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This is much better than the filthy orc empire they fought against not long ago, which stretched from the Tianlong Star Region all the way to Ulanor.
After the previous battles with those damned green-skinned orcs that felt like rolling in a mud pit, being sent as an envoy to a human civilization was a truly pleasant thing.
Guided by the messenger, Cyyanus led the Shadowmoon Wolves squad behind him along the corridor.
In that wide colonnade, an emperor wearing a laurel crown sits on a golden throne.
This scene looks so familiar.
Perhaps that's just how it is; we're all human, and there's no fundamental difference between us.
Their problem was simply that they trusted the wrong person, mistaking an unqualified individual for an emperor capable of saving all humanity, instead of the true ruler of mankind who resided above Holy Terra.
Perhaps if they just listen to the preachers' sermons, they will understand within a day that we are not the enemy and know why the Lord of mankind should be our Emperor.
We share the same blood, and we brought them glorious redemption. The Dark Ages are over. Under the Emperor's guidance, humanity will once again roam the stars, with Space Marines guarding our side, defending our inherent right to humanity.
Cyranus walked through the wide, sloping corridor inlaid with silver carvings.
.......
“Listen, Cyranus, the following information is extremely important to you.”
That was a long time ago... well, actually not that long, but it was when the Tianlong Star Region was facing the orcs together with the Sons of the Emperor. Cyranus remembered that it was Kasgar who took the initiative to approach him at that time.
He said he had something very important to tell Cyranus.
It wasn't about commanding legions or intelligence about the Orc Empire.
Instead, it was a prophecy that was incomplete yet incredibly detailed.
"If... I mean, if one day you and the Shadowmoon Wolf Legion really encounter a lost human empire, located in a star system with nine planets, and the rulers there also call themselves emperors, and call their planet Terra."
"...Friend, this is indeed an extremely detailed prophecy, but why are you telling me about it?"
"Because in order to make you understand just how crucial this place is—Torgardon will even joke that, 'I was there the day Horus killed the Emperor,' remember that line, it will run throughout the whole text."
"...What? You could even predict what kind of joke Togden would make?"
Cyranus was a little confused.
When he saw psionicists making prophecies, they liked to say some strange and ambiguous things, and then throw the so-called future at you in the form of riddles, letting you fit it into your imagination.
They're all scams.
Cyranus had thought so before.
But for a prophet like Kasgar, who was so direct and almost completely transparent... it was so specific that even he was a little afraid.
"I don't know if this prophecy will come true, but why are you telling me all this?"
“For all of us, Cyyanus,” Kasgar replied. “This is crucial for both of us. To be precise, if nothing goes wrong, this is the end of your life—Horus will send a diplomatic mission to that ‘Terra,’ and you will die at their hands, if there is no intervention.”
"I'm going to die there... is that it?"
Surprisingly, after hearing the news of his prophesied death, Cyranus, who had been fighting on expeditions for over a century, did not experience any additional psychological fluctuations regarding his predicted demise.
It was as if I had heard about the death of a complete stranger.
"That's not the key point. At most, it can serve as an anchor point, guiding you to judge whether your time and place are correct—your death could actually have been avoided."
Casca then gave a very detailed explanation, as if he had experienced it firsthand.
"After you land as a representative of the delegation, be careful of those unseen enemies lurking in the shadows."
"An invisible enemy?"
"That's right, that's exactly it."
The local human government's science priests are proficient in a rare and magical force field technology, which they use to arm their elite guards.
They cover their entire bodies with some kind of device, which distorts light and achieves invisibility. Moreover, they can release this force field to create cruel and merciless attacks.
"But once they lose this unexpected advantage, their actual strength isn't that great. If negotiations break down, be prepared to deal with these guys who launch surprise attacks from stealth. I trust your methods."
"it is good."
Despite the fact that the words were somewhat surreal, Cyranus chose to believe them because of the specific prophetic basis.
If there truly is a human civilization that calls itself Terra, and if there truly is another being who dares to call themselves Emperor...
“If you survive, be careful of Horus’s condition—he may fall into a coma or some other state of unconsciousness later,” Kasgar continued, his tone becoming serious, his body unconsciously leaning forward towards Cyanos, as if giving him a crucial instruction.
"You absolutely must keep Abaddon and the other Shadowmoon Wolves in check. Under no circumstances should Horus receive any treatment that is not trustworthy. Immediately, disregard all objections and take Horus back to Holy Terra to be handled by the Emperor himself."
"If none of this ever happened, then consider it the ravings of my delirium."
"But once it happens—"
Kaska said urgently, "Remember, you must do exactly as I say!"
"Perhaps everything that will happen in the future can be stopped, as long as you are still alive. Only you can stop Abaddon's blindness."
"You are Horus' last chance to save him."
Kasga seemed to have extremely high expectations for him, things that even Cyranus himself found hard to believe.
.......
But everything happened against Cyanos's will, just as Kaska had said.
The false emperor's palace was completely empty, lacking any guards, as if he were truly the only one standing before that equally golden throne.
But only Cyranus knew that it wasn't that there were no royal guards inside the palace; rather, those guys had truly concealed their presence.
Indeed, if he concentrates, he can sense it.
If it weren't for his century-old veteran's perception, he might have really overlooked it.
What shocked Cyranus even more was that everything actually came true perfectly as Nagasga had said, without the slightest error.
—And it seems he also said that this would be his final resting place.
There was no time to hesitate; Cyranus transmitted the message about invisibility to everyone's helmets via the communication channel.
.......
Since Casca had already foreseen his death, the breakdown of negotiations was clearly inevitable.
Faced with the conditions proposed by Cyanos, the false emperor was clearly furious. How dare these fools challenge his authority! He would make these stupid outsiders pay the price!
Under the orders of the false emperor, those invisible warriors revealed their true strength.
Despite being prepared, Cyanos and his comrades were caught off guard. Even the scanning matrix of their masks couldn't detect the enemies' presence, forcing them to rely on their own senses to predict their movements.
After their first attack failed, these enemies stood arrogantly inside the house, preparing for their next attack.
Fortunately, stealth technology works best when the user remains stationary.
Once they move, the cloaking technology on these people will leave behind blurry silhouettes and thermal traces.
Cyranus reacted quickly, immediately attacking every incongruous point of light and shadow in the air. At the same time, he increased the contrast of his eyepiece, making his field of vision almost entirely black and white, so that he could more clearly distinguish the abrupt outlines against the blurred background.
Under his keen observation and firing, their cloaking devices became ineffective as several blood-soaked corpses flew through the air.
The silver armor on the corpses was exquisitely crafted, and the scarlet silk cloaks they wore were breathtakingly intricate with carvings and insignia.
It unconsciously reminded him of the Imperial Guards protecting the Terra Palace, but in terms of actual combat ability, apart from the surprise attacks launched by this stealth ability, it was far inferior to the Emperor's Claws in their gleaming golden armor.
"retreat!!!"
"Ceyanus shouted loudly. The men he brought were also elite troops from the Shadowmoon Wolves. As Shadowmoon Wolves preferred to drop kills from the air, their incursions into enemy lines were practically commonplace."
This obstacle is not enough to deter their determination to return to the Soul of Vengeance.
The distress signal to the Primarch has been sent. Since they are determined to oppose the Empire of Man and the true Emperor, let the army of the Shadowmoon Wolves satisfy them.
"To break free from the palace's encirclement," Seyanus thought to himself.
He charged ahead, clearing a path—even when facing assassins who outnumbered him many times over, Cyanos remained fearless—although during his breakout he was ambushed by several assassins who left several gaps in his armor, from which blood gushed forth, forming a bloody path as Cyanos advanced.
"Long live the Wolf God!"
In the fierce battle, the room's floor was littered with blood and blackened bits of flesh. Gunfire never ceased within the palace rooms; the false emperor would not allow anyone who dared to disrespect him to leave their inescapable net alive.
Surrounded by enemy forces, Cyyanus's delegation fought a fierce battle, even becoming separated within the relatively short palace grounds. After battling and slaying dozens of invisible "Royal Guard" warriors, Cyyanus laboriously dragged himself toward the outer perimeter.
He was already exhausted, but according to Casca's prophecy, he had to live.
He is the hope that can save Horus. He absolutely cannot die here as prophesied. He must live and save Horus while he is in danger.
At this moment, he was so close to escaping the encirclement.
The bright sunlight from outside was almost right in front of me.
There are no more dangerous, invisible assassins outside the palace. As long as he can break out of the palace, Shadowmoon Wolves' reinforcements will soon rescue him from the chaotic battlefield—he can even hear the sounds of flagship cannon fire and fighter jets outside.
There must be reinforcements coming to their aid.
As if in response to Cyeanus's expectations, he saw a familiar figure in the shadows of the sunlight, holding a dagger disproportionate to his tall stature. Ah, this time the assassin was not invisible.
wrong.
Under the sunlight, he managed to make out the other person – one of his own.
But why is he here?
"...Ariman?"
"Cyanos asked, puzzled."
......
just now.
The Emperor's Pride
Outside the portholes of the Sons of the Emperor fleet, the Twenty-Eighth Expeditionary Fleet struggled through the warp, obstructed by the relentless storms.
"The warp storm... has started again."
Fugrim's face was solemn, her expression filled with sorrow.
She never imagined that the warp storm, which had ceased for over a century and given them the opportunity to launch a grand expedition across the galaxy, would return at this moment.
From now on, how will they deal with this incurable disease that humanity cannot get rid of?
When the last warp storm erupted, the human empire, which was entering its golden age, was torn to pieces by the warp storm. As a Primarch who grew up on Chemos, she remembered it vividly.
When will this storm finally end, and what will become of humanity's future?
The light of the star torches flickered and dimmed amidst the raging storms of the warp, becoming indistinct.
Even if the Emperor's Sons fleet wanted to return to Holy Terra at this moment, under these circumstances, even the most daring navigators would not dare to risk completing a warp.
Kasgar, equally troubled, looked out the porthole at the churning, boiling warp storm.
The timing of this storm... is rather premature.
Perhaps the existence of the Casca brought a new threat to the Chaos Gods, or perhaps they simply had no way to resist the Casca's salvation and assistance to the other Primarchs, and were forced to unleash a warp storm capable of covering everything in the galaxy before the official outbreak of the Great Rebellion.
After all, if Kasgar could return to Holy Terra and tell the Emperor everything, the Primarchs' rebellion could be dealt with in smaller, more organized ways, which would be much better than wiping out the entire army on the Istvan V.
Furthermore, this time the Imperial Warmaster is Fugrim herself, and to prevent rebellion, she can bring together powerful and loyal legions such as the Ultramarines, Dark Angels, and Blood Angels.
Instead of building some "unremembered empire".
With Ultra Warrior + Dark Angel + Holy Blood Angel, how could the loyalists possibly lose?
Unfortunately, the Chaos beings averted everything before it even happened by using a warp storm.
"Even Star Communication can't be sent out?"
“The Star Speakers say they can’t do it,” Fugrim shook his head. “It’s like we’re completely trapped here. None of us can contact the ground, and we can’t go anywhere.”
It seems that not only are they trapped in the warp storm and unable to get out, but their communication capabilities are also being heavily targeted by those Chaos Gods.
Sigh, I can't afford to play this game.
"No! The situation is urgent. If Phyllis is really controlled, the Iron Hands' fighting power will definitely cause extremely serious damage. We must send a Star Language communication to the Emperor as soon as possible!"
"Forgrim said anxiously."
"The situation is urgent; even if it means sacrificing a few Star Speakers—"
"Don't!"
Kasga quickly grabbed her, preventing her from taking any further action.
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