Chapter 453: Captain Demetrian Titus

The collision of axe and axe made Kharn's blood boil.

The Blood Father swung toward Kharn in an extremely wild and lethal manner, smashing heavily toward Kharn.

Kharn raised the Blood Drinker to block, shaking his arm numb.

It was not the first time he faced the swift and wild axe blade of the man before him.

Ten thousand years ago, on the *Conqueror*, he often lost control, angrily swinging his chainaxe at his progeny, slaughtering his progeny; Kharn was one of the few who survived.

But... but the feeling was completely different.

The person wielding the axe was the same, and the way of wielding it was the same.

But Kharn could clearly feel that the man was teaching him.

Just like a father teaching his child.

This was an experience Kharn had never had before...

"Kharn!" The man interrupted Kharn's thoughts with a battle cry; his axe was so fast, so fast that Kharn was dizzy.

The axe blade rested lightly on Kharn's throat; if he wanted, Kharn would be dead now.

"Again." The man distanced himself from Kharn again, raised the Blood Father and said to Kharn.

Kharn didn't know why the man wanted to do this, but Kharn liked the man doing this.

He felt a warmth, a care, a wonderful feeling he had never had before.

"Father."

Kharn whispered.

The Blood Drinker and Blood Father clashed again.

Kharn still lost; it was just three moves, and the Blood Father "cut off" Kharn's head again.

"Again, Kharn."

The man smiled, swung the axe, clashed, fought.

"Do you still remember Koragar?" In the gap between the axe blades clashing, the man asked Kharn softly.

Kharn swung the axe and barely blocked the man's blow, then nodded at the man: "I remember."

"He betrayed us."

Koragar was a loyalist World Eater, a Centurion, who died on Istvaan III, died under Angron's hand.

"We betrayed him!" The man's voice carried anger, and the axe blade suddenly became heavier: "We oppressed him."

Kharn was "killed" again, and the man's axe was as lethal as ever.

"And he resisted us," the man said softly, then raised his head slightly, exposing his neck to Kharn.

That was a wound, an inconspicuous wound, still moist.

"This was cut by Koragar; he fought well, they all fought well, simply like a free man."

"I have always been reluctant to heal this wound, always."

"You..." Kharn was shocked by the man's words, his heart pounding.

"I have always longed, longed for you to swing your axe at me, Kharn," the man said softly: "I have always prayed, prayed that you could kill me, prayed that you would resist me, but I couldn't say it; anger controlled me."

"Horus wanted to perform an orbital bombardment on Istvaan III, using this to kill those warriors who had the guts to resist their father."

"But I rushed into Istvaan III, which forced Horus to give up the orbital bombardment and use blood, use knives, use swords to kill those good men."

"Horus thought it was anger that drove me to rush into Istvaan III, but it wasn't, Kharn, that was one of my few moments of clarity."

"They fought well, those resisters; I would not let them be humiliated in their final moments."

"I gave them a chance to resist us; this is a tribute from a pathetic slave to a great resister."

Kharn was captivated by the man's narration.

He felt his soul resonating with the man, able to clearly perceive the man's emotions, able to know what the man was thinking.

He, he faintly saw the trajectory of the man's axe...

"See it? Kharn!"

"Cut here! Cut the wound Koragar left me!"

The man roared at Kharn; his axe pressed toward Kharn like a sea of corpses and a mountain of blood.

But Kharn perceived it, Kharn felt it; the man's attack had a flaw.

The man learned how to fight in the gladiator pit; the gladiator pit was a battle of blood for blood, so when the man launched his most fierce and terrifying attack, he would reveal a flaw for a moment.

Ten thousand years ago, the loyalist World Eater Koragar discovered this point between life and death, and left him a wound.

The Blood Father rested on Kharn's neck.

But Kharn's Blood Drinker also slashed fiercely into the man's neck, into the wound Koragar had left the man ten thousand years ago.

The man felt pain, opened his mouth slightly, and then revealed a smile.

"Cut well, son."

Kharn was stunned for a moment, and then couldn't help but reveal some smiles.

"Father, it's not good enough yet," Kharn's tone was a bit expectant, a bit longing.

He still wanted to accept the man's guidance like this.

"No, there's not that much time." The man shook his head slowly.

Kharn's heart jumped: "No, father, don't..."

"I am only wandering here briefly, briefly lingering in this world; everything that belongs to me has ended."

"It's just that there is no time in the torrent of the Warp, so I can meet you here."

The man said slowly:

"Kharn, after leaving here, after you wake up, you should forget that we have met."

Kharn's body couldn't stop trembling. "Is this a punishment? Father!" Kharn asked sadly.

"I am not qualified to punish you; this is resistance, Kharn." The man squatted down and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"You are still the Blood God's Chosen; if you remember all this after you wake up, he will find out."

"Don't worry, your body will remember everything I taught you; the power of resistance will not disappear."

"Perhaps this is Saint Doraemon's mercy; he gave me this opportunity to let me teach you to resist myself."

"Take me away, father! Take me with you!" Kharn begged sadly.

"Kharn, you still have your own slaughter, your own revenge, your own resistance to complete."

The man shook his head slowly, then stood up and said:

"I cannot treat you like the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang treated me."

Kharn calmed down a little, understanding that the man was right.

He still had a grudge to settle.

The moment this thought popped up, Kharn felt everything before him become hazy, become trance-like, become unreal.

"Time is up."

The man said softly.

Boundless scarlet gravel blew up from his side, making his figure become blurry.

"Kharn, my child."

The man's voice seemed to become very far, very far, so far that Kharn couldn't hear clearly.

"I am very sorry for everything I have done."

"I can no longer do more to make up for my mistakes."

"I can only bless you, wishing your path ahead to be full of warm and free red sand."

His voice and figure ultimately disappeared.

"Father!"

Kharn panted, suddenly waking up from the bed.

He clutched his head, his thoughts in a mess.

He could feel his body becoming more powerful; tendon steel cables strengthened his muscle power, the Hymn Pituitary made his thinking swift and multi-threaded, and the Belisarius Furnace was constantly repairing his organs, bones, and muscles.

He successfully crossed the Rubicon Primaris, but...

But Kharn clutched his face, not knowing why he couldn't stop tears from flowing.

This was the first time in ten thousand years.

He was stepping on Terra for the first time, stepping on the mother planet of humanity, coming under the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's throne.

As an Ultramarine, he had seen many magnificent cities in Ultramar, so he actually held some expectations for Terra's scenery.

But after leaving the Deathwatch's void ship and entering the atmosphere in a Thunderhawk gunship, he felt some disappointment.

This was a Hive World shrouded in toxic atmosphere, with chaotic buildings hideously spread across the entire land.

It didn't feel as good as Macragge.

But he quickly adjusted his state of mind.

He was not here for sightseeing; his duty was only to be loyal to the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang, to humanity—of course, also to be loyal to his gene-father Roboute Guilliman.

Thinking of this, he was slightly nervous.

He had always been evaluated as having a will as strong as steel, but the summons he received was too unusual.

Someone like him who had been suspected, had possibly been involved in corruption, and had been strongly immersed in Warp energy, actually received a direct summons from the Ultramarines Primarch.

He was required to leave the Deathwatch and immediately head to Terra to meet Lord Roboute Guilliman.

The Thunderhawk landed slowly on the Eternity Wall, bringing him into the Imperial Palace on Terra. Following the guidance of the Administratum staff, he began to shuttle through the palace.

Gradually, his impression of Terra began to change somewhat.

Although this was a Hive World, the people he saw along the way did not have the malnutrition common among Hive residents, and even fewer showed hungry expressions.

That Administratum staff member responsible for leading him explained that this was all because Saint Doraemon's glory blessed Terra.

Not the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang?

He had heard of the existence of that Saint Doraemon.

It was said that he was a friend of the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang, and also an ancient existence from humanity's past, and like the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang of the past, walked among humans, and like the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang, claimed not to be a god...

Many people in the Deathwatch expressed some worries about this; they still found it hard to accept such a new existence.

But he didn't have many opinions on this.

He was a pragmatist, and had often been accused of not following the Codex.

As long as that Saint Doraemon was truly like the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang of the past, protecting humanity, he could accept it.

"Hmm?" He raised his head slightly, looking at the few "farmers" who had just brushed past him.

The body shape of those farmers was even taller than him, their muscles were strong and perfect, and their steps were steady and powerful. The aura emanating from their whole bodies made him feel a bit of danger.

But their clothing was just common peasant attire, with hoes on their shoulders, and their hair tied up with cloth strips.

Such powerful people were actually just farmers? Was this also a manifestation of Saint Doraemon's great power?

He felt a bit strange, but didn't think much about it; he still had to meet the Primarch.

In an office filled with documents, he saw his gene-father.

Roboute Guilliman, the man who was like the manifestation of the concept of Monarch in the material universe, was sitting before him, constantly dealing with government affairs.

He knelt on one knee before his gene-father.

"Calgar's evaluation of you is very high; he said your will is as firm as steel, yet you do not lack flexibility."

Roboute Guilliman raised his head and said with a smile:

"Tell me, is Calgar right?"

"Captain Demetrian Titus."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 454 =====