Eden did not really believe the Grey Knights would betray the Emperor.
Their loyalty was almost on the same level as the Custodes, and there had never been a precedent of betrayal.
But that loyalty was to the Emperor, not necessarily to him, the Savior.
No matter what, he had to figure out why Kaldor Draigo had gathered the Grey Knights.
After thinking it over, Eden contacted Grand Master Corwin of the Seventh Brotherhood.
His tone was quite warm.
"Hey, Corwin. How did the equipment test go on your end?
The Warp machine ran successfully, right? You handled the mission very well. The research institute just finished another batch of new gear recently. Once you get back, you can pick out another set..."
"What an honor!"
Receiving the Savior's communication and personal greeting, Corwin was almost overwhelmed.
When he heard that the man was going to provide another round of equipment to the Seventh Brotherhood, he became even more excited.
They had only just tasted the sweetness of the new weapons and wargear. They wanted even more treasures like that.
Corwin nodded again and again, doing his best to string together every ornate phrase of praise he had learned.
He was starting to sound like a truly devoted little subordinate.
After thinking for a moment, he added, "Your Majesty, our Supreme Grand Master, Kaldor Draigo, has returned. The Grey Knights are about to open the Terminus Decree.
At that time, the Grey Knights will gain even greater power and fight for humanity..."
Although the Grey Knights did not know the contents of the Terminus Decree, they could roughly guess that it had something to do with humanity's final fate.
Corwin instinctively reported the relevant information.
He was already used to behaving that way.
Besides, this matter itself was inseparably tied to the Imperium. There was no way it could bypass the Savior, the Emperor of the Imperium.
Of course, that was only Corwin's own view.
Certain figures inside the Grey Knights still remained wary of the Savior.
They feared that too much interference from the Savior might affect the Grey Knights' execution of their final mission, and did not want to become too entangled with him.
"The Terminus Decree..."
After ending the call, Eden fell into thought.
If Kaldor Draigo intended to open the Terminus Decree sealed within the Hall of Purity, then everything made sense.
That really would require summoning the Grey Knights back to witness it together.
From another angle, the Imperium really had reached an extremely dangerous hour.
Perhaps Draigo had sensed the coming darkness and returned to Titan in order to unseal that ultimate power.
"This is actually a good thing."
That was what Eden thought to himself.
Right now, the old Emperor might go dark and blast off from the toilet at any moment, while the Chaos Gods might also be on the verge of desperate action.
The Imperium needed strength, and if the Grey Knights could become even stronger, then that would naturally help the current situation.
"It's just that I still don't know what the Terminus Decree actually contains."
Eden frowned slightly, deeply curious.
Like the Grey Knights, he also wanted to know what that secret buried for ten thousand years really was, and what exactly the old Emperor had left for them.
Was it sorcerous power, a vault of Dark Age weapons, or some relic artifact?
What kind of precious thing could make the Emperor treat it so seriously, serious enough to even seal away his own memory?
Eden did his best to guess at the truth based on experience.
Most likely it was some kind of high-risk forbidden relic or artifact capable of influencing the fate of the Imperium.
Certain forbidden artifacts could affect or destroy vast territories, influence a decisive war, or even determine whether a species lived or died.
Conversely, the conditions for using such relics were often extremely harsh. Perhaps the matter was tied to psychic power, which would explain why so many psychic Grey Knights had to be cultivated.
But once Kaldor Draigo and the Grey Knights gained control of that kind of power, it would inevitably shatter the current internal balance of the Imperium.
And afterward, they might become even harder to control.
It would be like the old days, when the rulers of the Imperial Senate could not truly command the proud legion-descended Chapters directly tied to Primarchs, nor do much about certain major factions.
The Imperium had finally managed to unite. If another independent force emerged inside it, one that refused to obey the center, the impact would be enormous.
It would also make other factions restless.
The Chaos Gods would certainly seize such an opportunity and do everything they could to fracture the Imperium all over again.
"I have to intervene in this matter.
Ideally before the Supreme Grand Master fully masters that power. Something this dangerous still needs to be supervised by me, the Savior.
Hopefully this won't affect Holy Terra's defense grid..."
Eden made up his mind.
He looked toward Tarko.
"Isn't there a shipment of weapons and equipment heading to Titan soon? Send more ships. With that much cargo, having more transports is perfectly normal, right..."
After all, the relevant Imperial departments were only delivering supplies and goodwill.
As for Eden himself, he also intended to go to Titan and inspect the situation personally.
He wanted to see whether Draigo and those stubborn Grey Knight elders would really dare block him.
...
The outer reaches of Titan.
In the distance, Saturn's magnificent rings rotated slowly, filling the entire field of view, seeming to stretch to the very end of the void.
This gas giant was more than seven hundred times the size of Holy Terra, while its banded rings, made up of ice particles, rock fragments, and dust, were even vaster still.
Anyone gazing upon Saturn from Titan, this moon, would become keenly aware of how small they were.
But for the Grey Knights, that sight had long since become ordinary.
They barely noticed it.
Ice dust and grit rattled against armored hulls as many battle barges passed through the rings and arrived at Titan's spaceport.
It was a rather spectacular sight.
During the days of the Old Imperium, the Grey Knights had been one of the best-equipped Chapters, possessing independent fleets.
For example, the Second Brotherhood alone had fielded twelve Strike Cruisers, eight rapid assault vessels, and four battle barges.
Ordinary Chapters considered themselves fortunate if they owned even a single cruiser. Under extreme circumstances, some Chapters had to cram themselves into Sword-class frigates.
Of course, while the Grey Knights' armaments had always been better than those of most other Chapters,
the missions they carried out were far more difficult, and overall their arsenal had still often been stretched thin.
And that had been by Old Imperium standards. By the standards of the New Imperium, it looked somewhat shabby.
In truth, the New Imperium's forging divisions were already planning to design and build a special batch of dedicated capital warships and vehicles for the Grey Knights.
That would allow them to carry out missions more effectively.
Once those ships arrived at Titan's spaceport, fully armed silver-white warriors soon descended the gangways and boarded space elevators, descending toward the Grey Knights' sacred headquarters on the surface:
The Hall of Purity.
Their expressions were solemn.
They were going to witness a holy moment.
And yet among the Grey Knights, one figure stood out so sharply that he looked completely out of place.
His silver armor was hung all over with sorcerous sigils, sacred relics, and campaign badges.
As a result, his entire suit gleamed brilliantly, noticeably brighter than those of the other Grey Knights, enough to be almost blinding.
More conspicuous still was his posture.
He was in the middle of a communication with another figure, and his attitude was strikingly humble.
"You have bestowed heavenly-punishment armaments upon the Seventh Brotherhood. In the name of the Emperor and purity, we shall surely use the blades in our hands to sweep away every taint of Chaos..."
Corwin was in extremely good spirits.
The Savior, the Emperor of the Imperium, had just allocated another round of new weapons and a batch of the highest-quality psyker recruits to them.
That meant the Seventh Brotherhood's strength was about to surge once more. The other Brotherhoods would be hard-pressed to compare.
And on top of that, he was about to witness the Terminus Decree.
What incredible fortune.
It was practically a double blessing.
The moment Corwin finished speaking, a cold snort came from beside him.
A Grey Knights Grand Master shot him a sharp look, clearly wearing an expression that said, I would never deign to associate with your kind.
The two men clearly did not get along.
That Grand Master said pointedly, "Corwin, I hope you still remember your duty as a Grey Knight, rather than turning yourself into the vassal of some other being."
"Among all the Grey Knights, no one understands fulfilling duty better than the Seventh Brotherhood..."
Corwin ended the communication and lifted his chin as he replied, even his way of speaking carrying a trace of the Savior's style.
This Grand Master of the Seventh Brotherhood was the single most openly devoted figure to His Majesty the Savior within the Grey Knights, and for that he had endured no small amount of criticism.
But what of it?
The Seventh Brotherhood had once been on the verge of bankruptcy. It had been the most miserable of all the Grey Knight forces, reduced to one-fifth of its manpower, with its equipment in ruin.
Its daemon-hunting record had suffered severely. It had failed mission after mission, nearly been wiped out several times, and had even needed to ask other Brotherhoods for help just to complete operations.
They could hardly hold their heads up among the Grey Knights.
Even the honor-banner representing their daemon-hunting achievements had hung empty, shoved off into a corner of the Hall of Purity.
At that time, Corwin had suffered greatly in his heart, deeply doubting whether he could still bear the pure mission of a Grey Knight.
Then, in the darkest hour of the Seventh Brotherhood, the Emperor's holy light shone down, and that man appeared.
The Savior, the Emperor of the Imperium, the being personally crowned by the Emperor himself, reached out a hand to the Grey Knights.
He gave the Seventh Brotherhood sacred weapons capable of inflicting widespread casualties upon daemons, along with vast amounts of wargear.
After that came all manner of resources.
The dying Seventh Brotherhood rapidly recovered, grew stronger, and surged ahead in daemon-hunting records.
Corwin did not believe there was anything wrong with accepting the Savior's support.
Was there anyone in the Imperium, aside from the great Emperor himself, who was more sacred than the Savior? The Emperor had even handed the Custodes over for that man to command.
That was unconditional support.
Besides, the Brotherhoods of the Grey Knights had always acted independently and did not interfere in one another's affairs. Even their sacred texts did not dictate exactly how they should behave.
The Seventh Brotherhood had violated none of the Grey Knights' codes.
As for the criticism from certain Grey Knight elders and Grand Masters, criticism was all it was.
It had very little practical impact.
Corwin looked at the Grand Master and said slowly, "One of the reasons the Grey Knights exist is to cut down the taint of Chaos.
These are the recent results of the Seventh Brotherhood. And what kind of daemon-hunting record can your Brotherhood show?"
As he spoke, he raised a hand lightly.
A group of fully armed members of the Seventh Brotherhood, their armor shining brilliantly, lifted up their honor-banners.
They advanced slowly into the Hall of Purity.
Over the recent stretch of time, the Seventh Brotherhood had purged several Chaos domains and slain at least five Chaos Lords.
Their combat record was terrifyingly strong.
The elites of the Seventh Brotherhood carried their honor-banners and followed Grey Knights tradition by circling the Hall of Purity once, displaying their achievements.
Then they hung those banners from the vault above.
Because their armor was larger than that of ordinary Grey Knights by a noticeable margin, because it was studded with relics, and because the number of honor-banners marking their victories was so absurdly high, they somehow managed to look almost flamboyant.
It drew the envious gazes of many warriors.
The number of daemons slain had always been the single clearest proof of a Grey Knight's purity and battle-worth.
Every Grey Knight longed for such honored achievements.
Upon the sacred Wall of Purity in the Hall of Purity, the banners representing the Seventh Brotherhood were packed so densely that one banner was larger than the next.
They took up nearly a third of the entire space.
No one could ignore them.
That meant the Seventh Brotherhood had exterminated more Chaos daemons over the last two centuries than all the other Grey Knight Brotherhoods combined.
For a moment, the entire Hall of Purity fell silent.
Corwin stood beneath the honor-banners, meeting the gazes of those around him, some envious, some reverent.
"These are the daemon-hunting records of the Seventh Brotherhood, and these are yours."
He emphasized it once more, pointing toward the pitifully few honor-banners beside the Seventh Brotherhood's section, then turned and challenged the senior Grand Master next to him:
"Brother, tell me. Which Brotherhood are the truly pure Grey Knights?!"
The Grand Master stared at everything before him, and a trace of envy flickered through his eyes.
He had no answer to that question.
After holding himself stiffly for a moment, he turned away in silence and left with obvious bitterness.
That too, in its own way, was an answer.
Watching the somewhat lonely figure of that Grand Master departing, Corwin felt completely refreshed.
He led a great mass of elite warriors onward toward the Hall of Purity. On the way, two more Grand Masters came over to speak with him and ask about the new weapons.
They were among the very few high-ranking figures within the Grey Knights who leaned relatively toward the Savior.
When Corwin and the others passed beneath an ancient stone archway, they all stopped at once and stood in salute.
That was the Daemonbane Arch, and legend held that the inscription upon it had been left by the Emperor himself:
"Let them be the final blade forged in defiance of fate, and the unbreakable shield against the darkness of Chaos. Let them be the legacy I leave to this conquered galaxy, and my final gift to humanity."
These were the Emperor's hopes for the Grey Knights.
That hope perhaps surpassed what he had placed upon any other Imperial armed force.
It was also a crushing responsibility, laid directly across the shoulders of the Grey Knights.
Corwin held his breath and saluted.
As he looked upon the inscription, he too felt that heavy pressure.
The responsibility the Emperor, the Master of Mankind, had given the Grey Knights was so immense that, in some ways, it surpassed even that of the Custodes.
He had treated them as humanity's final guardians.
"What a crushing mission..."
That was what Corwin thought silently to himself.
The Grey Knights had always carried out that mission under harsh conditions.
In truth, had the Savior not restored the Imperium, the Grey Knights, already bled dry and barely able to replace their own dead, would likely have collapsed beneath the strain long ago.
They never would have been able to shoulder so great a burden.
Fortunately, everything was now moving in a better direction.
Perhaps once the Terminus Decree was revealed and the Grey Knights inherited that power, they would truly become humanity's final guardians, that unbreakable shield?
Afterward, Corwin led his elite warriors into the Hall of Purity and took their place in the section belonging to the Seventh Brotherhood.
Within this tomb of Malcador, this sacred ground of the Grey Knights, stood holy statues of the Emperor, Malcador, and many honored Grey Knight predecessors.
In the square, Grand Masters, temple elders, and Grey Knight elites had all already arrived and stood in formation, awaiting the moment to come.
At the very front stood several hundred Purifiers.
These warriors, possessed of exceptional purity of spirit and formidable psychic skill, were the guardians of the Hall of Purity and the keepers of the Grey Knights' final secret.
Upon the sacred high platform stood a Grey Knight in silver-white armor, tall of stature, with an iron halo and sun-standard rising behind his back.
His eyes were pale white, and his face radiated both devotion and profound authority.
That was Kaldor Draigo, Supreme Grand Master of the Grey Knights, and the strongest among them.
No one could overlook him.
When Corwin lifted his eyes to the Supreme Grand Master, Draigo's gaze happened to sweep over him as well.
And with it came an overwhelming pressure.
(End of Chapter)
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