"Such an attitude fills me with great satisfaction," Guilliman said with a smile.
"I look forward to your good news, Kren. If you can successfully persuade the Mechanicus of the Beta-Garmon system and successfully take charge of the Imperium, then I will carry out various projects concerning spacetime structure in the Sol system.
I hope to appoint you as the chief engineer of this project. But there is a prerequisite for all of this: you must possess the ability and achievements that make you worthy of my trust."
"It is an immense honor, great Regent of the Imperium. I will certainly not disappoint you," Kren bowed low, his bulky machinery humming with his every movement.
"Go," Guilliman said. "I await your good news. I anticipate your performance this time, as it will determine whether your future is worthy of my heavy reliance and whether you will receive more knowledge from me."
Kren nodded, then moved his massive mechanical body and walked out of the room.
Guilliman waved his hand, and detailed data about the Beta-Garmon system appeared before his eyes.
The Terran elites were full of confidence, intending to use this massive army to force Guilliman to compromise.
Unfortunately, they thought too simply.
"Compromise, my arse."
Guilliman muttered inwardly.
In a normal universe, he probably wouldn't bother with such a grand scheme.
A little compromise would be acceptable.
It's always good to have fewer people die.
But now Chaos is watching covetously, and many traitor Primarchs are flexing their muscles.
These useless people are still dragging their feet.
Compromising with the Terran elites would be a dead end for Guilliman.
He could only use overwhelming force to defeat the defenders of Beta-Garmon and declare his return unstoppable.
Examining the data before him, Guilliman pondered the cost of a direct assault.
According to some intelligence, Terra had mobilized fifteen space marine Chapters, two Titan Legions, a vast number of Astra Militarum, and also sent a Mechanicus ark and a huge number of Imperial Navy warships.
This force, relying on the numerous platforms in the Beta-Garmon system, had constructed a layered defensive fortress.
It could be said to be impregnable.
"If all else fails, I can only use the Retribution-class Battleship to brutally break the deadlock," Guilliman said softly. He did not want this war to last too long, otherwise many Imperial worlds across the galaxy would descend into turmoil.
Once the decision to go to war was made, he would use the planet-killing weapon installed on the Collosus to shatter the enemy's void forces with a few shots.
At that time, without starships and with the warp routes blocked, the ground forces would not be a concern.
This time, not only would he crush the encirclement at Beta-Garmon, but he would also completely invalidate the legitimacy of the High Lords, rendering them incapable of organizing any form of resistance.
He would make it clear to the nobles of the entire Imperium that their power was given by the Imperium, by humanity, not something they were born with.
If they could not think in terms of the interests of humanity as a whole, they would be swept into the dustbin of history.
As for trying to resist with military force, don't even dream of it.
Guilliman stood up and stood by the viewport of the strategium.
He would crush all obstacles; there would be no compromise.
Kren left Guilliman's strategium.
He had to consider how to persuade those Mechanicus Magi to complete the task Guilliman had assigned.
As he moved, the anti-gravity suspension platform beneath him emitted a mechanical hum, propelling his bulky body.
People along the way had to move to the side passages, waiting for him to pass.
Kren's heavy body would obstruct everyone's passage in the corridor.
He strode out, then boarded his personal flyer on the deck, returning to his own Mechanicus ark.
Within the Mechanicus, every high-ranking Magos or Forge General would have their own Mechanicus ark.
This was a symbol of their power and knowledge.
Each Mechanicus ark was completely unique; its structure depended on the knowledge and technology possessed by its creator.
Creators would often apply all the hidden technology they had obtained to their own Mechanicus ark.
The same was true for Kren's Mechanicus ark; he had applied all the technology he had acquired in his lifetime to his ark.
The Mechanicus never emphasized bloodlines.
What determined their position was only the knowledge and technology they mastered.
Kren recalled the time before he served as the Forge General of Skallion.
Hundreds of years ago, he stood out from the ranks of Mechanicus slaves on Mars and gained the qualification to install a cogitator core.
In the ruling cognition of the Mechanicus, only those who mastered knowledge were considered kin; others were merely material for flesh studies and candidates for servitors.
Slaves suitable for the path of advancement were screened out and became the lowest-level Tech-Adept Initiates.
Then, after undergoing the baptism of the Mechanicus sub-factions, they would become independent tech-priests.
This process would take at least several decades to achieve.
Not only because of the lengthy learning process, but also because it required time for adaptive modifications.
Kren persisted with infinite passion for the mysteries of machinery and truth.
And finally became the Forge General of Skallion.
During his long growth process, he made some like-minded colleagues, and naturally, he also incurred many enemies.
Most of these enemies came from within the Mechanicus.
On the path of seeking truth, those with different ideas were the most terrifying enemies.
Among them, the opponents from Mars were the most intense; many of them wanted to kill Kren and seize the STC templates he had collected.
But for the knowledge promised by the Primarch, Kren could compromise with his enemies and pay a price to reach a consensus with them.
Knowledge was the most precious thing in this world; other things were not worth paying too much attention to.
Dignity and honor were fleeting clouds.
Kren's robust body swayed with the rhythm of the anti-gravity suspension platform as he walked out of the dedicated flyer.
The deck of the Mechanicus ark was very wide, handling logistical supply, maintenance, and other tasks for the expeditionary fleet.
A large number of transport ships came and went, constantly loading goods from the deck onto transport shuttles.
Giant traction machinery dragged heavy armor or weapon equipment containers over, and then used mechanical arms to place them into the transport shuttles.
The moment the servitors and tech-priests saw Kren, they offered the highest Mechanicus rites.
Kren ignored them, walking directly through the jungle of generators.
His olfactory sensors, crafted from precision parts, issued a slight warning about the poor air quality.
No normal human would enjoy staying in a Mechanicus forge.
Just the air quality alone was unbearable for them.
The content of carbon dioxide and argon exceeded the range that a normal human body could withstand.
Normal people would quickly fall into a coma due to this air quality.
Kren's filters were working, inhaling this air, a clumsy imitation of Mars.
Each breath felt like a sacred purification.
Stepping past those pitiful low-level beings who revered him.
Kren walked into the depths of the fortress, where diligent machine spirits maintained the temperature changes in every room of the complex structure.
This room was filled with the heat waves of a dormant furnace, while that room maintained a pleasant coolness.
Even the most insensitive person could feel the temperature difference.
The depths of the fortress were the production workshops, whose scale was comparable to the forge complexes of a Forge World.
Countless slaves and laborers were chained beside the assembly lines, assisting in the construction of sacred steel.
Repairing and reassembling various types of automatons and vehicles.
tech-priests were dedicated to the assembly and maintenance of complex circuits, or the installation and debugging of bio-mechanical organs.
Their status was also very low, just like Kren when he was first implanted with a cogitator core.
But compared to those slaves with no human rights, they were still mysterious and important figures.
They were all excited about Kren's arrival.
Greeting him in binary language, or prostrating themselves before him.
Kren, as always, maintained his arrogance as a Forge General, paying no heed to these greetings.
He walked directly through the forge complex and entered the circular elevator that required high-level clearance.
The elevator platform was covered with the emblem of Skallion.
He extended a mechanical tentacle to connect it to the deeper levels.
Using the moving elevator platform, he entered the deepest workshop.
Outside the workshop were engineering servitors and anti-personnel hunter engines characteristic of the Mechanicus.
Their detection arrays were scanning every movement, and their weapons were charged. Upon detecting the slightest anomaly, they would initiate the hunting protocol.
Resolutely and decisively hunting any target, without any mercy.
Relying on his status as Forge General.
Kren walked past these loyal, tireless security units.
Opening the metal door of the workshop, he stepped inside.
A bright, integrated research workshop made of silver-plated steel plates appeared before Kren.
The technological content here far exceeded that outside.
None of the workers here were servitors; they were all tech-priests.
Each one was a master in their field, with extensive experience and knowledge.
Each of them could stand alone and were the core force under Kren's command, the pillars supporting his rule.
This room was completely different from the rooms outside.
It was colder, cleaner, and more mechanized.
In transparent cultivation tanks, the biotechnology from the thirteen Primarchs was bearing fruit here.
In the very center, a giant transparent cylinder with a diameter of ten meters was filled with a large amount of nutrient fluid, and a massive human brain was floating within it.
This was a human brain created using human genetic sequences, stimulated and induced by chemical drugs to grow to the size of a small hill.
A rare trace of excitement appeared on Kren's mechanical face.
Thanks to Guilliman's knowledge, he had realized his long-held dream.
That was to enhance the human brain, giving it computing power stronger than machinery.
For certain special reasons, the Imperium did not allow purely mechanical cogitator cores to possess self-awareness, nor did it allow them to have computing power beyond a certain limit.
For this reason, cogitator arrays had been limited and could no longer increase their computing power.
Undeniably, the human brain's thinking ability was very powerful.
Hundreds of millions of neurons possessed computational power comparable to a computer.
But the human brain, after all, has its limits.
And abhorrent intelligence is an absolute red line that cannot be crossed.
The only way is to improve the human brains used in the Cogitator array.
The Adeptus Mechanicus has conducted many experiments on improving the computational power of Cogitator arrays.
However, as the most complex organ in the human body, the enhancement of the human brain has been slow.
A slight misstep can lead to unimaginable consequences.
The number of times various monsters have been created is countless.
Kren used his power to build an intelligent computing network that controls the entire galaxy.
But he also reached the limits of the human brain.
No matter what he did, the improvement for the Cogitator array was very limited.
Like the edge effect, whether increasing the number of Cogitator heads or strengthening those heads, the resulting improvement is very small.
He encountered a bottleneck and was once stumped by this problem.
It wasn't until the appearance of Guilliman, and the various knowledge provided by the Primarch, that he found an opportunity for a breakthrough.
Using the mystery, the Heart of Guilliman, whose operating principles he didn't even understand, as an anchor point.
He successfully created a larger human brain with stronger computational power.
It's the one inside the glass cylinder in front of him.
He called this project the 'God Brain Project'.
Once completed, he will evolve again, surpassing all his colleagues who hate him.
The existence of the Heart of Guilliman made genes editable, becoming an anchor point for genetic engineering, preventing it from getting out of control.
It made the God Brain, which has no independent consciousness, a reality.
This is also the reason why Kren is so devoted to Guilliman.
He knows that the other party possesses more powerful and mysterious technology.
That technology can only be obtained by expressing loyalty to Guilliman.
"How are things?" Kren looked at a tech-priest and asked.
"All is well. The God Brain's capacity has already surpassed the current data capacity unit of the Mechanicus ark, and it is still growing. The future is unpredictable. The related programming work is being prepared, and we will have the strongest Cogitator brain."
The tech-priest moved a data screen fixed on a metal column and placed it in front of Kren.
The data flowing within made Kren smile.
He will use this strongest Cogitator array to obtain a larger amount of computation than before, controlling everything.
Many worlds in the Imperium are limited by inefficient Cogitator arrays, making it difficult for them to move towards technologization and mechanization.
And now, he, Kren, will change everything and become a great figure who promotes the progress of the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Imperium.
"Very good." Kren surveyed the area and nodded with satisfaction.
Only after seeing the results of the laboratory could he make up his mind and pay a sufficient price to complete the Primarch's task.
He will take out the treasures from his vault in exchange for consensus with those conservative enemies.
No matter how conservative, no matter how steadfast the conservatives are, when faced with STC templates and the mysteries of knowledge, they will choose to betray their position and faction.
As long as enough is given, they will choose to abandon all their bottom lines.
Enemies can instantly become friends.
Moreover, it's just asking them to defect from the conservative faction to the radical faction, not betraying the Emperor and the Imperium.
The ideological struggle between the conservatives and the radicals began a long time ago.
The radicals used the technological improvements and various equipment from the Great Crusade era to propose a viewpoint: the Emperor never forbade technological reform and learning within a reasonable scope. Stagnation is an offense to the Omnissiah.
The conservatives stubbornly believe that all improvements are disrespectful to the Omnissiah, and therefore, they oppose all improvements and new inventions.
As the crisis of humanity deepens, more and more followers of the radical ideology emerge.
Of course, they still cannot compare with the power of the conservatives.
Until the resurrection of Guilliman, under the advocacy and indulgence of a Primarch, the radical faction's power surged, and a large number of Adeptus Mechanicus members traveled across vast distances to Ultramar just to enjoy a more relaxed environment.
Kren used the secret channels of the Adeptus Mechanicus to send a message to Archmagos Sigma stationed in the Beta-Garmon system.
He claimed that if the other party surrendered and followed Guilliman, they would receive a large amount of data knowledge and STC templates.
He would also recommend the other party to become a member of the Primarch's research team, allowing them to receive the knowledge shared by the Primarch at the first opportunity.
At the same time, he also transmitted some information about the Castigators to the other party.
He clearly told the other party that even with a Mechanicus ark and a vast number of battleships, they would still be no match for the wrath of the Castigators.
Once the Primarch used brutal force, everything would be destroyed like a crumbling ruin.
After editing the message, Kren sent it out.
**********
Beta-Garmon system.
The Mechanicus ark suspended in the void, like a small world, slowly rotated, counteracting the gravitational pull of the star.
Archmagos Sigma, as the owner of the ark, was currently raging at a group of low-level priests in Gothic and Binary.
"You are just incompetent failures! You are about to face a shameless traitor comparable to Horus, a blasphemer who is about to challenge the supreme dignity of the Omnissiah! If there is another deviation, I swear I will offline all of you and add you to my Skitarii."
Archmagos Sigma's anger made the tech-priests tense and uneasy.
Pistons and gears within them wailed.
Archmagos Sigma's personal sentinel guards stood at the door, shining with ornate brass and grey light.
They looked very beautiful, but in reality, those Skitarii were as slow as robots, without any sign of independent life.
If they became the Archmagos' Skitarii, their fate would be no better than that of the tech-slaves.
It is said that this violent Archmagos kept the cerebral cortex of the Skitarii offline at all times, controlling them using her sub-computational processors.
While many tech-priests were anxious and saddened by their fate.
A servitor used for transmitting information walked in.
"Archmagos, there is a new message, with a very high encoding level. Only you are authorized to read the compiled code."
Hearing this, Archmagos Sigma turned around and looked at the information servitor.
The other party's words were mechanical, without any emotion.
This pathetic fellow had parts of their brain lobes removed to improve work efficiency, allowing them to work tirelessly.
"Get out, and remember this forgiveness."
Sigma roared furiously at those tech-priests.
Those guys, as if pardoned, ran out in a hurry.
Sigma connected to the information servitor using her data tentacles.
The image and words of Fabricator-General Kren of the Calybsphera Forge World appeared in her mind.
"I sincerely hope that Archmagos Sigma can abandon the darkness and join the Primarch's faction, abandoning those ignorant ones who are already corrupt. To show my sincerity, I will prepare a small gift for the Archmagos, to show my sincerity."
Seeing the message, Archmagos Sigma was instantly enraged, and her internal computational core overloaded due to her anger.
"That damn traitor, how dare he send me a message. He wants to tempt me into depravity? Impossible, I am so loyal to the Omnissiah, I will never be deceived by his sweet words."
Various thoughts of hatred and disgust surfaced in Archmagos Sigma's mind.
She would never betray the Omnissiah, nor would she betray Holy Mars and Fabricator-General Lasky.
"A complete STC template with a complete database, focusing on colonization and the construction of military defenses and the development of industry and agriculture using local resources.
There is also an incomplete STC template for mechanical arms, knowledge about biological modification genes, some alloy data materials from the necrons, and a necron Lord sample..."
Originally intending to scold the traitor, Archmagos Sigma was stunned for a moment.
Fabricator-General Kren of the Calybsphera Forge World actually wanted to give her so much?
You should know that many Adeptus Mechanicus believers have one thought: you can have my life, but wanting my knowledge and excavated STC templates is a pipe dream.
Not to mention death, even if they are dismembered, they will not give them up.
For STC templates, the Adeptus Mechanicus has fought several wars internally, resulting in bloody battles and heavy casualties is not uncommon.
Now, Kren is going to give her a complete STC template and years of accumulation.
It would be false to say she wasn't tempted.
But defecting to the Primarch like this seems a bit without a bottom line, losing the image of an Archmagos.
Finally, through the data sent by Kren, Sigma witnessed the power and performance of the Castigators, as well as information about the Castigators.
Her expression also became solemn.
If she chose to resist and angered the Primarch, her fate would surely be tragic.
The ork battle moon was completely destroyed by a single blow from the Castigators.
The Mechanicus ark would probably not even be able to withstand one blow.
After a moment of contemplation, Archmagos Sigma still replied to Kren's message.
"As an Archmagos loyal to the Martian Priesthood and the Omnissiah, do you think these things can buy me? Which Archmagos can resist such temptation? As a devout supporter of Mars and an Archmagos trusted by the Fabricator-General Lasky of Mars, I demand more."
Sigma compiled the message and sent it back.
As the son of the Omnissiah and a loyal Primarch of the Imperium, how could it be considered betrayal?
Loyalty to Mars is even more unnecessary to mention.
Guilliman is the lord Primarch, and being loyal to him is being loyal to Mars.
Fabricator-General is not equal to Mars.
Just like the Horus Heresy ten thousand years ago.
Just like Fabricator-General Hastur of Mars also betrayed.
Loyal Fabricator-General does not necessarily mean loyal to Mars.
Only loyalty to the Emperor is loyalty to Mars.
Countless thoughts flowed through Archmagos Sigma's operational logic module in an instant.
She evaluated and calculated the potential consequences and value of every thought and idea.
Without exception, the choice to side with the Primarch was the one that maximized benefits.
Putting aside everything else, the STC template promised by Kren was a tangible benefit that could be seen.
Mars was not so generous.
The Adeptus Mechanicus, the rulers of Mars, Fabricator-General Lasky, would rather seize the STC technology she possessed to enrich his own treasury.
Even if she achieved victory this time, the reward would likely be less than what Kren offered.
Furthermore, the military might in the Primarch's hands was terrifyingly strong.
If it really came to blows, Sigma had absolutely no confidence in her side.
In the face of the enemy, how long they could hold out was a very serious question.
According to Archmagos Sigma's calculations, this force was likely to be used as political leverage by the High Lords of Terra on the negotiating table, in exchange for Guilliman's compromise.
Such things were not uncommon.
Engaging in various counter-intuitive actions to gain sufficient influence was a daily occurrence for the Terran elites.
Do not try to guess the actions of the Terran elites using normal human logic; you will not guess correctly.
Archmagos Sigma did not intend to continue playing their game.
"Swearing loyalty to a Primarch is not considered a violation of the Omnissiah's will."
An assembly composed of mortals, and a lord Primarch—who could better represent the Emperor? This was an obvious question.
Archmagos Sigma simply disliked Guilliman and Cawl's blatant disregard for the various prohibitions of the Martian faith.
However, if the other party was willing to let her become one of them and share that knowledge, then it was bearable.
People's aversion to privilege is often because they are not part of that privilege.
Magos Sigma disliked those who trampled on the Martian bottom line simply because she was not one of them and was not qualified to share that knowledge.
And now, Kren had given her a promise.
As long as she led the Adeptus Mechanicus forces in the Beta-Garmon system to side with the Primarch, she would gain the opportunity to join the Primarch's core research team.
Infinite knowledge, infinite mysteries, would be opened up to her.
Any member of the Adeptus Mechanicus who pursued the path of truth would be excited by this.
The campaign in the Beta-Garmon system would be her 'Letter of Submission' to swear allegiance to the Primarch.
After sending the message and waiting for a few days.
Sigma once again received a reply from Kren through a clandestine channel.
To show sincerity, Kren agreed to give her another complete STC template, related to biological modification.
To express sincerity, Kren also sent her some technical data.
"To cooperate with a Primarch is a manifestation of the Omnissiah's glory; I shall be devout in my approach."
Sigma sent a reply to Kren, promising that she would lead all the Adeptus Mechanicus forces into the Primarch's faction.
Meanwhile, the Ecclesiarchy Saint Celestine was also completing the task assigned by Guilliman.
As the Emperor's chosen, a Saint of the Ecclesiarchy, she naturally represented the orthodoxy of the Emperor's faith.
If she were to oppose the Terran Ecclesiarchy, the consequences would be unimaginable.
An unprecedented crisis would erupt.
In the early stages of faith's emergence.
The Imperium had multiple churches.
The predecessor of the Ecclesiarchy, the cult of the Saviour Emperor, with its armed church forces, purged rival churches, successfully established its foundation, and became the Imperium's sole designated religion.
It became the most massive religious force rooted in the Imperium, becoming the Ecclesiarchy.
However, the rise to power of the Terran Ecclesiarchy was entirely centered around the Emperor.
Celestine was a Saint possessing the Emperor's power, enveloped in the Emperor's glory.
In a sense, her words represented the Emperor's words.
The Saint's denial of the Ecclesiarchy would inevitably lead to the faithful denying the Ecclesiarchy.
For the Ecclesiarchy, which relied on faith to survive, this was an unimaginably terrifying disaster.
Numerous tech-priests utilized the latest holographic projection technology and the astropathic Beacon installed on her holy vessel to create a massive image of the Emperor, radiating a sacred aura.
Celestine would use the Emperor's projection from the holy vessel to address the Ecclesiarchy and human forces in the Beta-Garmon system, ordering them to lay down their arms and surrender.
This was absolutely a fatal strategy.
It was also a plan to shatter the High Lords' lies.
If, under these circumstances, there were still those who stubbornly resisted, then the fires of destruction would have to be brought down upon them.
The Emperor has manifested, and you still won't surrender, yet you claim to be loyal to the Emperor?
Celestine's holy vessel - the Emperor's Light.
This was an unimaginably vast ark of Ecclesiarchy faith.
It stretched for hundreds of kilometers, filled with cathedrals and statues of heroes everywhere.
It possessed a volume comparable to a colossal city.
In the dim, cold halls, Flagellants continuously scourged themselves day and night, their bodies a mass of raw flesh, bloody and lacerated.
They used suffering to prove their devotion to the Emperor.
And at the Emperor's shrine, countless faithful held perpetual lights, chanting poems praising the Emperor in unison, thereby glorifying the Emperor and guiding lost souls back into the Emperor's embrace.
The hull was inscribed with the Emperor's holy words in every corner.
The brains of deceased devout believers, after being programmed by the Adeptus Mechanicus, were placed in preaching machines that crawled through every corridor, roaring and proclaiming the Emperor's doctrines.
Crusaders holding weapons watched the faithful with vigilant eyes.
Any act of blasphemy would provoke their roars and wrath.
If it was too severe, they would even directly execute the offender or imprison them in the cages suspended in the hall.
This was a mobile Monarchia.
Many faithful followed Celestine on the Indomitus Crusade, traveling far and wide, spreading the more rational, more restrained doctrines of the new Ecclesiarchy.
For this purpose, the first Human astropathic Beacon was installed on the Emperor's Light.
Using powerful faith, it would deter and frighten daemons, causing them to flee the territories of the Imperium of Man.
It also served to show that the Saint and the new Ecclesiarchy were chosen by the Emperor.
A massive astropathic Beacon was embedded within the hull of the Emperor's Light, which was filled with cathedrals and statues.
Thick energy cables, like serpents, snaked across the deck, connecting to relays the size of rooms.
Mountain-like mechanical components roared, causing the entire chamber to thunder.
Numerous tech-priests stood at their stations, collectively chanting praises to the Omnissiah.
Battle Sisters were arrayed in a neat formation.
And at the front of the formation was Celestine, with a pair of white wings, seated on a throne.
"Calibration." A tech-priest operated the control panel in front of him with slender fingers.
Other tech-priests also took their respective positions, and servitors connected data cables to their interfaces.
"Self-diagnostic program initiated, Omnissiah's protection, no errors detected."
A tech-priest's internal vox-caster announced the binary results.
Other tech-priests also began to speak in succession.
"Energy level is rising, relays are converting energy to connect to the beacon."
"Beacon is starting normally, warp fluctuations detected, data analysis in progress, relevant results have entered the public database."
"Emperor's power has been drawn, warp ether frequency is changing, requesting increased processing power."
"Request approved, processing power is being allocated."
Outside the massive Ecclesiarchy ark was the cold, dark void, with numerous Ecclesiarchy vessels slowly orbiting the ark where the Saint resided, like bees around a hive.
With a flicker, a colossal, shimmering light appeared above the ark.
It was enveloped in golden light, emanating an incredibly sacred aura.
The sound of countless Sisters chanting together also emerged with the Emperor's image.
Every faithful who saw it through the ship's portholes knelt in reverence and awe.
That was the image of the Emperor.
Countless faithful wept; the reason they followed Celestine's Ecclesiarchy ark so closely was that this ark could always manifest the Emperor's miracles.
No daemon dared to challenge the Ecclesiarchy ark, to challenge the sacred and inviolable Emperor.
daemons that attempted to do so had only one fate: to be reduced to ashes by the Emperor's wrath.
When the Ecclesiarchy ark traveled through the warp, even warp storms would become much calmer, showing the increasing influence of the Emperor in the warp.
"Traitors."
The Emperor's image emitted silent wrath, its voice echoing in the mind of every faithful.
This miracle made the faithful tremble.
"Terran Traitors." The Emperor's image roared once more.
Countless faithful were startled by this majestic voice and fell to their knees, terrified, fearing they would be deemed guilty.
Unfortunately, the Emperor's image did not last long.
After a few hours, it disappeared.
Inside the ark, numerous tech-priests showed a hint of relief.
After many days of calibration, they had finally mastered how to utilize warp frequencies and faith, and thereby proclaim the Emperor's might and will, and also mastered the method of summoning and maintaining the Emperor's image at will.
This was undoubtedly a huge step forward.
It announced humanity's control over some of the mysterious essence of the warp.
This was a rare and valuable achievement, laying some groundwork for humanity's future counter-attack against the warp.
Various departments were urgently preparing, secretly contacting the radical senior officers in the Beta-Garmon system and arranging various plans with them.
Large numbers of primaris space marines, naval fleets, and Astra Militarum were being assembled by Guilliman's order.
Thanks to the new modification surgery, the rate at which primaris space marines could be produced far exceeded that of Space Marines.
The only drawback was that the modified mortals often needed a period of adjustment before they could use their enhanced bodies at will.
Otherwise, it was easy to accidentally injure teammates.
After waiting for some time, until the three Nemesis Dreadknights were in position, Guilliman ordered the advance towards the Beta-Garmon system.
********
Beta-Garmon V.
On top of the giant buildings in the surface hive city.
In the banquet hall covered with red carpet, scions of numerous noble families were gathered.
To survive on Terra, the most important thing was to be adaptable and know how to cultivate allies; only in this way could they support each other.
Even facing the flames of war, the noble scions still gathered together.
They firmly believed in their fathers' foresight, that this time they were merely being gilded.
As the savior of the Imperium, the hero of humanity, Guilliman would not allow a catastrophic civil war to erupt.
To tear the Imperium apart, or to patch it up—they believed that with the Primarch's wisdom, he could figure it out.
Giving each other a dignified way out was good for everyone.
For years, the game of power was played this way.
The Primarch came, and it had to be played this way too.
The nobles supported the Primarch, declared loyalty, then gained power, becoming the Emperor's shepherds, helping him manage the ignorant masses.
Now, with the Adeptus Mechanicus, space marine Chapters like the Imperial Fists, Titan Legions, and many other forces gathered, no enemy could destroy them.
Soon, Guilliman would recognize this reality, realize that the Terran nobility was loyal to the Emperor, and also an unshakable force.
The Primarch would eventually compromise.
Both sides would agree on a dignified process, allowing each to save face.
A crisis would thus be averted, and Guilliman would sit at the council table on Terra with the numerous nobles, deciding the future destiny of humanity.
"I hope that renegade primarch arrives as soon as possible. When he does, Caleb, the most outstanding scion of the Blythe family, will deliver a head-on blow to that scoundrel, letting him know that the Emperor's glory is not to be offended, and how strong we are as loyal defenders of the Imperium."
Among the many noble scions, Caleb spoke eloquently, with the bearing of someone who could command empires.
"Does being in command of the Krieg regiments make you so arrogant?" another general asked with a smile.
"The Krieg regiments are among the strongest mortal regiments within the Imperium. They even dare to engage chaos warriors in melee combat. According to leaked military intelligence, the Krieg regiments once annihilated a warband, those fallen traitors were killed by Krieg soldiers with mortal bodies. Doesn't that prove their strength?"
Caleb was full of confidence. "The Krieg regiments will achieve incredible Achievements , and they are absolutely obedient and fearless of death. My father spent a lot of effort to put me in charge of this force. As long as I don't make mistakes, my military achievements will definitely be the greatest among everyone."
To this statement, the other generals had no rebuttal and could only shrug in agreement.
"We will surely achieve victory. The Emperor will bless us, and any traitor will fail," Caleb said, raising his wine glass.
"Yes, Loyalty Triumphs."
"Loyalty Triumphs."
The others also raised their glasses and said loudly.
On the other side, Haster and many other generals who had been promoted by Tieron and felt the madness and corruption of the High Lords of Terra were also discussing various matters.
Haster showed everyone the information from the Expeditionary Fleet.
Guilliman had promised to pardon their crimes and allow them to retain their original positions in the coming days, continuing to fight for the great cause of humanity.
However, reforms would not stop, which meant that some of them from noble families would witness the decline of their families.
After all, not every family was so outstanding that they could stand out in the competition.
Many families relied on the accumulation of their ancestors to hold high positions.
But once they lost their family's accumulation, they would simply fade into obscurity among the masses.
Those gathered here also saw this clearly; they understood that when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken.
Blindly insisting on family interests while disregarding the life and death of the Imperium of Man would ultimately only accelerate humanity's path towards extinction.
"This is a very difficult decision, and for some of us, it is very cruel. But we have a more noble purpose, which is to strive for humanity's ultimate liberation and salvation," Haster said, looking around at everyone. "We will dedicate ourselves to the great cause, and humanity will remember our sacrifice."
"So what should we do now?" a general asked. "The personnel we have here only account for ten percent of the total number of generals in the Imperium. Even if all of us defect, a large portion of people will still launch an attack on the Primarch."
"Such casualties are unavoidable; we cannot achieve perfection."
A general wearing the uniform of the Custodes, the army responsible for guarding Terra, said.
"No, we should find a way to minimize casualties as much as possible."
The general of the Saturnine Dragoons shook his head, refuting the Custodes general's words. "Every soldier who dies in this civil war is a waste of the Emperor's property.
They should be fighting for humanity, not becoming capital for the powerful. They are ignorant, and we have a responsibility to save them, to spare them from death, so that they can make greater contributions to the Emperor."
"But we can't do that. The generals controlling those troops are unwilling to give up their family's interests. Those guys are thinking of using war to make a Primarch compromise.
Have they forgotten that Primarchs are gods of war shaped by the Emperor? They will never fear any war and will crush all obstacles standing in the way of their ultimate goal."
Another very elderly man said with a sigh.
To fight against a god of war and still try to make the other side compromise through war.
Only the most foolish people would make such a decision.
"Those people on Terra have been scheming against each other their whole lives. They are far from the battlefield and think that war is just a word or two on their lips, just capital on the negotiating table. One day, they will pay the price for this," a Catachan general said. "They don't respect war."
Haster listened in silence to everyone's words. After they had all spoken, he finally opened his mouth.
"Perhaps there is a way to resolve this crisis with the minimal cost."
"What way?" the Custodes general asked.
"This is a secret. You just need to cooperate. I will implement this plan before the Imperial Regent arrives in the Beta-Garmon system. If this plan succeeds, we can paralyze the entire planet's command system, allowing the Primarch to take over those forces with minimal casualties, saving the lives of those low-level soldiers from being consumed in this battle."
Haster looked at everyone and said slowly.
He did not plan to reveal too much about his plan.
The more secretive it was, the more astonishing the effect would be.
"I thought we were on the same side. Don't you even trust us?" a general who had been sitting all this time said with some displeasure.
"This is for the smooth implementation of the plan. If even a little bit of information leaks out, the entire plan will be scrapped. We all serve the Imperial Regent. I have no selfish motives whatsoever; it is purely for the smooth implementation of the plan," Haster explained.
"Let's not dwell on this. If he truly paralyzes the command system with his plan, that will be a great achievement. The most important thing now is to arrange our actions, how to maximize control and minimize casualties this time. Important locations such as the armory, spaceport, artillery positions, anti-aircraft guns, food reserves, etc., must all be controlled. Only then can these surface forces lose their ability to resist."
Everyone discussed the upcoming battle and preparations.
They had to seize those important strategic locations when they defected.
In this way, the Imperial Regent could easily take Beta-Garmon V.
This would also minimize casualties to the greatest extent.
After a long discussion, everyone finalized a series of action plans before leaving.
After leaving the meeting place, Haster summoned his personal guard unit.
He was going to hold a banquet and invite as many people as possible to attend.
A unit would be stationed near the banquet site.
At that time, Haster would place all the generals under house arrest.
The warp journey was not too long.
Once the troops were assembled, Guilliman ordered them to advance towards the Beta-Garmon system.
The Expeditionary Fleet did not enter the Beta-Garmon system directly, but rather dropped out of the warp into real space two days' journey away from the system, approaching Beta-Garmon at sub-light speed.
Archmagos Sigma, who had already defected to the Imperial Regent, cleared all the abnormal information detected by the ark Mechanicus and numerous warships, explaining it as mechanical malfunctions and code program issues.
Many void forces believed this implicitly and were completely unaware of the arrival of the Expeditionary Fleet.
They were still watching the warp, waiting for the arrival of the 'great traitor' they spoke of.
It was only when the magnificent Expeditionary Fleet ships emerged from the dark void, surrounding Beta-Garmon from all directions, that they realized what was happening.
The forces led by the Imperial Regent did not use the warp to jump directly into the Beta-Garmon system.
Piercing alarms blared across every ship in the Beta-Garmon system.
Numerous warships hastily adjusted their artillery arrays and changed direction, but it was too late.
One after another, magnificent colossal ships emerged from the void, quickly closing in and forming a converging formation.
Among them, three gigantic structures comparable to moons were the most terrifying.
They were so massive that they seemed like stars moving.
"Quick, prepare to engage the enemy."
"Get ready, they are unstoppable."
"Make all preparations."
Many captains loyal to the High Lords of Terra were shouting.
They ordered their subordinates to turn their ships and prepare to meet the enemy.
Soon, they received the first strike.
This strike did not come from the Expeditionary Fleet, but from a crisis that emerged from within.
Archmagos Sigma, who had already reached an agreement with Krell, took the Mechanicus Priests and another Mechanicus Sage loyal to Fabricator-General Lasky offline, took full control of the ark Mechanicus, and issued orders as the Archmagos.
"All forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus are forbidden from attacking the forces of the Imperial Regent," Archmagos Sigma's voice echoed through the internal channel.
These words were so clear that everyone momentarily thought they were dreaming.
This was a critical moment, and yet the Adeptus Mechanicus defected.
"Archmagos, what do you mean? This is blatant betrayal."
A general questioned angrily.
"Betrayal? Betraying the Emperor? Or betraying you pigs? Daring to lay hands on a lord Primarch, that is the greatest betrayal! He is the Imperial Regent, the creator of the High Lords of Terra! What nerve do you have to say he is betraying?" Sigma retorted without reservation. "If you make a move, that will be the greatest betrayal, to the Emperor, and to the Imperium."
Following Sigma's rebuttal, Celestine's holy vessel also began to glow.
Countless beams of light formed the Holy Icon of the Emperor, appearing in the void, lifelike, burning with golden divine flames all over.
"Guilty."
The Emperor's Holy Icon let out a silent roar.
Its voice could not propagate through the void of real space, but it echoed through the aether of the warp in the minds of many humans.
How majestic, how sacred this was.
The Emperor, seated on the Golden Throne, had not uttered a sound for over ten thousand years.
And now, He was manifesting here.
What did this represent?
Many captains fell into a state of confusion and fear, wondering if they were truly wrong.
At this moment, a clear and powerful voice resounded through the ship's communication devices within the vessels.
"I am a lord Primarch, the holy Thirteenth Primarch, the great Imperial Regent, Guilliman. I apologize to everyone who can hear my voice. I am ten thousand years late, arriving only when humanity has irredeemably slipped towards the abyss. This time, I will surely fulfill my father's vision and completely rescue humanity from endless suffering."
"Now, I demand that you surrender immediately and pledge your loyalty to me. I do not wish for war to occur within the Imperium. This war is a betrayal of the Emperor, a betrayal of the Imperium of Man. I demand that you stop immediately and not allow it to escalate further."
Guilliman's voice echoed through all the warships, causing many captains to become panicked and uneasy, as did their crew members.
Archmagos Sigma had defected, and all Adeptus Mechanicus forces were forbidden from acting.
The Emperor's Holy Icon had appeared, sacred and majestic, like a divine judgment, filled with oppressive power.
This war was almost lost before it even began.
"Open fire! Quick, open fire on everything! We must attack!"
The naval general from a noble family on Terra shouted.
He was an important figure in the Imperial Navy, with a powerful family backing him, who had long controlled many resources within the Imperial Navy.
This naval general's arrival in the Beta-Garmon system was at his family's behest.
Normally, no one dared to offend him.
Because this guy's power was so great that he could ignore all Imperial laws.
But now, no one paid attention to this high-ranking figure who commanded a fleet.
The weapon officer dared not issue the attack order.
Attacking the forces where the Emperor's Holy Icon was located was a grave crime punishable by the extermination of one's entire family.
This big shot wanted to die, but he certainly did not.
"Whoever dares not obey my orders, I will kill them!"
The big shot sitting in the highest position pulled out a pulse beam gun, attempting to threaten them.
But the next second, a piercing sound of air being torn apart rang out.
The important figure holding the gun fell down.
A fist-sized hole appeared in his chest. Charred flesh gave off wisps of heat.
The captain looked at his chest, an expression of disbelief on his face, before falling.
Behind him, a soldier was trembling, holding a laser gun.
"I am loyal to the Emperor, are you going to be traitors?" The soldier looked at the others and asked.
"Loyal to the Emperor."
"Loyal to the Emperor."
As if a switch had been flipped, everyone responded.
"All warships belonging to the Imperial Navy, heed this order: Do not open fire, do not fire upon the Imperial Regent."
The communications officer opened the channel and issued the command.
Following closely were numerous Chapters, led by the Imperial Fists, who also issued no-fire orders.
Their words were like the first domino to fall, and soon, more warships issued the same command.
No one dared to attack the Holy Ship where Selestine was located.
The Emperor's Holy Light spread from that ship outwards in all directions, intensely, like a sun.
To open fire on it would be utter betrayal.
Such an act was tantamount to firing upon the Emperor himself.
Ship after ship shut down their weapon systems and surrendered to the expeditionary fleet led by the Imperial Regent.
Some captains from noble families attempted to resist, but were quickly subdued, or even killed, by their swarming crews.
The battle ended quickly, with numerous ships abandoning the use of force and awaiting the expeditionary fleet's reception.
For this, many secretly breathed a sigh of relief; aside from the mad nobles of Terra, no one truly wanted to fight a civil war that could plunge humanity into the abyss.
The weapon platforms and defensive space stations also surrendered one after another.
Fighting did break out in some places.
Loyalists attempting to surrender clashed with some noble factions supporting Terra.
The outcome in each case was the loyalists winning, taking control of these defensive platforms, and surrendering to the expeditionary fleet.
In just a few hours, all void forces in the Beta-Garmon system were brought under Guilliman's control.
Only the massive ground forces remained.
When the expeditionary fleet appeared on the outskirts of the Beta-Garmon system, alarms had already blared across Beta-Garmon V.
However, even after the expeditionary fleet took control of the system's void forces, the troops on the planet remained disorganized, without any structure.
The reason was the lack of command and coordination from senior generals.
The various units simply didn't know their operational objectives.
They could only stay put.
All senior generals and their female companions were confined in a luxurious mansion.
Fully armed Cadian soldiers held laser guns, aimed at every guest at the banquet; anyone who dared to leave would be shot.
On the lavish red carpet, several senior generals lay there, faintly giving off a charred smell.
They were already dead.
When the alarm sounded, these individuals tried to leave, and Hastur directly ordered them killed.
This action completely intimidated everyone at the banquet, making them realize this was not a joke.
The Cadians had truly placed them under house arrest here.
"Are you really going to betray Terra? Betray the Emperor?" An elderly general, his temples graying, looked at Hastur and demanded angrily.
"It is precisely because I am loyal to the Emperor that I do this," Hastur said with firm eyes, scanning everyone present. "Terra is already corrupt, the High Lords of Terra have rebelled; they actually dared to assemble troops to attack the Imperial Regent, this is an unforgivable crime."
"He is trying to seize his father's power!" a general shouted.
"That is slander! He is saving the Imperium, and the High Lords of Terra fear losing their power, so they slander the Imperial Regent. He is already the highest authority in the Imperium; why would he need to seize his father's position? His father no longer poses a threat to his rule in the mortal realm," Hastur retorted.
"You will pay for this. The numerous families will not let you off," a man's voice was full of threat as he shouted at Hastur.
"Cadians fear nothing, we are loyal to the Emperor," Hastur said. "I await your retaliation."
If you can survive this turmoil, that is.
Hastur silently added the thought in his heart.
At this moment, a Cadian Guardsman walked in and whispered a few words into Hastur's ear.
"Damn it," Hastur muttered before striding out.
Seeing Hastur leave, the many confined generals became restless, attempting to use their status to intimidate the soldiers.
But the Cadian soldiers paid them no mind, simply raising their laser guns, which had been pointed at the ground, towards them.
Seeing the muzzles of the laser guns sparkling with arcs, the many senior generals quieted down again.
These Cadians would really kill them.
Walking outside, Hastur looked at the Guardsman, "Who is in charge of the Krieg Korps?"
"It's Sir Caleb of the Bryce family. He demands that we release the generals immediately, otherwise he will have the Kriegers attack and kill us all," the Guardsman said.
"Have all units prepare for battle. The Kriegers are strong, but we are not to be trifled with either," Hastur said.
Just then, another Guardsman ran over, his face excited.
"Sir, the Imperial Regent has controlled the void. All fleets have surrendered to the Imperial Regent."
"Good," Hastur also smiled. "Tell the brothers to hold on; as long as we can hold out until the Imperial Regent arrives, it will be victory."
"Understood," the Guardsman who had just run over hurried off again to relay the order.
Hastur took a couple of steps, then seemed to remember something, looking at his Guardsman, "Can you contact the Kriegers? Bypass that damned fool from the Bryce family and contact the Krieg Colonel directly."
Colonel is not an Imperial military rank, but a designation representing the highest commander from the Krieg Korps.
Regardless of how many troops they lead, the highest Krieg commander always calls himself Colonel.
This is a commemoration, and also a form of atonement that Krieg believes it owes.
Because the man who defeated the rebels, liberated Krieg, and brought Krieg back into the Imperium's embrace held the rank of Colonel.
To commemorate that man, the highest commanders of the Krieg Korps all refer to themselves as Colonel.
"There is a backup communication channel, sir. This line is for use in case the primary communications are disabled by the enemy."
"Activate it. Let me speak directly to the Krieg Colonel. I want to ask him if they still intend to betray the Emperor?" Hastur said.
"Understood, sir."
The Guardsman quickly walked away to open that communication line for his master.
"Those damned Cadians, Catachans, and those Dragon Guards, how dare they do such a thing? This is betrayal, I will kill them!" Caleb raged in the military tent.
The table holding the military map was a mess from his actions.
The glowing portable military argon lamp was also pushed aside by him.
Caleb had originally wanted to attend the banquet, but felt unwell, so he didn't go.
This also allowed him to escape being confined.
But now the alarm had sounded, numerous senior generals were under house arrest, and the chain of command had collapsed.
The ground forces still active were exclusively led by radical generals who were secretly in contact with the expeditionary fleet.
They were sending people to seize various defensive strongpoints, preparing for a full surrender to Guilliman.
Caleb needed to rescue those generals quickly to have a chance to salvage the situation.
Footsteps sounded, and a Krieg officer walked in.
He paid no attention to anything else, only looking at Caleb.
"Relevant units are in position. Shall we initiate the attack?"
"Attack immediately! Let the Cadians know our strength!" Caleb said.
"Understood," the Krieg officer saluted and left.
"Prepare to die, Cadians! See how you can withstand the Krieger assault!" Caleb showed a ferocious expression, already eager to see the moment the Kriegers decisively shattered the Cadian defenses.
The order to attack reached the ears of Krieg Colonel Yoton, and he raised one hand.
This was the signal for a full Krieger offensive.
Numerous Krieg officers felt their blood begin to heat up; they were about to offer everything to the Holy Emperor.
Numerous units were ready and waiting; the men of Krieg feared nothing.
But as Colonel Yoton raised his hand, a Cadian voice came through his communication device.
"Are you going to betray the Emperor again, Kriegers?"
Hearing this sentence.
Colonel Yoton's hand remained raised, it did not fall.
Numerous Krieg officers looked at their commander, a hint of confusion on their faces.
"What do you mean?" Yoton asked in a deep voice. "Cadia is the one betraying the Emperor; we will eliminate you and uphold the Emperor's glory."
"Who do you think you will be fighting on this planet? A great lord Primarch. A Primarch loyal to the Emperor, who thwarted the Horus Heresy. He is the architect of the High Lords of Terra, he is the Regent personally appointed by the Emperor, he is the Emperor's sole representative in this universe. Tell me, Kriegers, will you declare war on him?"
"You are lying to me..." Colonel Yoton said. "The Primarch betrayed his father."
"Then look at this, Colonel. See who is lying. When you see this, will you still blindly believe your superior's foolish orders?"
Accompanied by a crisp notification sound, the projector on the desk indicated receiving a video message.
A Krieg officer in front of it clicked play.
The sacred image of the Emperor appeared in the dark, cold void, the intense holy light like the sun.
The image appeared alongside the Imperial forces.
Numerous Imperial ships surrendered to the expeditionary fleet.
The Kriegers, who never feared life or death, suddenly showed expressions of fear and panic.
"We are truly abandoning the Emperor, this is a crime! The Imperial Regent has summoned the Emperor's Sacred Image, he has been acknowledged by the Emperor!"
A Krieg officer looked at Colonel Yoton.
Yoton lowered his hand, watching the playing image, and the figure of the Emperor radiating a sacred aura.
Even though it was just a recording, it still conveyed the sacred aura it contained.
"Will you defy the Emperor, Kriegers? Cadia may not be able to stop your assault, but we fear nothing; we fight for the Emperor. When you fire the first shot, the Emperor will never forgive you, for you have raised your weapons to betray him and kill his loyal subjects."
The Cadian voice rang out.
Colonel Yoton turned to look at a Krieg officer nearby, "Contact the void forces. See what the situation truly is. All units are forbidden to attack. Anyone who disobeys the order will be executed."
At this moment, Caleb's voice came from outside, "What's going on? Why haven't you attacked yet? Are you going to betray the Emperor?!"