Chapter 63 — The Amazon's First Broadcast
The world around Wonder Woman dissolved into white. Her vision pulsed, a faint hum filled her ears, then the floor beneath her solidified with a sharp metallic clang.
She looked down. Steel. Cold, patterned, and faintly luminous beneath her boots. When she lifted her head, she saw the long corridor ahead, tall walls lined with sigils, purity seals, and banners the color of deep Ultramarine blue.
A faint golden light reflected off the steel floor, and above, an arching ceiling hummed with quiet energy. The air was clear, too clear. There was no smell of oil, no trace of metal or dust. It felt real, yet not.
Then, figures began appearing. One by one, silhouettes shimmered into view like flickering holograms.
Naruto appeared first, his orange jacket half-open, looking around with a confused grin.
"Whoa… were back in Gaius ship," he said, turning slowly. His sandals made no sound on the steel deck.
Mindy followed, hands on her hips, glancing around. "We are indeed back. but where is Gaius."
A few more figures phased in, Tony Stark, and Saeko, The space felt less empty now, their virtual forms filling the corridor with faint light.
Wonder Woman looked at them, still adjusting. "So are we watching Gaius broadcast?"
Tony glanced over, his tone casual but polite. "Yeah. Don't worry, you'll get used to it. We are in a virtual form, so we can't be injured here or be even seen." He shrugged lightly. "Anyway, welcome."
Diana's brow furrowed. "Thank you, but where are we?"
Tony said, gesturing around. "We are in Gaius's Space Ship."
Diana gave him a small nod, but said nothing more.
The others began spreading out slightly, gazing around the corridor. There was a stillness here, the kind that carried discipline. Everything was spotless, and even the banners seemed to hang in deliberate perfection.
"Where's Gaius?" Saeko asked, glancing around the hall.
Naruto scratched his head. "Yeah… last time he was already here."
Tony turned, scanning the far end. "He'll show up. Probably just standing somewhere being all—"
He stopped mid-sentence. His eyes locked on a figure at the far end of the corridor, huge, motionless, almost like part of the wall itself.
Naruto frowned. "Is that… him?" As Gaius Changed are huge compare to before so Naruto is not sure, if Gaius is even that.
The figure stood nearly three meters tall, wrapped in armor of deep auramite gold edged with blue. Under the lumen lights it looked more like a statue than a man, etched with symbols, scripture, and battle sigils. A massive warhammer rested beside him, silent and imposing.
Saeko hesitated, her voice quieter now. "Gaius?"
Mindy just kept quiete.
Tony exhaled slowly. "Oh, there he is." He started forward, boots touching the metal floor. "Hey, Gaius, what's the mission this time?"
The "statue" stirred. Slowly, with deliberate weight, the golden warrior straightened. With metals shiftings.
Gaius Maximor Thassor turned to face them, his helm's eyes glowing a steady blue. "I will be coming to a world corrupted by Chaos."
Naruto, Mindy and Saeko exchanged a glance, a mix of awe and disbelief. Whatever had happened to Gaius, he wasn't quite the same person they remembered.
Diana blinked, her warrior instincts rising before she could stop them. It was alive. The still figure she had mistaken for a statue now stood with unmistakable presence, calm, deliberate, powerful.
Curious, she whispered to herself, "Identification."
A panel appeared before her eyes, translucent and written in neat lines:
Gaius Maximor Thassor (Primaris Ultramarine Champion):
A Primaris veteran of over 900 campaigns and more than 30 confirmed planetary warzones.
Once a serve as a cadre of The Blade of the Primarch, and now blessed by the Emperor of Mankind.
Strength approximates that of the Adeptus Custodes.
Clad in Auramite-forged armor. In active service for over three centuries.
Diana froze. The sheer scale of it, three centuries of war, was staggering. She had lived far longer, yes, but most of her life had been in peace or isolation. Her wars were rare, personal. His were endless.
Her fingers clenched slightly at her side.
Before she could speak, the others began using their identification systems too, scanning objects nearby. Panels of glowing data filled the air, visible to every member.
Naruto walked to a nearby wall and scanned a hanging banner.
Ultramarines Banner:
A ceremonial flag bearing the blue and gold colors of the XIII Legion.
Trimmed with gold thread, it bears campaign honors and mottoes of Ultramar.
A symbol of loyalty and unity among the sons of Guilliman.
"Wow," Naruto murmured. "Even the flags Can be Identified,."
Diana stayed quiet, still absorbing the weight of Gaius's presence.
The sound of heavy footsteps echoed from a nearby door. Gaius turned, and a human woman in a plain robe approached, bowing deeply. "Lord Captain Gaius," she said.
Gaius inclined his head slightly. "Continue your duties."
"Yes, my lord." She bowed again and left swiftly, disappearing down a side passage.
Naruto, ever curious, activated identification again.
Lyria Cassane (Ultramarine Chapter Serf):
A sworn servant assigned to aboard the Oath of Rectitude.
Skilled in the maintenance of power armor, sanctified weaponry, and combat seals.
Records kill tallies and devotional rites.
Her service is lifelong, bound by oath and faith.
Naruto frowned slightly. "So… they serve forever?"
Saeko answered quietly. "Remember Naruto, this World is different from ours."
Tony crossed his arms. "Indeed, so don't overreact like last time." (referring when naruto, got his emotions out of controlled when the iron warriors used the psychological tricks by using the screams of innocent people.)
They began following Gaius as he walked toward a massive door at the corridor's end. The group trailed after him, keeping within the ten-meter range that tied their projections to his presence.
As they entered a broader hall, a small floating object drifted toward them, a skull-shaped drone with glowing red optics. It stopped before Gaius and emitted a mechanical voice:
"Welcome to the Navigator Sanctum, Captain Gaius."
The heavy doors before them unlocked and slid open with a deep, mechanical hiss.
Tony, ever curious, flicked a virtual command. "Identification."
Servo-Skull (Navigator Sanctum Access Variant):
Constructed from the sanctified remains of a loyal chapter serf of Ultramarines.
Fitted with auspex scanners, vox emitters, and genetic identification arrays.
Guards access to Navigator Sanctums.
Animated by machine-spirits and bound servitor logic.
The others read the panel silently. Diana's expression changed first, confusion, then disbelief. "So this… this thing was once a person?"
Tony glanced at her, uneasy. "Yeah. Technically."
Diana's voice hardened. "A loyal person. And you turned them into this."
Gaius stopped at the doorway. The servo-skull hovered quietly nearby, oblivious to the exchange.
He turned slightly toward her. "I know who this one was," he said evenly. "A serf under my command. When she could no longer serve, she asked to continue this way, to still be useful."
Diana took a step forward, eyes narrowing. "You allowed that?"
Gaius looked down at her ,not unkindly, but with the weight of someone who had seen too much. "She chose it. And in her world, choice is rare. Service is purpose. Even in death."
He walked forward again. Since their forms were virtual, he passed through her like mist.
Diana's breath caught for a moment, half anger, half disbelief.
Tony placed a hand on her shoulder. "Diana," he said quietly, "his world isn't like ours. You don't get peace here, only survival. People cling to meaning however they can."
Saeko nodded faintly beside him. "To us, it seems cruel. But in his world, it maybe seen as an honor."
Diana didn't reply. Her gaze followed the floating skull as it moved to the side of the Sanctum door, still whispering a faint hymn in a language she couldn't understand.
As they entered the Sanctum, the space widened, vast, dim, and cathedral-like. Blue light filtered through narrow energy conduits in the walls. Along the sides, cherub-like constructs drifted, tiny winged figures reciting low, rhythmic prayers in mechanical tones.
Diana's heart sank as she realized what she was seeing. They looked like infants, or the likeness of them, yet their bodies were part metal, part flesh.
She whispered under her breath, "They even use Babies…"
Tony frowned but didn't answer. Saeko looked away. Naruto's expression turned uneasy.
From the Servo Skull, is the remains of A human, doesn't this mean, this was also a baby once.
Seeing this, Mindy used Identification on the Flying Babies.
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PS: This one was pretty tough to write, trying to make each character's reaction fit their personality isn't easy, but I'll do my best.
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