"Lord Horus, you summoned us?"
Torgaddon, Second Captain of the Lunar Wolves, knocked on the door and asked as he entered the Staff Room at the prow of the Vengeful Spirit.
Several days had passed since the 63rd Expeditionary Fleet had cleared and purged the entire Dalinite Nebula.
As the xenos throughout the nebula were defeated and exterminated one by one, most of the Expeditionary Fleet had successfully returned, aside from a small force left behind to maintain order.
They would soon follow the Vengeful Spirit back to Terra, as the Emperor had commanded.
Now, the eight Primarchs who had successfully returned would gather deep within the Imperial Palace on Terra to discuss a matter of vital importance.
And as the First Returned Son, Horus and his Lunar Wolves naturally would not miss such a grand occasion.
Yet during this Warp voyage home, Primarch Horus had suddenly summoned all Lunar Wolves officers of company commander rank and above to this meeting room.
"Mm."
Seeing the remaining company commanders behind Torgaddon, Horus rose to his feet in reply.
The Eye of Horus set at the center of his pearl-white armor still seemed to see through all things, just like the black wolf pelt draped over his shoulder—both were the noblest symbols within the Legion.
Horus, beloved by every Lunar Wolf, now wore a deeply furrowed brow.
"Have you all heard about Acting Prefect Kasgar of the Sons of the Emperor defeating the xenos on Silent Star?"
Ah.
So he had summoned all the company commanders for this?
"Phew, Lord Horus, you should have said so earlier."
"Now we can't present the grand gift we prepared for your coronation as Warmaster."
Torgaddon spoke in a joking tone. Laughter erupted behind him, and even Horus's expression turned somewhat surprised.
"Warmaster?"
"How did you learn of this?"
"How did we learn of it? My lord, from Terra to the furthest borders of the Imperium of Man, everyone has been talking about it."
"I suspect there is no need for Astropaths to spread the news. The whole world will be discussing, without any prompting, who will become the Empire's Warmaster."
Ever since word spread that the eight current Primarchs would return to the Imperium together for a meeting, rumors that the Emperor would select a Warmaster during that meeting had continued to ferment throughout the Imperium of Man.
Some idle gossipers claimed that the Expeditionary Fleets' collective return was the Warmaster going back to pay the Emperor a "grand birthday tribute."
What was more, even among the crew of the Vengeful Spirit, betting pools had been organized over who would become Warmaster.
"Of course, loyal as I am, I wagered ten Aquila Coins on you."
Torgaddon gave an exaggerated bow, drawing another burst of laughter.
"Tarik, but I heard you also placed wagers on other Primarchs?"
Even Abaddon, Company Commander of the First Company and Torgaddon's closest friend, teased him over it.
"Well, that's only because the bookmaker was too ruthless. He said every Lunar Wolf bet on Horus, so he couldn't keep the game going."
"I had no choice but to balance things out—"
"Enough, company commanders, enough."
Smiling, Horus swept his gaze over the company commanders present before finally settling on a somewhat restrained newcomer.
His pearl-white power armor, inlaid with amber Eyes of Horus, gleamed as though brand-new. It was clearly maintained with meticulous care.
The newcomer had a handsome face with a few freckles, while his Khorosnian gray-gold hair had been cut short.
Yet judging by his perfectly straight posture and tense expression, he seemed a little too "resolute."
"It seems we have a newcomer among our company commanders."
"This, this is the newly promoted Tenth Captain, Gavril Loken." Torgaddon stepped forward to introduce him. "I advised him against it, but he still can't quite relax."
"An honor to meet you, Lord Shepherd of Wolves!"
As though he had received an order, he opened his mouth and unleashed a thunderous battle cry.
Then came an exceedingly standard military salute, demonstrating his respect for the Primarch.
This was undoubtedly the longest burst of laughter the company commanders had ever shared.
Everyone was thoroughly amused.
"Please, Captain. There's no need for that."
Even Horus himself could not hold it together.
In wartime, the Lunar Wolves' strict obedience to orders naturally resembled a fierce yet intelligent wolf pack.
But now that the war had ended, the Lunar Wolves naturally returned to being one harmonious family.
All Legion warriors, all Battle Brothers, would live here in harmony.
At least, for now.
"Let us return to business."
Horus adjusted his expression and tone after the laughter, then turned toward the massive projection device behind him.
"Company commanders, you all fought well in the xenos cleansing campaign of the Dalinite Nebula."
"As members of the Lunar Wolves, your battles proved the glory of the Sixteenth Legion."
Then his tone abruptly shifted. "But it is not enough."
"Kasgar and the Sons of the Emperor's battle on Silent Star has made me uneasy."
"Back then, when I was still the Emperor's only Primarch, I took great pride in my position as the First Returned Son."
"Thirty years of being ahead made me believe that my achievements and my Legion would far surpass those brothers and sisters who came after me. I believed I would surely become the eldest brother everyone found most trustworthy."
"But it seems every one of my brothers and sisters is extraordinary."
Though Horus considered himself highly accomplished and deserving of the soon-to-be-conferred title of Warmaster, he did not dare claim it was certain.
"Philus, who has the closest ties with the Adeptus Mechanicus and possesses countless heavy weapons; Rogal Dorn, master of defense, who commands the Mount Array; and Guilliman, Lord of Five Hundred Worlds, Son of War, who returned most recently."
"They are all formidable rivals in my bid for Warmaster."
Horus paused.
He could not have overlooked him.
That Primarch, the most powerful one—and also the one most likely to be chosen.
His strongest competitor.
"And that taciturn Lord of the Second Legion."
His brothers and sisters truly were all outstanding.
But they seemed to be a little too outstanding.
It left him, who saw himself as the eldest brother, somewhat at a loss.
"You must be wondering what this has to do with Kasgar and the Sons of the Emperor's battle on Silent Star?"
He let out a heavy sigh.
"I must admit, Kasgar and his men far exceeded my expectations."
"Even the Third Legion, which I once believed had almost no chance of being rebuilt, may one day be forged by him and Fulgrim into something more terrifying and more powerful than us."
As he spoke, the projection device behind him shifted, displaying several Xenos Warships.
"These are recordings left behind by the Adeptus Mechanicus personnel stationed on Silent Star."
"The invading Xenos Fleet was enormous. Though they were not equipped with Void Shields as defensive measures, their super-heavy firepower and sturdy hulls were still beyond what the Lunar-class ships left behind could compare with."
The projection changed to the poison-mist-covered surface of Silent Star.
Countless xenos resembling Crystalline Constructs descended from the warships onto the surface and fired upon the Sons of the Emperor's Defensive Fortifications.
"Hmph, that's nothing much."
Abaddon was clearly unconvinced.
"If I led five hundred Gatlings and made preparations in advance, we could still hold the surface defenses."
"Perhaps you could."
Horus nodded.
"But what if I told you that Kasgar not only held the line, but launched a counterattack—and did not even deploy a single Space Marine company?"
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