Chapter 69: The Mark of Death
However, facing Lucan's questioning, the High Priest showed no displeasure. Several cultists came forward, carrying boxes.
And when the boxes were opened, the heads of more than a dozen Purestrain Genestealers were displayed within.
These were the trophies of the Death Cult, and proof of their strength.
"Rogue Trader, we have existed since you first colonized this planet. Once, we existed aboard the Dynasty's warship, and later, we came to Agathos with you.
We were active on Agathos even before the hive bottom was constructed. Every Rogue Trader has known of our existence. And under the guidance of the Undying Emperor, we have endured to this day. Over the years, people have continuously joined us, and people have continuously dedicated their lives to the Undying Emperor.
When these xenos appeared on Agathos, we noticed them. However, in the past, we never paid them much mind. We killed many of them, but after a period of time, they would always reappear. We warned Lord Ludwig, but he believed these xenos could not amount to much and left the task of hunting them to us.
But by the time we discovered we simply couldn't kill them all, they had already spread completely. We hunt those infected by them – laborers, soldiers, and even those nobles under your command."
Hearing this, Lucan now understood the intelligence Rebecca had reported to him earlier. It seemed some of the soldiers and officers on Agathos killed by the Death Cult had met their grisly end after the cult discovered something amiss with them.
"How do you think I lost my eyes, my legs, and my right arm? Ten years ago, I led my assassins in an attempt to kill that main culprit. We failed. These missing limbs of mine were his doing. And now, he will only be stronger."
"You actually survived an encounter with the Genestealer Patriarch?!"
The High Priest's words made Lucan look at him in a new light. It meant that before losing his limbs, this High Priest's combat prowess was far greater than imagined.
"Genestealer Patriarch? Is that the monster's name? That battle was perilous. The cult lost many people, but we were not without our achievements. The wound my war-blade left on it has caused death to forever cling to him. This is the power granted to us by the great Undying Emperor. I can still sense his location even now!"
"But even if you can sense its location, it's useless."
"Have you forgotten, my Lord? We existed before the hive bottom was even completed. In the millennium that followed, we have never stopped exploring and understanding the hive bottom. The sump holds a large number of mutants; they are the most susceptible to corruption, and the hive bottom is our hunting ground.
We are the ones who understand the hive bottom best. There are some secret passages that not even those xenos know about!
Previously, even if we had a way to get near that monster, we couldn't kill it; we do not excel at frontal combat. But you have come. I have witnessed the strength of your soldiers. If we work together, we will have a chance!"
Lucan considered this in his mind.
If this group wasn't tainted by Chaos, then what they said was likely credible. Their faith was extremely steadfast; it was impossible for them to deceive him on such a matter.
"Alright, I am willing to cooperate. If it is truly as you say, I am willing to let you continue to live within my Dynasty. But there are conditions. You must be under my supervision, and your assassins must also train my warriors!"
"It is not so, Rogue Trader. The Death Cult should not be subject to any supervision. We act only according to the God-Emperor's guidance!"
"The God-Emperor's guidance? Even better. I am the God-Emperor's representative in the mortal realm. I am a Living Saint. To obey my words is to obey the God-Emperor!"
A golden radiance appeared as Lucan channeled his power.
It had to be said that in a universe where faith was rampant, this move of Lucan's was truly effective, time and time again.
Upon seeing the power that came from the God-Emperor, the High Priest also became agitated. Their only way to communicate with the God-Emperor was through the Emperor's Tarot. Sometimes the Emperor would grant them revelations, but more often than not, He would not respond. And before Lucan's arrival, the High Priest had also performed a divination.
The revelation he had received was the Martyr card in the upright position… which perhaps corresponded to Lucan.
The High Priest had never seen a real miracle. He tried to rise, but his crippled body was simply unable to.
"By the Undying Emperor… although I cannot completely agree to your terms, I can have my assassins train your men for you. I can also notify and inform you before we kill any important figures."
Although Lucan wasn't very satisfied with this answer, he could only accept it for now. This group was even more steadfast than he imagined. Forcing them not to kill would be more painful for them than suicide.
Lucan could only wait until after dealing with the Genestealers to think of a way to solve this problem. He still needed their strength to kill the Genestealer Patriarch.
Verre was relieved to see Lucan emerge unharmed.
"My Lord, are you alright!"
"It's handled!"
Saying this, Lucan handed a map to Verre. Verre took it and looked it over. After reading it, he realized how naive their previous actions of blocking the hive bottom entrances had been.
The entrances they had known about previously accounted for, at most, only twenty percent of the total. Many more secret passages existed.
The Genestealers could use these passages to enter and exit the hive bottom to acquire weapons and various supplies.
"According to the information on the map, block all the openings completely. Also, assemble all the most elite warriors from the Dynasty's army!"
The frontal assault would be synchronized with the decapitation mission.
The main force would still enter the hive bottom from the front; their mission was to draw the attention of the vast numbers of Genestealer hybrids.
And a team composed of the Dynasty's most elite warriors, along with the Death Cult's assassins, would use the passages and location provided by the High Priest to directly assassinate the Genestealer Patriarch.
This way, they wouldn't have to let the army fight a bloody battle to the last man against that group of Genestealers.
With the underhive almost completely retaken, Lucan had all the Widow Mines gathered. These Widow Mines would be of great use in the upcoming operation.
Temporarily leaving the underhive, Lucan returned to the Spire District.
He had Pavian suspend all Siege Tank construction in the Factory and switch everything to producing Widow Mines.
And the previous squad's encounter had let Lucan know that the ceramite combat suits were no different from paper against Purestrain Genestealers.
He needed sturdier combat suits. Lucan ordered the Tech-Priests to directly rip down the adamantium-laced door of the Dynasty treasury. Other trophies made of adamantium within the treasury were also scavenged.
The adamantium was then extracted from them to create adamantium combat suits.
Lucan needed at least one squad of soldiers to hold the line.
And the produced combat suits were barely enough to arm 30 men.
Lucan knew that the Eternity Gate in the Imperial Palace on Terra was made of pure adamantium. If he could dismantle that gate, how many adamantium combat suits could he make…
And Verre, following orders, selected the most loyal and powerful warriors from the army.
After a screening process, one thousand Dynasty soldiers were selected from various units.
The families of these individuals had served the Dynasty for generations and had stood firmly with the Dynasty during the rebellion. They were all normally dispersed among various units as a core force or as officers. Each had undergone certain gene-enhancements, and now they were all gathered together.
But loyalty alone was not enough. They also needed to continuously prove themselves through military merit and strength throughout their lives. These loyalists would be further screened.
And after being selected, the Dynasty would spend a great fortune on them to enhance their strength.
For the best 30 among them, the Dynasty would use the best gene-enhancement technology and the best implants they could acquire.
And these things were all obtained by the Dynasty from the Adeptus Mechanicus through great cost and exchange of various resources.
This made their strength far exceed that of ordinary soldiers. The former guards who had been by Ludwig's side were chosen from among these men; a pity they all died due to Ludwig's foolishness.
This was also a huge loss for the Dynasty.
And the physical attributes of this group of men could also maximize the effectiveness of the adamantium combat suits.
While the adamantium suits resisted damage, their bodies could also withstand the immense impact forces.
It was a pity that the people warped in through the System were just ordinary humans; otherwise, the loyalty of these men would have been the most reliable.
(End of Chapter)