Great Learning of the Lunar Wolves (Part 1)

"What? Father, that's impossible!"

Company Commander Abaddon flatly denied it.

Maybe that Kasgar fellow did have some skill.

Using five hundred elite Emperor's Children veterans to hold the surface fortifications, breaking the enemy's weak points one by one, and finally turning the tide.

The Emperor's Children were renowned for their elite but scarce numbers, and every veteran who had survived the Great Crusade to the present was the cream of the crop.

Wasn't it just relying on his elite Astartes underlings?

These things, the Lunar Wolves' Company Commander, the undefeated, the most ferocious, strongest, and baddest man of the Sixteenth Legion, Ezekiel Abaddon, could do just as well!

If he had commanded the Silent Star campaign, he would have led a squad of elite Gatling veterans and pulled off a surprise boarding action to decapitate the xenos leader.

That wasn't difficult.

But Horus said Kasgar hadn't even used Space Marines.

An Acting Prefect of a Space Marine Legion, winning a campaign without using Space Marines?

Then how did he win?

Horus didn't answer, just silently watched the projection recording before him.

In the footage, under the fire of the Crystalline Aliens' focused energy weapons, Kasgar's defensive positions collapsed and fell one after another, as if they had no room to fight back against the enemy's overwhelming assault.

Not just Abaddon, but the other Lunar Wolves company commanders were also staring intently at the projection.

They too wanted to know how this man, who had put such pressure on Lord Horus, could achieve victory without relying on his veteran Space Marine companies.

"Those are... Auxilia?"

"And Automated Flying Mechs. Are those secret weapons of the Adeptus Mechanicus?"

"Doesn't look like it. As far as I know, the Cybernetic Legion's development has always focused on large-scale, heavy-firepower Automated Mecha."

"These small reconnaissance machines aren't their style."

As the battle turned with the arrival of the Automated Flying Mechs and Auxilia, the company commanders gathered around the large table in the strategy room, voicing their opinions.

"Impressive."

"Such beautiful coordinated strike capability—if our army could fight like this..."

"Remarkable."

"The xenos are completely pinned down; their main forces can't commit to battle at all. Strong guerrilla tactics."

Finally, as the Chemos Guard and the swarming Automated Flying Mechs wiped out the surface Crystalline Aliens one by one, the xenos warships in the sky were ambushed by Imperial cruisers lying in wait, and the campaign against the xenos ended in a great victory with minimal casualties.

"According to our post-battle statistics, Kasgar deployed over six thousand Chemos Guard members on the battlefield. Only a little over a hundred died, and the wounded were also kept within a hundred."

"As for the most elite Emperor's Children veterans, aside from one whose right leg was burned through by a xenos sneak attack during the subsequent boarding action, the rest were completely unharmed."

"A perfect campaign."

Horus sighed. "Ezekiel, now, do you still insist you could have done it?"

Ezekiel Abaddon fell silent.

Crushing the xenos wasn't hard.

But doing it while keeping casualties this low was nearly impossible.

"Ezekiel, you are a strong and proud warrior—there's nothing wrong with that."

"But you shouldn't let that make you think too highly of yourself, believing we Lunar Wolves are the strongest warriors with nothing to learn from other Legions."

He placed his hand on the wolf pelt on the Company Commander's pauldron, speaking earnestly.

"This misjudgment of Kasgar—I myself am not blameless."

"I was arrogant and lacked the eye for talent. If Kasgar weren't my brother-in-law, but a warrior of the Lunar Wolves..."

"His command talent might well have been buried."

Horus's tone was full of regret.

The First Returned Son was humble.

One must not become complacent just from achieving a little success.

That was the virtue he had learned in the thirty years by the Emperor's side, and the reason the Primarchs would one day be willing to call him elder brother.

"Don't be nervous, Tenth Company Commander. I'm not blaming you."

Seeing the tension and unease on Tenth Company Commander Gavril Loken's face, Horus quickly added.

"It's just that we Lunar Wolves can no longer afford to be arrogant."

"From those days when we first landed on Chemos, I had a faint sense that they were different."

"Company commanders, imagine this."

"If Kasgar accumulated enough prestige and threw all the Emperor's Children into such a well-coordinated guerrilla tactic..."

Horus paused for a moment, as if waiting for the company commanders to digest his words.

"Even back then, if I had personally commanded the surface assault, I might not have achieved much."

At this moment, staring at the surging warp currents beyond the floor-to-ceiling window, Horus could almost see the fierce siege firepower of his Lunar Wolves clashing in a "spear versus shield" confrontation with the Third Legion's flawless guerilla tactics.

For some reason, even in this illusion, he saw it with startling clarity.

Choral City?

Was that where they fought?

His thoughts snapped back to the present.

The Lunar Wolves needed to learn.

Resting on their laurels and wallowing in pride would only invite destruction.

Whether it was the Imperial Fists, masters of defense; the Ultramarines, experts in logistics; or the Sons of the Emperor, whose perfect tactics even Horus himself had underestimated—they were all worthy examples to emulate.

Kasgar's battle had not only achieved remarkable results.

It had also forced Horus to constantly reflect on his own flaws and those of his Legion.

Horus ordered that from now on, all officers above the company level within the Lunar Wolves would participate in study sessions, drawing strengths from other Legions to fill their own gaps.

And he named it—

[Great Learning of the Lunar Wolves]!

As for the content of the first session...

"I once asked Fulgrim, back when she assured me of Kasgar's command ability."

"I asked her: Why place such faith in a recruit?"

"Fulgrim, she..."

"She gave me this."

Horus removed his heavy gauntlet and placed it on the table. In his exposed palm lay a small storage device.

"She said, 'Only facts can prove my words.'"

"'If you are ever truly amazed by him one day, then take this out and have a look.'"

Fulgrim seemed to have long anticipated that Kasgar would astonish everyone, and had handed this over to him in advance.

It was a device for storing visual records, compatible with their meeting room's projection equipment.

"Then let us see together what it was that allowed Kasgar to master such formidable tactics even as a recruit."

Horus was especially focused.

He stared intently at the projection.

After a few seconds, a line of strange small text gradually appeared on the projection device.

[Please enjoy this epic drama adapted from the personal experiences of the great Primarch Fulgrim—]

[Thirty Years - Chemos - Centaur - Golden Ring]