Chapter 666 07.665: “Loyal ‘Troublemaker’ (asking for monthly votes!)”

Under the astonished gaze of the old colonel, the bald man wearing force-feedback power armor walked over with heavy steps and big strides.

Each of his steps was so heavy that the ground seemed to tremble slightly.

There was an innate anger on the man’s face, as if the expression had been engraved on his face since he was born and had never changed.

Horatio glanced over quickly. Yes, even though this was the first time he saw this person, he felt inexplicably familiar, as if he had seen him countless times.

The visitor was none other than Inquisitor Blackhammer, a well-known “troublemaker” in the Order of the Forsaken.

As a high-ranking Grand Inquisitor of the Inquisition’s Outward Boundary Order, he was once expelled from the order and hunted by a high-ranking female Inquisitor.

When chasing to the border between the Baka Star Region and the Ultramarine Star Region – which is also the area where the “Soul-Exorcising Death Zone” in the official history is located, the female Inquisitor who was chasing him was unfortunately hit by a Heart-Locking Beetle. Black Hammer used this as a counterattack and killed her with a hammer.

After winning this brutal hunting competition between hunter and prey.

Black Hammer did not restrain himself because of this. Instead, after inheriting his opponent’s legacy, he became extremely powerful and gained the following of many fanatics and crusaders.

He is still the troublemaker who causes so many headaches, and he has even become worse.

After killing the hunter infected by the Heart-Locking Beetle, he was absolutely convinced that he was right and any opposition was a conspiracy of aliens to poison the empire.

As for how troublesome he is… Horatio will never forget the difficult problems that Black Hammer posed to his ancestor Spyder when he returned to the physical universe in Battlefleet Gothic 2.

But is he really just a hindrance and villain?

Obviously this is not the case.

In the plot of Battlefleet Gothic 2, although Black Hammer caused a lot of chaos, it also greatly deterred and suppressed Chaos informants and traitors.

He even successfully shot the Supreme Lord Admiral Delong who was bribed by the Alpha Legion. This deeply hidden spy who was the top leader of the Navy in the Hazy Star Domain once tried to harm Speyer with attack orders and false intelligence.

Afterwards, the important position of Supreme Lord Admiral of the Misty Star Region was awarded to the returning Gothic Star Region Lord Admiral Speyer in a very hasty manner and without any official paper documents.

[Speaking of which, I still don’t know what kind of person Marshal Delang is in this world line. Judging from his performance in Gothic Fleet 2, it’s better to be careful.] Thinking of this, Horatio couldn’t help but think so.

The order that arrested me at the time by the Ministry of Justice seemed to have been issued by Delong. Although I thought it was incredibly efficient at the time, now that so many things have happened, I can’t help but feel a little terrified when I think about it carefully. I dare not take it lightly.

He has to be careful that this incident does not become a stain on him in the future.

[I must strike first and then find out what the identity of Delang, the Navy Chief of my own Misty Star Region, is in this world line!]
After recording the ‘memorandum’ in his mind, Horatio withdrew his thoughts and returned to the present.

However, under the current circumstances, meeting the Black Hammer Inquisitor, Horatio could hardly say that this was a good thing.

[What on earth does this guy want to do?] Horatio thought to himself.

“Holy Navy of the Lord of Mankind, I hereby declare an extermination order for this planet, and you will carry out this operation.

Remember, don’t let down the Emperor’s will.”

As the Black Hammer Inquisitor stepped forward, his first words were like a bombshell, instantly causing a storm in Horatio’s heart.

?

!

The old colonel looked confused, his mouth slightly open, as if he was about to say something.

“Wait!” Horatio shouted first, with a hint of urgency and disbelief in his voice, “Why is this! Even if an extermination order is issued, there should be a reasonable reason.”

“I am the agent of the God-Emperor. Who are you to dare to question my decision?!” The Black Hammer Inquisitor frowned tightly, like two small mountains, staring at Horatio’s eyes, and weighed the power hammer in his hand threateningly. The flashing electric light on the power hammer crackled.

“Captain Horatio Cochrane, Honorary Knight of Ultramar, Imperial Lord.” Horatio adjusted his mind and was not suppressed by the intimidating aura of Black Hammer. Instead, he took a firm step forward and said with his head held high, “I hold Order No. 3350 of the Imperial Military Affairs Department and am to carry out a combat mission on this planet!”

He knew very well that he could not be timid in front of the judge. If he was timid, he would lose at the source.

“The orders of the Military Affairs Department are not as important as the words of the Inquisition.”

The Black Hammer Inquisitor sneered coldly, his mouth corners slightly raised with a hint of disdain, “Carpathia has missed the best time to save it. The corruption of Chaos has spread like a cancer to the deepest roots of the entire planet. No one can save it anymore, not to mention…”

Black Hammer narrowed his eyes, a cold light flashed in his eyes, “I also found clues of alien creations on this planet.”

Hearing this, Horatio swallowed unconsciously. He knew that the Black Hammer Inquisitor, as a typical extremist, hated any alien creature and wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible.

“But as an agent of the God-Emperor like you, I have the right to question your extermination order, Inquisitor Black Hammer.”

A clear and firm female voice sounded at the right moment, like a breeze, interrupting the increasingly tense conversation and quietly tilting the balance of the situation towards Horatio.

Black Hammer turned his head sharply and looked at the woman in riding clothes walking towards him, and the five Astartes Black Shields following closely behind her. He snorted coldly and said sarcastically: “Humph, isn’t this Clarence Ravenno’s little follower who colluded with the alien traitors?”

“Shut up!” Thei retorted mercilessly, not at all intimidated by the difference in size and qualifications, “You are not qualified to judge my mentor.

Remember, you are the only one among us who has ever been expelled from the Order of the Forbidden.”

“So what.” The Black Hammer Inquisitor raised his hammer. He was half a meter taller than Thei and was looking down at the fearless girl with pride. His posture seemed to say that he was unwilling to argue with her.

Then he turned to look at the old colonel, with an unquestionable command in his eyes, signaling him to carry out the extermination order.

“I want to re-evaluate the rationality of investigating whether this planet needs to be exterminated. This is the glorious power granted to me by the Anti-foreign Order after the Second Damocles Gulf Expedition. I have the right to protect the sacred territory of the Emperor and the assets on it.”

Thei frowned, staring at Black Hammer with a cold and firm gaze, trying to draw his attention back. “Moreover, according to Decree No. 10 of the Inquisition, when another Inquisitor with the right of refutation objects to the extermination order, the extermination order cannot be issued before the results of the investigation are obtained.”

After Thei finished speaking, he looked at the old colonel and shook his head slightly.

At this point, Colonel Benson was completely at a loss, and he could only look at Horatio for help.

As a colonel, although Horatio has relatively less experience, he has greater say here and now due to his outstanding military achievements and status as an imperial lord.

“On behalf of the Imperial Navy, I refuse to execute this military order, Lord Inquisitor Black Hammer.”

Horatio took off his hat, saluted respectfully, and said, “As Inquisitor Thei said, she needs to investigate whether this planet is really worthless to the God-Emperor. Now that the two of you Inquisitors have given different opinions, we, as the guardians of the God-Emperor’s Universe, cannot hastily execute the extermination order before reaching a unified opinion.”

[There is a Blackstone Obelisk below, which is part of the Obelisk Array that is connected to the Eye of Terror.

If this place is blown up, when the great rift opens up in the future, large-scale subspace storms named “Vortex of Despair” and “Screaming Waves” will sweep across the Storm Star Region.

Moreover, it is still unknown what impact the destruction of this black stone obelisk node will have on the future repair of the entire black stone array system that controls the subspace, and what kind of chain reaction it will trigger.

After all, this place is too close to the ‘Death Zone’.]
[We must not let him destroy this planet. Perhaps it will be useful to the Empire in the future.] Horatio made up his mind secretly, and then stared at the Black Hammer Inquisitor again.

“And from a rational point of view, I agree with Inquisitor Thei’s actions. We should re-investigate this planet and determine its value.

After all, Inquisitor Blackhammer, you don’t want to be expelled from the Anti-Xenophobia Order again for excessive destruction of Imperial property, and then be hunted down by a female Inquisitor again.

Coincidentally, I happen to know the witch hunter Inquisitor Adlatia. I’m sure you’re familiar with this name. She told me that if you see any Inquisitor doing something deviant, you can report it to her at any time through the Star Voice connection, and she will investigate it thoroughly. “

As soon as these words came out, the Black Hammer Inquisitor’s eyes widened instantly, and a trace of rage flashed in his eyes.

[This guy… dares to threaten me?!] For the first time, Black Hammer looked squarely at this naval officer who dared to talk back to him time and again. He repeatedly mentioned the thorn in his flesh that hurt him the most.

He was expelled from the anti-foreign religious order and was hunted down. That was a hundred years ago. Apart from some colleagues, no one else should know about it.

A tingling feeling surged onto Black Hammer’s bald forehead, and for the first time, he felt a little cautious about this mysterious figure in the Imperial Navy.

If it were someone else, he would definitely find a reason to label him a heretic and execute him without authorization to prevent future troubles.

But facing Horatio, he couldn’t do that for the time being.

Horatio was now at the height of his popularity in publicity, and if he were to kill him rashly, it might attract the attention of all the orders of the Inquisition, or even an “accidental attack” from the Imperial Navy.

Moreover, judging from the situation, he and this troublesome little girl were obviously in collusion. If he really cooperated with Adratia, it would definitely cause a series of troubles for his subsequent actions.

What he hated most was doing things under the cold supervision of others.

Black Hammer stroked the handle of the power hammer, feeling a little irritated and alert because his will was being obstructed. However, his reason still suppressed his inner rage and he re-weighed the pros and cons.

Seeing that Black Hammer had attracted his attention, Horatio once again showed a sly smile on his face, took a step forward and whispered: “I know you are confused, how can I, a captain of the Imperial Navy, know so much.

And I also know that you are investigating an infiltration case related to Alpharius, which seems to be related to the Imperial Navy in the Hazy Star Region, but the scope of suspicion is too large. Have you not found a reliable key entry point yet?”

Horatio intentionally or unintentionally revealed the Inquisition Rose knot he wore on his chest, and the bright red color caught the eyes of Grand Inquisitor Black Hammer.

(End of this chapter)