To this day, Hellick is still unsure of the accuracy of this memory. Does his father and brother worship the Black Sun or the King of the Yellow Coat, or both? What does the emperor look like? Was that passage a promise from the Lord of Mankind, or was it just a concocted illusion of his own dying senses?

When he recalled, all he could find was a vague halo of light and the sound of light and fire breaking into his thoughts. It was as if his life had been cut into two by this light, and the previous darkness had been thrown into the abyss of oblivion.

It's no surprise that the modification surgery destroyed most of his memories before he ascended to the gods. This side effect is widespread among Space Marines. He didn't know if it was an unavoidable side effect or if it was intentional on the part of the designers. As far as Hellick knows about medicine, the brain is a very, very delicate component.

But it's not surprising that it's the latter. Almost every legion has its own "unique", if not very troublesome, source of troops. Almost all of the cousins of the Third Regiment came from prominent backgrounds, and when their father and brother put their children on the operating table, it is difficult to say that they never had the intention of expanding their influence.

As for the other legions, the first reformers of the iconoclasms were the sons of those who rebelled against the emperor, and the soldiers of the Thirteenth Legion were chosen from among the descendants of the vanquished. The Eighth Legion was simply the descendants of exiled prisoners. If these children have too much of a sense of belonging to who they once were, it could undoubtedly cause a lot of trouble.

In conspiracy theory, this oblivion helps Astarte break with his past life and make them more pure warriors than instruments of any power.

These logical inferences merely slipped through Helik's thoughts naturally, without stopping for a moment. At least, for the corps commander, this absence did not matter. From the moment he was brought down that bloody altar, his life belonged to the Lord of Men. It is only natural that he was reborn by the gift of the emperor and burned idols for the emperor.

Hellick looked up in the smoky room. Through the eyes of the skull mask, he looked at the brothers who were prostrating themselves to the fire.

They fell to their knees on one knee, and the fire burned with holy relics that had been revered for generations. The Triple Immortal Seal of the Virginia Sect, the Silver Key of the City of a Thousand Mirrors, and the Ivory Statue of a Secret Meeting...... The former owners of these objects were slaughtered by the iconoclasts and turned into dead along with their gods.

In general, the XVII Corps preferred to openly burn these desecrations. They would trample the banners of the rebels at their feet in huge squares and throw their idols into the flames to warn the people of the fate of idolatry.

From the War of Unification to the Great Expedition, their enthusiasm for the eradication of witchcraft and heresy was feared. Maybe because the first recruits came from the enemy's heirs. These children, born with the sins of their fathers, are eager to wash away their sins with honor. Their brutal and efficient methods earned themselves a reputation as "Iconoclasts", even overshadowing the official title of Imperial Heralds.

The nickname wasn't friendly at first, and the fear and rejection behind it were almost imminent. But the XVII Army gladly accepted it, and even proudly called itself it.

They never shied away from their burning passion for works, individuals, and buildings that violated imperial truths. Many of them have seen the consequences of heretical beliefs and are willing to do whatever it takes to avoid that price.

Atrocity? After seeing the distorted bio-monster guards of the techno-barbarian warlords and the good-meaning priests turning the tribes they sheltered into something, the Seventeenth Legion thought it was merciful to burn books and execute heretics. As for the accusers, when they poke out their stupid heads from under the order of the emperor's protection, everything becomes clear.

Because he knew the style of his brothers, the Legion Commander knew that this secret room was ...... to them It's so private. But secrecy is a necessity for what they will do next.

"My brothers." Helik spoke. Whenever he spoke, his voice was as deep and hoarse as that of an evangelist, as if an old wound in his throat still shackled his throat. Like his brothers, he wears a modest robe, and his face is hidden behind a standard skull mask.

His status as a legion commander is not needed here. The only worthy identity of all of you here is that of a soldier of the Seventeenth Legion, an Imperial Emissary, and a member of the Iconoclaster.

"The reason why I have summoned you, I am sure you already know. A few days ago, on the occasion of the return of Riemann Ruth, the original body of the Sixth Legion, the soldiers of the Seventeenth Legion were plagued by unknown dreams. ”

Halis's voice was low. "Every genetic bloodline of the Seventeenth Legion dreams of the same scene. In the distant Taiping Star Domain, a huge planet is filled with red, purple, blue, and green, and there are ghosts and ghosts in all directions. Even the brilliance of the stars could not penetrate the dark atmosphere and illuminate the planet.

But a star rose and flooded the sky with the light of dawn. At the end of the horizon, there was a great stone throne, dark as midnight, and its decaying backrest towering into the sky, full of traces of wind and rain.

Immediately afterward, the star fell straight down, drawing a fiery arc all the way to the throne. In the white-hot halo, a figure sat up, wearing a tattered crown on his head and layers of yellow robes. His face was blurred, and his golden eyes shone with a light older than time.

'My name is Roga, my child. He stretched out a hand forward, 'Come to me.' ’”

"What does Terra say?" Anas Tacius asked. Despite the skull mask and smoke, Helis was still easily recognizable to his friend. After this collective dream, Anas was one of the first to suggest that it might be caused by witchcraft.

"The messenger of the Palm Seal has conveyed to us the Emperor's message: This is indeed the message of our genetic father. His mind is unwittingly in tune with us due to the connection of the blood, presenting us with his place in the form of a dream. ”

"It's a great pleasure." Uston Chow said. He remained on one knee, motionless. "Gather the legions and preach good tidings to them. Why do you want to tell us in the secret room, as if it were some unspeakable secret? ”

"If it's a happy event, why can't I hear the excitement from you, Brother Uston?" Hellick asked.

Uston didn't answer, just looked at the smoke that kept coming out of the moment.

"I am here to burn and desecrate the creation just to show you that my heart is still pure. It is for this reason that I have gathered you brothers who share the same heart. For I know that you have shed as much blood for the Emperor's dreams as I do. ”

Helik spoke slowly, his piercing eyes sweeping over the skeletal masks of his brothers.

"Our father, who was never masked, had supernatural powers. He can cross the sea of stars and cast dreams into our minds, even if they are just unintentional. Tell me, Boutis, what kind of power is this? ”

To the right of the Legion Commander, Boutis, who was more than psionic, lowered his head, and his voice came from behind the visor. "Otherworldly. In contrast, my abilities are nothing more than street juggling. ”

The brothers were silent. They recalled the power of Butis to boil the enemy in their armor on the battlefield.

"If I had to describe it, I would call it like a god, even though I hate it. In fact, it is only natural for many citizens of the Empire to regard individuals with such power as gods, and to believe their promises. But the duty of the Seventeenth Legion is precisely to destroy all gods. ”

"You seem to be hinting at some kind of dangerous move." Vassell said.

"Then why are you here, brother?" Helis asked quietly.

Vassell responded with silence. Helis smiled behind the mask.

"Then let's open the skylight and say something. The Sixteenth Legion has long been the heir of Horus, and the newly returned Lord Ruth is also reorganizing his legion. But I cannot tolerate the will of a person other than the Lord of Mankind to reshape the Seventeenth Legion and let us worship a new idol, even if it takes the form of the Emperor's son, the original genome. The Legion was, is, and will only be the Iconoclast. ”

He stretched out his right hand and plunged his palm into the flames. The special fuel kept the fire alive and the temperature was unusually hot, making his palms blistered and blackened, and pain passed from the nerve endings all the way to his brain.

"For the Iconoclast." He said.

Alice was the first to reach out and put his hand on the back of his hand. The fiery brother said in a deep voice, "For the sake of the Iconoclaster." ”

Boutis held out his hand, then Vassell. Ruston sighed, his hands over the brothers' overlapping hands, the flames licking their skin.

"For the Iconoclast."