Warhammer 40: My Fiancée Fulgrim.

Chapter 96 Death Gaze
Outside the Forging Room.

Besides Gabriel Santo, the company commander guarding the Gadinar delegation, and Aquaduna, the Emperor's son and the swordsman, waiting outside were about one hundred Primarchs of the Iron Hand.

Compared to the blue stretcher team, their presence was less about protecting the Iron Hand and more about the Iron Hand protecting them.

Unfortunately, in the end, neither side was saved.

Hmm. So it seems like they're not even as good as the stretcher team.

Before the first sound rang out in the [Forging Chamber], Aqua's right hand was already stroking the blade, her eyes fixed on the attendant of Gadinar before her.

Be ready at any time to deliver a fatal blow to the opponent.

Under these circumstances, no one would doubt her swordsmanship.

Especially when Aqua once defeated all the Iron Hands who thought they were "weak and fragile!" in the Duel Cage.

Within the Tenth Legion, she had become an invincible legend.

Rumors claim that Aqua Duna even once fought against the Emperor with her unparalleled swordsmanship.

At these times, Aqua would have no choice but to correct the other party's statement, pointing out that it was a rumor—it was her father who fought against the Emperor and died a glorious death, not her.

boom!
At the same time, the assassins from Gadinar launched their attack, accompanied by a loud clang from the [Forging Chamber].

"That's the sound of a particle weapon!"

"The Primarch is in danger! Prepare for assistance!"

Shouting, Santo anxiously grabbed his guns and weapons, preparing to open the gate to aid the Primarch.

But then, the foolish servant of the Gadinar stood before him, blocking his way.

"Step aside!"

Santo shoved him impatiently.

Logically speaking, any mortal would be sent flying like a cannonball by the full force of this Space Marine's attack.

But the servant did not.

The originally extremely thin Gadinal follower suddenly began to swell, his body swelling and deforming rapidly as if being inflated like a balloon.

His palm strike felt like pushing against cotton; the force was completely absorbed and digested by his resilient body.

Bio-genetic modification technology from Gardiner.

It was ruthless, but it was indeed effective.

"Take him!"

Santo shouted and lunged forward with his mechanical bionic right hand, trying to pin him to the ground.

A muffled groan suddenly burst from the mortal's throat, followed by a large cloud of white, foamy vomit that sprayed onto Gabriel Santo in an instant.

The vomit sprayed onto his terracotta power armor, making a disgusting hissing, acidic sound.

Ugh, that's disgusting.

call out!
Santo was about to deliver another punch when, in that instant, Aqua drew her sword with an incredible speed, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, and thrust it straight at the assassin.

It precisely pierced the young servant's cerebellum central nervous system.

He stopped his erratic behavior.

No, it didn't stop.

Even though the sword pierced his cerebellum precisely, the blood vessels in his body were still bulging abnormally under his swollen skin, and the fluid under the blood vessels did not seem to be flowing extremely fast; his eyes were wide open as if they were about to bulge out of their sockets.

Something is wrong!
He's not dead yet!

Seeing this, Aqua hurriedly pulled out the blade and stabbed him repeatedly in vital areas such as his heart and brain.

But none of them had any effect.

After undergoing extensive biological genetic modification, he is now quite different from the humans that Aqua knows.

Rather, it's more like a one-time self-destruct device.

The attendant of Gadinar's head began to swing wildly and erratically, and a corrosive liquid sprayed wildly from his mouth.

As his body continued to expand, a smile appeared on his already extremely distorted face.

His... he's about to explode!
Bear!
The hatch of the [Forging Chamber] was pushed open instantly, and a golden-red psionic flame instantly covered the entire area.

A raging inferno enveloped the area in front of the forging chamber.

Surprisingly, the flames did not instantly incinerate Gaddinar's follower.

Instead, as if to soothe him, it slowly restored his rapidly expanding and deformed body back to its normal form, bit by bit.

As for the acidic liquid he spewed out, it was purified by the flames and returned to clear, transparent water.

After being burned by the flames and restored to its original state, the Nagardinar man collapsed helplessly to the ground.

Like a bomb whose fuse has been removed, it fell silent.

call out!
This time, Aqua delivered another swift blow, completely extinguishing the human bomb's last chance of survival.

"This is.?"

Seeing this, Gabriel Santo, who had been inwardly screaming that something was wrong, straightened up and looked in the direction from which the flames had come.

"it's me."

In his field of vision appeared a figure with golden-red flames swirling around his right hand.

That was the one he knew well, the chief lord commander of the Sons of the Emperor's Legion, Kasgar Sherlock.

"but"

"But isn't the Sons of the Emperor a legion opposed to psionicists?"

Within the Third Legion, unstable psykers are generally viewed as a malignant mutation that contradicts the Vorgrim's ideals of perfection.

Of course, the Navigator family is an exception.

That being said...

Kasgar looked helplessly at the flame in his hand: "But I've awakened my psionic powers, so what can you do about it?"

Iron Fist.

canteen.

It's never been a lively place here: the Iron Hand never valued these luxurious physical pleasures, believing they only made people weaker.

In the past, only a few servants would come and go to deliver some nutritious porridge mixed with bone-strengthening powder, which tasted bland and tasteless.

But today, the Iron Hand's menu has undergone a complete transformation.

A sumptuous feast is prepared from a vast stockpile of fresh meats, vegetables, and spices stored by the emperor's son. Steaming grills, tagines, and induction cookers simmer and bubble with fragrant broth, while fine wines and other beverages await.

The delicious dishes were prepared by one of the most skilled chefs on Terra, who was assigned to the Third Legion, and together with many of the Emperor's sons who loved food.

It looks so delicious that anyone would drool over it.

This is an ancient tradition of the Sons of the Emperor, unlike other legions that hold victory celebrations after wars, or Space Wolves that can throw parties whenever they want.

Space Marines from the Emperor's sons would enjoy a lavish feast before the real war began.

Even Iron Hands, whose brains are almost entirely made of steel, are no exception.

Even if they insist that this is a sign of respect for the cultural traditions of the opposing legion, rather than a symbol of weakness.

But in reality, they often eat the most.

But that's all in the past now.

The steel hands now seated at the banquet tables still hesitate, unable to make their move.

Even Cicero, the leader of the Ultramarines Chapter, who was puzzled and decided to give it a try, had his wrist grabbed by the Iron Hand beside him.

Don't eat it.

At least don't eat it yet.

"Don't be afraid, everyone. As the commander of the Emperor's Son, I can tell you."

“During the cooking process, our Second Company Commander Aqua was not involved in any of the steps.”

Casca said with a smile.

He understood the reason for their hesitation.

Hi!
You should have said so earlier!

The once silent hall was suddenly filled with laughter and cheerful chatter. The Iron Hands, relieved by Casca's words, began to feast on the sumptuous meal.

Turtle, the oppressive force emanating from Sword Saint Aqua.

It was enough to keep the entire Legion of Space Marines from even touching a single chopstick.
I really want to know what heinous things she did to the Iron Hands, that they are all so afraid of her.

"What are you doing!"

Perhaps sensing the curious gaze from Casca, Aqua angrily covered her face with the parchment-covered drawing board in her hand.

Fortunately, after that, she seemed to have completely given up her hobby of cooking and instead chose painting as her new specialty.

Painting? That's excellent.

Kaska secretly praised him.

At least it won't pose any threat to others anymore.

"What did you draw, Master? Let me take a look."

As Casca spoke, he craned his neck to look at the parchment in her hand.

"These two Grookes that are mating are drawn quite well."

Aqua: "."

She pondered for a moment whether to accept the compliment or tell the other person the truth.

Ultimately, she chose to change the subject.

"Have you heard? The apothecary and the sage of the Mechanicus have released their analysis report on the Gadinar assassin."

The advanced level of biotechnology in the Gardiner people is evident.

The servant had been genetically modified from birth to be used as a weapon by Gadinar.

His life, from the moment he was born, was a preparation for this moment of self-destruction.

"If you hadn't stopped him with your psionic powers at the last moment, half of the Primarch Guard of the Iron Hand might have had to join the Dreadnoughts much earlier."

If that self-destructing servant were to explode within the Primarch Guard, not only would Santo and Aqua, who were closest to them, not survive, but the entire Primarch Guard would suffer heavy losses.

This is a complete provocation from the Gadinar people.

"Philus is furious about this and will probably issue an extermination order against Gadinarsa."

The thought that her momentary mercy might bring immeasurable and terrifying consequences to the entire legion filled Philus with rage at Gadinar's ridiculous and presumptuous assassination attempt.

She wouldn't even attend banquets hosted by the emperor's son.

Fortunately, with the help of Commander Casgar, the Lord of the Sons of the Emperor, Gadinar's assassination attempt was thwarted. Apart from two Terminator guards who were still somewhat confused by the opponent's psionic attack, the rest of the Iron Hands escaped unharmed.

Otherwise, Amar of the Thousand Sons Think Tank and almost half of the Primal Guard would have perished here.

Otherwise, Philus would probably have already begun preparing to launch a volley of Cyclone torpedoes.

Slightly drunk, Gabriel Santo approached Casca and Aqua.

"Let's go! Get in the dueling cage!"

As one of the best in the Iron Hand, Company Commander Santo seems to be dissatisfied with existing as Aqua's defeated opponent.

"Okay, I'll go next!"

"Fight! Fight!"

“Wu——!”

Fueled by the festive atmosphere, the Astartes, whether from the Iron Hand, the Ultramarines, or the Imperial Sons, all showed great excitement at the spectacle of two highly skilled warriors grappling with each other as part of the dinner entertainment.

In particular, the two sides facing off are a clash between the Son of the Emperor and the strongest warrior of the Iron Hand.

"Then come on."

Seeing everyone's enthusiasm, Aqua did not refuse and took the training sword handed to her by her servant.

"Are you going to wear power armor?"

"No need, let's just duel."

thump.

The outcome of the battle remained unchanged.

Cursing, Santo collapsed to the ground again.

The fight between the two was very entertaining; any seasoned Space Marine would find it hard not to get their hands itching after watching it.

"I'll try!"

Ultramarines Chapter Leader Cicero eagerly took over Santo's position.

"I've long heard that the Emperor's son, Second Company Commander Aqua, possesses unparalleled swordsmanship. As Guilliman's son, I—!"

I'm so sorry I couldn't get Lady Aqua to give it her all.

Cicero, who had been knocked unconscious, was carried back by his servants.

As an extreme warrior with extremely pure genes, Cicero unsurprisingly lost the duel.

He is indeed Guilliman's son.

"Who's next?!"

Aqua, whose demeanor changed drastically after taking the sword, shouted excitedly.

Honing her skills in battle has always been her forte, and whenever she picks up a sword, that surging passion returns to her body.

But it seems that after experiencing countless failures, these steel hands have learned a lot.

We need to use some drastic measures to provoke the other party's anger.

"Is there no one left? Are all the Iron Hands cowards?"

As Aqua threw out her trash talk, a chorus of boos and curses erupted in the hall.

"I come!"

One after another, the steel hands stood up defiantly.

Then he lay back down.

Under Aqua's invincible swordsmanship, almost all the defiant high-ranking Space Marines of the Steel Hand lay sprawled on the ground.

"Hahaha--"

She smiled broadly.

But Casca knew that her smile would soon be gone.

Hope everyone is okay.

He picked up a small snack from the side and silently mourned in his heart.

"What? Anyone else willing to give Iron Hand a try?"

"Or has the self-proclaimed powerful mechanical body bowed down to weak flesh and blood?"

"Huh? They removed the gallbladder during the mechanical modifications?"

Aqua slung her sword over her shoulder and happily paced back and forth in the duel cage.

But she found it a bit strange.

Why did the banquet hall, which was originally filled with laughter and curses, suddenly fall into dead silence?

It seems that the failures stemmed not from any particular setback, but from a sense of unease and panic.

wrong.

It's fear.

What are the Iron Hands afraid of?

What on earth happened?

Aqua looked around, trying to find out why the Steel Hands had fallen silent.

She found it.

Their eyes met, and Phyllis Manus stood on the other side of the iron railing, watching her expressionlessly.

(End of this chapter)