Cherubael watched all of this unfold.
Too brutal.
This guy is simply inhumane.
Forcing daemons into slavery like this, a minion of the evil old society.
Not becoming a daemon is truly a waste of such an evil nature.
Cherubael grumbled internally about how terrifying the Primarch was.
But he felt no shame whatsoever for betraying other daemons.
Watching the daemon with the Emperor's Sword held to its neck, his face showed excitement.
He wished the Primarch would just kill that guy immediately.
That guy had a grudge against him.
If he could use Guilliman to get rid of the other party, that would be absolutely fantastic.
The summoned daemon looked completely bewildered.
??
What's going on!!
What about the promised flesh sacrifice?
What about the promised soul harvest?
Why, the moment I stepped out, was there such a large sword pressed against my neck, wanting my life!!
I haven't entered the material universe in too long.
Are humans this brave now??
Treating a terrifying daemon with infinite power like this!!
Isn't this going a bit too far, a bit too arrogant?
"Daemon, answer me," Guilliman's voice rang out.
The golden flames emanating from the golden blade of the Emperor's Sword grew more brilliant, containing terrifying destructive power, enough to annihilate a daemon.
Feeling the threat of death from his neck, the daemon's body stiffened in fright.
If the long sword in the other party's hand moved forward even slightly, the golden flames would devour his daemonic essence, burning him completely to ash.
"You are the Son of the Anathema?" The daemon finally realized who had summoned him, and a voice filled with fear escaped him.
"Correct guess, but no prize," Guilliman's Emperor's Sword moved forward slightly, causing the daemon's body to tremble violently. "I need some information about the Warp. I wonder if you can provide it?"
"Of course, the daemon Macar knows everything. I am the most ancient daemon, born in the first Warp storm. I witnessed the War of the Gods and the rise of the new gods. I possess knowledge of the future and the past. What do you wish to know? As long as you can pay a sufficient price, I will tell you everything."
A hint of cunning appeared on the daemon's face.
Hearing that Guilliman wanted information, he had an idea.
If he could reach an agreement with the Son of the Cursed Oned One.
Perhaps he could use his help to freely enter the material world, wantonly harvest flesh and souls, and satisfy his eternal hunger.
"The price will surely satisfy you. I will give you an opportunity to live and pledge your loyalty to me. Daemon, now, you can make your choice," Guilliman said.
Macar: ...
He turned his head, his scaled skull bearing six irregular, wriggling eyes.
He looked at Guilliman, clad in Power Armour, behind him.
All six eyes were filled with astonishment and disbelief.
What the hell, is this freeloading??
Summon me, then threaten my life??
He was about to say something tough, to show his daemonic backbone.
Before he could even open his mouth, he saw Guilliman's iron fist smash down.
The Power Fist crackled and sparked.
It hit the daemon's scaled head so hard it nearly cracked!!
"Don't look at me with such strange eyes, daemon, you are too ugly," Guilliman pressed down on the other party's head, the servo system of his Power Armour whirring, the hydraulic power system slowly increasing, holding the daemon's throat tightly, leaving it unable to move.
"I don't have much patience. Tell me, your decision, daemon. Death? Or loyalty to me?"
As he spoke, he pressed the Emperor's Sword in his hand closer to the other party's neck.
Feeling the approaching threat of death, feeling the power of the Cursed One contained within that sword, the daemon Macar screamed.
"Lord, I am willing to serve you."
Hearing this, Guilliman showed a smile.
He released the hand pressing down on the daemon.
But the long sword in his hand remained on the other party's neck, letting it feel the threat of eternal annihilation.
"Congratulations on making the correct decision. Now it is time to prove your worth. Do you have any information about the daemon Primarchs?" Guilliman asked.
Macar felt the death threat from the golden long sword and nodded fiercely, "I know a little, Lord."
"Good, now tell me everything you know," Guilliman said.
Macar tremblingly spoke of everything he knew in the Warp.
The Warp hides countless secrets.
Everything done by any kind of creature will form echoes within the Warp.
As long as one possesses certain means, they can glimpse the truth of events from these echoes.
Macar was not a powerful daemon.
Even as an existence of primordial evil, his power was not very strong.
But he did know many secrets.
He had existed when the ancient creators still roamed the galaxy, before the Star Vampires were formed and betrayed.
He witnessed the powerful races that once controlled the galaxy sow life throughout it, only to fall due to jealousy.
He watched the Star Vampires be expelled, and then return with the fire of vengeance, destroying everything.
He witnessed the peak and the fall of the Aeldari.
And witnessed the Great Fall of the Aeldari and the death of the Aeldari gods.
He witnessed the clash between the Cursed One and the Four Gods, and witnessed the bloody ten thousand years of the Human Imperium.
Nothing in this world is eternal.
Even the Warp is like this.
Living is everything.
Macar knew this deeply, and when the Emperor's Sword, containing the power of the Cursed One, was held to his neck.
He understood this point even more profoundly.
Guilliman obtained information about several daemon Primarchs from him.
Mortarion had been staying in the realm of the Plague God, concocting plagues capable of destroying the Imperium with many daemons.
Moreover, his targets would be Ultramar and the Plague Stars.
It wouldn't be too long, estimated to be within the next few years, when he would unleash the plague.
Of course, this was just information Macar had collected, and its accuracy was open to debate.
Macar didn't have much information.
After all, the daemon Primarchs are backed by the Great Powers of Chaos.
No one would provoke them unnecessarily.
That would only bring trouble.
Seeing Guilliman's grim expression, for the sake of his own life, Macar could only say something about the loyalist Primarchs.
He said he had seen a giant wolf running in the Warp a thousand years ago.
That was very likely the missing loyalist Primarch of the Imperium, the gene-father of the Space Wolves Legion - Leman Russ.
"You said you saw Russ!!"
Hearing the other party's words, Guilliman's gaze immediately became serious.
"Yes," Macar shrank his head back and said, "A terrifying giant wolf running in the Warp, devouring everything in its path, that was the Warp essence of your brother. I glimpsed it from afar, but that giant wolf was too terrifying, I didn't dare to approach. He seemed to still be working for the Cursed One, collecting souls for him and bringing them back to the Cursed One's side."
"Anything else?" Guilliman asked in a deep voice.
This matter was of great importance, he had to make some changes to his plans.
"I only saw him once, Lord. The Warp is boundless, no one can truly explore everything within it. Even I dare not claim to understand its complete truth. But what is undeniable is that your brother is alive, and he has awakened to his Warp essence."
Macar said humbly.
The Warp is too vast, without end.
Any being claiming to understand the Warp is undoubtedly lying.
Even if the Four Chaos Gods are the strongest existences in the Warp, their domains are merely insignificant corners.
Hearing this, Guilliman frowned.
Leman Russ, the Primarch of the Sixth Legion, the Space Wolves, also known as the Great Wolf, Lord of Winter and Ruin, the Wolf King of Fenris.
As the Emperor's executioner, his combat prowess was unquestionable.
He had once torn Magnus apart with his bare hands and had fought against Primarchs like the Lion and Horus.
In the early stages of the Horus Heresy, he severely wounded Horus, who was empowered by the Four Gods, with the Spear of Russ.
It was precisely because of his strike that the groundwork was laid for Horus' eventual defeat.
That blow severely wounded Horus, causing cracks in his soul.
The goodness in his heart re-emerged, constantly resisting the erosion of Chaos.
This also led to Horus' soul being shattered, bringing him close to death.
In order to save their Primarch, Horus' sons stabbed him again.
That stab completely annihilated Horus' conscience, turning him entirely into a vessel for the power of the Four Gods.
After the end of the Horus Heresy.
Because he failed to arrive in time for the siege of Terra by Horus, the Primarch of the Space Wolves - Russ - had been deeply plagued by guilt.
After a celebration, Leman Russ left the Imperium with his Wolf Guard.
Finally disappearing without a trace.
The Space Wolves launch a Great Hunt every so often, searching the entire galaxy for traces of their Primarch.
They searched for ten thousand years with no results, the Space Wolves Legion never found any trace of Russ.
Not even a rumor.
If he had been staying in the Warp all along, then there was a reasonable explanation.
He was not in the material universe, so the Space Wolves Legion naturally couldn't find him.
Primarchs are very special beings.
They simultaneously possess both Warp and material characteristics.
They are hybrid products.
It is not without precedent for a Primarch to awaken through their own power.
Corax did it.
After his awakening, he entered the Eye of Terror and the Warp to hunt down his brother - Lorgar.
Corax believed Lorgar was the culprit of everything, that if not for that fool, the gods would not have corrupted Horus, and everything they had fought for would not have turned to ash.
Guilliman suppressed the various thoughts in his mind and raised the threat level of the Emperor by one notch.
For ten thousand years, the Emperor had merely not interfered with the material universe.
But he should have had his own arrangements within the Warp.
To be honest, if the Emperor had just sat on the Golden Throne for ten thousand years doing nothing, that would be the strangest thing.
Having his own arrangements would be the normal course of events.
The numerous missing Primarchs who left were by no means simple.
Killing a Primarch in the material universe is an extremely difficult task.
It now seemed that these missing Primarchs had either entered the Warp or the Eye of Terror.
Speaking of Russ' giant wolf form, Guilliman remembered something about the First Legion.
After the end of the Horus Heresy, the Lion returned to his home world, only to find that his former brother Luther had betrayed him, embracing the evil power of the Warp.
If it were merely that, the First Legion would definitely not have been so cautious, implementing the extreme Caliban Protocol.
During the Horus Heresy, all Legions had problems.
Even within the White Scars, there were divisions, some wanting to defect to Horus, only to be killed by Jaghatai Khan.
Luther's betrayal alone is not enough reason for the Dark Angels to erase the Fallen Angels at all costs.
The truth of Luther's corruption by Chaos also cannot shake the foundation of the Dark Angels Legion.
The First Legion's pursuit of the Fallen Angels is too fanatical.
The so-called Caliban Protocol is equivalent to an extermination order.
Anyone who knows of the Fallen Angels' existence must be eliminated.
The Dark Angels Legion can be described as utterly insane in their pursuit of the Fallen Angels.
They strike at the Inquisition, at brother Chapters, at the Adeptus Mechanicus, and even, damn it, at the High Lords of Terra.
Even in the midst of a major war, the Dark Angels will not hesitate to abandon victory to hunt the Fallen Angels.
Something like Luther's betrayal alone could never cause the First Legion to go to such great lengths, stopping at nothing to prevent the Fallen Angels' activities.
The only possible rational explanation for such insane behavior can only lie with Lion El'Jonson.
That guy must have awakened warp powers during his fight with Luther.
The traitor was corrupted by warp energy, and the Primarch became a warp entity.
Only matters concerning their gene-father could make them so crazy.
If this were revealed, who wouldn't think the First Legion has a problem?
Perhaps this is why they are hunting the Fallen Angels across the galaxy, absolutely determined to prevent this matter from leaking out.
"Anything else? Have you ever seen other Primarchs?" Guilliman asked.
"No, only this one," Macar said softly, his gaze still secretly assessing Guilliman.
He was terrified that the other party would directly kill him.
That would truly be too unlucky.
Fortunately, Guilliman did not do so.
After obtaining the information he wanted.
Guilliman was ready to dismantle the array and let the other party scram.
"My lord, you haven't carved the runes to enslave him yet."
Cherubael "kindly" reminded.
He still has to carve enslavement runes!!
Are there no more daemonic rights, is there no more reason!!
How shameless!!
Macar turned his head to see which scoundrel was subtly prompting this.
Didn't he see that I was about to be let go?
And you still have to run your mouth??
Macar swore to remember that scoundrel's face and would definitely get revenge in the future, making that scoundrel wish he were dead.
He turned his gaze in Cherubael's direction, only to discover that the other party was a daemonhost.
Feeling the daemonic essence within the other party's body.
Macar's expression became extremely complex.
Astonishment, anger, and a hint of gnashing teeth.
The moment he saw the other party, he instantly understood the whole story.
His summoning was by no means accidental.
"Cherubael!!" Macar's voice was filled with the anger of gnashing teeth.
He wished he could kill the other party on the spot.
Even though Macar and Cherubael were both denizens of the warp, it was difficult for them to extinguish their mutual hatred.
The struggles within the warp are ten thousand times more brutal than those in the real universe.
The two were mortal enemies, constantly seeking to devour each other's essence to strengthen themselves.
"Long time no see, Macar," Cherubael smiled. "Welcome to the grand team of infiltrators."
"You provided my true name!!" Macar said through gritted teeth.
A daemon's true name is the most important part of many summoning rituals.
Only by knowing a daemon's true name can these warp denizens be summoned.
Only a few people knew Macar's true name.
"Of course it was me," Cherubael said with a smug look. "Serving the great Cursed One is a rare honor, and I needed to share it with you."
"May you be cleaved in two by a servant of the Blood God, you who help humans enslave daemons, you are despicable and shameless, and you will pay the price."
Macar wanted to continue cursing, but Guilliman directly grabbed and held him down.
Amidst his screams, the runes of enslavement and control were carved.
He was then thrown back into the warp, awaiting the next summoning.
Watching this scene, Cherubael just wanted to laugh up to the sky; pulling down his mortal enemy brought a strange excitement!!
It's only truly good when everyone is doing badly.
Guilliman gave him a warning look.
Cherubael, in his ecstasy, became well-behaved and compliant.
"Respected Primarch," Cherubael said.
"Behave yourself." After giving the warning, Guilliman strode out.
After learning the news about Leman Russ of the Space Wolves, his mind was somewhat unsettled.
Russ wasn't dead, and the other Primarchs should also be alive.
This was a tricky matter.
After a moment of contemplation, Guilliman put the matter aside for now.
First, deal with the current matters at hand and clear out the necron dynasty.
They wouldn't be able to return anytime soon, and he would seize the opportunity to expand his base.
Only then would he have confidence.
One must know, he was no longer the same Guilliman as before.
The original Guilliman was severely wounded by Fulgrim, and his soul had a fissure.
It was precisely because of this that the soul that had transmigrated filled the fissure, and the two souls merged, forming a completely new Guilliman.
The Emperor's attitude towards the Primarchs, and even the entire Imperium, was one of treating them as tools.
Guilliman was a little worried that the Emperor might casually discard him, this inconvenient tool, in the future.
No one could deny the Emperor's contributions to humanity.
To maintain human civilization, the Emperor endured the torment of the Golden Throne for ten thousand years.
But the things the Emperor did, frankly speaking, would be unbearable for anyone else.
The perpetuals who once walked with him described him only as arrogant, conceited, and willing to sacrifice everything for his goals, using any means necessary.
Guilliman did not want to be the one who was sacrificed.
One week later.
The expeditionary force, having completed its overall coordination and deployment, detached a small contingent and set course for the Vitoria system.
The remaining forces headed towards the Obelia system, using that system as a staging ground to launch an attack on the necrons.
The Obelia system is a standard single-star system.
The star is already in its old age, its light significantly weaker than during its prime.
Due to insufficient mass, this aging star did not explode into a supernova or become a black hole or anything similar.
It merely continued to slowly weaken its fusion reactions, becoming increasingly feeble.
The light provided by the aging star to the numerous planets within the system is also very weak.
Insufficient light has resulted in many worlds within the Obelia system being in a state of low temperature.
It can be said that every planet in the system is a frozen, ice-bound world.
Since the days of the Great Crusade, humanity had spent ten thousand years of pleasant times in this system.
To mine the rare minerals beneath the permafrost, humanity established colonies here.
They placed massive fusion power cores underground, relying on these cores to maintain normal life.
The Obelia system was once very prosperous.
Until the arrival of those terrifying metal undead, which gradually led to its decline.
The Imperium of Man and the necrons fought a terrifying battle.
To halt the necron expansion, the Imperium committed three Chapters, hundreds of regiments, and a vast Imperial Fleet.
This resulted in the deaths of over sixty percent of the Imperial civilian population.
The Imperium contained the necron expansion but lacked the ability to reclaim the fallen planets.
They could only allow them to remain in the hands of the necrons.
Obelia also became a frontier battlefield between the Imperium and the necrons.
After that war, the Obelia system completely declined.
Many nobles and wealthy individuals chose to leave.
The lives of those who remained also fell into hardship.
Having lost the most important interstellar trade, many factories could not continue operating and had to close.
Massive unemployment led to social unrest, forming rampant hive city gangs, causing the Obelia system to decline further.
Today, this gradually isolated and desolate world welcomed a new change.
Accompanied by warp fluctuations, one Imperial ship after another emerged from the warp, entering the various spaceports in the Obelia system.
Tech-priests repaired the dormant machines, making them roar back to life, operating for the Primarch's crusade, producing enough ammunition to feed the army.
The unemployed residents of the Obelia system were all absorbed into the factories, becoming a cog in the terrifying war machine of the expedition.
After simple repairs, the Imperial Fleet launched an attack on the systems controlled by the necrons.
Sicarius led a spearhead force, directly striking the Nordam system, to reclaim three worlds there for the Imperium and compress the enemy's defense lines.
In the Nordam system, the main necron fleet had already departed.
Only two Dirge-class escorts were wandering in the void.
The necrons seemed to have left very few troops stationed there.
Sicarius guessed that they had likely concentrated their forces in the Crown World, which was the location of the main tomb.
After 60 million years of slumber, although the necron dynasty had awakened, it had also suffered too many losses.
The excessive duration had caused damage to the logic centers of many necrons, resulting in the loss of a large amount of memory.
Furthermore, the arbitrary actions of high-ranking generals in the dynasty, disregarding the guidance of Crypteks in abnormal awakening rituals, also led to a large number of necron casualties.
Currently, it is not yet the true Great Awakening stage set by the necrons.
Due to various reasons, the necron dynasty does not have many available forces and cannot maintain an overly vast territory.
Sicarius brought an entire fleet, but facing the elusive necron ships capable of quantum teleportation was quite troublesome.
It took the destruction of several ships to finally eliminate the two Dirge-class escorts.
After the void battle ended, Adeptus Mechanicus tech-barges flew out, towing the wreckage of the necron ships aside for analysis and reverse engineering.
Under the Primarch's command, Fabricator-General Kren formed a battlefield research team composed of radical tech-priests.
They eagerly sought the remnants of these xenos constructs, satisfying their thirst for knowledge by reverse-engineering this technology.
The fleet gradually cleared out the xenos structures left by the necrons, either disabling or destroying them.