"Did that shit-stirring Changer of Ways just play me?"
After hearing Guilliman's words and looking out at the vortex turbulence in the void, Eden fell silent.
Everything was too much of a coincidence. The Throne restoration experiment had failed, and then the Mechanicus just happened to get the Eternal Soul's trail.
After that, while he was tracking the Eternal Soul, it just happened to plunge into a vortex turbulence zone, keeping him from getting back in time.
And on top of that, Guilliman, the professional-grade specialist in always arriving as reinforcements, was here too.
Looking at it that way, the negative debuffs were stacked to the absolute limit. Whether he could hold through this was anybody's guess.
No matter how he looked at it, this was an openly telegraphed trap.
Chaos had used a series of events to maneuver him away from Holy Terra, and he had been forced to go along with it.
That was probably their real objective, to strike at the Emperor while he was away.
And it really was a perfect moment.
The Warp-defense machinery around Holy Terra was still under construction, and only one Primarch had been left to hold the line.
Most of the Imperium's other forces were tied down in large-scale reclamation crusades and could not rush back quickly.
Meanwhile, Chaos had concentrated forces on an unprecedented scale, waiting for a killing blow.
"Good thing I redeployed another batch of troops before I left. Otherwise the Solar System would really have been in danger. They might not even have lasted long enough for reinforcements to arrive."
Eden felt sincerely fortunate.
There had not been much else he could have done. He had already been cautious enough.
The new Imperium had built massive no-fly zones around the Solar System and done everything possible to eliminate the factors that might let Chaos invade it.
Even Holy Terra itself had been scrubbed clean, denying Chaos any opportunity to create Warp rifts there.
But who could have guessed that the Chaos Gods had quietly developed the ability to open a massive passage directly, without corruption, sacrifice, or ritual arrays, and dump a Chaos army straight into the heart of the Solar System?
This was a point-blank ultimate right into Holy Terra's face.
Nothing like this had ever happened before. There were no records of it anywhere. They had never used such a terrifying invasion method.
All one could say was that they had been very patient.
Eden had every reason to suspect that the Chaos Gods had been planning this killing blow for a very, very long time.
Only now, once they were confident enough, had they finally been willing to go all in.
"So those Chaos bastards are going all in.
"I just don't know what their hole card is, or how they're planning to suppress the old Emperor's Holy Sun."
As Eden sensed the unimaginably vast Warp corruption gathering in a distant region, he felt a pressure unlike anything before.
This offensive by the Chaos Gods was many times more vicious than the one ten thousand years ago.
They were not merely lurking in the background and letting Horus fight a proxy war for them anymore. They were practically stepping into the ring themselves.
Just the sheer amount of Warp power they were releasing was enough to damage their own foundations.
They were clearly aiming to kill the Emperor and the Imperium in one blow.
Put simply, this was a war to the death.
If the Chaos Gods lost, they would lose even their underwear.
If the Imperium lost, humanity's hope of prosperity would be buried, and the species would be cast back into darkness.
"But no matter what, humanity has to win this war.
"If something happens to the old Emperor, then I'm next on the Chaos Gods' list. And after that, I may never get another chance to strike back."
That was Eden's conclusion.
Fortunately, he did possess a measure of Warp authority himself. He was not entirely powerless.
Without the slightest hesitation, Eden immediately used the Hope Sun to project the relevant message into the material galaxy.
In that instant, countless fluctuations spread through the Warp, carrying a single command.
The Throne World, Holy Terra, was under siege by Chaos. Any Imperial force capable of moving was to redeploy immediately and reinforce Terra!
Under the influence of the Hope Sun, psykers throughout many Imperial domains received the order from the Savior, the Emperor of the Imperium.
In some places where statues of the Savior stood, miracles even manifested, with angels dancing in radiant golden light.
The message spread rapidly.
Across several sectors, the Imperium's core military formations surged into motion.
Even some crusade fleets broke off their expeditions on the spot and turned toward Holy Terra.
Reinforce the Throne!
Nothing mattered more now than reinforcing Holy Terra.
Because if humanity's very capital was about to be overrun by Chaos, then what was the point of continuing any crusade?
If one could look down upon the stars, one would see countless points of light flickering within Imperial territory.
And with each flicker, they drew closer to the Solar System.
Those lights, the signs of humanity's fleets, were converging on the Solar System one after another.
And not just human fleets.
There were also xenos and heretical fleets outside humanity, forces under Eden's control, heading for the Solar System as well.
Eden had not only summoned the Imperium's fleets.
He had summoned every armed force he could command.
All for the sake of winning this war.
Since the Chaos Gods had already gone all in, then he would go all in too.
He had to bury their main force inside the Solar System.
Guilliman seemed to sense something as well. A faint light entered his eyes.
Looking at the Savior, his voice grew more energized.
"Hope still remains. This time, humanity will not fall into darkness again."
Although the enemy they faced this time was stronger than anything before, the Imperium was also far more united than it had been ten thousand years ago.
It was no longer fumbling in confusion.
"If humanity can withstand this darkness, then it can finally walk the road to prosperity."
Suppressing the pressure in his heart, Eden forced a smile.
This Chaos war was both a danger and an opportunity.
The Chaos Gods had already been driven into a corner. They were committing almost everything they had.
If humanity could endure this pressure, then nothing would be left that could stop mankind's rise.
"Come on, brother. Let's go win this war."
Eden patted Guilliman on the shoulder and headed toward the bridge.
What he did not say aloud was that all of this depended on Rogal Dorn and the forces stationed in the Solar System holding out through the opening phase until reinforcements arrived.
That would not be easy.
No one knew whether the defenders had enough strength to stop multiple fallen Primarchs enhanced by the Chaos Gods.
A Primarch-tier force was not something one could defeat just by piling on numbers.
If Holy Terra fell too early, the Palace would become an isolated fortress, and the entire war might collapse.
So he and Brother Guilliman had to get back to the Solar System as fast as possible and take command.
"This time... I won't fail to save Father again..."
Guilliman lowered his head and spoke in a voice so soft that only he could hear it.
Then he raised it again, his face hardening into absolute resolve, and followed the Savior forward.
Not long afterward, the Eternal Soul flared with arcs of electricity, lifted off in overload, and plunged into the vortex turbulence of the Warp.
...
At the edge of the galaxy, at an Imperial frontier space fortress.
Countless engineering vessels moved among the interconnected bastion-fortresses that stretched like a great wall through space, slowly building this vital Imperial defensive hub.
On one side of that fortress wall, the stars shone brilliantly.
On the other side, there was only deep darkness, without a single visible star, like an endless night.
Some unnatural veil had swallowed all starlight.
That was the Necrons' anti-Warp dead zone, and also the realm of the Silent King, another of humanity's great enemies. The Silent King is the title of Szarekh, ruler of the Necrons.
Lion El'Jonson, his hair now white with age and clad in dark green armor, stood at the edge of a fortress terrace as though one more step would carry him into the endless abyss.
He stared at the silent stars in the distance, brow furrowed.
That starfield was so dark, so hateful, that it felt as though countless living metal lifeforms might burst from it at any moment and tear humanity apart.
"Ever since the Necron forces Brother Eden sent entered the anti-Warp dead zone, those damned living-metal things have been a lot quieter.
"They probably won't expand their territory again anytime soon."
The Khan's voice came from behind him. The Primarch in white-and-gold armor approached in hurried strides.
His tone was firm, but it also carried a trace of anxiety.
"You got the message too, didn't you? Something has happened in the Solar System."
Lion turned around, his expression deeply troubled, as though his face had acquired even more lines overnight.
"That's right. Brother Eden's psychic message. Chaos is targeting Father's Throne, and that bastard Horus has returned."
The Khan drew a deep breath, teeth clenched in anger.
"This time, I'm going to kill him myself. I'll personally take his head."
He had lived through the Siege of Terra. His hatred for Horus was no less than anyone else's.
"Yes. Horus."
Lion's gaze suddenly turned sharp, like a lion sighting prey, anger beginning to rise within him.
He still remembered that when he had rushed to reinforce Terra ten thousand years ago, he and Sanguinius had split their forces to strike Horus's armies.
In the end, that had left their Primarch brother to die at Horus's hands.
The Lion had always regretted that.
He should never have let Sanguinius fight alone.
Perhaps if he had not, that brother might not have met his end.
That heretic traitor Horus had been resurrected by the Dark Gods through an abomination and was once again attempting to challenge the Golden Throne and destroy the Throne World.
This time, he would avenge Sanguinius, avenge the pain inflicted on their Father, and avenge humanity itself.
Lion and the Khan looked at each other, their expressions equally grave.
They both knew what a terrible enemy Horus was, the being who had mortally wounded their Father.
But even so, they would still meet him blade in hand.
Even if it cost them their lives, they would kill him beneath the Throne.
Boom!
At that moment, a figure dropped down beside them, making even the steel deck shudder and hum.
That alone proved the sheer strength of the newcomer.
It was another Primarch, even taller than Lion and the Khan.
He had short hair, a body packed with bulging muscle, and sweat streaming from him like a pit fighter who had just come straight from intense training.
It was Little Angron.
This cloned Primarch had already grown up and, under the instruction of several Primarchs, had mastered formidable combat skills.
Out of habit, they still called this new Primarch Angron rather than using any other name.
"F-Father is calling for us. When are we leaving?!"
Angron had clearly rushed here in the middle of training, and he was still breathing hard, heat steaming from him as he spoke.
He desperately wanted to go reinforce his adoptive father, Eden Grant, the Savior and Emperor of the Imperium.
The Golden Throne was in danger. As his foster son, he had to stand up and help his father defend Holy Terra.
"Little one, we leave now."
Lion turned to Angron, and a trace of pride entered his expression.
He had personally taught the boy swordsmanship, holding nothing back.
And the boy had learned fast, nearly fast enough to match him.
Behind the Lion, more and more points of light began to appear, dense as a field of stars in the void.
Those were the lights of warships.
A large elite Imperial fleet was assembling.
At the head of the fleet stood a Gloriana-class battleship, the Lion's sigil blazing brightly.
It was his flagship, the Invincible Reason. The Dark Angels had assembled their most elite fleet to reinforce Holy Terra.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Then the void rippled again, and white-painted warships burst from the Warp on the far side of the fortress.
It was the elite fleet of the White Scars.
Both Lion and the Khan had drawn as many elite forces as possible from their commands to accompany them to Holy Terra.
That was the fastest way.
Hummm.
A spatial rift split open behind Lion, and through it could be glimpsed towering trees.
Then he led the Khan and Angron into the forest and swiftly reached his flagship.
The Lion had already become highly proficient in using the power of his own essence.
In fact, not long ago he had tried using that very power to travel straight to Holy Terra through the forests of Caliban.
But the attempt had failed.
Some force had interfered with the transport, and daemons had even begun infiltrating the forest itself. It had been extremely dangerous.
On the bridge of the Invincible Reason.
Lion stood before the observation dome, the dying sunlight reflected on his face, making the mood feel even tighter.
The Solar System was now enveloped in deep darkness. Normal Warp translation or teleportation methods could no longer reach it.
The only blessing was that the Imperium's reinforcement fleets could still reach Holy Terra through the Webway, so there was at least some path left.
If the Savior had not poured massive resources into repairing that Webway node, then Holy Terra and Father's Throne might already have been swallowed by endless darkness.
Now the Imperium's reinforcement fleets could first gather at a star system on the edge of the Solar System and then use the Webway to enter the inner reaches, bypassing the Chaos Gods' interference.
Gradually, one warship after another sealed its decks, and even the armored shutters in front of Lion slowly descended.
His figure sank into darkness.
"I just hope we get there in time..."
The Lion's voice was barely audible, heavy with worry.
...
In the Warp.
Within the vortex turbulence zone.
The Eternal Soul pitched and rolled amid surging tides of Chaos.
It was like a tiny fishing boat caught in a tsunami and a storm on the open sea.
At any moment, it looked as though it might capsize.
Any ordinary Imperial vessel would likely already have been torn apart by those tides and utterly destroyed.
Fortunately, the Eternal Soul was special and resilient enough to keep pushing onward along its course.
"Damn it. This shaking is bad enough to make me seasick."
Eden steadied himself on the swaying bridge and could not help complaining.
Through the viewing port beside him, he could see wave-like tides of Chaos sweeping along with countless Chaos lifeforms.
"Machine Goddess, about how much longer until we reach the Solar System?"
Guilliman asked anxiously.
He was deeply worried about the Throne and wished they could arrive immediately.
"Based on the information gathered by the Eternal Soul, we have a 95% chance of exiting the Warp and reaching the Solar System within nine days."
That was Webby's answer.
Even her voice sounded strained, crackling slightly with static. Keeping this special vessel running inside the Warp was no easy task.
At present, they could only rely on this ship's unique navigation capabilities to get back to the Solar System faster.
"Nine days. That timing feels bad."
Eden frowned, and a bad feeling stirred in his chest.
But when he saw Guilliman's miserable face, he still tried to comfort him.
"Brother, it's probably fine. As long as it's not nine hours."
This good brother of his might be capable of showing up late on his own, but now that he was traveling with the Savior, who had maxed out every weirdly auspicious and ominous ritual flag imaginable, how could he possibly still be late?
But the moment the words left Eden's mouth, he regretted them.
He had clearly hit one of Guilliman's trauma points.
His good brother's face went even darker. The man practically looked like he was breaking apart.
More importantly, at the exact moment Eden spoke, he sensed a vast darkness approaching.
That uneasy premonition instantly spiked to the limit.
He jerked his head up to look, and his scalp went numb.
That looked like... the Vengeful Spirit? The Vengeful Spirit is canonically Horus's flagship.
Eden swallowed, then turned slowly toward the brother beside him.
"Old G, tell me I'm just seeing things from all this shaking. Why are there several Vengeful Spirits out there?!"
(End of Chapter)
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