False Emperor

"I was there on the day Horus killed the Emperor."

This was a joke that Torgaddon had been telling throughout the Legion these days, stating the facts while subtly employing a blasphemous double entendre.

It was a very tricky joke.

In the Council of Four Kings, Abaddon thought it was a boring thing and not worth publicizing; Sanguinius did not want to bother with Torgaddon over such a matter.

As for Horus Asimand the Younger, although he wanted to laugh after hearing this, he ultimately managed to hold it in.

And Loken.

He was not a member of the Council of Four Kings.

At least this time, he doesn't have to be.

Imperial Capital Terra.

This planet is also called Terra. It is located not far from the Interes Federation where Kasgar was before. It was the world that Horus and his Luna Wolves discovered while they were searching for it.

And perhaps it was just a coincidence that the human leader who ruled this world also called himself Emperor.

Not only was he Emperor, but he also called himself the Emperor of all mankind, just like the Master of Mankind who is now in Terra.

He led people through the ravaged years of Warp Storm, escaping the great upheaval and steadfastly safeguarding human sovereignty and the rule of law.

As for all the difficulties and problems he is currently facing, he said it is only because he is playing a grand game, and everything is within the "Emperor's" ingenious calculations.

This is infuriating.

What kind of Centaur gold ring do you have that makes you worthy of calling yourself Emperor?

Horus had no intention of confronting him, but it was clear that there should not be two Emperors in the Imperium of Man.

Especially given that one of them is utterly unworthy to call himself Emperor as the Master of Mankind.

For ease of reference, the Lunar Wolves chose to call this arrogant and conceited fellow the "False Emperor," and the planet that called itself Terra was renamed "Imperial Capital Terra."

But perhaps their arrogance blinded them to the terrifying strength of the Lunar Wolves Fleet, leading them to believe that they could rule this place forever and remain Emperor forever.

But that's impossible.

The rulers who control this galaxy call it Terra, the homeland of humanity. Faced with Horus's diplomatic request, they did not choose to surrender and acknowledge the Emperor of Terra as the Master of Mankind.

Instead, he angrily denounced Horus's foolishness and presumption, for daring not to surrender quickly in the face of the Emperor, which was truly treasonous.

Horus was amused.

But despite the jokes, Imperial Capital Terra is currently largely the same as the Imperium of Man, possessing almost identical political systems and ideologies. If one can persuade the other to join through diplomatic means, a very simple reorganization is all it takes to make it part of the Imperium of Man's territory.

Even apart from the Imperial Truth Proclaimers, nothing has changed at all.

And who are the members who can serve as diplomatic envoys?

"Let Sanguinius go. He is the most capable and thoughtful commander in the Council of Four Kings."

Horus made these arrangements.

And so, Sanguinius boarded the ship bound for the Imperial Capital Terra.

Of course, he couldn't be the only one.

Ahriman, from the former Thousand Sons Legion, also applied to join the diplomatic operation.

After the Thousand Sons Legion were completely swallowed up by the dust of history, according to the various bureaucratic reassignments, Ahriman, as the most powerful Psyker under Magnus, led a group of former Thousand Sons Space Marine to join the Luna Wolves.

After a relatively short period of training, Ahriman became a member of the Lunar Wolves.

Ahriman: I've been a Lunar Wolves for a long time, I've even become a member of the Lunar Wolves clan.

In fact, this situation was not unprecedented and was an open secret among the various Legiones Astartes. When the Second Legion and Eleventh Legion were split up, many people were assigned to the command of Dorn and Guilliman, acknowledging them as their adoptive fathers.

In most cases, the Thousand Sons Legion could be dealt with through diplomatic missions, so Ahriman, who had extensive experience in diplomatic negotiations, naturally boarded the ship bound for the Imperial Capital Terra along with Sanguinius.

On the horizon, around the broad basalt base of the palace, Sanguinius, as the leader of the delegation, completed the landing of the Stormbird.

This place does indeed have some of the style of the Terra.

Although it was far from being large enough in terms of scale and the extent of its gold coverage, it could still be considered a civilized and prosperous Imperium of Man.

This is much better than the filthy Ork Empire they fought against not long ago, which stretched from the Dragon Star Sector all the way to Ullanor.

After the previous battles with those damned Orks that felt like rolling in a mud pit, being sent as an envoy to a human civilization was a truly pleasant thing.

Guided by the messenger, Sanguinius led the Lunar Wolves squad behind him along the corridor.

In that wide colonnade, an Emperor wearing a laurel crown sits on Golden Throne.

This scene looks so familiar.

Perhaps that's just how it is; we're all human, and there's no fundamental difference between us.

Their problem was simply that they trusted the wrong person, mistaking an unqualified individual for Emperor capable of saving all humanity, instead of the true Master of Mankind who resided above Terra.

Perhaps if they just listen to the preachers' sermons, they will understand within a day that we are not the enemy and know why the Master of Mankind should be our Emperor.

We share the same blood, and we brought them glorious redemption. The Dark Age are over. Under the Emperor's guidance, humanity will once again roam the stars, with Space Marine guarding our side, defending our inherent right to humanity.

Sanguinius walked through the wide, sloping corridor inlaid with silver carvings.

"Listen, Sanguinius, the following information is extremely important to you."

That was a long time ago. Well, actually not that long, but it was when the Dragon Star Sector was facing the Orks together with the Emperor's Children Legion. Sanguinius remembered that it was Kasgar who took the initiative to approach him at that time.

He said he had something very important to tell Sanguinius.

It wasn't about commanding legions or intelligence about the Ork Empire.

Instead, it was a prophecy that was incomplete yet incredibly detailed.

"If... I mean, if one day you and the Luna Wolves really encounter a lost Imperium of Man, located in a star system with nine planets, and the rulers there also call themselves Emperor, and call their planet Terra."

"Friend, this is indeed an extremely detailed prophecy, but why are you telling me about it?"

"Because in order to make you understand just how crucial this place is— Torgaddon will even joke that, 'I was there the day Horus killed the Emperor,' remember that line, it will run throughout the whole text."

"What? You could even predict what kind of joke Torgaddon would make?"

Sanguinius was a little confused.

When he saw Psyker making prophecies, they liked to say some strange and ambiguous things, and then throw the so-called future at you in the form of riddles, letting you fit it into your imagination.

They're all scams.

Sanguinius had thought so before.

But for a prophet like Kasgar, who was so direct and almost completely transparent, the specific details were so clear that even he was somewhat afraid.

"I don't know if this prophecy will come true, but why are you telling me all this?"

"For all of us, Sanguinius," Kasgar replied. "This is crucial for both of us. To be precise, if nothing goes wrong, this is the end of your life— Horus will send Diplomatic Mission to that 'Terra,' and you will die at their hands, if there is no intervention."

"I'm going to die there, am I?"

Surprisingly, after hearing the news of his prophesied death, Sanguinius, who had been fighting on expeditions for over a century, did not experience any additional psychological fluctuations regarding his predicted demise.

It was as if I had heard about the death of a complete stranger.

"That's not the key point. At most, it can serve as an anchor point, guiding you to judge whether your time and place are correct—your death could actually have been avoided."

Kasgar then gave a very detailed explanation, as if he had experienced it firsthand.

"After you land as a representative of the delegation, be careful of those unseen enemies lurking in the shadows."

"An invisible enemy?"

"That's right, that's exactly it."

The local human government's science priests are proficient in a rare and magical force field technology, which they use to arm their elite guards.

They cover their entire bodies with some kind of device, which distorts light and achieves invisibility. Moreover, they can release this force field to create cruel and merciless attacks.

"But once they lose this unexpected advantage, their actual strength isn't that great. If negotiations break down, be prepared to deal with these guys who launch surprise attacks from stealth. I trust your methods."

"Good."

Despite the fact that the words were somewhat surreal, Sanguinius chose to believe them because of the specific prophetic basis.

If there truly is a human civilization that calls itself Terra, and if there truly is another being who dares to call themselves Emperor...

"If you survive, be careful of Horus's condition—he may fall into a coma or some other state of unconsciousness later," Kasgar continued, his tone becoming serious, his body unconsciously leaning forward towards Sanguinius, as if giving him a crucial instruction.

"You absolutely must keep Abaddon and the other Lunar Wolves in check. Under no circumstances should Horus receive any treatment that is not trustworthy. Immediately, disregard all objections and take Horus back to Terra to be handled by the Emperor himself."

"If none of this ever happened, then consider it the ravings of my delirium."

"But once it happens—"

Kasgar said urgently, "Remember, you must do exactly as I say!"

"Perhaps everything that will happen in the future can be stopped, as long as you are still alive. Only you can stop Abaddon's blindness."

"You are Horus' last chance to save him."

Kasgar seemed to have extremely high expectations for him, things that even Sanguinius himself found hard to believe.

But everything happened against Sanguinius's will, just as Kasgar had said.

The False Emperor's palace was completely empty, lacking any guards, as if he were truly the only one standing before that equally golden throne.

But only Sanguinius knew that it wasn't that there were no Adeptus Custodes guards inside the palace; rather, those guys had truly concealed their presence.

Indeed, if he concentrates, he can sense it.

If it weren't for his century-old veteran's perception, he might have really overlooked it.

What shocked Sanguinius even more was that everything actually came true perfectly as Kasgar had said, without the slightest error.

—And it seems he also said that this would be his final resting place.

There was no time to hesitate; Sanguinius transmitted the message about invisibility to everyone's helmets via the communication channel.

Since Kasgar had already foreseen his death, the breakdown of negotiations was clearly inevitable.

Faced with the conditions proposed by Sanguinius, the False Emperor was clearly furious. How dare these fools challenge his authority! He would make these stupid outsiders pay the price!

Under the orders of the False Emperor, those invisible warriors revealed their true strength.

Despite being prepared, Sanguinius and his comrades were caught off guard. Even the scanning matrix of their masks couldn't detect the enemies' presence, forcing them to rely on their own senses to predict their movements.

After their first attack failed, these enemies stood arrogantly inside the house, preparing for their next attack.

Fortunately, stealth technology works best when the user remains stationary.

Once they move, the cloaking technology on these people will leave behind blurry silhouettes and thermal traces.

Sanguinius reacted quickly, immediately attacking every incongruous point of light and shadow in the air. At the same time, he increased the contrast of his Goggles, making his field of vision almost entirely black and white, so that he could more clearly distinguish the abrupt outlines against the blurred background.

Under his keen observation and firing, their cloaking devices became ineffective as several blood-soaked corpses flew through the air.

The silver armor on the corpses was exquisitely crafted, and the scarlet silk cloaks they wore were breathtakingly intricate with carvings and insignia.

It unconsciously reminded him of the Imperial Guards Adeptus Custodes the Imperial Palace, but in terms of actual combat ability, apart from the surprise attacks launched by this stealth ability, it was far inferior to the Imperial Talons in their Auramite armor.

"Retreat!!!"

"Sanguinius shouted loudly. The men he brought were also elite troops from the Lunar Wolves. As Lunar Wolves preferred to drop kills from the air, their incursions into enemy lines were practically commonplace."

This obstacle is not enough to deter their determination to return to the Vengeful Spirit.

The distress signal to the Primarch has been sent. Since they are determined to oppose the Imperium of Man and the true Emperor, let the army of the Lunar Wolves satisfy them.

"To break free from the palace's encirclement, "Sanguinius thought to himself.

He charged ahead, clearing a path—even when facing assassins who outnumbered him many times over, Sanguinius remained fearless—although during his breakout he was ambushed by several assassins who left several gaps in his armor, from which blood gushed forth, forming a bloody path as Sanguinius advanced.

"Long live the Shepherd of Wolves!"

In the fierce battle, the room's floor was littered with blood and blackened bits of flesh. Gunfire never ceased within the palace rooms; the False Emperor would not allow anyone who dared to disrespect him to leave their inescapable net alive.

Surrounded by enemy forces, Sanguinius's delegation fought a fierce battle, even becoming separated within the relatively short palace grounds. After battling and slaying dozens of invisible "Adeptus Custodes" warriors, Sanguinius laboriously dragged himself toward the outer perimeter.

He was already exhausted, but according to Kasgar's prophecy, he had to live.

He is the hope that can save Horus. He absolutely cannot die here as prophesied. He must live and save Horus while he is in danger.

At this moment, he was so close to escaping the encirclement.

The bright sunlight from outside was almost right in front of me.

There are no more dangerous, invisible assassins outside the palace. As long as he can break out of the palace, Lunar Wolves' reinforcements will soon rescue him from the chaotic battlefield—he can even hear the sounds of flagship cannon fire and fighter jets outside.

There must be reinforcements coming to their aid.

As if in response to Sanguinius's expectations, he saw a familiar figure in the shadows of the sunlight, holding a dagger disproportionate to his tall stature. Ah, this time the assassin was not invisible.

Wrong.

Under the sunlight, he managed to make out the other person – one of his own.

But why is he here?

"Ahriman?"

"Sanguinius asked, puzzled."

Now.

The Pride of the Emperor

Outside the portholes of the Sons of the Emperor fleet, the 28th Expeditionary Fleet struggled through the Warp, obstructed by the relentless Warp Storm.

"Another Warp Storm has begun."

Fulgrim's face was solemn, her expression filled with sorrow.

She never imagined that the Warp Storm, which had ceased for over a century and given them the opportunity to launch Great Crusade, would return at this moment.

From now on, how will they deal with this incurable disease that humanity cannot get rid of?

When the last Warp Storm erupted, the Imperium of Man, which was entering its Dark Age of Technology, was torn to pieces by the Warp Storm. As Primarch who grew up on Chemos, she remembered it vividly.

When will this storm finally end, and what will become of humanity's future?

The light of the Astronomican flickered and dimmed amidst the raging storms of the Warp, becoming indistinct.

Even if the Sons of the Emperor fleet wanted to return to Terra at this moment, under these circumstances, even the most daring navigators would not dare to risk completing a warp.

Kasgar, equally troubled, looked out the porthole at the churning, boiling Warp Storm.

This storm has come far too early.

Perhaps the existence of the Kasgar brought a new threat to the Chaos Gods, or perhaps they simply had no way to resist the Kasgar's salvation and assistance to the other Primarch, and were forced to unleash Warp Storm capable of covering everything in the galaxy before the official outbreak of the Horus Heresy.

After all, if Kasgar could return to Terra and tell the Emperor everything, the Primarch's rebellion could be dealt with in smaller, more organized ways, which would be much better than wiping out the entire army on the Istvaan V.

Furthermore, this time the Imperium Warmaster is Fulgrim herself, and to prevent rebellion, she can bring together powerful and loyal legions such as the Ultramarines, Dark Angels, and Blood Angels.

Instead of building some "unremembered Imperium".

With Ultramarines + Dark Angels + Blood Angels, how could the Loyalist possibly lose?

Unfortunately, the Chaos beings averted everything before it even happened by using Warp Storm.

"Even Astropathic Communication can't be sent out?"

"The Astropath say they can't do it," Fulgrim shook his head. "It's like we're completely trapped here. None of us can contact the ground, and we can't go anywhere."

It seems that not only are they trapped in the Warp Storm and unable to get out, but their communication capabilities are also being heavily targeted by those Chaos Gods.

Sigh, I can't afford to play this game.

"No! The situation is urgent. If Philus is really controlled, the Iron Hands' fighting power will definitely cause extremely serious damage. We must send Astropathic Communication to the Emperor as soon as possible!"

"Fulgrim said anxiously."

"The situation is urgent; even if it means sacrificing a few Astropath— "

"Don't!"

Kasgar quickly grabbed her, preventing her from taking any further action.

"Remember! Never send the Emperor a speech that is too penetrating at this time, absolutely not!!!"

This is terrifying! Why is everyone so fixated on Old Man Huang's Webway?

Kasgar really sacrificed so much to protect Old Man Huang's Webway.

"But what other options do we have to resolve this crisis?"

The Chaos Gods' plan was indeed flawless—since you, Kasgar, are so capable, why not imprison you in this Warp Storm until the Horus Heresy ends? Wouldn't that cause the Imperium of Man to explode?!

Forced ban.

Unfortunately, Kasgar also had a group of helpers that the Chaos Gods could never have imagined— the Corsairs, those pointy-eared allies.

However, due to their previous reunion with Mortarion and Philus, the Corsairs had to leave their fleet and go elsewhere.

The best course of action now is to wait for Yriel and the others to return, and then use the Webway technology to temporarily send a few people back to warn them.

—That's normal. In the official history, Vulkan was able to return to Terra only because of Eldrad's power.

The Lord of the Fire Dragons also did it. jpg

"All members of the Sons of the Emperor, prepare for battle."

"Furthermore, the raging Warp Storm could pose an unexpected threat to us at any time, so we must always be vigilant in protecting the safety of our ships."

"We will remain adrift in this Warp for some time, awaiting the return of our allies' fleet."

Although it's unlikely they'd directly spawn demons inside the ship's cabin at this point, who can really say that those Chaos Gods, who'd flip the table if they couldn't win, wouldn't do that?

As for now, let's just drift slowly in the Warp; there's no use in rushing.

"So, your god has already begun to act?"

Back in his cabin, sitting in his office, Kasgar picked up the Laerda and asked...

I didn't know He had abandoned me.

"That's pretty pathetic," Kasgar laughed. "But I don't see any difference between favored and unfavored demons like you."

It's simple—if you really want to cast a curse, the thing will stick to him all the time, and you can't shake it off no matter how hard you try.

Even if you try to destroy me—it won't work if you try to destroy me with the Exterminatus. I can come to your side at any time. As a curse that draws the sword, you can't destroy me.

"Destroying you won't work?" Kasgar said. "What if I burn you with my Psychic Flame?"

If I could burn you, I would have done it already. Now that I've switched sides, of course you can't burn me.

"Don't evade my question. I want to know if I wanted to remove a demonic sword like you, could my Psychic Flame actually destroy it?"

[Sure]

Just as Kasgar was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the next words from the Laerda sent him plummeting into the icy abyss.

You can certainly destroy it, but with the power of the Dark Gods, how difficult would it be to create another demonic sword that is exactly the same?

"."

At that very moment, the expression on the face of the Laerda Kasgar changed from the smile he had been joking with to a gloomy one.

What's wrong? Why are you silent? Do you really want to kill me? I didn't do anything—

"Shut up."

Kasgar's expression grew increasingly grim.

"I'm not sure I can destroy the Nemesis Blade!"

Kasgar was extremely uneasy.

The Warp Storm still hasn't turned things around.

After flashing for a while, the Astronomican completely disappeared amidst the increasingly turbulent storm in the Warp.

Lacking the guidance of the Astronomican, the Sons of the Emperor fleet is now in a state of complete blindness.

During this time, Yriel's pirate fleet came by, but they could only transport a small group of people back to the Solar System through the Webway.

It's possible to walk, but only a few people can walk at a time.

Although the Eldar's Webway Portal can indeed lead directly to the Luna, any pointed-eared Xenos that dares to intrude will be instantly hacked to pieces by the guards on the Luna.

"Vespasian, you take that squad of the Sons of the Emperor and go first."

Vespasian his most trusted man and the most upright Sons of the Emperor.

Kasgar said gravely, "If we are wiped out in the next battle, the mission of restoring the Sons of the Emperor will fall on your shoulders."

Although the Warp Storm covered the entire Imperium, the Emperor must have already learned of the Horus Heresy.

But knowing about Philus's news in advance would probably allow him to make better plans.

After seeing off this small group of the Sons of the Emperor

Suddenly, an extremely bright light, like a beacon and lighthouse in the night, guided the Sons of the Emperor fleet in the direction of returning home!

It seemed completely unaffected by the Warp Storm, and even created a safe and unobstructed passage within Warp Storm.

That is—

There is no time to hesitate! With the Warp Storm growing ever stronger, the Navigator cannot afford to let this golden opportunity to break through the Warp Storm slip away.

Who knows if that glimmer of light will vanish in the next Warp Storm?

"Wait! This might not be Astronomican!"

"It could also be Pharos—"

Before Kasgar could stop them, the ship had already passed through the Warp Rift and returned to the long-lost real world.

Several beautiful planets came into view.

Did they return to Terra?

Well.

—No, it's Macragge.

Surprised?

"Guilliman!!!"

How could you be so selfish!