20demayo Page 94
Page 94
The Imperial Guards... have been mobilized... to take me away?
Zhou Qing's... highest order?
Each word was more and more familiar than the last.
Guilliman knew his brother, the commander of the Thirteenth Army.
He knew that the Imperial Guard was the emperor's personal guard, and he also learned that Zhou Qing was the new Sun Lord of the Human Empire, the Imperial War Commander.
He knew a little about every person and every name here, but the one he knew the least about was Zhou Qing, the new Sun Lord Empire War Marshal.
He didn't know what Zhou Qing's qualifications were.
However, this did not prevent him from learning that Zhou Qing was an Imperial War Marshal.
But when this string of names he knew clearly was mixed together, along with the overall content composed of familiar words, the Lion King was somewhat stunned.
The Imperial Guard has already set off from Terra to find him. What do you mean by taking him back to work with Guilliman?
He never expected that the moment he proved his identity, he would not receive the authority to command the war.
Instead, it was an instruction from the "Grand Marshal," resembling a package pickup code.
The purpose was actually to pack him up and send him back to Terra to work for Guilliman...?
And then there are the Imperial Guards! Those golden cans in the palace, their duty is to guard the palace, never leaving its side.
Now they're actually going to "deploy troops" to leave Terra for something like this?
This is even more incredible than the four Chaos Gods dancing ballet together!
Leon remained silent for a full three seconds.
He just stood there, looking at the data panel, as if trying to recalibrate his understanding of the real universe.
The air around him grew heavier because of his silence.
Leon would be silent, he would feel heavy-hearted, but the Space Marines would not.
The sergeant stepped forward again.
"Lord Leon, your identity has been confirmed. You have been confirmed as the Lord of the First Legion, and your Primarch's identity has also been confirmed. Therefore, please leave with us immediately."
"You must leave this planet immediately. It is not safe here as we are fighting the great enemy of Chaos. We will send a fleet to escort you from this planet to the capital planet, and we will wait for the Custodians to arrive and send you back to Terra."
"Please come with us immediately. The next fleet will arrive in four days. You will be able to travel back to the capital planet on this fleet, and then return to Terra. Regent Guilliman is waiting for you."
"As the Primarch of the Empire, as the Lords of the First Legion, it is our duty to ensure that your safety is not threatened by the Great Enemy of Chaos."
For the sergeant, Leon's attitude was irrelevant.
His only task was to carry out orders, to execute the instructions Zhou Qing had given them, and to send the Lion King back to Terra.
Leon's silence was broken.
It wasn't because of the sergeant's words, but because of the almost absurd implication of the order itself: that the battlefield was dangerous and therefore he needed to leave to protect his safety.
Primarchs, especially Primarchs like them who have come out of war, how could they be afraid of danger?
Although the Lion King has matured a lot over the course of ten thousand years, the pride of the lion remains; he is still the proud and arrogant Caliban Lion.
He didn't want to be looked down upon.
He was even more unwilling to accept this. Someone told him that it was dangerous there and that he should quickly move to the back so that troops would be sent to protect him.
Leon slowly raised his head, his eyes, capable of outshining the stars, fixed on the sergeant. His previous confusion and astonishment vanished instantly, like ice thrown into a furnace.
Instead, there was an almost tangible, suffocating aura of authority.
The air around them seemed to distort under his gaze, and the PDF soldiers felt an indescribable fear, as if they were being stared at by an ancient behemoth, making it difficult to even breathe.
After all, they had already fought against Chaos, and they managed to restrain themselves well. Just a few seconds later, the PDF soldiers, with the willpower of mortals, overcame the Primarch's gaze.
Don't underestimate ordinary people.
The Space Marines remained standing, affected by Leon's gaze, yet they maintained their posture of carrying out orders.
For these Space Marines, following orders is what they need to do now, not submit to Leon's gaze.
“Sergeant,” Leon’s voice was no longer low.
"You, the one who gave you this order..."
"Yes, Commander!"
Leon emphasized the words "war commander" heavily.
"That Sun Lord seems to have misunderstood something."
Chapter 142 Now make your choice!
Leon took a step forward. With just that one step, his immense presence and oppressive force made the entire encirclement seem to shrink back slightly.
"I, Leon El-Jonson, am the Emperor's Angel of Death, the Primarch of the First Legion, and the embodiment of war."
I'm not returning to Terra's government hall to sit behind a desk and deal with endless paperwork!
Leon's voice gradually rose, like a storm brewing.
"I have returned to dedicate myself to the place where the human empire needs me most—the battlefield! To completely purify the filth of chaos from the empire's borders!"
"My appearance will be on the battlefield where the Empire needs me most, on the battlefield where the Empire is most dangerous."
He pointed beyond the city, toward the unseen void and earth ravaged by war.
"And now, an apocalyptic war is upon us! The power of chaos is impacting this world! And you're telling me to be like a piece of trash that's been found, to get on a transport ship, leave here, and go 'help'?"
Leon's lips curled into a cold, almost mocking smile.
“Tell me, sergeant, whose order is this? Is it Guilliman? Or that ‘Sun Lord’ Zhou Qing, whom I’ve never met? Do they think my value lies in handling official documents, not crushing enemy heads?”
The Taliban's lion was enraged, and his anger stemmed not only from Zhou Qing's desire for him to return to official business to help Guilliman.
He was furious because his own worth seemed to be unacknowledged; such language was tantamount to denying his worth as the leader of the First Legion.
What do you mean by saying that an apocalyptic war is about to break out here, that this place is dangerous, and therefore you should ask him to evacuate immediately for his safety?
Threatening his safety?
Are you going to say such things to him, the lion of Caliban?
Leon could not accept such words.
What danger could threaten him?
Absolutely not?!
He came here for the war, and now that war is about to break out, these Space Marines want him to leave? That's absolutely impossible!
Even though Caliban's lion was so furious and displayed his imposing presence to the fullest, the Space Marine officer on this side still did not compromise. He still took a step forward despite the immense pressure from Leon.
"I have no right to verify anything you have said, nor do I have any right to keep you here to continue to endure the war."
My orders are to ensure your safety and allow you to return to Terra to help your brother.
"The war in the Apocalypse outside is controllable. The Empire has enough troops to suppress this war, so you don't need to worry. Now we need to carry out our mission first and escort you away from here."
The sergeant did not yield to the tyrant of Caliban; instead, he spoke these words despite the tyrant's wrath.
Unafraid of authority, and even able to withstand his own pressure, the sergeant stepped forward to express his stance, which caught the lion's attention.
"What's your name, sergeant?"
“Lyle, my name is Lyle, Commander.” The sergeant answered the lion’s question with neither servility nor arrogance.
“Sergeant Lyle, you are very good, I admire you, and your men are also very good. They are not flustered at all, but my attitude remains the same. I cannot leave this planet. The Empire is calling me, and this planet needs me.”
The lion's anger was somewhat calmed by this performance. In addition, with his experience over thousands of years and his own reflection, Leon finally suppressed his anger again and resumed the dialogue.
Leon interrupted him after he had been thinking for a long time and then spoke.
“Guilliman may need help, but Terra has no shortage of bureaucrats! And here!” He stomped his foot heavily, intending to smash the ground open to demonstrate his power, but unfortunately, the ground did not budge when he stomped down.
These nests are all facilities that have been processed and reinforced by the Federation of Humans, so their quality is top-notch.
How could Leon's stomp possibly break a floorboard so easily?
Although it was somewhat awkward that he didn't stomp the floor to demonstrate his power, Leon skillfully ignored it.
"They need me here. What they lack is a commander who can lead you to victory!"
The lion's gaze swept over all the Space Marines and soldiers.
"Look at you! Well-equipped, well-trained, and with unwavering will! You are a perfect blade!"
But now someone wants to store the hilt of this blade in a vault instead of using it to kill enemies! How absurd!
"If you received such an order to be transferred from your home planet when it needs you, ostensibly to protect you, would you be willing?"
Leon threw the question back to the Space Marines, asking them to consider what would happen if someone were to transfer them away from Narrus in order to protect them.
Would the Space Marines of their Narrus Chapter agree?
The answer was naturally no. The Space Marines shook their heads; they certainly couldn't leave their homeworld at this time.
"If there are battlefields where we are needed more, we will obey orders, but if it is just to protect us, we will find it hard to accept."
The sergeant answered truthfully, but just as he said this and a smile appeared on Leon's face, the sergeant added another sentence.
"The Grand Marshal would not do that! But if the Grand Marshal does it, there must be a reason. Although we are very reluctant, we will still carry out the order."
"We are soldiers, and soldiers must obey orders and trust the Grand Marshal's instructions. Only in this way can we achieve final victory."
"Our planet was saved by the Grand Marshal. We believe that the Grand Marshal would not harm humanity. We will always believe in him."
Leon's smiling face froze instantly.
Good heavens, he never expected things to take such a turn; it almost strained his back.
The lion took a deep breath, trying to compose himself and not be affected by what the sergeant had just said.
After a moment, he finally fixed his gaze on the sergeant, made his final decision, and spoke with unwavering conviction, brooking no argument.
“Listen, soldier, I can’t make the same choice as you, because I can’t shirk my responsibilities, and I can’t believe in your so-called Grand Marshal like you do.”
Go back and tell your superiors, tell everyone on the other end of the communication chain who can hear me.