Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Sailing to a New Horizon!
Chapter 29: Sailing to a New Horizon!
"..."
Tyberos was struggling to control his expression. He lowered his gray eyes, unsure if Romulus's words were meant as sarcasm. He watched the three Sharks who had just been instantly defeated, suppressed his own urge to jump down and fight, and spoke.
"He is an unparalleled champion."
"Of course," Romulus replied with certainty. It was no joke. He had sent Arthur down there to win, decisively. If they didn't put these proud Sharks in their place, they would never earn their respect. As for whether Arthur could lose? Such a worry was impossible.
See that circle of luxurious Tartaros Terminators in the plaza? Without using heavy weapons, Romulus himself couldn't beat Arthur in a one-on-one fight; he had even been disarmed and "killed" by Arthur in a sparring match. Aside from Karna, who could disrupt Arthur's rhythm and achieve victory when consumed by the Black Rage, Arthur could casually dominate the other two. But Karna was too unstable. The Black Rage and the Red Thirst were talents suited for the battlefield; if he accidentally killed someone during a duel, it would be difficult to clean up the mess.
As Romulus mulled this over, he continued his conversation with Tyberos. It was mostly Romulus speaking, with the Carcharodon Chapter Master either remaining silent or grunting in response, giving him the air of a socially awkward teenager.
Down below, as the two leaders conversed, the battle was gradually coming to an end.
Amidst the cheers of the Imperial Guard hype-squad, Arthur had already defeated every member of the 3rd Company. The Guardsmen, who had initially been wary of the Sharks' sudden arrival, found their opinion of these crude and battered warriors changing as they watched the strangely comical duel unfold.
The Sharks didn't seem to care much about winning or losing. After being defeated, they would at most show a flash of annoyance at having failed to win a new suit of power armor for the Chapter, before cheerfully returning to their ranks, cradling a brand-new chain-axe.
The scene gave the Guardsmen a strange sense of déjà vu. It was just like back on the oceanic world, during the victory parade, when the Colonel had told them to bring their rattiest, most broken equipment to demand new supplies from their superiors. They hadn't cared about the officers' disdain back then, as long as they got the gear. In fact, except on Cadia itself, it seemed they did this at every parade.
"Akia!" a call from an Apothecary roused the 3rd Company Captain from his meal. He looked up, scanned his surroundings, and realized that everyone, including the Apothecary, had received a new weapon.
"Heh heh." A sneer spread across Akia's face. His blood-red eyes, a legacy from a different Primarch that set him apart from the other Sharks, widened.
"Shal!" he called out to a warrior in the ranks who bore a slight resemblance to him. "How many blows did you withstand?"
"One," the young warrior mumbled, clutching his new axe. A single strike had sent his weapon flying and left a scar on his cheek.
A hundred-plus men in a continuous gauntlet had failed to win. Logically, it should have been a deeply shameful event, but the Sharks didn't seem too upset.
"It's your turn now," they said, clearly enjoying the prospect of seeing their Captain get taken down a peg.
"Fine, let me have a go," Akia said, wiping the crumbs from his mouth. He suppressed the rage rising from his World Eaters gene-seed, grabbed his chain-axe "Reaper," and leapt into the arena. He pointed his weapon at the champion.
"Oi, if this weapon breaks, will you replace it?"
It was so blunt, so straightforward, it was almost impossible not to laugh. And Arthur was certain that if he said no, the man would jump right back and swap it for an older axe.
"I can replace it with one exactly like it," Arthur replied.
Akia suddenly felt a chill. His instincts screamed a warning, compelling him to raise the heavy blade of his axe.
CLANG!
The clash of killing intent made the very air turn sharp. Akia's battle-honed instincts had served him well, the thick body of his axe blocking the blade.
"But you have to answer a question," Arthur said, withdrawing his sword and launching another thrust. This time, his movement was much slower, as if the long gauntlet had drained his stamina. But only Akia knew that his opponent was merely giving him a chance to answer.
"The blood tithe," Arthur asked. "Why are you so obsessed with strength?"
"You care?" Akia forced the words through his gritted teeth.
"Yes, I care a great deal." The champion easily pinned Akia's axe haft. "Just as a person must expend energy and train their body to become strong, why do you collect your blood tithe and pursue collective strength?"
To seek power, even at the cost of harming your own kind—there had to be a reason. Just as his own companions had chosen to explore risky paths to gain power for everyone's future, Arthur, as their final safeguard, their trump card for when everything collapsed, also had to be strong. And this body he now inhabited was truly blessed with extraordinary talent.
Monitoring every twitch of Akia's muscles, relying on the skills honed through relentless practice with Romulus and the anatomical knowledge gained from Ramesses's research, Arthur easily suppressed the hundred-battle veteran with equal force. He could not afford to be weak.
But what were the Carcharodons fighting for? They could have been like their brethren, the Ashen Claws, and found a planet in the halo to rule as petty kings. Or they could have returned to the Imperium and found a better place. After all, the Raven Lord himself was no longer in the Imperium; their ancient charter was effectively void.
"Hmph!" Akia snorted, not answering immediately. But his gaze shifted, landing on the Imperial Guardsmen standing alongside the Space Marines, cheering for the duel.
"For Humanity."
For the first time, Arthur had finally heard that word from the mouth of a human in this universe.
"It is the mission bestowed upon us by the Void Father."
Alright, so it's still for the Emperor.
"To become beasts, willingly, to protect humanity from a galaxy of predators?" Arthur sighed. To take an entire generation from one planet, just to protect the people of many other planets? It was tragic. The trolley problem was a simple choice in this universe.
"Have you never thought of changing?" the champion asked, taking a bold step forward, pushing aside the chain-axe and forcing Akia back.
"Change? You mean, like these mortals?" Akia was already aware of who had supplied these mortals with their gear, and how a ship so heavily damaged had been transformed into its current state. "The kindness and humanity you hope for... I do not believe it can last long." He was speaking the simple truth.
"We are trying," Arthur replied. His muscles bulged, and his blade, like a striking falcon, found the weak point of the chain-axe. As the two pieces of steel pressed against each other, the axe blade began to deform.
TWANG!
With a sharp crack, the struggle ended.
"But how much can you change? You have even fewer men than we do," Akia said, knocked to the ground by the impact, a fresh scratch appearing on his cheek. He pushed himself up onto one elbow, his tone holding no mockery. To strive for the beauty of humanity was to invite a painful price—this was a given formula in this universe. An ant trying to shake a tree. Hadn't he seen how the Chapters that cared for mortals all ended up suffering more than anyone else?
"Then what if we count you among us?"
The cheering from the crowd had stopped at some point.
Akia looked up at the high platform. The spectators were all getting up, beginning to pack their military supplies. He looked at Tyberos. The Chapter Master was silent, merely putting his helmet back on.
"...We only know how to fight. It is all we can do," Akia said.
"You will try. That is enough," the champion replied with an indifferent shrug and a smile. A servo-skull, carrying a power axe, hovered over. He extended a hand to Akia.
"It is yours now, War-hound," he said.
The Stormbird's engines roared once, as if in response.
"And as for us—" Arthur declared.
"It is time to set sail."