Warhammer: In the Name of Ashes.

Chapter 38 Battle and Tenka Talk
Pushed by the heavy hydraulic device, the heavy door panels on the iron cage were closed with a low hum.

The two people in the arena were also moving their bodies, staring at each other's eyes while slowly trying to get closer.

Unlike Calvin who had little idea of ​​fighting with cold weapons before, now Calvin can see great progress just from his rhythmic steps after a month.

Gavins was a little nervous. This was the first time he had faced a serious Calvin since the playful short fight a month ago.

Originally, he was confident enough to fulfill the great teacher's entrustment, but when he saw the blood in Calvin's eyes that had not yet dissipated and the smile with an unknown meaning on his mouth, he became a little uneasy.

This is a Primarch after all!On the throne!It is my honor to witness His growth!Gavins thought so.

He cleaned up his mood, looked up and saw the smile on the face of the young man opposite: "Ready? Let's start..."

Then, without waiting for Gavins' answer, Calvin stepped forward and stopped just 1.8 meters away from Gavins.

With a wingspan of 1.1 meters and a blade of the same length, forming an attack range that the opponent could not dodge, at the same time, the big sword that was swung violently from the back and lower waist instantly turned over Calvin with the explosion sound of cutting the air shoulders, heading straight for the top of Gavins' head.

Gavins, who had no time to dodge, could only choose to parry on the spot, did not hear the second half of Calvin's words until he heard the roar of the two swords colliding:
"Today! I just want to be a blacksmith!"

I want to run, but I can't... Well, it's not the lyrics, it's the only thing Gavins can think of now other than the metal thud of "boom bang".

Gavins, whose footwork was completely seen through, had no chance of counterattacking under Calvin's continuous heavy blows.

Every parry will only allow the opponent to use his strength to smoothly swing the big sword to complete the next more powerful slash.

And all kinds of actions that try to release force and escape are always inexplicably seen through, so Gavins can only struggle to find opportunities in the constant parry, trying to escape from this brain-deprived situation.

On the other hand, Calvin on the other side, a month of unilateral confrontation made him completely see through the direction of Gavins' actions.

Calvin already knew the opponent's general endurance ability in the previous intensive fights.

He excitedly danced a dance of death called "Blade Storm" around Gavins, who was standing still, to vent the "suffering" of being killed countless times in the past month.

Calvin never thought of using simple and efficient swordsmanship to directly penetrate Gavins' almost transparent defense to him.

That didn't make sense, and it wasn't what he wanted right now.

All he wants now is a hearty vent.

Every time Gavins tried to vent his strength and escape, Calvin stopped him with a slash just enough to stop his movement.

And the resistance obtained in exchange for each slash was skillfully transformed by him into the next slash action.

Under precise control, Calvin's strength was just stuck at the upper limit that Gavins could bear.

The spectators outside the arena were all so shocked by the almost storm-like attack that their breathing began to slow down.

From the perspective outside the cage, Calvin is, as he said before, a blacksmith with a precise hand.

In the storm-like high-frequency strikes, he was able to hit the "sledgehammer" in his hand accurately on Gavins' nail every time.

60 seconds, just 60 seconds, but Gavins feels like a year may have passed.

He didn't even have a chance to take a full breath, just blushing like this, and was treated like a nail in place to bear Calvin's invisible blow.

"Is this the growth rate of a demigod? I'm really arrogant..." This was the little reason left in his almost unconscious mind.

Although the result of the battle has not yet been drawn, the overwhelming aspect of the situation has made the people present have no suspense about the result.

As for the leader of his guard, Calvin did not intend to kill them all.

After dispelling his hostility and finishing a small warning to the champion of the guards, Calvin no longer pursued a clear victory or defeat to embellish his record.

So, he withdrew amidst the long sword cry after an exchange, looked at Gavins in front of him with a slight smile and said, "Okay, let's stop here today."

And Gavins, who was exhausted and collapsed, didn't have the strength to get out of the iron cage. He just sat down on the same spot, gasped and said to Calvin: "Of course, this is your will."

The line of sight was briefly pulled away from Titan, at the junction of the distant Far East star field and the Terra star field, in a spaceship of the Tribunal, three Lord Judges of the Tribunal rarely gathered together.

What's even more rare is that the three present are all from the Order of the Holy Hammer. This kind of person who can gather so many high-ranking members under the vast amount of business processing intensity of the Inquisition Chamber without any major events as background conditions It is very difficult to become a first-level judge.

The second of the three is on a mission, and will leave this "flying boat" shortly after entering the Terra star field.

The remaining one was simply decided by the Tribunal to go to Terra to serve as the representative of the Tribunal in the High Lords Council for the next 5 years.

The spaceship is still sailing in the warp, and it is still a long way from Terra.

And the necessary sources of information are the sure guarantee of the survival of every Imperial bureaucrat, and the Inquisition is no exception.

So the three judges sat together in boredom and played cards in the bar on the ship.The three of them were sipping the self-brewed fruit wine on board, while discussing the latest gossip within the congregation.

A little farther away from their seats, the guards and vassals of these judges sat quietly.The same glasses of the same fine wine were on the table, untouched since they were filled.

These various militants are different from the three big bosses who are relaxed and comfortable in the center.Quietly wiping weapons and seemingly relaxed but actually tense vigilance is the way they really get along with each other.

They don't have missions, and outsiders may think that there is no need to be so nervous on their own ships, but considering that even among the Inquisition Chamber, there is also a bad tradition of turning faces like flipping books.

Maybe the colleague who was drinking with you a second ago, it is common sense that the next second is like you handing over a stabbing sword that pierces the heart.

Therefore, as employees and subordinates of the direct troops, their wealth and life depended on the boss alone, so they could only keep a close eye on all the information of their boss in the central position, in case they missed the opportunity and were seized by the surrounding enemies.

"Have you heard? The closure of Titan is over."

One of the judges who rubbed the boat was also the youngest Ms. Amberley present.While throwing out the cards in his hand, he said seemingly calmly.

"Well, I want this card! I heard, isn't it already over?"

The incoming Judge Jean Maridus also picked up the topic calmly. He is the one who is most worried about his situation among the three.

After all, in the more than a hundred years since he joined the trial court, more than one high-ranking judge was dazzled by the appointment order from the headquarters.

Then he died at the hands of his colleagues who received orders for a secret execution.He has always had reservations about whether the two colleagues in front of him really have other missions to go to the solar star field.

The uniquely decorated bar in front of him is the location he carefully selected. The walls of the entire bar are filled with automatic laser weapons and heavy logging guns without dead ends.

With just a snap of his fingers, he can eliminate everyone present, including his followers.

And he himself can easily leave through the secret door reserved in the floor under his feet in one movement.

It's no wonder Maridus is so cautious. After all, he has been at the forefront of the empire's war against the subspace for so many years. Who hasn't a little secret that can't be told?
But since the hole card has not been revealed, he is not in a hurry to put himself in a dangerous situation.

So Maridus, who had the idea of ​​​​waiting and watching, was happy to play cards with these two uninvited guests, and it was all a pastime during the long journey.

"But the Inquisitor's representative stationed in Titan heard that he was under full control during the closed period, and he has lost the trust of the headquarters."

The one who took up the conversation was another member of the "boat rubbing duo", the high-ranking judge Stadler.

Unlike the other two, he was born in Terra and was naturally well-informed, and his words also made the two outsiders prick up their ears in unison.

"The reason? How did the cans explain it?"

Ms. Amberley put down the cards in her hand, took a sip from the wine glass by the table and asked after taking a sip.

The atmosphere among the attendants not far away became tense with the wine glass in her hand.It seems that throwing a cup for a name also has a long history in this universe.

"As for the conventional equipment, it's just so perfunctory, but you can't do anything about it. Could it be possible to give them an extermination order?"

Stadler leaned back leisurely, sinking into the soft velvet sofa.

His slightly frivolous voice came from the sofa: "Your Excellency Maridus, this sofa is really good. I heard that you waited in Terra for two full years when you ordered it?"

"It's just spreading rumors. If you like it, take it when you leave." Maridus responded with a smile.

It is a good thing to have needs, at least it shows that there is still a place in the other party's plan to get along with him for a long time.

He also relaxed slightly, leaning on the same soft sofa and asked softly:
"Then forget it? When have we suffered such a loss?"

Ambolai also put down the wine glass in his hand when he heard this, and was ready to hear the final result of this "accident" from Terra.

Stadler's body was still sinking in the sofa, the shadow blocked his face, and he could only hear his slightly low voice saying:
"The Supreme Master of the Gray Knights Chapter arrived at the headquarters yesterday. I heard that he made a different suggestion to the Holy Hammer Order this time."

"What?" The two asked in unison.

"The Supreme Master proposed to the headquarters to change the practice of sending representatives of the Tribunal to Titan for 8 years, and instead have the Gray Knights stationed at the headquarters of the Tribunal."

"They agreed?" The two still asked in unison, after all, such a thing was unique in the past.

It itself represents a lot of hidden meanings, not to mention the many changes that will be brought about after the actual implementation.

"Why not? After all, when it comes to real relationship ownership, these cans have always belonged directly to the throne room, and they are just a cooperative relationship with us." This is the final explanation from Stadler.

None of the three had the desire to communicate further, and it was through this incident that they reacted:
The Order of the Holy Hammer without the Judge is still the Order of the Holy Hammer; but is there a need for the Order of the Holy Hammer without the Holy Hammer?

Following Stadler's last voice, the thoughts of the two also drifted to the distant Terra along with the meaning contained in these words.

No one noticed that Stadler in the shadows, the inside of the fingers on the folded hands, represented the tattoo of the Temple of Vennam, and his meaningful smile looking at the two of them.

In the subspace, the spaceship carrying three people was still sailing quietly.

But in the end, how many people can arrive alive can only be left to fate.

(End of this chapter)