She Was More Terrifying Than Khorne
Nostramo.
Kasgar was basically in despair.
He could almost see a sunny, cheerful young man giving him Kasgar, a wide, happy smile.
(Kotu Warning)
Wow!!!
The only Primarch on the Primarch of Nostramo is Konrad Curze, the Night Lords Primarch of the Eighth Legion.
As for why this brother Konrad Conrad Curze would have such a sunny and cheerful smile, that's a long story.
In short, all the resources on the planet Nostramo are controlled by the upper echelons, and the entire planet is severely polluted and resource-scarce.
"The people are simple and honest."
In the struggle to seize the last scraps left from the Adamantium trade, gangs have taken over and corruption is rampant on the planet.
Curze, a righteous young man obsessed with justice, couldn't stand it anymore: How to solve the problems on the planet?
Clever Curze quickly came up with a good idea.
—Only killing.
Killing may not solve the problem, but it can eliminate the person who caused it.
Curze had no desire to get involved in the power struggles of Nostramo, nor did he ever aspire to any kind of Imperial Crusade expedition in this Death World.
He simply wanted to kill the unjust.
Thus, an urban legend called Night Haunter appeared on the planet.
Curze used countless cruel methods of punishment to drag the entire planet into a chilling, panic-inducing effect.
Soon, Nostramo became a beautiful world where no one would pick up lost items and everyone lived in harmony, without prisons or law enforcement officers.
There are no prisons because the only crime punishable by death.
There were no law enforcement officers because Curze killed all the prisoners.
Unexpectedly, the people of Nostramo, out of fear of being disemboweled and hung on the spire of Gothic buildings by Night Haunter, greatly improved the security of the entire planet. From then on, Curze ruled the planet as the Wise King of Nostramo until the arrival of the Emperor.
It sounds pretty good, actually?
After all, in chaotic times, harsh measures are necessary, and they did indeed clean up that shitty Nostramo.
Compared to geniuses like Magnus and Lorgar, Curze's "little hobby" of liking to kill is almost negligible.
That is, assuming he doesn't go insane.
Because of his extremely powerful Psychic Power abilities, Curze frequently experienced Psychic Power prophecies that caused him increasing mental torment.
Compared to Sanguinius, who also possesses Prophecy, Curze's prophecies are aggressive—like wearing 3D glasses to watch a 360-degree 3D movie anytime, anywhere, one is always at risk of being attacked by illusions that are almost indistinguishable from the real experience.
And this intensified as the Horus Heresy approached.
A Primarch whose mental state is extremely unstable, when he goes into a frenzy, even Rogal Dorn cannot stop him.
This sunny and cheerful young man might suddenly lose his temper one day and unleash a Lightning Claw Kasgar on him—
Wow!!!
No way, this is too scary!
No, this must be refused—
Just as Kasgar was about to refuse the other party, citing the need for the Emperor's Children Legion to be more involved in actual combat during the Great Crusade.
The next moment, a powerful blue light wave enveloped Kasgar's entire body, and a fine frost emanated from Kasgar back, radiating a chill.
Psychic Power!
Before Kasgar could object, the Emperor immediately activated the teleportation system and sent him aboard Angron's War Hounds Legion flagship.
Before leaving, he even sent a Psychic Power communication as a closing message.
I have already notified the Fulgrim fleet that you will be heading to Nostramo along with the Imperial Fists and other legions.
With the last glimmer of light, in the next instant, Kasgar, desperately trying to make a sound, disappeared from the Pride of the Emperor.
About half a standard Terra hour ago.
Inside the reception room of the War Hounds Legion's flagship, the Iron Resolve.
Legion Commander Gale sat nervously in his deputy's seat, his eyes fixed on the empty chief's seat before him.
As instructed by His Majesty the Emperor, the Primarch from the 12th Legion is about to be transported to the battleship Iron Resolve and to this reception room.
As the acting legion commander, Gale will be the first War Hounds to meet the Primarch.
As the first Legion warship to reach the vicinity of this Warp target, the War Hounds remained trapped outside the raging Warp Storm.
Until several standard Terra times later, the churning Warp waves suddenly subsided for some reason.
As the storm subsided slightly, Gale was about to order the new navigator to attempt a warp jump when an unexpected, Auramite suddenly appeared beside his ship.
The enormous and magnificent Pride of the Emperor, accompanied by several fleets of varying sizes, sailed past them in a grand procession.
They had the same destination!
The return of the Primarch will be personally witnessed by the Emperor himself, leading his fleet to complete the welcoming ceremony.
The Pride of the Emperor has appeared here essentially confirms the accuracy of the prophecy.
Shocked, Acting Legion Commander Gale immediately contacted the navigator and helmsman to follow the Pride of the Emperor on a warp jump to Nuceria.
Guided by the powerful navigator of the Pride of the Emperor, the War Hounds Legion was finally able to safely cross the raging Warp Storm and arrive at Mandeville Point in the Nuceria.
Even at the moment the warp was completed, it seemed as if one could see the Eldar warships fleeing in panic.
The disheveled state of hiding in the Webway as the great Emperor arrived.
Forget about these Xenos thieves; the most important thing is Nuceria, where our Primarch resides.
Hiss. Wait a minute.
What about Nuceria?
There may be errors in the Holographic Projection star map, but why is there no planet orbiting outside this huge floor-to-ceiling window, exactly where Nuceria should be?
Legion Commander Gale opened his eyes wide in confusion.
Where is my planet?
Where did my huge planet go?
As the magnificent Pride of the Emperor arrived in the star system, the War Hounds Legion did not see even a trace of it.
The planet recorded in the star chart is missing?
Within those few short decades of disappearance, they vanished completely!
Gale reported the news to the First Expeditionary Fleet, where the Emperor was stationed.
Their reply was simple—wait.
All we need to do is wait, and the Emperor will naturally resolve the issue and transfer the Primarch to the War Hounds Legion's flagship.
As for the reason and the exact location of the Primarch, the liaison personnel of the First Expeditionary Fleet remained tight-lipped and unwilling to say more.
So what can we do? We can only wait.
Corps Commander Gale waited in the reception room, while all the other company commanders waited outside.
But how long will we have to wait?
A golden light flashed, and a giant dressed in simple, rough clothes appeared in the reception room in the next instant.
"Who are you."
Acting Legion Commander Gale straightened up abruptly and looked up to carefully observe the demigod who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
His body was muscular and tall, giving him a strong sense of power—at the same time, his face looked weathered, and even though he wasn't very old, the years seemed to have left many marks on him.
Angron's face may not be as handsome as those Primarch, but his brows still possess a leader's aura that inspires Gale to willingly follow him, making him feel genuinely submissive.
"Sir, Gale, the Company Commander War Hounds Legion, is here to receive your inspection."
"On behalf of the entire War Hounds Legion, I swear my loyalty to you."
He stood up, took a step forward with his white and blue striped steps, and then knelt on one knee.
"Loyalty? To you?"
However, it seems that the Primarch of the War Hounds Legion disregards Gale's and the Legion's loyalty.
"I've seen too many traitors and schemers; they always have such touching and moving stories that they make you want to piss."
The Primarch seemed to speak in a rather vulgar manner.
As he spoke, his face, radiating immense pressure, drew close to Gale. The absolute suppression emanating from the genetic level made it impossible for Gale to breathe.
"But what about in reality? Who can know if you self-proclaimed loyal War Hounds will betray me when I need you most?"
"How will you prove your loyalty to me?"
"I"
Under the Primarch's persistent questioning, Gale found herself in a predicament from which she did not know how to respond.
When he first met the Primarch, he had no idea what the Primarch was thinking.
He could only keep his head down and remain silent.
"Is this your answer?"
The Primarch's tone was tinged with disdain. "Loyalty? It's just another empty promise that can never be fulfilled."
"No!"
Perhaps it was the Primarch's contemptuous attitude that ignited Gale's fighting spirit, for he looked up and retorted sharply, "My lord, to pledge allegiance to you means to give everything to follow you!"
"I am willing to accept whatever you decide, even death."
Even death?
The Primarch seemed indifferent to his words.
"Then go die."
As he spoke, the other party took the Chainaxe, which was the acting legion commander Gale's most frequently used weapon, from the wall and held it to his neck.
Then, the acting legion commander felt a distinct whooshing sound, the sound of an axe blade about to fall.
Gale had never expected, nor would he have imagined, that the Primarch's first act upon arriving inside the Legion would be to attack him, the very person who had expressed his loyalty!
A sense of absurd despair filled his heart.
But Gale still didn't dodge.
Since we made a promise to be absolutely loyal to the Primarch and obey all of the Primarch's orders.
Then he should offer his neck for execution and not try to dodge it.
Even if it means dying a meaningless death at the hands of the Primarch, it is worth it.
In the final moments of his life, Gale closed his eyes.
Time passed slowly, but the expected axe blade did not fall.
"Sizzle—"
"You should really look at your ridiculous, stupid face, the one that's practically begging to be slaughtered."
With that, Angron laughed and tossed the Chainaxe aside, "You, go and call those guys outside in. I have something to say to all of you."
"Yes."
Seeing that the Primarch was not as brutal as he had imagined, Gale breathed a sigh of relief.
"Tsk, wait a minute."
"Find a chance to hide in this room first."
"Send someone else and tell them that I've already killed you."
"I want to see just how many truly courageous company commanders are in this so-called War Hounds legion!"
Angron was not satisfied with the performance of the acting commander of the War Hounds Legion.
He was too submissive, like the slave gladiators of Nuceria, Angron disliked.
He never wanted to be a slave owner, not even when leading his gladiator brothers and sisters who were later found to be traitors. He never treated them as war slaves to be summoned and dismissed at will.
In a sense, Angron prefers those with a rebellious spirit.
(See Istvaan III, "You Played Very Well")
The "massacre" lasted for a very long time.
From the Company Commander to the Seventh Company Captain, not a single person in the entire War Hounds Legion dared to stand up against Angron's indiscriminate killing of company commanders.
The room connected to the reception room was already filled with the "dead" War Hounds commanders. If the next few company commanders didn't show any resistance and offered their necks for slaughter, then that would be truly...
This is so disappointing.
Fortunately, Angron's "slaughter" stopped in front of Kearn, the assault company commander of the 8th Company of the War Hounds.
When faced with Angron's axe blade about to come crashing down, Kearn's approach was slightly different from that of his predecessors.
He dodged it.
After dodging, he continued to reason with Angron.
Even without openly defying Angron's atrocities, Kearn's evasiveness seemed to make him more favored by Angron than the motionless "slaves."
That's enough.
Just as Kearn was about to persuade Angron to take over as legion commander, the Primarch gestured for the company commanders he had "killed" to come out of the compartment behind him.
He received a speech from Kearn, the company commander of the Eighth Company Captain.
Under Kearn's incredulous gaze, the seven company commanders stood in a row with their heads down, like children who had made a mistake.
"Listen, your name is Gale, and so are your company commanders."
"I don't care about your future, but in my legion, I am not a slave owner, and I don't want to see you guys who claim to be my sons following me around like slaves, thinking all day about how to give your lives to serve me."
"Is it so hard to answer the question that I want my legion to be free of slaves?"
Angron's tone suddenly rose to almost a roar, shaking the earth so much that no one dared to utter a long word.
But in reality, Angron was so angry because he cared about the War Hounds Warriors.
It warmed my heart after hearing that.
"And the answer?! Tell me, are there any lackeys in the War Hounds Legion?!"
"No!"
"Speak louder! Answer me!"
"No!!!"
"Good."
The wrinkles around Angron's eyes were tightly knitted together, and this was the first time the company commanders had ever seen the Primarch smile.
"It's a good thing that there are no lackeys."
"Anyone who's got a weak knee and wants to be a slave, get over here and chop off your own head and bring it to me. Don't bother me to do it myself!"
"Did you understand?"
"Clear!!!"
Angron nodded, smiled, and patted Kearn 'Ceramite shoulder. "It's good that you understand."
"However, sir!"
Seeing that the other party didn't seem to mind someone challenging his authority, Kearn took the initiative to speak up.
"I have a name, I'm called Angron. There aren't any adults around here, understand?!"
"Yes, Angron! I have a question I'd like to ask you!"
"Ask."
"Sir, why do you insist that we keep our own ideas? Is this based on your experience or culture during the conquest of your home planet in the past?"
"This level of attention has made us all feel somewhat flattered."
As Kearn spoke, the other company commanders all nodded in agreement with the Eighth Company Captain's statement.
They didn't expect the Primarch to be as tolerant of the Blood Angels as Sanguinius, but Angron seemed to be just as tolerant of the War Hounds as that extremely gentle Primarch.
This person is so kind!
"No, I'm not as great as you imagine."
"I have no intention of becoming a conqueror. When I was above Nuceria, I was nothing more than a powerless slave."
"Slave?!"
This caused quite a stir among the company commanders.
How dare someone, how dare some scoundrel treat the Primarch, whom the War Hounds Legion has waited and looked up to for so long, as a slave!
A sense of anger at being NTR'd welled up in the hearts of the company commanders.
"Sir, please allow our War Hounds to strike and tear to shreds those who dared to treat you as a slave!!!"
"No, it should be that it's no longer needed."
"Sir, what exactly happened? If possible, we War Hounds will definitely seek justice for you!"
One of the company commanders shouted indignantly, and the others echoed his sentiments.
Angron turned his back to the crowd, recalling his years in the Gladiator Arena.
He thought of the elderly Oenomaus.
"This is a rather long story."
Also on the Iron Resolve.
Damn it, Old Man Huang!
You schemed against me!
As a beam of light landed, Kasgar was also teleported by the Emperor to the Iron Resolve.
Angron is free.
But not everyone can gain freedom.
For example, some people named Kasgar seem to have never had one.
With great power comes great responsibility.
The greater the responsibility, the greater the burden becomes.
Yes, the Emperor has taken notice of him.
After a series of twists and turns, they successfully rescued Angron from the tragic fate of being branded with the Butcher's Nails.
The Emperor would naturally not let go of Kasgar, such a useful and handy tool.
He was then immediately sent to Nostramo to provide psychological counseling to the sunny and cheerful young man.
"This is something I can only dream of—"
As the scenery changed, just as Kasgar was about to land and check its surroundings, it was suddenly bumped into by two unknown objects.
"Kasgar—!"
"Waaaaah, you're finally back!!!"
A voice, Fulgrim with sobs, came from above him.
It was Fulgrim and her Emperor's Children Fleet that had previously informed the Emperor of the arrival of the First Fleet at Nuceria.
But just when everyone was confident and ready to claim credit, not only did they fail to find Kasgar, but the entire planet had vanished without a trace!
This really worried Fulgrim.
Not only was there no way to contact the Corsairs under the Emperor's nose, but there was also no trace of Kasgar himself.
It was as if they had truly vanished from the world, leaving no trace of their existence.
Fortunately, despite the situation, the Emperor assured her that Kasgar and the others would survive and asked her to wait on the flagship of the War Hounds Legion, the Steadfast Resolve.
Despite her reluctance and doubts, Fulgrim ultimately complied with the Emperor's request and boarded the transfer ship to wait aboard the Iron Resolve.
Unexpectedly, just as the Emperor had said, the Kasgar she had longed for was indeed transported to this warship.
"Kasgar! Are you alright? Have you encountered any problems these past few days? Have you experienced any other changes in your body?"
"You and the entire Nuceria have disappeared. Were you attacked? Were you injured?"
Having recovered from his initial near-suffocation, Fulgrim cupped Kasgar's face in his hands, bombarding him with questions while gently stroking his cheeks.
Have.
I've become Asuryan.
Kasgar looked at Fulgrim.
Of course, I couldn't actually say that to her.
"It's a long story. I encountered a very strange, Bloodthirsty Xenos right here in Nuceria."
"Oh? What kind of Bloodthirsty Xenos? Is it dangerous?"
Fulgrim was holding Kasgar tightly, changed her position and sat Kasgar on her lap.
Next, Kasgar emphasized the cunning, treachery, and evil of the Bloodthirsty Xenos, highlighting their powerful ability to assimilate humans. He stressed that these damned Blood Xenos would likely become an inevitable obstacle for humanity's Great Crusade.
Well!
How could the Blood Xenos be so evil!
Then Kasgar went on to recount in detail his encounter with the Dark Eldar, starting with the predicament Nuceria faced and how he eventually escaped from the lair of those Warp Xenos.
Of course, the details about Asuryan emanating from his body were omitted.
In any case, after confronting Khorne, the orange-red crystal lost all its luster, having exhausted all its energy.
With just a small fragment, he was able to stand against a Chaos Gods for a period of time. It is very likely that Asuryan at his peak was far more powerful than Kasgar imagined.
"Finally, I landed on the Pride of the Emperor and was urged by the Emperor himself to go to Nostramo to meet the new Primarch."
"Yes, that's right. Our Sons of the Emperor fleet will also be heading to Nostramo soon, following the Emperor."
After hearing Kasgar's story, Fulgrim smiled and nodded.
It seems Fulgrim really enjoyed the story. Did Kasgar manage to get away with it?
He breathed a sigh of relief, "If there's nothing else, let's hurry back to the legion!"
"We are about to head to Nostramo, and as the perfect Legion, we need to be fully prepared for the new Primarch we will encounter—"
"Don't go."
A cold, merciless Iron Hands grabbed Kasgar's body as it tried to leave, and the arms quickly hooked Kasgar's upper body from the front.
Fulgrim moved closer to Kasgar's back, and he could even feel the other's soft breathing.
It's a little itchy.
Of course, aside from the itching, Kasgar was mostly afraid.
Kasgar was truly terrified at this moment.
It's more frightening than facing Khorne.
Before the Brass Citadel, when the enormous, blood-red phantom on the Bronze Throne cast a glance toward Kasgar.
That powerful sense of oppression emanating from mountains of corpses and seas of blood can indeed bring extreme fear on both a physiological and psychological level.
Those with weak wills will be corrupted into a Chaos Egg by the overwhelming killing power even with just a glance.
But Kasgar persevered.
It's just Dog-headed Man with one side paralyzed! It's no big deal!
Kasgar's courage was enough to overcome Khorne's corruption.
—But at this moment, he couldn't maintain that confident feeling in front of Fulgrim.
I'm scared.
This time, Kasgar was truly afraid.
It's really scary.
Kasgar could sense that the Fulgrim before him was far more terrifying and horrifying than the Khorne he had previously needed!
"I have another question—why, why does Angel appear in this story? Kasgar?"
Broken.
She discovered my blind spot.
Kasgar was plunged into despair.
"If I remember correctly, when you left, you didn't seem to say that Sanguinius would be going with you, did you?"
"Furthermore, I've also heard Primarch that the Blood Angels went missing the very next day, and was only discovered today above Nuceria. What's going on, Kasgar?"
Yes, yes.
What happened?
Kasgar was actually quite curious about this as well.
But it really happened, and it wasn't Kasgar's fault!
"Ha ha."
He smiled.
Then, a moment later, she smiled too.
Help—ah—
Ah--
Ah~
Ah.
The other observation room on the Iron Resolve was silent.
A few days later.
Still aboard the Iron Resolve.
"Gentlemen, after these days of training and interaction, I believe you all understand my character and preferences regarding the principles I want you to uphold!"
"If you don't understand, that's alright. I'll reiterate here—I, Angron, do not want to see any slaves or lackeys in the Legion! Gentlemen, any questions?"
"--no problem!"
The 12th Legion Space Marine standing in front of Angron answered.
During these days of contact, Angron spared no effort in investigating and boosting morale and improving the soldiers' thinking throughout the 12th Legion.
Not only do superior-subordinate relationships exist only in battle, but even the Space Marine's squires, Angron, stipulate that Space Marine must give each other the respect they deserve.
Otherwise, they will face the Primarch's own iron fist.
Perhaps Angron's previous work seemed meaningless because his combat strength was so weak.
But after burning away all the Blood God's corrupting influence in front of the Brass Citadel, Angron's strength is now no less than that of any Primarch!
Original strength plus war experience and wisdom gained through learning!
The current Angron is arguably ten Lorgar stronger than the Butcher's Nails wet item from a certain timeline!
That's not all!
"Good!"
"At the same time, the name of our 12th Legion will also be changed today."
"Perhaps many of you call yourselves loyal War Hounds, but I, Angron, dislike the word 'loyalty,' which implies absolute obedience from subordinate to superior!"
The War Hounds Legion is about to receive a new name.
"We will not be War Hounds at the feet of others; we should be the masters of the world!"
"From this day forward, the 12th Legion will be called the [World Eaters]!"
"The World Eaters!"
"The World Eaters!"
"The World Eaters!"
As Angron delivered his speech, a deafening roar of Space Marine filled the flagship named Iron Resolve.
Of course, the current flagship is no longer called Resolute or Conqueror.
Angron also dislikes the conquerors.
Now, the flagship is named the Insurgent.
They originally wanted to name it the Rebel, but that seemed too unconventional and was rejected by the Imperium bureaucrats on board.
The impact is indeed not good.
"Our next task is also very simple."
"Captain Sallin, you explain."
At Angron's signal, Captain Lotara Salin stepped forward. "Thank you, Commander Angron, for giving me this opportunity to introduce our fleet's future destination to you all."
"As per the Emperor's request, we will soon travel with the Sons of the Emperor, the Imperial Fists, and the Emperor's own fleet to a planet Nostramo, where we will welcome the return of another Primarch."
Compared to the original story's expedition to Nostramo, this Nostramo is missing Lorgar and Philus, Primarch are currently on Great Crusade around the world.
There's now Angron who can absorb the negative emotions of others.
With Butcher's Nails gone, Angron's ability to absorb the negative emotions of others becomes even more crucial.
Once Curze's symptoms can be alleviated even slightly, the rebels' fighting strength will be reduced by several points again, thanks to Koz's individual combat capabilities.
Everything is progressing in a positive direction.
After the World Eaters finished their collective speech, the Space Marine, now given new names, dispersed, looking forward to the new Primarch they would encounter in Nostramo.
Meanwhile, Angron and the company commanders stood near the boarding gate, seeing off Fulgrim and Kasgar, who were about to return to the Pride of the Emperor flagship.
"Kasgar, thank you for everything you taught me on Nu. It's an honor to have you as a brother."
Angron was arguably the most unpretentious Primarch, as he embraced Kasgar at their farewell.
Okay, take care.
However, Kasgar's answer seemed somewhat listless.
As the commander of the Sons of the Emperor and also the one who Nuceria at the time, Kasgar appeared to be in very poor condition.
Not only did she become much thinner, but she also developed dark circles under her eyes from working so hard.
It was as if someone had drained all the life force from them.
Is the Great Crusade Expedition really this arduous? Kasgar has become so haggard in just a few days.
Angron thought to himself.
"Alright, Angron. See you in Nostramo!"
As for Fulgrim, he was beaming with joy.
However, Angron seemed to sense that the other person's heart wasn't as joyful as she appeared.
Seem
It seems she still has a lot of worries weighing on her mind.
Angron thought of his ability to absorb the negative emotions of others.
Let's share some of the burden with her.
He stretched out his hand, pointing it at Fulgrim, and closed his eyes.
He activated his power.
Then he froze in place, not moving.
Goodbye, Brothers Angron!
"Angron?"
Angron remained silent until Kasgar and Fulgrim boarded the transfer ship and left the Rebel.
"Sir?"
What's going on here?
Eighth Company Captain Kearn slowly stepped forward and asked...
Kasgar! I love you! I hate you!
I want to grass-feed you!
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I hate you, I love...
Angron crawled on his hands and knees, beginning to move through the shadows.
"Quick! Stop the Primarch!!!"
"Quick!"