Magnus Returns Once More

That was before he was Emperor.

Under the purification of his power, all corruption will be destroyed—on this land ravaged for countless years, there will never again be a desperate plague.

In the future, humanity will replace ignorance and superstition with rational and scientific thinking. In the future, humanity—and only humanity—will be able to control its own destiny!

His ideals were grand and lofty, and he and his followers were always moving towards their goal.

Until, an extremely strange plague spread among the people.

Believe in his words and carry out his will!

"Praise the Emperor! He will save us from this plague!"

"Thinking is superfluous; we only need to trust in his wisdom!"

He didn't understand who this Emperor was, but it seemed that all this faith was directed towards him.

It was an extremely strange plague, which Nurgle used as a weapon against him.

The plague itself is not difficult to cure; in fact, it is somewhat milder compared to the Nurgle and insidious poisons of the wicked.

[The Plague of Unbelief]

This is a plague that infects people's minds.

Unlike other plagues, it is not difficult to cure.

But there is only one cure.

Belief.

Faith in him, faith in a leader with superhuman strength, Farsight, and wisdom, faith in charisma.

Mortals can never understand others with their mediocre wisdom and strength. All they need to do is believe, even if it is out of ignorance or fear, to save themselves from the suffering of plague and live a foolish and ignorant life under the protection of others.

"."

This was not what he expected.

People did not draw strength from the Imperial Truth as he had hoped, nor did they fight alongside him under his command.

After suffering from illness and torment, ordinary people do not possess his resilience or strength.

They only hoped, and believed, that he could, as before, protect all mortals who suffer.

They believed that only a Radiance and majestic superman like him could defeat all evil with his superhuman strength.

The best they, these mortals, could do was obey everything he said and act according to his commands.

They don't believe in themselves—if their power is truly worthy of belief, why is it only with his arrival that people can be liberated from the Techno-Barbarians warlords who roam Terra?

"Believe in him, believe in the Emperor!"

Although it has never claimed to be Emperor.

Physical plagues can be cured with good medicine, but there is currently no solution to the plague of the mind.

Even though he decided to destroy every part of the Terra and burn down the last church in the world, people who had lost their faith still placed their devotion in him.

The Nurgle has corroded this land for far too long.

Ingrained.

He has failed, though not yet, but he can already see his fate.

He could see the final moments that symbolized the End and the Death.

Four faces lurking in the shadows, smirking at him.

One of them, with its gaping mouth teeming with plague and rotten flies, chuckled at him from the shadows.

You cannot eradicate the cowardice in people's hearts.

The Plague of Unbelief is merely a symptom of the plague.

The real plague resides in people's hearts and in their faith.

Humanity, having lost hope, will place its hopes on another being with a superhuman mission.

From one loving father to another, what they yearn for is not an absolute being who can lead them away from their miserable situation.

Prayer, even if it's just a passive, waiting-for-a-money kind of prayer, is the only thing they, as mortals, can do.

In this hopeless world, all his efforts were destined to fail—a predetermined end.

From that time on, golden armor formed from his faith began to appear on his body.

Any mortal who casts their gaze upon him will only see the savior they most desire to see, their Emperor.

From then on, no one would remember his original name, nor would anyone be able to see his original appearance.

People believed that only a perfect, flawless Emperor could save them from the quagmire of absolute despair.

And so, he became [the Emperor].

Parmenio.

On the battlefield between the Imperium of Man and the Nurgle's Demon Army.

"Praise the Emperor! Believe in the Emperor!"

"Under the illumination of his light, evil will surely perish, and we will surely triumph!"

Although many civilians behind the city were unable to witness the battle on the front lines and could not ascertain what had happened.

All they could do was pray for the Emperor and Emperor power.

"."

Faced with this scene, Priest Mathieu of the Imperial Cult who had been kneeling and praying with them, stood there blankly, seemingly pondering something.

Bear!

On the very front lines of the battle against the Nurgle's Demon Army, the Titans and the Astra Militarum tank forces leading the way clashed once again.

The firepower from the God Machines is incredibly strong, but the Death Guard's artillery fire is equally fierce.

Aside from the two beings battling it out in the very center of the sky, the remaining combatants were doing their utmost to unleash firepower on the enemy lines.

In the realm of petty squabbles, Nurgle still has the upper hand.

After all, their vitality is even stronger than that of the Titans—as long as they are not completely blasted into nothingness, the Great Unclean One, with their superhuman vitality, can recover from extremely severe injuries.

It appears that the war is developing in a direction increasingly unfavorable to the Imperium of Man.

Even so, people still wanted to believe in the Emperor Incarnate fought against the plague cauldron with flames in his hand in the sky.

Perhaps it was the people's wishes that had materialized, or perhaps it was the destined Emperor's Light that would dispel all darkness—as the flames at the center erupted, burning the disgusting plague Greater Daemon and eliciting screams of agony, thunderous shouts also erupted from the army below.

"Emperor!"

"Emperor!"

"Emperor!"

Praise be to the Emperor's might! May He protect us!

As an artifact of the god Nurgle, the Plague Cauldron is powerful enough to withstand the scorching Kasgar's Flame.

It's quite possible that this was Nurgle's method for dealing with the Kasgar's Flame —although he ultimately failed.

"Ah!!!"

The power of the chief Greater Daemon in the real world stems from their power projection—although their magic is greatly amplified in the Warp, in this real world,

(Some weak projectiles can be killed with a single sword strike by Grand Master chief Greater Daemon, the Grey Knights, or a mortal; while some powerful projectiles, such as Shalaxi, can defeat the entire Death Cult single-handedly.)

Ku'gath's enormous, obese body writhed desperately under the scorching Kasgar's Flame, like a bloated maggot.

Despite being the first demon under Nurgle's command.

But compared to the power that Kasgar currently possesses, even the chief Greater Daemon Ku'gath would not be his match!

Just as he was completely suppressing Ku'gath with flames, he clearly wouldn't let go of the Great Unclean One around him.

In that instant, the plague guards surrounding Kasgar were also scorched by the same flames.

With a speed that was almost impossible for them to react, they thrust the Disintegration Field in their hands straight into the rotting hearts of the Great Unclean One.

Septicus, the Black Death, and famine were thus completely eradicated from this world.

"No!!!"

The horrific death brought tears to Ku'gath's eyes—his good brother and friend had been completely purified by the flames, leaving him not even a trace of ashes!

"You killed them!!! You bastard!!!"

How could you—

Faced with Ku'gath's struggles, Kasgar remained silent, only intensifying the heat of the grilling attack.

The opponent's momentum had weakened considerably since its first appearance—all that was needed was to continue roasting it with fire, and soon Ku'gath would be going to the underworld along with his Greater Daemon friends.

This will send you two to be a pair of star-crossed lovers.

But at that moment, something unexpected happened.

"Friend, you should stop playing the role of a god."

While Kasgar was still cooking Ku'gath with a great fire, the vortex of the Warp above them was still gathering, and in the depths of Nurgle, where the air was thick with the decaying mist, a Portal that tore through the void opened amidst the Cultists' sacrificial ritual.

An equally powerful Psychic Power energy suppressed the flames that Ku'gath Kasgar the next moment.

The hand that emerged from the Portal was covered in fiery red skin, adorned with glittering gemstone rings and a wrist—and the moment the eyes focused on it, the gemstones seemed to instantly radiate nine different colors.

Immediately afterwards, the enormous humanoid body stepped out of the Portal, its light, shimmering with distorted and ever-changing colors, aimed at the flame in Kasgar's hand.

Tzeentch Daemon's Primarch, Magnus.

His appearance hasn't changed much compared to ten thousand years ago, or rather, his current power allows him to manipulate his body into any form he desires.

Beside him followed several Daemon Prince of Tzeentch and Chaos Sorcerer, each radiating a ghostly blue light.

However, these demons seem to be at odds with Nurgle, who symbolizes decay and stagnation, standing beside them.

Perhaps it was the awakening of Kasgar that activated new targets for the entire dormant universe—whether they were Primarch lurking and living in seclusion within the Imperium, or traitors who had long since sided with Chaos, they all reappeared in the world along with Kasgar at the turn of the forty-first millennium.

[You guys actually managed to form a partnership?]

Kasgar frowned as he warily observed the two uninvited guests before him.

Nurgle and Tzeentch, two forces that are usually at odds, have surprisingly chosen to cooperate in order to stop the advance of Kasgar.

"You can't go on like this—perhaps Guilliman's ending is more suitable for you."

Magnus said.

Most people might just think this guy is trying to beat them up; but Kasgar has seen what that little Loli-man looks like.

Kasgar felt a chill run down his spine.

[Damn lolicon—you transform yourself first!]

Without giving it much thought, Kasgar's flames once again targeted the Wizard from Tzeentch.

"This was not my intention, my friend; I was merely following orders."

"Is Guilliman like that now?"

"Well, I gave that noisy, arrogant guy a little hard time, that's all."

It's easy to say.

But Kasgar doesn't believe that his personal hobbies weren't involved.

The power of Chaos will always be greater than that of the Imperium of Man, but their goal, or rather, the best way for them to become stronger, is to slowly and steadily push this tragic Imperium toward its inevitable demise.

But this doesn't mean they can let Kasgar run rampant.

As a wise man, Tzeentch naturally understood the principle of mutual dependence – He did not intend for Nurgle to monopolize Ultramar.

But in his calculations, if he just stood by and watched, even Garden of Nurgle would be burned to the ground by Kasgar in the future.

--Especially since the Great Rift he had anticipated had failed to unfold, and for some reason, the unreliable Abaddon had postponed the planned expedition against Cadia once again--in addition, the Beast had already risen in Armageddon, and the power from the newly formed Ork Empire was constantly clearing away all obstacles in their path.

Chaos was already severely weakened ten thousand years ago. Although, on a personal level, He was quite pleased to see Garden of Nurgle burned down, on the other hand, if Chaos continued to fight among itself, it was very likely that this Great Game would slip out of His control.

Welcome back to the 40K era.

While fending off the flames in Kasgar's hands, Magnus calmly said, "As a long-lost friend, I eagerly await your return."

"Let me show you the Imperium of Man that you, despite your attempts and efforts, still cannot save."

Have you ever thought about why?

He paused deliberately for a moment, then shot out along with the magical energy ball in his hand, which was radiating brilliant light.

"All of this is the [Great Game] of the true gods."

"From beginning to end, your actions have never escaped the control of the true gods."

Although Kasgar did indeed cause the Chaos Gods a great deal of depletion ten thousand years ago.

But in any case, this was all part of the Lord of Change's plan.

Moreover, they wouldn't repeat the same mistake. This time, they would keep a close watch on Kasgar and resolutely prevent him from trying to sabotage the Great Game again.

It's very simple. Just like Tzeentch helped Guilliman in the original story, all you need to do now is help Nurgle in the same way.

Balance.

With just a little bit of balance, everything will develop as He intended.

"You troublemaker!"

Of course, the description uttered by Kasgar in anger might be more suitable for Tzeentch at this moment.

If Chaos hadn't feared him, why would Nurgle and Tzeentch have joined forces against him?

Magnus and his master had a clear objective: they couldn't let Kasgar stay awake any longer, nor could they let the Blue Smurfs continue to mass-produce troops!

Whether Nurgle ultimately corrupts the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar, or Tzeentch twists these worlds with his power, this region must be brought under the control of Chaos!

What happened ten thousand years ago was just an accident; they could not possibly give Kasgar and Guilliman another chance to revive the Imperium of Man!

"Hahahaha! My friend, I have high hopes for you!"

Seeing that his opponent was locked in a fierce battle with the Daemon Primarch, Ku'gath laughed and sprayed out a large amount of disgusting green pus from his body to repair the burns on his body.

"Soon, we will all be reunited in His Garden of Nurgle!"

As he spoke, he returned to the sedan chair, clutching the giant cauldron in his hands, and, with the ever-laughing Nurgling beside him, headed towards the distant, miasma-shrouded, withered forest.

"Report on the battle situation."

Second Captain Cato Sicarius, while silently frowning and flipping through documents, spoke with one hand supporting Loli-man.

Just when Magnus and Kasgar were both unable to defeat each other, Sicarius, the Second Captain controlled by Loli-man, finally gave the order to retreat.

The soldiers on the front lines have begun to show severe symptoms of disease poisoning, and if the fighting continues, it will drag them into the territory that Nurgle excels at.

However, seeing the Imperium of Man retreat, Magnus stopped and withdrew, without pursuing the retreating human army.

"Gununu!!!"

"Damn Magnus!!!"

"My lord, you cannot remove the crown that symbolizes my honor from my head!"

"Um?!"

"Uh, sir, please make yourself at home."

"Snort!"

The angry Loli-man, completely ignoring the other's distress, continued to vent her frustration by picking at the red and white broom bristles on Sicarius's helmet.

(The image shows Cato Sicarius with his broom-head helmet.)

If she hadn't known that she had lost all her strength, she would have definitely gone forward to fight that thief for another three hundred rounds!

As for the final battle report, it was as expected—although both sides suffered some casualties, apart from the few Great Unclean One that Kasgar killed, the Imperium of Man was indeed unable to further expand its gains against Nurgle.

But this is also a kind of failure.

The Nurgle has been corrupting everything in Parmenio: the water, ecosystems, landforms, and the entire cycle have all become highly toxic due to its putrefactive power.

This has always been Nurgle's offensive strategy.

Although these clumsy creatures are not good at offensive warfare, they can use the power of corruption and contamination to lure the enemy into taking the initiative, and then achieve the effect of annihilating the enemy through counterattack tactics.

They had succeeded many times in previous battles.

Soon this planet will become uninhabitable for humans—they must quickly break through the enemy's positions.

But that's easier said than done.

With the Daemon Primarch Magnus blocking their way, even the Emperor's avatar could not break through the opponent's defenses.

--Even in this battle, Magnus fought alone, without even deploying his Thousand Sons Traitor Legions!

One Nurgle is enough for everyone to handle, let alone another Tzeentch.

How many more armies of Chaos will they have to face in the future?

Despair enveloped the entire war council hall in Parmenio.

I have a plan.

Matthieu?

A respondent who surprised the Second Captain commander.

"Is there anything you'd like to say?"

As the representative of the Imperial Cult's priests, he stood up and replied, "I received instructions from the Emperor's messenger and had a conversation with the Emperor Incarnate."

What did he say?

He has a plan.

Matthieu's furrowed brows relaxed, and he smiled.

He also said that he needed something, a divine artifact, to completely purify Nurgle from the corruption that permeated this world, and indeed all of humanity.

"[The Blood Chalice of Cadia], a bell that rings when Cadia faces mortal danger, kept in Laurentius of the Corona Bellis System."

"He promised that he would never trade this clock for the Xenos."