Can Centaurs Be This Beautiful Too?

The Centaur gold ring did not survive into the 40K era.

This is definitely a welcome piece of good news for Kasgar – after all, the fewer people who know about this dark history, the better.

Thanks to the decline and dormancy of the Chaos forces, the Ecclesiarchy did not grow as large as in the original timeline, thus serving as the basic control organization of the Imperium in the current situation where "imperial power does not extend beyond the planet."

Perhaps in order to keep the existence of the Warp as secret as possible, even the "spell" that can summon friendly Centaur is still best kept secret by as few people as possible.

Who knows if what he summons is Centaur, or like Magnus, a blue Imperial Two-Headed Eagle?

Most people lack the ability to discern, so a complete ban might be a better option in their eyes.

Furthermore, the ceremony of the Centaur gold ring is frightening enough in itself.

Most Inquisitor, upon seeing a group of people chanting "thirty-year Centaur gold ring" in multiples of thirty, would likely be so terrified that they would instantly cleave themselves and everyone else into a bloody mist.

Apart from a few scattered Shrine World throughout the Imperium of Man, most worlds, while venerating the Emperor and his son Guilliman, are still very few that worship him as a god.

However, the High Lord currently in power is Vandire. He might take this opportunity to establish the Imperial Cult as the Ecclesiarchy and thereby strengthen his control over the entire Imperium of Man.

Furthermore, the forces of Chaos have recently begun to stir. They might actually enter Age of Apostasy while simultaneously waging Plague Wars.

That was truly a picture of hell.

All of this must be borne by Kasgar, the only person in the Imperium who is conscious and possesses Primarch-level power at this moment (not counting the reclusive Vulkan, whom Kasgar is unsure whether he will go into seclusion or where he will go into seclusion).

"Guilliman! Wake up!"

"I'll never say again that you can't beat anyone in a one-on-one fight!"

With nostalgia for his comrades from the ancient 30K era, Kasgar, radiating a rich golden light in everyone's eyes, couldn't help but shout in his heart.

Now not only is the Emperor Incarnate walking among mortals, but the Centaur have also begun to run!

Even if it didn't make it to the 40K era before, it seems it has no choice but to start circulating again now.

The next instant, an extremely dazzling light burst forth from the lower deck of the trade ship.

"Take stock of the warp losses, especially the cargo on the remaining transport ships, and check if it has been contaminated."

The captain of the entire Kasgar Trade Lord fleet gave the order.

After that abnormal Warp fluctuation, their caravan was unfortunately forced to abandon several of its trading ships, and the remaining ships also seemed to have suffered losses due to the changes in the laws of the Warp.

It seems I won't be able to recoup my losses this time.

The captain couldn't help but think to himself.

Losses of cargo and personnel caused by Warp fluctuations or turbulence are extremely common and occur on almost every voyage, differing only in scale.

However, his luck didn't seem to be very good this time. One or two remote trade ships were clearly affected by Warp energy and gradually drifted off course.

Even the communication devices were completely cut off amidst screams. Under these circumstances, he dared not send the security forces used to protect the entire caravan to investigate, and had no choice but to cut his losses and survive.

If they were to be wiped out, and then encounter pirates or something similar, they would be the ones to be completely destroyed.

Fortunately, the warp jump is now mostly complete, and they no longer need anything—

Etc.

"What is that?"

Outside that porthole, amidst the pale purple fluctuations of Warp that he had grown tired of seeing during countless voyages, he saw a golden Centaur leaping through the void.

Captain. "."

?

What is that?

A leaping Golden Centaur?

Everything in the Warp is unpredictable, but this was the first time he had ever seen such a turbulent situation.

He had seen countless bizarre and deformed creatures in this Warp, but they were unable to enter the ship's hull even a fraction of an inch due to the Geller Field.

It was as if a monkey had typed out "Imperial Truth" on a typewriter; the perfectly formed and beautiful existence of the Warp completely stunned him.

Can Centaur be this beautiful?

What is that?

Logically speaking, the creatures of the Warp should be strange, ugly, and dangerous beings, so why is this galloping Centaur able to bring him extreme peace and tranquility at this moment?

Hallucination?

The captain involuntarily took two steps toward the side of the main bridge.

Looking around, he saw that all the other crew members were gazing out the window with him, lost in thought as they watched the Centaur running through the Warp.

It wasn't just him who could see it; everyone in the entire cabin could.

Moreover, as if someone were chanting some sacred hymn throughout the main bridge, a prayer with a church-like echo gradually became clearer with the arrival of the Centaur—

Those days were the best time of my life. We lived together for 30 years. He was the only one who brought me out of the darkness of Karax. We spent a long time together. Over those 30 years, a bond formed between us that was unbreakable, stronger than any other bond. Thirty years may not seem long. Compared to 30,000 years, 30 years is just the time it takes for a heartbeat to pass, but I will cherish this time forever.

"Who?"

"Who is speaking???"

The captain looked around, but his gaze fell mostly on the crew members who, like him, were searching for the sound they had just heard.

What Centaur, what thirty years, what Golden Ring?

What are all these things?

The sound not only appeared in his ears like a demonic whisper, but also followed the Centaur's surround sound, which spread throughout the fleet like a radio station.

"Wait, what's that? What's that following behind this Centaur!"

Following the gaze of one of the crew members, everyone looked behind the Golden Centaur.

It was a somewhat familiar ship; its shape and side paint scheme seemed to resemble the trade ships they had just been forced to abandon.

They are following that Golden Centaur!

But why?

Judging from the communications at the time, they were not attacked by some kind of extremely disgusting, rotting corpse-like Warp Entity that ravaged the entire ship's cabins.

As their ship sped toward the rift in the Warp, as if guided by the Centaur, the enchanting voice that had been ringing in his ears, "Centaur Thirty- Golden Ring," gradually faded away.

Could this audio recording of "Centaur Thirty Golden Ring" actually come from a chant on that trading ship?

If that's the case, how did their voices travel through the vacuum of Warp to reach his ears?

"Never mind all that. Now, immediately notify all the highest-ranking personnel to assemble in the conference room on the main bridge."

"Also, ask the navigator what exactly was that thing that just appeared to the side of our lost convoy."

"Reporting to the captain."

"The navigation room has sent Sound Array communication."

"The chief navigator said he just thought he saw the Emperor."

The navigators didn't actually believe that miracles could happen around them.

But the reality far exceeded his trust in common sense.

That bright light, like a small Astronomican, was clearly the Emperor's power, and only he could use his power to help humanity overcome the current crisis.

The Emperor has appeared.

Even though the captain himself was a believer in the Imperial Truth, and despite having experienced countless Warp voyages, he always regarded it as a problem that could not be solved by science for the time being, but ultimately not the realm of some god descending to save believers.

But what happened today was truly hard for him to understand—

Hiss.

He seems to have forgotten something very important.

"Wait, that's our ship!!"

Badab Sector.

The entire Badab Sector is currently in a state of extreme tension and readiness for war. Although the formal war has not yet begun, minor skirmishes between the two sides continue.

The former rulers of Badab had recently declared independence, and they had dispatched a large naval task force, internal affairs inspectors, and Inquisition envoys.

In addition, the Red Scorpions, Raptors, and Flame Angels Chapter, along with the nearby Fire Hawks, will operate together.

While blaming each other, they both maintained a certain degree of restraint.

The two sides did engage in some combat in the Void Naval Battle, but compared to the size of the fleets deployed by both sides, this level of collision and loss was as laughable as flirting or tickling.

Neither side seems willing to fight to the bitter end.

After all, they were all loyal Space Marine of the Emperor. Not only did Hurons not want to start a protracted civil war, but even Verant Otis, the Chapter Master of the Red Scorpions Chapter who served as the commander of the Imperial Army, advocated for peace talks with Hurons.

Hurons himself was well aware that he was only trying to gain more leverage for his Chapter in the Maelstrom War, and he did not believe that he could contend with the entire Imperium of Man with just the strength of three Space Marine Chapter.

As for the Red Scorpions side, they also did not want to make a big fuss.

Although Wang Xiulun was indeed ambitious, he was renowned in many Chapter for his loyalty and helpfulness.

The Astartes Battle Brother find it hardest to refuse this simple and direct brotherhood.

Not long ago, the [Executioners] Chapter swore a blood oath to help [Star Phantoms] in order to repay a debt of gratitude, and decided to send at least a lean (actually not lean) but powerful force to the region.

So what if you betrayed us?

We're practically brothers in arms, so I have to lend a hand.

Seeing this, Otis, the Chapter Master the Red Scorpions Chapter, agreed to peace talks with Hurons.

And they were to meet, as agreed, with Saltak, the Chapter Master of the Mantis Warriors, at a dilapidated transit station in the orbit of the Shadim Prime in the Sorrow System.

The choice of this dilapidated transit station came from Hurons.

According to him, it seems that both sides felt that if the talks were held at the other's venue, they would be worried about being ambushed.

In that case, it would be better to choose a location where neither side has any defensive weapons.

—To this day, the Badab War has not actually begun.

Both sides maintained a certain degree of restraint.

Despite this restraint, it has become quite weak so far.

"Mantis Warriors, be alert to the enemy warships' movements. If any problems arise, prepare to open fire immediately. Don't worry about me."

"Glorious warriors of the Red Scorpions, this negotiation may lead us into Hurons's trap, or it may allow us to clear up our misunderstandings and fight together against the enemy of humanity that has appeared in the Maelstrom."

The two distinct fleets are now preparing to head towards near-Earth orbit around the Shadim Prime.

"Not good."

Approaching the transit point of the Sorrow System, standing in front of the noisy bar of a tavern, Kasgar put down the tablet display device in his hand.

In the news display interface of this tablet,

"What's wrong, sir? Don't be fooled by the fact that we're about to start fighting. Actually, it's good that we're fighting."

"Once the war actually starts, the mercenaries will be able to find work, and the recyclers will have mineral resources, which is much better than nothing happening at all."

The bartender smiled apologetically at Kasgar.

The current Kasgar has chosen to appear as a burly, rugged man.

"And this is hardly news at all, sir, look at this—"

As he spoke, the display on the tablet in Kasgar's hand suddenly changed and fluctuated, and a somewhat familiar trading ship and an image of the Emperor appeared before his eyes.

"[The Emperor's Manifestation! A mysterious trading ship suddenly appears in the Badab Sector, having escaped the Warp under the guidance of the Great Emperor?]"

"That's it! Seriously, everyone here is talking about it—that ship was incredibly bizarre—all the crew members were wiped out, except for a bunch of low-ranking shipwrights who claimed to be guided by the Emperor!"

"They all say that they were guided by the Great Emperor, that the Emperor manifested himself, and that his Golden Flame instantly burned all the invading Warp Entity to ashes and opened a path for them to return to the real world from the Warp!"

"Really Emperor? And then what?"

The person at the bar was talking, asking around as more people from all walks of life who were interested in the matter gathered.

"Then--"

"Then the adults in the Inquisition sealed off the matter, and they're probably still inside questioning people."

"Sigh, I guess it will all fizzle out again."

"Who knows? Anyway, we all know what happens when the Inquisition gets involved. Let's just pretend we didn't hear what happened earlier."

"That's true. The big shots on both sides of Badab are almost at war lately. If they recruit any mercenaries, keep an eye out for them."

"Very well, sir, the Promethium Breeze always welcomes your visit!"

Kasgar had only recently escaped from that trading ship.

In order to escape from the Warp, he had no choice but to have the entire crew of the ship begin the Centaur chorus that had been forgotten for millennia.

Under Kasgar's influence, the entire ship began chanting the Centaur gold ring without any instruction.

The results were naturally very significant.

—He doesn't dare to act like Emperor in any way now.

Ever since he last manifested a miracle by transforming into a dark-skinned boy and was mistaken for Emperor and chased after to worship, he has dared not approach the image of the Emperor that might appear in the story (including the Roman She-Wolf) in any way at the level of Psychic Power incarnation.

His current physique, as imposing as an iron tower, is indeed well-suited to the attire of a mercenary.

As for the money, that's easy to discuss.

Before leaving Kasgar used Psychic Flame to restore a large number of Ultimatum Coin from the trading ship, and to prevent the currency from becoming unusable, he also took a jar of refined Promethium, which was more than enough for his travel expenses.

Kasgar simply ordered an "Amasec" and walked to the side, leaning against the wall to quietly savor it and observe the passing travelers. As for why he didn't order the "Second Best," it was because its ingredients came from scraps that even slaves in the mines couldn't swallow, useless moldy rat skins, or other household garbage that he wouldn't even dare to imagine.

Unlike the other guys who didn't know anything about the ingredients, Kasgar, now empowered by Psychic Power energy, could see a lot at a glance.

His Psychic Flame could instantly restore these things to their original state, although Kasgar didn't want to do so.

Knowledge can also be a curse.

"The Chapter Master of the Red Scorpions and Mantis Warriors are about to encounter an accident."

Kasgar's complexion was not good.

He knew that this peace negotiation was about to break down—according to information from Kasgar, the negotiations were ultimately interfered with by some unknown third party, and in the ensuing melee, the leaders of both sides, Odiz and Saltak, were killed.

Both sides' fleets suffered heavy losses in this battle.

This event was known to the Loyal Chapter as the "Sorrow Betrayal," and they vowed to avenge their lost Chapter Master and Battle Brother.

Hurons, however, insisted that he had been framed—clearly, others wanted to frame them, which led to the Sorrow Betrayal, and that not only did the leader of the Red Scorpions Chapter die, but the Chapter Master of the Mantis Warriors also perished in the battle.

They are innocent!

But no matter how they declare their innocence in this battle, the two sides, already burdened with deep-seated hatred, cannot easily put aside their feud and talk about peace again.

The Badab War will henceforth be a vicious cycle of hatred, leading to a mutually destructive outcome.

"We must prevent the [Sorrow Betrayal] from happening."

Kasgar murmured to himself.

If it were a matter of forcibly breaking in and rescuing the two through sheer strength, using Psychic Power to escape, Kasgar was confident he could do it.

But he has not yet figured out a way to resolve this issue without attracting the attention of the Inquisition.

He has now been placed under close scrutiny by the Inquisition due to his two miraculous appearances.

All the Inquisitor in this sector are looking for someone who can wield Gold-Red Flame.

Moreover, simply rescuing the two Chapter Master is not enough.

Kasgar must seize this opportunity to find the guy lurking in the shadows, preparing to sabotage the negotiations and force Wang Xiulun into a corner.

—Although it is definitely Chaos.

Primarch are powerful, but in the Void Naval Battle, even Primarch-level beings cannot directly confront Macro Cannon Lance or Cyclone Torpedo.

To win this battle decisively, we need to deploy a sufficiently powerful fleet to intervene.

Kasgar chose to stay in the tavern.

Even in the era of 40K, such places are still good for recruiting talent.

He wants to recruit soldiers and horses here.

But how could someone with the strength to participate in the Badab War now be hanging around in a small tavern?

After listening to everyone's conversations for hours by the wall, Kasgar could only helplessly admit that the quality of the visitors was indeed not high.

"However, if you want a job with a higher survival rate, you can find a merchant group two streets to the right of the gate. They are recruiting mercenary bodyguards to prevent pirates from boarding and plundering their ships."

"Pirate?"

Kasgar surprise and walked over with concern to inquire.

"That's right! It's pirates. Right now, the Imperium of Man and the Tyrant Lord (Wang Xiulun) are arguing fiercely. As long as the pirates know how to avoid the main fleet of the Imperium of Man, the other side will not have time to care about these small fry. After all, important matters are more important."

"But sir, you shouldn't underestimate those pirates—they are actually quite capable, and their fleet is also quite powerful—it's just that at this critical juncture, they dare not make any big moves."

The Badab Sector is located near the Maelstrom, which is also the most rampant gathering place for pirates in the entire galaxy.

Due to the natural geographical advantage of the Maelstrom, the pirates' power naturally grew stronger (including the later Red Corsairs).

However, due to the tense situation of the war, they only robbed a portion of the money and left after taking it.

The pirates also knew that it was time to quit while they were ahead.

If they dare to jump out and fire indiscriminately again, and if they happen to cut off the supplies of those adults one day, then we'll have to watch how the Inquisitor transforms into the Night Lords.

"Sir, with your size and strength, you would be a suitable candidate."

"Even if they fail to save their weapons and surrender, the pirates will most likely not kill them all."

"When you're in the world, you're just navigating it."

As he spoke, the guy looked at the Ultimatum Coin in Kasgar's hand and gave him a knowing look.

At the desk of the special envoy of the Human Union Investigative Inquisition.

Jerome Serx, one of the leaders of the Badab War in the Imperium of Man, serves as an envoy of the Inquisition Inquisitor.

As a disciple of the legendary demon killer Inquisitor Fastus, he has always harbored a deep hatred for traitorous Space Marine and indeed all Space Marine: in his view, the Space Marine were the culprits of the Horus Heresy and the root cause of the Imperium's decline.

What surprised him even more was the message he had just received.

A ship that had been lost in the Warp has successfully returned.

The surviving crew members insist that it was the Emperor's salvation.

According to the testimonies of existing crew members, they encountered some kind of evil sorcery during the Warp Storm, which killed everyone except them with a plague.

But just as they were about to be wiped out, golden-red flames appeared.

The Servitor beside the Inquisitor transcribed the contents of the message word by word.

It seems that after that, everyone on the ship became a staunch believer in the Emperor.

Furthermore, we have also collected what appears to be footage of the Emperor's apparition.

His Servitor Skull on his shoulder spoke in a broken, electronic voice.

"Um"

After examining the situation carefully, Jerome Serx immediately drew a conclusion based on his extensive combat experience.

"This must be the corruption of Chaos."

"It must be completely eradicated."

"Block the news and eliminate everyone who knows about this. Don't delay."