Sky Curtain: The Darwin Incident at the outset, the Declaration of the People's League

The streets of Z city.

"Might makes right, power brings freedom, dictatorship maintains peace, and the blade points to the frontier of the empire."

Saitama uttered those words softly, then suddenly twitched the corner of his mouth.

“Classic dictatorial rhetoric, but it doesn’t seem wrong when applied to them.”

"To possess ultimate power, yet not to use it for personal gain or domination, but to uphold order, maintain the balance of the void, and use power to protect all living beings—that is the true hero."

Chapter 80 An Era Even Traitors Recall with Utmost Pride

The感慨 (feelings/reflections) from various parts of the world did not last long.

The sky only darkened for a moment before the screen lit up again.

It was a tall, menacing figure from behind.

Standing atop the scorched earth, crimson smoke and dust shrouded the entire battlefield, and the dark red light of the sky painted everything in a hue of despair.

He was clad in chaotic power armor covered in spikes and bone ornaments, with a tattered black cloak hanging from his shoulder armor, fluttering in the hot wind.

He held a spiked mace-like object in one hand, the blade still glistening with undried blood.

His other hand was a giant, power claw that gleamed with a cold light, its blades curled like the claws of a demon.

He gazed silently into the distance.

The outlines of several giant war mechs appeared and disappeared in the mist, and crimson energy beams pierced the sky.

The two forces are at war.

The broken metal truss points diagonally to the sky, as if erecting a tombstone for this glorious battle that has long since ended.

…………

"Is it him...?"

The imperial guards' explosive pistols trembled slightly in their hands, and their breaths suddenly froze beneath their golden armor.

"It's him……"

Someone whispered the name, their voice filled with a hatred and sorrow that had lingered for a thousand years.

"Commander..."

On Terra, anyone who has heard that history can recognize that figure at a glance.

The man who once stood beside the emperor.

Horus Lupecal.

The world of veterans during the Great Expedition.

A remote agricultural planet

An old man sitting on the edge of the field shakily raised his cane and pointed to the sky.

He was so excited that he couldn't say anything he wanted to say.

After struggling for a long time, he finally managed to utter only two words.

"traitor--"

His grandchildren clutched the crude model of the bomb gun, their eyes filled with confusion.

"Grandpa, isn't he a traitor? The church says he's the incarnation of the devil."

The old man remained silent for a long time, and finally just sighed and slammed his cane heavily on the ground.

“He was a traitor… but he was also the one who led us and drove the darkness out of the galaxy.”

The wind swept across the fields, whipping up waves of wheat, while in the distance, church bells wailed, as if mourning a cursed glory.

The Dark Angels' Ravenwing Knights reined in their mounts, their gazes lingering on the figure's retreating back.

The Ultramarines' think tank curators closed the books, with operational briefings from the Great Crusade still tucked between the pages.

It bears Horus's signature, the characters of which are strong and sharp.

The wolves of Space Wolves let out deep howls towards the sky, their howls echoing among the mountains.

Hatred!

Nostalgia!

Two emotions were tearing at the hearts of every soldier.

He was once the role model for all Astartes, and the most dazzling star of mankind.

War General...

Rebellion...

Humanity's...traitor!

…………

As the screen lit up, a piece of music suddenly started playing.

[Memories~]

[Without realizing it~]

The colors have faded.

The screen changes according to the syllables.

First, outside the planet, several massive warships were constantly dropping supplies to the ground; their silver-gray hues inspired a sense of coldness and awe.

Next, the camera pans to the front.

The figure in power armor was finally shown in a close-up shot.

The heavy black power armor was covered with spikes and bone ornaments, and the fur on the shoulder armor had long been charred black by war and blood.

The one-eyed rune in the center of his breastplate gleamed eerily in the crimson light, and the skull hanging at his waist clattered with his movements.

His right hand gripped the blood-stained wolf-tooth warhammer tightly.

The giant power claw on its left hand was slightly curled, with fragments of unburnt armor still clinging to its claw blade.

He stood in the middle of the scorched earth, with the burning wreckage of imperial warships and broken trusses behind him.

Crimson dust churned around him.

【But those vows of eternal love~】

Several power armored vehicles continuously fired ammunition and fought each other in the dimly lit environment.

How can I forget?

An Imperial Knight was unleashing the flames from its Flame Cannon, the golden-red tongues of fire like enraged dragons, viciously devouring the Chaos Warriors in front of it.

The knight's armor gleamed with a cold, hard metallic sheen in the firelight, and the single-eye-shaped cockpit lens burned with a resolute light. Every step he took on the scorched earth sent up shattered bones and dust.

Engulfed in flames were Chaos Space Marines clad in heavy black armor.

Their armor was covered in spikes and chaotic runes, and bloodstained skulls and chains hung from their shoulder armor.

Some charged through the flames, brandishing power axes and explosive guns, while others lay dead in pools of blood, black smoke still billowing from the gaps in their armor.

It feels like I'm standing alone on that three-foot-high red platform.

The scene was spread out.

The embers of war flickered on the scorched earth, turning the entire battlefield into a dark, despairing landscape.

Thick smoke, like a heavy black curtain, obscured the already dim starry sky. Only the bursting flames and the blue-white arcs of energy weapons tore through the smoke and dust, providing brief glimmers of light.

The outlines of several Space Marine power armors were faintly visible in the firelight; some knelt on the muddy, scorched earth, while others leaned against the tattered armor bunkers.

The roar of bomb guns and plasma cannons continued to tear through the air.

The blue-white plasma beams intertwined with the orange-red flames, gnawing every inch of land into charred ruins.

Broken weapons, shattered armor fragments, and the long-cooled bodies of comrades lay scattered on the ground, amidst murky smoke and the smell of gunpowder.

The massive cannon barrels in the distance pointed diagonally to the sky, but no more shells were fired; only silent wreckage remained, bearing witness to a battle that had long since exhausted all glory and hope.

"You will die here!"

"How dare you commit such blasphemy!"

Roars echoed across the battlefield; the war continued, without end.

Who will come for me?

[A booing sound erupts]

The terminator of the Emperor's Sons Legion stood in the burning palace corridor, his armor gleaming with a cold, metallic sheen amidst the flames of war.

He was clad in Terminator power armor, a blend of gray and dark gold, with draped white fabric hanging from his shoulder armor.

The skull emblem in the center of their breastplates stood out starkly against the smoke of battle, and the rivets and engravings on their armor still bore traces of undried gunpowder and blood.

A crimson light burned through the slits in the helmet, like an enraged falcon staring intently at the traitor ahead.

He gripped the power sword tightly in one hand, the blade gleaming with a deadly cold light in the firelight, the tassel swaying slightly with his breath.

His other hand rested on the grip of the heavy weapon, the barrel still warm from the recent firing.

Behind him, the palace windows shattered in the gunfire, and flames and smoke poured in through the gaps, making his figure look like a war god who had stepped out of an epic.

Grant me a chance to love.

Why did you leave in such a hurry again...?

The hand-to-hand combat between the traitors and the Imperial Guards continued, the crisp sound of clashing armor and the shrill blasts of energy weapons intertwining, the two sides locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.

Just as the melody reached its climax, the scene abruptly ended, and the sky returned to darkness.

But the next second, another sound came from the sky.

The Great Expedition: an era that even traitors felt proud of.

…………