Chapter 359 Funeral

There is no scent of dripping wax or spreading ointment. There are no hymns chanted in low voices, no prayers and pre-shedding tears.

There is only the industrial smell of detergents and polishing powder, the olfactory stimulation of the aldehydes and ketones produced by the decomposition of steel ions, and the low hum of power armor.

More than 50,000 Astartes warriors stood quietly in the monument room in the center of the Iron Wyrm, fully armed and solemn. Bright light fell from the dome along the huge steel monument, outlining the names engraved in High Gothic on the iron monument from top to bottom, and then illuminated the tens of thousands of armored vehicles in formation and the silent and resolute faces.

Their armor was only cleaned at the beginning after the battle. After the Battle of Satrada Abyss, both the Astartes warriors and the Legion Auxiliary Army that filled the gaps outside the Legion's tactical inclinations were trapped in the fatigue brought by the war, especially the Iron Warriors Legion.

These iron warriors, wearing iron-gray armor and plain colors, surrounded by bright yellow, blood-red, gray-white, and dark blue power armor warriors, are like a solid and cold bedrock. They are not eye-catching, but indispensable.

Amid the distant sound of mechanical bells, the funeral procession wearing ceremonial black armor entered the monument room and escorted five black iron coffins engraved with imperial patterns and mottos.

Each legion selected several high-ranking officers to pay deep respects for this large funeral. The black iron coffin did not contain the actual body of the deceased, but the fragments of shoulder armor, abdominal armor, helmets and other armor of the deceased from the five legions, which made the black coffin particularly heavy.

Perturabo stood under the monument, wearing his steel armor, paying the highest silence to the coffins of the sacrificed soldiers, waiting for the ceremonial team to pass through the entire huge memorial hall and come to him.

The remaining Primarchs stood quietly on the second-floor platform and waited. Konrad Curze, Lord of the Night Demon Court, chose to stand with Sanguinius, Lord of the Blood Angels, while the remaining two stood on the other side of the platform.

"I was also assigned a coffin." Curze whispered softly, looking at the black iron coffin escorted by his warriors, his face particularly pale. "We."

"Of course," Sanguinius replied, his eyes never leaving the escorting ceremony team. "Your offspring also contributed blood to this battle."

Curze did not speak. Sanguinius did not care.

At the victory celebration a few days ago, the archangel walked among the warriors, observing the hearts of these warriors, analyzing whether the light in their eyes symbolized the existence of hope or the numbness caused by pain or loss, and appropriately and neutrally praised their achievements, and encouraged and comforted some of them at the right time.

The silent and firm will of these legions gave him a certain surprise and comfort, and of course, the bitterness that followed.

Whether it was the Astartes or the Legion Auxiliary Army, the warriors were shaped by the battle into a different appearance from the ordinary people, not afraid of life and death, and only faith remained. Although this was a necessary move, it did not make the angels happy.

The ceremonial team placed the black coffin on the ground, and the respective military flags were passed from one pair of armored hands to another. Finally, they were received by the senior officers at the front of the ceremonial team and gently placed on the surface of the black coffin, covering and flattening it.

The Iron Skull Insignia of the Iron Warriors, the Winged Blood of the Blood Angels, the Ringed Skull of the Death Guard, the Clenched Iron Fist of the Imperial Fist, and the Bat-winged Skull of the Night Demon King's Court.

Five flags covered the iron coffin, and Perturabo announced a five-minute silence.

The Iron Lord once said that if the ritual was too long, people would not be able to focus on the meaning behind the ritual. Therefore, the procedure should be simplified and the time should be limited to highlight the theme of the ceremony and make the spirit that should be respected be valued. In his opinion, five minutes of silent mourning was enough for the Emperor's warriors.

Then, Perturabo asked the warriors of each legion who wanted to express their condolences to come forward and make speeches, stand under the iron monument where he was, and express their respective thoughts. In this link, military ranks were no longer restricted.

From the war blacksmiths and the commanders of the regiments of the same level to the most ordinary sergeants, some of them reported the names of the dead who were familiar to them, telling about their past interactions, how the dead sacrificed for the Great Crusade in front of them, and the last moment they fell, the dignified posture they left to the world, and the sorrow imprinted in the hearts of the survivors.

Curze looked at the serious warrior who was giving a eulogy on the stage and recognized the face with clear contours and no smile. The warrior's expression was exactly the same as Perturabo's, who was standing on the stage at the moment. Even though he was wearing the same ceremonial black armor, he could tell at a glance that he was a warrior under Perturabo's command without paying attention to his legion emblem.

"Do you know him?" he asked in a low voice.

"He just introduced himself, Eric Anderson, the commander of the second battalion of the Iron Warriors."

"That means you don't know him," Curze shrugged, expressionless, "He is a celebrity... but the relatives of a great celebrity will also die."

"Relatives... the two missing warriors that Perturabo was waiting for at the end?" From Eric Anderson's description, Sanguinius immediately recognized the existence of the two warriors that Perturabo had been waiting for for a long time.

Although Barabas Dantioch and Zoran Anderson were still registered as missing, their names had been engraved on the steel inscription, and now they were silently overlooking the entire monument hall.

In an earlier speech, Alexis Pollax, a captain of the Imperial Fists, also mentioned the existence of their battalion commander, and his tone was almost choked. This was a rare example among the warriors who mostly took the stage to mourn the dead of their own legions.

"Of course, of course..." Curze said, and suddenly noticed that the captain of Rogal Dorn's Haskar Guard appeared beside the Primarch and made a report in a low voice.

After listening, Dorn frowned, nodded to Mortarion, and immediately turned and strode away.

"How rude," Curze said sarcastically.

Sanguinius patted Curze's back with his wings, "It must be an important matter to allow Rogal Dorn to leave early from the funeral presided over by Perturabo."

"Of course I understand," Curze said gloomily, leaving the iron railing, walking around to the darkness behind, and whispering a few words to the shadow. In the shadows, a blue light flashed.

——

"Introduce the situation." Rogal Dorn said calmly, his pace slightly faster than usual, forcing Akamus to jog to keep up.

"The shape of the spacecraft is not in any of the Empire's books. It is initially judged that it has been in service for more than two thousand years. It is equipped with a variety of complex weapons and has no intention of firing for the time being." Akamus followed the Primarch closely with a data board in his arms. "Its signal is not registered. But it accurately dialed into our signal channel and sent greetings in Gothic."

"What does it ask?"

"To meet you, my lord."

Rogal Dorn was silent for a few seconds, turned and walked through the tunnel to the connection of the Iron Wing's multiple loop passages.

"Perturabo, you heard it." He said to the front, knowing that there must be a camera device that can capture audio and video hidden in the dark, and the Lord of Iron must be monitoring the situation inside the Iron Wing. "I need to return to the Phalanx."

Thirty seconds later, the shuttle connecting the first inner ring and the second inner ring of the Iron Wing arrived in front of the two at the fastest speed.