Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 500

Chapter 498, In the Name of the Battle Group

Chapter 498: The Chapter suffered

four consecutive defeats, and in humiliating fashion.

The first, pitting Terminators against conventional Tactical Power Armor, was a loss; the second, a Terminator duel, was a loss; the third, pitting their own Tactical Power Armor against the opposing Terminator, was a loss as well.

In the fourth, they sent out the Chapter Champion in frustration, but still lost.

The humiliation was secondary; the most horrifying aspect was the sheer magnitude of the losses.

The four men killed in battle were all the Chapter’s core members!

The First Captain was practically the second or third most important figure in the Chapter. If Erso met with adversity, he could almost immediately take over as Chapter Commander. The Chapter Champions and Company Champions were also the Chapter’s absolute elite, and there weren’t many of them. Even the most vulnerable and underperforming recruit of ’48 represented the Chapter’s future.

Erso would be heartbroken if any of these four perished in battle,

let alone four in that one.

Even more terrifying was Erso’s complete lack of confidence. Before this inter-chapter duel began, he had imagined it would go smoothly. But now, with the prospect of countless casualties to secure the hundredth victory, he had no confidence at all.

But could it be stopped?

Forget the hundred captives still in the enemy’s hands. Even if they gave up after four consecutive losses, wouldn’t that be tantamount to surrendering? Word of this would be enough to make the Fury of Fire truly shameless!

Winning would be best, but losing was also acceptable. Losing in this way would not only make them appear weak and incompetent, but most importantly, they would undoubtedly be labeled cowards.

No chapter could endure such humiliation.

Space Marines could admit their inferiority and lack of strength, and learn from this shame to become stronger.

But cowardice? Fear of battle? Retreating without a fight?

That would be met with universal ridicule.

During the transformation of Space Marines by gene-seed, the physiological changes that occurred reduced many of their worldly desires to a minimum. They could tolerate poor food, their interest in s*x had diminished, and their desire for power and pleasure had also waned. In contrast, their pursuit of honor, fame, and loyalty had become even more obsessive.

Space Marines held honor to their lives. While each Chapter, and even each Space Marine, defined honor and loyalty differently, few could ignore the detrimental effects of being labeled a “coward.”

It was the most intolerable slur a Space Marine could endure, a reputation they would rather die than bear.

Erso was no different. In fact, due to the Fury’s warlike culture, they could not tolerate the stigma of fleeing a duel, even more than the average Chapter.

Gritting their teeth, they decided to continue the battle.

Erso once again sent out a Chapter champion, determined to win this fifth bout.

This time, he finally achieved his goal.

While the victory wasn’t easy, the opponent seemed to be a “new recruit” no more than twenty years old.

In the past, they might have despised the victory as less than impressive. But now… no matter what, it was a victory.

Winning was good enough.

The Raging Flame Champion on the field seemed to hesitate for a moment, but ultimately, he requested a second fight from Erso through his communicator.

Erso hesitated, too.

The Champion’s strength was undeniable, but he’d been severely depleted in the previous duel. Could another fight truly win?

Losing another Champion was a loss they couldn’t afford. The entire chapter had only three warriors worthy of the title.

However, Erso ultimately agreed.

The Raging Flame Champion’s desire was strong, but he also wondered if the Phoenixes could muster another capable opponent.

Earlier, Karduso certainly had the strength, but he’d been severely injured when he’d defeated Cao Boyang, making it impossible for him to fight again. Rizzo, the Phoenix Chapter Chaplain, had unexpectedly demonstrated considerable combat prowess, even slaying the first Raging Flame Champion in single combat. However, he’d also been through a tough battle and wasn’t in a position to fight a second time.

Of course, it might have been more dangerous if Martins had taken the field himself, but if that were the case, he would have done it himself.

However, this sixth match was another loss.

When the Phoenix Second Captain, Reginaldo, who claimed to be a veteran of the Centennial Atonement Crusade, left the field, Erso had a vague sense of danger.

However, he ultimately chose to trust his own men.

As a result, he died.

While Reginaldo was also seriously injured and had lost a hand, at least he was alive, wasn’t he?

With Erso gritting his teeth, and the entire Fury fold in a library-like silence, the duels continued for 67 consecutive matches.

Of those 67, they won only 11.

In those victories, they had fielded almost all of the Chapter’s strongest warriors. Besides the two who had fallen in battle earlier, the third Chapter Champion had also gone down. This time, the Phoenix truly couldn’t muster another warrior of their caliber.

Three consecutive “recruits” were dispatched, with the Raging Flame champion winning the first two matches. While the two Phoenixes, to be fair, had fought quite well, they were still a significant difference from the Chapter Champion, and were easily dispatched. Furthermore, while the Raging Flame Champion had sustained some injuries and losses, he expected to face another rookie with relatively little trouble.

This rare winning streak greatly boosted the Raging Flame’s morale. Finally, with some cheers, he entered the third match in a row,

only to suffer a setback.

This time, the Phoenixes dispatched another rookie, but this one displayed greater strength than the previous ones. More importantly, he was a think tank, possessing powerful psychic abilities.

This Phoenix, named Henrik Larsen, harnessed his psychic powers to slay the last Raging Flame Champion, the last of the two consecutive battles.

In the remaining battles, the Raging Flame suffered more losses than victories.

They were sending out only the hardcore troops, with almost every company’s champions gone. These company champions had a roughly 40% chance of winning against the Phoenix’s “new recruits.”

But only 40%!

Before this duel began, who could have imagined that the Fury’s company champions would have only a 40% chance of winning against Phoenix’s “new recruits,” who had only served for twenty years at most?

Who would have believed it?

But this was the reality.

What would they do now that the company champions were gone?

That meant the company commanders had to join the fight.

Their combat prowess was generally around this level, only slightly stronger than the company champions.

But what would happen when all of them were gone?

How many “champions” could the Fury Flame Chapter truly be called?

It was impossible to send them all out into such brutal, crucially, low-stakes combat.

The only option left was to send the veteran NCOs from each company.

And when they did, forget about the odds, they only won two battles.

And it was clear that the two Phoenixes who died in battle were primarily due to their own fatal, low-level mistakes. Their normal strength far surpassed their opponents.

Aside from those two lucky wins, the rest of the NCOs and veterans were defeated or killed.

For the Fury Flame Chapter, they only lost fifty-six men, which shouldn’t have been a serious problem for a chapter far larger than the Codex allowed.

But if the composition of these 56 dead is the only 3 champions in the regiment, 6 of the 10 company commanders in the open, including the first company commander who is considered the second in command of the regiment; more than 20 company champions; 27 veteran non-commissioned officers who are equivalent to the backbone of the grassroots officers…

This loss was devastating.

The entire Chapter’s high-ranking combatants were wiped out, and a large number of high-ranking commanders were eliminated. Worse still, even the promotion of talent from the lower ranks became extremely difficult.

From this perspective, the Fury Chapter had undoubtedly suffered a devastating blow, a blow that meant the entire Chapter had been broken, a loss worthy of the worst in its history.

“Enough!” Casimir Erso roared.

“Chapter Master!” The Chief Chaplain beside him pulled him back, trying to dissuade him from taking such a risk.

But Erso would not listen to any more advice.

His eyes were red, like a gambler who had lost everything, ready to throw all his remaining chips on the table in a last-ditch all-in comeback.

And this final, biggest bet was himself. He was the Chapter Master of the Fury Chapter and its most powerful warrior.

And the prize he hoped to win through this bet was, naturally, the title of Chapter Master of the Phoenix.

“Come! The rest of the battle is meaningless. Let’s put all that preparation aside, Martins. Let’s fight it out in the name of our respective Chapter Masters!” He   challenged Martins. He

accepted the challenge.   He could have chosen not to. He could have sent the Phoenix’s elite warriors out to fight Erso. Although, no matter how powerful the Phoenix warriors were, they were still far inferior to top-tier masters like Erso, victory wouldn’t be easy for Erso, at least not without his unparalleled power.   As long as he had to exert effort, he would accumulate injuries and consume more energy in the battle. With more battles, Erso’s condition would decline.   Martins could then calmly choose to let his warriors slowly wear Erso down or force him to withdraw. He could also choose to wait until Erso’s condition deteriorated enough, giving him a better chance of victory, and then personally take on Casimir Erso.   This would slightly tarnish the Phoenix’s victory in this Chapter Duel, but it was the most secure.   However, Martins chose not to do so.   While it was a smart move, it wasn’t a warrior’s choice.   He was loath to waste so many warriors’ lives, and at the same time, he held a strong sense of honor in defeating Erso in a fair duel.   Of course, the Phoenix valued honor as well!   Martins took his place on the duel field.   This time, he didn’t waste time with Erso.   The verbal battle wasn’t enough, so the real deal came in the form of combat.   Neither of them even engaged in the long-range probing that had become so common in the dozens of previous duels. Neither of them was a master of long-range firepower, so such probing was unnecessary.   They both headed for the most open area in the center of the field,   which had been practically flattened by the previous duel.   Upon meeting, they charged each other.   In their dash, their blades clashed, a fierce clash.   Evenly matched, neither was able to secure a first kill.   Immediately, the two sides’ power swords began to clash at breakneck speed and high frequency.   In this pure contest of swordsmanship and strength, Martins felt immense pressure.   After personally confronting him, he had to admit that Erso, a veteran warrior with four or five hundred years of combat experience, was perhaps only one step away from becoming a legend. While Martins had made significant progress in swordplay recently, he was still no match for Erso.   Erso’s technique was more refined than he had imagined.   And Martins… his swordsmanship was certainly not inferior. The Phoenixes were descendants of the Phoenix Legion, after all. While their swordsmanship wasn’t as elaborate and flamboyant as their parent Legion, their simplicity and pragmatism didn’t necessarily mean they were weaker.   The Fury Legion, on the other hand, wasn’t renowned for its swordsmanship, as it inherited from its parent Legion, the Punisher Legion.   While the inherited gene-seed characteristics were one factor, individual training, experience, and accumulated experience were another.   It was inferior, but at least not by a significant margin, still within Martins’s reach.   …   As Martins was overwhelmed by Erso’s masterful swordsmanship, he felt a deep sense of bitterness.   Martins’s strength was immense, and he felt a powerful vibration with every clash.   It wasn’t that Martins was stronger than him, but rather that their equipment was different.   Both wore full sets of Terminator power armor, both possessing immense power. However, the difference lay in the significant performance differences between the Indomitable and the Iron Cavalry. The Iron Cavalry possessed greater power, greater output, and stronger defense.   The Indomitable’s advantage lay primarily in… its affordability.   This was one of the reasons for its eventual popularity, not simply because the Iron Cavalry’s technology had been lost in many ways.   However, this advantage was meaningless in this duel.   Erso was a Chapter Master after all. He couldn’t obtain the Iron Cavalry and had to use the Indomitable, but at least he could obtain the refined version.   The “fine-crafted” version generally refers to the handcrafted armor of high-level craftsmen, or even masters of the Mechanicus, which has improved performance in all aspects compared to the mass-produced version. The specific extent of the improvement depends on the skill of the craftsman.   Logically speaking, this fine-crafted version should be able to narrow the gap with the Iron Cavalry suit worn by Martins.   However, in actual combat, it feels even further apart.   Could it be… that the Iron Cavalry worn by Martins is also a fine-crafted version?   Expensive Iron Cavalry, plus fine craftsmanship… the price of this set of power armor might be twice as expensive as the one worn by Erso!   The performance gap of the equipment was revealed at this moment.   Erso was furious!   If I had money, I would have killed you long ago!   He could have caught several fatal attacks, but failed because of the opponent’s stronger strength!   The few attacks he managed to launch were also blocked by the ridiculously heavy armor of the fine-crafted Iron Cavalry.   Erso could only calm down and look for more and better opportunities.   (End of this chapter)