When Guilliman was resurrected, he had made many conjectures about what Lion had experienced over the past ten thousand years.
This guy had either recognized his Warp essence, awakened his bull-horned daemon form, and entered the Warp to hunt down traitors.
Or he had been struck into a stasis field, like himself, waiting for rescue.
It was normal for Lion to have lost the battle at Caliban, as Luther had also received Chaos blessings.
But the result was beyond Guilliman's expectations.
The Master of the First Legion, the Lion of the Imperium, one of the most outstanding primarchs under the Emperor, Lion El'Jonson, was sleeping in the core area of the Rock.
He hadn't awakened his Minotaur daemon form, nor had he been struck into a stasis field.
He was just lying there on the rock in the core area of the Rock, sleeping like a Sleeping Beauty.
Guilliman observed that some Warp runes had appeared on Lion's body, emitting a strong Warp aura.
Clearly, Lion had recognized his Warp essence.
Those Warp runes were the best proof.
However, he hadn't fully awakened, being in a state of ambiguity.
That is, one foot was in, and one foot was still out.
Guilliman was truly a bit stunned when he saw Lion.
The other party was just sleeping there in the core area of the Rock.
Just lying there on a large, black, smooth rock.
Like the princess in the story of the Seven Dwarfs, who fell asleep after eating the poisoned apple.
There didn't seem to be any fatal injuries on his body.
More importantly, Lion wasn't in a stasis field; he was just lying on the rock like that.
Yet, there wasn't a single trace of age on his face.
He looked exactly as he did when they parted ten thousand years ago.
This didn't make sense.
"Lion."
"Bro."
"Wake up."
Guilliman called out a few times, but the other party didn't react at all.
A moment later, Guilliman said something else.
"Russ said you can't win a duel against him, you only cheat. And he's about to become Warmaster; he says he's the most suitable candidate, infinitely better than you."
The sleeping Lion's finger moved slightly, but then quickly became still again.
Looking at the still-sleeping Lion, Guilliman pondered for a moment.
Perhaps only Jaghatai, the primarch of the White Scars, could wake Lion up.
Only Jaghatai fits the two conditions for a prince Charming: a white robe and a knight.
Guilliman wore blue power armor, and even his cloak was light blue with gold trim.
Thinking of Jaghatai tenderly picking up Lion, that image was simply too beautiful.
Guilliman suddenly felt goosebumps.
How terrifying, it's better not to think about it.
Guilliman took two steps closer but found himself blocked by an invisible force field.
It was then that he noticed a circle of special runes around the rock where Lion slept, enclosing the giant rock and forming a special force field.
This force field was very special; it could prevent external intrusion, and it seemed that time inside was slowed down.
After probing, Guilliman determined the approximate range of the force field.
As long as he didn't get too close to the rock where Lion slept, it wouldn't activate.
Standing outside the force field, Guilliman examined the sleeping Lion.
There were still traces of crimson blood on Lion's body, as if they had just been stained there.
His clothes were also tattered, clearly having gone through an unimaginable battle.
"What's going on?" Guilliman looked at the few short, white-robed Dark Watchers.
This mysterious race held many secrets that even Guilliman didn't understand.
Chaos daemons were very afraid of these little white-robed figures; there seemed to be a deep connection between the two.
"The Lion crossed time, resulting in some unknown consequences for his body. Currently, we can only keep him in a time field, otherwise the power of time would instantly kill him," a Dark Watcher stepped forward and explained Lion's situation to Guilliman.
The other party's voice appeared directly in Guilliman's mind, like some special ability that could communicate directly with thoughts and consciousness.
Guilliman walked around the giant rock where Lion slept, carefully examining the special runes and the sleeping Lion, his brows furrowed.
"How much time did he cross?"
"Ten thousand years," the little white-robed figure said. "He was sent from the Warp storm caused by the Caliban explosion ten thousand years ago to the eve of the Great Rift ten thousand years later. He missed the ten thousand years in between, causing serious consequences. Certain correction laws are trying to erase him to maintain the balance of the universe."
"How could the time deviation be so great?" A hint of confusion appeared in Guilliman's eyes.
The Warp can cause time deviation and even help people cross timelines.
But the deviation now was too much!
Ten thousand years!
"This is a consequence of using the Three Artifacts of Fate. During the Horus Heresy, Lion always used a special artifact to help himself cross the storm of destruction. This artifact caused an overlap of past, present, and future, sending him from Caliban ten thousand years ago to the Rock, forming a fate loop."
"However, it also caused serious consequences. He is likely to be corrected out of existence and can only survive in a time field different from the main universe."
Hearing the Dark Watcher's words, Guilliman's head felt twice its size. "What are the Three Artifacts of Fate?"
"This secret is very ancient, and its complexities are far beyond what mortals can imagine," the Dark Watcher said.
"Tell me about it," Guilliman shrugged, preparing himself mentally.
Only by knowing the cause and effect could he make the correct judgment.
Seeing Guilliman's persistence, the Dark Watcher slowly recounted an ancient secret.
This secret related to the origin, prosperity, and decline of their race.
When the universe was just born, even before the Old Ones and the C'tan were active.
Their race had already begun researching the universe and the Warp.
The Warp of any universe is calm at first.
Without enough life emotions, an active Warp cannot be created.
The Warp at that time was very barren.
There were no etheric currents like there are now, just like a pool of stagnant water.
The Warp and the real universe are complementary.
Without flourishing life, there would be no magnificent, profound, and unpredictable Warp.
The stillness of the Warp also meant that there was no magic or other supernatural power at that time.
The most regrettable thing was that the physical laws at that time were incomplete.
"The physical laws of the universe are incomplete??" Guilliman's tone held a hint of disbelief.
This seriously conflicted with his worldview.
Didn't the universe just go 'bang' and finish evolving?
Why did it have to be little by little?
But considering the universe's history of over 13 billion years, even including his previous and current lives, he had only lived for less than a thousand years.
That wasn't even a fraction of it.
Using his own worldview to refute the theories of those who came before was truly insufficient.
Guilliman put away his arrogance and thoughts of refutation.
He remembered a story, a story about a target.
It said that a gunman fired a shot and hit ten connected targets.
Then, scientists from a microbial community, after a lifetime of research and observation, arrived at an unchanging truth.
That is, there are ten large holes in the targets.
This was a great truth.
Throughout the long time in which this microbial community successively arose, prospered, and was destroyed.
Through the iteration of hundreds of generations of microbes being born, growing old, getting sick, and dying, this truth never changed.
However, from a human perspective, are ten targets with ten holes truly an eternal truth?
Any truth claimed to be unchanging from a human perspective, does it truly never change?
Some people always think the universe is a precise structure, but never consider why the universe should operate this way?
Some people think the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, water flows downhill, and planets should be round, that these are the truths of the universe, and will never change from the moment the universe was born.
However, are these truly truths?
Or are they just the natural state of cosmic evolution, thus considered truths by people?
"Yes, just as life evolved from single cells, the universe also evolved slowly. Nothing was perfect from the beginning," the Dark Watcher's tone held a hint of sadness. Recalling the past of a fallen civilization always evoked sighs.
At that time, the universe was in its nascent stages.
The physical laws supporting the operation of all things were still incomplete, full of errors.
However, life was still born in such an environment.
Gaseous life, carbon-based life, silicon-based life, planetary life, all benefited from the imperfect physical laws.
The life born in the universe was also diverse and countless.
As the number of lives increased, the Warp also became active.
The various laws of the universe gradually took shape and became perfect under the combined influence of the universe and numerous civilized races.
This process was like the evolution of life, from single cells to plants and animals, slowly evolving, from infinite to ordered.
However, as civilized races developed, resource problems emerged.
The universe was only so large, and the development speed of a race was unimaginable. The stronger the technology, the faster the development, and the more resources occupied.
It took humans only over ten thousand years to step into the stars and occupy two-thirds of the galaxy's territory.
A race could occupy a galaxy in ten thousand years.
The universe had evolved for over 13 billion years, so one can imagine how crowded the universe had become.
As civilization developed, the resource problem became increasingly severe.
Many races began to look for new ways out.
Pursuing mechanical ascension, psyker ascension, leaving the real universe.
Or migrating as a whole, embarking on the path to other universes.
However, the resource problem ultimately led all civilizations to war.
War destroyed everything, and countless civilizations fell in the terrible flames of war.
Emotions like hatred, hostility, and unwillingness also spawned various terrifying Warp entities.
In that crazy era, the Dark Watchers who had achieved transcendence were also forced into that war.
Those civilizations were so powerful that they used natural laws, physical laws, mathematical laws, and other means to fight.
Such a battlefield was countless times more terrifying than the struggles of gods.
No text could describe that earth-shattering war.
Galaxies shattered, laws collapsed, and everything in the universe was reshaped.
Countless races thus became history, turning into smoke.
The current galaxy is but a corner of the war ruins of the past.
Those so-called unchanging truths are nothing more than the remnants of the wars of various civilizations.
In that battle, the Dark Watchers suffered heavy casualties and had to face the terrifyingly mutated Warp.
Under the collision of countless intense emotions, some concepts like fate and time were also materialized.
When those terrifying Warp creatures were born, the Dark Watchers realized that the war was not simple behind the scenes.
They first recognized the existence of Chaos.
Chaos drives the birth of all things, and then drives the destruction of all things.
It's like a farmer planting rice, a cycle that repeats.
And the Ouroboros is a concentrated model of Chaos.
Head and tail connected, destruction and creation coexist.
The surviving Dark Watchers cut off its power and sealed it on Caliban, attempting to find a way to fight Chaos by studying this abominable thing.
After that war of civilizations, the Dark Watchers no longer interfered with the real universe, turning to observe in secret.
They watched the Old Ones rise from the ruins, cultivate life in the galaxy, and build the Webway to resist Warp monsters.
For a time, they did succeed.
Deprived of the nourishment of biological emotions, the Warp returned to calm.
Unfortunately, the Old Ones were ultimately destroyed by the mad necrons.
This is also a manifestation of Chaos: rise, prosperity, decline, destruction.
No matter what is done, the ultimate fate is difficult to change.
Driven by Chaos, this is an inevitable destiny that no civilization can escape.
As heirs of the Old Ones, the eldar were also like this.
Their fall was so tragic, the huge echo created the Eye of Terror, tearing open the curtain between reality and the Warp, leaving a wound that can never heal.
Time passed, and humanity rose in the galaxy, taking the stage.
This civilization rapidly climbed its technology at a speed the Dark Watchers had never heard of.
Various profound technologies indicated that they had reached the pinnacle of physical laws.
The path to ascension was within reach.
Unfortunately, their fate was no different.
Rising very quickly, and declining very quickly.
The Iron Men rebellion, the Warp storms.
Humanity's first stellar civilization was thus destroyed.
Soon, the Emperor rose again on Terra, intending to establish a second stellar civilization, trying to reverse humanity's inevitable demise.
To achieve this plan, the Emperor created twenty primarchs.
The first primarch, Lion, was lost on Caliban.
Caliban at that time was a death world, its surface covered by dense forests.
The forests contained various terrifying deadly plants, and even more feared giant beasts.
These behemoths were no ordinary creatures; they were twisted and deadly due to the pollution of the Warp.
And this Warp pollution originated from the influence of the Ouroboros, one of the Three Artifacts of Destiny deep within the planet's core.
The rise and fall of humanity attracted the attention of the Dark Watchers.
They had never seen a race rise so quickly.
It took them only a little over ten thousand years from the dawn of civilization to reaching the stars and controlling the galaxy.
This far surpassed any race they had observed.
They realized that perhaps humanity was the sharp sword against Chaos.
When the Primarch descended upon Caliban, the Dark Watchers observed the young Primarch.
And prepared to officially begin their fight against Chaos.
After the Horus Heresy, they guided the Lion to find the artifact containing the power of the Ouroboros, helping him pass through the Ruinstorm.
However, the Lion relied on it too much, which led to the subsequent tragedy.
In his duel with Luther, the Lion awakened his Warp form and successfully defeated Luther.
However, his awakening also stimulated that artifact of destiny; the power of the Ouroboros formed a trinity.
Past, present, and future were directly connected, forming a time tunnel.
The Lion was sucked into it and sent into the time tunnel.
He left only the Lion's Helm and Lion's Sword for his sons and disappeared.
After the destruction of Caliban, the Dark Watchers entered the Rock and officially guided the Dark Angels to fight against Chaos.
In the early stages of the Great Rift, under the guidance of the Dark Watchers, Lord Cypher, the Fallen Angels, and the Dark Angels once again gathered the three great artifacts, completed the loop, and rescued the Lion from the time tunnel.
But time travel has serious consequences that no one can bear.
The universe corrects itself spontaneously.
Although the Lion was saved, he could only rely on the time field to preserve his life, sleeping within it.
Guilliman stood still, listening to the Dark Destroyer recount the history of the past.
Undoubtedly, this history was terrifying.
It involved various struggles in the early days of the universe's birth and the essence of Chaos.
Chaos drives the birth and evolution of all things, and also drives their destruction; it is a very complex entity.
From the perspective of racial civilization, many creatures have to fight it to prevent their race from perishing.
And the mystery of the Lion's disappearance for ten thousand years.
The Dark Watchers also revealed a message: in fact, many daemons were once intelligent races who, after despairing, threw themselves into the embrace of Chaos and became daemons.
They felt that Chaos was bound to achieve ultimate victory.
Any struggle or effort was useless.
So they chose to defect to Chaos, which is the so-called daemonhood.
Many human traitors also embark on the path of ascension, embracing Chaos.
After the Dark Watchers finished speaking, Guilliman was silent for a long time.
Such a vast amount of information forced him to sort out his thoughts.
Well, it's truly hard to imagine.
The fight against the Warp is not as simple as just humanity fighting the Four Gods.
If the Four Gods perish, new ones will emerge.
As the saying goes, defeat one Four God, and thousands upon thousands of Four Gods will rise up.
The wicked empire will inevitably fall into the ocean of war with Warp daemons.
Thinking of this, Guilliman felt a sudden pang of discomfort.
If we follow the theory that whoever wins the hearts of the people wins the world, then Chaos is in the right.
After all, so many races have defected to Chaos.
"After all this, I'm the ultimate villain??" Guilliman grumbled to himself, Chaos is where the hearts of the people lie.
The few Dark Watchers recounting history made Guilliman clearly aware of how terrifying the enemy he faced was.
After recounting that ancient history, the Watchers remained silent and did not speak further.
They stood there quietly, as if time held no importance for them.
"Can we win?" Guilliman looked at the Dark Watchers and asked.
He really wanted to add, if we can't win, can I ask if there's a good way to defect to Chaos, do I need a recommendation?
Do they care about human relationships?
"Hope is slim," the Dark Watchers said.
"Then do you know the way to other universes?" Guilliman asked.
Well, we can't win. So many civilizations that mastered the laws of nature, mathematical principles, and could control and modify the laws of physics were played to death.
What is the Imperium of Man worth?
Let's take the Imperium and run.
As the saying goes, sometimes you're up, sometimes you're down, don't underestimate the poor.
This is just a strategic retreat for now; we'll definitely fight back when we have the chance in the future.
The path of the Imperium's rise is temporarily interrupted.
The path of the wandering Imperium begins.
If we can't defeat Chaos, wouldn't it be happier to go to other universes and bully the small fry?
Preferably a low-magic, low-martial universe, so I can do as I please.
It seemed they saw through Guilliman's little thoughts.
After a moment of silence, the Dark Watchers spoke.
"The last large-scale path to other universes is located in the Eternal Battlefield deep within the Warp. The Four Gods have been fighting over it. Whoever controls that path controls the authority of Chaos.
As for others, there are a few small paths leading to other universes, but the scale of passage is very small, allowing at most a few hundred people through."
Guilliman:
Well, the Four Gods cut off the escape route, there's nowhere to run.
As the Regent of the Imperium, Guilliman still had principles and wouldn't abandon the Imperium and run away.
Of course, if the Emperor absolutely wanted to kill him, he would also very quickly pack up and run.
It's important to have flexible principles in life, don't be too rigid.
Preserving oneself is the most important thing, followed by saving others.
"Then why are you revealing this secret to me?" Guilliman looked at the Dark Watchers.
"We need to officially ally with humanity to fight against Chaos," the Dark Watchers rarely raised their heads.
Inside the white robes was complete darkness, the only thing visible was a pair of scarlet eyes.
Guilliman frowned, "Ally?"
"Yes, after the Great Rift appeared, Chaos is eroding the real universe at an unprecedented speed, a large number of physical laws are being twisted and changed.
If we cannot repel it in time, it is likely to bring a terrible crisis, potentially reshaping the real universe. This universe will also completely fall, becoming the playground and battlefield of the gods."
"You are the Regent of the Imperium of Man, holding the power of the entire race. Only by cooperating with you can we resist Chaos."
"Then what should I do?" Guilliman asked.
"Go to Terra and find a way to revive and return your brothers. You are special beings, a hybrid of the Warp and reality. You can simultaneously wield the authority of both worlds. This is a huge advantage," the Dark Watchers said. "The Lion sleeps here. We can find a way to help him avoid being harmed by time, but we have no means to wake him. Perhaps your Lord of Humanity, the Emperor, holds the key to waking him."
"Then if we ally, what help will you provide me?" Guilliman said.
"Our extensive experience, and some ancient technologies that will not be polluted by Chaos," the Dark Watchers said.
"That sounds like a good alliance," Guilliman smiled.
As for technology, Guilliman had the database. Frankly, by completing tasks step by step, he could also obtain a large amount of technical support.
The Dark Watchers' extensive experience in fighting Chaos was what he urgently needed.
Chaos was too powerful; an alliance was unavoidable.
The two sides talked for a long time. The Dark Watchers promised to assist the Imperium of Man in building a batch of weapons that could fight daemons.
Guilliman, in turn, promised to provide them with necessary resources and assist them in waking some ancient members.
After the alliance was formed, the Dark Watchers sent Guilliman out.
The walls were liquefied by their special means, creating a path to the outside.
Guilliman stepped out.
Calgar had been waiting outside for a long time, his face anxious, pacing back and forth.
As soon as Guilliman entered the passage inside, the original entrance turned back into a wall, which made Calgar very uneasy.
If something happened to the Primarch, there wouldn't even be time for rescue.
Fortunately, nothing happened.
Guilliman walked out.
"My lord," Calgar stepped forward and saluted.
Guilliman didn't say much, just nodded.
Clearly, he didn't want to say much about the alliance with the Dark Watchers.
Calgar and the others also didn't ask much.
The Regent of the Imperium had his considerations; they just needed to obey.
Having expelled the Ouroboros and quelled this daemonic disaster, the remaining matters were basically settled.
However, their joy was short-lived as they received some unpleasant news.
That was, Luther had escaped.
As the biggest stain on the Dark Angels Chapter, Luther, who was corrupted by Chaos and didn't hesitate to attack his own gene-father, had escaped from his prison.
Many Dark Angels' faces changed instantly upon hearing this news.
At Guilliman's request, Ezekiel took him into the room where Luther was once imprisoned.
The cell was already empty.
The chains etched with ritual runes and prayers had been broken, scattered on the uneven stone floor.
Guilliman examined it for a moment, sniffing the disgusting smell of Warp daemons in the air.
The coldness belonging to the soulless enveloped the room.
The lingering daemonic aura naturally evoked a sense of fear in ordinary people.
Guilliman stood in the cell, looking around, and finally fixed his gaze on the door.
The twisted, damaged, and blackened door looked as if it had suffered a violent explosion and intense heat.
There were over a hundred protective measures at the entrance, all of which had been erased by various evil methods.
The Chapter Chaplain had purified the cell several times, but the foul smell of daemons still lingered here.
It seemed that the Changeling who had interfered with the Rock and attempted to incite civil war within the Imperium had given the Imperium a parting gift before leaving.
Seeing that guy again, it wouldn't be satisfying without hacking him a few more times.
Ezekiel stood cautiously behind Guilliman.
Luther and the Fallen Angels were a stain that the Dark Angels Chapter had always tried to erase.
He was a little worried that the Regent of the Imperium would develop a dislike for the Dark Angels after knowing about this.
"You will pursue this prisoner yourselves, but there is one thing I need to remind you of."
Guilliman finished examining the cell and looked at Ezekiel. "If you get any news, please be sure to inform me. I have some questions I need to ask. Do not act on your own initiative. Arrest Luther and hand him over to me."
"Regent, please leave this prisoner to the Dark Angels Chapter to deal with," Ezekiel said. "He concerns the honor of the Chapter. The Fallen Angels are a stain that the Dark Angels absolutely cannot tolerate; they know too many secrets."
"Honor? Secrets?" Guilliman smiled. "Are you sure you want to deal with Luther yourselves?"
"Yes, Regent," Ezekiel said.
"As you wish, as long as you believe that keeping secrets is more important than the revival of your gene-father?" Guilliman's tone was theatrical.
His words made Ezekiel freeze in place.
"Regent, are you saying you have a way to revive the Lion?" Ezekiel's tone was slightly hurried.
"I need to go to Terra to confirm definitively, but Luther was the last person to fight the Lion. He must know what kind of damage he inflicted on the Lion. Only by knowing the wound can we wake the Lion," Guilliman said.
"Is it really possible?" Ezekiel asked nervously.
Except for the Blood Angels, the original Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes all had an important mission: to find their gene-father.
The Space Wolves launched a crusade across the galaxy every so often.
Their purpose was to find the missing Russ.
The Salamanders' Black uncles went around digging up artifacts left by Vulkan, preparing to gather them all to summon a divine dragon and find Vulkan.
The White Scars Chapter would occasionally dig up Aeldari tombs, just to find Jaghatai lost deep within the Webway.
Each Chapter had a fanatical obsession with finding their gene-father.
Guilliman said that the matter of Luther was related to the Lion's return.
Ezekiel, who remained unfazed even in the face of a daemonic tide, started to stutter.
"Nothing is certain," Guilliman said. "But I will do my best to ascertain the status of those brothers. If they have fallen into slumber, then I will wake them. If they are lost, then I will guide them back. For the Lion, I will naturally give my all, but if you do not cooperate, it will be very difficult for me."
Both the Auxiliary Sprites and the Dark Watchers wanted him to go to Terra. Clearly, they wanted him to connect with the Emperor.
Now, with the arrival of the Nemesis Dreadknight and the new fleet, as well as the primaris space marines, these powerful forces were available.
With such powerful military strength, Guilliman also had the confidence to face the conservatives on Terra.
Even facing the Emperor directly, he now had the capital for dialogue.
They were all comrades fighting against Chaos; there was no need to make things so tense.
They could still sit down and talk calmly about cooperation.
Of course, the premise was that they were equals.
If the Emperor still played the tool theory, Guilliman would turn around and leave.
Being used as a tool and then discarded.
It was better for him to follow his own ideas.
The Dark Watchers also revealed their desire for Guilliman to recall the other Primarchs and strengthen humanity.
With their technology, it might truly be possible.
According to some rumors, Sanguinius' corpse had turned into a moving sculpture on Horus' flagship, the Vengeful Spirit.
If they could capture the Vengeful Spirit and find Sanguinius' body, there might still be a chance for resurrection.
After all, his soul wasn't destroyed and could still manifest from time to time.
As for Ferrus Manus, the Primarch of the Iron Hands, things were a bit more troublesome, as his head had been cut off.
The headless body was retrieved by the warriors of the Iron Hands Legion.
The head was offered by the traitor Primarch Fulgrim to Horus, and it was likely taken by Chaos warbands later. It's probably long gone.
However, Guilliman believed that with sufficient technology, creating a new body was achievable.
The most crucial point now was the Emperor's attitude.
If that guy was dead set on killing him, or wanted to use him as a tool...
Guilliman would have to make the Emperor understand the meaning of 'Suddenly a madman sharpens his knife at night, the Emperor's star flickers, the Enchanted high'.
If they fell out today, tomorrow the Imperium would welcome a retired Emperor imprisoned in the Imperial Palace.
The Emperor was indeed very good to humanity.
But he truly had no feelings for individuals.
Everyone praised The God-Emperor, calling him an emperor of the ages.
But the people who built the Imperium wouldn't think so.
They had to provide their own food, work until they died, and endure the overseer's whip for no reason.
Who could bear that?
Guilliman was not an idiot who brought his own food to build the Imperium, took the overseer's whip, and still shouted 'The God Emperor is the OG'.
The Emperor must back down, and they must negotiate as equals, otherwise, there would be no negotiation.
After a conversation with Ezekiel, and using the return of the Lion as leverage, he successfully secured the unwavering support of the Dark Angels Chapter.
The Dark Angels Chapter had numerous successor chapters.
The stance of the parent chapter also represented the attitude of those successor chapters.
Then, he would win over the Imperial Fists.
With the Great Rift as the boundary, on the side of the Imperium Sanctus, Guilliman would face no further obstacles and no large-scale forces capable of opposing him.
Terra would truly be sidelined.
Having received Ezekiel's pledge of loyalty, Guilliman departed satisfied and returned to his flagship.
Azrael was still in slumber due to undergoing the Primaris upgrade.
Guilliman took a look and, learning that awakening would take some time, decided not to wait.
After giving instructions to Ezekiel and others,
He departed with Celestine, Greyfax, Calgar, and others, along with a massive fleet.
This voyage was very simple: to travel to Terra and meet the Emperor.
Of course, before formally heading to Terra, he also had to make some preparations.
To ensure everything was foolproof, Guilliman planned to first go to the Beta-Garmon system and use his authority to replace the garrison and administrators there with his own people.
The Beta-Garmon system was located at the convergence of several stable warp routes. It was the fastest route to Terra.
Whoever controlled the Beta-Garmon system could be said to have a chokehold on Terra.
Guilliman had no confidence whatsoever in the conservatives on Terra. The terrible things they could do for power were beyond ordinary people's imagination.
During the War of the Beast, many departments, vying for power and profit, turned a blind eye to the Imperium's plight, only focusing on how to seize greater authority.
If not for Koorland, the last survivor of the Imperial Fists, initiating the High Wall Protocol,
The Ork Warboss, the Beast, would have achieved what even Horus could not: the conquest of Terra.
Besides the chaos of the War of the Beast, the bloody era of the Ecclesiarchy was also extremely terrifying.
Countless planets within the Imperium were accused of heresy and then outright exterminated, with casualties no less severe than during the Horus Heresy.
Not to mention the infamous Abyss Expedition, where thirty Chapters were essentially sent to their deaths.
And the subsequent assassination of Solar Commander Makarius.
These events demonstrated the severity of the political infighting for power within the Imperium.
And this was just the tip of the iceberg.
Many absurd and illogical military decisions were made due to bureaucratic infighting.
To bring down political rivals and strike at opponents, they would not hesitate to betray allies or even stand by and watch as Imperial citizens were slaughtered by xenos and Chaos.
Guilliman had no doubt they would try to eliminate him.
It should be known that during the Emperor's Great Crusade and Unification Wars, the Custodes dealt with assassins more than anyone else.
Those madmen dared to kill even the Emperor for their power and so-called beliefs.
Expecting those useless individuals to fight Chaos and consider the future of humanity was a very difficult task.
In other words, if scheming equated to combat power, the bureaucrats on Terra would have long since shattered the Warp and suppressed the Four Gods.
Controlling the Beta-Garmon system was sending a message to those power-hungry nobles with ill intentions.
Anyone who dared to scheme, Guilliman would dare to act against.
With the Beta-Garmon system under control, the entire Sol system was effectively in the bag, controlled by Guilliman.
The expedition fleet departed.
A portion of the tech-priests remained behind; they would assist the Dark Angels Chapter in completing the Primaris upgrade, guiding them onto the path of true demigods.
Taking this opportunity, Ezekiel used the Dark Angels Chapter to launch a purge, eliminating the traitors and cultists hidden within the Rock.
The turmoil within the Rock came to an end.
The great wheel of destiny continued to roll forward.
Endless darkness.
His consciousness returned from the void.
He was once the Bringer of Death, an Angel of the Emperor.
Born from ancient genetic technology and knowledge.
Modified for a unique purpose.
A killing machine created for an immense empire, unlike anything humanity had ever seen.
From xenos to Chaos, from the Armageddon Crusade to the Great Rift, he had experienced countless battles.
Cleansing the enemies of humanity with blade and bolt.
He was a tool of the Emperor's will.
From recruit to veteran, then company captain, and finally Chapter Master.
He had nearly walked the path of darkness several times due to arrogance, but each time he managed to return to the right path in time.
He had witnessed the deaths of battle-brothers, seen the betrayal of friends, and fought against those cursed enemies.
However, this time, he almost thought his end had come.
A malevolent force invaded his body, destroying the Emperor's gift.
He saw the exclamations of those people, scalpels cutting into his wounds, exposing his internal organs.
Those people were trying to save him.
But the malevolence of the Warp was beyond imagination.
They could corrupt and destroy everything.
He fell into a void-like slumber, until this moment arrived.
A mechanical voice echoed in his soul.
**Dark Particle fusion progress reached 100%. Guilliman's Heart successfully activated.**
**Conditions met for Emperor's Angel Combat Engine activation. Data template enabled.**
**Personal information loading in progress.**
**Target confirmed: Dark Angels Chapter Master, Azrael.**
**Abilities loaded: None**
**Databases connected: None**
**Detecting target in critical condition. Attempting body restoration.**
**Body restoration in progress. Current progress: 1%.**
**Body restoration complete. Current progress: 100%.**
A series of prompts continuously sounded in his mind.
With these sounds, Azrael could feel his will regaining control of his body.
It seemed Calgar had saved him and granted him some special abilities.
Warm nutrient fluid soaked his body, filling his mouth, ears, and eyes.
"Praise be, he is a perfect match for the modification," a voice said.
Azrael struggled to open his eyes, wanting to see who was speaking.
However, a viscous substance glued his eyelids together, and with all his might, he could only barely open a slit.
He found himself lying in a transparent nutrient tank, with several tubes connected to his body.
Standing in front of the tank were two mortals in white clothing.
Relying on years of combat experience, Azrael assessed their threat based on his blurry vision.
Their height only reached his abdomen; he could easily kill these two people.
Azrael noticed that both were working on the data slates they carried.
They were talking to each other, but he couldn't hear clearly, only catching snippets of conversation.
A mechanical hum sounded.
The nutrient fluid immersing him began to recede.
The cold air covered his naked body, his pores contracting and tightening.
The nutrient tank was opened, and two servitors walked over from the side, helping Azrael onto a gurney that had been wheeled over.
"Guilliman's Heart is truly a miracle! His body has been greatly enhanced. My heavens, I've never seen such enhancement technology, flawless, stimulating cell reinforcement and optimizing gene strands from the root."
One of the people in white spoke excitedly, unable to hide his inner agitation.
"Praise Guilliman's wisdom," the other person in white said. "It's too perfect."
At this moment, two figures in power armor entered from the doorway.
"Thank the Emperor, you're finally awake, Azrael. You were unconscious for so long, I feared we had lost you," a familiar voice said.
Azrael lifted his head to look at the speaker.
A name popped into his mind.
"Ezekiel," he said.
"It seems your memory is intact," Ezekiel said, smiling at Azrael, unable to hide his excitement.
Azrael tried to recall what had happened before.
He was attacked, then fell unconscious. He didn't know what happened afterward.
"Calgar saved you, and the Lord Regent of the Imperium, the Thirteenth Primarch, saved the Rock. He repelled the daemons and led us to activate the contingency left by the Dark Watchers, preventing the ancient monster's revival. The only pity is that Luther escaped."
Ezekiel briefly summarized the events that had transpired.
"The Lord Regent came? Where is he?" Azrael asked.
"He has already left, needing to go to Terra. He needs to sort out the chaos on Terra and obtain a way to bring the Lion back from the Emperor," Ezekiel said. "But he also set conditions; he needs us to send people to capture Luther and get clues about the Lion from him."
"Luther, that damned traitor," Azrael's weak tone carried a hint of anger.
"I have already sent people to hunt him down, you don't need to worry about that," Ezekiel said. "Now our most important task is to complete the Primaris upgrade. Originally, I had some concerns about the Primaris upgrade requested by the Lord Regent; such a hasty alteration of the Emperor's gift could have terrible consequences. But now that I see you are awake, I have a little more confidence in it."
"You have successfully fused with Guilliman's Heart. Next, you only need to fuse with the other organs. It is expected that the upgrade will be completed in three months, and you will become much stronger."
After detailing the situation, Ezekiel had the servitors push Azrael on the gurney to the next surgical suite.
The Chapter Master would complete the Primaris upgrade and gain a new life.
Azrael did not refuse, allowing the servitors to handle him. He understood clearly that the most important thing now was to cooperate and gain greater strength as quickly as possible.
The implanted Guilliman's Heart had shown him another path.
If successful, confronting Luther would become an extremely easy matter.
With Guilliman's awakening, changes in the Imperium appeared in all aspects.
The Imperium's control over various worlds strengthened, military power increased, and science and reason gradually returned.
These changes represented hope and a future for many people.
For the numerous bureaucrats on Terra, they were undoubtedly a deadly noose.
News of Guilliman leaving the Rock and heading to Terra quickly spread.
It rapidly caused a wave of panic among the populace.
Some Imperial newspapers, resentful of the Primarch's reform measures, even went so far as to publish a very radical report.
**Shameless Traitor Will Desecrate Terra, This Is the Imperium's Grief**