Nerat Keeling could hear the bell, he could hear it, he could fucking hear it everywhere.

It's useless to cover your ears, and it's useless to try to lose your hearing. The presence of the bell seems to be a mockery of them - try? Try it, whatever you want, it's useless to try.

He just can hear it, and somehow he can do it, he just can hear it.

Captain Shadow grabbed the collar of his military uniform, and he ran his fingers over each button, trying to calm himself down. But he failed because he saw the sky.

The color of the sky is as light as dust, and the sky shouldn't be this color - no, shouldn't be the sky.

What color should the sky be?

Captain Shadow's fingers began to tremble, and his eyes rolled in a daze, channeling his own visual nerves to look at the warplanes hovering in the air.

They didn't move, as if they were dead. Their engines no longer roared, their fuselages no longer trembled, and a long white wave of air dragged behind them. This wave of air does not pass away, it floats in the sky.

Neirat stared at it, feeling a tingle in his eyeballs. It was only then that he realized that his eyes were bleeding. Finally, he began to blink, and his vision blurred.

The ground began to tremble and crack, and thick blood bubbled out of it, but it bubbled like magma. He inevitably stared at it, and in this painful but fascinating gaze, the Captain's consciousness was withdrawn.

In the next moment, he was somewhere darker, naked, separated from everyone. No one was around him, except the dead. They silently stood up in the darkness and stared at him.

His jaw opened, and his throat spat out the last scream before dying.

"Why, Captain?"

Neirat wanted to answer, but he didn't have the chance. He blinked, and in a moment, he was back in the middle of that frenzied hell.

The ground was closed, and no blood or magma came out of it. The ground was terrifyingly good, as plain as every alien ground he'd ever stepped on in his past life.

The captain looked at the ground, and his spirit was again confused: Where am I? Where is this?

His question was distracted by a roar of rage, and in an instant it turned into a splatter of debris and flesh like a corpse run over by a tank.

"Cheer up, Nerat!" The chief's shouting and scolding rang out in the next moment. "Look down and concentrate your attention!"

Okay, yes, focus.

Like a puppet, Nerat Keeling bowed his head and did so—what did he see?

He saw a rift, crumbling ruins, and the bloody battle of the Zorothian Spearhead.

Their opponents are bloodless and tearless drones, and the Balatrums have poured their life's learning into these swarms of drones, which are terrifying, agile and diverse. Even for Astarte, they are formidable enemies.

Neirat Keeling looked up and began to ask his commander, "Are we doing assault support, sir?" ”

His chief, a man with half of his body torn off, shook his head at him, he was only as tall as Captain Shadow, but Nerat was looking up at him at the moment, as if he were the giant among them.

"Assault? Are you sick of the brain? His chief scoffed. We've already communicated with the wolves of Horus, and this will be a positive lesson for another decapitation strike tactic. ”

"But." Nerat Keeling hesitated for a moment. "It's going to hurt the Spearhead Soldiers."

"What do we have to do with it?" The man in the ragged uniform of the Zorothia Spike replied indifferently.

"That's not what we should be concerned about, Captain. We are Astarte, and our lives are far more precious than these mortals. We can sacrifice, but we must die where we are worthwhile, not here. ”

A wave of shame welled up in the captain's heart, forcing him to clench his fists.

He hadn't realized that he was still wearing a military uniform instead of power armor. He had no weapons around his waist, only a leather belt. He didn't notice the look in his chief's eyes at the moment, he didn't notice anything.

The captain bowed his head silently, refusing to say anything more, as if he had acquiesced in all the developments that followed.

An hour and fifty-three minutes later, the Zorosiya Sharp Regiment, which was responsible for building fortifications in the middle of the breach, was all dead. They made numerous requests for support before they died, but no one responded.

Looking at the tall corpse, Nerat Keeling felt a wave of confusion in his heart. There was an almost instinctive shame that reminded him of something, but he couldn't see them or hear them at the moment.

The only thing he could see was the corpses piling up outside the collapsed walls of Hell's anvil.

The only thing he could hear was the broken roar of his commander in his ear.

"Get ready, Captain Nerat Keeling! Hurry up and get me ready! Break into the fortress with your Ash Claws as planned! ”

"Yes, sir!" The captain subconsciously pressed his toes together and answered the commander's words loudly.

Instinctively and mechanically, he reached for the belt of arms around his waist, which had been empty and empty, but now inexplicably an extra blaster had emerged as he reached out. In this way, he held his gun and jumped down the rift alone.

The uniform swayed, the hem fluttered wildly, but the recognizable sound of a jetpack came to his ears. After several shocks caused by the reaction force, he reached the ground.

"Listen up." Nerat calmly opened his mouth to the non-existent communication channel, he was already in combat mode.

"The mission is to break into the Hell Anvil and find the power source of this fortress. It is estimated that the people of Balatrum are using a reactor type of machine with enormous thermal energy. We need to bypass their overseers, find the reactor, and blow it up directly. Do you understand? ”

"I have a question, Captain." A voice said. "Why do we have to listen to Horus? He is not our original body, so it is unacceptable to abandon the Zorothians without communicating with them."

"If you're not happy with the plan beforehand, you should say it beforehand." Nerat Keeling turned around and began to speak into the air where there was no half-human figure.

His expression was distorted, and Guy actually agreed with the voice's words. But his duties as a captain did not allow him to disobey orders and plans that had already been set in place.

"In order to win, we need them to make sacrifices to pin down the enemy. It's all about the successful recovery of Balatrum, and they'll understand. ”

"Will they really understand us?" The voice asked again. "Our actions are almost tantamount to betrayal, Captain. We ignored all requests for support from them. ”

"It's not something we should be concerned about." Nerat Keeling replied with a low growl. "Hold your gun, soldier, and get ready for battle."

"Yes." Nerat Keeling mechanically tilted his head, clenched the illusory spear that had come out of nowhere, and stooped into the living hell of corpses.

What's the scenery like inside the fortress? Neirat doesn't care about anything. There was a black-red mist in front of him, and everything was enveloped in the mist. The walls and floor were clearly made up of bloody corpses, but he didn't find anything strange in the slightest.

The Captain walked mechanically, shuttling between the corpses, and the confusion of consciousness did not prevent him from carrying out his task at the moment. He was already conscious and prepared.

Astarte is a subspecies of humanity who have been modified to win the war, they are superior to humans in some way, they grow and reborn in battle, and they will eventually die in a battle, which is their fate, a fate that cannot be escaped.

Nerat Keeling had accepted this a long time ago, so it took him only five hours and twenty-three minutes to lead his non-existent team to the ion reactor of the Hell Anvil.

The Baratrum fortress overseers attacked them like crazy, and the withered human forms of living people clad in mechanical augmentations caused a lot of trouble for his team

Wait, do they really exist?

For a moment that was so short that it was almost imperceptible, a little doubt arose in Nerat Keeling's mind.

He stared blankly at the large swath of mangled corpses in front of him, and his eyes rolled wildly. Enemy, Overseer, Death. Several words were concatenated in his mind, forming a short sentence.

In this moment, Captain Shadow fell into an inevitable madness and fear.

Yes, the overseers of the Balatrum should have died long ago, they should have all been turned to ashes along with the explosion of the ion reactor, how could they still appear in front of his eyes and fight him?

The confusion of memories and time and space made the captain's brain tremble wildly, and the corners of his mouth drooled. After several minutes of torture, he fell to the ground trembling, his uniform stained with blood, but he got up again the next second.

This time, his face was full of sluggishness.

"We found it." Nerat Keeling's face was sluggish, and he reported excitedly to his chief. "We've found the ion reactor inside the Hell Anvil, sir, please instruct us on what to do next."

His commander did not answer.

"Sir?"

"You don't need my instructions, Captain." His chief spoke softly behind him. "The mission goal was set early in the morning, wasn't it? Plant a hot melt bomb, then evacuate and detonate the bomb as fast as you can with your squad. ”

Nerat Keeling turned in astonishment, and he looked up at the officer who was much shorter than him again.

"But—" he relentlessly excused. "—This will kill the Zorothians who are still fighting, and even if they don't, they will be buried in the ruins of the Hell Anvil."

"They're just mortals." The chief smiled coldly, his broken cheeks scorched black. The rough cross-section of flesh and blood makes his face look almost a kind of postmodernist abstract painting.

"And mortals should die for Astarte, this is the teaching of Horus. He did not say it explicitly, but he taught it to you in His radiance. The Shadowmoon Wolf has taught you that if Astarte can die for the Great Expedition, why can't mortals? ”

yes, why? Neirat Keeling was stunned again. He wanted to retort, and what was left of his sanity was squirming with difficulty, in his almost dead consciousness, in this scorching hell. Threw out a sentence.

"We should at least inform them, right?" Captain Shadow hesitated. "Even if you are a mortal, you are an auxiliary army. If it weren't for them standing up to the frontal battle, we would never have won so easily."

The chief sighed, and in an instant, the world swirled. Darkness struck, pulling Nerat Keeling into the deep darkness he had stepped into. Again, he was naked. Once again, there was no one around him.

Once again, the dead looked at their empty gaze.

"Why didn't you say that, Captain?" His chief asked quietly. "Why didn't you say that?"

Nerat Keeling was stunned, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

One second, he was fighting their abominable prison in the huge fortress of the Balatrum, and the next second, he was here and saw these dead men. These dead men with pale faces, dark eyes, and mouths open to expose withered gums.

"Me"

"Why, Captain?" The chief continued to ask. "Why do you want to watch us die and do nothing?"

Am I hallucinating? Neirat asked himself, but he didn't get an answer. Then he looked at the man, at the man he called the chief.

His eyes swept over every detail of the blood-blurred face, and finally, memories that were too old for him were evoked.

A creepy feeling rose from behind the captain's ears, he had never felt a chill so intense in his life and the urge to vomit both hearts.

"It's you."

Between the chaos of time, the confusion of memories, and the confusion of his self, Nerat Keeling spoke softly, his voice as thin as a mosquito.

"It's you."

"Yes, it's me." The prefect said. "The Zorosia who communicated with you before the war, you finally recognize me, Captain."

"Why?" Nerat Keeling asked with difficulty. "Is this some kind of revenge?"

"No, it's not." The Zorosian laughed. "If I wanted to get revenge on you, you wouldn't be here to talk to me. But I actually have every valid reason to take revenge, do you agree with this? ”

Nerat Keeling was silent for a long time before nodding slightly.

"I agree." He admitted and repeated. "I agree, you have every reason and right to take revenge."

"So, it's not a premeditated revenge." The Zorosia laughed and shook his head. "Don't get me wrong, Captain, I'm not a saint. If I had the chance, I would have killed you. ”

He raised his hand and pointed mysteriously above his head, there was nothing in the darkness, but suddenly the bell rang. No, maybe the bell never left.

"He who awoke us from the eternal sleep has given us this divine right, have you ever heard the bells? That is what He declared. Vengeance is sacred, supreme, and no one who is still sane should allow his enemies to continue to breathe greedily in the world. ”

He paused, his eyes reflecting the color of dusk suddenly overflowing with sadness.

"Do you know why I'm holding back?" The Zorosian asked sadly.

"Why?" Unable to help herself, Nerat Keeling asked the question.

His mind was still confused, and he still couldn't figure out who he was talking to or where he was. However, he didn't care so much. Seriously, he doesn't care that much about it.

Alcas Farr's whispered grovel before Horus flashed before him, and the friendly smiles of the Shadow Moon Wolves crossed his mind.

And their voices, the flirtatious ones of gang language—"Just do it, cousin, it's not too difficult, mortals should die for us." ”

"Because you're not a complete bastard yet, because your life is still useful to the emperor and to humanity."

The Zorosian put away his sad smile and answered the question with the indifference of the dead. And with this indifference, a speech was opened.

No, not a speech, only Nerat Keeling calls it a speech. In fact, it is the last words of a deceased.

"Let me tell you something, Captain Nerat Keeling. I'm afraid of death, and every one of us is afraid of death. We were drafted from our own homeland, trained, armed with guns and sent to the homeland of others to be invaders. We fought for the Emperor, we fought for humanity, and we were ready to come to our senses early on."

"But we're still afraid of death."

"Take me as an example. I think of blades, stray bullets, bombing. These images of death have crossed my mind countless times, making my legs tremble and my muscles tense before the great battle begins. But when it did, I realized what the underlying fear in my heart was. ”

"At the end of the day, the death I fear is a meaningless death. Am I brave? Not. But I will not be afraid of death, and if I can give my life for the Great Expedition, if I can keep my oath to shed every drop of blood for the Emperor, then death will be a reward for me at all. ”

Nerat Keeling raised his hand and covered his cheek.

"What, are you going to cry?" The dead scoffed. "For the truth that has finally been seen? Yes, accept it, Captain. What you have done on Balathrum is not just about sending us to death, you are making us die worthless. ”

Yes, I know, yes. Nerat Keeling screamed in his heart, and the Zorothians continued.

"Do you think that the Zorothia Elite would be unwilling to die for victory? Or are you Astartes so proud that you think there is no other army in the galaxy that can match you in terms of courage? ”

"Let me make it clear to you, you're brave because you don't have to be fucking afraid. You can overturn a car with a wave of your hand, and you can tear through our defenses with a single charge."

"Unlike us, we are mortals in carapace, something a hundred that together may not be able to match one of you. But we're much braver than you, you know? ”

Captain Shadow covered his face and nodded tremblingly. His voice leaked through his fingers in reply, sounding like an apology, like repentance, almost a whimper. The Zorothians didn't care about it.

Now, he looks far taller than Nerat Keeling. He was a broken, weak dead man, he was no more than 1.76 meters tall, but he was like a giant.

"What the fuck are you guys?" He cursed viciously. "What is this? Why can you look down on everyone like this? ”

He paced up in the darkness, his eyes on fire, his steps echoing like gunfire. After a few minutes, he stopped, and Nerat Keeling looked at him expectantly, awaiting the verdict.

Then, he spoke.

The voice is extremely solemn.

"I want you to remember today, Captain Nerat Keeling. You remember, I have a valid reason to exercise revenge. I was aroused by Him from his eternal sleep, I endured the pain of the dead and stood before you, I could have taken revenge on you directly, but I did not. Do you know why? ”

Nerat Keeling lowered his hand and looked at the Zorothians.

"Because you're still useful to the Emperor." The deceased said with pity and disgust. "And, I pity you. So get out of here with this life I'll give you, Nerat Keeling, and never forget today. ”

He took a step forward, and the wind rose violently, and a thick thunderbolt streaked through the darkness. The air suddenly became extremely cold, and a blizzard swept in, engulfing Nerat Keeling completely. Until the last moment before disappearing, he glared at the figure of the Zorosian as best he could.

In the darkness, the dead closed his eyes in silence. A pale skeleton appeared in front of him, its cloak pitch black, and the blue light in its eye sockets was swirling like a tide.

"You chose forgiveness." Carlil spoke softly. "I am amazed at your nobility, sergeant."

"It's not noble, my lord." The Zorosian opened his eyes and shook his head, his body already wrapped in the dull red of the flames.

"I lied to him, I exercised my rights, I took revenge on him. I want him to think of my face and what he has done to us every night for the rest of his life. He will spend the rest of his life in repentance, and every enemy of humanity he kills will carry with him the wrath of the Zorowian Spearhead. This is my revenge. ”

"Let's go, then." Carlil said. "You can go back to sleep."

"What about you, my lord?" At the last second before dissipating, the deceased asked. "When I cross the line between life and death, I can hear those calls. Countless dead, even the abominable aliens, are wrapped in it, looking forward to revenge."

"You're talking too much, sergeant." Carlil replied mildly. "War has a price, just as you paid with your lives, if the price I had to pay was only a few insignificant human natures. So, why not? ”

The dead were silent, but dissipated in silence.

This chapter is 6k, and I will wake up and write the rest of the 4k.

(End of chapter)