Chapter 688: Asmodai!

Not just the Rock fortress, standing at the entrance of the hangar corridor, Azrael also saw the Gloriana-class battleship *Red Tear* in the distant void, as well as the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang-class battleship *Bright Lord*, which was once the flagship of Macarius and now the flagship of Saint Doraemon, and the Abyss-class battleship *Doraemon Cabinet*, which was recaptured from the great traitor Erebus.

Such huge void power, and among them were a large number of Astartes. What kind of enemy were they going to fight?

Azrael shook his head slightly. This was not a question he should care about now.

He was just a Black Shield Astartes. Obeying orders was the only thing he needed to do.

Yes, obey orders, step onto the Rock fortress.

Azrael stepped on the corridor bridge cast from ceramite, looking at the rough stone floor only a step away, feeling a wave of dizziness.

He felt his throat tighten and his head go empty, feeling as if his head was floating, as if it were about to turn into a firefly, detach from his body, and fly into the sky.

How could it be such a coincidence? Or was this really a coincidence?

He fled the Rock fortress, abandoned the position of Chapter Master, but now... but now he was sent back to the Rock fortress by fate.

Azrael even suspected whether there was some blue Tzeentch conspiracy behind this.

Just when Azrael hesitated, a hand patted him gently on the back, making a crisp metallic clashing sound.

"No need to fear, stay calm. With such a large-scale mobilization, it cannot be aimed at you," Hellel stood beside Azrael, saying in a low but reassuring voice.

"... You?" Azrael was slightly surprised, even suspecting for a moment that his identity had been exposed.

"Don't worry, I don't know who you are. I just feel that you are fearing the Rock fortress," Hellel shook his head, signaling Azrael to rest assured.

Azrael took a deep breath, suppressing the unease in his heart.

Hellel was right. With such a large-scale mobilization, tens of thousands of Astartes, millions of Astra Militarum, Azrael was inconspicuous among them. If it were aimed at Azrael, it would be too much of a fanfare.

Just a coincidence, just a coincidence.

Azrael stepped onto the rough ground of the Rock fortress. He had walked on this ground countless times, but this time the feeling was the most peculiar.

He was like a wanderer who had lost his home returning to a hometown he thought he could never return to, and also like a Fallen Angel about to be sent into a cage.

He walked a few steps, and felt dizzy and nauseous rising from his chest.

Fallen Angel... the ruined Caliban.

Because the destruction of Caliban caused the birth of the Fallen Angels, should he, who caused the destruction of Caliban, bear the responsibility for the existence of the Fallen Angels? Should he also be judged and repent in the dungeons of the Rock fortress?

Suddenly, Azrael sensed a sharp, lethal gaze staring at him, not far away...

Azrael raised his head and met the gaze.

It was a Dark Angel wearing bone-colored robes and a dark green hood, wearing a skull helmet, holding a chaplain's crozius, wearing rosary beads, surrounded by gloomy gray-white furnace smoke.

That Dark Angel was looking at Azrael with a scrutinizing gaze, as if Azrael's reaction just now had aroused his vigilance.

Asmodai?!

Azrael's heart tightened.

The Dark Angels' Interrogator-Chaplain, the fear in the hearts of all Fallen Angels. Even in the Dark Angels Chapter, which was full of extremists, Asmodai was the most extreme, craziest, and cruelest one. He could make a Fallen Angel endure torture for weeks while remaining conscious and still survive. Many Fallen Angels would commit suicide on the spot just hearing Asmodai's name... but even so, Asmodai's duty as an Interrogator-Chaplain was not completed well.

The duty of an Interrogator-Chaplain was to make the Fallen Angels repent, but even with so many terrifying torture methods, Asmodai's only achievement was making two Fallen Angels repent, which further stimulated Asmodai's nerves, and his behavior became more and more out of control.

In the past, Azrael had wiped his ass for his crazy behavior many times.

But now, facing Asmodai's interrogating gaze, Azrael couldn't help but look away... Oh no!

Azrael cursed "oh no" in his heart.

The relaxing time of slaughtering xenos for the past few months had relaxed his nerves. Facing Asmodai's gaze, he actually exposed hesitation, fear, and avoidance.

This would inevitably not be hidden from Asmodai. This damn bastard standing here was likely trying to catch a few Fallen Angels from the Black Shields.

Now he was clearly suspecting that Azrael was a Fallen Angel. By the Lion, for Asmodai, suspicion itself was evidence.

Asmodai strode forward, rushing straight toward Azrael.

Azrael called out in his heart, his fingers stretching slightly toward the sword at his waist.

And Asmodai reached out his hand toward Azrael——————

A hand covered in black armor tightly gripped Asmodai's wrist.

"Abuser, what do you want to do to my brother?" Hellel stood by Azrael's side, one hand extended, gripping Asmodai's wrist, coldly watching Asmodai.

"Let go!" Asmodai roared in a low voice. "This person is suspected of falling. You and your squad must hand over your weapons immediately——————"

"Whose order? Whose will? Whose judgment?" Hellel gripped his wrist tighter. "We are Black Shields, abandoning everything, serving only the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang. The Hua Hua Hua Di Huang has already given us judgment, ordering us to fight the enemies of humanity to the death."

"Abuser, do you think you have more authority than the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang?"

Asmodai let out a savage low roar, and the chaplain's crozius tore through the air, smashing straight toward Hellel's head.

Azrael gripped his sword blade abruptly, intending to strike, but...

Hellel's sword was actually a step faster than him, lightly pushing away Asmodai's chaplain's crozius, the sword tip resting directly on Asmodai's throat.

Such a fast sword blade... even faster than usual.

Azrael was slightly surprised. He was not a Chapter Master famous for martial arts, not comparable to those three guys—Logan, Calgar, and Diago—who were unreasonably strong, nor comparable to Sanguinius's Dante.

But Azrael was ultimately a Chapter Master of a parent chapter. His martial arts were among the best in the entire Imperium, and Hellel's sword technique... was actually faster than his.

What was the background of this brother of his?

But the situation now was a bit dangerous.

Hellel confronted Asmodai, and the atmosphere in the air cooled down a lot.

The Black Shields, Deathwatch, Dark Angels, and a small number of Blood Angels around all cast their gazes.

A Dark Angels squad was walking toward this direction.

But strangely, for a few seconds, Azrael didn't recognize the markings on those Astartes.

Later, after a short few seconds, Azrael discovered that those markings and emblems were the emblems of the Dark Angels Legion during the Great Crusade.

Dreadwing, Order of the Tri-Key, 15th Chapter, 3rd Company, 2nd Destroyer Squad Knight... but Azrael couldn't distinguish more information.

However, Asmodai said the name of the leading Dark Angel.

"Zabriel!" he roared, his voice mixed with some anger.

Fallen Angel... Azrael looked at Zabriel, and the first thought that popped into his mind was this.

That Astartes named Zabriel didn't speak, just made a gesture toward Hellel, expressing his apology to Hellel.

Then he looked at Asmodai, signaling him to retreat.

Asmodai cast a gaze mixed with hatred.

But Zabriel remained unmoved, just coldly saying: "Are you going to defy the Lion's will?" ===== CHAPTER 689 =====