Celebration

With the triumphant ceremony and celebrations welcoming the Primarch back overlapping, Terra welcomed a grand military parade.

Five hours before the celebration began, ribbons of color swept parallel across the clouds over Terra, flying quickly through every area.

The Stormbird form the center, with fighter jets and bombers forming the two wings.

Malcador's special fuel, prepared for the solemnity of the celebration, caused the colorful rays of the tail flame to pierce through the dim clouds.

As the fighter jets roared overhead, every citizen of Terra could directly feel the power of the Imperium.

Countless Terra gathered beneath the giant holographic screens erected in various Hive City, gazing up at the images overhead.

As the visual runes flashed, the holographic screen lit up simultaneously.

The Emperor of Mankind clad in golden armor occupied the entire screen.

The people of the Imperium craned their necks and stared wide-eyed at the Master of Mankind.

In the Hive City Iphigenius, golden light shone in the eyes of the people of Terra.

The first person crossed their arms in front of their chest and performed the Aquila Salute.

Inspired by him, one person after another followed suit.

"The Emperor!"

"Master of Mankind!"

Cheers from the people of Terra echoed throughout the Hive City.

The same scene unfolded on a high platform constructed of steel.

Nobles, Imperium officials, and wealthy merchants all praised the Emperor in unison.

Amid cheers, the Emperor raised his arm and pressed down with one hand.

The cheers then subsided, and the Emperor spoke.

"Today, I would like to introduce you to one of my sons."

"He is the fifth Primarch to return to the Imperium, he is the Primarch of the 10th Legion, he is the Iron Hands..."

Manus walked to the Emperor's side, and in the giant screens of Hive City, they saw giants clad in black armor and with silver hands.

"Ferrus Manus!"

The Spectator erupted in cheers and shouts.

"The Emperor offspring!"

"Ferrus Manus!"

The Emperor smiled and spoke to Manus.

"My son, I expect you to lead the 10th Legion, conquer the Galaxy, Purification the Xenos, and reclaim the human colonies."

Manus felt the enthusiasm of the people, and his usually stern face was filled with excitement.

He crossed his arms in the Aquila Salute, his voice, heavy as lead, drowning out the cheers.

"Father, I swear on my own two hands that I will carry out your will, leading the Iron Hands to wipe out the enemies of mankind!"

Manus walked briskly toward the throne where his personal banner was hung.

"The military parade begins!"

The Shadow of Order, clad in black armor, led the way onto the 500-meter-long, 5-kilometer-wide parade route, receiving cheers from the Spectator.

The other Chapter did not follow Nimrod to the Sol System, so the parade consisted of 3,010 members of the Honor Guard from this batch.

They were the most outstanding Shadow of Order in the "Wheel of Fire" campaign, with even the one with the fewest kills taking down over a hundred Orks.

They wore at least two commemorative medals, and 130 of them had Iron Halo personally awarded by the Primarch hanging behind their heads.

This means that they all demonstrated exceptional initiative in at least one battle, achieving results that influenced the course of the battle.

The camera captures images, converts them into video signals, and transmits them to the Sonic Array.

The Sage of the Adeptus Mechanicus lead a team of Tech-Priest, maintaining the Sonic Array and distributing video signals to each Hive City.

Following closely behind the Shadow of Order were the Space Wolves, led by their Wolf Lord Jorin and Enoch Rashivin, both clad in dark gray Power Armor, as they marched onto the parade route.

Standing on the high platform, Nimrod looked down and could see the Space Wolves' resentment.

Especially evident in the fury flashing in Jorin and Rashivin's eyes, their desire to win the hunt was evident, and they were the first to appear.

The third contingent to march onto the parade route consisted of Faceless Ones clad in amber armor.

Suarez, Erlin, and Mads led their teams forward with great strides.

The Faceless Ones joined the war in the later stages of the "Wheel of Fire" campaign, and they had no complaints about being placed at the back of the Legiones Astartes.

The three Legiones Astartes stood in neat formation below the high platform.

The people of Terra cheered enthusiastically. The Astartes were the main force behind the Emperor's Great Crusade, and they had recovered one lost colony after another for the Imperium.

Malcador's propaganda machine further convinced them that it was the Eleventh, Sixth, and Second Legions who fought a desperate battle in the Wheel of Fire System to Purification the evil Xenos.

They knew that the fewest of the Shadow of Order, clad in black armor, were at the center.

This is because the Shadow of Order achieved the greatest results, and Primarch Nimrod personally slew the powerful Orks warlords.

On the right side of the formation were the Space Wolves in dark gray armor; they suffered the greatest casualties, with their achievements second only to the Shadow of Order.

On the left are the Faceless Ones in amber armor; they were the last to join the war. Lord Hannibal was the last Primarch to return to the Imperium.

"Shadow of Order!"

"Space Wolves!"

"Faceless Ones!"

In the Hive City of Iphigenius, a skilled worker with calloused hands said to his two sons:

"The next selection will be soon. You must work hard to become a member of the Shadow of Order and fight for the Emperor."

"Luna Wolves is fine too."

His quick-witted and astute second son asked, "Why not Space Wolves or Faceless Ones?"

"Lord Horus and Nimrod are not only the first two Primarch to return."

More importantly, the Luna Wolves and the Shadow of Order are the two legions with the greatest combat record.

"Next to me," another female technician said loudly.

"My son, one of the new batch of candidates who passed the selection process, came home to say goodbye before going to Luna."

"I heard him say that in the current selection, the top twenty belong to 'Luna Wolves' and 'Shadow of Order'."

"In the past, the top fifteen were candidates from the Luna Wolves, and the rest were from other legions. When Lord Nimrod first returned to the Imperium, the sixteenth to thirtieth places were held by the Shadow of Order."

"Currently, the first place is the Luna Wolves candidate, the second place is the Shadow of Order, and the third place is also the Shadow of Order..."

She said proudly:

"The best candidates will go to these two legions, and the rest will go to other legions. My son, Ethan, was the second best."

"He will become a candidate for the Shadow of Order, loyal to the Emperor, and serving Lord Nimrod!"

The worker father, who had spoken earlier, exclaimed in amazement, "That's truly remarkable!"

He stared at the woman with wide eyes, filled with envy.

As they spoke, the ground in the parade ground rumbled and shook, and the Titan of the Adeptus Mechanicus strode in.

Looking down, Nimrod that the Titan's paint wasn't the green of the "Morning Star Titan Legion," but rather the red of Mars.

He understood that they were there as a ceremonial force for the military parade.

Malcador's purpose in having them participate was to demonstrate the strength of the Imperial Army, boost the morale of the Terra people, and encourage them to serve the Imperium more actively.

The Skitarii marched in orderly formation, stepping forward on either side of and beneath the Titan, looking like ants at the giant's feet.

After Titan stood still, the Emperor's majestic voice rang out again, and the camera focused on the platform.

"At the end of the celebration, honors were bestowed upon the three Primarch who achieved the greatest victories in the 'Wheel of Fire' campaign."

"My three sons, please come forward."

Nimrod, Russ, and Hannibal emerged from under the banner and, under Manus's envious gaze, walked behind the Emperor.

Nimrod is in the center, Russ is on the right, and Hannibal is on the left.

The Emperor turned around and saw the gleam in Manus's eyes—ambition, a burning passion for achieving great things.

He turned his gaze back to the three Primarch in front of him with satisfaction.