"Impossible. How could the Savior, the Emperor of the Imperium, be the Lord of Hell…"
Adis stared at the face of the newly appointed Chaos Warmaster, utterly unable to believe it.
That was the Savior, without question. He had faced the Savior in person; there was no way he could forget that visage.
But the Savior was the Emperor of the Imperium. So how in the galaxy did he end up on the side of Chaos?!
They had only just sworn that, starting from Vostroya, they would conquer all the way to Holy Terra.
And now they discovered that their supreme commander, the Chaos Warmaster, was the Emperor of the Imperium.
So… I'm attacking myself?!
???
The Flame Angels' warband leader's mind went blank. His spirit drifted into a haze, his face full of question marks.
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
He had taken part in multiple Chaos crusades. He had led his warriors across immense distances to reach this place, all to strike at the Savior and the Imperium.
And in the end, before firing a single shot, he had voluntarily pledged loyalty to the Savior?
"The Flame Angels not only nominated the Savior as Chaos Warmaster, we even swore oaths and became his gene-sons…"
Adis swallowed, and then thought of an even more critical problem.
Worse, it had been the Flame Angels who initiated the whole thing, dragging everyone into it.
Wouldn't the enraged Chaos warriors retaliate and chop them to pieces?!
A sudden sensation rose in him—like he had acknowledged the wrong father, like he had bowed to a thief as a parent—and fear flooded his chest.
For Chaos warriors, discovering that the Chaos Warmaster was the Emperor of the Imperium was, frankly, hard to accept.
It was absurd to the point of insanity.
The Emperor of the Imperium… staging a rebellion?
Yet Adis felt this might be a trap. The Imperium and the Savior would never truly accept Chaos warriors.
They would surely annihilate every last one of them.
"We have to do something. We can't let the Savior rule the Chaos warriors. That's too dangerous.
All of us will be sent into some abyssal snare by the Savior, and we'll die there!"
Adis clenched the sword in his hand, weighing the situation again and again, hesitating over whether to resist.
This was the only chance.
If he rose up now, more Chaos warriors would surely follow. Under a massed assault, the Savior would find it difficult to escape.
Not only him—other Flame Angels had also recognized the Chaos Warmaster's true face.
They looked as if the sky had fallen. Then their expressions tightened, coiling like springs.
If their leader chose to resist the Savior, they would surge forward together.
"You are loyal warriors…" Eden seemed not to notice the danger about to erupt. He raised a hand, patted Adis's shoulder, and smiled broadly.
"The Flame Angels were the first warband to accept me as Chaos Warmaster, and to become my gene-sons.
I can feel your loyalty. You are worthy of any gift."
Eden, of course, knew exactly how dangerous this moment was.
But the more dangerous it became, the more he had to stabilize it—only then could he crush the situation into obedience.
His hand rested on Adis's shoulder as he looked straight into him, waiting for this gene-son's decision.
Adis, however, did not feel anything pleasant at all.
He felt like he was standing before a terrifying beast.
The Savior's dreadful pressure rolled over him, nearly swallowing him whole.
That hand on his shoulder felt like a thousand-ton burden, crushing his breath short.
He could not move at all.
"I'll face death…"
Adis realized a simple truth: if he resisted, he would most likely be slaughtered on the spot by the Savior.
And he had no room to resist.
Moreover, the Flame Angels had no choices left. They had been the first to accept the Savior as Chaos Warmaster.
They had also been the first to choose the Savior as their gene-father.
Could they now violate their oath and attack their own gene-father?
For Space Marines, that was a betrayal steeped in disgrace.
Even if the Flame Angels resisted and somehow survived…
They would still be branded traitors by other Chaos warriors, a living shame with no space left to exist.
This was the choice between "die immediately" and "possibly die later."
"In that case, I have only one option left…"
Adis trembled, forcing a smile—one uglier than crying.
"Fa… Father."
He chose to submit to the Savior, to his gene-father.
That gave him at least a chance to live.
Perhaps this gene-father would not casually discard him. After all, he also secretly controlled the Terror Legion.
Besides, submitting to a being as powerful as the Savior, as the Lord of Hell, was not truly shameful.
A primarch was a legend from ten thousand years ago, a creature who had lived through endless ages—one of the mightiest existences in the galaxy.
The Flame Angels' leader worked desperately to convince himself.
"Good child."
Eden looked at the Flame Angels' leader who had already submitted. Satisfied, he nodded, then casually pulled a weapon from his own gear and shoved it into Adis's hands.
Eden's armory contained plenty of high-grade weapons. He often carried several sidearms specifically to use as rewards.
The effect was excellent.
"From now on, the Flame Angels will be one of my guard forces. In the future, you will gain even more glory!"
He was notably generous to the Flame Angels. Their "assist" had been far too valuable—this was practically merit earned by following the dragon into power.
Naturally, he could not be stingy.
"A… a legendary weapon. What a gift?!" Adis's smile had still been uglier than crying, but the moment he saw the legendary power sword Eden had stuffed into his hands, excitement surged through him.
Legendary weapons in the galaxy were so precious that only leaders of large Chapters or major warbands typically had the opportunity to carry one.
The appearance of a legendary weapon could even spark a war between Chaos warbands.
As the leader of a minor warband, Adis had only ever used an old mastercrafted weapon—passed down through several warband leaders before it reached him.
"My gene-father actually gave me a legendary weapon. He trusts me that much…"
Adis stared at the priceless weapon and could not stop a genuine smile from spreading. The corners of his mouth refused to come down.
After that, the Savior's rewards arrived in waves.
On open channels, the Flame Angels were granted ten sets of mastercrafted equipment, plus more Dreadnought and Centurion assets, as well as a large cruiser and several escort vessels.
They were even permitted to become the first unit allowed to land on Holy Terra.
It was enough to make anyone jealous.
In plain terms, the Flame Angels were used by the Savior—by the Chaos Warmaster—as the example, to show the other Chaos warriors what loyalty earned.
"Father!"
Adis was completely smashed senseless by the Lord of Hell's wealth. Holding the weapon in both hands, he dropped to one knee with a heavy thud.
His sincerity was unmistakable.
"I am willing to fight for you, and earn even more glory!"
The Flame Angels warriors also knelt in unison, swearing fealty again.
At this point, they had no thoughts of resistance left. They might as well follow the Chaos Warmaster to war.
Just like the Terror Legion did.
After all, Chaos warriors did not only fight the Imperium. They also fought other Chaos warriors, and even daemons.
Perhaps following the Savior was a good thing.
They would gain more weapons, better logistics, and more warp-fuelled power—allowing them to wage war more effectively.
Eden nodded, lifted a hand to signal the Flame Angels to rise, and turned to leave.
He still had other Chaos formations to inspect.
Adis had only just stood up, still savoring the moment as he put away the legendary weapon, when the Savior's voice drifted back.
"Follow me."
The Flame Angels' leader hurried after him like an eager attendant.
"As you command, Warmaster!"
Behind them, the Chaos formations did not know what had happened at the front. They only knew that the Flame Angels had received the Warmaster's rewards, and envy spread like smoke.
They grew even more solemn, waiting for the Chaos Warmaster's inspection.
Now, behind Eden—the Lord of Hell, the Chaos Warmaster—followed more than ten Iron Warriors captains and elite veterans.
And Adis squeezed into that group, glued to the Warmaster's back, resolute to the point of stubbornness.
The Flame Angels' leader had already made his choice.
From this moment on, what he had to do was simple: at any cost, uphold the authority of the Chaos Warmaster, his gene-father.
That was also how he upheld the interests of the Flame Angels.
"Brother, you may be able to stabilize the situation, bring more warbands to heel. This force will grow even larger…" Perturabo came up beside the Savior, sighing with feeling.
He had originally thought he and his brother would have to wade through a brutal slaughter to intimidate the field.
He had even proposed the plan of decimation.
After all, on this Chaos battlefield, beyond the Iron Warriors, there were many other warbands who had come to assist.
They would find it hard to accept a stranger as commander—let alone the Savior, the Emperor of the Imperium.
Yet unexpectedly, after his brother's chain of moves, not only had he become the Chaos Warmaster, he had also gradually taken control of the situation.
The Chaos forces now maintained stability, still unaware of what had occurred at the front.
All they needed to do was proceed area by area, warband by warband, bringing them under control and taking command.
Perturabo had come over to lend his brother additional weight.
With the Chaos host stable, the presence of two primarchs was enough to crush any Chaos warrior who attempted to resist.
"We brothers, together, can bring all the Chaos warriors on this battlefield under our banner," Eden said with confidence.
This was an absurdly profitable haul.
A blood-soaked windfall.
It was practically free loot.
Once he absorbed the Chaos forces on this battlefield, then added the Terror Legion's forces, he would command the greatest Chaos Space Marine power in both the galaxy and the Warp.
By legitimacy and by strength, he would be a true Chaos Warmaster.
This was like carving off a massive chunk of meat from Chaos itself—tilting the balance of ultimate victory toward the Imperium.
Before long, he could act in the name of the Chaos Warmaster, lead a Chaos Space Marine host, and strike into that Chaos planet—drowning the Prince of Pleasure and Fulgrim's scheme entirely.
Perhaps he could even seize that Chaos planet and make it his own territory.
Eden did not bother hiding his face much anymore. Warp-fire surged around him. With the Lord of Iron and many high-ranking warriors arrayed behind him, he strode toward the next formations.
Every step carried the momentum of a Chaos Warmaster.
"Sa… Savior?"
"By iron… how did the Chaos Warmaster become…"
At this time, the Iron Warriors near the Flame Angels had already noticed the Chaos Warmaster's true face.
Shock rippled through them, sparking a minor disturbance.
"Silence!"
In the next instant, the formation was barked down by a senior commander behind the Savior.
They looked at the Savior, at the vast warp-aura around him, and at the Lord of Iron and the high-ranking commanders behind him.
They did not dare make any further movement.
Very quickly, under orders, this Iron Warriors formation knelt and swore loyalty to the Savior, the Chaos Warmaster.
Several of their strongest warriors were selected and added to the Chaos Warmaster's Hellguard.
Eden inspected more than ten formations in succession. The group behind him grew larger and larger.
More elites were selected to serve as his guard.
The commanders of those formations also joined the inspection entourage.
That made it easier to suppress the remaining formations.
More Iron Warriors formations discovered the Warmaster's identity, and under pressure they chose to keep silent.
They understood there was no turning back.
They could only submit—submit to those two gene-fathers.
"I will never submit to the Savior, to the Emperor of the Imperium. That is humiliation."
A high-ranking Chaos leader with twin horns raised a massive axe and roared in rage.
"I am a warrior of the Blood God. I will fight to the death!"
When Eden's inspection party reached a Khorne warband, it met fierce resistance.
Yet before Eden could even react, the Flame Angels' leader, Adis, shot forward.
He moved like a hunting hound.
Fast.
Loyal.
After several rounds of combat, Adis used the legendary power sword to hack off the rebel leader's head.
He also suppressed the other Khorne devotees.
Ignoring the wounds across his body, he raised the warband leader's severed head high and stared hard at the remaining Khorne warriors.
"The Warmaster's majesty cannot be profaned. You have only one choice. Absolute obedience!"
With the Hellguard's assistance, Adis slaughtered half the resisters and thoroughly crushed the Khorne warband that had dared to profane authority.
He returned to the Savior, the Chaos Warmaster, and reported.
"My lord, I have executed the blasphemous. They will not dare offend your majesty again!"
Adis had already thought it through completely.
He had fully turned into the shape of the Chaos Warmaster's most devoted enforcer.
The Flame Angels had turned traitor and sought revenge against the Imperium because they had been betrayed and abandoned.
For more than a hundred years afterward, they had suffered.
They had not even had basic supplies.
They had been so unlucky that they could not even "catch" a proper war.
They had been poor for too long.
Unlucky for too long.
Now the Flame Angels had earned the Savior's trust, the Lord of Hell's trust, and been granted such vast war materiel.
The resentment in their hearts finally began to dissolve.
Under these circumstances, he had to be twice as loyal.
"The Flame Angels must never return to the old shame. We will follow the Savior, the Lord of Hell, fight in more wars, and become the most honored warriors in the galaxy!"
That was Adis's conviction.
He never wanted to pilot ninth-hand escort ships again, or shamefully cling to other people's Chaos warships.
"I'll leave my Hellguard to you."
Eden looked at Adis, patted his shoulder, and spoke lightly.
This man had, through a misunderstanding, dragged everyone into a pit, and had been forced to pledge loyalty—producing the fanatic psychology of the zealous convert.
In simple terms, this Flame Angels leader was more loyal than any other Chaos warrior, and would fight to the death to uphold Eden as Chaos Warmaster.
Only by doing so could he prove his earlier choice was not wrong.
So Eden granted Adis greater authority.
"You will serve as commander of the Hellguard.
Now you are responsible for maintaining order during the inspection, and suppressing all disloyal elements!"
He handed a ten-thousand-strong elite Hellguard to Adis, and in the process "farmed" yet another wave of loyalty.
As expected, once Adis commanded the Hellguard, he quelled all disturbances even faster.
Ferocious.
Loyal.
The inspection continued in good order, advancing smoothly.
However, an abnormal change soon followed.
New Chaos warp-translation circles appeared, and more Chaos warbands arrived one after another.
This was one of Chaos's common patterns of war.
The moment there was an invasion of Imperial space, countless Chaos forces would smell profit and rush in.
They would gather at the designated coordinates and join the plunder-war.
This battlefield was one such coordinate.
Eden watched those newly arrived Chaos warriors, and his brows tightened slightly.
He issued an order.
"Since you're already here, you might as well accept inspection too…"
Under the Savior's command, relevant forces moved out, suppressing the newly arrived warbands and forcing them into the inspection and into obedience.
Whoosh—
"Hahahaha. Chaos. More chaos!"
Not long after, a Tzeentch warband stepped out of a warp-translation circle, arriving on the battlefield in high spirits.
Then, in the next instant, they went quiet.
"Great Changer, something's wrong. Very wrong."
The Tzeentch warband leader, Port, stared at the scene and swallowed hard.
He sensed a looming danger for no clear reason.
This looked like a parade inspection, and some Chaos warbands had been brutally suppressed?!
"Sa… Savior?!"
Port slowly raised his head.
His gaze met the Savior's, not far away, seated in the position of commander.
In that instant, he completely froze.
"Not only that. Some high-ranking Chaos warriors are calling that Savior the Chaos Warmaster.
What in the Warp happened?!"
Port swept his eyes across the dense formations, the heavy artillery, and the terrifying fortress engines.
He understood something, and his whole body trembled.
He had come to the wrong place.
This area had already been completely occupied by the Savior.
And the Savior was calling himself the Chaos Warmaster.
What outrageous absurdity was this?!
Port watched as the Savior casually lifted a hand and pointed in their direction.
More guards in mastercrafted Terror Armour began striding toward them.
Port panicked. That was the smell of death.
"Fall in. Fall in now.
We are willing to accept the inspection of the great Chaos Warmaster!"
As the leader of a Tzeentch warband, Port's mind was very clear. He found the solution immediately.
Afterward, the warband that had crossed half a sector to reach this place rapidly merged into the inspection queue.
They straightened their backs, extremely cooperative, waiting for the great Chaos Warmaster's inspection.
Exceptionally loyal.
Roar—
Suddenly, a Khorne daemon host surged out from a nearby rift.
Their commander, a Bloodthirster wielding a spear, bellowed.
"Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!"
"Looks like Chaos has sent reinforcements again," Eden thought as he watched the daemon host.
That was normal enough.
Chaos Space Marines often invaded Imperial territory together with daemons.
He was about to issue orders when he saw his Hellguard commander already striding toward the daemons.
"Silence!"
Adis wore a full set of mastercrafted Terror Armour built to Custodes-grade standards, and held the legendary power sword.
Leading the Hellguard, he cut a formidable figure.
This loyal Hellguard commander, this Warmaster's devoted enforcer, had long since forgotten what fear or limits even were.
He walked up to the Bloodthirster and barked a command.
"You are not allowed to disrupt order. Fall in immediately and receive the Warmaster's inspection!"
Adis's expression was severe.
The Savior, the great Chaos Warmaster, had ordered him to maintain stability at the inspection site.
He would not allow daemons to wreck it.
No matter who came.
No exceptions.
???
The Bloodthirster heard that and looked genuinely stunned.
Then it roared back.
"Human! Do you know what I am? I am a daemon, a warrior of the great Blood God!"
(End of Chapter)
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