"After Lightforging, you'll be blessed with a luminous energy—a positive power that can even heal nearby allies' wounds," Rhodes said.
In the Ultraman-system universe, light energy is extremely useful. Like cosmic kaiju energy, it's a positive force within realspace, capable of resisting certain Warp incursions.
It also counters chaos-and-darkness-aligned sorcery.
The Ultraman-system's dark energy is an evil force that corrodes living beings.
Rhodes nodded to Titus and entered the cell. He looked at the utterly miserable Daemon Prince—Mortarion, once a Primarch.
Mortarion's body had partially recovered, but he was still a wretched sight, lying unconscious.
Rhodes raised his hand and, with powerful psychic force, drew a thread of energy from the Warp, channeling it into Mortarion to wake him.
"Mortarion, you really are in a pathetic state," Rhodes said with a slight smile.
The very first words Mortarion heard on waking made him wish he were dead.
He glared, teeth clenched, at the man before him—over two meters tall, with black hair.
"Who are you to speak to me like this? You're just a gaoler watching over me! Get out!" Mortarion howled in rage. Though imprisoned and shackled of his psychic power, he wasn't about to be insulted by some common jailer.
"Which is why I said your eyesight is poor. If I can be here, I'm obviously not a common gaoler. You need to get that straight," Rhodes replied.
Primarchs are proud. Even after two straight defeats, Mortarion's arrogance hadn't budged!
All Primarchs today, after fusing with cosmic kaiju, can assume normal human size. There's no need to maintain that nearly four-meter height.
Though, to be fair, that intel is tightly classified in the Imperium, and those who've seen Rhodes's gene-line probably aren't talking.
"Get out! Call your legion commander here," Mortarion snapped.
"Very well, introductions then. I am the leader of this new legion—the Legion of the Space Guard. Primarch Rhodes. My subordinates captured you," Rhodes said with a cold laugh.
"So you're the new Primarch. I thought you were someone impressive. Your size isn't even up to a standard Astartes," Mortarion snorted.
"When you say things like that, it really troubles me.
The world you see hasn't changed from ten thousand years ago," Rhodes said, shaking his head helplessly.
"You mean you can also gigantify—change your size at will?" Mortarion asked.
"Not totally dense, but that's as far as my expectations go. Next, I'm sending you to Holy Terra for a grand public execution. We'll put this traitor to death," Rhodes said.
Mortarion has no chance at redemption. He attacked the Grey Knights, and was even banished.
Given his personality, he won't return to the Imperium. He's exactly the type to betray the Emperor.
When the Emperor created the Primarchs, He knew that due to Warp nature there was a fifty-fifty chance any of them could fall to Chaos. He intended to keep them close, to raise them personally and minimize the risk.
But the Four Chaos Powers saw through His plan and ruined it all.
"Hahaha! A public execution for me? Funniest joke I've heard. Why? On what grounds?
Shouldn't you execute Horus and Magnus? They caused the real disasters, didn't they?" Mortarion roared.
Those two fools: one the true instigator and leader of the Heresy.
The other blew up the Webway, forcing the Emperor onto the Golden Throne, unable to personally crush Horus's rebellion in time.
And those two—the reason He sits on the Throne—were forgiven by their father and returned to the Imperium. What a farce!
"Lorgar blowing the Webway? That was a Chaos scheme.
You don't think Magnus and his legion alone could blow a hole in the Webway, do you?
It was just a psychic call, not a psychic bomb," Rhodes said.
After so many years, even the Emperor has acknowledged some truths. Magnus didn't have the ability to precisely blast the Webway.
It was all a Chaos plot.
As for Horus, Rhodes couldn't be bothered to explain. Whoever sat as Warmaster in those conditions would have been corrupted by Chaos—only the method would differ.
Erebus would have found another way—tainting Guilliman with the poisoned arrow that hit Horus, or corrupting Sanguinius.
Then showing them the future.
"Why are you sighing? Am I wrong? Do you know the life I've lived? In everyone's eyes I'm a monster."
"Really? More of a monster than Angron? Did you ever serve as the Emperor's executioner? Carry out missions like the Dark Angels or Space Wolves?
By your logic, everyone should betray the Emperor. After all, when He created the Primarchs, He made you as tools," Rhodes sneered.
Mortarion is a thorough coward—the Primarch Rhodes despises most, even more than Fulgrim.
Others chose to fall, sought Chaos's embrace. You were manipulated by your own subordinate into going to Nurgle.
Rhodes shook his head, done talking, and turned to leave the cell.
"Stop! What do you know? What do you bastards know? You don't understand!" Mortarion raved.
Rhodes turned back, a crimson gleam flashing over him. He lifted his palm and fired nearly the weakest Steel-Force Ox-Breaking Fist.
He blasted Mortarion until only a head remained. The pitiful Primarch fainted again.
"That's better. Now you can't buzz and whine like a fly," Rhodes snorted, then left, instructing Titus to keep a close watch.
On the bridge, Rhodes opened comms to Guilliman on Holy Terra.
"Rhodes, how are things on your end?" Guilliman asked urgently as the link opened.
His Ultramar—500 Worlds—had stabilized thanks to the hundreds of thousands of reinforcements Rhodes sent and the Salamander Primarch's support. The Chaos forces were even in full retreat.
Now he was only worried about Rhodes's front. This time Chaos had upgraded—they'd acquired gigantification.
"Relax. It's over here too. I didn't even need to act—Titus alone put Mortarion down," Rhodes said.
"Mortarion was defeated by your gene-son? Impossible! Tell me everything," Guilliman said, astonished.
"So here's what happened…" Rhodes explained the entire campaign.
"Nurgle didn't give Mortarion the gigantification upgrade? Many Great Unclean Ones have it. Even some Chaos Champions. Mortarion didn't? How low is he in Nurgle's favor?"
"Even gigantified, he might not beat Titus.
Unless they do Horus-level nonsense and make Mortarion unkillable, he dies either way," Rhodes said.
Yes, they both can gigantify, but Chaos's version can't compare to ours—they're not on the same level.
Super-beasts surpass common kaiju. Cosmic kaiju aren't something mundane monsters can match.
"I see. Then we've won this war. As long as we block the God-Plague, Nurgle's plan fails," Guilliman nodded.
His brother's swift defeat still felt unreal, but considering the power jump after fusing with cosmic kaiju, it made sense.
Without gigantification—without being a super-lifeform—you can't understand their strength.
"We're building a powerful amplification array here. The Life-Goddess Isha and one of my subordinates who wields light-energy will use it to project a field of light and life across worlds in the galaxy, thoroughly purging the God-Plague and shielding them," Rhodes said.
The Life Goddess's power checks Warp energy; the Angel Zog's light dispels physical plagues. Nurgle has no answer.
That fat green blob can't project his true form into realspace anyway.
"Understood. Need anything from me?" Guilliman asked.
A power amplifier—akin to Terra's new beacon—could indeed counter the Warp-borne plague. He fully agreed.
"No need. I've got the manpower and materiel. For the structure, I'll use extradimensional metal," Rhodes said.
With extradimensional metal, he could later use the amplifier to channel extradimensional energy—best results via extradimensional space.
"Got it. The crusade proceeds. Finish Phase Two, then Phase Three. We'll conquer the Imperium Nihilus," Guilliman said.
That war was already underway, executed by Lion El'Jonson and Horus.
Once the Imperium Sanctus's deployments finish, they'll reinforce them.
"What about Mortarion? Are you ready? I can ship him to Terra anytime," Rhodes asked.
They had long planned to execute a traitor-Primarch publicly. Magnus was the first candidate; now it would be Mortarion.
"It's complicated. Father has agreed, but we need to recall all Primarchs operating abroad, hold a grand public tribunal, proclaim Mortarion's crimes, then execute him," Guilliman said.
A priceless morale boost for the Imperium—too good to miss. The traitor Mortarion would receive his due.
"Understood. You have one year. In a year, we meet on Holy Terra," Rhodes said.
"Good. In a year, we execute the traitor on Holy Terra."
They nodded and cut the link.
News of the Imperium's great victory spread like a storm.