This is our Warhammer journey

Chapter 217 There are still more bad people in this world.
On the morning of the ninth day after the Primarch's arrival, a light rain began to fall in Astorgius, the sound of raindrops pattering against metal echoing in the air.

In a city called Chahake in the Cardinal World, Raphael and Sirin followed a procession of guests to a place for ordination ceremonies, a high altar inside the Chahake Cathedral.

Gaotan is its core area.

This is a huge arched space, roughly in the shape of a radiating cross.

The altar itself is a raised octagonal platform located at the center of the architectural space.

star anise?

"."

Raphael noticed this detail and frowned slightly.

The octagonal, ornate, tiered stone benches can easily accommodate a thousand people, while the upper part of the church structure houses the reliquary.

Located inside the side altar is a statue of Karna, a cold stone statue holding a spear, with a solemn face, as if gazing at every believer who steps into this place.

Beside the statue stands a huge pipe organ, its metal pipes pointing straight up to the dome like swords. According to the local church, this place is called the Voice of the Seraphim.

The walls are made of dark, massive stones, each engraved with intricate scriptures and symbols, extending upwards in a heavy and oppressive manner, supporting a dome made of steel frame and stained glass.

The dappled light streamed through the glass, creating an eerie halo in the incense smoke, as if it were some kind of indescribable gaze.

The incense had a very strong scent, as if it were masking something.

This gives visiting guests the feeling of standing at the bottom of a misty canyon, with the only clear light falling directly on the high platform below.

Unfortunately, the weather today prevented the guests from witnessing the sacred spectacle.

The omen cast a shadow of bloodshed and conspiracy over him, and Raphael's pupils contracted slightly, his fingertips instinctively pressing against his palm.

He turned to a priest in a red robe beside him and asked.

When did the alterations to this church begin?

Nine days ago.

The accompanying priest quickly and respectfully replied to the distinguished merchant representative.

He was holding a long-burning brochure and lighting the candles around the guests.

The darkness of the temple was illuminated by thousands of sacred candles, their tiny flames forming a galaxy in the gloom, casting flickering light on the ancient stone walls.

Raphael and Sirin stood in seats close to the ceremony, watching the ordination ceremony take place.

The Primarchs were generally satisfied with the planet's environment, but there were still many things they were unhappy about. The filth hidden beneath the glamorous surface still made them uncomfortable.

The tarnish on the gold plating is still tarnish, and to remove it, it must be cleansed with blood.

Therefore, killing someone is necessary.

Their job was to chop people up.

The process was quite simple: Astartes took the initiative to subdue the people, then officials from the Ministry of the Interior stepped forward to read out the charges, and state church personnel maintained order.

There's no need to worry about the ideological confusion caused by blindly condemning heretics; they generally won't use heresy as a pretext for trial.

Secular crimes such as corruption, dereliction of duty, and treason are often more effective than religious trials.

Thanks to Guilliman, at least he set up extremely detailed legal regulations for each department when defining the powers of the High Lords Council, although under normal circumstances, even the Ministry of Justice would rather get rid of people than go through the proper procedures.

But now it is indeed the best legal basis for their actions.

Those directly involved in the profit chain of holy oil production are invariably guilty of corruption and murder.

Raphael's gaze fell on another lighting fixture in the room—a servo skull that held up a brazier and hovered above everyone's heads.

This is similar to legal euthanasia; those who are "euthanized" are not necessarily the ones who truly need relief.

The state religion stipulated in black and white that only elderly believers who had lost their ability to work were eligible to dedicate themselves as raw materials for a series of divine creations, and in return, their families would receive generous tax exemptions.

But in reality, the number of devout believers who are exempt from taxes is by no means small.

The benefits of holy oil, holy shroud, and holy servant skull are immense.

The wealth accumulated by an ordinary believer throughout his life may not even amount to a fraction of what his skull becomes after it is made into a servile skull.

There are also more outrageous cases where all members of the individual, including their immediate family, are exempt from taxes. However, the tax exemption policy is applied to the relatives of high-ranking members of the state education system in order to better protect their extravagant lifestyles.

"Something's not right here. I suspect there's a demon at work."

Raphael's voice was very low, and his lips barely moved.

"Our inability to find any clues about the bishop is beyond the realm of common sense."

Sirin responded by pretending to bow her head in prayer, her psychic disguise perfectly concealing their actions.

If it's not common knowledge, then it can only be related to demons.

"Those useless bastards in the Inquisition."

Xilin gritted her teeth.

The Purifier team has been tracking the person in charge of this place for some time, but it's like chasing a fog. Each operation only catches some insignificant minor characters, while the real mastermind remains at large.

If a planet that is reasonably satisfactory to the Primarch has so many hidden dangers, wouldn't a planet that is not satisfactory be completely doomed?

"The Inquisition produces heretics, the Inquisition produces aliens—"

Raphael chuckled softly in the psionic link, his voice tinged with sarcasm.

"The Throne World still preserves a large number of skull artifacts that can summon the Khorne army, so it's not surprising that there are many heretics in the Cardinal World."

At this point, he couldn't help but shake his head, feeling that he was quite lucky to be alive.

As a child, he was a stable psychic and was taken to live in the Heavenly World by Lord Aglaia. Later, in order to save his brothers and sisters, he gave up his chance to survive and ended up becoming the Eternal Wing under Lord Karna by a twist of fate. He never had the chance to get involved with heretics.

What's so good about being a heretic? He's very satisfied with his current life.

There are clear enemies to kill and clear beliefs to protect. Unlike those guys in the Demon Tribunal, who walk on the edge of chaos all day long and risk falling into the abyss with the slightest carelessness.

Where did you learn to say that?

Xilin glanced at him sideways, a hint of helplessness flashing in her eyes.

This kind of sharp, sarcastic tone, characteristic of someone, is clearly not the tone Raphael would normally use.

"Lord Ramses told me."

Raphael replied.

According to his description, after learning that Terra possessed a large number of Khorne's skull artifacts disguised as state religious relics, Lord Navaradalen, the representative of the Imperial Guard, was like a volcano about to erupt during that period.

Every time he wrote back, he would start with a string of curses almost as long as his own name, making one marvel at the profound knowledge of this imperial guard.

Fortunately, they don't lack necessities like holy oil now.

"Study less in the future, and don't tell anyone."

Sirin's voice was filled with obvious resentment, which reminded her of Erica, who had grown up with her.

That girl has been completely corrupted. She spends her days digging for secrets with her eyes that can see into souls, and then she imitates Ramses's tone to speak ill of others.

"You are not Lord Ramses."

If it weren't for her ability to drag Erica away with her every time to activate psionic teleportation and escape, she doesn't know how she would have survived.

“Hmm.” Raphael nodded seriously.

Should we report?

he asks.

"Report completed, rapid reaction force in position, Lord Titus is on his way, reserves are sufficient."

Sirin reaffirmed that, thanks to their psychic talents and under the protection of the warp security protocol established by Lord Ramses, they were able to play an unprecedented role.

"Okay, the emergency protocol has been approved."

Raphael nodded.

After a brief exchange, both sides confirmed the completion of the task and then continued to monitor the changes in the area.

On the surface, the two accompanying clergy members appeared to be devoutly observing the ceremony.

But Sirin's psionic energy had already quietly entangled every brick beneath the altar, while Raphael's battle precognition was calculating countless possible paths in milliseconds.

As the National Church choir sang, the voices of the Seraphim continuously emitted notes imbued with a strong religious rhythm.

The ceremony had reached its climax. At this crucial moment, the soaring notes of the Seraph's voice faded away, leaving only the quiet guests and the patter of rain outside the church.

All eyes turned to the church's master, Bishop Yevtusa, who had suddenly appeared on the high platform.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense, and amidst the patter of raindrops, the sounds of weapons cutting through flesh rang out continuously.

Yevta stood in the center of the platform. Inside the sound array system, the voice of a superior officer, disguised by the reaction force, began to sing the Emperor's blessing to his servant through the crystal communication loudspeaker.

His superiors had already been removed. The corruption of the state religion was beyond imagination. A deacon walked to the edge of the platform and guided the mortals, who had been controlled by the mist at some point, to come forward and stand before Yefossa.

The bishop gazed at the scene before him with satisfaction; he was just one step away from completing his final ceremony.

The angel in charge of anointing flew from the sky to the bishop, smeared Yephach's forehead with holy oil that emitted a shimmering blue light, and affixed the 'mark of purity' to his magnificent robes.

A faint blue light emanated from the bishop, mixed with a strange brilliance. Now, the bishop could no longer hide the joy on his face as he was about to be elevated.

The two, who had been trying to move, held their breath as they simultaneously heard a subspace echo, like the cry of a baby, coming from between the bricks.

"Sirin!"

Raphael couldn't help but remind him.

They removed their disguises when Yevta appeared, but were still blocked by a illusory warp force.

“I have been stopping the ceremony.”

'Just how many people did this guy kill?'

Sirin cursed under her breath, and finally, with the guidance of the Spirit Race mentor, she used her spiritual energy to tear a gap in the ritual area.

Then, with a single press of her hand, she directly connected the spatial portal to the thunderclouds above the sky.

Just as Yevtusa was about to stand up and give a speech to the guests who were already in a trance, thunder suddenly rolled over their heads, lightning flashed, and the stained glass was instantly shattered by the sudden bombardment.

This is lightning.

The roaring thunder didn't end there; unexpectedly, an even louder and more ear-piercing crash erupted.

Another earth-shattering bolt of lightning was poured directly into the temple, mixed with raging winds, bringing a torrential rain of glass shards as sharp as blades, which swept towards the unresponsive guests.

Immediately afterwards, the servant skulls containing braziers fell to the ground in the shock, and the candles inside the temple, which had only been burning for a short time, were extinguished.

A dense darkness enveloped the church, and as the natural forces of the real universe poured in, the guests' consciousness was pulled out of the incense, and painful screams and panicked roars emerged.

The chaotic commotion abruptly ceased the next second.

The blue light of the stasis bomb flashed, and time was forcibly frozen at that moment, freezing the splattering blood droplets and the trajectory of the bomb in mid-air.

Below the church, in the auditorium, the main door had been blasted open, and the rubble knocked down the surrounding Chaos heretics. However, the enemies inside the room, under the influence of Chaos, quickly regained their lethality and retaliated.

Three Astartes and a dozen or so members of the Blood Rose Order tore through the enemy's formation the moment the two sides clashed.

On either side of the gate, stormtroopers built makeshift shelters against collapsed pillars and broken statues, their incendiary guns leaving fiery red streaks in the darkness, providing precise fire support for the advancing vanguard squads.

They have suppressed heresies and evil spirits here.

The tide of war seemed to be turning in favor of the Empire, and time was indeed on their side.

More reinforcements are arriving every minute, and the arrival of the Primarch is only a matter of time.

But these heretics will obviously not sit idly by. They are all pitiful lives caught up in the chaos, having lost everything and dedicated their souls to the evil god. The closer they get to this point, the more insane they will bet everything on the evil forces of the warp.

scoff!

A pale white psionic lightning bolt suddenly tore through the battlefield, and the chill of the warp instantly swept through the entire hall.

The two battle nuns had no time to dodge. The instant the lightning pierced through them, the violent warp energy completely destroyed their flesh and blood, freezing them in place in their charging posture, their armor covered with eerie white frost.

"He is a psionicist, and his psionic level is very high."

Raphael quickly made his judgment.

After grabbing Yevta by the neck and confirming that it was just a puppet, Raphael crushed its head, quickly pinpointing its location using the soul fragments, and then turned to Sirin and said.

"Cirin, the portal."

After receiving Raphael's order, Sirin made a clenching motion forward, tearing a rift in the spatial portal and forcefully ripping open the gate that the troops below had been attacking.

Thanks to Ramses' rigorous training, their professionalism as psionicists far surpasses that of those who grope in the dark.

"There's a demonic portal inside; my psionic energy can't penetrate it."

Sirin's voice suddenly tightened, the darkness in her psychic vision like thick asphalt blocking her detection.

Deep purple sparks of psionic energy emanated from his fingertips as he tried to propel the portal forward, only to find himself crashing into an invisible wall.

"enough!"

Raphael's voice boomed like thunder.

The Blood Angel's power armor servo system roared like a battle cry as he transformed into a crimson afterimage, shredding all enemies in his path and joining the Purifier squad waiting below.

Then he led his comrades into the hall that was originally used for worship by senior believers.

Or perhaps it would be more appropriate to describe this place as a slaughterhouse.

As they rushed into the hall, the stench of decay, which even the strong incense couldn't mask, assaulted their senses.

The former chapel was transformed into a slaughterhouse by a heretical cult.

A skinned corpse and a blood-soaked flag hung on the prayer altar in the center of the chapel.

Piles of stone benches were haphazardly stacked at the entrance of the hall, like building blocks discarded by children. These sacred objects, which should have been for believers to rest, had now become shelters and roadblocks for the confused believers.

Huge bonfires burned on the two walls leading to the altar, the flames a hazy blue that occasionally shifted.

Amidst the flames, charred black figures chained to iron pillars screamed in agony. Their distorted howls mingled with the crackling of the flames, creating a chilling spectacle.

Raphael raised his holy sword high, his voice like thunder, echoing throughout the entire Hall of Blasphemy.

"For humanity!"

(End of this chapter)