But to Sol's surprise, the silent Raven Guard didn't pay much attention to Sol's warning.
"Don't bother Saint Doraemon with such a small matter, just report it."
"Oh, Lucius will revive as long as the person who killed him feels pleasure?"
"Would you feel happy or elated by killing a muddy stray dog on the roadside?"
The Raven Guard said unhurriedly, his tone flat and sincere, as if merely stating an obvious fact.
Sol's expression stiffened for a moment, taking a few seconds to understand what the Raven Guard was saying.
Lucius, one of the Four Gods' Chosen, on par with Khârn and Ahriman, whom Sol couldn't resist even with all his might, was merely a stray dog by the roadside in the eyes of this Raven Guard.
Killing him, this Son of Corax would not feel an ounce of joy, not a hint of pleasure.
"I thought it was a stray dog by the roadside!"
"What good person stands in front of a large-caliber steel needle sniper rifle!"
"Then you go tell that to my Shadow Step!"
"I didn't even use much force, how did you die?"
"After all, there's no real experience; I just pulled the trigger, and he died on his own."
The Raven Guard shrugged slightly, saying with a hint of helplessness:
"And he wasn't a worthy opponent; he lacked noble character, a resilient will, and was cowardly and annoying."
Sol was dumbfounded; he had always vaguely felt that this Raven Guard was very strong, but he hadn't expected him to be so powerful that Sol felt they weren't even the same species.
"So what kind of enemy is worthy of your attention, capable of bringing you enjoyment?"
The Raven Guard was silent for a moment, then, after some thought, said, "Someone who doesn't die when I shoot them in the head."
Sol's expression became even more rigid, and he couldn't help but look at the corpse lying on the ground.
Lucius was shot in the head by a large-caliber steel needle; even if the steel needle itself couldn't kill him instantly, the needle contained the ashes of a high-ranking Untouchable, specially processed to have a strong anti-Warp effect, which also had a considerable effect on Lucius, who was deeply influenced by Chaos.
If the ashes of the high-ranking Untouchable couldn't be fatal, the steel needle also contained the ashes of a burning Astronomican; this ash was also an anti-psyker weapon, capable of reflecting Psyker energy, burning daemons or those on the path of corruption, and even causing the victim to be Backlash by their own powerful Psyker energy.
And besides these anti-Warp measures, on a physical level, Water of Thirst from Baal was also added to this steel needle; this ancient nano-weapon would directly drain all moisture from the victim's body, a process even the terrifying Tyranids war beasts couldn't stop.
"Are there really people who don't die when you shoot them in the head?" Sol asked with a bitter smile.
"..Yes," the Raven Guard said, nodding gently at Sol.
Really? Sol was immediately curious: "Who?"
"Fulgrim," the Raven Guard uttered a name.
Who?
Sol took a few seconds to understand the meaning of that name and the hidden implication behind the Raven Guard's words.
Fulgrim didn't die after being shot in the head by him, meaning he really shot Fulgrim in the head?
"..There's also a recent one," the Raven Guard was silent for a moment, then spoke.
"Who? It wouldn't be Perturabo or Mortarion, would it?" Sol asked with a bitter smile.
"It was Konrad Curze," the Raven Guard shrugged. "As for Perturabo, back then it was a choice between two, and Fulgrim was easier to shoot."
"Mortarion... there's never been an opportunity."
".." Sol only felt dizzy.
Although he still didn't understand the identity of this person, Sol could roughly guess that he must be one of the legendary figures of the Great Crusade era.
"Do you know the name Tawiz?" Sol asked hesitantly.
According to Lucius, Sol's gene-seed should have come from a warrior named "Sol Tarvitz."
Sol often felt that the warrior's combat memories were still residing in the gene-seed, constantly guiding and leading Sol to become a better warrior.
Sol yearned to understand the true nature of that warrior.
"Tawiz, I'm not very familiar with him, but who doesn't know that name during the Great Heresy? Every warrior who fought in the Istvaan system knows it."
The Raven Guard was silent for a moment, seemingly organizing his thoughts:
"He was a model of a humble warrior, an excellent officer during the Great Crusade. He didn't seek power or status, content with his original position. In his heart, his true honor and pride were loyalty to the Emperor and his gene-father, Fulgrim."
Sol slightly opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but the Raven Guard interrupted him.
"Yes, he was an Emperor's Children, a son of Fulgrim."
"In orbit above Istvaan III, he was the first warrior to discover the Warmaster's rebellion. He brought this news to his sworn brother, Captain Garro of the Death Guard, and Captain Garro brought this news back to Terra."
"It was also Tawiz who risked going to the surface of Istvaan III to inform the Luna Wolves, Emperor's Children, World Eaters, and Death Guard who were still loyal to the Emperor of the Warmaster's conspiracy."
"My cousin, it was Tawiz who tore a hole in the Warmaster's conspiracy."
"It was he who led those loyal warriors to hold back the Warmaster's advance."
"He made the traitors suffer greatly, an unforgettable lesson."
For the first time, the Raven Guard spoke so much to Sol:
"Being born into a traitor Legion was not his fault; precisely because of this, his loyalty was especially precious."
"Emperor's Children was once a name full of honor. Many traitors in the galaxy misused and defiled this name; they don't deserve this name... Fulgrim doesn't either."
"But Tawiz deserves this name; he is a true Emperor's Children."
The Raven Guard placed his hand on Sol's shoulder and patted it heavily:
"I hope you are the same."
With that, the warrior disappeared into the shadows, leaving behind a somewhat bewildered Sol.
Sword and chainaxe clashed, the tremor resounding throughout the ship's cabin.
Inside the gladiatorial pit, Sol and Khârn continuously engaged.
The pressure Khârn exerted on Sol was much less than Lucius'.
This was certainly not because Khârn was weaker than Lucius.
But because Sol and Khârn were currently engaged in a First Blood battle, where the fight ended with the drawing of the first drop of blood.
Khârn was not good at this kind of fighting; he had to hold back his strength to prevent his axe from cutting out blood instead of taking Sol's head off.
Sol's sword was parried, and Khârn's axe aimed directly at Sol's neck, but stopped at the last moment.
"You're distracted, Sol."
"Although Lucius was a stray dog, his swordsmanship was quite exquisite; your defeat to him is not a disgrace."
Khârn retracted his axe and retreated to a corner of the gladiatorial pit, saying:
"You can even be a little proud; being able to spar with Lucius indicates that you at least have the skill level of a first-rate Captain."
"A Captain like Lord Titus?" Sol smiled lightly, saying in a joking manner.
"There's still quite a distance; he's an Ultramarines, and a Second Company Captain."
"Do you know Ionnide Hill? He was the first Second Company Captain of the Ultramarines Chapter; he transformed the red helmet, originally a symbol of punishment, into a symbol of honor."
Khârn said to Sol while sparring with him.
".." Sol was silent for a moment, then continued to ask: "Do you know Tawiz?"
"What? An Emperor's Children wants to learn about his Legion's history now?" Khârn said with a somewhat playful tone.
"..I am a Son of Rogal Dorn!" Sol hesitated for a moment, then said firmly.
"Ha, only that much is similar," Khârn chuckled, "Tawiz and I fought on the same battlefield."
Sol's expression immediately became a little excited, wanting to hear about Khârn's experiences fighting alongside Tawiz.
But Khârn immediately poured cold water on him: "Not fighting alongside, I'm talking about Istvaan III."
"He was a loyalist, betrayed; I was a traitor, a betrayer."
"He gave us a terrible beating; it was a painful lesson."
"Tawiz, Rillano, Earlen, Kolarng, Loken, Torgaddon, and Garro, and Ear-wind Cruz, these people made us suffer a lot in the Battle of Istvaan III. I even almost died in that battle."
"Almost killed by a loyal warrior?" Sol asked.
"Ah no, it was a Land Raider belonging to the Horus' Sons, equipped with a sharp dozer blade, moving at full speed. It almost ran me over directly."
"But you see, even though it was a tank that once belonged to Horus, didn't it also serve the Emperor and almost killed the future Khorne Chosen?"
Khârn's peculiar sense of humor left Sol speechless, and even Seth and Titus, who were watching from nearby, couldn't help but shake their heads.
"Kid, I just want to tell you, if it weren't for those warriors, if it weren't for the Emperor's Children Tawiz and the Death Guard Garro, we very likely would have won the Great Heresy."
"We would have seized the initiative, launched many surprise attacks like the Battle of Calth, Istvaan V, and the Burning of Prospero — most Legions don't have the resilience of the Ultramarines."
"We might even have reached Terra unimpeded and attacked the Imperial Palace directly."
"I vaguely have some memory, but I forget when it was, anyway Angron seemed to have said to me: 'It wasn't that they betrayed us, but that we betrayed them.'"
"People like Lucius defiled the honor of the Emperor's Children, but Tawiz defended that honor; he is the true Emperor's Children."
Khârn took a drop of blood from Sol's cheek, ending the duel:
"Do you want to be a true Emperor's Children, or a false Son of Dorn?"
Sol was silent, placing his hand on his chest plate, and then...
"I will not use the name Emperor's Children," Sol said.
Khârn slightly raised his eyebrows.
"Until I personally wash away the shame that those like Lucius have left on the Legion."
"The Emperor's Children will be reborn in the blood of traitors, like a phoenix."
What Sol didn't know was that at the same time he spoke these words, not far from the gladiatorial pit, in Alexander's room, Guilliman, who was attending a routine small meeting, heard these words with his extraordinary hearing.
A barely perceptible smile flickered across the Lord of Ultramarines' lips.