sought a bloody battle,

while Khaen cared only whether he could achieve vengeance,

one must admit the Seed of Destruction was powerful—half his skull shattered, brains splattered, bones exposed,

yet he did not die immediately,

"Pah!!!"

the Seed of Destruction spat a thick wad of phlegm onto Khaen's chest, his eyes blazing with fury as he glared at Khaen:

then the Seed of Destruction saw Khaen's cold, empty gaze—devoid of all else, hollow as a black sun,

he had intended to curse Khaen as a coward—but upon seeing that gaze, he laughed instead,

"I've seen men like you, Khaen."

"Countless humans have looked at me, my soldiers, my children, my steeds with that same gaze."

"They abandoned dignity, honor, even life—all to kill me, to avenge themselves, to halt my iron hooves."

"I relished that gaze—I truly envy Ai Er Ba Si for receiving yours."

then the Seed of Destruction grinned fiercely:

"You owe me a battle to the death—don't die before I kill you or you kill me, traitor Khaen, avenger Khaen."

Khaen nodded, then raised his Bloodson,

"If I live after completing my vengeance, I will." he said to the Seed of Destruction,

the Seed of Destruction laughed wildly: "Then only Mong Tengri will know."

Khaen did not know what Mong Tengri was—perhaps the Seed of Destruction's term for the Blood God,

but Khaen did not know if the Blood God still blessed him, or if he was angered by his defiance,

yet he no longer cared—he simply brought down his axe, severing the Seed of Destruction's head,

the Fallen Angels, seeing the Seed of Destruction dead, moved to intercept Khaen,

but they were met by the howling Bloodson and a pair of black swords,

Sha Luo Jin stood beside Khaen, holding the twin cold blades, his raven helm nodding once to Khaen,

"You are a more valuable asset—I will hold off these Fallen Angels,"

"Go—avenge yourself—kill Ai Er Ba Si."

Khaen nodded, said nothing, and stepped directly into the light portal leading to the next cargo hold,

the Fallen Angels, outnumbering Sha Luo Jin, advanced with chilling aura,

"Who are you? Do you think you can stop the sons of Lai En alone?" the lead Fallen Angel demanded,

Sha Luo Jin silently swallowed a high-efficiency pill, activating the portable pyramid hidden within his raven helm,

"I am a son of Corax."

"Compared to the legion elites who perished on Istvaan V, I am merely an ordinary Raven Guard."

(End of Chapter)