Deep within the Eye of Terror.
At the very core, wrapped in countless layers of Warp energy, this place had once been nothing more than an ordinary part of the universe.
However, because it was closest to The Great Rift and the first to endure the corruption of Warp fel energy, the worlds here had been almost entirely taken over by the Warp.
Subsequently, to utilize the laws of the Warp for various profane mechanical forgings, this area became the most densely populated region for the Dark Mechanicum. Due to its advanced production capacity, it also became the heart of the Chaos Traitors within the Eye of Terror.
At this moment, on a certain Shrine World.
Unlike the holy worlds of the Ecclesiarchy, a Chaos Shrine World enshrined nearly all the Dark Gods within the Warp.
Every Chaos follower could find a shrine to the Dark God they followed here, making it their final recourse for inner peace.
Yet, unlike the usual bloody profanities performed by Chaos followers, the Shrine World had recently become eerily crowded and quiet.
The Word Bearers Legion on the Shrine World looked up at the overwhelming fleet in orbit and the dense armies on the ground, for a moment thinking they were back in the days of the Great Heresy!
For not only were warships gathered in orbit, but the ground was covered not just with Astartes and traitorous Knight Houses, but even several Titan Legions!
Looking at these towering god-machines, the Word Bearers were speechless at how well the Dark Mechanicum could hide their assets.
Then they watched as these former Legions sat kneeling in silence within the grand open-air prayer plazas. While enduring various physical corruptions and mutations, they displayed a level of reverence and anticipation far exceeding what they had ever shown any Dark God.
Although no new prayers had appeared yet, as more fleets arrived and the gathered armies grew denser, a single name began to wander across the entire world, coalescing from endless whispered murmurs.
"My Lord Sith."
"The Compassionate One for the Defeated."
The Chaos Traitors rarely called themselves traitors, because the Battle of Terra back then had a certain aesthetic of two sides clashing on equal footing.
Whoever lost was the traitor!
Thus, the nine Legions gathered here did not believe they had betrayed the Empire; they merely believed they hadn't won the fight that day.
And now, the suddenly appeared Sith not only promised to wash away their corruption but would also lead them to Terra once more. They would show the other half of the Legions, those who couldn't hold the Empire, who truly represented the real Empire.
This kind of salvation, spanning both flesh and spirit, drew the loyalty of these former Legions far more than Abaddon's Long War, which was driven purely by revenge.
After all, as Abaddon's war dragged on, except for his core troops who were veterans of the Great Heresy, the rank and file were almost entirely new-generation Warbands or even hired pirates and neutral parties like the Iron Warriors.
But now, kneeling in the grand plaza praying to Sith were not only countless Warbands but also a massive, endless number of veterans from the Ancient Legions.
Even some Dreadnoughts, under the respectful guidance of the Ancient Legion veterans, struggled to reach this world where Sith promised them redemption.
Looking at these re-assembled Ancient Legions, the Word Bearers of the Shrine World felt an aura similar to the moment they had just finished the duel at Terra and were steadily retreating into the Eye of Terror while holding off the Loyalist siege.
At the same time, a group of 'cleansed' traitors who had completely removed their upper armor, led by Word Bearers who had explicitly left their original Legion, automatically became Astartes Chaplains of the 'Sith Legion'. Using themselves as living examples, they led the Ancient Legions in devout prayer over and over: 'My Lord Sith'!
Black Skull stood before a group of ancient veterans who still remembered they belonged to the Word Bearers. Watching these veterans pray to the name of Sith under his leadership, Black Skull felt that these religious zealots were even more like fanatical believers of Sith than he was.
On the other side, the Word Bearers who had been cleansed earlier no longer bore various profane scriptures or the names of Dark Gods on their faces. They had all been replaced by the name of Sith in black and gold, along with 'famous quotes' once spoken by Sith, frantically collected from various sources.
These quotes, interpreted by the most devout believers among the cleansed Word Bearers, were transformed into various scriptures and began to be inscribed anew on their exposed, normal flesh.
This prayer did not last for just a day or a few days. In fact, as early as two months ago, a massive number of Ancient Legions had already begun to gather here.
During these two months, more Ancient Legions arrived every moment, piloting warships as ancient as their Legions.
Now, as the time promised by Sith drew closer, even with the previous two months of meditative prayer, an uncontrollable agitation began to appear across the entire Shrine World.
No one moved, but 'My Lord Sith' was no longer a wandering murmur; it swept through like a thunderous shout!
The momentum was so stirring that even the local Word Bearers of the Shrine World, who had not chosen to side with Sith, felt compelled to use psychic power to project a countdown timer high above the plaza.
Everyone watched as the psychic second hand ticked toward the final moment. When all the hands overlapped perfectly, the agitated world instantly fell into a deathly silence.
And then...
There was no deliberate delay, yet the orbit everyone looked toward showed no change at all.
All the warships in orbit with their scanners fully active found no trace of any Warp jump.
Every Astartes' heart skipped a beat. But just as they looked toward Black Skull and the cleansed traitors in confusion, the moment their gaze shifted downward, right above their heads, in the center of the plaza, upon that massive psychic clock, a black and gold hull pulled itself out from transparency.
Only then did everyone realize that Sith's flagship had already appeared at the Shrine World.
And it was at a near-point-blank distance, observing every Legion veteran who hoped for Sith's redemption.
What shocked the veterans even more was that when the flagship fully revealed its form—though the primary colors had changed and the statues were different—many recognized it almost instantly as the 'Imperator Somnium'.
Combined with this being the first reunion in ten thousand years since the Great Heresy, when everyone discovered that their new leader, Sith, was actually piloting the 'Imperator Somnium', the already stirred emotions of the Legion veterans grew even more fervent.
Because even for the defeated Legion veterans, every mention of the Great Crusade was filled with infinite nostalgia and glory.
And now, their new Lord of the Legion would lead them on a new crusade.
And this time, the 'Imperator Somnium' was on their side!
The boundless sea of people held their breath in a dead silence.
As orac fully revealed its form, its exaggerated cannons pointed at the Shrine World below, the Word Bearers Warband here wisely chose to shut down all anti-air fire.
Then, under everyone's tense gaze, a sphere of black thunderous sun from the top of orac...
Slowly ascended into the sky!
"Follow me out."
"I will take you..."
"...to Terra once more!"
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