The commander of the Seventeenth Legion, Hellick Gore, knelt in front of the incessant smoke of the fire. His nose was filled with the bitter aroma of the incinerated herbs, which slowly flowed down his organs into the space marine's lungs.

He tasted a smell similar to that of belladonna, probably from the same family. There are also some herbs that are more psychedelic than the varieties of Terra. As a Space Marine, this familiarity with hallucinogenic drugs is not available to everyone. Helik's father was once a priest who concocted these herbs to draw the so-called oracle from the fluttering immortals.

At first, Helik's father and brothers simply offered lambs to pray for a good harvest, but they soon turned into calves and finally into the broken body of Helik's young sister.

The heavy rain they were begging for came as scheduled, accompanied by the shouts and charges of the Thunder Warriors. At the moment when the Thunder Warriors breached the temple, the ceremonial dagger had already cut Helik's throat. The priests still believed that this was just a small punishment from the gods, which could be appeased with richer sacrifices.

The bullet came out of the chamber and hit the high priest's arm with unmistakable accuracy. Helik watched as his father burst into a cloud of blood below his elbow, letting out an unholy scream in the sacred smoke and interrupting the last prayer.

The smell of gunsmoke and blood permeated the choking incense. Helik breathed hungrily, letting the blood from his throat gush out. Tied to the altar, he could only see the confused zenith paintings, and hear the sound of his boots on the floor, the sound of passwords. An extraordinarily tall man walked up to the altar and leaned over to look at Helik. The crimson tassels on his helmet swayed, the ends charred black.

His eyepiece reflected Hellik's pale countenance. The young boy spoke with all his might.

"Are you here to destroy us?" His voice was weak and staccato because of a wound the size of a baby's lip on his neck. But as can be seen from the look on the warrior's exposed lower face, the giant heard clearly.

"Yes." Giant said. "You're the first person of courage I've met today." He took off his helmet and tucked it in the crook of his arm.

Behind the helmet is a dignified face, with large facial features, but well-proportioned and harmonious. A few scars add a bit of masculinity to the other party. Hellick was taken aback. Father and brother have always insisted that they are fighting against the demon army. But compared to this dignified warrior, the deformed synthetics and medicine slaves they cultivated were probably the ugly side.

"Thank you." Helik said sincerely. From the time he was born, he finally saw something decent. It comforted him. Even though his hands and feet were already cold from excessive blood loss.

The giant raised an eyebrow. Immediately afterward, he jerked his head up. His expression was so surprised that Helik, who was tied so tightly, couldn't help but turn his head to see what shocked the soldier who seemed to be made of steel.

A ray of light entered the drowsy temple. It wasn't daylight, Hellick knew it. It was dusk, and the smoke of gunpowder on the battlefield obscured even the twilight of daylight. He heard the sound of neater footsteps, rhythmic like a guard of honor during a parade. The sound of the team stopped not far away. The giant bowed, his fist slamming into his chest.

"Lord of Mankind." He said.

This is the great enemy of his father and brothers? Helik was incredible. The culprit who burned his home and destroyed the faith of his loved ones came. Perhaps he was preparing to enjoy the fruits of his victory and show the heir of his enemy leader as a punishment? Whatever the outcome, Helik doesn't care. The thought of going to hell with his family filled his young heart with joy.

The man who called himself the emperor of the famous lord of mankind approached the altar and bowed down to Helik.

At that moment, the young boy saw nothing. The light was so bright that it stung his weary eyes in the dimly lit temple. The sweet smell of incense wafted away, leaving only the smell of gunsmoke on the other party's body. All his senses were kidnapped and encroached upon by this man with impunity. For the rest of his life, he could still recall every trembling of his muscles.

In the unbridled flow of tears and blood, the white light finally condensed into a face. The face was completely different from all of Helik's visions, but it was very natural, as if it were meant to be so. His black hair was casually draped over his shoulder armor, and the golden bay leaves shone on his forehead. But nowhere near as bright as the eyes that are brighter than the truth.

"What will you do to us?" He muttered, "What punishment are you going to give us?" ”

"Restore the lost, sanction the accursed, and forgive the innocent."

Helik was stunned. He looked at the other party's sumptuous golden armor. Weapons and bullet marks on the body of a majestic warrior. The tears of long-suffering finally could not be held back.

"Why are you crying?" The Emperor looked at the child who had not shed a single tear when he was sacrificed, and looked at the half-dried blood scabs of his wounds.

"It's too late, it's too late...... Hellick said in a choked voice. Why is he here now? Why did you wait for him so late? The half-grown boy wept for his innocent young sister, for the tribesmen who followed his father, and even for his own father and brother.

Would they have been spared this outcome if the armies and revelations of the Lord of Men had come earlier? Among the corpses of his family, Helik was reluctant to think about it. He wiped tears from his face and looked at the emperor with red eyes. The tall warrior did not react to the encroachment of the son of the vanquished, but stood aside, dutifully guarding the side of his master.

"And then what are you going to do?" The boy asked.

"Save the other tribes, and the more distant, unheard of people." The emperor replied. For a dying child, he was unexpectedly serious.

"That hangs my body on the wall, but please bury my sister." Helick said the blood loss had caused his vision to flicker. "To warn everyone by smashing spikes into my eyes and heart, so that my soul cannot be reborn. Let your enemies be afraid, so that those who submit to you will not dare to rebel, and so that the bastard priests will no longer be able to defend against you. ”

The Lord of Humanity looked at him with no wavering on his face. It seemed like a century had passed, or it was just a fleeting moment. The Emperor shook his head slightly.

"I want more."

He reached out, metal armor pressed lightly against Hellik's bleeding wound. A melt of warmth flowed down the boy's throat. The coldness of death faded from his body. Hellick had never felt so good.

"Your hatred burns in your soul. With this wrath I burn the idols of those who are my enemies. You will join the legion of my son, and shed the blood of my seventeenth son, and be the spearhead and spearhead of him. That's what I'm asking for. ”