Saint Kallen looked up at the towering figure before her—thick power armor gleaming with cold metallic light, making the man appear massive, his presence almost physically oppressive.
Her torn white nun's habit was still stained with blood. "Who are you? Why did you save me..."
The only response was silence. The Astartes exchanged glances, their gazes beneath their helmets filled with vigilance.
The same name. The same face.
Could she be a fake?
At that moment, a figure stepped out from the ranks. His white power armor was far more ornate than the others, and he wore no helmet, revealing a sharply defined face.
The Chapter Master stopped before her. His eyes swept over her damaged clothing, brows knitting slightly. His deep voice carried unquestionable authority.
"Kallen Kaslana?"
Kallen hesitated briefly, then slowly nodded. Her eyes lingered on his power armor before she asked softly, "You know me?"
"We are searching for a missing god of the Empire. She bears your exact name and appearance. But I know you are not her."
His gaze fell again upon the blood on her clothes, his tone certain.
"Because a god does not bleed."
He turned to the Apothecary behind him. The latter immediately activated the projection screen on his arm.
"Genetic profile shows clear signs of editing. Target not confirmed."
"Mm."
The Chapter Master's response was calm.
Even before arriving, their probe had already gathered intelligence.
Though this Kallen was not the "god" they sought, she was most likely still a creation of "Her."
When Kallen had been brought to the gallows earlier, they had been observing from the shadows. They had expected a mortal named Otto to rescue her, but they had not anticipated the situation spiraling out of control.
"Kallen! Kallen!"
An anxious shout suddenly rang out from beyond the crowd. Otto struggled at the outer perimeter of the Astartes, trying to force his way in.
One of the outer guards turned sharply and grabbed Otto by the head with one hand, flinging him aside like a piece of trash.
Thud!
Otto slammed into a pile of debris. A gash split open at his brow, blood running down his face.
"Otto!"
Hearing the commotion, Kallen immediately rushed out of the encirclement and helped Otto, who was struggling to sit up.
"Cough... I'm fine."
Otto shook his head, pushing himself to his feet. He turned toward the Astartes and bowed deeply.
"Thank you for saving Kallen."
"I really want to kill that blond brat."
A voice came from beneath one of the helmets, thick with restrained killing intent.
"Seconded."
Even if this Kallen was not their "god," the fact that this mere mortal dared entangle himself with someone who shared the god's name and appearance was, in itself, a blasphemy against their faith.
A heretic.
Kallen instantly stepped in front of Otto, her back taut.
She could clearly feel the killing intent radiating from within the power armor—cold enough to tighten her chest.
"You need to come with us."
The Chapter Master's voice rang out again, breaking the standoff.
"Where?" Kallen asked warily.
"Back to the Empire."
"Where exactly do you come from?"
The Chapter Master lifted his gaze toward the sky, as though it pierced through the clouds and reached the distant sea of stars.
"A universe beyond this universe."
Kallen fell silent for a moment before slowly shaking her head.
"Thank you for saving me, but I cannot go with you. There are things here I must protect."
"You have no choice."
The Chapter Master's tone did not waver.
"Either you leave—or you die."
"Is that a threat?"
"No. I am merely stating a fact."
His voice remained calm, yet it carried a weight that chilled the heart.
"If we depart, every human on this planet will perish."
Kallen's pupils contracted in disbelief.
At that very moment, the Redemption Fleet in low orbit was exerting full power to seal Imaginary Space, suppressing the Honkai energy that was about to erupt.
The fleet AI's electronic voice echoed through the command chamber.
"Honkai energy concentration continues to rise rapidly."
The Fleet Commander let out a heavy sigh, fingers tapping against the console.
"We've messed up. The creation on the Moon reacts to technological advancement. The more advanced the technology, the more violent the Honkai eruption. Our fleet consists of three thousand four hundred and twenty-one vessels, carrying over seven hundred million people. Our technological level surpasses this backward planet by an astronomical margin."
His eyes fixed on the data streaming across the screen.
"The Honkai Eruption has been triggered ahead of schedule."
For now, they were blocking the Honkai energy. That was the only reason the blue planet remained unharmed.
The moment they withdrew, the unleashed Honkai energy would scour the surface directly.
Given this world's humans' resistance to Honkai energy, ninety-nine point ninety-nine percent would not survive.
"The special individual from Mount Taixuan has been recovered. Treatment is underway."
The fleet AI reported again.
"Her injuries were inflicted by her seven disciples?" the Fleet Commander asked.
"Yes."
"A MANTIS from the Previous Era... Perhaps we can extract something useful from her memories."
There was not a trace of concern in his voice for the humans of this blue planet.
The Empire never lacked people.
Now that the "god" was missing, intelligence from the Previous Era concerning the god held far greater value than this planet.
As for the civilization on the verge of extinction below—
It did not factor into his considerations.
A single planet's human civilization.
The Empire did not care.