Chapter 23: Destruction

On the battle barge of the Ultramarines, the high leadership of all the Space Marine Chapters participating in this campaign had gathered. They stood upon the bridge, peering with curiosity at this "new recruit" who had been dragged out from the Warp.

Beside them, an Ultramarine Librarian was gasping for breath, his face as pale as paper.

The mere distance required to pull Sothian out of the Warp had nearly cost him his life. However, the fact that Sothian had emerged alive left him even more astonished, for he understood the dangers of the Warp better than any other Space Marine present.

Even with the protection of power armor, traversing the Warp with one's physical body was nothing short of suicide.

Yet, he had survived, and he appeared to be in no significant condition. The Librarian silently noted Sothian's name in his mind; he would need to report this matter to the Chief Librarian upon their return to Macragge.

"It is not too late!"

After scrambling up from the ground, Sothian's first action was to roar at Venetius.

"We can charge up there immediately!"

"We might be able to," Venetius replied, nodding expressionlessly. "But we will not do so."

"There are seven hundred and seventy-one Space Marines up there!"

"Yes."

"They are my kin! My brothers! My commanders! An entire Chapter of mine is up there! And you stood by and watched while we fought our bloodiest battle!"

Sothian's words immediately escalated into an interrogation, directed at all the Chapter leaders present. Someone immediately expressed their displeasure.

"You would do well to watch your tongue, soldier!"

The Chapter Master of the Aurora Chapter stepped forward, pointing his right arm toward Sothian's head with an imposing aura.

"If only you could show such bravado when fighting the Xenos," Sothian shot back without fear. Provoked, the Aurora Chapter's Honor Guard immediately drew their swords, poised for a skirmish.

As the tension mounted, Venetius raised his arm. Seeing this, the Aurora Chapter Master signaled his Honor Guard to sheathe their weapons.

"If you truly cared about the lives of those warriors, you would not have devised such a mad plan while everyone was discussing the tactical situation."

"Do you think we made you lose face?"

Sothian's words remained barbed. Even with Venetius's excellent composure, veins pulsed on his forehead, and his hand tightened around the hilt of his sword.

Seeing the situation deteriorating, the Chapter Master of the Invaders Chapter stepped forward. He did so not only because both Chapters descended from the lineage of the Imperial Fists, but because he also shared a certain acquaintance with Amulad.

"Sothian," he said in a calm tone, "venting your anger at a Captain of the Seventh will not change the situation."

Sothian turned his blood-stained and battle-scarred body and approached him.

"My Lord, that is seven hundred and seventy-one Space Marines! Our entire Chapter, except for the neophytes left behind at Obsidian, is up there!"

"But we cannot continue to consume more lives based on a mere possibility... The World Engine must be ended immediately. If it recovers, the blood you have shed will have been utterly wasted."

Hearing this, Sothian's fury boiled over. He ripped off his helmet, revealing a face covered in blood.

"If we just get closer and deploy some Thunderhawks, we could save lives."

"The World Engine is not completely dead; it remains a danger. We cannot risk the fleet."

"That's it. That is your style."

Sothian gritted his teeth, letting out a cold laugh.

"You would rather run with your tails between your legs than take even a shred of risk to save those who ended this catastrophe. This isn't the first time you've done this, is it? Just like when you intended to abandon the Vida System."

The latter words were clearly aimed at Venetius, but the latter merely looked at him with indifference, saying nothing.

Suddenly, Sothian raised his bolter. In that instant, everyone else drew their weapons and aimed them at him.

Sothian, however, aimed directly at Venetius.

"Don't fire!"

The Librarian who had pulled Sothian from the Warp hurriedly raised his hands and shouted, "Don't be fools! Enough blood has been spilled today!"

The others slowly lowered their weapons, but Sothian kept his aim fixed on Venetius.

"Don't think you can intimidate me! My Chapter is on the verge of extinction! My brothers are all dead! There is nothing left for me to fear!"

His hands were trembling slightly, but the Librarian was using psychic power to suppress the barrel of his gun. The struggle against this force made Sothian's expression even more distorted with rage.

Venetius suddenly sighed and said calmly

"We will not approach, Sothian. I cannot do this. You know better than I what happened up there. If there were even a sliver of a chance to save your Chapter, I would be the first to ascend, even if it meant sacrificing all our vessels and everyone on them... but the battle is over. My Librarians can sense only a few remaining life signatures, and the Librarians of the other Chapters, including the Chief Librarian, feel the same."

The Librarians nodded in unison, confirming Venetius's words.

"We can at least try! Even just one—" Sothian made one last desperate struggle.

"Though we are far stronger than mortals," Venetius walked to Sothian's side and whispered, "we... are not gods."

The cruel reality was the most powerful argument. The bridge began to shudder, and the entire warship began to vibrate—it was the resonance caused by all weapons firing simultaneously. The fleet began to project devastating firepower toward the World Engine.

Sothian stared ahead with vacant eyes, then turned away from Venetius without another word.

Under the gaze of the crowd, the last survivor of the Chapter trudged to the thick viewing port, pressing his bloodied hands against the reinforced glass.

In the distance, the massive, flickering cube suddenly erupted in a violent flash. Like shattered glassware, it disintegrated in an instant, spraying a massive torrent of debris into the endless void...

The World Engine was destroyed.

And his Chapter was destroyed as well.

Sothian closed his eyes in agony, slamming his forehead against the glass repeatedly, as if the impact could alleviate the piercing pain in his heart.

The heavy impacts caused blood to gush from his forehead, streaming down his cheeks and dripping from his chin onto the floor, mingled with the tears rolling from the corners of his eyes. Mortals often believed that Astartes were angels without blood or tears, but that was not the truth.

Few things could cause such super-soldiers pain, but witnessing the destruction of their Chapter and the fall of their blood brothers was not among the exceptions. Sothian was, most unluckily, one of the "few" to experience such agony.

Accompanied by a heavy, rhythmic thudding, everyone on the bridge silently bowed their heads in mourning for the seven hundred and seventy-one fallen warriors.