Warhammer: Saving Humanity Begins with the Resurrection of Horus

Page 107

It's not something an orc leader with the strength of an ordinary chapter commander could easily pull off.

With a sudden burst of power from his calf muscles, a deep dent appeared in the hard floor. Like a flying cannonball, Lin Qi leaped high into the air from a distance of ten meters from the orc leader. Using the momentum, he spun rapidly through the air with Judgment, then hurled the bladed end of his spear at the orc leader.

Thunder! Crescent Slash!

The techniques Lin Qi had used in the ruins were employed once again at this moment. His psionic energy began to circulate, and the lightning flashing on the spear blade became even more dazzling. Many cunning individuals, who lived in darkness and were poorly adapted to strong light, let out ear-piercing screams. The orc leader roared, and this time, instead of wielding its mechanical claws, it chose to fight back with the warhammer in its other hand.

The warhammer tore through the air, leaving dangerous metal plates hanging on it, gleaming with a menacing cold light.

Many people on the battlefield turned their gazes toward this place, holding their breath and awaiting the outcome of this attack.

Thunder roared, and dust billowed. Not long after, a huge, round object flew out of the dust and then landed heavily on the ground.

The round object had a complete cut, and it was obvious that it was a head.

Furthermore, although its facial features are completely obscured due to the high temperature, its ferocious appearance still identifies it as the head of an orc.

Verona immediately felt his blood rush to his head. Ignoring the heat, he picked up the orc leader's head from the ground and shouted excitedly.

"Praise be to the God-Emperor! Praise be to the Angel of Death! Good sons of the Empire! Join me and the angels in slaughtering these alien scum!"

The previously tense remnants of the human army suddenly erupted in a fervent roar, each person charging forward as if injected with adrenaline, even the lowest-ranking slave laborers taking up arms. At that moment, Verona suddenly felt someone touch his arm, and only then did he realize that Lynch had appeared beside him without him noticing.

Praise be to the angel of death!

"Okay, I don't like all that fluff."

Lin Qi waved his hand. Throughout the entire battle, apart from the last orc leader, no other enemy had given him the desire to fight.

It's at most a warm-up activity.

Lin Qi thought that if he were to face the leader of the original forging now, he could at least achieve a 50/50 chance, and in a life-or-death battle, a 60/40 chance was not impossible.

"Don't be stingy with rewards for these warriors, even for slave laborers, understand?"

Lynch clenched his fist, stopping thinking about those random thoughts, and looked at Verona to get down to business.

Verona nodded hastily, while secretly pondering to himself.

The adult seems to care a lot about the warriors who fight alongside him... I've heard that within the Empire, there's an angelic order called the "Space Wolves," where the angels are particularly attentive to the warriors who fight alongside them.

Could it be that the adult is an angel from the space wolf?

However, legend has it that the angels of the Space Wolves are generous and bold, meticulous in their work despite their rough exterior, and incredibly... wild in their demeanor.

The power armor on the adult in front of her looked travel-worn, but it wasn't inherently wild. Verona could tell that in its normal state, this pearl-white power armor would be as exquisite as a work of art.

"By the way, I have a question for you."

Verona interrupted her speculation, looked at Lynch, and straightened her posture.

"No need for that... Sigh, whatever, do whatever you want."

Lynch stopped trying to dissuade him and sighed helplessly. There was nothing he could do; becoming an Astartes was something he would inevitably have to face and accept in the future.

He has no way of changing the majority of the imperial people who have received this education since childhood.

"Where is your ship headed? If possible, I would like to ask you to take me somewhere. As you can see, I ended up on this ship by accident. I don't need to go into the specific reasons, but I can assure you that once you get me to my destination, there will be many benefits that will be enough to make up for the losses you incurred by deviating from the original route."

Verona shook her head immediately upon hearing Lynch's words.

“Sir, you have already saved my life. What compensation can I possibly ask for? This is already the greatest compensation I can receive.”

Verona continued, but unexpectedly, the moment he revealed his destination, Lynch's expression suddenly turned strange.

"My destination is Badab, the current capital star of the Great Vortex. In recent years, the angels of the Claw of the Stars have made it a thriving place, cooperating with many angels and the Mechanicus, and even sending fleets to protect the passing trade ships, almost turning it into the new economic center of several surrounding star sectors."

Lynch suddenly remembered that the teleportation device Hoffman had given him also traveled through subspace.

Damn it, you weasel, it must be you who did this.

As Verona stared in disbelief, Lynch removed his helmet, revealing his face.

He sighed deeply, then looked at Verona and spoke.

"No need to deviate from the course."

Lynch's voice became authoritative.

"Star Claws Guild Leader, Lynch. Thank you for your cooperation, Wandering Merchant."

Chapter 134 The Current Status of the Star Claw

"You...you said you're the chapter leader of the Claws of the Stars!"

"Yes, although I don't have the chapter leader's identification on hand, but..."

Lin Qi channeled his psionic energy to wipe away the stains on his shoulder armor, revealing the battleband's nameplate, which had become blurred due to the battle within the ruins.

The surviving orcs scattered and fled, while the cunning ones retreated to their shadowy corners. Humans began their counterattack, and soon, the battlefield was filled only with the mournful howls of the dying aliens and the fanatical battle cries of the humans.

Of course, there was also a giant in the center of the battlefield, showing a mortal the insignia on his shoulder armor.

"This symbol, even if it cannot prove my identity as the Chapter Master, should at least prove that I am Astartes of the Star Claws. That is, the Angel of Death you speak of."

Verona stared intently. Initially, due to the light, then due to the battle, and the fact that the symbols were indeed blurry and unclear, and the stains made it impossible to even make out the outlines of the symbols, he had not been able to directly confirm the battle group to which Lord Lynch belonged.

But now, looking at that majestic symbol, Verona immediately knew that even if the identity of the person in front of her was questionable, his identity as the Death Angel of the Star Claws was most likely undeniable.

Even the identity of the battle leader is very likely real.

After all, anyone with a modicum of common sense wouldn't lie about this. Verona had indeed heard that the Star Claws had a Chapter Leader whose whereabouts were unknown. Although he wasn't in the Star Claws or Badab, every warrior in the Chapter held him in high esteem and wouldn't tolerate any outsiders slandering or joking about him.

only.......

Verona had no idea that the person in front of her would have such an astonishing identity.

But upon closer reflection, Lin Qi's displayed strength just now was already greater than that of a typical Death Angel, and he also possessed a physique and aura surpassing that of a typical Death Angel, along with weapons and power armor that were all of holy relic quality...

It would be truly strange if someone like that weren't a battle group leader or some other high-ranking member within a battle group.

Verona took a deep breath and accepted it all. He bowed his head to Lynch, showing a gesture of submission and obedience.

Lin Qi looked at Verona, sighed helplessly, and reached out to help her up.

“I have no interest in these empty formalities, Verona. I have already killed the orc leader, and most of the orcs have been wiped out in the previous battles. As for the remaining rabble and the cunning bastards who have already exhausted themselves in battle with the orcs, I believe your men can handle them.”

Verona looked around and found that it was indeed as Lynch had said. With the orc leader killed, the already small orc population had fallen into complete chaos, relentlessly slaughtered by the surviving humans. And the cunning ones, needless to say, wouldn't have chosen to appear at all if it weren't for the orcs' presence; they weren't even fully developed yet.

What humanity needs to do now is to make steady progress and reap the rewards of victory.

And this situation, this turn of defeat into victory, was all thanks to one person.

Verona nodded to the surviving vice-captain of his personal guard whom he had found. The man then took command and began to systematically eliminate the aliens with his men.

Then, the wandering merchant looked at the angel of death before him, knowing that the angel disliked him, so he refrained from making any further gestures of submission. However, his attitude became even more respectful.

Lin Qi had no idea what the wandering merchant was imagining, but his attitude suddenly became even more respectful. Perhaps it was because his current actions were all calculated with Hoffman's help. By following Hoffman's instructions, he had achieved the theoretical minimum casualties for his side and the maximum casualties for the enemy.

"No need to be grateful, it's all what I should do. In fact, even without your request, I would have gone to wipe out the orcs on the ship."

"Lord Lynch is utterly loyal to the Empire..."

"Don't flatter me. Although it's my duty, since you're going to Badalub, I have a few questions for you now."

"I will tell you everything I know."

Lynch nodded, satisfied with Verona's attitude.

"So, the first question. When I told you who I was, you seemed to know me, but I don't remember being that famous."

“My lord.” Verona shook her head at Lynch. “The one who is famous is not you personally, but the Chapter Master of the Star Claws. Although I don’t know why, for the past three years, the Star Claws has presented itself to the outside world as a chapter master with a person in charge but no one in charge. That’s why I was surprised when I learned that you were the Chapter Master of the Star Claws.”

There was no answer to the question; the soul and emotional fluctuations displayed by the psychic energy were stable, and it was telling the truth.

Lin Qi thought to himself, and then asked the next question.

"Tell me about the current situation of Star Claw, just tell me what you know."

Lynch asked the question that concerned him most, and after hearing it, Verona fell into deep thought, clearly indicating a lack of information for deep reflection.

The psionic energy gave the same feedback. Clearly, although he was a traveling merchant, and Verona had been traversing the galaxy during Lynch's surgery and training, and was now going to Badab to do business, it was his first time, and he obviously did not have a systematic and complete understanding of the specific appearance and reality of the Star Claw.

Is that so?

A hint of disappointment appeared on Lin Qi's face. Although this situation was expected, he couldn't help but feel disappointed when he thought about the future.

Knowing that he was about to return to Badab, Lynch's concern for the Claw of the Stars also increased.

There are two reasons for this situation.

On one hand, it's because of his status as a chapter leader, and also because he was one of the first to come from Badab, which gives him a sense of responsibility, so he naturally cares more about Starclaw than other chapters.

On the other hand, perhaps because Horus had been possessing him for so long, he did indeed have an inexplicable connection and sense of mission towards these loyal sons of Horus in this era.

Sigh, what else can I do? Those people from Star Claw are indeed very respectful to me, you could even say they are completely obedient to me.

They treated him like a second father, and he... also regarded them as trusted comrades-in-arms and loyal subordinates.

"My lord, I'm sorry, I don't know much either..."

"It's alright, sail the ship to Badab, and I'll have the warband compensate us when we get there..."

"My lord, I didn't say I knew nothing."

Verona continued, and his words caused a glint to flash in Lynch's eyes as he looked at him expectantly.

Verona didn't keep him in suspense and asked Lynch a question directly.

"My lord, you say you are the chapter leader of the Star Claws. Then, I would like to ask you, are you aware of the alliance that was initiated by the Star Claws?"

"Alliance...you mean the covenant? The covenant between the Astartes Chapters?"

"Yes, sir. It's that thing, you know it?"

"...That was something I did in Badab on behalf of Star Claws and other chapters before I left."

"what!"

"Don't be so surprised. What exactly happened? I clearly remember it being a contract, how come it's turned into some kind of alliance in less than three years?"

Lynch frowned and looked at Verona.

Of course he remembered that contract, the one he had signed with the other chapters in Badab.

The contract is simple: mutual support and assistance, plus the exchange of resources between different warbands.