A Core Ship From The Start
/ A Core Ship From The Start Chapter 1037
Chapter 1037: Chapter 713: Assembly Chapter 1037: Chapter 713: Assembly Mr. Kiriman's nose was not red, his eyes were not swollen, and he appeared no different from usual, except for a deep weariness between his brows. In contrast, Duanmu Huai seemed refreshed and content.
“Thanks to the Tribunal's strong support before, I am here to express my gratitude to all of you.”
“Don't mention it, you seem quite fatigued, though.”
“No, I just… forget it. On the contrary, it seems you, Great Judge, are quite at ease.”
“Of course.”
Duanmu Huai raised an eyebrow.
“Your father came to see me before, and we had a huge argument. I scolded him away, which was incredibly satisfying.”
“Err…”
Hearing Duanmu Huai's response, even Kiriman was at a loss for words for a moment and decided to ignore the subject.
“Currently, I am reorganizing the Limit Warrior Legion to face the upcoming challenges.”
Ares was only the vanguard; everyone knew that. In fact, his original role was merely to launch a surprise attack on the Limit Warriors at Kaus. If successful, great, if not… remember, among the Imperial Legions, the Limit Warriors have the greatest numbers, followed by the Whisperers. Add in the Sons of Horus, the World Eaters, the Emperor's Sons, and other legions joining forces, the Limit Warriors do not have an overwhelming numerical advantage.
Now, the main force of the Whisperers has not yet reached the Five Hundred Worlds, but their invasion is only a matter of time. Hence, what Kiriman needs to do now is to rapidly bolster their numbers, again and again.
Like in real-time strategy games, if you know the enemy plans a massive assault, what you naturally have to do is muster troops and strengthen your defenses.
And in seeking out Duanmu Huai, Kiriman hoped he could offer some advice. After all, as things stood, the Tribunal was the most familiar with the Subspace Demons.
“Anything I need to be wary of?”
Duanmu Huai pondered for a moment and quickly had an answer.
“That's simple. Rogal has three Abyssal-class battleships under his command; those are what you need to be most concerned about.”
“Abyssal-class? Sorry, I have never heard of them…”
“Of course, you haven't. These were made by the Mechanic Religion at Horus's command in the later stages of the Great Crusade. They are the most terrifying warships, with impeccable defenses and fierce firepower. I fear your orbital cannons might not even scratch their surface.”
“They're that powerful?”
“Of course, you know about the Mountain Array, right? Think of the Abyssal-class as a darker version of the Mountain Array.”
Upon hearing this, Kiriman instantly understood. Mountain Array was his good brother Dorn's abode–how could he not be aware of it?
But wait a moment…
“Horus has already rebelled, and the Mechanic Religion is still obeying his orders?”
“How novel.”
In response to Kiriman's query, Duanmu Huai scoffed with disdain.
“Both the Genetic Prototypes and the Astartes have rebelled. What makes you think those grease monkeys on Mars would remain loyal?”
“So you're saying… Mars has also turned traitor??”
Duanmu Huai didn't answer; he simply spread his arms and shrugged his shoulders.
All was said without words.
Kiriman's expression grew even more solemn. He could now deeply sense that Horus's rebellion was not just an issue between Genetic Prototypes, Astartes, and the Emperor. Instead, the betrayal had spread throughout the Empire, affecting every organization, every power–likely to cause changes everywhere.
The Mechanic Religion was no exception.
“It seems we are facing a very grave problem.”
Kiriman took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
“I have another issue for which I'd like to ask the Tribunal's assistance. We now know that Rogal and his Whisperers have formed a wicked and unclean pact with those… devils from Subspace. But we don't know how to counter them. Indeed, we have been on high alert on the ground, yet we've still suffered significant losses when attacked by the Whisperers. Their… tactics are completely different from those of the Astartes we know. We need to thoroughly study them and find their weaknesses to mount a targeted offensive. But now we're limited on time, and the Tribunal has extensive experience in this area, so…”
“I understand what you mean, Mr. Kiriman.”
Duanmu Huai nodded, then his eyes shifted.
“In that case, I have an idea.”
“What is your idea?”
“I would like for you to choose a group of warriors loyal to the Empire, possessing strong spiritual energy, to come to the Tribunal for training. They will also be blessed with the Tribunal's weapons and armor, ensuring they can steadfastly protect their souls against Demons and Subspace Corruption. They will become an indestructible shield against the incoming darkness, a sharp blade forged in spite of fate. They will be the vanguard for judgment and the purification of Demons… They will become a new entity, the Grey Knights.”
Yes, this was Duanmu Huai's plan. The Grey Knights were originally something the Emperor came up with after defeating Horus, but now he was taking the initiative. Not only that, but he intended to use the Tribunal's power to restrain the opposition–Duanmu Huai's hoe was finally swinging toward the Emperor's corner.
Trouble with loosening the soil for you, why not?
“I understand.”
Kiriman had thought Duanmu Huai might hesitate at first, but his response came quickly and decisively.
“Is it really okay? You should know that purifying demons is against what you call the Imperial Truth. Be careful, or you may end up excommunicated just like your two brothers.”
“The Nicaea Council was a mistake. We, no, the entire Empire has faced an unprecedented threat, and in this situation, we must study the enemy to find ways to eradicate them. The Imperial has changed completely… I can see that this is not the end, but the beginning. Humanity must find a way to survive this then we can talk about the rest.”
“Well, since you put it that way, I won't object.”
Duanmu Huai wasn't surprised by Kiriman's answer; it was the kind of reaction you'd expect from a normal, intelligent person who had a happy childhood without any psychological shadows. To say something blasphemous, in Kiriman's heart, he valued the Five Hundred Worlds more than the Empire. The reason was simple: Kiriman spent his childhood here, he held deep feelings for the people of this land and was willing to do everything for them.
Unlike other Genetic Prototypes, who were either brainwashed, abused, toyed with, or even eager to blow their own homeworlds to pieces–the influence of childhood indeed lasts a lifetime.
It's always better to work with someone normal rather than a psychologically damaged lunatic. Horus's biggest reason for defeat was that he was surrounded by narcissists, masochists, sadists… basically, you couldn't find half a normal person among them.
That's also why Chaos can never defeat the Human Empire. How can a bunch of madmen ever hope to rule the world?
“So how many people can you find?”
“Since the Nicaea Council, all Astarte Legions have disbanded their think tanks, so I can only muster a few Psychic Warriors for now…”
Kiriman frowned, grabbed the data slate, and looked at the information on it, then he looked up at Duanmu Huai.
“Would five thousand people be enough?”
MMP, you think you're amazing because you have so many people.
Sure enough, from the Astartes with the largest number of Blue Elves, where other Warbands can barely scrape together a couple hundred people, Kiriman just whips out five thousand like it's nothing, and still thinks it's too few, huh?
“You have so many people, but the Tribunal doesn't have the resources to recreate armor and weapons for all of them.”
The Tribunal had sent only one fleet; they didn't have that many production units.
“Kaus's factories will operate twenty-four hours a day nonstop. Just give us the manufacturing blueprints and materials, and we'll forge them in the shortest time possible.”
“…Alright, then I'll leave it to you.”
Damn, with such financial power, strong production capabilities, and so many people, this is legit impressive.
Duanmu Huai silently gave a thumbs up.
[Timer: -40.35.16]
Rogal stood on the observation deck of the flagship, staring at the dome above that flickered with subspace lightning. Around the main Whisperer, his progeny were screaming, reveling, praying. But Rogal paid no attention to this; he was just gazing at the unpredictable subspace outside the dome, then he closed his eyes.
“Ares has failed. The fire of his soul has been extinguished.”
“This is the outcome of your arrogance, brother.”
Standing next to Rogal was a red-skinned one-eyed giant. His skin was even redder than blood, and the bronze helmet on his head made him look more like an ancient Roman gladiator.
“You invited me here to enjoy a victory, but what do I see? An utter defeat. The Whisperers were blinded by their own hatred, and now what do you plan to do?”
Facing the questioning from his brother, Rogal was silent for a moment. Of course, he understood it was a defeat, because Ares's plan was to use a planet as a sacrifice, to stir up a subspace storm that would sweep across the Empire's borders, completely severing the connection between Terra and the rest of the galaxy.
Of course, they didn't necessarily have to choose Kaus; they could have used any planet. But they chose Kaus simply because the Whisperers had an irreconcilable hatred for the Limit Warriors, who had destroyed the Whisperers' Perfect City on the Emperor's orders. This hurt them deeply, and this hatred could only be cleansed with blood. Thus, they chose Kaus, using the Warlord's command as bait, the Whisperers tried to launch a raid on Kaus. This way, not only could they severely damage the Limit Warriors and get their revenge, but they could also achieve their aim.
Originally, Ares saw this as killing two birds with one stone.
Well, now, not only did they fail to avenge the old grudges, they piled up new ones.
Kaus was the gateway to the Five Hundred Worlds, its standing firm meant that the Whisperers couldn't enter the Five Hundred Worlds as planned.
However………
“It does not matter, it was just a minor setback.”
Rogal shook his head.
“Everything goes according to the plan, Kiriman can't contend with the deities, and he will eventually understand what he is up against.”
“And what about the Tribunal?”
The word that came from the mouth of the one-eyed, red-skinned giant made Rogal's expression shift ever so slightly.
“They crushed The Sixty Second Expedition Fleet, driving Horus mad with rage. Isn't that why you called me here? To display power, attract my allegiance, but as it seems now, your plans with Horus aren't going as smoothly as you imagined.”
“It's just a slight deviation, a minor error.”
Rogal stared ahead. There, the fleets of the Whisperers and the World Eaters were advancing, with only one target.
“I've heard the whisper of the gods, and now, I'm the one to rectify this error.”
The subspace storm turned into surging waves that roared past in front of the fleet, tearing through the frenzied atmosphere and energy. Rogal stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking ahead. He was waiting, pondering, praying.
And war was looming ever closer.
Chapter end
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