Huron: Am I a Loyalist?

"I oppose the idea of continuing negotiations with Hurons, the Tyrant of Badab, which is simply adding fuel to the fire."

Inquisitor Serkes was the first to stand up and object.

Why is this Otis so hard to kill?

Originally, under the Inquisitor's arrangement, for the safety of both sides and to prevent the escalation of the conflict, the Red Scorpions and Mantis Warriors were not even allowed to send fleets of cruiser class or higher to the Sorrow System.

Neither side's main forces will appear near the Sorrow System, thus creating conditions for negotiations between the two Chapter Masters.

—This is just a peace negotiation; there is no need to use large warships and heavy artillery.

Both sides' armies must exercise absolute restraint to create conditions for this meeting.

Of course, only the Inquisitor himself knew that this was a scheme he had set up—before the talks even began, Inquisitor Serkes had already informed his "ally" of the time and location coordinates of the meeting in exchange.

Soon he will receive the final conclusion of the Sorrow System's betrayal: Hurons deliberately sabotaged the peace talks and murdered the Red Scorpions Chapter, intending to break ties with the Imperium of Man.

Without Otis's obstruction, as the Inquisitor's Envoy, he could pronounce Hurons's treasonous act when public sentiment was high and completely wipe him out of the Badab Sector!

Yet, this meticulously planned scheme failed to complete the most crucial step: killing Otis.

"I have already discussed this matter formally, Your Inquisitor."

"As for the detailed report, I think my adjutant will send it back to headquarters soon, so please keep an eye out for it."

Otis, the Red Scorpions Chapter, looked at the other party with a hostile smile.

Otis was well aware that all of this was actually related to the Inquisitor.

Serx demanded that both Chapter reduce their fleet size and refused to accept Astropathic Communication. Every move this Inquisitor made dramatically increased his suspicion.

However, due to the lack of conclusive evidence, Otis did not directly confront his opponent.

"Moreover, our preliminary investigation revealed that the force that suddenly attacked the meeting was..."

"It is very likely the rebel legion that has been dormant for ten thousand years— the Word Bearers."

The news of the Word Bearers' reappearance in the Sorrow System spread like wildfire in the Casgo and Badab Sector.

The news was so explosive and sensational that within just a few days, almost all the residents of the two star sectors learned that the damned Word Bearers was about to once again enter the real world through Warp Rift.

The legendary demons actually exist!

For a time, the entire star sector was filled with panic.

Since the Horus Heresy, only a few Word Bearers Chaos Space Marine Marines have appeared sporadically in various corners of the human world; they have never appeared in the real world in a formal, organized manner.

After a long period of disappearance, most people had almost forgotten the existence of this legion, believing that it had vanished into the long river of time.

Therefore, scholars within the Imperium have speculated that this Traitor Legions, like the Night Lords, likely fell into a long period of division and civil war after betraying the Imperium of Man and was never able to reunite, ultimately failing to form an organized army.

Maybe... maybe these traitors have already killed each other and all of them are dead!

But now, the Chaos Space Marine army that has appeared in the Sorrow System seems to refute all of people's conjectures.

The Legion of the Word Bearers is still able to exist in the fortieth millennium, and moreover, the Legion Primarch himself appeared during the attack on the Sorrow System.

"That's right, the thing you were most worried about has probably happened."

"Even Aurelian Lorgar, the Daemon Primarch of the Word Bearers, appeared on the Strike Cruiser that attacked the Council."

At a meeting within the Imperium of Man, Otis made a startling statement.

This is Kasgar's request.

Why does Wang Xiulun dare to declare at this moment that he will become the absolute guardian of Badab and control all power in the Maelstrom and its surroundings, given that the High Lords of Terra has chosen to launch the Badab War?

—It's because I have too much free time!

The world has not seen a war of legion size for a long time, to the point that many people believe that peace is the norm now.

Although the Imperium of Man has entered a state of sustainable collapse, the lack of an insurmountable external enemy like the War of the Beast has led the Imperium of Man Imperium prioritize eliminating internal "traitors" over dealing with external enemies.

The two smaller Imperium were unable to deal with each other's Primarch-level forces, and after Guilliman's fall, there was no one within the Imperium capable of integrating the Space Marine Chapter into a unified force.

A large number of Space Marine Chapter are simply scattered throughout the Imperium, responsible for protecting the Imperial World.

Having been deprived of large-scale combat training for a long time, modern Space Marine are likely incapable of handling legion-sized warfare.

Therefore, Kasgar must now instill a sense of crisis in them!

By using Otis's words to highlight the impending threat of the Word Bearers, the two forces are temporarily united under a common goal, and then cooperation can be achieved during the crisis.

Hurons is indeed an ambitious man—much like his supposed Gene-father Roboute Guilliman. He also wants to control everything in the Maelstrom as the overlord of Badab and become the "local emperor" of the Badab Sector.

But fundamentally, he was not a born traitor.

All of Hurons did was to ensure that the future of the Imperium of Man would not be threatened by the forces of the Maelstrom Chaos.

Faced with the overwhelming force of the Word Bearers, he naturally knew how to make his choice.

"This is what we saw and heard in the Sorrow System."

"The Daemon Primarch of the Word Bearers have reappeared after disappearing for countless years, and they may very well launch an invasion of the Imperium of Man through the Maelstrom in the future."

"If we waste a large number of our troops here, traitors will surely profit from it in the future."

"Interesting."

"Otis is indeed a wonderful story."

As the Red Scorpions Chapter had narrowly escaped death, explained why it was necessary to ally with the Tyrant of Badab, Inquisitor Serkes stepped forward to oppose the proposal.

"Although you have successfully captured the enemy's flagship, through the purification ritual of the Inquisition, we can only conclude that this Strike Cruiser has indeed been contaminated by Chaos forces."

"To date, there is no evidence to suggest that this is the warship of the Word Bearers, which we do not believe to be the warship. Or, if a former traitor Primarch now only has Strike Cruiser, then it is very likely that this is all a conspiracy set up by someone to deceive us."

As he spoke, Serkos paused for a moment, as if on purpose.

"—And most importantly, I'm more interested in how you escaped from the clutches of the other party."

This is the biggest loophole in the words of Otis, the Red Scorpions Chapter.

When Lorgar Word Bearers' fleet through the Warp the Veil to the Sorrow System, how did the Chaos Space Marine, with far superior strength and warship firepower, manage to seize the ships and even drive away the Daemon Primarch Lorgar Loka himself, when Otis was in an abandoned transit station?

He, the Red Scorpions Chapter, was able to single-handedly annihilate the entire Word Bearers in Astartes, and even single-handedly drive that Daemon Primarch back to his homeland.

Yes.

Why was Otis able to survive the Daemon Primarch's attack?

What kind of super war god is this, single-handedly wiping out the enemy?

If they're already this capable, why would they need to cooperate with Hurons and his team?

With Inquisitor Serkes's accusations, all eyes in the temporary war council once again fell on Otis, the Red Scorpions Chapter.

"I certainly cannot take on the entire legion by myself, and even with the help of the pirate fleet, it is impossible to defeat the powerful Daemon Primarch."

"It was a dark shadow, a dense shadow made of crows. No one could tell who it was."

Since Kasgar is unwilling to reveal his whereabouts to the Inquisitor now, there is only one last way to cover up the bug of who drove away Lorgar—

Push it to Corvus Corax.

It was all the Raven King's doing!

According to Otis, just as he and the Chapter Master of the Mantis Warriors were about to be killed at the transit station, a shadowy figure used Psychic Power to teleport them to the flagship of the Word Bearers, saving the two Chapter Masters.

Moreover, this mysterious, ghostly figure never revealed its true form— Otis could only see it shredding any Chaos dregs that dared to approach it as it moved swiftly and agilely.

"He is not a simple human being; he is more like a more terrifying being."

Otis didn't actually know who this creature made up of crows and shadows was.

But since it was a request from the legendary Hero Kasgar from ancient times, he chose to agree.

"His body transformed into a dark cloud formed by millions of ravens, accompanied by the cawing of the crows that could silence all things, and millions of pairs of gleaming claws and sharp beaks coalesced into a storm that reached the heavens and touched the earth, playing a harmonious symphony."

Badab Sector, Badab Planet.

The tranquility that once filled the tyrant's thorn palace has also vanished.

This place used to be the residence of the Governor of the Badab Sector, but it was dismissed by Huron for some reason because it defied Hurons's wishes to expand his legions.

Now, both the Sector Governor and the Planetary Governor will be concurrently held by Hurons, the Chapter Master of the Star Phantoms. As Adeptus Astartes, he prefers to be involved in politics to secure more support for his Star Phantoms Chapter.

In his words, these were the military merits and rewards that the Space Marine deserved. Compared to awarding them to ordinary soldiers, the Space Marine, as the backbone of the Imperium of Man, were clearly more deserving of these honors.

And this is also the origin of Ruft Hurons being called the "Tyrant of Badab".

Of course, Ruft Hurons was also a very cunning guy.

After taking control of the entire sector as the "Guardian of Badab," he worked diligently to develop this planet, which was struggling to survive due to the Maelstrom. He gradually grew stronger through his own strength and personal charisma, to the point that he now possesses the power to rival the Imperium of Man.

Hurons possesses Guilliman's one-on-one fighting ability and boundless ambition, while also inheriting his incredible farming and development skills.

In less than a century, Badab has transformed from a desolate and decaying place into the heavily guarded and impenetrable entity it is today. Not to mention, Badab's PDF Planetary Defence Force alone possess weaponry comparable to the Astra Militarum.

Of course, some people might question whether Hurons's approach was an attempt to emulate Lord Regent Guilliman by building his own little world. But the Guardians of Badab refuted this with righteous indignation about the need for planetary defense.

As for the true reason behind it, only Wang Xiulun himself probably knows.

"The current situation is far more complicated than we imagined."

The Mantis Warriors returned to the Thorn Palace: "The unknown forces that broke in during our negotiations are very likely minions of Chaos. They want to sow discord between us and the Imperium of Man, frame us for treason, and hunt us down to the death!"

"That's right."

Hurons's expression was equally grim. "According to our intelligence, what happened to the Red Scorpions Chapter in the end?"

He is the key.

As long as he is alive, there is a possibility that the negotiations can be reversed, but—

The Mantis Warriors could only shake his head helplessly.

He knew nothing about the fate of the Red Scorpions, which was of utmost importance. After being teleported away by that mysterious figure at the transit station, he was transported back here to his own flagship.

If they're lucky, Otis will probably be teleported back to his own flagship, but who can say for sure?

"The Tyrant of Badab. If you're interested, I can tell you the answer."

"It's you!"

The next moment, within the empty and tranquil Thorn Palace, a black phantom was taking shape.

The moment he saw the other person, the Mantis Warriors, who had survived the ordeal, recognized him.

That's him!

He was the mysterious person who saved him in the Sorrow System!

The other person did not seem to be very tall, and under the hood, he was blurred into a blurry figure by some strange force, making it impossible to see his specific appearance.

"My friend, please tell us what the final outcome of the battle in the Sorrow System was."

Hurons responded with a calm, friendly smile, gesturing for him to discuss the matter in a private area at the back.

"I see."

Hurons had considered the possibility of a third party intervening and causing trouble in the Sorrow System.

However, based on his existing intelligence network, it is impossible for any force within the Maelstrom to interfere with their negotiations.

Unfortunately, he overlooked Lorgar, a shut-in who had been meditating in the Warp for ten thousand years.

But what he didn't expect was that all of this was actually resolved by the mysterious being in front of him, and the legendary Daemon Primarch was actually defeated and forced to flee.

Even with his help, Otis did Hurons a favor at the Imperium of Man Council by portraying the pirate fleet that inexplicably appeared at the negotiation as Hurons's goodwill assistance.

But Hurons didn't have it!

Who would spread rumors about someone doing good deeds anonymously?

Broken.

Now Hurons has truly become Loyalist.

If he hadn't believed in the Imperial Truth, Hurons would have truly thought that the man before him was the Emperor incarnate.

"Why?"

"Um?"

"I want to ask you—why did you choose to trust me? Although I don't know who you are, I have never had any dealings with someone as powerful as you."

"It's simple, Hurons." The mysterious man seemed to be laughing. "You're a loyal fellow."

Yes, Hurons is cunning, shrewd, and ambitious.

But he's also a loyal friend.

For Space Marine like him, loyalty to the Imperium of Man may not be so great, but for his brothers-in-arms, the Astartes would never abandon even one if possible.

It was precisely through his benevolent and righteous methods that he was widely praised by the major Chapter Master throughout the Maelstrom region: they all believed that Hurons was the only capable person who could completely resolve the Maelstrom problem after the Horus Heresy.

"I will help you cover up the Tiger Claws Chapter incident—don't ask me how I know, and I will ensure that your power in Badab remains unchanged. I can even help you clear away the Chaos threats within the Maelstrom."

"But I only ask you to do one thing."

"In the future, I will need your assistance—just as the Executioner Chapter came to my aid because of their oath—and in the future, I will also need you as the Guardian of Badab to help me fight."

"It's that simple?"

"It's that simple."

"What a debt of gratitude I've incurred."

Hurons shook his head with a wry smile.

If it were someone like the High Lord who comes in and tries to intimidate others with his power, Hurons would definitely fight him to the bitter end.

But as a timely helper in the martial arts world, Hurons, the brother of this mysterious figure, naturally couldn't refuse the favor.

"But friend, who exactly are you? And if I want to repay this favor in the future, how should I do it?"

"You will only know in the future."

"I can only tell you one thing—when that time comes, I will assemble a large army and head to Terra to eradicate corruption from the High Lords of Terra!"

High Lord!?

Did he hear that right? This guy wants to storm Terra and seize the High Lord's throne?!

Hurons's eyes suddenly shone with a dazzling golden light.

This isn't about repaying a favor; it's Wang Xiulun's lifelong dream after being disgusted by Badab for most of his life!

"Good!!!"

"My friend, just tell me! I, Ruft Hurons, will do my best to cooperate!"

Loyal!

"Phew, Hurons seems to have stabilized."

"Now all that's missing is that damned Inquisitor who keeps insisting on starting the Badab War."

Having been teleported to a pirate fleet ship, Kasgar, who had just finished negotiating with Hurons, temporarily shed his disguise as the mysterious man.

[Captain, where are we going next?]

The Psychic Power communication from the Void Dreamer reached his ears, reminding him to take the next step.

"We're going back to Kasgo."

The Badab War is almost at the stage of peace talks, but as for Kasgar during this time, he has a more pressing task ahead of him.

He needs to gather enough men.

In this operation, Kasgar's target was the former Ultramarines Second Captain, who was currently imprisoned in the Stasis Field of Inquisitor Serkes.

—Titus!

If the timeline doesn't change much.

Now, he has just acquired a Strike Cruiser from Otis, nearly a hundred Tiger Claw Space Marine, several pirate fleets, and the strong support of the Red Scorpions Chapter.

For someone who has only recently awakened, having such an army is already a remarkable achievement.

—But that's far from enough.

Despite Kasgar's prowess, he still needs a qualified and capable adjutant to assist him in leading the army and controlling the situation when he leaves.

And to pave a new road for the future fully prepared Emperor's Children Legion.

This person must be capable enough in combat, and also possess a strong will to ensure that they are not corrupted by Chaos.

It seems that Inquisitor Jerome Serx has already presented Kasgar with the best candidate.