Ullanor

Terra

That was when Horus had just been brought back to Terra from Khorosnia by a group of mechanical monsters with hardly any flesh on their bodies.

Horus met his father, whom he had never imagined he would have in his life.

Emperor.

As a being with a thousand faces, we may never know what the Emperor looked like in Horus's eyes. But according to Horus's interviews with the narrator, it seems that in his eyes, the Angel Sanguinius was the most Emperor -like being.

Alas, Horus.

For the next thirty years, or more precisely, including the two hundred years of the Great Crusade, Horus remained by the Emperor's side, learning and growing.

Until he grew from a clueless young man from Khorosnia into a capable expeditionary commander.

During this period, the Emperor taught Horus a great deal.

Even after Horus acquired the Primarch's pre-loaded knowledge brain, he still found it difficult to accept the many mysteries the Emperor imparted to him.

In Horus's eyes, the Emperor always seemed to be filled with infinite divinity.

His emperor was always so powerful and invincible.

His words were always full of boundless wisdom, and Horus needed to ponder each sentence for a long time to understand its meaning.

No difficulty can stop him, and no sinner can escape from his grasp.

He will never make a mistake, never.

This was always Horus's thought when he was young.

The Emperor was a perfect being, a being beyond humanity, and even a higher being than the Primarch.

He possesses a mind far more profound than that of mortals, one that is impossible for anyone to fathom, and his power is even more extraordinary: the Adeptus Custodes and Space Marine created by science and technology alone are beings that Horus could never and absolutely not match.

Not to mention his own powerful physical strength and vast Psychic Power energy— Horus could assert that there was no being as powerful as the Emperor in the entire galaxy, no, in the entire universe.

After countless years of conflict, he unified Terra, and his army is about to unite all the lost worlds in the Great Crusade, bringing humanity back together!

As a model and example for all humanity in the world and the universe, the Emperor is always right.

Whether it was from the very first time he met the Emperor, or in his later studies and when he officially led the Sixteen Legions in the expedition.

Before Horus, the Emperor was always a powerful and unapproachable figure.

But now, the situation seems to be slightly different.

After receiving the signal and coordinates from the Emperor, the teleportation Radiance flashed and enveloped everyone present.

This includes the remaining squad members who are waiting for them to come up from the surface.

And the Imperial Adeptus Custodes, Lunar Wolves Gatling, and the Sons of the Emperor who fell off the cliff one after another.

Despite the Emperor's severe injury from the mech- Orks, his Psychic Power remains unfathomable.

Under his calculations and transmission, all the Adeptus Custodes, Lunar Wolves, and the Sons of the Emperor present were teleported back to the Pride of the Emperor.

However, the Emperor himself does not seem to be in a very good situation at present.

Although Horus's help prevented him from being crushed to death by the Orks, he was clearly not as composed as he had been when he set off:

It was a disheveled state that defied description—not only was the Emperor's armor, which had once shone with unparalleled golden light, now dulled and lost its former luster amidst the Orks' blood and grime, but it was also shattered and cracked from the blows and cuts of those Greenskin Xenos' weapons.

They won, but it was a Pyrrhic victory.

Horus stared blankly at the Emperor who was being supported by him, wanting to say something but unable to utter a word.

The Emperor once again achieved victory in a new battle, just like before, but the feeling was different.

In the past, when Horus fought alongside the Emperor, he was always so calm and composed, so at ease.

In Horus's mind, the Emperor fighting alongside him in battle was more like a trial.

Always watching over him from afar, allowing him to unleash his boundless imagination in battle command and gain new combat experience.

It should never be this pathetic.

"Emperor?"

Horus called out softly, his heart filled with a mixture of doubt and disbelief.

"What's wrong, Horus?"

"No. It's nothing, Father."

"My lord, you need to rest."

"I understand," the Emperor said, waving his hand gently to indicate that the Adeptus Custodes behind him wanted to help him back to rest. "Horus, the battle is not over."

The battle is far from over.

"But the Greenskin will never recover from such a devastating blow," Horus said with a sense of bewilderment. "They are already broken—it will be at least several thousand years before humans can see the Beast rise again."

"I sincerely hope you are right, my son. But the reality is more complicated and more critical: the Dragon Star Sector is nothing more than an exclave."

"They belong to the largest Ork Empire ever formed, and they are the biggest obstacle to the continuation of the Great Crusade."

The Emperor smiled at Horus, a smile that made Horus's heart skip a beat, "We are about to launch an unprecedented war—right here in Ullanor. All the honor and victory will be yours to claim, my son."

"It is my duty."

Horus knelt on one knee.

With the help of the Adeptus Custodes, the Emperor slowly left the deck of the Pride of the Emperor before Horus's eyes and walked toward the cabin at the bow.

Horus was somewhat stunned as he watched the Emperor and the Adeptus Custodes walk away.

The being that was originally countless times taller than him, radiating golden light that could blind others, now appeared so hunched over.

It's not quite the same as the Emperor in Horus's memory.

He thought to himself.

Was that really him, the Emperor Horus had always worshipped, the father he had always revered?

Even at the very end, Horus could hardly believe what had just happened.

Emperor really that weak? He can't even defeat a mech- Orks?

Or perhaps the Emperor himself has always been like this, only he— Horus —has become stronger?

That was also the first time Horus realized that the Emperor was not as powerful as he had imagined.

He is also someone who can be defeated.

Although Horus would not allow this to happen.

Emperor are not always right.

Blade Storm.

This flagship, belonging to Chagatai Khan, the ruler of the Fifth Legion, possesses a speed and instantaneous acceleration unmatched by any other Gloriana-class Battleship in the world.

This is the Khan's guerrilla philosophy—speed is always the top priority in all metrics.

But when Horus performed the Centaur gold ring before him, Chagatai Khan, who had made an excuse to leave, watched the instantaneous acceleration of the flagship and once again marveled at the foresight of the previous design.

Luckily, I ran fast.

Fortunately, the Primarch who boarded the Blade Storm this time was neither Horus nor one of those delusional guys that the Khan hated.

"Welcome, my brother! What good news have you brought me?"

The Khan smiled and walked forward with his arms outstretched. Perhaps his relationship with the other Primarch brothers was rather cold, and many people were not willing to get to know the Khan better.

However, you should still be a little more enthusiastic in your performance.

As he spoke, he stepped forward and embraced the giant wearing blue power armor inlaid with gold.

Roboute Guilliman, Lord of the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar, commands the largest legion in the Great Crusade, but also the most bloated in the Khan's eyes— the Ultramarines.

"This is a message from the Emperor."

Roboute still had a furrowed brow and looked deep in thought.

"He will send us to the Ullanor system to join Horus and Fulgrim in a campaign to annihilate the Ork Empire there."

The Ultramarines Legion and the White Scars Legion are the new reinforcements that the Emperor has deployed in his fight against the Ork Empire.

The Ullanor Ork Empire had grown so powerful that it was beyond human comprehension— the Lunar Wolves and the Sons of the Emperor alone could not possibly defeat the terrifying Greenskin that surged like a tidal wave.

This forced them to rely on Guilliman's blue-skinned Orks as a countermeasure.

"The Lunar Wolves?" The Khan clearly looked troubled.

This is a bit tricky.

"Brother, I heard that you and Horus cooperated extremely closely, and your interactions and tactical exchanges were exemplary among the Primarch."

But that's all in the past now.

At some unknown point in time, some unknown events occurred, causing Chagatai Khan to avoid Horus from then on and never dare to cooperate with Lunar Wolves again.

This puzzled Guilliman greatly.

Did some conflict occur between them?

—But that shouldn't be the case. Horus is a very kind person. Although Guilliman and Horus didn't cooperate much, he could still feel the other's genuine friendliness and gentleness.

What exactly happened that could Chagatai Khan, a former friend of Horus, like this?

"It's best not to bring it up."

As one of the few humans with normal thinking among the Primarch, Jaghatai felt out of place.

Let's deal with these damned Ork Empire quickly and then run away!

"So now it's just the two of our legions heading to the Ullanor system together?"

"No."

Guilliman looked helpless. "Although the Emperor's orders only include our two legions, it seems that some brothers and sisters are on their way after hearing the news."

"Oh? What does that mean?"

"For the position of Warmaster."

Despite his siblings' perception of Guilliman as a wild and ambitious man who should be guarded against, Guilliman was not without his own.

But he really had no desire to become Warmaster or a higher position.

—At least not during the First Imperium.

"I have heard about that—with the recent return of our last brother, Alpharius, all the Primarch have now returned to the Imperium, and the position of Warmaster will be decided soon."

The Khan is an outsider; he has no intention of becoming Warmaster.

"That's why there is now a powerful Ork Empire in the Ullanor star system, which is more terrifying than any other Xenos force we have encountered before."

This most glorious achievement is enough to be the deciding factor in the election of the Warmaster.

"You mean, only by conquering the Primarch of the Ullanor Ork Empire can one become Warmaster?"

It seems that among the four Primarch Legions, excluding the marginal Khan and the unsuitable Warmaster Fulgrim and Guilliman, only Horus and his Lunar Wolves can enjoy this honor.

"Doesn't this seem a bit like a pre-arranged deal?"

"Who can argue with that?" Guilliman agreed with a smile. "I still believe in Father's decision—but some of my brothers and sisters are clearly dissatisfied."

"They are heading towards Ullanor from all directions. To be honest, it will be an unimaginable Primarch battle."

What kinds are there? For example—

"Philus. The Iron Hands has always been a strong contender for the Warmaster position, and she is equally determined to win it."

"Magnus is also on his way here."

Magnus?

"He's probably just here for the fun. I don't understand this guy's interest in witchcraft—though he's been saying lately that what he uses isn't witchcraft."

It's very mysterious.

Nobody knows what strange things he's up to.

"All right."

The Khan silently pondered this in his mind once again.

Regardless of who becomes the next Warmaster, he should take the initiative to continue to deploy his war zone to more remote areas.

The more remote the better.

So be it, I'll be a barbarian. As long as I don't have the Centaur gold ring, I'll be a primitive man.

"Where are we going next? The star system in the Ullanor sector is the place Father promised us."

"No, Jaghatai, our destination is the Dragon Star Sector. The Emperor, the Lunar Wolves, and the Emperor's Children Legion are all there fighting against the Ork Empire's forces."

"Let's go there and meet up with them first."

"Alright, alright." Jaghatai nodded gently.

In front of the Dalit Warp Gate.

"Prepare for Warp."

Although Jaghatai did not know how this stargate teleportation device worked, he was very fond of transportation.

Jaghatai especially favored those very fast modes of transportation.

After returning to the Imperium, he naturally became very fond of this Dalit cluster stargate.

Warp teleportation via stargates can save a significant amount of travel time—just like it is now.

In just a few days, they leaped out of the dazzling world of Warp and into the real space of the Dragon Star Sector.

According to previous Astropathic Communication, the Emperor, Lunar Wolves, and the Sons of the Emperor's warships are currently besieging the Orks planet Geron.

If there are no errors in the information, they should be near this landing star system.

"It's over there! Bro! Look to your right! That planet that's off course!"

With the keen eyesight of a steppe eagle, Jaghatai quickly spotted the Orks planet and the Imperium Expeditionary Fleet, where a fierce battle was taking place.

The distance was so great that only with his Primarch vision could he perceive the distant planets and Imperial Fleet clusters, which appeared as tiny dots.

"Rush to their aid immediately—wait a minute. That Orks planet seems to be disintegrating!"

"We need to get the Expeditionary Fleet's communications back in order to get some answers."

In this urgent situation, Blade Storm, possessing the strongest mobility, charged forward even faster Glory of Macragge.

"But don't worry, I'll share the signal with you."

Chagatai Khan's tone carried a hint of pride.

He and his men from the grasslands are about to engage in the fierce battle that follows.

Then--?

Then, in Roboute Guilliman's vision, the Orks planet Geron, which was on the verge of collapse, seemed to erupt with an incomprehensible wave of power—

Then, the entire planet exploded.

"You won?"

Gazing from the distance aboard the Macragge, Guilliman breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the Geron explode like fireworks.

But it seems that the other Primarch has no way to breathe a sigh of relief.

Khan's flagship, the Blade Storm, turned back at an even faster speed than before.

"Brother.?"

His terrified expression suggested he had witnessed some indescribable horror.

That's terrifying!

Guilliman couldn't see it, but he saw it all clearly!

Upon receiving the signal from the Expeditionary Fleet and connecting to their live feed, Chagatai Khan was filled with horror as he discovered just how these guys had managed to defeat the Orks!

"Horus's Palm Life After Life!!!"

The palm strike delivered in that Holographic Projection not only shattered the heads of those Orks, but also shattered Chagatai Khan's long-held worldview and philosophy of life.

This also shattered Chagatai Khan's last remaining hope that "Horus might not be insane by now!"

The White Scars are a legion that places great importance on art, which is different from the impression others have of them.

In his leisure time, the White Scars Space Marine often drank wine, recited poetry, and was skilled in calligraphy and painting.

But it's definitely not this kind of art.

Horus Horus has gone mad.

He was completely immersed in his art and couldn't extricate himself from it.

If only Horus had gone mad, the Khan would be saddened, but life would still go on.

But what does it mean that his incredibly awkward Horus's Three Divine Techniques actually worked when dealing with the Orks?

Why do such crazy tricks actually work?

The Chagatai Khan's pupils were trembling.

Could it be that the one who's gone mad isn't Horus, but this treacherous world?!

Does this mean that the best way to deal with Orks in the future is to learn from Horus and use the Horus's Three Divine Techniques together?

Thinking of this, Chagatai Khan felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, and his heart was ice-cold.

This world!

He's gone mad!!!

The above is Guilliman's record when he arrived in the Dragon Star Sector.

Although Chagatai Khan was extremely unhappy, the Orks chieftain of the Dragon Star Sector had been killed, and the remaining Orks stragglers naturally fell into continuous infighting and could no longer pose any threat to them.

The results are truly outstanding!

He could say nothing more about Horus's behavior.

Their next destination will be the Ullanor Star Region.

There, there will be even more terrifying and ferocious Orks than on Geron, and the number of Orks planets encountered will be even greater.

They must make thorough preparations before advancing into the Ullanor Star Sector.

Otherwise, even if the Emperor himself came, he would have almost capsized under the powerful force of the Orks.

After clearing out the local Orks forces, Guilliman and Khan's armies officially joined forces with the Expeditionary Fleet.

I see.

"This is indeed an effective method."

At the Emperor's request, Guilliman ordered the Ultramarines fleet to disperse to various star systems in the Dragon Star Sector to wipe out the remaining Orks. During this time, Guilliman obtained the holographic footage of the battle that had shocked Chagatai Khan.

It does look somewhat unbelievable.

Watching the battle unfold in the Holographic Projection, Horus saved the Emperor from imminent doom, using the "Horus's Three Divine Techniques"—a technique of unknown origin—to utterly destroy the mecha Orks that even the Emperor found difficult to deal with.

Even the other Orks around them died instantly from brain explosions.

It was unbelievable, but it happened right before his eyes.

This alone was enough to increase the number of people calling for him to become Warmaster.

But Guilliman saw something else.

—A general solution for dealing with Orks, and even other Xenos.

The Xenos Orks spread and reproduce in the universe through Spore, while also photosynthesizing through chloroplasts on their Greenskin.

It is actually very difficult to completely eradicate the existence of Orks.

If oversight is relaxed even slightly, the Ork Empire will, like it is now in Ullanor (and in the future War of the Beast), grow into an unstoppable and powerful force without anyone noticing.

"It seems that the best way to defeat the Orks in the future is to use the power of the mind, like Horus did, to erase the Orks' Waaaaagh field?"

Guilliman stared at the blank parchment in his hand, lost in thought.

During these days, Guilliman has been trying to record some of his ideas and tactics and bind them into a book for future Space Marine commanders to study and use.

He had even thought of a name for it—"The Codex Astartes".

This was intended to allow Space Marine to maintain a certain level of organization if they lost contact with headquarters and were stranded in some wild world or Warp.

A practical encyclopedia with a wide variety of features.

This is how Guilliman described his upcoming book.

It can be used to manage practical actions in all aspects, from Chapter organization to battlefield tactics.

For any given tactical scenario, the Codex has hundreds of pages dedicated to discussing how to respond to and overcome it. The wisdom of thousands of Imperium warriors contributed to the Codex, containing every detail from unit marking to launching a full-scale planetary attack.

But now, he seems to have encountered some new problems.

Should we use Horus's use of the "Centaur gold ring" to blow up Orks's skull in a moment of desperation as evidence to include this possible solution for dealing with Orks in the holy scriptures?

"Horus doesn't possess Psychic Power, and in the future, even mortals could use this technique. If developed properly, it will become an unimaginable weapon against Orks."

But... something just doesn't seem right!

Imagine two armies at war: on one side, warlike Orks, and on the other, murderous Space Marine.

Suddenly, the Space Marine shouted, "X Emperor's Palm, for Life After Life! Emperor! Emperor! Emperor!"

Then the Orks's skull exploded.

Hiss.

Guilliman is torn.

(Stop ruining our Grimdark worldview!)

—Worth studying.

Finally, Guilliman came to a conclusion.

As for rigidity, he didn't need to worry too much—the Codex Astartes was not a static product. In the future, when some of its entries were no longer suitable for the development of the times, it wouldn't be too late to improve them, would it?

As long as he's still around, the Ultramarines can't possibly get stuck in a stun.

Write it!

Guilliman convinced himself and gently touched it with the quill in his hand.

This might be the decision he regrets most in the future, really.

Several days later.

"Is this the time for Ullanor's investiture as Imperium Warmaster?"

As Kasgar sat in the conference hall of the Pride of the Emperor, Kasgar thought to himself with a sense of helplessness.

He didn't attend the meeting voluntarily; it was more like the Emperor forced him to speak.

To be precise, it was the Emperor who asked him to spoil the plot here.

His Psychic Power Prophecy were endorsed by the Emperor himself.

"We are about to face the Orks war chief, Overlord Urak Uruk, in the Ullanor sector."

"If we are dragged into a war of attrition against the Ork Empire, we will only face certain death. The only solution is for us to break into the Orks Overlord's fortress together and carry out a decapitation strike."

"The Orks who have lost their leader will be nothing but a rabble, fighting amongst themselves until a new leader emerges."

Facing the Primarch and Emperor before him, Kasgar could only pretend that it was a Psychic Power prophecy and speak slowly and mysteriously.

It seems the Emperor also knew that his Prophecy were all a lie, because he had actually read books when he High-Dimensional Beings.

But since it works so well, just use it as much as you can.

—This aligns with the Emperor's consistent approach to personnel selection.

With Kasgar's almost map-clearing ability, the legions quickly discussed their next course of action.

The Ultramarines and White Scars Space Marine are not involved in the battle for the main star; their goal is to reclaim the outer planets of the Ullanor system.

Meanwhile, Horus's Lunar Wolves, along with the Emperor and his Sons of the Emperor, sailed directly to the Central World. With the assistance of the Emperor forces and the Third Legion, the Lunar Wolves would launch a surprise attack on the Orks fortress.

—And the slaying of the overlord Urlak Uruk.

Horus will employ his favorite tactic of directly attacking the enemy's command structure, dropping his legions directly into the enemy's fortress via Drop Pod.

"With the Prophet Kasgar, please allow me to call him that, after all, your Prophecy and accuracy truly amaze me from the bottom of my heart."

Horus seemed to be in a good mood during the meeting.

He himself understood the true meaning behind the Emperor entrusting him with such an important task at this time—

Imperium Warmaster!

For him, the title of Warmaster was not as important as the Emperor's recognition that he was worthy of being Warmaster.

But before he could even express his gratitude for his father's approval, a Primarch that shouldn't have been there appeared in the Holographic Projection during the meeting—

The Iron Hands, Philus Manus.

"Hey everyone. Can you hear me?"

While they were still in near-Earth orbit around a planet in the Dragon Star Sector, holding a combat meeting, a flagship as cold and indifferent as steel appeared in the vast starry sky in the distance.

"Father, you are being too biased."