This is the bonus chapter for reaching 700 Powerstones.
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Following Seth, Zeke passed through the Outpost and arrived at the castle situated halfway up the mountain.
This castle was extremely ancient. Zeke guessed that its original purpose definitely did not include defending against foreign enemies. The Blood Angels had carried out a series of armed modifications to this castle.
This resulted in the castle's appearance looking like a hamburger bun had been replaced with a steamed bun—mismatched and utterly bizarre.
"Back again." Yuji closed his eyes. After going in a circle, he had returned to this castle full of vampires. Scattered throughout the castle were the ascetics of the Flesh Tearers and the Knights of Blood.
While their good brothers were slaughtering Tyranids in the swarm, carrying the entire battlefield, only these marines could restrain the Black Rage and hold the fort, unlike their brothers who rushed out to kill.
Zeke's eyes were immediately drawn to a piece of artwork displayed in the castle.
It was a cylinder about a yard long, cast entirely from gold, hanging on the wall in the exact center of the castle.
This golden cylinder was exquisitely crafted, engraved with patterns of wings and roses, emitting a soft halo.
Bathed in this light, the eyes of the Flesh Tearers and Knights of Blood were filled with tranquility and peace.
It was hard to imagine that these were men from the same Chapters that had just been slaughtering Tyranids outside.
That cylinder definitely contains something good, Zeke thought to himself.
Cough, cough. Zeke coughed twice and looked at Seth. Seth was busy talking, so Zeke walked toward the cylinder on his own.
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"Chaplain Appollus." Seth called over the last Chaplain of his Chapter; the previous one had already died in the jaws of the Tyranids.
"Retreat. Send a message to all brothers of the Chapter. Fall back to the fortress."
"Retreat?" The Chaplain thought he had misheard, then he heard Seth repeat it. "Yes, Retreat."
"Why do you want us to retreat? This is weakness! Pathetic!"
From the moment they were sent to here, all the Flesh Tearers and Knights of Blood knew their fate and accepted it calmly.
But now, their Chapter Master, Seth, had suddenly issued an order to retreat. The Chaplain couldn't understand it at all.
"This is an order." Seth's face was stern.
I am saving the Chapter from the brink of destruction, Seth said in his heart.
After all, no one would have thought that the Black Rage, which had plagued the sons of Sanguinius for thousands of years, could be suddenly solved.
The Chaplain walked away with a look of reluctance. He sent the message, ordering all Flesh Tearers and Knights of Blood scattered across the area defending against the Tyranids to return to the fortress.
"What? Retreat? I tell you, there is no retreat!"
Curses came over the radio. The Chaplain stated this was Chapter Master Seth's order.
Hearing this, the voices on the radio had no choice but to hold their noses and accept the command.
Next, it's time to ask what exactly this miraculous drink that cures the Black Rage is, and if it can be obtained in large quantities. Seth looked around him.
Huh? Where is he?
Scanning three hundred and sixty degrees, Seth finally found Zeke.
"Brother of the Flesh Tearers, what is that thing hanging on the wall?"
The Flesh Tearer Zeke was questioning was bathed in the light emitted by the cylinder. He held a canvas in his hand and was painting.
Zeke leaned in to take a look. He didn't know much about painting, but beauty was universal.
On the canvas, the composition, lighting, and atmosphere were all online. This guy was practically a living Da Vinci.
Don't let the fact that Blood Angels are all muscle-bound men who fight like suicidal maniacs fool you. They also bear the curse of the Black Rage and Red Thirst, yet they are extremely skilled in the arts. Painting, music, and the like are no problem for them, thanks to the teachings of their Primarch, Sanguinius.
Before Sanguinius fell, he personally taught his sons how to appreciate beauty, create beauty, and use art to combat the curse deep within their genes.
"This is the Reliquary of Amit," the Flesh Tearer stopped painting and explained to Zeke.
Seth walked over. He could see that Zeke had ideas about the reliquary—Zeke's expression gave it away.
After thinking for a moment, he made a decision that betrayed his ancestors.
Seth stood on his toes, took down the Reliquary of Amit, and held it in his hands.
"Please follow me." Seth took the lead and walked into a room.
Could it be? Zeke beamed with joy. This Chapter Master Seth knows how to handle things. I like him.
The two walked into a secluded place.
Seth removed his Terminator Honors badge from his neck and inserted it into the hole in the cylinder. With a click, the reliquary split open.
A blinding light! A burst of pure white light radiated from the cylinder. Zeke endured the stinging in his eyes and looked inside.
Inside was a feather, as long as Zeke's arm, suspended in a motionless, soft light.
The feather was pure white. Under the stasis field built into the reliquary, Zeke could see every barb.
The down around the base was unimaginably soft, and the shaft below faded from white to a delicate gray at the blunt tip.
Zeke felt it was a pity. It should have been a flawless white object, but its purity was destroyed by a touch of red—a single drop of blood had fallen onto this feather.
"This is the last remaining feather of Sanguinius. Any son of Sanguinius would recognize it."
Seth's breath caught in his throat.
"This feather has never touched the ground. It fell from our Father's wing during battle, landing on the walls of the Imperial Palace, and was then placed in this stasis field."
"Shortly after, Father met his death at the hands of Horus."
"Beauty gave birth to our rage," Seth said calmly.
Zeke listened to Seth's introduction of the item in his hand. So this is Sanguinius's feather.
Just one is this big. It's hard to imagine how massive the original wings must have been.
"Chapter Master Dante entrusted this reliquary to me," Seth stroked the box.
"He hoped that when I fell into the Black Rage, this feather of Sanguinius would give me direction and help me break free from that terrible thing. Thinking about it now, I probably won't need this anymore." Seth held out the reliquary.
"You brought new hope, so I think this should be given to you. It represents a token of my gratitude."
A question popped up in Zeke's mind.
"Although it might be a bit offensive, Chapter Master Seth, I want to ask..."
"When your Primarch Sanguinius was fighting, did he have a dedicated person following behind him just to pick up his feathers?"
An image floated into Zeke's mind: Sanguinius fighting, his wings molting due to intense exercise, and a squad of Blood Angels frantically scrambling behind him to pick up the feathers. (TL/N: I thought this was very chinese, should I keep such jokes or remove them in the future? Please comment & let me know)
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Next Goal = 1000 Powerstones.