"You won."
When Avkar said this, his expression showed no trace of despondency, as if he didn't care about the outcome of the duel at all.
"In the name of Caliban, in accordance with the ancient Knightly Code, I, Avkar, former Knight-Commander of the Blade Angels, fulfill my promise."
Thump!
With a muffled thud, Avkar took the lead and knelt on one knee.
"From this moment on, we shall abandon the name 'Fallen Angels' and fight across the galaxy in the name of the Sons of the Forest. Our swords, and the glory of the Emperor and the Lion, shall be eternal!"
Seeing that their 'boss' had knelt, Horok and Kai, who were beside him, also knelt without hesitation.
Whether they won or lost, they didn't care at all.
If they won, it was normal. After all, that was the Knight-Commander of the Blade Angels, who once single-handedly charged into a Chaos encirclement and, in front of a host of Khorne Daemon armies, slew a Khorne Daemon!
Lost?
That must have been the Knight-Commander holding back!
In their eyes, the Knight-Commander simply hadn't been serious from start to finish.
Moreover, whether they won or lost, they didn't lose out, did they?
If they won, who knew if the generous conditions Emrys had promised could be fulfilled?
But if they lost, everyone would be happy!
Joining the Lion's Sons of the Forest Chapter meant not only being pardoned for their sins, no longer being hunted by their former Chapter brothers, but also being able to return to the Imperium openly and continue to serve the Emperor and the Lion. No matter how they looked at it, it was all benefit and no harm!
At the same time, seeing Avkar's attitude change so quickly, even if Emrys was stupid, he understood this guy's intentions and said with a strange expression.
"You had already decided to surrender to the Lion. Were you deliberately putting on a show just now?"
Avkar, still kneeling on one knee, heard Emrys' question and replied calmly.
"I don't know what kind of person you are,
but I know what kind of person the Lion is. If we refused to be pardoned today, not a single one of my brothers, including myself, would to live this world, or even this tavern."
...Emrys was speechless.
Don't even mention it—with the Lion's personality, forgiving these "Fallen Angels" was already a huge loss of face. It was only because he had been in stasis for ten millennia, and his mindset and entire being had aged, that he gained a bit more benevolence.
However, don't truly believe the Lion is very benevolent.
He pardoned the Fallen Angels for a reason, but if you dared to refuse, you would be a genuine Chaos scum. Facing such Chaos elements, the Lion would absolutely strike with full force!
In other words, from the moment Emrys stated his purpose, Avkar, who understood the Lion's temperament, already knew their fate.
Either surrender, accept reorganization, and pledge allegiance.
Or refuse, and wait to be hammered into a meat patty by the Lion!
Emrys seemed to guess something, his gaze turning to Avkar, and he asked strangely.
"So, you did this on purpose?"
"Yes."
Avkar nodded, directly admitting his thoughts.
"If we don't want to be seen as cannon fodder by the Lion, we must demonstrate our 'value.' Loyalty, for us Fallen Angels, is an unaffordable luxury, so there's only one path left... defeat you, the Lion's appointed First Watch Knight, grandmaster, to prove our strength and value to the Lion, and strive for a say in the Sons of the Forest Chapter."
"But you failed."
Emrys looked down at him.
"Yes—that surprised me," Avkar said readily. "If it were on the battlefield, I'm confident I wouldn't lose, but this isn't the battlefield. Nevertheless, you've shown me that you have the qualifications to lead the Sons of the Forest Chapter."
"You went to all this trouble just to test if I was qualified enough?" Emrys raised an eyebrow and said.
"An incompetent Commander will kill my brothers," Avkar said heavily. "I have witnessed such tragedies countless times—we are willing to surrender, we do not fear death, nor do we fear hardship, but I do not want my brothers,
To Die on a meaningless, worthless battlefield, and even less do I want them To Die because of a Commander's foolish actions!"
Emrys nodded, understanding in his heart.
Actually, this Knight-Commander of the Blade Angels was very simple-minded. He was willing to surrender and accept pardon and reorganization.
The only thing he was worried about was that his brothers would be used as cannon fodder.
Because they were "Fallen Angels"!
They had once lost their loyalty, so they were worried about this point, being used as cannon fodder by the Lion and dying on a meaningless, honorless battlefield.
Understanding this also allows one to understand the complex psychology of Avkar and these other Fallen Angels.
"In the name of Merlin Emrys, I guarantee you," Emrys took a deep breath, his voice becoming more solemn, "I will never see you as cannon fodder, nor will I let you To Die meaninglessly. You will fight for the honor of the Emperor and the Lion, and for the future of the Imperium and humanity!"
"Thank Lord!"
Avkar expressed his obedience from the bottom of his heart.
"We are willing to fight to the death for Lord and for the Sons of the Forest."
"I forgot to ask," Emrys suddenly thought of something that could be done through them, so he asked, "How many of you are left now? What's the condition of your equipment? I have something here that I can't let others do, and you can help me with it."
"Including the three of us, there are still thirty-eight members of the old Blade Angels. The rest are dispersed outside to avoid detection and are only gathered when necessary," Avkar reported the remaining personnel as if reciting a family inventory.
"As for equipment—aside from the barely usable Power Armor, we have almost no other usable equipment."
"If it's for small-scale battles, we're confident we can accomplish it, but if it's large-scale" Speaking of this,
he paused, and said softly.
"We need more sophisticated equipment, including weapons, and the Power Armor also needs to be repaired."
This was also very normal.
They had been holed up here, avoiding discovery by the Dark Angels. With their sparse numbers, they naturally wouldn't plunder other Chaos warbands. The fact that their Power Armor had been preserved was already quite remarkable.
"It's alright, I'll make sure you get equipped!" Emrys waved his hand grandly, his voice full of confidence.
"Putting everything else aside, I can certainly equip you few!"
He was a man who commanded five Worlds!
"Uh—as for equipment, I don't think we need to rush too much." Avkar said with a bitter face, looking as if he found it hard to speak.
"Since you have already joined the Sons of the Forest, whatever you need, just ask me!"
Emrys patted his chest, speaking confidently.
"Alas, and I'm not afraid of you laughing," Avkar said with a bitter face.
"Actually, ever since we were swept into the Warp and drifted here, we've been struggling to live. You know how much energy a Space Marine needs daily. Ordinary human food can hardly meet our physical needs."
"Mm-hmm, and then what?"
Emrys blinked.
"Ahem, it's just—could you—could you let us eat our fill first before we go on your mission?" By the time Avkar said this, his old face was completely red.
No other reason, it was too embarrassing!
The dignified Knight-Commander of the Blade Angels, leading the most elite warriors in the galaxy, couldn't even get a full meal. If word got out, it would make the xenos laugh themselves to death.
To put it bluntly, including Avkar, all the Fallen Angels here were almost in a state of severe malnutrition.
After all, standard Space Marine rations were mixed with various nutrient pastes and ceramite fragments, but in this godforsaken place, where would they find such things?
Space Marines were demigods, but the cost of being a demigod was that they needed to consume an astonishing amount of calories to provide energy for their bodies, and this was just during peacetime.
In a state of war, a Space Marine's consumption was even more exaggerated. Only nutrient gruel, mixed with ceramite and specially developed for Space Marines, could satisfy the energy needs of such a demigod-like body!
After a long silence, Emrys patted his shoulder.
"You've suffered—I'll figure something out."
Zabriel looked at his two brothers and posed a soul-stirring question:
"—How did you end up in such a miserable state?"
"Don't ask."
Horok gave him a pained look.
"If it weren't for those bastards burning our supply ship, we wouldn't have had to rob a merchant ship and end up on this damned hive world!"
Hearing this, Zabriel understood.
Or rather, he deeply empathized, and patted his brother's shoulder.
"Don't be afraid. This time, with the Lion here, we can go back openly and tell those bastards, 'I'm back!'"
You certainly know how to mock. Emrys twitched his lips, hoping your tongue is still as sharp when you meet Asmodai!
________________
Nest chapters confusing AF you have been warned