Chapter 273: Who Else Deserves to Be Called the True Lord of Ultramar?

A brief silence fell through the air, leaving only the hum of machinery from Belisarius Cawl, the Archmagos of the Mechanicus.

The true Lord of Ultramar,

Cidra felt only bewilderment at first,

but the one standing beside him, Ji Li Man, was immediately seized by anger and suspicion.

This First Captain instantly drew the power sword at his waist and pointed it at Belisarius Cawl:

"Archmagos, standing before you is the unquestionable Lord of Ultramar, Chapter Master of the Ultramarines, and King of Macragge!"

"He is the heir to the Primarch, the leader of the Ultramarines, and the protector of all the people of Ultramar. Who else but him deserves to be called the 'true Lord of Ultramar'?!"

"."

The gaze Belisarius Cawl cast upon Ji Li Man was nearly contemptuous, as if looking at a fool.

Ji Li Man was enraged by the humiliation in that look,

"Archmagos, you—————"

Yet Ji Li Man's question had not even left his lips before it was cut off by the Archmagos Belisarius Cawl speaking up,

Belisarius Cawl softly uttered an ancient name, one the Ultramarines heard day and night yet knew only as history,

this name stirred a storm amidst the calm,

Xiang Xiang Leina let out an incredulous "Ah?", Ge Lei Fa drew in a sharp breath, Grand Tutor Voldus widened his eyes slightly, and even the battle-hardened Cidra clenched the armrest of his marble command throne.

The relic power sword in Ji Li Man's hand nearly slipped from his grasp; he looked at Belisarius Cawl in confusion and bewilderment, asking in a low voice, "Who?"

"Roboute Guilliman." Belisarius Cawl's voice was as calm as cold steel as he glanced at Ji Li Man and said, "Do you deny that Roboute Guilliman is the true Lord of Ultramar?"

Ji Li Man was instantly choked silent.

"I have come for a contract spanning ten thousand years. I have come for the promise made with the Primarch Roboute Guilliman."

Belisarius Cawl slowly stepped forward; his massive mechanical body unfolded slowly, his metal frame standing like a giant beast in the hall.

He gazed at Cidra, Lord of the Ultramarines, as if looking at an unimportant child.

"Offspring of Guilliman, now cooperate with me to complete this mission. I must immediately send this holy cargo to the side of the Primarch."

Speaking thus, Belisarius Cawl pointed to the auto-relic case beside him.

Marius Cidra's brows were tightly furrowed as he stared fixedly at Archmagos Belisarius Cawl,

while the Chapter serfs around them dared not make a single sound, watching the scene with fear and terror from a distance.

Only the scribes attempted to follow the Ultramarines' tradition to record this dramatic moment, the sound of their scratching filling the room without cease.

First Captain Ji Li Man pulled himself out of his shock and looked at Chapter Master Cidra,

"My Lord, I do not trust them."

"An Archmagos of the Mechanicus of unknown origin, two Eldar heretics, and an illegal psyker have come here carrying a cargo full of mysteries, attempting to reach the temple of our gene-father. No one could possibly trust this!"

Ji Li Man urged with intense tone:

"Kill those two heretical xenos, control that illegal psyker, and imprison the others."

"We still have a fierce war to fight; once the battle ends, we can interrogate them carefully and analyze that cargo."

Many present nodded slightly in approval of Ji Li Man's judgment,

for this was undoubtedly the most reasonable method with the least risk, and the Codex Astartes gave instructions for such events exactly so.

Yvraine raised her eyebrows slightly, and the Thousand Faces warrior in red armor beside her silently placed a hand on his sword hilt.

"Great Ape, before you make a move, I will first sever your heads."

Thousand Faces spoke in an unquestionable tone:

"Your armor is thick as a turtle shell, your body is clumsy and heavy, and your swordsmanship must be crude and shameful."

Ji Li Man returned an angry glare, and the Terminator power armor on his body emitted a low hum in response.

"Then try it, beanstalk." Ji Li Man replied with a cold tone: "Your body is as slender as a willow; I doubt it can withstand the weight of objects struck by the Emperor's creations."

For a moment, the atmosphere in the air grew cold and frosty.

Yvraine's body moved slightly; every muscle contracted perfectly, like an Eldar shuriken pistol about to be drawn.

She wore no armor, yet the Astartes present could feel the power contained within that body.

If negotiations collapsed, she would cut a bloody path through.

"My Lord." Diglis spoke up slightly: "You know, I saw the expeditionary force in my visions. The Emperor's will has shown that they carry the hope we crave."

These words caused Cidra to turn his head slightly, looking at Diglis,

Cidra remained silent for a few heartbeats, then let his gaze fall slightly upon the Living Saint Cyllian within the expeditionary force.

In Cidra's eyes, among the entire expeditionary force, Cyllian was one of the few beings who could be trusted.

Cyllian nodded slightly to Cidra: "This is indeed the will of the Emperor. I believe it with such piety, and I hope you believe it too."

After nodding, Cidra returned his gaze to Belisarius Cawl,

"Archmagos, my Librarian knows of your existence from history and prophecy, and knows that you once served my gene-father."

"Now, I am willing to briefly set aside the regulations of the Codex to hear your needs. Now, may you tell me what mission you bear? What is that holy cargo?"

Cidra spoke gently to Belisarius Cawl.

"No comment." Belisarius Cawl answered Cidra simply and bluntly.

This time, even the two Eldar standing aside could barely hold back, especially Yvraine, whose gaze at Belisarius Cawl was so sharp, filled with the emotion of "Does this person even know how to speak properly?"

Cidra, on the other hand, remained relatively calm.

He had seen the records Diglis found, knowing that this Archmagos of the Mechanicus had lived for a full ten thousand years, and that his memories, soul, and even emotions were likely preserved in a non-human manner; it was normal for him to have problems communicating with humans.

"Only after reaching the side of the Primarch can I reveal my mission to you." Belisarius Cawl's metal body trembled slightly, and his tone suddenly softened as he spoke.

Cidra nodded slightly, then gazed at the Archmagos, falling into brief thought.

Everyone in the hall waited for Cidra's judgment.

"I understand and approve of Dark Age's judgment; this is undoubtedly the correct judgment."

Ji Li Man spoke slowly, but he immediately shifted his tone:

"But I also know that we are now in an era where everything is changing, the power of Chaos is constantly strengthening, traitors are ravaging once again, and the Great Rift spans the heavens."

"I believe I must now make judgments that go beyond reason; moreover, I cannot betray the guidance of Archmagos Digliss, nor do I doubt the guarantee of the Living Saint."

"Even though I have little reason to trust two Eldar and the Archmagos Belisarius Cawl."

Ji Li Man sighed slightly, as if dissatisfied with the decision he had made:

"You may proceed to the Guilliman Temple, under the supervision of myself, Digliss, and Grand Master Voldus."

Dark Age did not refute Ji Li Man's judgment; he merely bowed slightly to the Chapter Master, then stepped aside.

The Ultramarines know when to voice their opinions and when to obey orders.

The anger and recklessness Dark Age displayed from the very beginning were merely to cooperate with the Chapter Master in extracting more information and better observing the Expeditionary Force's reactions.

His mission was accomplished, so there was no need for further words.

Chapter Master Ji Li Man nodded slightly to Dark Age.

He then handed over command of the entire war to Dark Age, who would lead a squad of Terminator veterans and Digliss, accompanied by Grand Master Voldus leading the Third Brotherhood of Grey Knights to supervise the Expeditionary Force's journey to the Guilliman Temple.

Xiang Xiang Leina followed within the Expeditionary Force, walking along streets made of marble and barbed wire, watching the sun of Macragge hang low on the horizon in the distance.

Separated by the intricate, interwoven architecture of the Hera Fortress and the towering mountains of Macragge, the sunset was not conspicuous; only a faint glimmer could be seen flickering.

Yet the Hera Fortress never lacked sunsets; the battle between the Black Legion and the Ultramarines never ceased. Their firefights spread around the Hera Fortress, constantly raising waves of twilight-like explosions upon the void shields, as if turning the entire Hera Fortress into a fiercely burning furnace.

Until Xiang Xiang Leina and the Expeditionary Force passed through the extremely complex marble staircases and arched bridges to arrive at the Guilliman Temple, the battle remained undecided, and the traitors' assault was even growing stronger.

Under Ji Li Man's leadership, the Expeditionary Force began to enter the Guilliman Temple.

Xiang Xiang Leina's heart pounded; intense tension surged through her brain and soul.

To behold a Primarch—not a statue or a true corpse, but one who was still alive, merely restrained within a stasis field.

Not to mention Xiang Xiang Leina, even among the Governors of a million worlds in the galaxy, few have such an honor.

Xiang Xiang Leina could not help but reach out and touch her cheek, wanting to feel the Codex tattoo her mother had inked onto her face.

However, what Xiang Xiang Leina touched was ultimately only that scar. It was only then, in a daze, that she remembered the Codex tattoo her mother had left her had long been destroyed.

This caused an inexplicable sense of emptiness to arise in Xiang Xiang Leina's heart; in her daze, she thought of her mother.

Xiang Xiang Leina's mother had been so devout, yet she chose to protect Xiang Xiang Leina and flee into the Underhive when Xiang Xiang Leina was discovered to be a Psyker.

"This tattoo comes from the Word; it will protect you."

Xiang Xiang Leina still remembered how her mother stroked her hair and said so:

"Mother will also protect you, protecting you forever."

Xiang Xiang Leina always believed that her mother's actions were not a betrayal of faith, but that she believed Xiang Xiang Leina could carry out the will of Hua Di Huang.

Her mood suddenly became somewhat flat.

This was such a holy moment, the best moment one could obtain in her faith; why did she feel desolate?

In a daze, Xiang Xiang Leina remembered the question she had once debated with Zhou Yun in Asford: "Can a mother's love be greater than faith?"

She insisted that faith would not be something as narrow as love.

Suddenly, a hand was placed on Xiang Xiang Leina's shoulder.

Xiang Xiang Leina turned slightly but saw no figure, yet she knew this was Zhou Yun's hand.

"It is time to enter," Zhou Yun whispered in Xiang Xiang Leina's ear, softly like a hallucination.

Xiang Xiang Leina nodded imperceptibly and, together with Zhou Yun who was hiding his form beside her, stepped into the Guilliman Temple.

(End of this chapter)