40k: Midnight Blade.

Chapter 102 5. Flames of Rage ([-])

"Nuceria," said Guilliman.

He pronounced the name in High Gothic, and looked down at the data pad on the table. The laurel wreath was shining, echoing the lights in the room.

After a while, he raised his head: "A barbaric civilization."

There's a fleeting flash of veiled, unnoticeable anger on his face, and Gage catches it.He knew the reason, but he didn't refute it.

How do you refute the facts?

"Brutal indeed, Primarch, but not without merit." Gage explained to his Primarch. "At least they have a lot of technology clearly from the lost ages."

"The development of technology can only reflect their own ugliness by comparison, and this does not help the facts at all." Robert Guilliman said with a frown.

His hand slid up and down on the data pad, and it obediently responded to his control, presenting more information about the world before his eyes.

The Ultramarines obtained this information through a series of complicated means, and now, it is in full view of Robert Guilliman.

"Actually" Gage looked hesitant.

He paused, as if he didn't know how to continue his explanation, and his Primarch resolved the difficulty for him after a few seconds.

"In fact, their technology is not advanced." Guilliman raised his head and looked at his first battle commander with a very serious expression.

"People in most areas still live very primitively. I really can't believe that there is such a planet in the extreme star field. The rulers are covered in silk and satin, living in resplendent and advanced palaces, and their people are like like savages against nature in tribal form"

Guilliman shook his head in disbelief.

"Am I dreaming, Marius? They might even be captured by the slavers and thrown into the arena to fight each other for the fun of the so-called 'high cavalry'?"

The head of the first battle was silent for a moment before answering the question.

"Such things are not uncommon, my lord," said Gage gravely. "At least for us veterans. We've dealt with a lot of things like this before you came back. People were either oppressed by their own kind, or by xenos, and sometimes both."

He shook his head and didn't say any more, because Robert Guilliman's eyes were already full of determination.

He turned his head and looked at a sitting giant, who was reading with a long scroll of parchment with a calm expression on his face. The original-sized sofa seemed just right for him.

"What do you think of this planet, Khalil?"

"You already have the answer, Robert." The giant raised his head and smiled. "So why ask me again?"

"My answer may not be what you want."

"Why should it suit me?" Khalil raised his eyebrows. "Nuceria is not an agricultural world."

"It could be," Guilliman said gravely. "Judging from the orbital scan and the news sent back by the scouts, the soil quality of this planet is quite suitable for large-scale agricultural activities, and these people who have been oppressed for a long time obviously need a proper job to allow them to live a normal life. life."

Khalil didn't answer, but slowly rolled up the parchment roll in his hand little by little.

After doing this, he took a look at Marius Gage, who was trying to keep his eyes straight. The power armor of the First Chapter Commander was extremely shiny, and the smell of machine oil was also obvious. It was obvious that he was coming to see their Primarch It was well taken care of before.

"I think it's better to leave this matter to Captain Gage to decide." Khalil said softly. "After all, if you're going to use force to conquer this planet, the First Chapter will surely lead the charge, won't it?"

Robert Guilliman turned his head gravely to look at his First Chapter Master.

The latter's expressionless face at this moment added more interesting meaning to his silence that lasted for a minute and a half. Of course, Guilliman did not ignore this point. What's the meaning.

"Say what you have to say, Marius." Guilliman said helplessly. "Haven't we all been like this in the past? Be straightforward."

Still Gage didn't answer his Primarch's words, he was silent and thought for another forty seconds before delivering a cautious phrase.

"Wheat grows better on land that has been devastated by war," Gage said. "I don't want to hide anything from you, Primarch, the First Order does desire glory—but the people of Nuceria need us to remove the tumor that's killing them, don't they?"

Guilliman smiled.

"Then let the war begin," he said softly but firmly. "Start immediately."

Eighteen minutes and 8 seconds later, a discrete rain of fire descended from Nuceria's orbit.
-
Kleist woke up from her sleep, her bones, muscles and skin trembled together.She lay on the smelly hide with her eyes open, and it took a while to realize that it was not her illusion, because the rock wall was also trembling, and sand and stones fell and sprinkled her face.

She sat up abruptly, feeling a pang of exasperation.The torches were burning, and the smell of tallow was still evident.And Karelian remained on the rock face, leaning on it as if it were his feet.

They are all awake.

"What's going on?" Someone asked in a low voice. "Are the slave owners planning to have a few rare nighttime fights?"

"They have a dance in the evening, and they don't have time to bother us." The other laughed vulgarly. "These bastards should be gutted and thrown in the mud."

There was a burst of piercing laughter in the cave, as gladiators always did, their words were the only weapon they could hurt the slave owners.So each of them will learn to use it and become proficient in it, no matter where they come from in the past.

Children of gladiators, children from the forest, children from the sand, volcanoes, oases, plains, regardless of age, regardless of gender, they turn words into armor and weapons, and then puff up their chests, one after another under the watchful eyes of the slave owners. One by one to die.

No one can escape.

At least not in Kleist's memory, she has been in this arena for three years, and in these three years, no gladiator has ever walked out alive.They were either buried in sand pits, or they were buried in the mouth of wild beasts.

The discussion went on for a while, and so did the crude jokes and sarcasm, and there was a commotion in the cave, but no guards came to stop it.

This is very strange. In the past, those high cavalry dogs would not let go of any opportunity to show off their power. They would seek every opportunity to torture them, including the noise at night.

The cave gradually became quiet, and they all realized that something was wrong.

Kleist looked at the man leaning against the rock wall with his eyes closed, and asked softly, "Karellian, do you know what's going on?"

"I don't know." Karelian replied with his eyes closed. "But I advise you all to be quiet and conserve your energy."

His advice worked, and everyone fell silent.There were eight people living in this cave at the beginning, six died in the battle three days ago, and now eight more people have come in.

Except for Karelian, who had his eyes closed, everyone else had their eyes open, looking at each other in the dark, talking silently, even Kleist.

——But she wasn't thinking about the shaking of the rock wall, she was thinking about the roar that came from the ground from time to time.The owner of that scarlet face had spoken his name to her hours before, and she took it as an honor.

Angron.

She said his name silently, feeling a shudder.The audience in the stands excitedly called him Angelonius, or the Invincible, but how many people really cared what his name was?
She lay on the hide, gazing at the rock face, and thinking of all this, felt a terrible bewilderment.However, this sentiment did not last long.

A low and sharp sound suddenly sounded, creating an unbearable and terrifying noise in everyone's ears.But before they had time to react, they suddenly felt a huge shock from the ground. Although it was only for a moment, everyone felt it.

"What?" someone asked in the dark.

No one answered him because no one had an answer.

The rock wall is closed, and if the gate is not opened, there is no other way to see the outside world.Gladiators might not even be able to tell day from night if it weren't for the light coming from the vents at the top of the rock face.

They waited with bated breath for a moment, wondering how the guards in the arena would react to this, but they didn't hear the iconic scolding—in fact, what they heard were human screams, and A heavy sound that resounded continuously.

Discussions resumed, and people rushed to offer their own opinions.

Some say it was a coup d'état, after all this is Dashea, the capital of Nuceria.Someone said that the dead gladiators had come to claim their lives, and they said it seriously, and at the end, he even shouted the word revenge with his broken voice.

Short and powerful, it hit the rock wall, like some kind of ancient echo.

They are excited.Kleist thought.

The child from the forest jumped off her bed, which was already covered with gravel, and came to the heavy iron gate.She put her ear on it and listened carefully.

At this moment, many hidden sounds came to her strangely, the most obvious being the screams and sirens of the guards, and then the low hum of their weapons firing.

But what else?

She also heard the heavy sound, and many heavy, uniform steps.Their neatness almost astonished her—was it a multitude of armored figures moving, or a single figure with many legs?

She couldn't get the answer, because after only two seconds, there was an explosion that completely knocked her out.

　one more chapter

　　
　
(End of this chapter)