Duelling between battle-brothers was a part of many Legions' martial traditions. For some these practices were a matter of training and honing the skills of battle. For others they rook on significance beyond that of practical necessity; they became an end in themselves rather than a means to effectiveness in war. The fighting pits of the World Eaters are one example, the Blade Feasts of the Imperial Fists another. To the Emperors Children, however, duelling was a fundamental part not only of their training but of?their psychology. The duel was the ultimate expression of a warrior's skill and prowess, a mirror which reflected his essence.

戰(zhàn)斗兄弟之間進行決斗切磋是很多軍團的尚武傳統(tǒng)的一部分。對一些人而言，這些比試較量的行為是訓(xùn)練和磨礪戰(zhàn)斗技巧的方式，對其他人而言，他們在挖掘?qū)嶋H需要之外的意義；（對這些人而言）決斗本身就成了目的，而不是幫助參與者在戰(zhàn)爭中取得成效的手段（機仆：說白了，有些軍團內(nèi)部的決斗純粹是戰(zhàn)斗兄弟間相互切磋，無所謂輸贏；有些則成為了非要分個高下的戰(zhàn)技比試）。吞世者的角斗坑就是一個例子，帝國之拳的刀鋒盛會則是另一個。不過，在帝皇之子軍團的眼中，決斗既是訓(xùn)練的基本部分，也是第三軍團哲學(xué)的核心。決斗是一位戰(zhàn)士的技巧與英勇精神的終極體現(xiàn)，也是反映出戰(zhàn)士本質(zhì)的明鏡。

The weapons they used to duel with were a key part of this culture, and spoke to their aesthetic appreciation. Many of the Emperors Children bore swords crafted by the blade-smiths of a thousand worlds. Among these the Chamabal sabre of the Old Terran tradition was a particular mark of quality within ihe Legion; forged to ancient rituals and alchemical formulae each blade was a unique product of a master sword maker 。Examples of this regard can be seen in several well-recorded incidents?，such as when Fulgrim gave six Chamabal sabres, forged by Yelena Mordant, to the survivors of rhe Cyberseer Insurrection as an award of valour. While Akurduana—before his death reckoned to be the finest swordsman of the Legion—fought most often with paired Chamabal sabres, although it was also well known that he possessed a personal collection of 360 swords taken from defeated foes. This habit of taking particularly fine weapons from defeated enemies was a strong characteristic of the wider Legion. If a renowned swordsman encountered a weapon of surpassing quality in the hands of an enemy he would take it as a trophy. The swordsman would then practise with the trophy weapon until he wielded it with more skill than its makers, this act representing an almost kabbalistic ritual absorbing and defeating the enemy in spirit. So it was that the champions of the Emperor's Children wielded Racathian glass glaives, friction axes from the Norvik Sinks, Aegisine 'saintie', Tuonela mortuary swords，Terran Gladius and Martian- forged power blades to name but a few. No prohibition existed against weapons taken from aliens or cultures that were otherwise worthy only for destruction; all that mattered was the quality of the weapon itself.?

帝皇之子們使用的決斗武器是他們這種文化的關(guān)鍵部分，也表達了他們的審美觀念。很多帝皇之子們佩戴一千個世界的刀劍匠師們打造的利劍。在這些寶刃當(dāng)中，舊泰拉藝術(shù)風(fēng)格的剔骨軍刀在第三軍團內(nèi)部是武器質(zhì)量的特定標(biāo)志。所有剔骨軍刀都是按照古老的儀式和煉金術(shù)公式鑄造的，每一柄都是鑄劍大師獨一無二的創(chuàng)作。這方面的例子可以在一些記錄清晰的事例中看到，比如弗格瑞姆把六柄由耶勒拿 摩爾丹特鑄造的剔骨軍刀賜給Cyberseer叛亂中的六名幸存者以表彰他們的勇氣。而阿庫杜拿——他在犧牲前被認(rèn)為是第三軍團最為優(yōu)秀的劍客——絕大多數(shù)情況下就是手持一對剔骨軍刀作戰(zhàn)（機仆：這哥們貌似就是加納迪爾會戰(zhàn)里帝子部隊的指揮官，決戰(zhàn)時手持雙刀空降到敵人主城，砍死一片敵人之后引爆了主城反應(yīng)堆，犧牲了。這場戰(zhàn)役考爾大賢者翻譯過），不過，他也因為擁有360把繳獲自戰(zhàn)敗敵人的寶劍的私人收藏而著稱。從被擊敗的敵人身上繳獲那些非常優(yōu)秀的武器這一習(xí)俗是第三軍團的很大特點。倘若一位著名劍客偶然在敵人手中發(fā)現(xiàn)了一把質(zhì)量卓越的武器，他會把武器帶走作為紀(jì)念品。之后這名劍客會練習(xí)使用這把紀(jì)念品武器，直到他比制造者更擅長使用這件武器。這種行為代表了一種近乎卡巴拉式的儀式，意味著劍客在精神上吞并且擊敗了敵人。這就是為何帝皇之子的冠軍們使用著Racathian玻璃闊劍，來自Norvik Sinks的摩擦戰(zhàn)斧，Aegisine 圣劍，Tuonela斬首劍，泰拉的羅馬短劍以及火星鑄造的動力劍，這里僅舉出幾個例子。第三軍團的戰(zhàn)士們也被允許原本只值得毀滅的異形和文明手中奪取武器，一切都取決于武器本身的質(zhì)量。