Chapter 49: Holy Flame Sword

Soshyan's suspicion was correct; Loken's greatest problem now was how to end this, or rather, how to end it with dignity.

Although the traitors had been thoroughly eliminated, they had also caused severe losses in personnel and equipment, and where there are losses, someone must inevitably be held accountable.

The Imperium recognized no concept of "force majeure" or "innocence"; if one looked hard enough, negligence could always be found. Loken himself felt that the sheer scale of this incident was primarily due to human error.

But the most troublesome part was that the primary responsible parties were all dead. Consequently, as the second-in-command of the orbital station, the Tech-Priest Loken would, in principle, naturally become the perfect scapegoat.

He could fully imagine what would happen next.

Those people would transport him from the orbital station back to the surface, and the moment he touched down, he would be immediately arrested and stripped of all authority.

Then would follow an unfair trial, where he would be given no opportunity for defense, and all crimes would be prosecuted under the heaviest possible sentencing.

All his personal property would be confiscated, including his cat-ear medical servitor (strike that).

Then he would be stripped of his red robes, his gear-shaped necklace removed, all his mechanical appendages detached, and he would be declared stripped of his status as a member of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

After that, he would be sent to a conversion factory for a brutal lobotomy, and those who hated him might even perform even more excessive augmentations.

"...No! I don't want to be turned into a rectal massage servitor by those perverted bastards! By the Omnissiah! That... that would be..."

Watching this weeping Tech-Priest, Soshyan realized that the man's reputation must be abysmal if people were prepared to take his life at any time and place.

What would be the consequence of allowing such a Tech-Priest to join them?

"Magos Loken, I sympathize with your plight, but..."

Soshyan shook his head.

"...The Astartes Chapter is not a sanctuary. It is a brotherhood that is ready to sacrifice everything for the Imperium and humanity at any moment, just as our seven hundred fallen brothers did."

"I... I am also willing to sacrifice everything for humanity and the Path of the Omnissiah!"

Loken hurriedly clasped the mechanical gears on his chest with both hands.

"If you lords had not arrived, I would have used my final authority to destroy the entire orbital station, ensuring the *Glory's Blade* would not fall into enemy hands!"

Soshyan looked at Loken, feeling fairly certain the man was telling the truth.

However, that was not important.

"This will be a hard and arduous path, with no turning back once it is taken. Have you truly decided, Magos Loken?"

"I have decided, my Lord! No, Chapter Master!"

Loken nodded heavily without a shred of hesitation.

"Very well. Then I, Soshyan Alikse, Chapter Master of the Astral Knights Chapter, invite Magos Loken to join the Astral Knights as the Tech-Priest of the *Spark*."

"Thank you so much! Thank you so much!"

Loken nodded frantically like a chick pecking at grain. Suddenly, he remembered something and struck his head hard with a gear.

"Damn it! I almost forgot that!"

He looked up at Soshyan and said

"Chapter Master, there is something I almost forgot. It was left by the Mentor. It is said to be... uh, a master-crafted longsword commissioned by a former Chapter Master a hundred years ago. The Mentor put a lot of effort into it; he originally intended to send it to Obsidian Fortress along with this batch of supplies, but before he could complete the final step, he... but I have completed the final step!"

As he spoke, he pointed toward Warehouse Five.

"Chapter Master, please follow me."

Soshyan had not expected such a windfall. Following Loken into Warehouse Five, he found it piled with a vast amount of ordnance, though most appeared to be weapons for mortals, the most numerous being the standard-issue lasguns used by the Astra Militarum.

At the deepest part of the warehouse was a separate compartment. Loken opened it using his biometric code, while Soshyan had to stoop low to squeeze inside.

Once inside, however, his gaze was instantly captivated.

Within a stasis field at the end of the compartment floated a crimson longsword, which looked like a wisp of flowing magma from a distance.

It was a quarter longer than the power swords used by Astartes, but relatively a third narrower, making it appear somewhat slender and elegant.

As Soshyan stepped closer to observe, he found that the blade was made of an unknown material; the metal surface possessed strange patterns resembling swirling flames. A thin blood groove ran along the central axis of the blade, extending from the tip to the hilt.

The hilt was shaped like spreading, flaming eagle wings, with coils of golden wire wrapped around the grip, clearly the result of exquisite craftsmanship.

"The Mentor didn't tell me much about this sword. He only told me its name is the *Sacred Flame Sword* and that the materials were provided by the Astral Knights. The field generator on it can produce extremely high temperatures when activated, and if the surrounding environment is also high-temperature, it can automatically recharge... But what interests me most is that this sword can connect to the thermal regulation system of a power armor via the isothermal coils on the hilt, conducting heat to the wearer..."

Loken scratched his head as he looked at the sword.

"...You must understand that the temperature when the field activates can directly carbonize a person. Even if only a tiny fraction of that heat is conducted, it is enough to make a person pass out from the heat. I don't quite understand the purpose of this function; I installed that part according to the Mentor's wishes."

Hearing this, a thought struck Soshyan. He realized that this sword, which had been in production for a hundred years, was not intended for the Chapter Master of that time.

It was left for him, a hundred years later!

Whenever he used the powerful abilities of the Grey Marrow, that biomass metal would frantically absorb the heat from his body—an absorption rate that even the thermal regulation system of his power armor could not compensate for.

But with the *Sacred Flame Sword* acting as an additional "heater," he could greatly extend the duration of his use of the Grey Marrow without facing the predicament he had just experienced in battle.

"Its purpose..."

Soshyan reached out, thrusting his hand into the stasis field, pushing through the slight resistance to grasp the hilt of the *Sacred Flame Sword*.

"...is significant."

The moment he pulled the sword from the stasis field, Soshyan's thumb brushed against the runes of the field generator, and the blade was instantly shrouded in a deep red mist accompanied by a low hum.

"Hot, hot, hot!"

The instant the field activated, a heatwave radiated outward from Soshyan. Loken felt as if he were standing in the middle of the Great Forge of Mars and immediately jumped back, though the edges of his robes still scorched and curled from the heat.

Soshyan stared at the longsword; the heatwave could be felt even through his power armor, and the very air appeared distorted within his line of sight.

Simultaneously, a surge of heat traveled up his arm, reaching all the way to his neck.

Sweat immediately broke out on his skin, and Soshyan promptly deactivated the field generator.

Turning to see Loken huddling in the corner wiping sweat, Soshyan realized he had nearly roasted the man and said apologetically

"My apologies, I didn't realize the space was so cramped."

"I-It's fine. Is the *Sacred Flame Sword* to your liking?"

"It is magnificent."

"That is wonderful. I believe that in your hands, Chapter Master, it will surely drink deeply of the blood of the Emperor's enemies."

As Loken spoke, he took a scabbard from the wall and presented it to Soshyan with both hands.

"It shall."

Soshyan nodded slightly, sheathed the sword, and hung it at his waist.