Marius Gage wished he could know a word that could be used to describe both fear and anger, so that he could free his stiff mind.

He needed to shift his attention elsewhere instead of lingering in fear and anger all the time.

But

"Report, we found no trace of him."

There was a report from the communication channel. Gail didn't answer immediately, his pale face still had the pain left by the toxin.

The primitive aliens beneath the Harkosus Sanha have a savagery that technology has never set foot in, they are primitive, but they are by no means without minions to protect themselves.

"Keep searching." Gage reluctantly replied. "There's no way he's going to leave the ground."

"Understood." The man on the other end of the channel hurried away, and Gage could still hear hurried footsteps before he left. And after he left, Gage was left with the rustling sound of busyness.

The communication system had just been rebuilt, like Gage who had been in a coma for three hours before waking up. The only difference is that the devices themselves are new and have just been called, while Gage is covered in bruises and no longer as calm and sane as he used to be.

He sat in a camp made of rock and composite materials, with the auxiliaries walking around, the support staff being the busiest of them. All of them were wounded, but as if they were tireless, they used their mortal bodies to build a new command post underground, and they didn't stop for a moment.

No sooner had they survived the attack and driven their enemies to the ground than they had returned, and they had followed Gage's orders to do the hard work. The commander of the first battle couldn't help but sigh because of this.

The auxiliaries were not unaware of the disappearance of the original body, but the vast majority of them were able to continue their work. The men and women from Marcurag who were conscripted into the army had an attitude that put Marius Gage to shame.

They are fearless. Gage thought bitterly.

And we.

"Sir."

A new voice came from within the communication channel, interrupting his thoughts. Despite being a little distorted by the distance, Gage could hear the owner of the voice.

This is Turio Kronos of the 4th Company, a non-commissioned officer, a seasoned combat brother who has-

"-sir?"

"Yes, I'm here, please say, Turio."

"My team and I found no trace of the original, but we found something else."

Turio paused for a moment, and some strange, shrill voice echoed from his side.

"These aliens are primitive, sir, but they still possess some kind of mature religious beliefs. We found many hidden altars and frescoes in one of the grottoes where they lived, and those altars"

"What's wrong with those altars, Turio?"

“.”

"Tulio?"

"Those altars are rotting." Turio Kronos said. "Stones and bones in. In the rot, sir. Terra and Maculag, I don't know how to put them into words. I suspect I may have fallen into some kind of hallucination. ”

"Did the rest of your team see it too?" Gage straightened up and asked in a tone that could be described as unforgiving.

"Yes, they saw it too."

"Then it's not an illusion, there's no illusion that can make thirteen Ultramarines see the same picture." Gage said categorically.

"So, those altars are indeed rotting, destroying them, Turio. It's just witchcraft, and you and I both know that witchcraft itself, like its users, can't withstand bombs, and we've tested it before, haven't we? ”

There was a burst of gunfire on the other side of the communication channel.

"Now tell me, what are those murals about?" Gage continued to ask.

His lips were thirsty, and there was a wave of eagerness surging in his heart. Don't get me wrong, Marius Gage certainly doesn't care about the historical significance behind these altars and frescoes - he's an Ultramarine, not a mad scholar from the 15th Legion.

He asked these questions because he believed in Turio Kronos. The non-commissioned officer of the 4th Company had been in the regiment for almost as long as Gage, and he could have been a company commander or other important position, but he himself refused to be promoted, no one knew why, but they were all willing to respect him.

Gage knew that Turio Kronos was not a man of purpose. Since he would report on the altars and frescoes through the communication channel, they must have some connection to the whereabouts of the original body.

Gage didn't know exactly where the connection was, but he would find out.

He clenched his right fist, metal rubbing, creaking - yes, he would find the connection, just as he would find Robert Killiman.

"Those murals."

Turio Kronos gasped hesitantly, flickering, pausing for more than a few seconds — finally, he didn't let Gage's wait go in vain, and he spoke.

"Those murals are all depicting a garden, a . A dark green garden and a person. ”

"Who?"

"I don't know, sir." Turio said there was a subtle emotion hidden in his tone that was almost imperceptible.

Gage caught it and understood it. He realized that Turio Kronos was in fear.

He was both frightened and angry – like Marius Gage.

Like all Ultramarines.

"Describe him."

Gage commanded. He tilted his head and looked ahead.

He had a simple communicator around his neck, and long cables stretched out from the ground to a position in front of him. The support staff were busy there, and they had no idea what was going on in this communication channel.

Gage couldn't help but have a thought in his mind - if they knew, would they be afraid? Will they be like us?

He didn't have an answer.

He wears blue armor, but is shifting to green. Turio gasped, every word he uttered was tough. "He's tall and he's walking in a. On the staircase, the staircase was very long, and at the end was a vague and large shadow. ”

"Go on."

"He-" Turio stopped here, then fell silent. This time, he was silent for a long time. When he spoke again, his voice had changed. "—I believe the man on the mural is the original, sir."

Gage closed his eyes and used superhuman willpower to immune himself to the sharp sting in his mind. In this moment, the fear is gone, and only anger remains. He opened his eyes and felt a strange shudder creep up from deep in his bone marrow.

Very good.

The commander of the first battle took a deep breath.

Now, he has nothing to fear.

"Very well, well done, Tulio, now continue the search." Gage said expressionlessly. "He must still be underground, there's no way he's going to get out of here, we'll find him."

"But, sir, those paintings—"

"—those paintings don't matter at all, Turio." Marius Gage slowly stood up, and he began to check his armed belt.

He gets a new blaster and is fully loaded. Four magazines swayed on the sides of the belt. He tapped the magazine with his fingers, once, twice, three times, four times. Then he spoke again.

"Robert Killiman is still underground, do you understand, Turio? So we will find him, and we just need to find him. The call for help had been sent out on the surface early in the morning, the Nightfall and the Steadfast Resolve were hurrying in, we had backup, we had help, and there was only one thing we had to do. We just need to find Robert Killeman and that's it. So throw the damn frescoes and altars out of your head, Turio. ”

"We'll definitely find him." Gage said.

He stared ahead, at the still busy group of mortals. As his gaze faded away, he saw the auxiliaries standing guard, and more Ultramarines descending from the surface of Harkosus-III.

In a trance, he almost thought he was still in Macurag.

Gage wasn't a Makurag, but that didn't stop him from loving that place.

He watched his Primordial and his legions turn it into one of the few treasures in this galaxy, Makulag was civilized and progressive, and the citizens lived in a wonderful world, so they were full of courage and they were fearless.

They believed in Robert Killman.

Just like him.

"I see, sir." Turio Kronos said he hung up the communication.

There is one more chapter.

(End of chapter)