The Emperor’s Angel of Death

The Feast of Sanguinala is the grandest festival in the Empire, second only to the Ascension Day of the Emperor. As the commander of the Expeditionary Force, Zoshyan naturally needed to record a holiday greeting to be broadcast throughout the army. However, this actually didn't take much time, and he didn't even need to draft much; it was something he could do with ease.

The real problem was Vilettes' invitation—the purpose was also written simply: Mass and prayer.

After all, the Ecclesiarchy was also an important force in this expedition, and Zoshyan could hardly find an excuse to refuse. Moreover, the Sisters had suffered quite a few casualties in this battle. Leaving aside his status as an Astartes, as the commander of the Expeditionary Force, it was only right for him to visit them.

After thinking it over, he finally decided to go.

The Sisters were all gathered in their warship's chapel at this time. It had already been decorated for the Feast of Sanguinala, with walls full of portraits of the Emperor and his martyred angel son. Incense burners burned on the sconces, filling the entire chapel with the scent of spices.

Cherubs wearing red robes and small red hats flew around, flapping their mechanical wings, playing harps, and singing hymns through the loudspeakers in their throats.

Below the cherubs were the Sisters, who had taken off their armor and put on black robes and white veils. Among them were Battle Sisters, as well as Sisters Hospitaller and Sisters Dialogous.

Vilettes stood with her sisters, hands clasped tightly, head slightly bowed, soft-soled shoes on the hard, cold stone floor.

In the back rows of pews sat the high-ranking members of the Expeditionary Force who had come along. Zoshyan stood in an inconspicuous corner, because the chairs were not suitable for Space Marines to sit on, and he didn't want to be too conspicuous.

But in reality, his appearance was conspicuous enough.

The white-robed bishop stood on the platform at the end of the chapel, a red sash across his chest, with a golden teardrop badge pinned to it, representing mourning for Sanguinius' sacrifice.

Then, he raised his hands. Although he didn't use a loudspeaker, his voice easily traveled through the entire chapel, so everyone could hear him clearly.

"The light has shone upon those who dwell in the land of dust, His radiance surrounds them. In the dark night of the earth, a light appears in the sky, His grace has appeared, enveloping the world!"

The bishop's voice turned low and solemn, and everyone in the audience was frozen in their seats by the unique atmosphere, reciting scriptures with the bishop, not daring to be presumptuous, and even unconsciously restraining their breathing.

Zoshyan stood far to the side, watching coldly. The warriors behind him were also silent. Besides the three company commanders, Robin and Bakhram had also come with him. They were not wearing power armor, but had changed into ritualistic monk's robes and silver-gray cloaks.

After the Mass was the singing of hymns. The mixed voices of men, women, and children from the cherubs rose and fell with the rhythm of the song, from low to high, and finally slowly sank down.

When the hymn entered the second half, the organ also began to sound, and the Sisters began to sing along.

The heavenly chorus seemed to reach the farthest corners of the universe. It was a sacred voice with an unspeakable beauty and brave will. Zoshyan listened to the song, and the voice seemed to promise his soul salvation, just like looking directly into the Emperor's eyes, and being stared at by him with incomparable calmness.

When the chanting ended, the bishop performed Mass again. The whole process would last for several hours.

Tedious, boring, and almost meaningless, but this was religion. Even if Zoshyan was impatient, he had to wait patiently.

The ceremony ended with a solo song by the Battle Sisters, with Vilettes as the lead singer. Even without her armor, she showed another side of herself in a different way, both an ethereal angel, generous and kind, and an angry angel, tenacious and fierce.

His light will shine on the pure heart, His seal will respond to the soul that calls Him.

Behold the immortal miracle before you, gloriously become the devout, bear witness for Him, and honor Him.

Emperor, Your power will resound throughout the Empire!

Even darkness cannot hide sin and heresy,

Our barrage will carry out Your holy will.

Give the cowardly fire, and leave peace in the heart.

We will convey Your blessings and save mankind from evil—

At the end of the ceremony, the Sisters distributed Holy Communion to everyone—namely, bread and wine.

"I hope I haven't neglected you."

Vilettes personally brought the Holy Communion to Zoshyan. Her beautiful long hair was now braided into a crown, which she braided very tightly so that it would not fall off, but it unexpectedly gave her a bit more gentle aura.

Zoshyan smiled slightly and reached out to take the bread and the wine glass.

"How could it be."

But it was not yet time to leave. After all, Zoshyan had come, and at the invitation of the Ecclesiarchy, he gave a short speech, calling on people to be as pure and fearless as Sanguinius.

Afterwards, under Vilettes' leadership, he visited the wounded Sisters. Some of them were so seriously injured that they had to have amputations. Fortunately, the Ecclesiarchy was wealthy, and mechanical prosthetics were not a problem. Zoshyan gave high praise to the courage and fearlessness of these women. During this process, a strange Sister attracted Zoshyan's attention.

That Sister had been following Vilettes, but she always observed him intentionally or unintentionally. Her appearance was very beautiful, but that was not the point. The point was that Zoshyan always had a vague sense of familiarity, but he couldn't explain it.

Originally, Zoshyan wanted to leave immediately after finishing these things, but as he had feared, Vilettes stopped him and wanted to have a "private talk" with him.

He wanted to refuse on the pretext of having something to do, but Vilettes immediately pulled out a trump card—if Zoshyan refused, she would invite someone else.

As for who the "other person" was, Zoshyan naturally knew very well. In order not to cause more trouble, he could only agree.

Vilettes' bedroom was not large, and Zoshyan seemed a little crowded inside, which forced him to maintain a close distance with her.

It must be said that although the simple, close-fitting nun's robe had no decoration, it highlighted Vilettes' eye-catching undulating silhouette. Coupled with her serene and holy face, in the dim light, it had a unique charm, a sacred and voluptuous beauty different from Veronica.

In a sense, Vilettes was indeed more in line with the aesthetics of humans as mammals than Veronica. After all, preaching about the sanctity of the human body was one thing, and witnessing it with one's own eyes was another.

After entering the door, the two stood in silence for two minutes, seemingly listening to each other's breathing.

Finally, the silence was broken by Vilettes.

She raised her head slightly, stared at Zoshyan, crossed her hands in front of her abdomen, and said in a low voice:

"What is your relationship with Miss Veronica now?"