Which Imperium Do You Swear Allegiance To?

Question: Imagine you're sleeping soundly, then turn around and find your father and a bunch of his buddies blocking your doorway. Without a word, they're like they've taken some kind of drug, furiously beating you with Seven Wolves cigarettes. How would you feel?

That's what happened with the Caliban uprising; it was all so confusing that nobody knew why.

For the Caliban, we have served the Empire with unwavering dedication, sending our own children into the First Legion, and everyone considers it an honor to join the Dark Angels.

But what they got in return was the collapse of the planet, the Forge Factory that sprang up from the ground, Civilians dying suddenly in the workshops, and the near extinction of the native culture due to the impact of the empire.

If that were the case, it would be understandable, since all the worlds suffered during the Great Crusade. But the Great Crusade was won, and you, Zhuang Sen, became the Imperial Warmaster. Why are we still living such a miserable life?

Not only the indigenous people, but the Dark Angels are also in a mess. While other cousins can enjoy honors on a high platform filled with flowers and applause, we can only carry out one secret mission after another.

Not only were these tasks illicit, but our achievements were also completely buried.

The once mighty First Legion is gone, and the recruits I personally trained are dead. These young people, full of hope and determined to bring glory to the Legion, faced their first battlefield only to be Slaughter by their own Gene-Lord.

An absurd beginning, an absurd experience, and even that absurd time-space storm that threw him into this cesspool for a full 400 years.

Seeing the enraged lion before him, Zabriel, who had been beaten to his knees, could no longer contain his fury and Roared:

"You're talking nonsense! You're the traitor! It was you who destroyed Caliban with your own hands, you who destroyed all our hopes, and you who betrayed the Empire."

"Lies!" Lion roared, the enormous sound even stunning the Space Marine.

Although he shouted loudly, Lion didn't actually smash someone's skull with a single punch; instead, he felt a little unsure of himself.

Was I wrong to destroy the traitor's planet? Should I have been kinder to my offspring? Perhaps I should have talked to Luther first.

Before Lion could figure it out, he heard the Fallen Angels beneath him roar, "You say I'm lying? Then where have you been for the past 10,000 years?"

"What ten thousand years? What nonsense are you spouting? Judging by the insignia on your body, you should be from the Third Company, a deacon of the Order of the Three Keys, belonging to the Dreadwing, so you are Zabriel."

By simply observing the lines on his body that seemed meaningless to outsiders, the Lion King instantly opened the Fallen Angels's box and accurately uttered the Fallen Angels's name.

"Take your helmet off! You're the one who shot me in the back back then, I remember you!"

Zabriel, whose box had been opened in an instant, stopped pretending and directly removed his helmet, revealing an old man with wrinkles and white hair to the Lion King.

Looking at his offspring, who appeared even older than himself, the Lion King instinctively reached out and touched Zabriel's face, startling Zabriel so much that he didn't dare to breathe.

"No, this isn't real. Why have you gotten so old? No way! Even Space Marine should be dead by now, even after 10,000 years. There's no way you could be alive now."

"It's strange, isn't it? That damned time storm not only destroyed Caliban, but also teleported us all to different places and different times. When I reappeared, it was 400 years ago."

And then, I became Fallen Angels, hated by everyone!

At this point, Zabriel grabbed a handful of sand and threw it at him, pointing to the ugly scar that stretched across half his face and spewing:

"For the past 400 years, I've been on the run from the Dark Angels. They would come right after I finished fighting the enemy, especially that bastard Azmodai. He chased me for 20 years to cover up the truth about my betrayal back then. It's all because of your good son, Zhuang Sen!"

"Is it possible that it was just a misunderstanding?"

Upon hearing this, the two large men, one big and one small, immediately turned their heads and looked at Kakiya, who had interrupted them.

"Shut up! Fealty that isn't absolute is absolutely Fealty!" ×2

Based on that one sentence, Kakiya was certain that they were definitely father and son, but she still didn't understand why they couldn't talk properly. They'd been arguing for so long, and she'd almost finished her rations, and they still hadn't gotten to the point.

"How about you two have a fight? Whoever wins gets to do what's agreed to. I want to see a river of blood."

The Lion King was a little confused, wondering why she was so bold. Didn't she know who he was? You tell me to hit you and I won't!

"Zabriel, let me tell you, I didn't give any orders to bomb Caliban at that time. I had just returned to Caliban from Terra when we were attacked on the ground."

Luther also made a deal with... with those monstrous things, gaining power in the process. The earth is teeming with Daemon, and now you blame the Dark Angels for hunting you down? You deserve it!

Looking at the indignant Lion King, Zabriel sighed, "I don't know what you mean by the order to fire, nor do I know what those forces are. All I know is that you started attacking indiscriminately as soon as you landed."

Deceiving others is one thing, but who carried out that indiscriminate Orbital Bombardment? It couldn't have been us!

Who would have thought that Caliban recruit's first battle would be against his own Primarch? How many people have you killed, Father?

And those Daemons, they appeared the Daemon you arrived. As for whether you bombed Caliban, you know the answer yourself; you have a history of such behavior."

"I... I didn't bomb Koz's hometown. He's completely gone mad. And Olympia, Barbarus, Prospero... we were all forced into this situation."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers watching nearby widened their eyes instantly. Although they couldn't understand the words, they were deeply shocked.

After a moment of silence, Lion also sighed. After ten thousand years of slumber, Lord Hajimi had finally stopped exhaling and learned to think:

"You call me a traitor, then dare you swear you remain Fealty? You, Zabriel, remain loyal to the Emperor and to humanity."

Looking into the Lion King's eyes, Zabriel did not hesitate at all and firmly declared that he would always be loyal to the Emperor and mankind.

Such honesty and decisiveness—and it is precisely because of this that the Lion King suffers.

But finally, a hand was placed in front of Zabriel. Looking at his son, who was no longer as robust as he once was, Zhuang Sen said:

"You say that 10,000 years has passed, which is indeed beyond comprehension, but I choose to believe you. Do you believe me, my uncrowned champion?"

"It's hard to say."

"What did you say?"

"Do you dare swear that you will always be loyal to the Emperor and the Empire?"

Zhuang Sen thought to himself, "I've already forgiven you, how dare you not accept it?" He instinctively felt angry again, and then he thought, "How dare you question my Fealty?"

But the 10,000-year-old cat's nap was not in vain. Zhuang Sen thought to himself, the arrogance of the past has destroyed us, and I really can't be like I was back then.

"Very well, I swear! I pledge my loyalty to the Emperor and to the Empire."

Which empire are you loyal to?

"..."

"There is only one empire!"

Upon hearing this, Zabriel was also shocked, and even doubted whether the lion in front of him was real. If it were before, he probably would have already blanked out his mind and cosplayed as Ferrus.

Looking at the now unusually old lion, Zabriel felt only sorrow, tears streaming down his face as he grabbed the Lion King's outstretched hand.

"Why, why are you only saying this now? It's pointless; we've waged war against ourselves for no reason."

"Father!"

"Good boy!"

"Ah, why does that word sound so familiar? I think someone called me that before. Never mind, Father!"

"Good boy!"

The two giants, one large and one small, embraced and wept, which pleased the onlookers. They all suggested that they should have a good meal, as they hadn't tasted meat in a long time.

Whether it's bad luck or good luck, due to its remote location, being a valley deep in the mountains, Kamas has always been in a semi-developed state and doesn't even qualify for the Imperial Tithe.

However, due to the presence of a Death Angel Weeping Angels Chapter in the surrounding star system, the small world of Kamas, which could only exchange wood for resources, attracted the attention of the Blood Angels, who then stationed a small squad there.

They didn't know why, but the Sanguinius said it was for your own good, and that you would be under their care from now on. They told you to pay more attention to disaster prevention drills when you had free time.

This was a pretty good start. With Astartes stationed there and no need to pay that damned Imperial Tithe, Kamas was thriving, like a thriving swan.

But as the Great Rift unfolded, Kamas, located in the Imperium Nihilus, truly faced its end. First, the Death Angel known as the Weeping Angels Chapter encountered the main force of the Black Legion, and then a group of Orks appeared. After the Orks appeared, a group of metal skeletons also appeared for some reason.

In the end, even a tentacle of the Tyranid joined in the fun, leaving the Sons of Baal with no choice but to make a tactical retreat, leading this horde of monsters into the Dark Void.

Even so, Kamas, which was affected, was reduced to half-ruins, which is why Zabriel remained there, and why the survivors wanted to have a good meal.

Because the survivors haven't had anything good to eat these days; they've been eating nothing but starch paste excreted from the starch synthesizer every day.

Moreover, this starch synthesizer is an antique, passed down from the Great Crusade era. The paste it produces recently even has a greenish tinge, and eating it will make your head spin.

Soon, the survivors held a meager but joyful feast in the camp, and it was at this time that Zhuang Sen learned about the current state of the Empire from Zabriel.

"Damn it, Wenbai is incompetent and has brought shame and disgrace upon the country. How did the empire become like this? It's all Guilliman's fault. It seems I have to come out of retirement."

And that wasn't all. After calming down and carefully checking the accounts, the father and son, one big and one small, finally discovered the problem.

"That's not right. If neither side gave the order to bomb Caliban, then who exactly destroyed Caliban?"