On the twenty-first day of Cyrene’s eighteenth year, the sky opened.
For seven days and nights, balls of fire fell on the earth, and for seven days and nights, the earth was flooded with silent tides.
And after that great catastrophe and conversion, she was called the Blessed Lady by the gray-armored angels.
From then on Cyrene was no longer Cyrene.
———————
[Perfect City]
"What is that?"
The shirtless boy selling holy oil candles on the street was the first to notice something was wrong. He squinted his eyes, blocked the glaring sunlight with his hands, and looked at the blue sky above the crowd.
There, the blue sky seemed to be trembling slightly at an abnormal amplitude.
The boy was confused and thought that he was just seeing things. How could the sky tremble? How could it shed tears like a lamb about to be slaughtered
He remained silent for so long that the old woman who was bending over to pick candles in front of his stall stood up impatiently. She held three candles in her hands, with a look of dissatisfaction on her face, as if she wanted to argue with the inattentive vendor.
But when she saw the boy's abnormal looking posture, the old woman impatiently sorted out the layers of silver bracelets on her arms, thinking that it was some kind of wild birds mating. She thought, boys of this age are like this, their minds are full of desires even in the holy city.
Then she looked back—
"ah!!!!"
A sharp scream suddenly exploded, smashing into the noisy street. People looked at the source of the sound in confusion, but they only saw an old woman who collapsed to the ground and a trembling boy looking into the distance.
So they followed the boy's trembling gaze and looked -
The noisy crowd suddenly fell silent as if the pause button was pressed.
Gray tears flowed from the sky, with orange flames on them and bright blue stars at the end.
Divine punishment has begun.
It began with the first star crashing into the square, and an angel in blue armor walked out from there.
———————
[Ultramarines]
Captain Ayton of the 19th Company of the Ultramarines was holding his sword and walking among the guards. As planned, they landed at Midnight Square, one of the most prosperous squares in the City of Perfection.
The smell of burning chemical elements from the airdrop capsule as it landed mixed with the strong incense smell in the square, making it pungent and irritating.
Ayton calmly suppressed the hidden uneasiness and anxiety in his heart. He acted according to the orders of Legion Commander Guilliman, that's all.
Only, is, like, this.
He watched the crowd of onlookers, wriggling and kneeling around the drop pod like newborn lambs. They were mumbling something, and Ayton heard with disgust that they were praising the God-Emperor and His offspring.
Although this feeling of disgust could not dilute his inner uneasiness.
Ayton gave himself a second to calm down, then he turned on the speaker of his helmet and a crackling sound of electricity rang out.
He said what he was told to say, as he had rehearsed a thousand times before.
[We, the soldiers of the 13th Regiment of the 47th Expeditionary Fleet, are hereby exercising our authority and following the 10th decree issued by the Emperor, which has been reviewed and approved by the Empire and will take effect immediately.]
His cold and low voice spread to every corner, and he heard the whispers of the crowd, some were expecting, some were nervous, and most were just murmuring prayers meaninglessly over and over again.
He continued, making sure his voice didn't tremble.
[As punishment for your faith, the Emperor ordered the destruction of the Perfect City. You are allowed three days to pack up your belongings in the city. On the fourth day, the 47th Expeditionary Fleet will break open the city gates, allowing you four days to evacuate.]
[On the seventh and final day, your planetary governor is authorized to send a psychic communication to the Seventeenth Legion for help.]
He finished speaking, and now, all was silent.
The prayers disappeared, as if in response to the pressure, and people froze in place, as if they had melted into the sculptures of the pilgrims.
Ayton sighed softly, and the sound was transformed into a crisp electric sound by the loudspeaker.
The next moment, curses, screams, prayers, and sobs rolled over him like a wave.
Ayton calmly reached for the bolter at his waist. He listened to the pebbles hitting his armor. He put his sword on the ground with one hand and slowly raised the muzzle with the other.
The sunlight cast a blinding white on his brilliant blue armor.
"Bang!!!"
Old and young, male and female, all stopped now and looked at him in horror, at the muzzle of the gun that was still slightly hot.
[You only have seven days.]
Ayton said,
[No one is allowed to stay here in the early morning of the seventh day. Resistance will result in bloodshed.]
[I repeat, resistance will lead to bloodshed.]
Ayton swallowed, now finishing what he was asked to say.
[From my personal point of view,]
He said, trying to soften his voice.
[You need to recognize the facts as soon as possible and leave here on the fourth day. As soldiers of the 47th Expeditionary Fleet, we protect the reasonable demands of every legitimate citizen of the Empire. As long as you obey the Emperor's orders in an orderly manner, we will not harm your personal safety.]
The crowd was silent for a moment, then a voice shouted,
"This is our home! Where else can we go?!"
With his keen observation skills, Ayton found the source of the voice in the crowd, a hunchbacked old woman who seemed to be chattering.
He pointed the muzzle of the bolt gun at her. She trembled violently. A man next to her who looked very similar to her seemed to want to block her. He might be her son.
[Resistance will result in bloodshed, ma'am, now return to your home, pack your bags, and leave on the fourth day.]
The next moment, the bottle exploded at his feet.
Ayton sighed again, and then he fired a warning shot into the air, while the Ultramarines around him began to push back the crowd.
In the sky, the Ultramarines’ airdrop pods were still landing like a rain of fire.
Ayton watched all this with an expressionless face. The plan went smoothly and even the backup plan was not activated.
His private communication channel rang, and the voice was calm, but somehow, Ayton could hear a hint of relief in it... that kind of... real calmness, not depression.
[Captain of the 19th Company, Ayton, this is Hades, the Lord of the Order of Silence, asking about your progress.]
[Lord Hades, this is Ultramarines Ayton. The crowd has been warned. After a day of chaos, most people will return home.]
There was a sound of electricity in the channel.
[receive,]
It says over there,
[We will act on the first night. Be careful to block the city and do not let suspicious people leave early. If necessary, you can impose a curfew.]
Ayton paused for a moment.
[Lord Hades, this may be difficult...]
[Haha, a suggestion. This will make things easier for us, but it will probably be difficult for you. Don't worry about it. Just follow your Ultramarines' way and try to shed as little blood as possible.]
The voice of the Lord of the Order of Silence was exceptionally relaxed... This gave Ayton an illusion, a feeling that he was just carrying out an ordinary mission, which perhaps slightly confused his uneasiness.
[Good luck on your mission, Captain Ayton.]
As the channel said this, Ayton opened his mouth.
[Received. Good luck on your mission, Lord Hades.]
The call was immediately disconnected.
The first paragraph here where Ayton expel the crowd, as well as the fragment about the house and the wine bottle are all from the original novel "The Heretic", which have been adapted and processed, taking up about 200 words. I am very sorry that it involves the plot of the original novel.
It also involves a part of the adaptation of the Bible. If reading this part makes you feel uncomfortable with your faith, it is recommended that you stop reading the Word Bearers religious part.
(End of this chapter)