Cherubael inwardly gnashed his teeth at Guilliman, wishing he could devour his flesh raw, drink his blood, pull out his tendons, and grind his bones to dust.
Only then could the humiliation of being imprisoned be erased, only then could the towering hatred in his heart be appeased.
While cursing inwardly, Cherubael's face was all smiles.
When facing Guilliman, his face was beaming with smiles.
He called him "Great Regent" and "Great Primarch" with such excitement and passion.
Guilliman also knew this guy was two-faced, a potential traitor, and would definitely bite back and retaliate given the chance.
But looking at the other party's attitude now, he felt a bit awkward about acting against him.
A dignified daemon prince had turned into such a sycophant.
To still act against him, he actually felt a tiny bit of reluctance.
As expected, he was still too kind.
Cherubael didn't dare read Guilliman's mind, otherwise he would definitely be so angry he'd curse out loud.
Someone who abused a daemon prince, who was more tyrannical and cruel than the soulless, claimed he was kind??
He, this daemon prince, would believe it if someone said Slaanesh had turned good, but he wouldn't believe you were kind?
"If there's no news from Terra, then tell me about what you've gathered during this time," Guilliman said.
"According to news from several daemons, Mortarion has appeared in the Scourge Stars leading a large Plague Fleet, and he is advancing towards the Emperor's domain."
Cherubael said respectfully, "According to some whispers, Mortarion also possesses a terrible contagion, my lord.
This contagion is extremely potent and can corrupt everything in the material universe; even daemons are wary of it.
It is clear that this daemon, who betrayed the Emperor's glory, intends to use this contagion against you."
"Mortarion, a contagion capable of corrupting the material world."
Cherubael's first piece of intelligence was so explosive.
It couldn't help but make Guilliman's expression solemn.
As the gene-primarch of the Death Guard, Mortarion was, to some extent, a bit of a letdown.
Among the many primarchs of the Imperium, even Lorgar, the primarch of the Word Bearers Legion, who was called the Shame of the Primarchs and had been beaten up by many primarchs, wasn't as aggrieved as Mortarion.
This guy's performance during the Great Heresy was truly hard to describe.
Although Mortarion stood with Horus from the beginning.
However, unlike Lorgar, this guy truly did it for power, to overthrow the Emperor's rule.
Mortarion had an extreme aversion to the warp, and there were no special mutations that corrupted him.
At the Council of Nikaea, where many primarchs were present, he was also the one most vehemently opposed to the use of psykers in the Great Crusade Legions.
Judging from these actions, it could be said that Mortarion was the least likely of all the primarchs to ascend to daemonhood.
However, the subsequent developments were somewhat surreal.
After the Drop Site Massacre at Isstvan, Mortarion took his fleet and used warp travel to head to Ullanor, the planet where Horus was invested as Warmaster.
Typhus, the First captain of the Death Guard, killed the navigators, summoned plague daemons, and trapped the fleet in the warp.
Nurgle then continuously used plagues to torment Mortarion and the warriors of the Death Guard, eventually making them surrender, and Mortarion consequently ascended to daemonhood.
Among the many primarchs, no matter how badly they fared, such a betrayal, being manipulated by a subordinate, would never happen.
To some extent, Typhus could be said to have brazenly betrayed the Death Guard.
But Mortarion, after ascending to daemonhood, could only swallow this humiliation.
Typhus, like him, received Nurgle's blessings.
This left him with no opportunity to retaliate against the other party.
The other party also had no respect for his gene-father.
"Will a plague war eventually have to be fought!" Guilliman mused in his heart.
Mortarion's entry into the Imperium's domain was certainly to spread plague.
He had to make a strong response, to stop the spread of the plague and make Mortarion pay the price.
To let the warp see humanity's strength, to let those daemons and traitors know that the Imperium was absolutely not something they could casually bully.
"This news is very valuable, you've done well."
Guilliman took a couple of steps, digesting the information.
Regarding this, he rarely praised Cherubael, this daemon prince, considering it a small reward.
A hint of excitement suddenly surfaced in Cherubael's heart; this feeling of being acknowledged by a great figure who looked down on him was truly wonderful.
It was then suppressed by him.
Cherubael realized this mindset of his was a typical case of Stockholm Syndrome.
He was a dignified daemon prince, how could he be happy because of a human's praise?
This was too shameful.
A disgrace.
He must definitely stick to his true nature and not be domesticated.
"Is there any other news?"
Guilliman continued to ask; he wanted to grasp more of the warp's movements.
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.
Only by doing so could victory be achieved.
"Your other brother, Angron, has escaped from the Eternal Battlefield, and the Blood God seems to be plotting to enter the material universe," Cherubael revealed another significant piece of news.
Angron, tormented by the Butcher's Nails and forever able to maintain only rage and slaughter, had left the Eternal Battlefield.
It was clear that he considered the material universe a new battlefield and wanted to follow the Blood God Khorne into the Imperium's domain.
"Where is their target?" Guilliman pressed.
"I don't know, those daemons say the roar of that mad god echoes in the warp; it craves war and blood, craving a glorious victory."
Cherubael paused, then said in a sycophantic manner, "Evidently, its target is you, my lord.
Only an existence like yours is worthy of the Blood God's attention; it has already marked you as a hunting target."
"That's certainly not good news," Guilliman shrugged.
"Continue."
"The aetheric currents in the Imperium Nihilus are growing stronger, and your Magnus is building his psyker empire, attempting to breed more psykers to serve as his legion.
To this end, he did not hesitate to bring out a strange treasure from the Changer of Ways' vault, a treasure that can achieve his desires."
"That is all the news for now, my lord.
I will continue to urge those daemons to find more information for you."
Cherubael showed a fawning smile, presenting himself as a loyal servant willing to dedicate himself to Lord Guilliman, working diligently until his death.
Guilliman organized the information and gained some understanding of the warp's movements.
It seemed that with his return, the actions of those daemon primarchs were also becoming more frequent.
This was not a good sign; Chaos' offensive against the Imperium had intensified.
Guilliman would not sit idly by.
It was no longer ten thousand years ago.
He had enough confidence to deal with these guys.
"Cherubael, you claim to be older than the Imperium, older than humanity.
Now, I want to ask, where do you come from?"
After learning some ancient history from the Dark Watchers.
Guilliman also had a rough guess about the origins of daemons like Cherubael.
"My lord, I come from the warp," Cherubael replied respectfully, his tone sincere, stating what he knew.
This was unimaginable for a daemon.
They also liked to talk to the wizards who summoned them in a frenzied tone.
Using half-truths and half-lies to entice those fools to exchange their souls for trivial knowledge and power.
Cherubael used to be like this, until he met Guilliman.
He was beaten nine times in three days and also threatened by the other party with the power of the Anathema.
He could only change himself, forced and humiliated.
"I mean before you pledged yourself to Chaos," Guilliman said.
"Who were you?
You are not merely a fragment of the gods; you have your own standing, Cherubael.
I once thought all daemons were born from the warp, but later, I found I was wrong."
The galaxy has given birth to more than just the human race.
There were many powerful races before; if humanity could be favored by the gods, there's no reason those races wouldn't be favored.
Primarchs can ascend to daemonhood, and those traitors can also complete their paths and thus ascend to daemonhood.
This indicates that Chaos has a hidden mechanism: as long as the conditions are met, one can be blessed and ascend to daemonhood, becoming one of the daemons."
If among so many traitors, only primarchs could ascend to daemonhood, then ascension could only be achieved by warp entities.
But Lucius, Khârn, and others like them are not primarchs, yet they also gained the favor of the gods, or the boons of Chaos, through their so-called paths.
"I have forgotten, my lord.
That history is too distant," Cherubael said.
"I only vaguely remember being worshipped by those beings; they called me a god.
And then, I devoured their souls and became an independent existence."
Guilliman frowned, then relaxed and smiled.
"I wouldn't have guessed you were once a god."
"That was just a meaningless title, my lord.
Are not daemons and gods the same thing?
Nothing in this world is eternal and unchanging; mortal life always tries to define everything from its own perspective, dividing good and evil, light and darkness.
Is it a mistake for the sea to turn into mulberry fields?
Just because that ocean was helpful to people, does that make it righteous and good?
And when the natural world changes, the sea recedes, and that place becomes useless to people, does it then become an evil existence?"
"You are very good at beguiling people," Guilliman said casually, not caring about Cherubael's words.
"This is not beguilement, but the truth," Cherubael said.
"Do you think humans suffer because of the warp?
No, it is because of humanity's own greed and foolishness.
Your foolishness and madness created the warp; if a person puts a noose around their own neck and walks onto the gallows, what right do they have to accuse people of wanting to harm them.
A traveler knows the journey is full of hungry people, yet loudly announces they are transporting grain, is unwilling to seek guards, and then curses the hungry people for being immoral and not obeying the law against robbery."
"Humans lay out countless delicacies and then demand that ravenous daemons obey human rules, be moral, abide by laws, and not harm them.
Is this not a mockery?
If they don't obey human laws, then daemons are evil."
"What are you trying to say?" Guilliman looked at Cherubael, his gaze playful.
"I just want to tell you, don't push all the blame onto the warp and daemons.
Chaos is the correct path, a path that all civilizations and all individuals will inevitably walk, unavoidable.
The universe is one of increasing entropy; the transition from order to chaos is an inevitable trend.
Embracing Chaos is equivalent to embracing reality."
"Do you think you are fighting the warp?
No, you are fighting humanity's own suffering and desires; you can never help them eradicate that suffering and those desires, and this means you will never win against Chaos.
Ten thousand years ago, you established the Council of Terra, full of confidence, letting mortals achieve success through the democratic system you personally built.
You fantasized about such a beautiful future, where humanity would achieve better development, have better technology, better lives, and could easily resist Chaos."
"But you saw the outcome, didn't you?
They failed; those powerful nobles were lost in infighting, and the lives of soldiers became political bargaining chips on their tables.
Those families who swore to defend humanity for generations turned into vampires, unscrupulously plundering the Imperium's assets and enriching themselves.
The suffering of the lower classes was ignored, leaving them to turn to Chaos."
Cherubael's words were full of temptation, "Daemons cannot enter the real universe; each time requires a large-scale sacrifice to manifest. Do you know which groups summon the most daemons? Not wizards, nor psykers. It is those desperate imperial citizens who have descended into the abyss, who are so mad they want to trade their lives for the destruction of everything."
"It's a pity you're a daemon, otherwise you'd definitely be more than capable as a politician." Guilliman looked at Cherubael, his eyes showing no sign of wavering.
Cherubael didn't seem to mind.
It knew that a dam couldn't be destroyed in a single day.
It was enough to leave just a few marks on it.
Just like termites gnawing away bit by bit, one day, this dam would collapse with a crash.
"No, I am a qualified daemon, but not a qualified imperial politician. The power brokers of Terra are far more evil than daemons. daemons bring human suffering very quickly; we can devour a city, a continent, or even a planet in a day or a month. But those power brokers can slowly torture hundreds of millions of humans, making them live out their lives in despair and sorrow."
Guilliman smiled slightly, not refuting Cherubael's words.
He turned and walked out, "Continue to collect information about the Warp. I will come back to find you after a while."
Cherubael listened to Guilliman's footsteps and revealed an evil smile.
It would succeed.
Corroding the other party's mental dam bit by bit.
Leading a Primarch down a path of desperate madness.
Just thinking about it was a wonderful thing.
He couldn't save his own kind.
He couldn't even save himself.
Man's greatest enemy is himself.
No one can defeat themselves.
The heavy metal hatch slowly closed after Guilliman walked out.
The door was tightly sealed, looking as if it were cast in one piece, without the slightest gap.
The patterns on the door also became complete.
Then, light emerged along the patterns, outlining special symbols and simultaneously forming a shielding field.
"My lord." Eisenhorn stepped forward, his face showing concern.
He had also heard the conversation just now.
Cherubael was trying to corrupt the Primarch's mind.
Those words could easily lead a hot-blooded youth to extremes and ultimately into the embrace of Chaos.
In his career as an Inquisitor hunting down Chaos heretics and xenos, Eisenhorn had seen countless such examples.
Those idealistic individuals, full of passion and ambition, who sought to change the tragic plight of humanity, were easily swayed after being struck by the harsh reality, becoming enemies of the Imperium.
daemons like to attack people's minds from all angles.
For those greedy for power, they start with power.
For those greedy for money, they start with money.
For those who pride themselves on loyalty, they start with loyalty.
They slowly corrode everything, while those people remain completely unaware.
Confusion in the heart breeds betrayal.
"Do not listen to anything Cherubael says." Guilliman shook his head, indicating he was alright, "Its words are not enough to make me doubt my judgment. But we must be vigilant; these daemons are cunning and shameless enough that any carelessness will bring us heavy disaster."
Guilliman spoke in a warning tone, showing great vigilance.
No wonder the temptation of daemons was so terrifying.
Simple fear and threats could only scare the weak.
How could the strong be betrayed by that?
The reason was that they didn't just torture people physically; the most terrifying method was to torture their souls, using their own thoughts to harm their minds.
They would always precisely grasp everyone's pain points and use them for temptation.
After receiving Eisenhorn's assurance, Guilliman headed towards the elevator.
He hadn't gotten information about Terra, but he had gained a little.
Several daemon Primarchs had already moved out; he also needed to speed up.
Reach Terra as soon as possible to activate the second layer of the database and further strengthen his warriors.
Also, to confirm the Emperor's state, reach an agreement with him, and then find ways to locate the other Primarchs.
This was his entire plan recently, and now he was steadily advancing according to the established plan.
Guilliman thought as he entered the elevator.
He entered the password, completed the verification, and then activated the elevator to leave.
Standing in the elevator, Guilliman closed his eyes, contemplating the Emperor.
From his conversation with Cherubael, he had gained some information.
This daemon prince was once a god of a certain race.
Guilliman couldn't ascertain whether it was a god created by belief or an individual who ascended after becoming powerful.
But from any perspective, they were equally dangerous.
The Emperor was right.
Gods should not exist in the human world.
Abandoning gods was the most correct approach.
However, in this dark universe, without the power of faith, humanity was more fragile and more likely to head towards destruction. The faith in and worship of the Emperor was a double-edged sword.
While protecting humanity, it also pushed humanity and the Emperor into the abyss.
Guilliman did not return to the strategy room; he had other things to do.
He needed to see what information Cawl had sent.
Sicarius and the many Honour Guard raised no objections to their master's itinerary.
Guilliman entered another confidential corridor, using his authority to pass the security measures.
He took the elevator to the secret chamber where Cawl's simulacrum was located.
After exiting, he mechanically passed through the chamber's multiple security checks.
The armoured door leading to Cawl's simulacrum was already open.
Guidos stood at the entrance waiting for him.
Each time they met, the old man appeared older and more fragile than the last.
Guilliman considered that it might be time for Rosan to take over from Guidos.
This old man could not stay here forever.
The oppressive psyker pressure was slowly taking his life.
Guilliman couldn't bear to let an old man's final moments be spent in the dark decks of the ship.
"Lord Regent." Guidos bowed, saying respectfully, "I feel the oppression from the Empyrean has lessened. Have you achieved another victory?"
"Yes, I have achieved another victory, Guidos. I am sorry that you have to stay here, unable to enjoy the cheers and worship of those people, while I fight Chaos." Guilliman apologized to Guidos.
It was a debt owed when those who fought received neither glory nor reward.
"Everyone has their duty, and loyalty is its own reward." Guidos managed a smile.
Guilliman returned the smile at these words.
The two walked through the security procedure that required both their passcodes.
Guidos activated Cawl's simulacrum according to the usual procedure.
Despite omitting the Mechanicus rituals, it still looked quite bizarre.
It was a hybrid of supernatural power and physical law.
Guidos recited the encoded sequence he had received, and the entire chamber began to vibrate.
The head submerged in the nutrient tank opened its mouth wide, emitting a silent scream.
Accompanied by humming sounds and flashing indicator lights, Cawl's simulacrum began to come online.
It was like an elder who had been sleeping in a virtual network was awakened, re-entering the real universe through data.
Guidos quickly left, his expression as if he was trying hard to endure pain.
"Great Regent of the Imperium, Lord Commander of the Imperium, Saviour of Humanity." Cawl's simulacrum said, "My dear Roboute, it is truly a pleasure to see you."
"I don't have much time. Tell me as quickly as possible what information Cawl sent me."
"That's disheartening. I thought you would miss me as much as I miss you." Cawl's simulacrum said in a slightly helpless, human-like voice.
Guilliman increasingly suspected that this thing was an artificial intelligence, and a very high-level one at that.
"Archmagos Dominus Belisarius Cawl congratulates you on your achievements. He has completed the task you assigned; various research departments are operating in an orderly manner in the Ultramar system, absorbing knowledge like sponges and organizing it into a coherent system.
Research into the Warp is still ongoing, but this project is fraught with danger, and even with the help of the Grey Knights, many researchers are constantly facing death."
"That's enough bad news." Guilliman said with some disappointment.
The Warp was the domain of psykers, wizards, and arcana technology.
Trying to study and categorize it using human scientific methods and find a viable path was undoubtedly a huge challenge. "Are there any other updates?"
"The Archmagos has set off; he will return to the Sol system to restart his numerous projects. He will also retrieve the Primogenitor, preparing for the next stage of augmentation."
"The Primogenitor?" Guilliman said.
"Yes, the one from the Luna cult. During the Horus Heresy's attack on the Sol system, a small team composed of loyalists from the Iron Hands, Salamanders, Raven Guard, and Iron warriors carried the Primogenitor from among the traitors to a supply station in the dark void, and the Archmagos recovered it.
The Primogenitor is a product of the Golden Age; it records all human gene sequences. We can use this to fully understand the evolution of human genes and modify them. The Space Marines came from this."
Guilliman was relatively familiar with the matter of the Primogenitor and did not ask further, but instead asked another question.
"When will Cawl arrive?"
"It is currently unknown. If the Warp journey is smooth, he will arrive before you enter Terra. If not, it will take some time."
"Have him inform me of the exact situation. I need to make corresponding preparations. The Warp storms are intensifying, and my enemies are watching covetously. If they cannot confront me directly, they are very likely to attack my helpers. Cawl leaving the Ultramar system is a very risky move."
"The Archmagos has explored various parts of the galaxy many times; he has rich experience, and his ark Mechanicus and Skitarii are not for show."
"There was no Great Rift back then. Nowadays, the traitors are far more active than before."
"Relevant information has been encoded and will be conveyed to the Archmagos with your concerns. But I must remind you that all current events are within the Archmagos' calculations.
He has predicted the overall trajectory of events, and so far, everything you have done is basically within his predictions, with a deviation of less than one percent. You can fully trust that he can safely navigate the Warp journey and meet you on Terra."
"I hope so. I don't want to waste time turning back to rescue my chief scientist; that would delay many things. I have a new question: How much does the Archmagos know about the past, about things before human civilization?"
"He knows a lot. He has compiled data on over sixteen hundred xenos civilizations, three hundred of which existed from before human civilization ventured into the stars until the Great Crusade. They existed for a long time, and were then destroyed and slaughtered during the Great Crusade."
"No, I mean the more distant past."
"There is no data on that, my lord. I know nothing about it."
"Never mind. I will discuss this with Cawl in detail when he arrives."
Guilliman gave up on getting an answer from Cawl's simulacrum.
"Besides having the Archmagos Dominus report his situation, is there any other information that needs to be conveyed?" Cawl's simulacrum asked.
"No, the remaining questions can wait until he arrives."
"Alright, the relevant questions have been encoded." Cawl's simulacrum said, "Confirm sending?"
"Confirm sending." Guilliman said.
The roaring sound of machinery started again, and Guilliman could feel the terrifying psyker pressure.
Soon, this pressure disappeared, and everything returned to calm.
The machine indicator lights began to slowly turn off.
The heads with wide-open mouths also slowly closed.
The heavy bulkhead lowered, taking them out of Guilliman's sight.
After standing still for a moment, Guilliman turned and walked towards the elevator.
Now, it was time to deal with the matters of Terra.
Beta-Garmon system.
The boundary between reality and the ephemeral twisted and stretched.
The aetheric storms of the Empyrean roared.
The fabric of space was torn, and a rift appeared.
Unnatural light gushed from the rift.
Twisted, unspeakable things clung to the Gellar fields of the mighty warships, emitting hungry roars.
A massive fleet emerged from the Warp, continuously flying out of the rift.
Upon entering the real universe, the crews immediately activated their plasma drive engines, using powerful thrust to propel their warships into the dark void.
On the tilting hulls, immaterial storms and hard starlight sparked, sending out dozens of flashes of cold metal. The number of ships multiplied every second.
The fleet from Terra quickly transitioned from madness to order.
The magnates of Terra had keenly realized the extent of the crisis Guilliman's arrival represented.
If they did not resist now, they would never have another chance.
The Adeptus Mechanicus, the Ecclesiarchy, and numerous Terran magnates assembled their forces and sent them to Beta-Garmon.
They would face the Primarch here.
This war was of profound significance; the magnates of Terra were declaring war on the Primarch's legitimacy.
Regardless of victory or defeat, they showed the world their stance: resistance.
Guilliman would either have to ignite a civil war or compromise and maintain the existing situation.
The magnates were also well aware of what a large-scale civil war would mean for the current Imperium of Man.
The emergence of the Great Rift had led to an increase in Chaos incursions.
Added to that were xenos like orks, tyranids, and tau.
It could be said that all parts of the Imperium were in dire straits.
A civil war would undoubtedly make humanity's situation even worse.
But the numerous magnates had reached a consensus.
Unless Guilliman abandoned his reforms, they would never compromise.
What use was an Imperium without them, these elites, and their elite families?
Better to head towards destruction.
They were also gambling on one thing: that Guilliman would not dare to start a civil war.
This revived Primarch would ultimately compromise, ending the war and the reforms in a manner that was dignified for both sides.
No one would deny the Primarch's power; with the forces they had, it would be difficult to defeat Guilliman.
The Terran magnates had considered this point.
But everyone has weaknesses, and Guilliman's desire to save the Imperium, to save humanity, was his weakness.
A civil war would undoubtedly lead to humanity's fragmentation.
Once the Beta-Garmon system campaign began, it would be the beginning of humanity's collapse.
For the sake of their power, magnates in other regions of the Imperium would also rise up and resist the Primarch at all costs.
The longer the war dragged on, the larger the scale of the civil war would become.
Guilliman could only compromise, otherwise humanity would be fragmented, and his actions to save humanity would turn into its destruction.
In this world, good people are always vulnerable to threats.
Only the wicked can act without restraint.
Because Guilliman cared about humanity, he was destined to be held hostage by the lives and deaths of the Imperium's citizens.
Firmly push through reforms, leading humanity to fragmentation.
Or give up, compromise, continue to patch up the Imperium's system, and maintain humanity's survival.
This was a multiple-choice question.
The Terran magnates were confident that Guilliman would choose the latter.
A colossal ark Mechanicus emerged from the Warp, the light of the aether and the unliving gradually fading, completely driven away by the rules of reality.
Bulkheads opened, and recycling pipes vented hot steam.
Amidst the flickering lumen-lamps, the plasma generators stabilized, powering various systems.
Purified air was released, replacing the foul atmosphere.
Fully armed crew and servitors checked every corner of the ark, preventing any unliving from entering the real universe with them.
The ark Mechanicus was immense, its mass equivalent to an unstable moon, already generating its own gravitational field.
It belonged to a conservative Magos Mechanicus.
All sorts of equipment filled the ark's interior.
The ark's industrial capacity already surpassed that of many Forge Worlds.
It was loaded with the best technology Mars could provide.
Its weaponry was more powerful, had longer range, and its defensive capabilities were more formidable than Imperial warships.
This was a necessary condition for sustaining a major war.
The Mechanicus personnel aboard could continuously supply weapons and ammunition to this army, repair damaged war machines, and send them back to the battlefield.
They could also provide sufficient fire support.
To defend his beliefs, the master of the ark Mechanicus, the conservative Magos Mechanicus, deployed this ark to the Beta-Garmon system to block Guilliman's advance.
He fought for his convictions, defending the dogma of the Omnissiah that had been wantonly desecrated by the Primarch.
What Guilliman and Magos Dominus Cawl had done in the Ultramar system had thoroughly enraged the conservative members of Mars.
Such blatant trampling of the Treaty of Olympus.
Ordinatus Colossi, modular production warships, arming large numbers of weapons and equipment without STC templates.
This was a naked act of contempt and desecration of the Omnissiah.
This was also why Mars was involved in this event.
The conservative faction, led by the Fabricator-General, readily agreed when the High Lords proposed war.
To defend the glory of the Omnissiah, they would use force to eliminate the radical faction that trampled upon the Omnissiah's doctrines.
Cawl was already on their kill list.
Even if Guilliman wanted to make peace.
Mars would demand the death of Magos Dominus Cawl to completely crush the radical faction.
This was Mars' motivation for joining the war.
It was also the condition they would never compromise on.
Behind the ark Mechanicus was a massive transport fleet.
These behemoths were designed to transport Imperial Guard legions to battlefields across the galaxy.
Among them were several hexagonal Titan transport ships.
These transports had slender adamantium hull structures.
Detachable vessels were carried on their hulls.
These vessels were the main force for transporting Titan Legions.
They possessed cumbersome grav-rotors and auto-thrusters.
They could safely land Titans on planetary surfaces.
Several Titan Legions loyal to Mars responded to the Fabricator-General's command.
Numerous Titans stored in the Sol system were also retrieved from their storage sites, loaded onto transport ships, and transported to the Beta-Garmon system, preparing to participate in a war that could decide the fate of humanity.
The ark Mechanicus slowly entered the system, finally hovering at its designated strategic position.
Before engaging in close-quarters ground combat, they would fight a battle against the Primarch's void fleet to delay for a sufficient amount of time.
Other ships began entering the system, battlecruisers taking up their positions, constructing defensive fortifications.
Transport ships entered low planetary orbit, releasing their cargo.
Vast numbers of soldiers and their equipment were deployed to the ground.
To gain the initiative in negotiations with Guilliman.
The Terran nobles had, one could say, gambled all their cards in the Beta-Garmon system.
Beneath the colossal warships that blotted out the sky, there were countless smaller vessels.
They came from various families.
Layer upon layer, they hovered in the void, sealed like a beehive.
Among them were void fortresses used by Knight Houses, merchant ships of rogue traders, and troop transports of military families.
Whether they were Mechanicus ships belonging to Mars or Imperial ships from numerous families, all were sent into the Beta-Garmon system.
Battleships, cruisers, frigates, and light cruisers gathered together, a massive force.
Enough to easily destroy the Beta-Garmon system.
Besides these conventional forces, what was most eye-catching was the inclusion of the Emperor's Angels.
The Minotaurs Chapter, the White Consuls Chapter, the White Scars Chapter, the Storm Wings Chapter, the Red Wolves Chapter, the Red Scorpions Chapter, the Angels Errant Chapter, and others, a total of fifteen Chapters were summoned by the High Lords and sent to Beta-Garmon.
Summoning so many Chapters back when various parts of the Imperium were under threat was undoubtedly a betrayal of the Imperial citizens suffering in those areas.
Numerous Chapters had strong opinions about this, but they still answered the summons.
They knew this order was to oppose a Primarch.
But this was the command of the High Lords, the command of Terra, and they had to obey.
Otherwise, it would be betraying the Imperium.
In their understanding, loyalty to Terra was loyalty to the Emperor.
This was a habit of ten thousand years; Guilliman's charisma, no matter how strong, could not quickly reverse it.
Even the Iron Hands Chapter, at the request of the Mechanicus and the command of Terra, was sending personnel to the Beta-Garmon system.
"Guilliman is a daemon, he has been corrupted, seeking to destroy Terra and the Emperor like his brother - Horus."
"The day to prove your loyalty has arrived, citizens of the Imperium, defend the Emperor, defend Terra, stop that terrible tyrant from entering the Sol system. Humanity shall prevail, justice shall prevail, and we shall surely make Guilliman and these remnants of the old era perish under the Emperor's light."
To promote their righteousness and strengthen the resolve of the Imperial soldiers and the Emperor's Angels to resist Guilliman.
The High Lords even declassified some information about the Horus Heresy to weaken Guilliman's influence and reduce the legitimacy of his control over the Imperium based on his status as the Emperor's son.
The highest leader of the Ecclesiarchy, the Ecclesiarch, even came forward directly, bluntly telling the faithful that Guilliman had been corrupted and had become a pawn of the Warp.
His path of salvation was not to save humanity, but to push the Imperium of Man and the Emperor into the abyss, to please the evil entities in Chaos.
Under the propaganda offensive of the High Lords and numerous magnates, in the hearts of many Terrans, Guilliman was equivalent to the Horus of old, a despicable usurper.
"This is a great war, after ten thousand years, we face a crisis that can shake the Imperium once again, but we shall surely triumph. That evil, hateful tyrant, controlled by the wicked Warp, has invaded the system of Beta-Garmon, he has enslaved the people there, making their lives worse than death.
But he should not dream of getting Terra, we have countless loyal soldiers, and in the glory of the Emperor, we shall surely achieve victory."
Inside a troop transport, Joton looked at the holographic screen broadcast through the vision slit of his respirator.
His greatcoat bore the insignia of the Death Korps of Krieg, nothing else.
Krieg did not seek glory, nor did they need medals.
Loyalty was their greatest reward.
Their mission from birth was to await the call of the Imperium, then die on the battlefield, defending the Emperor's glory, and atoning for the sins of their bloodline.
Behind Joton, many Krieg soldiers stood in silence like him.
A slight vibration came from the transport ship, and Joton looked at the data slate in his hand, which showed that they had reached their destination and were about to be transported to the ground.
They were about to face an unprecedented war.
To be an enemy of a powerful Primarch.
But they were fearless.
For the Emperor, they were already prepared to die.