Warhammer: Become a Saint Starting with the Banner of Souls

"Then what did that gene stealer mean by shouting just now?" Qin Mo asked.

"The title 'Four-Armed Divine Emperor' sounds like it combines an emperor with some kind of insect?"

[The host's understanding is correct.]

Genestealers are seeds sown by the Tyranids. They infiltrate target planets decades or even centuries before the arrival of the Hive fleet, using a unique genetic infection method to transform humans into hybrids loyal to the Hive.

These hybrids appear almost identical to normal humans, but their minds have been controlled by the Hive's will. They infiltrate human society, forming secret cults to secretly grow their power, awaiting the arrival of the Hive fleet.

To make their sect appear "legitimate" and to make it easier for the infected to accept their new identity, gene-stealing cults often disguise the Hive Will as some kind of deity.

Within the Empire, the most common form of this disguise is the fusion of the Hive Will with the Emperor's image, creating an idol of a four-armed Emperor.

Therefore, the Four-Armed Emperor is essentially the Genestealer cult's name for the Hive's will, merely disguised under the guise of the Imperial faith.

"I see." Qin Mo nodded in understanding. "So that soldier was actually already under the control of the hive, but he probably didn't even realize it, subconsciously shouting out his true object of loyalty in his fanatical faith."

That's exactly right. Gene-stealing hybrids can perfectly disguise themselves as normal people most of the time. They may not even be aware of their true identity.

[It will only be revealed when certain specific triggering conditions are met, such as extreme fanaticism, commands from the Hive Will, or psionic resonance when a Hive fleet approaches.]

Qin Mo shook his head slightly, somewhat moved.

It turns out that my "living saint" special effect also has an inspection function.

The high level of faith in the product filtered out all the counterfeit goods.

It was an unexpected bonus.

However, he was more concerned about another issue.

"What will these gene-stealers do before the Hive fleet arrives?"

[If a Chaos Demon invasion occurs on the target planet before the arrival of the Zerg Hive fleet, the Genestealer Cult will not hesitate to take up arms and join forces with the Imperium of Man and other existing powers to drive the Chaos back.]

Qin Mo raised an eyebrow: "Help humanity fight against Chaos?"

Yes. But their purpose in doing so was not to protect humanity. Rather, it was to ensure the planet remained intact so that it could be completely devoured by the subsequent Zerg fleet.

For the gene-stealers, a chaotic invasion is a drain. The daemons corrode planets, destroy biomass, and convert organic matter into warp energy—food for the future Hive fleet.

For every day Chaos exists, the Hive has one less bite to eat.

Therefore, gene stealers usually fight Chaos with extreme fervor, even more so than the regular Imperial army, because they are protecting their "granaries."

"...Qin Mo's lips twitched slightly."

Furthermore, many gene-stealers retain their faith in the Emperor even after being infected. However, this faith has been distorted into the worship of the Four-Armed Emperor.

In their understanding, the Emperor and the Hive Will are the same entity, so when they fight Chaos, they are sincere and do not feel that they are doing anything against their faith.

This has led to an extremely absurd situation: members of the Genestealer cult are often among the most active, courageous, and fearless soldiers when the Empire is invaded.

"Doesn't that mean that these gene-stealers are still somewhat useful to the Empire?"

It's not just a little bit effective, but its impact is significant.

In fact, on many of the Empire's planets, the Genestealer cult has deeply infiltrated the administrative, logistical, and even military systems, and these infiltrated systems often operate far more efficiently than normal Imperial administrative institutions.

"Oh? Such an absurd thing?"

[Because the gene-stealer hybrids are influenced by the Hive's will, they are extremely efficient and do not exhibit laziness, corruption, or buck-passing. Whatever task they are assigned, they will complete it flawlessly, and they will even proactively optimize processes and improve efficiency.]

On some planets deeply infiltrated by gene-stealers, resource allocation has become more rational, production efficiency has increased significantly, social order has improved markedly, and even crime rates have decreased.

[Because members of the cult will spontaneously maintain social order, ensuring that the planet's biomass production does not decrease due to internal strife.]

Furthermore, they would fight alongside humanity against Chaos and other invaders, protecting the planet's integrity. Therefore, among some in the Empire who knew the truth, a saying circulated.

Qin Mo: "What did you say?"

[Those who are cunning and opportunistic will die for their country.]

Qin Mo: "...Sneaky?"

[Chicken thief—a colloquial abbreviation for gene thief, taking its meaning from both its homonym and its style of doing things.]

In some ways, they were indeed more "loyal" than certain corrupt bureaucrats and deserters of the Empire. Of course, this loyalty was directed towards the Hive Will.

Before the arrival of the Zerg Hive fleet, the existence of the Genestealer Cult was indeed "beneficial" to the Imperium.

Of course, when the Zerg fleet actually arrives, these "beneficial" measures will become the most deadly poison. Cult members will launch a rebellion at a crucial moment, paralyzing the defense system and opening the gates to welcome the Zerg.

But until that day comes, they are indeed model citizens. They represent the pinnacle of imperial administrative efficiency.

Qin Mo remained silent for a moment.

Then, he slowly shook his head.

"An empire is threatened by the Zerg, who covet it and plot to devour everything."

"Within lies a corrupting chaos, constantly seeping in by the Four Gods."

"The enemy, disguised as one of our own, works diligently within the empire's system, waiting to one day utterly destroy it."

"The true citizens of the empire, on the other hand, are rife with corruption and inefficiency, even worse than the lurking enemies."

Qin Mo smiled and shook his head, his expression a mix of emotion and wistfulness.

"It's a miracle that this empire has survived this long."

[The host is absolutely right. The human empire has been able to survive for ten thousand years because of its immense size.]

Qin Mo sighed softly and said no more.

His gaze returned to the Kraf Bastion ahead, where thousands of Cardians were looking up at him.

Among these thousands of people, there are probably countless other followers of the "Four-Armed God Emperor" just like the one from before, lurking in the shadows.

Qin Mo narrowed his eyes. He decided to leave this matter to them to handle themselves.

---

The interior of the Kraf Bastion is larger than it appears from the outside.

Qin Mo withdrew his supernatural powers and landed on the ground inside the fortress.

He looked around and saw soldiers coming and going, their steps hurried yet orderly, without a trace of chaos.

The Cardians are indeed the most disciplined army in the empire.

Even in this apocalyptic situation, the entire bastion continued to operate in an orderly manner.

After several identity checks, a sergeant in military uniform led Qin Mo and his group through several corridors.

Everywhere they passed, the Kadian soldiers would instinctively stop in their tracks the moment they saw Qin Mo, their eyes flashing with awe and reverence.

Some people even knelt on one knee to pay their respects with the Eagle Salute.

Qin Mo was already used to this; he nodded slightly, taking it as a response to the faith of these mortals.

Simultaneously,

The numbers on the merit panel jumped a few more times.

+1, +1, +2, +1,

Although they are all small amounts, they add up.

---

"Please, gentlemen, rest here for a while."

The sergeant led them to a spacious strategy room, pushed open the heavy alloy door, and respectfully stepped aside to make way.

The strategy room is small, but it is fully equipped.

In the center was a huge holographic projection table, on which were several paper maps that had been repeatedly marked, with dense arrows and markings recording the surrounding enemy and friendly forces.

The walls were covered with various tactical screens, and in the corner were several sturdy metal chairs and a small table with a water bottle and dry rations.

The standard Cartier-style command room is simple, practical, and without any unnecessary decorations.

"The Lord of Creedburg will arrive shortly."

The sergeant faced the crowd, gave a standard Skyhawk salute, and then turned and left the strategy room.

---

The room fell silent.

Qin Mo glanced around at everyone present.

Jill, Brod, Krasher, and the two elder sisters stood quietly on either side of Qin Mo, like loyal guards.

Ever since Qin Mo displayed those miracles, in the hearts of these two elder nuns, Qin Mo has become synonymous with a living saint.

---

Qin Mo stopped in front of the holographic projection table, his gaze falling on the paper map on the table.

The map is very detailed, clearly showing the direction of the Chaos forces' advance, the status of various defense lines, and troop deployments.

But what caught his attention even more were the large areas on the map covered by red markers.

That means the area has already fallen.

Red occupies almost three-quarters of the map.

The location of Krafbath is surrounded by a large blue circle.

A solitary blue, surrounded by a surging red ocean.

"Creed," Qin Mo murmured to himself, "the current High Lord of Cardia."

Usaka E. Creed.

Lord of Kadia High Fortress.

Memories of this person held an extremely important place in the minds of those Kadian soldiers.

Those memories are clear and vivid.

That was a disaster.

Before the full-scale commencement of the thirteenth Black Crusade of Chaos, an Astronomical Army force known as the Volskani Ironclad Legion arrived in Cardia, seemingly as reinforcements.

The high-ranking officers of Cardia greeted them with gratitude, but the Volskani Ironclad Regiment, corrupted by chaos, suddenly launched an attack during the welcoming ceremony.

Caught completely off guard, most of the high-ranking officers in the Cardia were killed in the first volley.

At that moment, Kadia's command structure was almost completely severed.

With no leader in sight, panic spread, and the entire defense system of Cardia teetered on the brink of collapse.

However, just when everyone thought everything was about to collapse,

One person stepped forward.

That person was Creed.

He quickly integrated the remaining Cadian assault regiments and launched a textbook counter-offensive.

Ultimately, the Volskani Ironclad Regiment was completely annihilated.

From then on, Creed's name resounded throughout Cadia, and all the surviving officers unanimously elected him as the new High Lord.

The supreme commander who oversees all military forces in Qadia.

In the ensuing battles, Creed proved the correctness of this choice time and time again. His strategic vision, decisiveness, and grasp of the battlefield situation were enough to prove his title as a strategic genius.

"Brother Raphael, do you know this Lord of Creedburg?"

Jill's voice interrupted Qin Mo's thoughts.

"Yes, I've heard of him," Qin Mo replied calmly. "What do you think of him?"

"If you ask me, this Creed is definitely someone to be reckoned with."

Jill gave a frank assessment.

"To be able to maintain composure in that situation and launch a counterattack—that kind of courage and ability is rare even among Space Marines, let alone a mere mortal."

Broad nodded slightly in agreement.

Jill glanced around to confirm the positions of the others, then lowered her voice and whispered in Qin Mo's ear.

"However, Brother Raphael," his tone became more cautious, "there may also be members of the Church of England and the Inquisition arriving later."

"Are you alright?"

The implication couldn't be clearer.

The identity of a living saint might allow him to pass through unimpeded by ordinary soldiers, since mortals would kneel down without hesitation upon seeing golden light or a miracle.

But the clergy of the state religion, the imperial state religion, and the inquisition, those extremely paranoid lunatics, are not so easily fooled.

The Church of England has an extremely rigorous process for certifying living saints. Although this process is often simplified during wartime, basic spiritual energy testing, examination of the purity of faith, and tracing the origins of miracles are still essential.

And the courtroom,

Needless to say

In the eyes of the court, all supernatural phenomena, until proven to be a gift from the emperor, were presumed to be the pollution of chaos.

The first reaction of the court to a living saint who descended from heaven was not to kneel and worship.

Instead, it was doubt.

Although Jill didn't say it explicitly, his subtext was clear.

Once the court determines that a living saint is a fake, or worse, that he is a charlatan of chaos,

The consequences would be far more severe than you might imagine.

However, Jill hadn't finished speaking.

"Smack!"

A large, thick hand suddenly slapped him on the back of the head.

Jill's body lurched forward, nearly hitting her head on the projection table.

"Hiss, Elder!"

He covered the back of his head and turned around, then saw Broad's face.

"You little brat, do I need to remind you of this kind of thing?"

His gaze swept over Qin Mo, then returned to Jill.

"He can judge for himself who the Raphael brothers are. What right do you have to meddle?"

"Ahem, elder,"

Jill coughed twice.

"There are outsiders here, you, you should give me some face..."