Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [21]

It was obvious that most people did not believe the claim of the hospitaller sister, and some even looked at Rhodes with hostility.

Especially the commissar of the Astra Militarum—as the spiritual leader of the army, he had to be familiar with every soldier.

The man standing before him, Rhodes, was exceptionally tall, with brown skin, black hair, and black eyes, making him stand out among the other soldiers.

With such distinctive features, if he had truly served in the army, the commissar would surely have recognized him.

"Soldier! Were you a deserter before? I did not see you in the previous battle." The Imperial commissar asked coldly as he stared at Rhode.

If he was a deserter, the commissar would execute him on the spot. The Imperium did not need cowards—any act of cowardice was a blasphemy against both the Imperium and the Emperor himself.

"I am not part of the army. My previous clothes were damaged, so I had no choice but to wear this Astra Militarum uniform," Rhodes explained.

"Then take it off! You are not qualified to wear this uniform! Wait a minute—our forces are lacking manpower right now. You are now conscripted into the army," the commissar declared.

Originally, he had planned to make Rhodes remove the uniform, but an extra soldier meant extra strength.

This young man had an impressive physique—exceptionally strong even by Astra Militarum standards. Enlisting him would be a good choice.

"Are you sure you want someone who is half a Primarch to join the Astra Militarum?" Rhodes asked.

Upon hearing the words "Primarch," a Battle Sister nearby could no longer contain herself. She let out a cold snort, raised her chainsword, and swung it at Rhodes' head.

To impersonate a Primarch—that was blasphemy against the Imperium and disloyalty to the Emperor. As the Emperor's daughter, she could not tolerate such an insult.

Bang!

In an instant, the Battle Sister was sent flying over ten meters away at incredible speed. Even her power armor bore a deep, dented imprint of a fist.

"What the hell? I was just telling the truth! Did you have to come at me so enthusiastically with a sword?" Rhodes said as he withdrew his fist.

He wasn't joking—given his current physical strength, sending a power-armored Battle Sister flying was effortless.

And that was him holding back. If he had aimed for her head, she would have been dead—her skull crushed on the spot.

At this moment, everyone on the battlefield finally realized what had happened. Staring at Rhodes in shock, they saw that he had sent a Battle Sister in power armor flying with a single punch.

Leaving a deep fist imprint on power armor—this was something even an Astartes could do, but only while wearing their power armor.

To achieve this feat barehanded was truly astonishing.

The Battle Sister, who had been sent flying, spat out a mouthful of blood, snorted coldly, and raised her chainsword once again, charging at Rhodes.

"I already held back! Otherwise, you wouldn't even be able to crawl right now.

If you want to humiliate yourself, go ahead, but this time I won't go easy on you," Rhodes warned as he looked at the Battle Sister before him.

This Warhammer universe is extreme—drawing weapons at the slightest disagreement. The religious fanaticism is way too intense.

"Wait a moment, Sister! This is a misunderstanding. Mr. Rhodes possesses extraordinary physical strength, and I have examined his genetic sequence.

He has the purest human bloodline—he is not a mutant, abhuman, psyker, or anything else," Elena said anxiously.

"Stand down, Sister Tori!" The Canoness standing nearby ordered the Battle Sister to cease her attack.

Because at that moment, an Astartes warrior—the Death Angel of the Emperor, a captain of the Space Marines—had stepped in front of Rhodes.

"Your strength is indeed formidable. Now, strike me with your full power. Let me see just how strong you are, and then we will talk further."

Rhodes nodded and stepped forward in front of the Astartes warrior. This time, he didn't hold back—after all, his opponent was a true Astartes.

Aside from not using Monster Strength Burst, he threw his punch with all his might.

Inside the Space Marine captain's helmet, warning alarms blared—clearly, the force behind the punch was immense.

With Astartes' reflexes, dodging would have been easy, but this was a test, so he chose to take the punch head-on.

Boom!

The Space Marine captain, clad in dark blue power armor, was sent flying like a cannonball. He tumbled across the ground twice before coming to a halt, landing even farther than the Battle Sister before him.

He didn't get up for a long time. His power armor had been damaged, with a large section of the chest plate completely shattered.

"Captain!" Several Space Marines were shocked. They immediately rushed toward their captain, and two of them even raised their bolters, aiming them at Rhodes' head.

"Cough… wait, don't shoot. Let me talk to him," the Space Marine captain coughed up blood, wiped the corner of his mouth, and looked at Rhodes with disbelief.

That punch had truly shaken him. If he hadn't been wearing power armor, he would be dead. Even with the armor, he estimated that he could only take a few more punches before being beaten to death.

Their physical capabilities were simply on completely different levels—just like the gap between a mortal soldier and an Astartes.

To overpower a Space Marine purely with physical strength—only Custodians or Primarchs could achieve such a feat.

Could he be a Primarch?

No… but he said he was half a Primarch?

"I need to conduct another genetic test on you," the Space Marine captain said as he stepped up to Rhodes.

This time, the genetic examination was conducted not by the young hospitaller sister but by a Space Marine. He extracted a few strands of Rhodes' hair and ran a genetic comparison, even performing a physical inspection.

"Captain! His genetic sequence is flawless—he is indeed human. Furthermore, I examined his body, and there are no signs of any surgical augmentations."

Any form of physical enhancement surgery, no matter how minor, would leave some traces—whether it was an Astartes or a Custodian.

But this man had no signs of any modifications, yet he possessed such immense strength. The only possibility left was that he was a Primarch.

But… how was that possible?

"You just said you were half a Primarch. Can you explain?" the Space Marine captain asked.

"Astartes are crude imitations of Primarchs, whereas I am a relatively perfect reproduction.

However, while I am more refined, I still have not reached the level of a true Primarch. That is why I call myself 'half a Primarch,'" Rhodes explained.