"What on earth is happening?"
"Who are they?"
Cyril asked Datch, who was standing nearby, and expected an answer.
He had participated in the Ultramarine selection at the age of sixteen and completed all the physical modification surgeries at the age of twenty.
In the decades that followed, he had taken part in numerous battles,
from the edge of the Ultramar star systems to primitive worlds that remained undeveloped…
They went to the front lines of the Great Crusade, to fortified planets occupied by aliens or rebellious human regimes, fought bloody battles, made countless contributions, and witnessed every kind of unbelievable event.
He had witnessed so-called "invincible" Xenos weapons being shattered into pieces by the coordinated firepower of the Ultramarines.
I have seen tyrants who called themselves "gods of psychic power" turned to dust by bolts and chainswords.
I have also witnessed, in the Warp, indescribable existences that would drive a human mad at a single glance reduced to ashes before the wrath of the Imperial forces.
Having served in the military for many years, I am considered a veteran. I have experienced everything.
However, the sight Cyril witnessed made him realize that he was nothing more than an inexperienced and ignorant newcomer.
"You do not understand. All of this is due to the power of the Emperor."
Datch easily deceived the NPC before him.
Cyril immediately lost his words at that statement; his lips convulsed violently.
That ridiculous claim of Imperial power.
If the Emperor truly possessed such power, Horus would not have had the courage to rebel even if he had possessed ten times the courage.
Yet he did not pursue the matter further. He knew the other party would not tell him.
Cyril turned toward Mordachi and the other early Space Marines and noticed that they were taller than him.
The power armor they wore also differed from his own; it had higher defensive capability and was more oppressive.
The patterns applied to the power armor of some of the warriors vaguely resembled those of the Dark Angels.
Cyril could not recognize the patterns on the power armor of the other group.
He became strongly interested in this. Where on earth did these people come from?
I have never heard of such a Legion existing in the Imperium.
The moment Mordachi and the other early Space Marines appeared, they dispersed into a standard tactical formation.
Before Datch issued a combat order, they took up their boltguns and aimed at the Word Bearers and World Eaters.
In such a situation, without uttering a single word, one can immediately distinguish who is enemy and who is ally.
Setting aside the Legion emblems of the World Eaters and Word Bearers,
just looking at their figures adorned with tentacle-like bone spikes is enough to immediately know that they are the minions of Chaos.
Astartes who have fallen to Chaos — traitors — generally possess various Chaos runes or mutated features on their bodies.
The Chaos Space Marines tried to launch a preemptive attack, but the quick-witted Mordachi discovered them and immediately pulled the trigger.
With the sound of an explosion, the bolt shattered the opponent's skull.
The headless corpse swayed a few times, then collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Numerous early Space Marines pulled their triggers and opened fire on the rebels.
Countless shells rained down on the enemy formation and obstructed the field of vision.
In a mere few seconds, they tore apart power armor and flesh.
At Orikan's command, the Necromancer soldiers also opened fire.
Green Gauss beams erupted from the gun barrels and struck the traitors.
The traitors bathed in Gauss beams had their power armor stripped away at the atomic level.
Sturdy power armor and blessed flesh transformed into flowing green sand and rained down with a faint rustling.
Through the joint work of the original Space Marines and the Necromancers, all of the surrounding traitor Astartes were killed.
The series of operations was swift and decisive; the nearby enemies were easily annihilated.
Cyril was shocked that the combat ended in the blink of an eye.
The army summoned by this mysterious figure is unbelievably powerful.
"The cosmic parameters do not match. Which planet are we on?"
After the combat, the astrologer Orikan examined the cosmic parameters and background as usual.
It was discovered that the received observational data did not match the existing database.
"This is the planet Sathus in Ultramar."
Despite his deep hatred of aliens, Cyril answered Orikan's question.
Since the other side had only recently helped kill the traitors, they could be regarded as allies.
"The Ultramar star field!"
A bright star chart appeared before Orikan, depicting points of light representing the galaxy floating within it.
Under his control, the spots of light were rearranged, calculated, and connected at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Before long, the coordinates of the Ultramar region were determined and enlarged.
This star chart displays data concerning Ultramar, various stars and planets, and Warp routes.
Orikan changed the calculation model, obtained the results, and then showed an expression of disbelief.
"This… this is impossible!"
"Is this the 30K era of the Imperium of Man?"
Orikan turned his face and looked at Cyril.
The chronicles of the Imperium of Man differ from the chronicles of the Necromancers.
In order to facilitate communication, the Eurycans used a method of social interaction similar to that used by humans.
"What else would it be?"
The puzzled Cyril asked back what the Xenos had said.
"In other words, we who live in the 42K era have returned to the 30K era."
Orikan's eyes widened; an expression of disbelief floated in his cold green pupils.
His words drew the attention of the others and pulled Mordachi and the rest into a more intimate relationship.
"What does 'time-traveled' mean?" Mordachi asked. "Are we really in the 30K era?"
"Could those guys just now have been Horus rebels?" another Proto-Forged Space Marine asked.
"Are we now in the era of the Horus Heresy? Your Majesty the Emperor, this is outrageous!"
"I'll take part in the Siege of Terra. I'll make those damned Iron Warriors understand that they are all cowards."
"The nameless one actually brought us to the past — amazing!"
"..."
Cyril overheard their conversation, and his pupils opened slightly.
Are they people who came from the future?
How could such a thing happen?
According to Cyril, time is a river that never flows backward.
It is an absolute, unquestionable one-way arrow that flows from the past to the future.
History cannot be changed.
What has already happened cannot be helped.
It can be recorded, remembered, and used as a lesson for the future, but it cannot be changed.
"Did you come from the future?" Cyril asked.
"In a sense, yes."
Orikan nodded and casually pointed at the projection diagram showing changes in the timeline.
"We came from the 42K era."
"42K?"
Receiving the answer, Cyril's eyes widened.
"42K — that is twelve thousand years from now."
"You can actually time-travel — I can't believe it."
Cyril felt that his worldview had completely collapsed.
How could such a thing happen?!
"We also find it hard to believe, but I think all of this is due to the power of the nameless existence."
Orikan spoke patiently and pointed at Datch to indicate who the Nameless One he was referring to was.
"At that time, did the Imperium of Man still exist?" Cyril asked in a tense voice. "Did we win, or did that traitor Horus win?"
"Of course the Imperium of Man still exists. Otherwise how could we exist?"
Mordachi took over what Orikan had been saying; his voice came through the helmet speaker.
"Horus was defeated by the Emperor, and the traitors hid themselves in the Eye of Terror. Despite being exposed to numerous threats over the past ten thousand years, the Imperium of Man has maintained an unshakable position."
"I'm glad we won — I'm glad we won." Hearing that answer, Cyril was enveloped in a sense of relief.
Since the Battle of Calth, the children of Ultramar have shed far too much blood and produced countless casualties.
The greatest reward for them would be to achieve victory and stop the traitors' conspiracies.
If I knew I would fail, would I consider swearing loyalty to the Wolf God Horus?
Cyril, in his own understanding,
the children of Ultramar may lose their lives on the battlefield, but they must never yield to the enemy that burns their homes.
Datch had been listening to the NPCs' conversation the whole time, yet he paid it no particular mind and regarded it as a little gimmick by the game designers.
"Alright, now is not the time to discuss such things."
"The most important thing right now is to settle accounts with those damned traitors."
...
In orbit around the planet Sathus,
the fleets of the World Eaters and Word Bearers still remained in this place.
In the initial surprise attack, they had completely neutralized Sathus's void defense systems.
Then they began continuous orbital bombardment of the Earth's surface for several days and paralyzed the entire planetary defense system.
According to the final information evaluation Cyril received just before his aerial landing,
there were at least ten full-strength units of World Eaters, as well as an unknown number of sorcerer-warriors and Chaos cultists led by Word Bearer chaplains.
Such a force was more than enough to completely erase Sathus — which had been prosperous but was not a military fortress — from the map of civilization.
However, this force was driven to the brink of annihilation in the blink of an eye by the joint operation of the original Space Marines and Necromancers led by Datch.
The traitors intended to request the fleet for ground support.
Yet the Necromancer fleet under Orikan's command quickly dealt a heavy blow to the rebels.
The traitor warships that had been patrolling orbit like a school of sharks and continuously launching orbital bombardments on the ground were now surrounded and annihilated by the undead warships.
Despite the protection of the dark gods, numerous rebel battleships were no match at all for the advanced technology of the Necromancers.
The rebel fleet was constantly divided and subjected to concentrated attacks by the undead battleships that employed advanced Warp technology. The rebel battleships were completely outmatched by the Necromancers and were thoroughly toyed with.
Under the fierce assault of the cosmic Necromancers, the battleships of the rebel fleet were destroyed one after another and exploded in the void.
Each explosion was like a fleeting sun.
Countless fragments of wreckage drifted in space, scattering bright electric sparks.
Large pieces of hull remained, accompanied by long trails of molten metal and burning fuel.
Like a meteor shower falling in the opposite direction, they left orbit and plunged toward the surface of Sathus.
Thus the crisis of Sathus was resolved.
However, Datch's mission to conquer this fragment of history is not yet complete.
Sathus was merely one point in the Shadow Crusade war.
The place Datch chose as the entry point was the location that symbolized the final moments of Company Captain Cyril and his unit.
To achieve true victory, many more nodes must be destroyed.
The story of Lost Hope unfolds throughout the entire Shadow Crusade.
From the betrayal at the Battle of Calth, through the Shadow Crusade initiated by the Word Bearers and World Eaters, to Angron's massacre of his home planet, and finally to his ascension to the daemon world.
Datch needs to destroy all of these important strongholds in order to conquer this historical fragment.
After confirming that there were no enemies, Datch recalled Orikan and the others and sent them back to the Room of Requirement.
Datch's next mission target is a spaceship currently navigating the Warp.
That ship is headed for Macragge, where an Alpha Legion force disguised as Ultramarines will await an opportunity to ambush Guilliman.
Therefore, this ship also becomes an important element of the story.
Datch took out Rick's teleport gun, set the teleport coordinates,
and when he pulled the trigger toward the ground, a green teleport hole appeared.
Because it is necessary to pass through the boundary between reality and the Warp, Rick's teleport gun is easier to use and can teleport freely while ignoring the boundary.
After the battle, Cyril was busy supervising the resettlement of refugees, the reconstruction of the city, and the resumption of production.
When he finally tried to ask the mysterious man for his identity and express his gratitude, the man had already left.
Even after he ordered a planet-wide search, nothing was found.
The other party had completely vanished, and he was tormented by a sense of loss.
...
In the Warp,
a wounded and devastated traitor warship was navigating the raging highest heavens.
It had departed from a planet at the edge of the Ultramar region already destroyed by the Shadow expedition force and planned to head for the Macragge system.
The emblem of the double-headed eagle on a bow that had once symbolized the Emperor and the truth of humanity has been scraped away.
In its place, a chaotic emblem composed of countless twisted, intertwined eight-pointed stars rotates by itself amid the glittering light of the Warp.
As the Shadow Crusade progresses, the dark rituals presided over by Lorgar unleashed a terrifying Warp storm.
It affected the Warp routes at the edge of the entire Ultramar star system.
Now it is nearly cutting Ultramar off from the other planets of the galaxy.
Inside the warship, corpses were hung everywhere. They had once been soldiers and attendants who swore loyalty to the Emperor.
After being captured, they were subjected to inhumane torture and ultimately turned into corpses or were offered as sacrifices by the cultists.
The battleship is contaminated by Warp energy; strange ghostly figures flicker in the corridors.
They are not daemons — at least not complete daemons with stable forms.
Only the suffering souls who were sacrificed, tortured, and executed on this warship…
"The Ultramarines' counterattacks are growing ever stronger."
A Word Bearer chaplain and an Alpha Legion soldier walked through the flickering ghostly figures while discussing recent military developments.
"If this continues, our Shadow Crusade will certainly fail."
"The Ultramarines are replenishing personnel and munitions at a speed far exceeding our initial predictions."
"Their mobilization system is more extensive and efficient than any information we obtained before infiltrating."
"What Guilliman constructed in Ultramar was not merely an administrative network but a war machine. Even if its core suffers serious damage, it is a machine that can continue to operate autonomously according to pre-set programs."
The Alpha warrior quietly sighed.
They had thought the Ultramarines suffered great damage in the Battle of Calth, but who would have imagined that Ultramar's fighting strength was this terrifying!
"Then what is the plan for ending this war?"
"At present the upper ranks no longer require the complete annihilation of the Ultramarines and Ultramar — as long as Guilliman is contained and does not interfere with the Warmaster's subsequent actions."
The Word Bearer chaplain opened his mouth and asked.
This battle is truly taking on an increasingly dangerous aspect. It is no wonder Horus is so wary of Guilliman.
Setting everything else aside, if the betrayal at the Battle of Calth had failed,
Guilliman's Ultramarines alone would be able to face the entire rebel army.
"The only way to end this situation is to deal with Guilliman."
The Alpha warrior's tone was extremely cold.
"Dealing with a Primarch is utterly impossible."
Chaplain Whisperer shook his head; he did not believe in that plan.
"Under ordinary circumstances it would never succeed. A surprise attack might be possible, however."
"We have obtained multiple sets of Ultramarines power armor from prisoners."
"This may be a way to approach Guilliman. If we prepare properly, we should be able to succeed."
"..."
The undefeated champion Commodus was locked in a cage, yet he overheard the conversation the traitors exchanged as they passed in front of the prison door.
A sense of unease toward the Primarch sprouted within him. The enemy was clearly plotting an evil plan to harm the Primarch.
Yet there was nothing he could do. He could only wait there for death.
At that time, heavy footsteps rang out.
Commodus looked in the direction of the sound and saw a World Eater whose armor was soaked in blood.
The other person walked toward another cell that housed the recruit trainer Persson, who had not yet undergone surgery.
In the worlds of Ultramar, there exist numerous leaders like Persson.
They are not true Astartes, yet they have undergone surgeries that make them stronger, more enduring, and more determined to fight than ordinary people.
When war mobilization begins, these people can rapidly complete the subsequent surgeries and become excellent Astartes recruits.
This is the breeding strategy Guilliman devised for Ultramar.
These candidates did not undergo all the modification surgeries, yet they were usually instructors, technicians, or fleet officers.
It is what maintains the daily operation of Ultramar's gigantic military apparatus — one of the countless gears that are turning.
When the Ultramarines suffer enormous losses and need to replenish fighting strength rapidly,
these "unfinished products" complete the remaining surgeries in the shortest possible time and transform into Space Marines.
"Looks like you've held out this long thanks to your weak constitution, you weakling."
The World Eater's voice approached the cage and said to Persson, "Do you want to become a super-warrior?"
"Show me your strength."
The World Eater closed the cage bars and gestured for Persson to come out.
"Go to the arena, weakling."
The Ultramarines selected for the previous mission have died in multiple battles.
Now the brothers who need to vent their frustration require still more targets for duels and murder.
Persson stood up from the corner. "You'll regret this. Being killed by a soldier who has not undergone complete genetic modification is a pathetic disgrace."
Hearing this, the World Eater grew somewhat more irritated.
He entered the cell, seized Persson, and lifted him with a swift motion.
"Don't provoke me. Otherwise I'll mercilessly turn you into minced meat."
"Your opponent is this World Eater — me," Commodus said from the side.
Persson turned and looked at the Ultramarine beside him.
"Commodus, your fate has prepared another plan."
Having finished speaking, the World Eater forcibly dragged Persson off toward the arena.
At that very moment, a fierce battle had just ended in the arena. An Ultramarine who had received a gauntlet-style attack had lost his life.
The victorious World Eater beheaded the dead man and roared.
"No..."
The pitiful corpse of the Ultramarines company commander was fixed to the top of the arena with sharp iron hooks.
His eyelids had been cut off so he could not close his eyes; his mouth had been slit, and even the back of his head had been pierced, so that throughout the death struggle in the arena he was forced to constantly look up at his brother.
Aside from letting out powerless roars, this pitiful commander could do nothing.
Persson, who had been brought to the arena, was forced to enter the ring.
He chose a battleaxe and dueled the World Eater who had just achieved victory.
However, because he had ultimately not completed all the genetic modification surgeries, he was shorter than his opponent and had less combat experience.
In only a few rounds, his abdomen was sliced open by the sword in the opponent's hand.
Persson felt intense pain and dropped to his knees.
"Winning this easily — what a weakling."
The World Eater raised his sword and tried to cut off Persson's head and offer it to the Blood God.
However, the next moment, a green light hole suddenly appeared at the place where the World Eater had been and instantly tore his gigantic body apart.
Bright red blood sprayed; it was a truly tragic sight.
At the sudden change of events, everyone present was dumbfounded.