The Emperor’s Angel of Death

#2106 - Only Love Forever

"Yes! It's me!!!!!!!!!!"

"Great. →"

Soon, a light shone from the exit above, followed by Winter's face. He threw down a rope, and Hayes grabbed it, struggling to climb up. But because of the earlier 'passion,' he was still a bit weak, forcing him to drop his weapon to make it.

Afterward, he and Winter climbed back to the surface along the S-shaped pipe. As soon as he poked his head out, he got a slap. He turned to see Hashette squatting there.

"You little rascal, how did you fall in there? I thought you were dead!"

Looking at Hashette's wrinkled face, Hayes smiled and scratched his head.

"Hehe, lucky me. Is the fighting over?"

"It's been hours! It's over! You had a comfortable battle, lying down the whole time."

Pick also said from the side:

"Hayes, brother, luck, luck is, good."

Hayes noticed that Pick had a bandage on his forehead, and most of the others were also injured, indicating that the battle had been fierce. He immediately felt guilty.

"Sorry, I"

"Saying that is useless. Prepare to pack up and leave."

Just then, Hayes heard some commotion and loud, excited voices.

"Murderers, thieves, traitors, blasphemers, extortionists, smugglers, repeat offenders! Accept your judgment!"

"Huh?"

Hayes was taken aback and looked at Hashette.

"What's all this noise?"

"Our commander doesn't know where he found a bunch of fanatical lunatics to use as cannon fodder. They charged down through the traps and tore apart anyone they saw like madmen. We managed to hold this place, or they would have burned it down."

As Hashette said this, Hayes noticed that the surroundings were frighteningly bright. Many buildings had been set on fire. At the same time, many bloodied heads and even limbs were stuck on iron poles high up. The entire stronghold resembled a giant crematorium, making Hayes shudder.

Meanwhile, the Redeemers' acrimonious words continued to echo in this underground city.

"Rejoice! We are your liberation! The faithless and traitors are dying! Bleed! They will be cast into hell!"

"Burn them! Slaughter them! Hammer them! Traitors must die! The faithless must die! Die! Die!"

"The blood of heretics will stain our medals! For the God-Emperor!"

At this moment, Winter casually said:

"I heard they also found a hidden underground stronghold. Those traitors are really good at hiding, but they're probably doomed now that the fanatics have found them."

Hayes's expression suddenly froze. Then, under the puzzled gazes of the others, he ran madly toward the source of the sound.

Soon, after turning a street corner, he arrived at a square surrounded by many burning shacks. Many fanatics, naked to the waist, covered in whip marks, wearing iron hoops, and carrying heavy scriptures or candlesticks, were howling and shouting the Emperor's name around several high platforms piled with corpses. They held various weapons and looked very barbaric. Even more terrifying, their weapons were strung with heads, limbs, and even children, but they seemed to be holding up parade floats, gleefully.

At this time, many pyres had been erected in the square, and some still held partially charred corpses. Their twisted movements showed the agony of their deaths.

"Despicable heretics! Witches! Should be cleansed by the holy fire! Look!"

A scream caught Hayes's attention. He looked over and froze, then breathed a sigh of relief. →

It wasn't Galina, at least. A young girl and a disheveled middle-aged woman were tied together and dragged by an executioner wearing a black pointed hat. The middle-aged woman looked very weak and fell after taking a few steps. The surrounding fanatics immediately whipped her, causing her skin to tear and bleed.

The girl kept screaming, seemingly begging them not to hurt her mother, but she was also whipped.

The executioner forcibly dragged them to the pyre. As soon as the ropes were untied, the girl threw herself on her mother, hugging the trembling woman tightly, protecting her in her arms.

At that moment, Hayes's blood rushed to his head. He immediately drew the dagger from his waist, but as soon as he took a step, a pair of strong arms grabbed him.

"What are you doing! Are you crazy!"

Hayes struggled to break free from the arms holding him, but he couldn't. He turned back to look at Hashette and shouted anxiously:

"They're not! They're innocent!"

The next second, Hashette quickly covered Hayes's mouth with a gloved hand. Some fanatics had already turned their heads to look over, but they quickly lost interest and continued their 'work.'

"Do you want to die? These madmen won't care who you are when they go crazy. No one can protect you!"

Seemingly to prevent Hayes from continuing to talk nonsense, Hashette kept his mouth covered, grabbed his arm, and dragged him away.

Suddenly, the Redeemers in the distance raised a torch and walked toward the pyre.

"Behold! How filthy are the souls of heretics! The pious must stay away from this!"

Hayes stared at everything, his eyes wide.

The flames rose, like a large hand gripping the two of them, and the eagle emblems held high by the crowd were dyed as red as blood by the firelight—

"Hayes, what's wrong with you? You've been acting strange since you came up from below."

Faced with Hashette's question, Hayes hesitated for a moment after glancing at his comrades, and finally told them about his encounter and Galina's situation.

After listening, everyone was stunned. Even Winter looked like he had seen a ghost.

Hashette, with a solemn expression, took out a cigarette, lit it, took a deep breath, and then raised his hand and slapped Hayes on the left cheek, but not hard.

"You little bastard! How old are you to be playing with women, and during a war at that? Do you know how many people have lost their lives because they couldn't control themselves down there?"

Hayes lowered his head aggrievedly, but immediately raised his head again and said:

"But she's not"

"What's she not? You've been fooled, you know? I've seen many women like this. She's just a prostitute and a bitch, just fooling a newbie like you! Think about it, you've only known each other for a few hours, and she can sleep with you. Doesn't that mean she's the same with others? She said her mother was a prostitute. How good can she be? Do you really think she's some innocent virgin? If you want a wife, don't look for this kind. After the war, you should have some money. There are plenty of ways to find a girl with a clean background. What's the rush?"

At this time, Pick also interjected:

"Yes, yes, listen, listen to them, pro, prostitutes are not good, they will, will wear green hats later."

Hayes was taken aback, then shook his head.

"No matter what, I promised her. Whether she lied to me or not, I have to keep my word. Even if we never see each other again, it's good to save one person."

Then he looked at Hashette.

"Uncle, please, please help me, okay?"

Looking at Hayes's sincere face, Hashette took a deep breath and then exhaled a puff of smoke heavily from his nostrils.

"You really know how to get me into trouble. It's not impossible. The Ecclesiarchy has a lot of transport ships coming here. They'll probably be returning soon. You can buy a ticket to send her away, but it's not cheap. After all, it's not a legitimate channel. If you don't want her identity to be checked, you'll have to spend more money."

Hayes pursed his lips. Generally speaking, the currency used in war zones is either military scrip or ration bars. He had some military scrip, but he had almost no ration bars left.

"It's okay, I'll contribute."

Winter put his hand on Hayes's shoulder.

"Squad Leader Hayes, don't worry."

Pick also nodded.

"Hayes, brother's matter, is, is my matter, I, I also contribute."

"I also want to help Hayes."

Looking at the dirty faces of his comrades, smudged with smoke and fire, Hayes couldn't help but shed tears, choking:

"Thank you, everyone."

Hashette shook his head helplessly.

"First make sure she's still alive."

After that, everyone acted immediately. Some kept watch, while others tied a rope around Hayes's waist and slowly lowered him into the tunnel. During this process, Hayes kept praying, hoping that Galina was still alive.

As he slowly climbed down the S-shaped tunnel with a lighting rod in hand, his anxiety grew stronger and stronger because he didn't hear any sound. It seemed dead silent below.

Could she really be dead?

When he slid out of the tunnel entrance, he suddenly heard the sound of a lasgun safety being disengaged, so he quickly said:

"It's me! Hayes!"

"Hayes!!!!!!!!!!"

A surprised voice came from below. Hayes dropped the lighting rod and saw Galina, holding the lasgun he had dropped. Behind her was a woman who looked somewhat similar to her but much older, with a pale, bloodless face. They both looked very disheveled.

When Hayes landed on the ground, Galina hugged him and kissed his lips with tears in her eyes before he could untie the rope.

"I knew it! I knew it! You wouldn't abandon us! Mom, I told you, Hayes is a good person!"

Hearing Galina say this, Hayes scratched the back of his head awkwardly, then nodded to Galina's mother.

"Hello, Auntie."

The other party smiled gently in return.

"Thank you, Hayes."

After that, Hayes briefly understood the situation. It turned out that as soon as Galina returned home, the Imperial army and the Ecclesiarchy fanatics had invaded the Redemption Zone. They killed anyone they saw and burned every house they could find. Those who surrendered were tied up and either hanged or burned to death. Fortunately, Galina was clever enough. She used a previously abandoned passage to quickly leave the Redemption Zone. Thanks to the ration bars Hayes gave her, her mother had the strength to follow her.

The two of them fearfully passed through one district after another that had fallen into a living hell. Then they came here. Galina had placed all her hopes on Hayes as a lifeline. If Hayes didn't come, then waiting for them would only be death or an even more miserable fate.

But Hayes came, like the Emperor responding to her prayers.

Hayes never thought of himself as a savior. He just felt that he had promised Galina, so he couldn't escape. Whether sincerely or insincerely, since the other party called him her husband, then he had the obligation to protect his 'wife.' This was his simplest thought.

After that, Hayes sent the two of them up. With the cover of his comrades, he sent them out of the underground and temporarily hid them in a remote cottage in Happiness City.

But this matter was not over yet. Hashette said that in order to send people to the ship, they had to ask their company commander, Oranios, for help.

Because only he could apply to the commander for a flyer.

"Ah?"

Sitting on an ammunition box, with one leg hanging in the air, the unkempt Oranios widened his eyes, then took off his helmet and scratched his weed-like hair vigorously.

"Hayes, I didn't see it. You are so brave, really bold."

Hayes lowered his head embarrassedly. Hashette, on the side, smoked helplessly.

"You, to say nothing else, even putting aside her identity, just the fact that you went to sleep with a woman during combat is enough to eat a bolter round. You are usually such a disciplined person, but you can't control your lower body."

As he said this, Oranios laughed himself.

"But it's also true, young man, when you are full of energy, it is inevitable to be impulsive. After all, we are not the kind of old men who can't get it up."

"Hey, hey, just talk about yourself, don't bring me into it. I can get it up."

Hashette quickly corrected the other party, without any respect for his superior.

"Hey, what are you in a hurry for? But Hayes, I know you are a good kid, but do you understand, uh, do you know the meaning of marriage?"

Hayes honestly replied:

"Two people living together to have children?"

Oranios was amused by him.

"That's right, but not entirely. I just want to ask you one question, do you, love her?"

"Love"

Hayes scratched his neck.

"Is that the same as like?"

"This is for you to answer yourself."

"I don't know, company commander. Even after she leaves, we probably won't have the possibility of seeing each other again. The war is not over yet, and I don't know when I will die. More than a thousand brothers died in this operation. Maybe I will be among those thousand next time. I have never really thought about being her husband. Galina longs for a stable life, and she will have a husband who gives her such a life."

"Then why are you risking your life to do this? Just out of guilt for sleeping with her?"

"Maybe, but I actually just want to help her."

"Even if it means dying for it?"

Hayes nodded.

Oranios was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed loudly, startling Hayes. Moreover, he kept laughing afterward, laughing until tears came out, laughing until the laughter seemed to turn into crying.

After an unknown amount of time, he shook his head and said:

"Silly, why so silly? Knowing there is no result, you still want to risk your life for it. Why are you so silly?"

Saying that, he reached into his neck, took out a small cross-shaped pendant, looked at it, and then said to Hayes:

"Alright, I'll take care of this matter. I'll also give you a few days off. After arriving at the orbital station, spend two good days with her. That ship probably won't leave so soon."

Hashette then took Hayes away, but during the departure, Hayes noticed that Oranios kept staring at the pendant, his lips moving as if muttering to himself.

After preparing his luggage, Hayes took Galina and her daughter to the landing pad, where a shuttle that Orlaneos had applied for was waiting. The three of them were then transported to the orbital station, which was now mostly repaired. Hayes secured two cabins for them, initially intending to get a third, but Galina stopped him.

For the next three days, Hayes finally understood the meaning of Hashete's words “take care of yourself” before he left, and finally understood that women could indeed be “frightening” in certain aspects.

During these three days, in addition to intimate moments, the two also talked a lot about their pasts. Galina didn't mind Hayes's identity as an “unemployed drifter” from the underhive, and Hayes also knew that she hadn't done those deals because she was indeed very good at stealing technology and didn't need to do those things to support her mother.

But Hayes never dared to hope for a wife.

Finally, the day of parting arrived.

"After I arrive in the Grief star system, I will go to your previous hive city according to the address you gave me."

Galina hugged Hayes, whispering her feelings of parting in his ear.

"I will wait for you to come back, and we will truly live like a family."

Hayes hesitated for a moment and whispered:

"Galina, you can actually go and find your own life. I might not come bac—"

Galina immediately let go of him and covered his mouth with her hand.

"I heard it from your comrades. You are Lucky Hayes. I also firmly believe that the God-Emperor sent you to my side. You will be fine. You will definitely come back alive. I'll wait for you."

Hayes didn't know what to say for a moment. He suddenly thought of Orlaneos's question.

Did he love her?

Did she love him?

Perhaps, only if he survived this war could he know the answer.

At this moment, the boarding prompt sounded. Galina kissed Hayes, and the two were immersed in each other's warmth. After a long time, they separated. Galina then stuffed something into his hand. It was the little angel statue that Hayes had obtained before, which Galina had taken back to modify.

"You must come back, my love, my husband!"

Galina looked at Hayes with tears in her eyes. Hayes nodded.

"Okay."

One month later

"Be loyal to the Emperor, and let the name of Arnie resound throughout the Maelstrom."

On the landing pad, Danica gave Arnie a final adjustment to his collar, then kissed him with tears in her eyes and threw herself into his arms.

"I will wait for your triumphant return in Sagan. If you unfortunately return to the Golden Throne, I will remain chaste in the abbey for the rest of my life."

"I will come back. I will welcome my bride with a grand wedding."

After the two kissed again, Arnie turned and walked towards the shuttle.

On the other side, on the constantly shaking transport plane, Hayes sat in his seat, heading to the transport ship that would take them to the new battlefield with the rest of the company. His head leaned weakly against the backrest, and then he took something out of his pocket.

It was a rose-colored little angel, with a line of crooked words on it—

To my bravest, kindest husband, Lucky Hayes.

I love you.

Forever.