"Prepare yourselves, we are about to go to war with an enemy whose technological level far surpasses our own."
Guilliman said, "The necrons are a great enemy of our race. The Charadon Sector is an important region for the Indomitus Crusade, as it can provide more materiel and manpower for the Crusade forces. Ultramar alone cannot meet the demands of the Crusade."
Guilliman stood up, looking down at the entire holographic projection.
The tall Primarch's body cast a huge shadow on the table surface.
The light-sensitive device automatically adjusted the projection's brightness, keeping it at the optimal visual intensity.
At this moment, a man in a plain robe with slender fingers walked into the strategy room.
His withered, claw-like hand clutched a briefing.
"My lord, we have received a distress call from the planet Vitoria. According to the local Astropathic Choir Master, a tyranid vanguard fleet will arrive in the Vitoria system in three months. They hope to seek some assistance from the Imperium."
Guilliman took the briefing from the man's hand; it detailed matters concerning the Vitoria system.
After reading it, he handed it to Calgar and the others to pass around.
"Now we face a new problem. If the Vitoria system suffers a tyranid invasion in three months, perhaps we should prioritize evacuating the local population and turn the system into a giant fortress to resist the tyranid assault." Calgar was the first to speak, offering his opinion.
As he spoke, the others began to discuss in low voices.
"That is indeed what we should do," Guilliman said after a moment of thought. "Vitoria will become a battlefield. The tyranids are not a weak foe, and battle will inevitably rage throughout the system. Those unable to fight should leave, while those of fighting age, regardless of status or position, should remain."
"Calgar." Guilliman looked at Calgar. "We cannot fight on two fronts. I need someone to go to the Vitoria system to construct defenses, evacuate the local population, and hold back the tyranids there until the main Imperial forces clear out the necrons and turn their attention to the tyranids. Can you undertake this responsibility?"
"My lord, I can," Calgar said.
"I will not give you too many resources, as that would weaken the Imperial assault on the necrons and prevent the Imperium from quickly and completely destroying those two necron dynasties."
"I will do my utmost to hold the tyranids outside the Vitoria system. I will stand and fall with the Vitoria system."
"That is excellent," Guilliman said.
After coordinating information and allocating forces to counter the tyranids and eliminate the necrons, the meeting concluded.
Calgar led a portion of the space marine Chapters to the Vitoria system.
There, he would establish a system defense network to build defenses and tie up the tyranid fleet.
Guilliman would lead the Imperial forces to pacify the two necron dynasties, completely clearing them from the Charadon Sector.
Then, he would turn his attention to the tyranids.
After the meeting, Guilliman kept Fabricator-General Kren behind.
"My lord," Kren bowed respectfully, his bulky frame emitting a mechanical hum. "Is there anything else?"
Guilliman did not answer but produced a data-slate.
"This contains data knowledge regarding the latest teleportation technology. All the theoretical formulas and technical constructs are within."
The technical knowledge within the data-slate was the most recently compiled.
It had been optimized and could be used directly.
Some of this technical knowledge was parsed from the xenos beacon, some was database knowledge Guilliman had obtained, and some was the Mechanicus' original teleportation technology.
This technology had already seen initial application, specifically in the unique teleportation devices on the Nemesis Colossi.
During Guilliman's final battle with the Arsonist, Calgar led the Titan Legions, who were projected onto the battlefield with a flash of light – this was an application of this technology.
The emergence of this technology would allow the Human Imperium to open teleportation portals directly on the ground, like the necrons, continuously delivering forces from ships.
It would no longer require tools like Stormravens, gunships, and drop pods.
For the Imperium, this was a crucial technological revolution.
Of course, methods like Stormravens and drop pods would not be abandoned; they would become secondary auxiliary means.
"My lord, what do you mean by this?" A flicker of greed appeared in Kren's eyes.
No tech-priest could resist the allure of knowledge.
Kren was no exception.
Even though he had repeatedly ordered his processing core not to focus on the data-slate.
Yet, he kept turning his head to look.
He looked like Grandet seeing gold and silver.
"Don't put on that act in front of me, Kren," Guilliman said. "I know your nature. You want this, don't you?"
Guilliman pushed the data-slate towards Kren.
"I have many more new technologies in my hands: the star-destroying cannon equipped on the Nemesis Colossus, molecular-level nanite swarms, and the beacon, quantum communication—these are all technologies the Imperium lacks.
I once personally witnessed the True Hall of the Omnissiah. I know many technologies you are unaware of. These technologies are so great that they could allow us to rule the entire galaxy, or even contact other galaxies."
Guilliman stood up and said with a smile, "I now formally invite you to join my ranks. Of course, you can refuse my invitation. Due to your contributions this time, I do not intend to do anything to you, but these technologies are destined to be beyond your reach.
Furthermore, you only get one chance. If you wait until you see these new technologies being used throughout the Imperium before belatedly deciding to follow me, your status will be very low then, and you will not be qualified to access these new technologies."
"My lord, this?" Kren looked at Guilliman, his tone heavy and apprehensive. "What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to stand on my side. No matter the circumstances, you must follow my orders. Even the orders from Terra or Mars must never override mine. Can you do that?"
Guilliman's gaze was fixed on Kren's massive metallic body.
There was not much flesh left in the bloated, enormous frame.
This also meant that this fellow had little humanity left.
His pursuit of machinery had surpassed everything else.
Kren looked at Guilliman, a rare trace of fear appearing in his mechanical eyes.
"What do you mean? Are you trying to seize your father's position?"
A hint of fear entered Kren's voice.
"No, I am reclaiming my father's Imperium from those despicable traitors. Look at what those corrupt bureaucrats have done? Kren, I slept for ten thousand years, and humanity has made no progress during that time.
Old models of machinery from ten thousand years ago are still in use today. No matter how you describe it with the glory of the Omnissiah, it is undeniable that you have stood still for these ten thousand years. Is this not a tragedy?
Now those individuals still want to use various excuses to obstruct my path, to obstruct me from realizing my father's ideal. As the reforms progress, I can feel their malice. Their malice is no less than that of the Chaos entities. They even want me to go back to sleep, even if humanity is destroyed because of it, they do not care.
Any reform comes at a cost. I am extremely reluctant for humanity to engage in another civil war. But many things do not shift according to individual will. As the reforms deepen, the likelihood of those individuals banding together to resist increases.
Furthermore, the Custodes have always disliked the Space Marines. If conflict erupts, they are likely to use the Emperor's name to attack me. Therefore, I must have my own base of support, completely crush everyone who tries to obstruct me, to achieve the victory I desire and shape the human civilization that my father and I once planned and envisioned."
Guilliman said in a deep voice, "You can choose to agree, or you can choose to refuse. You must make your decision now. I grant you the right to refuse, but the information shared today must be kept secret. If I hear even the slightest whisper of it, I will eliminate you directly."
The Senate on Terra controls Terra and Mars, and most importantly, they can issue various orders in the Emperor's name.
Guilliman's current reforms are not yet drastic, still leaving a way out for the nobles and officials willing to embrace change.
But not everyone is willing to accept it.
They are more inclined to believe that Guilliman is taking things from them.
Do not place any hope in the conscience or loyalty of those bureaucrats.
Such an approach is unreliable and foolish.
Guilliman must be prepared to overthrow all of them.
Especially the Custodes.
Even before Horus' rebellion, the Custodes had issues with the Primarchs.
They were extremely arrogant and self-righteous while accompanying the Emperor.
After Horus' rebellion, their resentment towards the Primarchs and Space Marines grew even stronger.
In the original timeline, when Guilliman returned to Terra, many Custodes were unhappy about his return.
They whispered behind his back that he wanted to usurp the Emperor's position.
It could be said that there was a complete lack of trust.
Some Custodes were even more shameless and black-hearted; they would even trap and kill Space Marines who showed even a slight hint of rebellion.
Some were even assigned to them but were directly executed.
The primaris space marines sent to rebuild the Brazen Drakes were the most tragic.
They arrived at their homeworld, found the Brazen Drakes had rebelled, and before they could even say a few words, they were deemed traitors.
One suggested they should investigate and not be so hasty.
Bang, he was instantly killed.
That was simple, brutal, and could be described as cruel.
Several others were sent as advisors, primaris space marines who had not yet joined the Brazen Drakes, were also killed by the Custodes as traitors.
It was truly outrageous!
One can imagine how fractured the Imperium is.
Guilliman must be prepared.
When the Custodes accuse him of rebellion.
It would be best if Guilliman was indeed going to rebel and had the capability to do so.
In this world, the honest are the easiest to be taken advantage of.
Some people chatter endlessly and are self-righteous towards those who are honest and dutiful.
Let a ruthless character come and slap those people twice, making them cry and scream.
Then those people will instead become obedient and show great respect.
The Emperor hasn't spoken for ten thousand years.
The Senate of Terra and the Custodes, acting in the name of the Emperor, have run rampant and turned a blind eye to the overall plight of humanity. This in itself is the greatest betrayal of the Emperor.
If judged by the standards of 30k, Terra would definitely be on the same level as Horus.
Kren was silent for a moment, only the computing center within his skull humming.
Both sides were silent.
After a long time.
Kren finally made up his mind.
"I will serve you, even if Terra and Mars stand in opposition, I will firmly obey your commands."
"That's exactly what I like to hear. Then this is yours." Guilliman pushed a data storage device towards Kren.
"Remember your oath today. If you ever violate it in the future, I will make you pay the most severe price," Guilliman said.
"That will never happen," Kren said.
"I hope so. Regarding the relevant technology, Macragge will have a dedicated technical team to interface with the many Forge Worlds in the Charadon Sector. Besides that, I need you to do one more thing."
Guilliman opened a holographic projection, displaying past war scenes of the necrons.
The human forces were struggling intensely.
The technology of the two sides was completely on different levels.
"What is it?" Kren asked.
"I need you to assemble a team. The necron technology is far superior to that of our Imperium. If we can obtain some technological achievements from the ruins of the necron dynasty in this battle, it will be considered a gain.
The Omnissiah knows the truth of the entire universe. All mechanical technology and knowledge should belong to the Omnissiah and should also belong to humanity. Those damned xenos stole this technology. We must take it back, not allow that technology to be desecrated in the hands of the xenos."
Guilliman considered for a moment and rephrased his words.
He would seize the xenos' technological knowledge in the name of the Omnissiah, so that the tech-priests would not be so resistant, reducing internal divisions.
"I will do it, my lord."
Kren nodded, promising to assemble a team for Guilliman to absorb the xenos' technology for human use.
After explaining everything to Forge General Kren, Guilliman dismissed him to attend to his duties.
He himself went to the lowest level of Macragge, preparing to investigate information about the Warp.
News from Pharos had already arrived.
Magnus had been severely tricked by a seemingly insignificant move he had made long ago.
He's probably still recovering on the planet of Sorcerers right now.
It will probably be another ten or twenty years before that guy dares to cause trouble again.
It was an unexpected bonus.
With Magnus dealt with, next up is Mortarion, that guy is brewing a plague.
He just doesn't know where to release it!!
There's currently no news of Fulgrim, nor any news of Perturabo and Lorgar.
These are all hidden dangers.
They must be thoroughly investigated and dealt with one by one.
Even if they have ascended to daemonhood, these guys are still Primarchs, their intelligence and strategy are by no means inferior to anyone in the galaxy.
Guilliman dared not show the slightest contempt, otherwise, he would surely pay a heavy price.
In the dungeon.
As soon as the elevator descended, Guilliman felt a chilling aura.
The aetheric energy of the Warp permeated the air.
Just as he reached the dungeon corridor, Guilliman heard voices coming from the depths of the dungeon.
Cherubael was still trying to threaten and tempt Eisenhorn and his guards.
"You will pay the price, Eisenhorn. I am a daemon prince. When you turn to dust and I still exist in the world, I will hunt your soul then, making you suffer in the fires of hell, enslaved by me for eternity."
"You can release me now, and I might pity a fool like you and magnanimously let you go. Otherwise, you will taste my wrath. No matter how long it takes, I will use the most cruel methods to retaliate against you."
"Don't think that the Son of the Cursed One can change anything. The Gods will play with the ashes after the universe is destroyed. This is a destiny that was predetermined the moment the universe was created. Destruction and rebirth are cyclical; where there is birth, there is inevitably destruction."
"Serve me, Eisenhorn, stop following that Primarch. He will not be able to protect himself. The native inhabitants of the Warp will not let him go."
"I'd like to hear! What kind of 'not letting him go' are you talking about?"
Just as Cherubael was speaking excitedly, a voice interrupted him.
"Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand," Cherubael subconsciously retorted.
But the next second, he trembled uncontrollably as if he had seen something terrifying.
A tall giant in azure power armor strode out from the corridor.
His eyes were as deep and mysterious as stars, and anyone who looked directly at him would be drawn in.
"Esteemed Lord of Ultramar, Genetic Sire of the Ultramarines, Thirteenth Primarch of the Emperor, Heroic Savior of Humanity, Great Avenging Son, Wise Regent of the Imperium, Lord Roboute Guilliman, welcome."
After receiving several 'iron fist' lessons, Cherubael had become much more compliant.
Seeing Guilliman appear, he lost his previous demeanor entirely, instead showing a servile attitude.
"I'm very pleased with this attitude now." Guilliman walked up to Cherubael, examined him, and then slapped him across the face—a loud crack echoed throughout the dungeon.
"But I didn't like the tone you used just now."
Cherubael's head was nearly slapped off.
A surge of grief and indignation rose in his heart.
This mere Primarch child bullies me in my weakness; how can I endure being slapped in the face?
Utter humiliation, utter humiliation.
Too much bullying of a daemon!!
If his life wasn't in the hands of this bastard, Cherubael would have rushed up and killed this so-called Primarch.
Endure, absolutely endure!!
A scholar cannot endure, but a daemon can.
Three thousand years in the east of the galaxy, three thousand years in the west of the galaxy.
As long as I don't die, I'll always find a chance to escape, always a chance to turn the tables.
Then, with freedom in my hands, I will surely make human blood flow like rivers.
"My lord's lesson is right, I will definitely pay attention in the future."
Cherubael smiled, even though his head was nearly split open from the blow, maintaining a fawning appearance.
Unable to resist, he could only live in disgrace.
"Any news recently?" Guilliman asked. "How is the situation in the Warp?"
"My lord, I have been trapped here," Cherubael said. "You just summoned those daemons not long ago, so there probably isn't any new information."
"What a bunch of useless creatures." Guilliman looked at the daemon before him, his tone contemptuous. "They can't even gather intelligence properly. Figure something out, or I guarantee yoy won't like what I'll do to you."
Cherubael: Sob, I've lived for so long, and the total number of times I've been humiliated doesn't add up to the number of times I've met this Son of the Cursed One in the past two years.
Can't I, a dignified daemon prince, have any dignity!!
Constantly calling me useless.
How am I going to get by in the future!
"Perhaps, we can summon new daemons. Innumerable primal destroyers drift in the Warp. There are too few daemons serving you, so intelligence gathering is not fast enough." Cherubael offered a suggestion for the sake of his life.
"That makes sense." Guilliman nodded. "The intelligence network isn't large enough yet. You need to work hard and quickly place some undercover daemons in the domains of those four."
Cherubael was stunned for a moment, cursing inwardly.
If I could place spies in the domains of those four, would I be in a situation where I'm constantly being beaten by you!!
But he didn't dare say anything.
Saying more would just mean another beating, it wasn't worth it.
Daemon life is difficult, just keep deceiving for now.
As a daemon prince of the Warp, Cherubael possessed countless Warp sorceries.
He provided another true name of a daemon. By using the true name in conjunction with a ritual, the daemon could be summoned.
Guilliman was not skilled in such ritualistic matters.
Eisenhorn assisted him in performing the daemon summoning.
After preparing the brazier and candles as required, Eisenhorn began chanting the incantation.
Then he cut his palm and let the blood drip into the brazier.
Accompanying his chanting, a chilling wind swept through the dungeon, bone-piercingly cold and sending shivers down one's spine.
Strange sounds echoed everywhere, and people looked around but couldn't find the source.
"Who summons me! Where is the blood and flesh prepared for me?"
A bizarre voice rang out, reverberating in the dungeon.
"Get out." Guilliman looked at the writhing darkness, saying impatiently.
"Show me respect, mortal. You do not know what power I possess, nor do you know how long I have existed. I know everything that has happened in this universe. Offer me your soul, and I will grant you extraordinary knowledge and power. This is a very worthwhile trade."
The whispers were everywhere, shifting and moving within the confines of the summoning circle.
But it could not escape the boundaries of the circle.
Native inhabitants of the Warp are bound by certain laws; as long as these laws are controlled, they can be controlled.
No matter how evil they are, they can only grovel at your feet and obey commands.
Guilliman had no patience to listen to the shadow's words. He drew the Emperor's sword, its golden light illuminating everything in the darkness.
A painful shriek rang out.
The darkness twisted and struggled, then gradually receded, revealing a monstrous creature covered in scales and horns within the circle.
"The power of the Anathema."
The daemon let out a mournful scream. It tried to leave but found itself trapped.
"Now, let's discuss our trade." Guilliman walked over. "Offer me your soul, and you will gain the chance to live. This is a very worthwhile trade."