Warhammer 40: From the League of Humans to Warhammer

Page 106

A gentle aura of spiritual energy appeared in front of the lion's knees and then helped him up.

"In your eyes, am I someone who can't distinguish right from wrong?"

"His fall is not something you can influence. The influence of the Khorne demon within him is not something you can handle. There is only one person who can handle it."

"This matter has nothing to do with you, so don't come in front of me and interfere with my judgment."

Since Leon had appeared on this planet and was commanding the Empire's army to fight in order to protect the Empire, Zhou Qing did not dislike Leon but rather admired him.

To be honest, the war in this region has nothing to do with him, but the fact that he came to this planet to command the battle shows his true nature.

Therefore, Zhou Qing had no ill intentions towards him.

"Stand here. I will handle your brother's situation as appropriate."

Out of goodwill towards Leon for coming here to command the battle, Zhou Qing unusually offered a few more words of explanation.

What can the lion do now that Zhou Qing has said that?

Even the proud Lion King Leon was forced to stand obediently to the side and listen to Zhou Qing's opinion after a few words from him.

That's the authority of an Imperial War Commander. Besides, Zhou Qing was appointed by his father, so he had no way to disobey Zhou Qing.

After exchanging a few words with Leon, Zhou Qing turned his attention back to Angron.

"To be honest, your crimes were not committed by you intentionally, nor were they done voluntarily. They were committed under the manipulation of the Chaos Demon. From this perspective, you should be considered a victim."

"but……"

"Regardless of the circumstances, this body is the one that committed the crimes, and you must bear a portion of the responsibility—"

"For more than 1 years, you have conquered too many human worlds and caused too many of your fellow humans to suffer unbearable pain because of you. This is the crime you have committed."

"Your crimes are so heinous that they are almost impossible to adjudicate, and they have even left me dumbfounded. After all, this is the first time I have ever seen someone who has committed such a heinous crime."

"In order to better judge your actions, I am forced to quote a phrase from ancient Terra: 'to atone for one's sins with good deeds.'"

"Considering your contributions to the human race during the Great Crusade, and the number of humans you saved, your crimes can be largely mitigated."

“Besides, your problems are inextricably linked to your father. He didn’t do his best to save you, so he will bear part of the blame for you.”

"Your father is currently being tortured while he sits on the golden throne, so this part of the guilt is considered to have been absolved from your guilt."

“But even so, you have still committed a crime. If I let you go like this, I will not be able to face all the warriors who sacrificed their lives in this battle.”

"So what follows is my trial of you."

“Angron, the crimes you have committed are far too heinous, and they were committed by your own flesh. Although there are various typical examples and factors at play, and you should not bear the burden of these crimes alone, I will still deliver my verdict for you.”

“I will completely destroy this physical body of yours before me, as a judgment on the sins you have committed.”

After all, your consciousness has been influenced and suppressed by demons, so most of your crimes were committed by your physical body. I will utterly destroy this body.

"Because you are one of our fellow human beings, I will reshape a body for you that suits your soul so that you may continue your life."

But you must atone for the resources you expend to prolong your life, and for the sins you have committed.

"You need to fight for humanity, embark on a redemptive expedition, and lead the army again to liberate more of humanity from the shadows of chaos."

You can only atone for your crimes by saving 10 planets.

"Do you have any objections to this trial I have given you? If you have any objections, you can raise them now, and I will consider them again as appropriate."

In front of everyone, Zhou Qing read out his verdict: destroy Angron's current body, and he must undertake a redemption expedition to save 10 human worlds.

“I have no objection. I confess my crimes and I will atone for them.”

Anglong made no attempt to defend himself, after all, in his own view, the crimes he had committed were already too numerous to count.

How merciful it is that Zhou Qing is now willing to give him a chance to atone for his sins.

Destroying this body, which bears endless pain and violence, is both an end to past sins and a form of liberation.

The opportunity to give him a new life and redemption is based on his identity as a "fellow human being" and the merits he has made.

Fighting for humanity, saving hundreds of thousands of worlds... This is a path of redemption with almost no end in sight, so heavy that it can crush any soul.

But this is precisely the most direct "compensation" for his past destructive behavior.

“This body… has borne too much blood. It shouldn’t continue to exist.” He looked down at his enormous hands that had torn apart countless lives, a deep sense of disgust and relief flashing in his eyes.

“One hundred thousand worlds…” he repeated the number, without fear, only an indescribable sense of relief, “I will complete it. Until my…last moment!”

“Very well, since that’s the case, then the judgment is in effect. Angron, come with me. I will destroy this body of yours and provide you with a new one.”

"I need to execute your body across the entire planet's surface, so that all the soldiers who lost in this battle because of you can rest in peace."

Zhou Qing's judgment was very fair, and Anglong also admitted his mistake. Lai'ang had nothing to say, and he just stood there blankly.

However, Zhou Qing had not forgotten him, and he turned to look at Leon.

"Lord Leon, your brother Guilliman needs your help. Go back to Terra."

After all, Guilliman was the first Primarch to come into contact with him, and the contact time was relatively long, so Zhou Qing still considered Guilliman's feelings.

Even at the very end, he didn't forget to throw Leon back to Terra to handle government affairs with him.

Chapter 161 I'm sorry to you children

Upon hearing Zhou Qing bring up the matter again, Leon's expression suddenly changed, and a constipated look appeared on his face.

The lion is proud, but his pride is selective. When faced with a powerful being like Zhou Qing, who even saved his brother, he has no intention of offending him.

But he really didn't want to go back to Terra to handle government affairs; it wasn't something he should be doing.

The lion looked embarrassed, but at this moment, Angron spoke up to help his brother out of the predicament.

"General, please don't make things difficult for Leon. He's not suited to handling political affairs. Among us brothers, there are only a few who are actually suited to it."

Guilliman is the most suitable person to handle political affairs, while Leon is the least suitable.

“If you send Leon back to handle government affairs, I’m afraid he won’t be able to help Guilliman at all; in fact, he might do more harm than good.”

Angron resolved this problem for Leon, but the way he did so was somewhat undignified.

Zhou Qing looked at Leon with some suspicion. He couldn't believe that there was a Primarch who was not suitable for handling government affairs. Wasn't handling government affairs a skill that every Primarch should possess?

Guilliman handled it quite well.

Sending this Primarch to Terra will not only fail to help Guilliman, but may even make things worse.

Zhou Qing couldn't imagine how such a stupid person could exist in this world, so his gaze toward Leon was full of inquiry.

Leon nodded helplessly under Zhou Qing's gaze, indicating that he was indeed like that.

Since the man himself had said so, what could Zhou Qing do? He could only offer a moment of silence for Guilliman.

"Since that's the case, then we'll have to do it this way, Your Excellency Leon."

So, what are you good at?

The lion behind him was completely unsuitable for handling tasks; in Zhou Qing's view, it was utterly useless. However, since it was a Primarch, it must have something it was good at.

Upon hearing Zhou Qing mention what he was good at, he immediately perked up and spoke up, determined to save face.

"Combat! I excel at commanding combat!"

"You should have contacted Guilliman, right? He should have told you everything I did during the Great Crusade, as well as everything I did during the Great Rebellion."

You should be aware of my loyalty, combat skills, and strategic judgment.

Leon said this to Zhou Qing with a hint of pride.

During the rebellion, his act of cutting off the rebels' last escape route was something he was always proud of.

It was precisely because Leon led the Dark Angels to set fire to Horus's planets during the Horus Rebellion, effectively burning down all the rebel planets, that the human empire did not split in two.

Because Horus knew he had no way out after receiving news that the lion had set fire to his rear.

He had to face a rear riddled with holes, and 30 extreme warriors ramming into his backside.

"I agree with your so-called strategic vision regarding what you have said."

"We were just in need of enough commanders, so your return is a real relief."

Even though Leon had said that, he still maintained a relatively harmonious relationship with Guilliman.

As the first Primarch of the Empire he had ever met, Zhou Qing still wanted to give Guilliman some relaxation.

“Angron, if Leon is incapable of handling government affairs, then what about you?”

Zhou Qing placed his last hope on Anglong.

He didn't believe that all Primarchs only knew how to command combat, since logistics was one of the most crucial aspects of war.

Angron's warp nature dictates that he will be an excellent administrator, capable of sharing others' negative emotions and silently processing them himself.

Such a person is destined to be able to understand others, and being able to understand others is the best thing that can be used to handle political and administrative matters.

Faced with Zhou Qing's earnest hope, Anglong lowered his head in shame.

Zhou Qing expected a gladiator to have the ability to handle political affairs, but unfortunately he was wrong, since he had not received any formal education.

"Okay, I get it. You're all no good, right..."

Zhou Qing shook his head helplessly.

"Let's stop here for now and finish dealing with the war situation first."

Despite the fact that Zhou Qing, Leon, and Anglong chatted for so long, their conversation only lasted a few minutes.

They are still on the battlefield, while the World Eater Legion stands by, quietly watching them.

The Primarch of the World Eater has taken over the Empire's side, so what will become of these traitors?

"The original body..."

"us……"

The Devourers are not good with words, especially now that they too have the Butcher's Nail on their heads. They don't know how to talk to their original cause, because they are now traitors.

The atmosphere was very awkward.

Angron struggled to his feet. His body was not completely destroyed, and because he had been freed, he was still able to walk.

But that was all he could do; he could only walk. He walked up to everyone and looked at his offspring.