Chapter 232: "Hey! Buddy, We're Pals Now!"

As soon as the teleportation completed, Leeman found himself bewildered by the sight of a group of Grunts bowing down to him in reverence.

He knew about the traits of the Grunts, and was aware of the conflicts between the Brutes and the Sangheili/Elites, but seeing the current situation…

Leeman quickly realized what was happening. Could it be that they had mistaken him and the Thunder Warriors for Forerunners?

Once he pieced everything together, Leeman chose not to display any hostile behavior for the moment. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, glancing at the Brute and the two Jackals who were frozen in place.

"Whoa!"

Although Leeman's helmet visor was closed, the faint red glow from his ocular monitor instilled deep fear in the two Jackals. A cold chill ran down their spines, and their fear soon spread throughout their entire bodies. 

They immediately dropped to their knees on the grass, mirroring the Grunts' posture in a display of reverence, terrified of angering this "god."

"Roar..."

However, the Brute captain, standing about the same height as the Thunder Warriors, narrowed his eyes and let out a low, questioning growl.

He, too, felt fear, but the Covenant had explored countless Forerunner relics and had never encountered a living Forerunner.

And when the Brutes first joined the Covenant, the ruling Prophets had already informed them that the gods had ascended to a higher dimension. In order to follow in the gods' footsteps, they had to embark on a long, arduous pilgrimage.

Thus, the Brute had reason to doubt that the twenty-one giants before him were divine beings; they could very well be another race of "giants."

"Ugly thing, you're not kneeling?"

But before the Brute could issue a command to make the Grunts and Jackals stand and prepare for battle, Leeman used his helmet's external speaker to shout sternly:

"I'm human! The one your gods have designated as the Redeemer!"

Leeman was sure the Brute couldn't understand a word he said, but he knew he couldn't afford to lose ground in terms of presence.

Sure enough, after Leeman's outburst, the Brute seemed confused, unsure of how to proceed.

Leeman's voice had been accompanied by a faint psychic pulse, making the Brute entertain thoughts of retreat and escape.

Ssshh—

At that moment, a Covenant combat squad, responding to the distress signal, arrived at the scene.

"Huh?"

The squad was led by a high-ranking Sangheili, its power armor painted red. It let out a perplexed sound upon its arrival.

"Roar! Roar roar!!"

The red-armored Elite then turned toward the dazed Brute, roaring in anger and speaking in the Covenant's official language, which Leeman couldn't understand.

"Roar..."

The Brute's expression turned vicious after the scolding, but it had no choice but to obey the red-armored Elite and knelt down on one knee, preparing to report the current situation.

Before the Brute could finish speaking, however, another group of Brutes arrived—a squad composed entirely of Brutes.

These Brutes were heavily armed, their armor primarily red and yellow, signifying ranks equivalent to high-ranking non-commissioned officers or lieutenants in human terms.

Leading them was a massive Brute commander, towering at around 3.2 meters, just 30 centimeters shorter than Leeman. His orange-yellow armor was intricately decorated with engravings and ornaments, with a particularly large and wide shoulder plate on his left side, and he wielded a giant hammer in his right hand.

This towering figure was the commander who had been denied a request by the gold-armored shipmaster, tasked with leading the Brutes.

When the commander saw his subordinates kneeling submissively, his anger flared. He marched forward, using the head of his hammer to shove aside the red-armored Elite, growling:

"Yal! Gjunl Kangji, Watt Duqu?!"

("Get lost! What right does a lieutenant have to scold my men?!")

"Roar!"

The red-armored Elite, now more furious than ever, raised its plasma rifle, aiming it at the Brute commander.

As the tension between the two sides reached a boiling point—

"Hey! I don't care if you understand me or not, but you have two choices: One, take me to your highest commander, or two, I'll make you take me to them."

Leeman stepped into the dispute, placing his right hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist.

With his intervention, the Brute commander finally shifted his attention to Leeman.

However, due to the language barrier, the three parties found themselves in another deadlock.

Leeman, beneath his helmet, was deep in thought.

His father had once told him that the Brutes' values and mindset were fundamentally opposed to those of humanity. Those beasts would never be swayed by the company's ideals.

The Elites, on the other hand, were a key group Atlas should consider allying with.

And now, witnessing firsthand the conflict between the Brutes and Elites, which had escalated to physical confrontation, Leeman thought…

Why not fan the flames of this conflict, sparking a civil war within the Covenant earlier than expected? This could save his father a lot of trouble.

So, in front of everyone, Leeman began walking forward, raising his left hand to give the red-armored Elite a thumbs-up.

Then—

Clang—Winter's sword was drawn in an instant.

Boom—The energy shield shattered under tremendous force.

Slash—The blade effortlessly severed the Brute commander's arm.

From the red-armored Elite's perspective, Leeman had made some sort of incomprehensible gesture. The next second, the Brute commander's right arm fell to the ground.

Leeman, who had been empty-handed, was now holding his sword.

This…

What just happened?!

The red-armored Elite hadn't even seen Leeman draw or swing his sword, but the outcome was clear.

"Roar… Roar!!"

The Brute commander howled in pain, clutching the gushing wound with his remaining hand, and screamed at Leeman:

"Kuwa! Kuwayi!!"

("Kill! Kill him!!")

At those words, all the Brutes present immediately turned their weapons toward Leeman and the motionless Thunder Warriors.

"Hahaha! I don't understand a word you're saying, but this is exactly what I've been waiting for!"

Leeman laughed loudly, and with speed only barely perceptible to the Thunder Warriors, he swiftly decapitated the Brute commander and charged into the Brute formation.

Then—

Boom!!

Ssshhh!!

Splatter!!

In a matter of seconds, Leeman had slaughtered all the Brutes present by himself.

Each Brute either fell to the blade of Winter's sword or had their heads smashed or chests pierced by Leeman's "Iron Fist."

Indeed, Brutes were generally taller than the Thunder Warriors and possessed remarkable strength and reflexes. In close-quarters combat, Elites could only rely on nimble movements and quicker reflexes to gain an advantage.

But a Primarch wasn't in the same league. No matter how fast or strong they were, to Leeman, they all moved in slow motion, like insignificant insects.

"Ahh!!"

As Leeman stood amidst the pile of Brute corpses, the Grunts scattered in all directions, and the Jackals silently fled the scene.

Only the red-armored Elite remained, still trying to comprehend why Leeman had suddenly attacked.

But there was no denying that Leeman's killing of the Brute commander had helped the Elite vent its frustration.

Seeing Leeman walking briskly toward him, the Elite raised its plasma rifle, preparing to shoot.

However, Leeman easily crushed the weapon with his left hand's thumb and forefinger. He then sheathed Winter's sword and placed his right arm around the Elite's shoulders, as if they were close friends.

"Hey! Buddy, we're pals now! Don't worry, from now on I'll only kill those ugly, furry apes (Brutes) until we reach your commander!"

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