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Page 463
Cleanse the court of corrupt officials!
Just as Casca was preparing to lead his expeditionary fleet to wipe them out, they were also leading an equally large fleet and surface armed forces to arm the Imperial Church world with defensive devices, turning it into a hedgehog.
All worlds under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Church have had their defenses significantly strengthened—their fortresses are now so impenetrable that human expeditionary fleets can hardly make a move.
Whether they are combatants or ordinary civilians, they see themselves as the last line of defense against corruption in the human world—if even they cannot stop the evil demon from advancing... then this damned demon will continue to wreak havoc on Holy Terra as an ancient hero until the entire human empire falls completely!
They must hold out until the very last moment!
Even if the entire army is wiped out, we must hold our ground!
Moreover, they sometimes need to take the initiative—not long ago, Pope Van Diehl of the Imperial Cult received a divine revelation from the Emperor—a great relic was kept in a Space Marine fortress monastery that had been invaded by demons.
To ensure that this ancient heritage does not fall into the hands of demons, they must mobilize their entire army and launch a joint attack!
......
Such large-scale mobilizations are now being staged in churches of varying sizes across the star sectors controlled by the Imperial Church.
The crowd, filled with righteous indignation, was completely enraged and vowed to utterly crush the evil "Casca" and his schemes in this star system.
While everyone was working tirelessly to strengthen the surface defenses in order to better resist the invasion of the human empire's army.
Inside the secret chamber atop the magnificent spires of the holy church in that sacred world.
Compared to the dazzling gold and pious atmosphere outside, surrounded by incense smoke, this secret chamber, accessible only to high-ranking priests, was covered with densely packed blasphemous runes and demonic symbols on almost every corner of the walls. Chattering demons stood before the mirror in front of the magic circle in the room.
Before this Tzeentch Mirror, which could reflect nine different identities, stood a demon whose body was shrunk due to the room's size.
"Is this your trick?"
The demon's eyes burned with fire, and it found the invitation utterly unbelievable.
[The Creator] Vashtor.
It stood before the magic mirror, watching its reflection constantly distort and change, quietly waiting for the other to speak.
Vashtor has been searching for the whereabouts of the Key throughout the Milky Way.
With the seat of the God of Chaos long held by that damned cursed one who "sits in the toilet without doing his business," he could only hope that the creations of the ancient saints could help him unravel the mystery of the true creator.
For this reason, he did not hesitate to cooperate with Abaddon, the Chaos Warmaster of the Black Legion.
—But unfortunately, Brother Dun was useless.
After it was announced again that the previous one was not the Black Crusade and he was still invincible, another Chaos God found Vashtor, who was in a depressed state at the time.
According to His conditions, Tzeentch will use His boundless knowledge and wisdom to help it find the key and the weapon as soon as possible, and thus completely destroy the emperor on the golden throne.
Now that Khorne and Nurgle have vanished from the Warp, no one knows whether these Chaos Gods are truly dead or continue to lurk in the shadows as before—but in any case, Tzeentch understands that He cannot win by fighting alone.
"In order to fight the cursed together, I also need your power."
Of course, this is only Tzeentch's side of the story.
Anyone who truly believes everything He says will likely end up much like Magnus today.
The Chaos Gods have never been a charitable organization, and the help given by the Lord of Change is especially extraordinary.
"What exactly is your plan? Lord of Change? You don't need my furnace like the God of Blood, and we're not that close."
"Tell me, Lord of Change, what exactly are you planning?"
Vashtor sensed that this was a trap, but the challenge He presented was so tempting that it couldn't help but hesitate.
"Everything is going according to plan."
The mesmerizing blue figure in the magic mirror spoke softly before disappearing completely into the hazy mist within.
"We have found all the fragments of that ancient key, and now we only need this last piece."
Tzeentch and his Imperial Expedition's final stop in their search for ancient artifacts was the fortress-monastery that appeared in the magic mirror.
"This is... [The Boulder]? You mean the last fragment was treasured by the Dark Angels in this fortress monastery?"
"No, or rather, it's not entirely correct."
"This entire planet is His key."
......
The Emperor's Pride
“Our target is not Van Diehl, or some bewitched holy world.”
“While these places are not particularly difficult to deal with, it is almost impossible to get stubborn fanatics who have been completely corrupted by chaos to surrender to us willingly.”
But it's impossible to kill them all, right?
As a religious belief that has been active among the people since the end of the Great Rebellion, the Imperial Cult has survived to this day despite Guilliman's efforts to suppress it to some extent in order to promote the truth of the Empire. Today, Imperial Cult members are spread all over the world in the human empire.
These Imperial followers were originally loyal believers of the Emperor, but under Tzeentch's lies and the influence of the Word Bearers, they now see Kasgar as a lurking conspiracy of Chaos. Even if he reveals his identity, they will only say that it is a trick of Chaos and will not believe him.
...After all, if he were to admit that the other party was the real hero Casgar, then wouldn't he become a traitor and a Chaos follower abandoned by the Emperor by disobeying the other party?
Do not!
This situation is absolutely impossible!
For a devout follower of the Emperor, turning away from His ways is worse than death.
Sunk costs make fanatics afraid to recognize this horrific truth.
They will choose to deceive themselves.
They would tell themselves and suggest to themselves over and over again that they were right now, and that the Casca before them was nothing but a trick of the Chaos God!
In this situation, it is difficult to persuade the other party to get out of the wrong path through words alone.
Even if Casca can easily suppress these fanatics now, what about the civilians who harbor hatred?
“We do not intend to debate directly on the other side’s turf—we should take the initiative and target the area where we can gain the upper hand.”
As he spoke, Casca pointed to a giant fortress monastery on the main bridge star map.
......
The Stone Fortress Monastery.
This place, once a fragment of the shattered Caliban, this mobile fortress of the dark angels, is now becoming the focus of attention for multiple forces.
"Why did the expeditionary fleet of the Human Empire and the fleet of the Imperial Church arrive here at the same time?"
Azrael's heart was heavy.
It just so happens that the original body is not around!
Logically speaking, as an extremely loyal and virtually spotless legion, the First Legion should not be subjected to simultaneous visits from both the Imperial Expeditionary Fleet and the Imperial Church.
What are these guys all here for?
"Could it be... that these guys know the Dark Angels' secret?!"
Azrael was drenched in sweat.
Fortunately, the two massive expeditionary fleets did not choose to land simultaneously at the Stone Monastery for a thorough search, uncovering all its secrets one by one—they simply chose to confront each other in mid-air.
This made him breathe a sigh of relief.
"Dark angels, guard the fortress monastery and await the Primarch's return."
He held a conservative attitude towards the conflict between the two sides.
Although he personally favored Casca, he also understood that the guy was more likely to know the Dark Angels' secrets.
Just as Azmin was still in a dilemma, Casca's psionic communications began to communicate simultaneously with the hundreds of millions of humans staying in this area.
“I, Lord of the Sun, Commander of the Third Legion, Hero Kasgar, am required to investigate the corruption within the Imperial Church.”
“First, Van Diehl. We need to punish you for desertion—and you also have numerous accusations of using the Assassin's Court to murder political enemies—we all need you to return to Holy Terra to explain.”
"You left quietly long before the War of the Beasts broke out, and even before the orc diplomats arrived in Holy Terra, leaving behind a Highlord Council without a leader to fight the orcish empire."
"If I hadn't arrived in time, you would be to blame."
A coward who could be mocked by orc diplomats on humanity's homeworld, Holy Terra... Seriously, this guy has almost completely disgraced humanity.
Even now, the Casca do not want to be called human.
Of course, Casca's words immediately caused a huge uproar in the Imperial Church.
The Emperor's fanatics vehemently denounced Casca as the culprit, accusing him of using despicable means to drive away Van Diehl, the Emperor's most loyal and beloved follower.
Van Diehl, of course, was not going to back down.
"I'm sorry, but your madness ends here, you demon!"
"You may have disguised yourself as an ancient hero, but the Emperor will always stand by my side!"
"I did not desert my post! It was the Emperor!" he said, his expression becoming extremely devout. "The Emperor gave me enlightenment when I was in dire straits—it was through his power that I was able to revive the Imperial Church and gather His most faithful followers to fight against you, you demon!"
He looked no different from when he deserted his post.
He was even more spirited than before, and his appearance alone gave off a convincing aura.
The power of the cunning.
Others might not be able to see through it, but Kasgar, who possessed psionic flames, could immediately discern just how terrifyingly corrupt this guy was.
He had already offered his soul to the Chaos Gods without even realizing it.
He would only attribute the credit to himself or the emperor—how pathetic.
"I am the Emperor's most loyal follower!"
Clearly, both sides are emphasizing that they are the true followers of the Emperor and possess the power bestowed upon them by the Emperor.
With neither side able to convince the other, both firmly believing they are on the side of justice, they naturally stand locked in a standoff at the gates of the megalithic monastery.
“Interesting. Since you accuse me of being a traitor—then what brings you to this fortress monastery of our Dark Angels?”
Casca asked, feigning confusion.
? !
and many more!
Why do you have to involve us Dark Angels in your arguments?
However... how could Vandir, a mere mortal high lord, possibly know their little secret...? Haha!
Nevertheless, Azrael had a very bad feeling.
He seemed to see Van Diehl speaking with a confident expression.
No! No!
"Shut him up!!!"
Of course, that's impossible.
"That's because of the Emperor's guidance!"
Van Diehl said with a serious expression.
"He told me something: the Dark Angels have fallen!"
"This is not the fortress of the dark angels, but—the fortress of the fallen angels!"
Chapter 285 Carlos: Lord of All Changes, you...!
Do not!
No!!!
Azrael's agonizing screams echoed throughout the entire Stonehenge Monastery.
That damned Van der, how did he know the Dark Angel's little secret?
But unfortunately, it's no use even if you don't!
Van Diehl then began his speech.
The story begins by recounting how Caliban was a land of demons, inhabited by countless beings of Chaos, from its very inception. It then describes how the native Dark Angels plotted to defect to Chaos (because Chaos's lackey, Luthor, could not accept the baptism of the Centaur's golden ring! How wicked!), how the two sides colluded and conspired, and how they ultimately destroyed the entire city of Caliban when the Primarch returned to his home planet.
Half of the Dark Angels are traitors!