Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 38 Ancient Nobles

The golden-armored warrior's words, though muffled and hoarse, were still clearly audible through the breathing grille.

Countless young people who were willing to give their lives for the empire were stunned, unable to understand why the emperor's representative would choose a frail and weak person.

But they dared not raise any questions.

The Imperial Guard possessed supreme power granted by the emperor himself; they were the emperor's mouthpiece and, to some extent, represented the emperor's will.

"Huh?" The young man's mouth gaped open, stunned. He didn't understand why the golden giant had chosen him. He blinked blankly, then pointed at himself woodenly: "Me?"

Before he could react, two men in blue robes rushed up from behind the golden-armored giant, grabbed his arms without a word, and dragged him toward Gate 21.

"The box! My box!"

At this critical moment, the young man disregarded his own life, and a tremendous force burst forth from his emaciated body as he struggled to shake off the gene sorcerer's follower and lunged at his suitcase.

Before he could pounce, a pain shot through his leg, and his body spun 360 degrees in the air as the golden-armored giant precisely grabbed his ankle, suspending him upside down in mid-air.

The Imperial Guards were quite interested; the frail Li Tang was like a captured, skinny monkey in their hands.

"box!"

After realizing what was happening, the young man showed no fear, his face turned fierce, and he kicked the Imperial Guard's gauntlet with his foot, completely ignoring the blood that was being drawn from his ankle.

"Crack." A crisp sound of bone breaking rang out. The reckless struggle resulted in the fragility of his lower leg being broken on the spot. The young man continued his attack on the Imperial Guards with an unwavering expression.

The young man used his other foot to push off the guard's arm, biting his lip to suppress his cries of pain, trying to break his captured calf.

"snort!!!!!!"

Suppressed, painful groans could be clearly heard in the silent square.

On the city wall, the Thunder Warriors and Astartes, who witnessed everything, secretly admired him. Even if it meant self-harm, a mortal would still fight against those arrogant golden-armored warriors.
This tragic act deserves their respect.

The people kneeling on the ground were all drenched in sweat. The sunlight, obscured by dust clouds, seemed to pierce through the clouds and fiercely scorch their will.

Rebelling against the Imperial Guard? It's rebelling against the Emperor's will!

When the vagrant was about to tear his muscles apart, the Imperial Guard finally let go. The vagrant, dragging his crippled body, climbed to the corner of the wall and hugged the small leather suitcase to his chest.

"Commendable courage!" the Imperial Guard said again, showing no anger at being disobeyed, but instead loudly praising the wanderer.

The young man slung the box around his neck, raised his hand to stop the blue-robed man who came to help him, and stubbornly raised his head, saying each word clearly: "I can walk by myself!"

After saying that, he struggled to his feet, leaning against the wall, and limped toward Gate 21.

As the high-speed elevator descends, you can see the outside world through the openwork iron railings and take in the bustling scene.

Thick smoke billows from the factory, and construction is underway on a large scale in the hollowed-out Himalayan mountain range.

"This is my lord's palace," the golden-armored warrior said casually, his tone filled with pride. "Once completed, this magnificent palace will be the tallest building on this planet."

The young man remained silent, clutching his beloved suitcase, his gaze wandering as if he were not admiring the scenery, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

The genetic engineer subtly wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, his lips twitching slightly beneath his robe, but he dared not utter a sound.

It was only because this imperial guard had a good temper; if it were anyone else, they would have given this arrogant vagrant a taste of being punched a dozen times in a second.

"What is that?" The Imperial Guard was not annoyed. He pointed to the small box in the young man's arms and asked again.

The young man remained silent, instinctively clutching the suitcase in his arms even tighter, his body stiffening as if he were very tense.

The Imperial Guards didn't dwell on it, nor did they bother to inspect it.

Anyone who can appear at the recruitment square has definitely passed the security check, so there won't be any surprises.

They didn't think that a young man with a broken leg, pale and emaciated, could cause any trouble in front of the Emperor's guards.

"What's your name?" the golden-armored warrior asked again.

This time, the young man reacted. He carefully looked the Imperial Guard up and down with his dark eyes, pondered for a moment, and then shook his head.

“What a pity,” the Imperial Guard shook his head helplessly. “I think you are very interesting, an extremely stubborn person. Your name is worth engraving on my armor.”

But he saw a hint of contempt in the young man's eyes, though it was well hidden, it was unmistakably real.

With a slight twitch of his fingers, the Imperial Guard re-examined the young man, hoping to discover something more, but ultimately found nothing.

The elevator began to slow down, indicating that it was nearing its destination. The young man's face was calm, without fear or expectation. His hoarse voice, weak from hunger, asked the gene sorcerer, "Will I die?"

"Yes!" The gene sorcerer answered rationally without hesitation, but then, remembering the Emperor's presence, he immediately added, "Maybe not!" When the laboratory door opened, the young man, without asking for help, stubbornly walked forward, his brow beaded with sweat.

I was sweating profusely and gritting my teeth.

The Imperial Guards shook their heads, wondering where the young man's pride came from and why he was so stubborn.

"Plato~" The exclamation, filled with surprise, rang out from a burst of light.

Vast as the sea and bright as a bell, yet there were pauses in his speech, as if he hadn't spoken for a long time: "You brought me an extraordinary gift."

Plato knelt on one knee, holding his spear. The Imperial Guards hadn't heard the Emperor's voice in a long time; most of the time, his great and ruthless voice resonated directly in their minds.

The young man also heard the voice. He looked up and saw the most sacred radiance, the greatest leader, and the most divine face.

Everything was just as he had seen in his dream. So familiar, so intimate, so captivating.

The youth's knees buckled uncontrollably, and he almost knelt down on the spot, accepting his admonition and becoming his servant.

Unexpectedly, he did not kneel down.

In the instant his knee bent, he forced his broken leg forward, and the throbbing pain from his very bones jolted him awake.

"A false illusion!" The young man still looked up, staring directly at the divine light, blood streaming from the corner of his mouth as he bit his tongue.

A hoarse voice trembled, uttering an indomitable cry: "Don't try to deceive me! Don't try to control me!"

His exhausted roar echoed in the laboratory; his clarity of mind surprised the Imperial Guards and everyone else.

The Imperial Guard had seen many people of unwavering will, and they all bowed down before the Emperor's radiance.

This young man truly withstood the emperor's radiance with his willpower.

"Li Tang!" The emperor called out the young man's name—a surname that originated from Earth's time, representing a truly ancient noble bloodline.

"Who are you!" The moment Li Tang's name was called, his mind went into overdrive, and he tried to turn and run, but found that he couldn't move his body.

He felt as if everything about him had been seen through. Every thought of his was being discerned by the radiant being, and his past and future were being examined.

Li Tang felt... no! He was certain that he was like a book, naked and defenseless, being read page by page.

"You don't know me, and I didn't know you before either." The Emperor smiled, a rare occurrence, amidst the radiance: "But I know your genetic ancestors!"

Li Tang only had distrust in his eyes; he wouldn't believe such nonsense!

The golden-glowing person said "knows," not "has seen," indicating that the person in front of them has lived for at least 30,000 years!

"Hmm~" The Emperor was unusually nostalgic, his True One armor gently tapping the ground: "In the seventh century, he established a powerful unified dynasty on this land. Heavenly Khan! I clearly remember that's what people called him back then!"

"All nations come to pay tribute, and all barbarians submit." The emperor uttered this sentence in an ancient pronunciation.

Those present could not hear it, but the Emperor's power made them understand its meaning.

Plato, a member of the Imperial Guard, looked at the proud and upright Li Tang and felt a sense of relief in his eyes, understanding where the pride of the thin young man came from.

Inherited from the primitive era, having experienced the colonial era, and witnessing the golden age, this lineage truly dares to look at anyone with disdain.

The so-called Terran nobles are those forces conquered by the Emperor or those that voluntarily joined the human empire, and are granted titles by the Emperor himself.

Despite its orthodoxy and authority, in terms of the antiquity of its bloodline, it is worlds apart from the one before us.

"Although I hate fate, I have to marvel at its wonder. At the beginning of a great era, some people always inexplicably come together."

"Li Tang. Named after a great dynasty." The emperor said, "I see your pride, your indomitable spirit, your unwillingness to accept defeat, and your confusion."

"There it is! No one can do it now!" The Emperor pointed to the blood-stained operating table: "Now I'm giving you a chance, a power that can allow you to restore the glory of your ancestors. Are you willing to seize it?"

Li Tang looked at the operating table, then at the emperor.

He saw through the golden figure's words; though they were persuasive, he knew he had no other choice.

He didn't believe that simply refusing would get him out of there.

"Keep it safe!" Li Tang handed the leather bag in his hand to the golden-armored warrior, and then climbed onto the operating table without any hesitation.

　Li Tang was a very important figure. Without you, there would be no 21st Army Corps!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)