The Astartes Family's Notebook

When irreconcilable conflicts arise within the Astartes Chapter, there is a fine tradition of settling scores in one-on-one duels. If a military association does not rely on force, should it always have to petition and complain to the Holy Terra?

Therefore, the Grey Knight's proposal was quickly approved.

You're so arrogant, you want to take on fifteen people at once? Come on, let's rip your hoods off.

However, once the specific rules for the duel were announced, Master Leothers immediately became known as the "old thief of the Inquisition" in the eyes of some.

Because this great mentor of the court has been deeply involved in the field of compromise and mediation for four hundred years, he has quite a few tricks up his sleeve when it comes to coaxing children.

The final outcome of the competition will be determined by the overall champion of this tournament, who will decide the solution to the root conflict, namely, how the purification operation of Omidas's Nest City will be carried out.

But what is the procedure for the duel? The White Scars, Black Knights, Black Sanctuary, Desolate Wings, and Sons of Guilliman, each of these five factions will send one person with two red sticks and one person with two red sticks, for a total of three people. The Gray Knights will send one person, for a total of sixteen people from the six factions.

The players are assigned to teams by name, then paired up by drawing lots. The round of 16 is down to 8, then another round of drawing lots, then 8 to 4, then another round of drawing lots, then 4 to 2, and finally the final battle at the top of the sky.

Is it fair?

fair.

Is it really fair?

Demanding fairness in a rigged cup? Are you out of your mind?

Just during the draw for the round of 16 to 8, Da Jun and Zhou Xingxing managed to turn all the name tags into blank sheets. Do they really think the Astartes Institute is just sitting around doing nothing?

So after another round of arguments, the Grey Knight started taunting everyone.

"If you don't accept that, fifteen against fifteen is fine too. We Grey Knights are willing to concede defeat if we lose one game."

If it were in the style of a Hong Kong slapstick comedy, someone would have already jumped out, drawn out an "oh," then raised their index finger and pointed, saying something like, "You said it, you can't go back on your word."

but.

In the Astartes, one's identity is self-made, and one's reputation is earned through fighting.

Who the hell do you think you are?

The Black Knight, who originally just wanted to get away as quickly as possible, and Guilliman's son, who was just there for show, also got angry.

Leothus, you old scoundrel, fine, you're good at scheming, so be it, let's draw!

This draw revealed the true colors of a seasoned thief.

The Wings of Desolation were furious.

Originally, Motor Sic was planning to form a formidable trio with Ingus and Tyrant to compete.

However, Ingus and Tyrant both advised him to calm down.

"What do you two mean? Are you looking down on me?"

"No, no, it's not that serious. Motor Sich, we're both Astartes selected from around the world, I know your skill level. But now that you're a company commander, you have to allow me to speak the truth, right? There's a big difference between real combat and duels, you're not suitable."

Tyrant thought he had been very tactful, but it still infuriated Motor Sich.

"Ingus, what do you say?"

"Company commander, calm down."

I'm calming down! @#%*……&#@#!

Despite his anger, Madsich understood that if Ingus and Tyrant both objected, it would prove that his presence on the field might really be a recipe for disaster.

"So who do you think is the most suitable candidate from the company?"

"Kaz".

"Kaz".

Motor Sich has really had enough this time.

That Kars who only knows how to frantically call the company commander for help?!

Unable to tolerate it any longer, Motor Sich summoned Kars to the dueling arena, ready to personally demonstrate the veteran's strength.

Then, Ingus and Tyrant cleared the four bastards who wanted to watch the show out of the dueling arena.

Then, Kaz was added to the sixteen-person tournament roster.

Combat experience can be accumulated through training and actual combat, but combat instinct, which is somewhat mystical, is innate.

Motor Sich had to admit that unless he used his ultimate technique, Bomb Iai, he was no match for Kars in close-quarters combat.

This kid's progress is outrageous. At the recruit induction ceremony, Motor Sich was confident he could completely control Kaz, but now even wearing Terminator armor, he can't touch him.

A born killer.

Kaz was also confused.

what?

What?

Who?

I!

"Stop looking, it's you. Although your martial arts skills are still lacking, your willpower is enough to make up for it."

Tyrant explained.

"The previous matches weren't important; the match against the Gray Knight was the most important."

However, the reason he was able to defeat the company commander was because he didn't activate the force field shield. Without the shield, the Terminator Armor's iron-clad advantage couldn't be shown, but its disadvantage in mobility was exposed. This competition had no practical reference value.

Katz was clear-headed and did not think he was better than Company Commander Motor Sich.

"That's not what I meant. All Grey Knights are psionicists."

Kaz still couldn't understand Ingus's explanation, but Motor Sich had already grasped the meaning.

Considering that, Katz is indeed a better fit than himself.

"Kid, do you know what you need to be most wary of when fighting a psionicist?"

"I can't help it," Madsich said.

"To prevent him from spraying me in the face with psionic lightning?"

Tyrant kicked Kaz without hesitation, knocking him to the ground.

"It's mental suppression! If the Grey Knights dare to use attacks like psionic lightning or psionic chokeholds, they'll lose even if they win. So they'll definitely choose a more covert method of mental attack."

Motor Sich reached out and pulled Kaz up.

"You little rascal, the way you were so shameless during your recruit ceremony, trying to scratch Tyrant's breastplate even if it meant sacrificing your dignity, makes you a good angel of the Emperor."

No, that's it!

Is this a compliment?

As a lower-class horse, Katz was selected.

Then, in the first round of the draw, Tyrant will face Ingus.

It's all a cover-up!

RNM, refund my money!!!

Oh, the Black Knights are also fighting a civil war, then it's alright.

Chapter 51 Pre-Match Special Training

Our imperial criminal forces are sponsoring this Black Cup martial arts tournament, but it's just a formality. All we want is the championship. We urge all participants to be sensible. The organizing committee will not accept any complaints or questions.

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Kaz was overjoyed.

Ingus, Tyrant, and Madsich, the three best players in the company, tutored him together, and he really learned a lot.

The Astartes Chapter is a military and religious organization with a strong fraternal atmosphere. They treat you like a brother, and veterans are willing to pass on their skills to new recruits. But if they don't like you, they'll think, "Who the hell are you?"

Some people like Kaz and feel a connection with the younger brother, while others dislike Kaz and want to establish a seniority system.

Especially considering that Katz has only been back in the team for less than a year, he has already received two company commendations, which does indeed raise suspicions of being "lucky" to get promoted.

Being good at networking is only a prerequisite for getting promoted; being good at doing things is the foundation for advancement.

Motor Sich was no novice; on the contrary, the company commander's tactical and technical skills were quite high.

In particular, the close-quarters combat techniques for using explosive guns are comparable to gunfighting, possessing a dazzling beauty.

Wow, it turns out that Astartes really can apply an initial angular momentum to the launched projectile by flicking its wrist, thus achieving an arc-shaped trajectory.

However, Motor Sich only showed off his ability to uphold the dignity of the company commander before abruptly ending the performance.

That's not what he taught Katz.

It is a technique of releasing the opponent's hand.

Most Astartes learn the Kyokugenryu swordsmanship from the Astartes Codex.

No matter how much you criticize Guilliman, if the Primarch uses his swordsmanship to instruct ordinary Astartes, you can't find any fault with him; the difference in skill level is undeniable.

However, basic swordsmanship is not enough to reach the level of a sword immortal. The Ultimate Style swordsmanship is sufficient for cutting down aliens and heretics, but it falls short during the Astartes Civil War.

How do I counter a move taught by the same master?

Therefore, those who have some talent in swordsmanship will try to innovate.

Motor Sich later switched to marksmanship because he had reached a dead end in swordsmanship, and his talent did not allow him to continue down that path.

This doesn't mean the fourth company commander is weak; rather, it means he has fully realized his swordsmanship talent.

So it took Kaz four hours to learn a simple hand-switching technique.

Astartes' reaction speed is measured in nanoseconds. Ordinary fancy tricks have no effect on these superhumans; without skill, they are all flaws.

But what Madsich taught Kaz was different; it was his trump card for survival in battles against Eldar tribe warriors, a battlefield skill honed through countless trials.

Astartes' body is its most powerful weapon; the power sword and chainsaw are merely extensions of it. Mastering the hand-switching technique means that at crucial moments you can swing your sword wide and deliver a punch, or bypass a defensive stance and strike your opponent.

The technique was good, but after Motor Sich left, Ingus and Tyrant both warned Katz that Motor Sich had been wearing the Terminator Armor for too long and his brain had become hardened. They warned him not to treat this technique as a regular method and to always remember that the more fancy the moves, the faster he would die.

Kaz thought about it and realized that what the two of them said was right. When you are weaker than others, using this move will likely result in failure.

Then, instead of teaching Katz any tricks, Ingus sent him a small program to make an image backup of the original driver for the Magnetic Boots before installing it.

After doing so, Katz discovered that the program was Ingus's own optimized magnetic boot output controller.

As is well known, Space Marines are rooted to the ground for two reasons: firstly, their combined weight with their power armor is over 400 kilograms, almost half a ton; secondly, their magnetic boots allow them to weld their Astartes to the metal floor.

The little program that Ingus created optimized the circuit logic of the magnetic boot and shortened the feedback time. Katz tried it and found it worked great.

"Time is of the essence, and I don't have any so-called killer techniques to teach you. Just use it, but remember to adjust the parameters according to your own usage habits. Don't just copy it blindly."

Ingus was actually quite interested to see what Tyrant would teach Kaz, but Tyrant just stared straight at him.

Ingus was too comprehensive; he actually understood what Tyrant's tactical helmet meant and left immediately.

“Kid, you’re the same type of Astartes as me.”

Tyrant got straight to the point, first criticizing Ingus and Madsich.

"So forget about those two things they told you for now."

"During the recruit ceremony, you thought the non-powered backpack duel weakened my strength and gave you an opportunity, but that's a misconception. It's only a 200-kilogram load; I can fight all day without the power backpack. We Astartes are the Emperor's extraordinary creations; as long as you train, you can do it too. So what can truly narrow the gap in strength is the power backpack's auxiliary output."

After Tyrant finished speaking, he suddenly threw a punch at Kaz's tactical helmet. Kaz was prepared and raised his hand in time, but he was a beat too slow. Tyrant's fist landed on Kaz's helmet without penetrating it.

"So do you understand now? Reaction speed, force control, and reasonable prediction are all part of close combat. There aren't that many fancy tricks."

Tyrant withdrew his arm and continued to impart his experience.

“As I said, Ingus is too well-rounded; he’s the kind of Astartes without any obvious weaknesses. If I were completely unaware of this beforehand and we happened to fight on the battlefield, I would most likely be the one who dies. A person without weaknesses is truly terrifying. But in a duel, Ingus will probably never be able to beat me in his entire life. Do you know why?”

Kaz didn't reply. He was capable of multitasking and remembered how Ingus dealt with the World Eater War Gang Terminator. So he couldn't understand how a 5A-level powerhouse like Ingus could never beat Tyrant in his entire life.

"Because he overthinks it."

To Katz, Tyrant's answer wasn't an answer at all.

“Kid, I know what you’re thinking. I’ve said it before, you and I are the same type of Astartes. Our Astartes’ thinking and reaction speed is measured in nanoseconds. Ingus and I are not much different in terms of neural reaction speed, but he is too well-rounded. His thinking is too divergent and his mind is too broad. His brain drags down his body, which means that in close combat, my reaction speed is only about one to two nanoseconds faster than his.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Tyrant used the same trick again, this time with Kaz blocking his punch.