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Although the holiday had only just begun, Jane Doe had already been forced back into work. After she reported that the "Fantasy" auction had been sabotaged, the smuggling syndicate's boss immediately assigned her a new task.
Ignis felt a trace of regret over this, but he had more important matters to attend to now.
The Hollow that had trapped Sergeant Calyx was not far from Cerakos's home. Even for Miss Cecilia, it would only take about half an hour on foot. She stood there crying as the fully armed Salamander emerged from the subway station, the sight overwhelming her completely.
He was unlike the Salamander—he did not possess a formal New Eridu citizen identity, let alone an HIA Hollow Investigator status. A simple check by the Public Security Bureau would immediately reveal him as an undocumented individual.
Although, by the standards of a Space Marine's power, the Public Security Bureau could do nothing to him, this noble Son of the Emperor had no desire to violate local law. After all, there was still a mortal young lady beside him whom he needed to protect. Even though the Bureau's influence in the Faunus Quarter was limited, openly clashing with them was never a good idea.
"You're already tall, I know that, but once you put on the armor, you're way too big!" Cecilia craned her neck to look at the giant, feeling dizzy just from staring.
The pedestrians around them looked as if they had seen a ghost. Some had already taken out their phones to start filming. After all, it was rare to see a giant taller than a one-story building, carrying a door-sized shield with a hammer hanging at his waist.
"Your armor looks just like a Terminator's," Cerakos said enviously. "It's far better than ours."
"Mark X Gravis Power Armor," Ignis replied calmly. "Enhanced protection at the cost of mobility. Gains and losses are well balanced. Let's go—we should help him find release."
To avoid accidentally destroying the grape trellis in the yard, Ignis chose to wait outside. The place where the two of them lived was quite remote. Ignis noticed a modified motorcycle—its wide tires and reinforced frame made it obvious that it was Cerakos's ride. Beside it was a much smaller electric bike, clearly Cecilia's, with a cute Bangboo charm hanging from the handlebars.
Cerakos took some time to don his Power Armor. After all, the MK VII Aquila-pattern Power Armor was an older model and could not compare to the modular design of the MK X Tactical Power Armor. Even taking it off was more cumbersome, and doing the process alone was genuinely troublesome. Fortunately, this Lamenter was not overly reserved and simply stepped out to let the Salamander assist him.
With Ignis's help, the process became much faster.
"Looks like I'll really need a mechanical rig to help me put armor on and off quickly," Cerakos said, patting the Salamander's abdominal plate. "That said, you're really huge. Even the Salamanders who deliver us supplies aren't built like you."
"Primaris technology, my friend," Ignis explained. "We have three additional augmentations beyond yours. The Magnificat allows us to grow taller, implanted sinew coils grant us greater strength, and the Belisarian Furnace can trigger emergency recovery when we are on the brink of death."
"That sounds incredible," Cerakos said with clear envy. "So… does that mean we've been phased out?"
"You are called the Firstborn, and you can also undergo Primaris conversion," Ignis recalled. "But the failure rate is extremely high—early data reached 61.6%."
"That sounds terrible," Cerakos said, blinking. "If it were me, I wouldn't dare undergo that surgery."
"Still, the Lamenters have replenished their ranks with many Primaris Space Marines. Your Chapter continues to fight for the defense of humanity."
Ignis did not tell him that after the influx of Primaris, the incidence of the Black Rage among the Lamenters had been steadily increasing. The number of Death Company brothers had multiplied several times compared to before. If this Son of the Angel knew that, he would not be pleased.
"Once this is over, I'll need to consider when to visit that Ancient Warrior. Will he really like the gift you mentioned? I was thinking wouldn't it be better to prepare a sculpture or something instead?"
Cerakos continued to ponder the matter. No matter how he thought about it, visiting a Dreadnought from the Siege of Terra era with beer and fried chicken felt utterly surreal.
"I honestly think it's fine even if you bring nothing," Ignis said. "He's living the life he wants now—work he enjoys, people who maintain his chassis, the occasional fight, food and drink. He's quite happy."
"Sounds like he really is enjoying life here. You too—look at the side plates on your waist, those graffiti markings. I'm a bit jealous," Cerakos pointed at the drawings left by orphanage children on the Salamander's armor. "And the one on your thigh plate—who designed that? It's beautiful."
"You like it? I can introduce you someday," Ignis said. "A kid I met here—has real talent for art. If a Son of the Angel like you could teach him a thing or two, that would be wonderful." He naturally thought of the Blood Angels' renowned artworks. If Emile could learn something from that—no, that boy would definitely learn a great deal.
"Having an official identity really is nice," Cerakos sighed.
"If you truly need it, I can activate my network and probably get you a legal identity," Ignis said, seeing his expression and deciding to help.
"I'm doing just fine without that," the Lamenter said, turning his gaze toward Cecilia.
"You two should stop talking about this already," the young lady said as she mounted her ride. "Let's go and come back quickly. I still have a lot of Hollow data to calibrate."
"Young people are always so impatient," Cerakos shrugged. "Let's move out."
"Yes, yes, Grandpa Cerakos!" Cecilia said unhappily. "In your eyes, I'm always just a little girl who never grows up."
Ignis saw it clearly—the Lamenter was forcing himself to appear relaxed, but in truth he was tense. For example, he had even hung his scabbard backward, the decorative side facing himself. Clearly, abandoning Brother Calyx inside the Hollow weighed heavily on him.
Cecilia rode her small electric bike behind the two Space Marines. To accommodate the Salamander in heavy armor, Cerakos ran at a slower pace. In less than five minutes, they arrived near the Hollow.
The young lady locked her bike and took a cylindrical device from the rear storage box.
"Perfect, let's test this scavenged Hollow rescue collection pylon," she said. "I hope it's not too badly damaged. Let's go."
After entering the Hollow, Ignis immediately noticed the extreme degree of spatial distortion. The Faunus Quarter was not prosperous—more like the urban-rural fringe of New Eridu, with few high-rise buildings and mostly low structures. Yet here, the buildings floated in midair for unknown reasons, like miraculous sky islands. Roads stretched upward like ribbons, linking these islands together until the view was swallowed by hazy mist.
"This is really…" Ignis stared at the bizarre scene, momentarily speechless. He knew that space warped inside Hollows, but this was his first time seeing something like this.
"It's strange, right?" Cecilia said as she took out her phone and began reading the data. "The fluctuation rate is very high today. We might encounter a large number of Ethereals. I heard a gang has recently set its sights on this Hollow's resources. I hope they don't cause too much trouble."
"Follow me. Based on my calculations, there should be an unstable spatial node nearby that leads upward."
The two Space Marines followed the young lady toward a depression in the ground. In Hollows, areas with active Ether radiation often attracted Ethereals, and this spatial node was no exception—it had drawn a large cluster.
Ignis recalled a Defense Force officer from Scott Outpost mentioning that large Ethereal concentrations were called broods. That had once made the Salamander think he was facing Tyranids. Considering the Ethereals' utter disregard for survival and relentless assault behavior, the comparison was not entirely off.
Normally, Hollow Raiders avoided engaging Ethereal clusters. Manpower was limited, and there was no guarantee of profit. But today's two Hollow Raiders were anything but ordinary—common Ethereals were beneath their notice.
"For the Emperor!" the two Space Marines roared in unison as they charged.
The power sword traced a brilliant arc, cleaving a Thanatos in half just as it attempted a short-range teleport ambush. A Farbauti leapt into the air, trying to crush the yellow-armored giant with its immense weight, only to be smashed aside mid-fall by a shield bash.
The Salamander's thunder hammer flared with blue light as the disintegration field activated. Seeing lesser Ethereals converging, Ignis channeled massive energy into the hammer. His armor's auto-systems warned of imminent overload. When the enemies clustered before him, the hammer fell. The stored power erupted in full, the shockwave accompanied by a deafening BOOM, perfectly embodying why it was called a thunder hammer.
After the explosion, blue arcs crackled in the air. The ground had been blasted into a red-hot crater, cooling rapidly into glass. The Ethereals were shattered by the shockwave alone, and the residual disintegration field reduced their structures back to basic molecules.
The thunder hammer's roar attracted even more Ethereals. Cecilia felt her heart leap into her throat. Crystal-covered monsters sprinted past her hiding place, utterly focused on the two giants and completely ignoring her. Even the keen-sensed Hati were the same, sprinting on all fours.
Five or six of these wolf- or panther-like creatures charged forward under the lead of an armored Hati covered in crystalline plating.
Ignis was engaged with a Farbauti. His massive shield blocked its punch, then flipped it over with brute force. The thunder hammer in his hand blazed brighter, and after a thunderous crack, the Farbauti's core structure vaporized.
At the exact moment his hammer struck, three Hati leapt from afar, aiming for his unguarded rear.
How could a Salamander Space Marine be unaware of enemies attacking from behind? Naturally, because a trusted battle-brother was watching his back.
Cerakos spotted the Ether beasts. Sword in his right hand, his left went to his waist as the A4A shotgun Ignis passed to him spun into his grip, already chambered.
One gunshot, two sword chimes. The Son of the Angel blasted and cleaved the Ether beasts apart midair.
Before their shattered bodies even hit the ground, Cerakos charged the remaining Hati. He had faced far stronger foes across the galaxy. These simple creatures relying only on claws and fangs could not harm him.
BANG—CLACK. The lever-action A4A cycled, fired. The armored Hati attempting to flee was driven back by the impact. Dragon's breath shells failed to penetrate its thick Ether crystal armor immediately, and the burning pellets dealt limited damage. It lifted its head, peering out through a small aperture in its black-hole-like core plating.
The yellow-armored figure with the bleeding heart on his shoulder had already cut down its packmates. His blue blade effortlessly split their bodies apart.
As the regional alpha, the armored Hati could not tolerate such loss. It drove its four limbs forward, intent on tearing this foe apart and devouring him.
Watching the armored Hati accelerate toward him, Cerakos smiled faintly. Perhaps before, this enemy would have been troublesome—but not now. The power sword's disintegration field ignited, crackling with pale blue arcs. He returned the A4A shotgun to its magnetic mount and gripped the sword with both hands.
Charging with sheer mass and armor was the armored Hati's signature tactic—but this time, it had chosen the wrong opponent.
In the past, Cerakos would have sidestepped and struck at exposed areas. This time, he met it head-on. He shifted his weight forward, swinging the sword's counterweight into the Ether crystal armor.
Though not as monstrously strong as Ignis, the blow still halted the charge, leaving the armored Hati reeling.
It tried to leap back and reposition—but the Son of the Angel would not allow it.
The power sword rose high, a flash of blue light descending. The disintegration field reduced its proud armor to basic molecules, cleaving through flesh and core alike.
With the Elite Ethereal destroyed, the lesser ones stood no chance. A Firstborn and a Primaris working together crushed them like ants.
Cecilia had heard from her grandfather that Cerakos was formidable, but she had never imagined this. The Elite Ethereals hyped endlessly in textbooks and on the Inter-Knot were cut in half with a single swing.
She remained in shock until the two giants called her out.
"Snap out of it," Ignis called. "Miss Cecilia."
"Cecilia!" Cerakos called as well, finally pulling her back from her daze.
"Ah!"
Startled, she flailed slightly as the Son of the Angel immediately knelt, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"What's wrong? Are you hurt?"
Faced with Cerakos's handsome features, the young lady's face flushed red as she waved her hands and stepped back.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. I just didn't expect you to be this strong. Those Ethereals everyone talks about like legends are so fragile in front of you."
Hearing this, the Son of the Angel laughed. "That's thanks to Ignis. Without the weapon he gifted me, dealing with them would have taken some effort."
"More importantly, Miss," Ignis said, roughly guessing the girl's thoughts but choosing not to expose them. He redirected the conversation back to the mission. "We need to keep moving. Proxy work—please handle it."
The girl nodded repeatedly, took out her phone, entered a string of data, and pointed toward a nearby building.
"The node is inside there."
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