r18novel Chapter 35 The Court of Judgment
Chapter 35 The Court of Judgment
As the smoke cleared, the battlefield returned to calm.
Gnar and Torge were still moving their newborn limbs around, occasionally letting out exaggerated exclamations.
The remaining Space Wolves were also taking a short break, checking their ammunition, repairing their armor, and cleaning their weapons.
Brod sat on the rock, surveying his surroundings: the sky, the earth, the ruins, his comrades. He hadn't seen the world with his own eyes for five hundred years, and even this scorched, devastated land of Cadia seemed incredibly beautiful to him.
Jill walked up to Qin Mo, her expression serious and earnest.
As the leader of the Iron Wolves in Dalian, he had to consider his next move.
The situation in Qardia is deteriorating rapidly. Chaos' offensive is coming wave after wave, the warp rift is tearing wider and wider, and the Empire's defenses are constantly retreating and shrinking.
His Iron Wolf Dalian has been fighting alone on this battlefield for too long, and has been out of contact with the main force of the battle group for several hours.
"Brother Qin Mo," Jill spoke up, "what are your plans next?"
Qin Mo turned his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the still flickering explosions on the distant horizon.
"Of course, we must continue to eliminate the forces of chaos."
"But before that—"
He raised his right hand.
The Banner of Ten Thousand Souls moves automatically even without wind.
Then the soul surged forth.
Dozens of dark blue soul beams surged out from the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls. They hovered in the air for a moment before swooping down.
The target is the scattered wreckage of the Iron Warrior power armor throughout the battlefield.
The souls of the Iron Warriors who were killed by Qin Mo in the previous battle and whose souls were taken away by the Myriad Soul Banner still retained some basic integrity in their power armor, although their armor was damaged to varying degrees.
Immediately afterwards, all twenty-three sets of Iron Warrior power armor stood up.
A total of 70 undead power armor sets, plus the Titans.
This cobbled-together ragtag army, in terms of firepower alone, is already capable of rivaling a full-strength Space Marine company.
The space wolves fell silent as they watched this scene unfold.
The scene before me looks too much like some kind of warp magic.
The souls of the dead are extracted and poured into empty carapaces, driving these "corpses" to rise again and fight.
How is this any different from the evil magic of those damned Chaos Wizards?
Jill's Adam's apple bobbed.
He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.
Reason told him that Qin Mo was not Chaos. He had personally witnessed and felt the radiance of the Golden Wheel of Merit; that pure and orderly power had absolutely nothing to do with the subspace.
It is an indisputable fact that Qin Mo healed Brod's mental trauma, reshaped Brod's physical body, and saved Gnar and Torge with two pills.
However, rationality is one thing, visual impact is another.
Even Jill, who had already placed complete trust in Qin Mo, couldn't help but gasp.
hiss.
Nearby, Broad made a similar sound.
The 1,200-year-old wolf's expression was quite interesting; his brows furrowed into a pretzel, his lips twitched a few times, and finally, he let out a sigh with complex meaning.
"...To be honest, Brother Qin Mo, your method," Gilder carefully chose his words, "is very, very effective."
He paused for a moment.
"But it's also very, very easy to cause misunderstandings."
Jill and Brod exchanged a glance.
The old wolf's eyes conveyed a clear message: "He needs to be reminded of this."
Jill nodded slightly.
Brod stood up from the rock.
Although he doesn't have a power suit, when this 1,200-year-old space wolf stands up straight and puffs out his chest, the aura he exudes is still not to be underestimated.
That is something that has been accumulated over 1,200 years of battles, something that no equipment can provide.
"Brother Qin Mo."
Broad stepped forward, his voice solemn and sincere.
"You saved my life, and that debt alone is enough for me to consider you a true brother. I, Brod Frostwolf, have made mistakes in the past twelve hundred years, but this time, I trust you."
His gaze swept over the space wolves behind him, then returned to Qin Mo.
"We won't reveal your abilities to anyone. Every member of Iron Wolf Dalian will keep quiet. This is my guarantee in Old Wolf's name."
Qin Mo noticed that when Brod said this, all the Space Wolves behind him nodded slightly, and none of them objected.
Qin Mo could feel the weight of this trust.
"but--"
Broad changed the subject.
"I need to remind you of something."
Old Wolf lowered his voice, his tone carrying the caution of someone with experience.
"Your power, which commands the dead and manipulates souls, and that black banner, while unrelated to the Warp, looks remarkably like Warp magic."
"We fought alongside you and witnessed your merits firsthand, so we can trust you."
Broad's eyes became exceptionally sharp.
"But the situation is less certain for the other powers within the empire."
He paused.
"Especially those lunatics in the courtroom."
"The courtroom?"
Qin Mo raised an eyebrow slightly.
This wasn't the first time he'd heard this name. He'd previously obtained some fragmented information about the Inquisition when he used Soul Search to read the memories of Astronautical Army soldiers.
"Is this organization very strong?" Qin Mo asked.
Brod shook his head:
"The individual strength of the Inquisitors is not a threat. Most of them are just ordinary humans; although well-equipped and well-trained, they are far inferior to Space Marines. Let alone you."
"Then why are you so wary?"
"Because what they possess is not strength, but power."
Brod's voice turned somber.
"Extreme, almost limitless power. An Inquisitor, a single individual, has the authority to mobilize an entire Space Marine Chapter as his fighting force."
"He can requisition the resources of any Imperial army, any Imperial warship, or any Imperial fortress. And they are accountable only to the Emperor."
Brod's pupils contracted slightly.
"They could even issue an extinction order for a planet."
"Extermination order?"
Qin Mo's brow twitched slightly.
This was a concept he had never encountered before.
Broad seemed reluctant to delve too deeply into the topic; as a space wolf, his attitude toward the Inquisition was complex.
Fenris's wolf pack never fears any enemy, but when it comes to the Inquisition, their strategy is not confrontation, but rather maintaining distance.
The terrifying aspect of the court is never the direct confrontation, but rather their ability to deliver a fatal blow from a place you cannot see and in a way you cannot anticipate.
Qin Mo did not press Brode further.
He silently recited a sentence in his mind.
"System, tell me about the Tribunal and the Extermination Order."