Ahriman delved into the trader's memories and saw the face of the "saint."
Though the man possessed the height and physique of a Primitive and was quite handsome, his appearance was a far cry from the Sanguinius in his memory.
"So it's not Sanguinius." Ahriman let out a sigh of relief. He'd been on edge. He thought the being on the Golden Throne had finally gone off the rails and was about to take the whole galaxy down with him.
Ahriman had participated in the entire Battle of Terra. During the final battle between Horus and the Emperor, he had entered a mysterious library on Terra. There, he read a book about the Dark Lord and listened to his echoes. That was a true god, created from human anger, hatred, despair, and death—born only to destroy.
The Emperor had refused to become a god, and while still a mortal, he slew Horus and banished the Chaos Gods.
Abaddon's decision to destroy the Cadia Fortress was a foolish one. The Emperor's power has been enhanced, and his interference in the material universe has become more profound. The Black Crusade of the Great Predator is nothing but a game of gods.
Abaddon could not kill the Emperor. Even if he could reach Terra again, he would fail. The Lord of Mankind could have become a god then, and he still can now—as long as he's willing to throw away his humanity and that last shred of human weakness.
The ultimate fate of the galaxy is destruction: of humanity, of reality, of gods, and of the Warp. No one knows how long the Emperor will remain on the Golden Throne. No one knows what fate the galaxy will face after the Emperor gives up protecting humanity.
Ahriman tried to see and twine the thread of the "saint's" fate, but he found he couldn't glimpse the other man's destiny at all. Like a black sun in the Warp, the "saint" burned away all the paths of destiny leading to him. Even the gods could not know what future this 'father' would bring to the universe.
Ahriman released his mental grip, and Haggron's body went limp on the floor. The poor merchant's eyes were wide, filled with despair and confusion. He couldn't believe such a cruel fate had come calling. The photo of his wife and children slipped out of his pocket. During the perilous journey through the Warp, his family was his rock, his indispensable spiritual support.
Ahriman leaned over and picked up the photo. "A nice family."
"What's the game plan now?" asked Ctesias, a subordinate standing beside him. He wasn't a veteran of the War of Ages, but a new initiate, bred with ritual and gene-seed five hundred years prior. There are also purely ritualistic Thousand Sons sorcerers—those who pledge allegiance to Magnus and undergo the ritual. Failure means going crazy or dying.
Ahriman was about to answer when his expression suddenly changed.
"Here we go again."
Ctesias' expression also instantly darkened. Heat surged into him, hot as a furnace blast. The Rubric Marine not far away was also shaking violently. A strange sound came from inside the armor, as if someone was screaming in pain and calling out for companions.
Ctesias had no time to react. It felt as if a flashbang had exploded in his mind. White light, roaring sounds, and raging flames engulfed everything. He could see nothing but fire. The pain and burning sensation roared like a firestorm, seemingly lasting an eternity.
When it was all over, Ctesias found himself kneeling on the floor, his mouth filled with the taste of smoke and ashes. Next to him, a Rubric Marine was utterly reduced to ash, the very echo of its soul completely gone.
Ahriman's voice was raw with pain. "The warnings are getting further apart, but they're getting more intense. They won't stop until we're all burnt to a crisp."
Ctesias stood up, a bitter look on his face. This was the aftereffect of their second unleashing of the Scarlet Spell—the resurgence of the evil fire. That massive ritual wasn't going quietly into the night. It was out of control, a wildfire consuming every tree in its path, and it wouldn't be extinguished until every last one was ashes.
Ahriman attempted to stop it and save the Thousand Sons. He went to Commorragh and obtained the information about the God of Death he wanted from the Blood Mercy and the leaders of the conspiracy. But it also angered those guys. They would never tolerate such humiliation, and after Ahriman left Commorragh, the Dark Eldar killers also set out. The Commorragh high command vowed to make these Thousand Sons sorcerers pay the price.
Ahriman also went to the place where the Haxos Dynasty was sleeping and took away a magical artifact that could control time. This incident also angered the ancient and long-standing Necron Dynasty.
The awakened Emperor must have sent Overlords to take them out.
The Calixis Sector was Ahriman's final stop before returning to the Eye of Terror. Kairos, the Great Daemon of Tzeentch, had once told Ahriman that pure Thousand Sons were located here—free of corruption and immune to the evil fire's resurgence.
Ahriman had observed the planet Atomal from the shadows: a well-developed human world with a new and enterprising spirit. It boasted a complete defense grid and thousands of Astartes.
From Haggron's mind, Ahriman learned that the military he'd seen was just the tip of the iceberg. Including those yet to be awakened, there were tens of thousands of Astartes on Atomal. This knocked Ahriman for a loop, and he was thankful he hadn't jumped the gun.
During the Great Crusade, the major Legions rarely had forces of this size. It takes years of accumulation to reach a scale of tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands. With such a massive force, what exactly is this "saint" planning? Conquering the Calixis Sector would be a piece of cake.
Ahriman's heart was filled with confusion.
"Are we going to launch an attack on Atomal?" asked Ignis, another Thousand Sons sorcerer.
Ahriman shook his head. He didn't think the few men under his command could square off against tens of thousands of Astartes—that was a Legion-level force.
"Starting a war is a one-way ticket to a dead end. We need to get the lowdown on these 'pure' Thousand Sons first."
"What's the next move?" Ctesias asked.
"I have a perfect plan," Ahriman said.
A moment later, the deceased Haggron stood up again and settled back into his captain's throne. The crew on the cargo ship acted as if nothing had happened.
"The warp storm has died down a bit," the Navigator shouted.
"Then let's continue sailing," Haggron gave the order. "Target Sintila."
The Geller field was activated, covering the hull. The Warp engine roared, opening the Warp rift, and the light of paradox overflowed like a tide. The cargo ship entered the Warp and headed for the planet Sintila.
The battle of Sintila is drawing to a close.
The Emperor's Hammer Legion worked their tails off to meet their KPIs, digging deep underground to capture the rebel leaders. But they fell just short and could only manage third place. The Hammer Regiment came in fourth, which absolutely burned Rigby up.
The goal was to maintain third place and fight for second, and everything was going smoothly. As a result, a group of Daemon Hunters showed up, and they only got fourth place.
The Daemon Hunters have been rubbing it in for days, looking down their noses at everyone. Occasionally, they'd drop a comment or two.
"Hey, it's just the MVP, no big deal."
"After fighting so hard, wouldn't it be better to just capture a Daemon Host?"
"…"
Such remarks kept popping up, and the players from other groups were so angry they almost wanted to put them in a snake-skin bag. But they still endured it—after all, they still had to fight the rebels later.
If the Daemon Hunters can capture a single Daemon Host, can they possibly capture all seven Daemons of the Calixis Sector?! If you have the guts, go get rid of the infamous Tyrant Star as well.
"That was just a flash in the pan victory. If a large-scale battle breaks out, they'll be left in the dust."
"Yeah, Void Combat, Air Combat, and Ground Assault—those are the true tests."
"It's just a Daemon Host. Can't we Psykers handle that?"
"…"
In response to these comments, Mordecai said lightly, "Sour grapes, every one of them. What happens next is water under the bridge. Right now, we're the MVPs. We were the underdogs, but we came out on top." This comment made many players, who had just managed to calm down, completely lose it. They rushed forward, pinned him down, and gave him a thorough beating. But Mordecai, with dark circles under his eyes, just kept laughing, which only poured fuel on the fire.
After Daniel finished his work, he called the players together to discuss the distribution of the spoils. Everyone had contributed to this battle. They couldn't just say whoever grabbed it first owned it; that would be unfair.
"First up is the battleship Exemplary Holy Fist. The Emperor's Cattle Regiment made the biggest contribution, so they get priority purchase rights and a steep discount."
"If any other Chapter wants to buy it, they'll have to pay more than double the asking price of the Cattle."
"In addition, naval vessel officers must have military ranks before they can enter the combat sequence, so players who purchase warships still need to pay enough Contribution Points and Merits to exchange for military ranks, or hire NPCs with military ranks."
"Considering that players currently don't have enough Contribution Points and Merits, they can be paid on credit, but they must be repaid within a limited time."
"Now, is there anyone willing to offer a higher price for this loot?"
Daniel's words made the players look at each other in bewilderment. Blood Dove calculated the numbers and finally gave up. In the Imperial Navy's military ranks, the captain of a battleship is usually a general, and his deputy is a colonel. In other words, in addition to the purchase cost, a considerable amount of extra money must be paid to recruit personnel to fight alongside the Navy or enter the official command sequence. On top of that, they would be responsible for the warship's maintenance expenses.
The other players were in the same boat. They had assets, but it wasn't cost-effective to sink it all into the ship. Forming a fleet would entail massive expenses, so they decided to hold off until they found a reliable way to rake in the dough. If the ship goes boom, they'll be up a creek without a paddle.
"In that case, the battleship Exemplary Holy Fist officially belongs to the Emperor's Cattle Regiment from today onward."
As soon as Daniel finished speaking, the Emperor's Cattle Regiment went wild. With this battleship, their confidence in snagging the MVP award next time went through the roof.
Yuji, Turtle, and the other players immediately draped a cloak over Warmaster. It was styled after the navy cloaks in One Piece, with the word "Loyalty" instead of "Justice" emblazoned on the back.
Double-headed eagle epaulettes were added for flair. Combined with his imposing physique and the massive sword on his back, it gave him a Warhammer 40K take on the One Piece aesthetic.
After putting it on, Warmaster threw his cloak back and bellowed, "Loyalty!" The other players were dumbfounded. What in the world were these guys cooking up?
Warmaster: "Seriously? Are these guys that much of a riot??"
Blood Dove: "You're an Astartes, wearing a Navy cloak?"
Mordecai: "I often feel out of place because my thinking isn't up to par."
"…"
Daniel's mouth twitched. Never underestimate the Fourth Scourge's ability to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Next, Daniel also auctioned the captured frigates and cruisers. If a player wanted it, they got first dibs. If not, the vessel would be incorporated into the Navy fleet.
After the spoils distribution meeting, the Contribution Points of the participating groups were used up, and they were heavily in debt.
Sha, Kaidin, Faraday, and the others beside him were stunned.
"This is brutal, right? After the war, they didn't just walk away empty-handed, they ended up in the red." If it were any other unit, they'd have mutinied a long time ago. Yet, these 'Saints' seemed perfectly happy. "What gives? What kind of brain trust are they running over there?"
On Daniel's side, Arale appeared beside him just after the spoils distribution meeting ended.
"Master, Lord Guilliman has sent you a communication request. Do you wish to answer it?"
"Guilliman? Did something happen to him?" Daniel frowned. "Patch him through."