News of the Main force of the Black Legion launching an attack on an Imperial World was bound to be significant, and Noah received this news after the Black Legion retreated.
"You mean Abaddon, the commander of a group called the Black Legion, led his troops to attack an Imperial World?
And it just so happened that we had dispatched a unit to garrison there at the time, leading to an engagement with them?"
Noah was a bit confused by the news, so he repeated it and asked his soldier for confirmation.
"Yes, Grand Marshal, on that Imperial World, our troops encountered Abaddon of the Black Legion. He personally dispatched troops to attack that Imperial World, but they were intercepted by our PDF."
Noah was somewhat at a loss for words. So far, his core colonial planets totaled 28, and these 28 planets were being reformed and developed according to the standards of the Terran Federation.
In addition, in just over a year, he had also brought 108 Imperial Worlds into his protected area, with four star sectors of Imperial territory around them being brought under Noah's protection.
The Terran Federation's Patrol Fleet would not patrol these Imperial Worlds, but to ensure some protection for them, Noah still dispatched Space Marines, numbering around four Chapters, to these Worlds.
The number of these Chapters was not planned according to Guilliman's Astartes Codex, but rather according to Noah's own Chapter planning, with each Chapter having 3,000 men.
Although these 108 outer Imperial Worlds were not directly under Noah's rule, their reputation had already spread throughout the Imperium Nihilus. They were known as the Misty Star Domain 108 Worlds.
It was rumored that among these 108 Worlds, within the Imperium Nihilus' territory, the governors on these Worlds were exceptionally wise.
Even ordinary people, even those from the underhive, had housing and enough food to eat on these Worlds.
Legend had it that among these 108 Worlds, each World had 10,000 Space Marines, protected by the Emperor's Angels, ensuring absolute safety.
This was the news that spread about the Imperial Worlds around Noah.
Undoubtedly, under Noah's protection, these 108 Worlds became the benchmark that those Worlds in the Imperium Nihilus yearned for and looked forward to.
In one year, Noah's Patrol Fleet only increased by one, and this Patrol Fleet was dispatched by Noah to the Solar System, responsible for patrolling the Solar System.
Regardless, the war in the Webway was the most important war to tie down the Daemons. Therefore, Noah chose to send a Patrol Fleet to the Solar System to deal with any potential trouble.
If units appeared within the Webway that even his military robots could not handle, then the titan ship fleet would completely destroy the enemy.
Compared to Terra's strategic position, the 108 unofficial colonial planets Noah had recovered seemed less important.
This was also why Abaddon did not directly encounter a Patrol Fleet strike after attacking an Imperial World.
Abaddon's attack was just a minor interlude. After sorting out this matter, Noah shifted his attention to another issue.
"Have this year's tithes been collected? Have the various planets sent their Astra Militarum here? I need to expand our forces."
Abaddon, this insignificant fellow, was clearly less of a concern than Noah's upcoming military expansion.
"Reporting, Grand Marshal, the tithes from all planets have been recruited. We have received a total of 12 million Astra Militarum troops." The Minister of the Interior, standing beside Noah, quickly reported the situation of this year's Astra Militarum to Noah.
"Very good, take these Astra Militarum to the genes clinic for genetic modification, so they can also become qualified IG."
Noah was very satisfied; now the Astra Militarum forces had increased by another 12 million.
Although Noah had the technology to transform ordinary Imperial citizens into PDF for Astartes combat power, the cost of doing so was simply too great.
Ordinary people were, after all, just ordinary people.
Although their modifications and enhancements also met Astartes standards, their combat will was far inferior.
At the same time, their combat power was also a notch lower than that of ordinary Astra Militarum converted into Space Marines.
Therefore, under such circumstances, after Noah acquired enough Imperial Worlds, he changed the conscription standards for the PDF troops.
Ultimately, in a world of interstellar warfare, a large number of Space Marines were not entirely necessary.
Therefore, after careful consideration, Noah changed his standards.
All subsequent candidates for genetic modification would be selected from the Astra Militarum.
And one of the most important things in World 108 was to provide Noah with soldiers, providing these high-quality soldiers.
Do not view the Astra Militarum as mere cannon fodder on the battlefield; in reality, that would be an insult to them.
It was mainly because the battlefields they experienced were too brutal, not where they should be, which is why they performed so poorly.
In reality, the Astra Militarum is a planet's most elite fighting force, equivalent to special forces or military kings in the 2K era. They are absolute elites selected from hundreds of billions of people.
Just like the World 108 under Noah's rule, the least populated of the 108 Worlds still had hundreds of billions of people.
However, among hundreds of billions of people, each World could only provide about 100,000 troops each year.
Every Astra Militarum was one in tens of millions!
Under such circumstances, modifying ordinary Astra Militarum would directly elevate their combat power to the mid-to-high level of Space Marines.
There might even be a few who could 'burst' like Titus. There would also be some exceptionally skilled fighters among the Space Marines.
This level of ability could not be achieved by modifying ordinary PDF troops.
Ordinary PDF troops undergoing genetic modification could not achieve this.
Only individuals like the Astra Militarum, who are selected as one in tens of millions from a planet with hundreds of billions of people, are qualified to achieve such a miraculous feat.
After all 12 million of these Astra Militarum were upgraded to Space Marines, Noah's total Astra Militarum strength would reach 60 million, excluding the PDF troops handed over to Guilliman.
As the numbers grew, Noah felt he should fulfill his responsibility as an Imperial Sun Lord.
For example, whether to send troops to protect more Worlds in the Imperium Nihilus.
With a total strength of 60 million Space Marines, he could protect another 6,000 Imperial Worlds!
From the current perspective, adding the PDF he already had on the planet's surface, sending 10,000 Space Marines to an Imperial World should be enough to protect it.
Although Noah intended to fulfill his duty as the Solar Lord and dispatch troops to protect more Imperial worlds, he first set his sights on Abaddon.
Abaddon's attack on the industrial world successfully brought him to Noah's attention.
After Noah returned to Terra and obtained a large amount of information about Abaddon, he marked him for execution.
Regardless of this guy's reasons, and no matter what grievances he suffered, the damage he inflicted on humanity and the Imperium was real and undeniable.
Countless human compatriots died at the hands of this executioner; he must die!
Such a person must not be allowed to exist in this universe, must not exist in this world; he must be erased, utterly annihilated.
To deal with this Chaos Warmaster, Noah gave him sufficient respect. He mobilized an entire patrol fleet and, while he was at it, brought along approximately 4 million PDF troops.
To guard against any potential situation, he also brought 2,000 Emperor-class Titans and 6,000 Warlord-class Titans.
A patrol fleet, combined with so many transport ships, formed a sufficiently massive armada, which also Daemonstrated Noah's high regard for Abaddon.
Just as the Megacorps had mobilized 36 Titans to suppress a planetary rebellion before.
Although due to his current military strength and capabilities, Noah couldn't gather 36 Titans.
He still assembled a patrol fleet and a large number of ground forces to ensure Abaddon was treated with respect.
As the army began to mobilize, the governors of the 108 worlds also started further troop mobilizations.
When 4 million troops were deployed, another 4 million troops needed to be conscripted to compensate, ensuring that defenses remained uncompromised.
Noah himself boarded the flagship of the expeditionary fleet, the Titan.
Doesn't Abaddon like Black Crusades?
Then, after Noah's departure this time, he named this expedition the "Punitive Crusade."
He would punish Abaddon, making him pay a sufficient price for his mistakes.
However, even though Noah had made preparations for the punitive battle against Abaddon and mobilized sufficient troops, one thing remained crucial.
If you want to punish an opponent, if you want to punish an enemy, you must first locate the enemy's position and area.
After Abaddon completed the 13th Black Crusade, his whereabouts became elusive, making it difficult even for Noah's technology to discover where this guy had gone.
Although he had previously attacked one of Noah's industrial worlds, the saying "Abaddon retreats like the wind" was not wrong.
Abaddon had already entered the warp and fled when he sensed something was amiss.
It was precisely because the Imperium possessed warp technology that, even without jump drives, they still had the capital to wage guerrilla warfare.
As a traitor to the Imperium, Abaddon also possessed warp technology, making it very difficult for Noah to find out where this guy had gone.
Even if Noah's fleet scans could directly cover hundreds or even thousands of light-years, such a search was still too slow.
As Noah's fleet began to enter the galaxy to search for Abaddon, Abaddon was still hiding in the warp.
"Warmaster, why are we hiding in the warp? Why don't we go out and attack this decaying Imperium?"
Falkus Kibre couldn't understand why their Black Legion, after completing the 13th Black Crusade, had once again started hiding in the warp.
Hearing his trusted subordinate question him,
Abaddon finally turned around again to look at his trusted subordinate, but cold sweat still beaded on his forehead.
"Ah, Kibre, I don't know what the problem is. I just feel like I'm being targeted by some beast. This is a feeling I never had even before the Great Crusade."
As the Chaos Warmaster chosen by the Four Gods, Abaddon naturally received their blessings.
Tzeentch's blessing was upon him, and after Noah prepared to beat him, Tzeentch's prophecy warned him.
The biggest problem lay here.
Normally, prophecies would have some kind of announcement or message that would allow the prophesied person to understand or at least have some conjectures.
However, Noah's existence far exceeded the expectations of the Four Chaos Gods.
Even if the Four Chaos Gods united, they could not perceive Noah's existence, let alone Tzeentch's mere fragment of a blessing.
Because of this, Abaddon could only feel his hairs stand on end, but he could not receive any other prophecies.
"Warmaster, can you tell me what kind of feeling it is? I see you're sweating quite a bit. Beings like us shouldn't have such feelings."
Abaddon shook his head, organized his thoughts, and after deciding what to say, he finally spoke.
"I don't know how to explain it. I only know that a voice in my heart is telling me not to leave the warp. If I leave the warp, I will only face certain death."
"I seem to be targeted by some terrifying entity, but the Lord of Change's prophecy cannot tell me what exactly has targeted me."
"This..." Falkus Kibre didn't know what to say to comfort Abaddon, because Abaddon had already said he had a premonition that leaving the warp would lead to certain death.
In this universe, you should not disbelieve your premonitions; sometimes these premonitions are extremely acute and effective. Since there's a premonition that appearing in the real universe will lead to death, it means it will 100% happen.
"Then, Warmaster, will we just keep hiding in the warp? Are we going to keep hiding here because of these prophecies?"
"If this continues, the warbands within our Black Legion that originate from the Four Gods will inevitably become uncontrollable. They will leave the legion and go elsewhere."
Although Falkus Kibre understood the terror of prophecies, the problem was that the difficulty was right before them.
Although Abaddon was now the undisputed Chaos Warmaster, the dilemma he faced still existed.
His subordinates were warbands from the Four Gods. These warbands, who had pledged allegiance to the four Chaos Gods, were not unified in themselves; they were only gathered within the Black Legion under Abaddon's balance.
They all needed to do what they should to please the Four Gods.
Now, Abaddon was leading the entire Black Legion to hide in the warp, which caused the dissatisfaction of these warbands to steadily increase.
The Great Rift had already opened, and the Imperium currently had no way to deal with them, so why couldn't they immediately launch an attack to please the Four Gods?
"So, Kibre, do you have any valuable suggestions?"
"You should be aware of the accuracy of prophecies, and this is a blessing from the Changer of Ways. Even so, I haven't received any omens, only the threat of death."
"If I leave the Warp arbitrarily, I will surely be attacked. I cannot die like this yet. My goal has not been achieved."
Abaddon, to be honest, still didn't want to go to the real universe, as the threat of death constantly echoed in his mind.
This doesn't mean that Abaddon is afraid of death; he is not that kind of person. He is not afraid of death.
If Tzeentch's prophecy could be more accurate, allowing him to understand the situation, then he might find a way to counter it.
But the problem lies here: even the Changer of Ways' prophecy cannot tell him the level and nature of the predicament he faces. This leaves him clueless on how to respond.
The unknown is always the most terrifying, and even Abaddon, who orchestrated the Black Crusades, feared it just the same.
"No."
Kibre naturally wanted to offer Abaddon some constructive advice to alleviate his current difficulties, but the problem was that he also didn't know what to do.
Abaddon only felt a threat to his life, nothing more, which meant they couldn't come up with any way to deal with it.
Just as the two were still contemplating countermeasures, a Chaos Space Marine from the Black Legion walked in and reported unexpected news to Abaddon.
"Warmaster, the World Eaters warband has left the Legion. They believe that your continuous hiding in the Warp goes against the will of the Blood God."
Just as Abaddon and his men were still thinking about how to maintain the balance of the Black Legion and keep the army obediently in the Warp, the World Eaters were the first to leave.
The World Eaters warband was an early Legion formed by the Imperium on Terra, with most of its members coming from re-conquered tribal warmongers.
After Angron appeared in this Legion, he renamed it the World Eaters and introduced the Butcher's Nails.
During the Horus Heresy, this Legion joined Chaos, and Angron himself became a Daemon Prince of Khorne, later banished back to the Warp by the Imperium.
This unit favored close-quarters combat, drop pod assaults, and direct charges into enemy lines as common assault methods. Their usual weapon was the Khorne chainaxe, and they would fight for slaughter, even engaging in infighting.
If there was one unit in the Black Legion that couldn't resist leaving to offer their sacrifices to the Ruinous Powers, the World Eaters were undoubtedly the most impatient.
Hearing such news, Abaddon merely squeezed the armrest of his chair, crushing it with a single forceful grip.
He hadn't expected these damned Chaos Space Marines of the Blood God's faction to be so impatient, unable to wait even for such a short time.
"Warmaster, should we dispatch troops to pursue them or eliminate these traitors?"
Kibre didn't even wait for anyone else to speak; he immediately asked this question.
The World Eaters' actions were undoubtedly treason!
Such treacherous behavior must be severely punished, otherwise, if others in the Legion acted similarly, what would happen? Wouldn't the Black Legion simply collapse?
Kibre had helped Abaddon create the Black Legion, so he had feelings for this army and was unwilling to watch it collapse.
However, to his surprise, facing his suggestion, Abaddon stopped sweating cold and revealed a glimmer of wisdom.
"No, there's no need to send troops to pursue them. Let them go."
"Warmaster?" Kibre didn't understand why Abaddon would say that. If such traitorous behavior wasn't severely punished, what about the others?
He was getting anxious now, even hurrying to Abaddon's side, wanting to hear what Abaddon was truly thinking.
"Kairbo, you know I received a prophecy. This prophecy concerns my life. I don't know where the threat comes from; it seems to want to take my life. I don't fear death, but I fear the unknown."
"An unknown threat exists in the galaxy, which makes me uneasy. The World Eaters unit is also part of our Black Legion, so why not let them be bait?"
"The warning I received isn't just about my life being threatened; the lives of the entire Black Legion are also almost threatened."
"Since they disobeyed orders and attacked on their own, let them go. It will also allow us to see what enemy has targeted us."
Abaddon expressed his thoughts. He was never a weak person. Since the World Eaters unit was disobedient, let them go.
If this disobedient army could be used to probe who the enemy was, that would be even better.
Kibre stopped speaking after hearing this.
In that case, they would do as Abaddon said. Since the World Eaters were so disobedient, the Black Legion would not be blamed for using them as bait.
"Pass down the order for everyone to closely monitor the World Eaters. Every move they make must be watched to see who has targeted our Black Legion!"
"We must figure out who our enemy is, only then can we have the ability to fight them; otherwise, everything will fail."
Abaddon greatly valued his prophecies and warnings. He believed that such warnings would not be baseless, so he made the wisest choice he could at this stage.
The Black Legion's forces began to monitor the World Eaters, and as soon as the World Eaters' forces left the Warp lane, they were discovered by Noah.
"Reporting, Grand Marshal, a Black Legion force has been detected. Judging from their size and markings, they appear to be the World Eaters from the Black Legion. We can attack them to see if we can draw out Abaddon."
A young naval officer came before Noah.
"Hmm, it's Doss. Then proceed with your plan. I will guide you if there are any problems."
"Yes, Grand Marshal, I will not fail your expectations. I will fight this battle well!"
The young officer's face was filled with reverence and joy. He did not want to disappoint Noah's expectations.
Doss Santos.
This was the name of the young naval officer who came to report to Noah. He was an excellent graduate of the Naval Officer Academy, taken under Noah's wing for guidance.
Although the Imperium had many veteran naval officers available, it was too far-fetched for the Imperium's navy to command the Terran Federation's navy.
Therefore, Noah had to initiate his own naval officer training program.
And Doss Santos was his most outstanding graduate from the previous year's naval training program, and also the graduate he had high hopes for, soon to become a patrol fleet commander.