Openly Meeting My Brother

"What a waste. He's supposed to be an uncrowned champion, yet Zabriel is so pathetic. He's not even qualified to write in the daily records, and he's not even the head of the Primarch Guard. The guard captain is just a little girl."

"Master, Master!! Can you listen to me? Are you sure this is basic medical knowledge?"

"Nonsense, would I lie to you, boss? In my eyes, the Primarch is no different from you except for being a bit more complex."

Study hard, watch carefully. Once you master this skill, I guarantee you'll be set for life and treated like royalty in any Chapter.

At the very least, you could become an Apothecary, trimming your senior brother's hair and nails.

Looking at the strange organs in her hands, the names of which she didn't even know, Jeanne felt nauseous. Compared to the Operating Table, she preferred the thrill of life-or-death battles on the battlefield.

Perhaps sensing Jeanne's confusion, Mordred put down his tools and pointed to the Apothecary beside him who could only stare wide-eyed.

"I think you're just too well-fed. Fighting on the battlefield? A piece of trash like you would be nothing but cannon fodder. Wouldn't it be better to learn some skills than to be a regular soldier?"

Believe it or not, if I said I'd replace you with someone else as my deputy, every single one of those Apothecary behind you would fight tooth and nail for it.

You must understand, Master, I am just an ordinary scientific researcher; I don't possess the power of those barbarians.

That's absolutely true. Don't be fooled by Mordred's ability to crush others with sheer numbers every time she appears; her thirst for knowledge is a lifelong trait. Otherwise, why would she miss her good brother Carlos so much?

The mention of Carlos Mordred with a sense of emptiness. That self-destruction not only killed him, but also his beloved pet Morgan disappeared without a trace.

Compared to those negligible stats, Mordred's greatest strength lies in her research capabilities, which are on par with the Emperor's. Her only flaw is that she is somewhat unbalanced in her research, and her inventions have no shortcomings other than being useless.

But being able to hang out with Mordred, Jeanne's brain is also out of control. She's a prime example of being completely sane, not thinking about any of this nonsense at all. Instead, she asked Mordred if she could read minds.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Mind reading doesn't exist at all. I just happen to be able to infiltrate the depths of someone's mind to find their little secrets."

It's not like mind-reading, where you just send a blast and everything in someone's head pops out. If I want to know someone's secrets, I have to climb into their head myself and search for them."

"But boss, if an ability can penetrate into someone's mind and uncover their secrets, then that's mind reading."

Upon hearing this, Mordred's face immediately darkened with displeasure. He hadn't wanted this ability; it was something the Yellow Skins had forced upon him when it created him. So, according to you, I'm just like that Yellow Skins?

"Just tell me, are you going to learn or not?"

"Study."

"Since you want to learn, stop talking so much nonsense. Hurry up and do what I just did, stuff Zhuang Sen's large intestine in."

And that immortal gland, remember to cut open the valves first, otherwise it will cause a blood clot to block the connection. You asked how it will recover after cutting it open? Just leave it there, it will heal on its own."

"Your Highness, may I try operating it? I'm so eager to improve."

The one who spoke was none other than Sapphon, the Grand Master Priest of the Dark Angels. As for why a Chapter Priest was also Apothecary, that's because the Empire had its own national conditions, where medical knowledge and interrogation skills were both essential.

Seeing the Apothecary staring at him with expectant eyes, Mordred couldn't help but recall the wonderful days when he would hold down the little blue bird and savor knowledge in the dead of night. This immediately triggered his tendency to be a teacher, and he stepped aside.

"Come here, everyone. I'm not one of those misers like the Mechanicus. If you don't ask me how to teach you, I'll wonder why you're all so far away. Ask me whatever you have questions; we have such good material right now."

Upon hearing Mordred say he could personally handle the task, a group of Apothecary gathered around. After all, having their own father practice on the Primarch was a privilege they never even dared to dream of.

Under Mordred's command, the Canned One each performed their duties, showing no pity for the raw materials, only a thirst for knowledge.

This greatly broadened the Apothecary's knowledge, but the problem was that there was only one Lion King. By the time the whole process was completed, the Lion King had already been assembled before anyone else could even get started.

Glancing at the slightly disappointed looks in the others' eyes, Mordred simply swung her hand and tore Zhuang Sen in half vertically with a single claw strike:

"Second Uncle, isn't what we're doing a bit inappropriate? He is, after all, my My Father."

"So what?"

"Could you give him more anesthesia? I'm worried it will hurt him."

Mordred was quite pleased. This child was truly filial; he even knew to give his father more anesthesia. Just for this filial piety, he had to teach him a few more times.

While Mordred and his devoted sons and grandsons were playing with Zhuang Sen's organs and parts, physically dissecting his heart and lungs, Zhuang Sen, who had been given an overdose of anesthetic, found himself back in that illusion.

However, compared to his previous experience, the lion that awoke in the jungle this time was suspicious. The first thing he did upon waking was to look up at the sky, and he only breathed a sigh of relief after finding no laser guidance around him.

"This is ridiculous! If I find out anyone dares to use Blast with Lance me up, I'll crush their skull. Speaking of which, why do I feel itchy all over? It feels like countless hands are groping around inside my body."

Zhuang Sen couldn't understand why he had this strange feeling, but that's the good thing about the Lion King —if he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't think about it anymore. Instead of thinking about these random things, he might as well see where he really was.

Looking around, all that remained was the cold, damp, and dark jungle, only now shrouded in thick fog, making it impossible to see clearly. The only thing visible was a large the Rock in the distance, with a greatsword stuck in it.

Strangely enough, the dark jungle and damp, cold fog would make anyone uncomfortable, but to Zhuang Sen, it felt like returning to his hometown of Caliban.

Zhuang Sen stepped forward, turned around and walked towards the Rock, where he saw a tall man who was disheveled and had a small braid in his hair.

"Hello, you traitor!"

Without any hesitation, driven by instinct, Zhuang Sen threw a punch and shouted:

"You're talking nonsense! How come I see you everywhere, you dog Russ? I'm not a traitor."

"Then why are you so resentful? You compare yourself to me every day, just hoping not to become the next me."

As soon as he finished speaking, the man whose body had just been scattered by Zhuang Sen twisted and transformed into Horus, continuing to speak.

This reminded Zhuang Sen of Guilliman's words. He knew that Horus disliked him because they were equals, both vying for the Warmaster Position, and even after the First Returned Son became Warmaster, he did not surpass him.

"It's a pity you lack Farsight in Tiamet."

His form changed again, taking the shape of Perturabo. Zhuang Sen knew that Perturabo was mocking him, mocking the Great General Cannon that Tiamet had given her.

These Great General Cannon became powerful weapons for the Chaos rebels to attack cities and strongholds after the Great Heresy, and every time the cannons roared, they would play a mocking slogan calling for Lion to become the Warmaster.

"If you were any smarter, you could have foreseen Horus's rebellion."

It was Magnus who spoke, and he punched Zhuang Sen to the ground, but Zhuang Sen, lying on the ground, then laughed:

"Now I know you're fake. Magnus couldn't possibly hit someone so lightly! You're like a skinny dog, while Magnus is secretly eating protein powder behind our backs every day."

"Wait, isn't Magnus a Psychic Power?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Magnus's figure shifted, his moth wings shimmering with phosphorescent powder instantly unfurled, and a powerful flying kick slammed into Zhuang Sen's chest:

"Are you bringing a pie or not? My old and crippled brother!"

The Lion King felt a bit disgusted, but he wouldn't back down. He took a deep breath of foot odor, grabbed some sand from the ground, and threw it at the illusion. Then, he got up and delivered a flying kick, sending the illusion that had turned into Luojia tumbling over.

Before Luojia disappeared, the Lion King picked up another handful of sand, and while throwing the sand around, he shouted that this was the Perfect City.

Perhaps provoked by Zhuang Sen's behavior, Luojia vanished instantly, only to reappear as a man with a resolute face, whose mere presence caused the surrounding temperature to drop several degrees.

"The Emperor never trusted you, which is why you can only fight in the dark corners of the galaxy, while I can stay by his side."

"Shut up. Dorn couldn't possibly speak so fluently. Don't insult my extraordinary wisdom with your nonsense."

Before the illusion could speak again, Zhuang Sen rushed forward and executed an over-the-shoulder throw, instantly killing Dorn.

However, the illusion will not disappear. This is Zhuang Sen's Inner World, and the illusion before him is the evaluation from his brother that he has always been unwilling to face.

The scattered Dorn transformed into two vortexes, and two identical figures emerged from the thick fog, but this time, Zhuang Sen spoke first:

"My God! You guys are really something. You've never had the guts to fight fairly. Alfa, Omega, you two are the worst of the worst, just like Shuke and Beta."

The Hydra trembled, its form rapidly rising, its intricately twisted metal cables swaying up and down. Butcher's Nail roared angrily, "Fairness! There is no fairness in this world!"

Where is your revenge? -- Ferrus

Where is your cunning? -- Corvus Corax

Idiot -- Koz

You are never perfect! -- Fulgrim

"And now you've accepted the worship of God!"

Zhuang Sen had tolerated the previous comments, but seeing Luojia reappear, he couldn't stand it anymore. He rushed up, wanting to pin the little brat to the ground and beat her, but he was tripped by a blue foot that appeared out of nowhere.

"Guilliman!!!"

This certainly fits Zhuang Sen's stereotype of Guilliman: even the Raven King, who has the lowest profile, will show his true face, while only the Ambition Guilliman will sneak around and trip people up from behind.

"If you had discovered all this beforehand, would I have died?"

Will I keep dying?

A golden-haired Sanguinius and a black dragon appeared one after the other, throwing Zhuang Sen into the darker depths of the jungle. Then a shadow appeared in front of Lion, but it vanished before it could take shape, as fragile as a bubble, while the Lion King's hands were stained with blood.

"Sisyphus?!"

The Lion King tried to grab his poor brother, but couldn't reach him at all. Then, Zhuang Sen saw the golden-haired giant sitting beside the Rock.

Doubt, confusion, regret, remorse, and, most intensely, a deep sense of guilt, instantly brought back all the memories of the person before him for the Lion King.

Mordred, you're not dead?

"What nonsense are you talking about? Zhuang Sen, that's not fair of you. I came here with good intentions to find you, and you actually curse me to die. Do you know what kind of life I've lived for the past ten thousand years?"

Since you're here, let's find someone else to join us and establish Second Imperium. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Let me tell you, even though it happened suddenly, I've made thorough preparations. I've placed a large number of secret warehouses within the Empire.

Once I activate these resources, I can rebuild the glory of Atlas. Remember to help me out then, and I won't let you suffer any losses; I'll give you 20%.

Don't think it's too little; 20% is enough for you.

Why is your inner world so abstract? I just saw an old man with a white beard. That idiot didn't seem to be acting; he was definitely Yellow Skins.

"He dared not answer me? I went up and slapped him so hard his nose bled! He even tried to trick me into sitting on the Golden Toilet! He's so wicked!"

Zhuang Sen was certain that what had happened before was an illusion, and that the person before him was definitely Mordred himself. But the more certain he was, the more uneasy he felt.

After all, he did that thing back then too.

"Hey bro, why is your face so pale?"

"Oh, am I pale? It's probably just the damp air; look, there's still fog around us."

Mordred nodded, thinking that since it was the mental world, this place should be the former Caliban Forest, and as an outsider, he certainly didn't know as much as Zhuang Sen.

"Wait a minute, why is your face red again?"

Without giving Mordred a chance to ask questions—it would be impolite to ask any more— Zhuang Sen went straight up and hugged his good friend, indicating that he was just excited.

Mordred patted him on the shoulder, trying to comfort him, not expecting Zhuang Sen to be so sentimental.

"Although I don't know how you've been these past 10,000 years, judging from your disheveled old appearance, you've suffered a lot."

But don't worry, during your 66th surgery, we took the time to change your personality.

"What? I've become Luojia!"

Mordred knew his good buddy would react this way. "How could that be? These are just kids playing around. I sternly reprimanded them for their irresponsible behavior and turned you back to normal."

"However, this mistake also served as a wake-up call for me. It's really hard to keep up that old man look of yours. You look older Malcador when you stand there. If you were with the Yellow Skins, you would look like three generations of the same family. People who don't know you would think you are my ancestor."

So I gave you a makeover, a makeover, and while keeping your original basic features, I also installed a magical plugin that can transform you from an old cat into an absolutely wonderful cat.

You absolutely must experience this feature. It's an astonishing wisdom I've synthesized from the Biochemical Alchemy and the knowledge I gained during my ascension to godhood.

At this point, Mordred paused for a moment, suddenly recalling his two experiences of time travel, in which he and Horusruz both transformed into animal forms.

This strange phenomenon had remained inexplicable, and even he couldn't escape its influence, but now he seemed to understand a little—it was entirely his fault.

The moment Mordred ascended to godhood, the characteristic of a Warp Chaos God One Proof of Eternity was already present, and Mordred's stereotype of his brother was imprinted into the underlying logic of the Sea of Souls.

"So you're saying I turned myself into a dog? Damn, I should have made my legs longer."

Zhuang Sen wasn't surprised by Mordred's occasional erratic self-talk, because Mordred had always been like that, always spouting nonsensical nonsense.

But none of that matters. What matters is that Mordred is back, and he is not alone.

The thought of Zabriel saying a couple of days ago that the Primarchs were all gone, and that the only one who might be known now was Guilliman, coupled with the current state of the Empire, made Zhuang Sen want to give up.

Even if it was Russ, why did it have to be that bastard Guilliman? It was because I trusted that Ambition Guilliman back then that the Legion turned into Chapter, and ultimately became what it is now.

But now Zhuang Sen doesn't think that way anymore. Although he doesn't have Russ, who guarantees everything, he has Mordred, the head of internal affairs, in return.

The lion, who had been marching towards becoming the Old Man goldfish, stopped gesturing and seemed much happier. The only problem was how to get by, but before clearing his name, Zhuang Sen had an even more important question:

"Brother, before I arrived, a group of thieves ambushed me. Do you know who they are?"

Upon hearing this, Mordred's eyes sharpened instantly. His purpose in coming to Zhuang Sen's mental world was to deceive him, so he quickly uttered the lines he had prepared beforehand:

"Don't even mention it. When we arrived, all we saw was you blown in two, and Zabriel holding your body and wailing. He was crying so hard. It was at that moment that we learned a group of Chaos rebels had launched a shameless sneak attack on you."

You know me, this kind of public humiliation is no ordinary act of betrayal; it requires a strong response. If it weren't for saving your life, I would have already chased after them."

Zhuang Sen was a little Moved, thinking that even after 10,000 years, his second brother was still so open and honest. Even in the illusion where he was condemned by everyone, Mordred did not blame him and even thought of giving him 20% of his savings. He really was so kind that he wanted to cry.

To actually eat someone else's property is utterly inhuman!

No, who said I ate Atlas's offspring? I didn't eat any; Guilliman ate them all. The First Legion No Secrets.

Thinking of this, Zhuang Sen comforted Mordred instead, saying, "Let's go outside and talk first. It's just that I'm not very familiar with this skill. It was easy to come in, but it's difficult to get out."

Mordred could indeed take her good brother out, but Zhuang Sen was, after all, Primarch, Warp minor god fragment. The strength of his mental world was not like that of Zabriel, a tiny Canned One. Who knows if this action would turn Zhuang Sen into a vegetable?

After looking around and finding no escape route, the two finally turned their attention to the large rock, especially the sword stuck in it and the shield next to it.

The sword is fine, but the sword in the stone? That's an old trope. Zhuang Sen, a 30k man, might not know it, but Mordred certainly does.

Mordred originally wanted Zhuang Sen to go, but when he put his hand on the hilt of the sword, he found that he couldn't pull it out. He even said that Zhuang Sen was not qualified to be a king, which angered Mordred so much that he smashed the stone into powder on the spot.

"I may not be qualified to be king, but I have plenty of brute force and methods. If you won't let me touch you, I don't even want you."

Mordred certainly didn't care; his Ashen Herald had devoured countless Daemons, and he had even ascended to godhood. Ashen Herald was also tainted with the power of Greedy Dissolution, so calling it a divine artifact wouldn't be an exaggeration.

But this shield was different. Even if Mordred punched it to pieces, he couldn't budge it an inch. The two brothers recognized the shield; it was the one Old Man Huang used to protect himself from backstabs when he was wearing his armor.

Ironically, the shield Mordred couldn't lift was easily sent flying by Zhuang Sen with a single reach. Combined with the one-handed sword named Fealty by the Lion King, he instantly transformed from a katana-wielding swordsman into a sword-and-shield warrior.

In an instant, the originally dark and cold jungle twisted rapidly. Mordred could sense a strange change in Zhuang Sen, who was no longer a single individual, but rather the entire forest.

Although faint, signs of life began to appear, and some figures dressed in traditional Caliban attire emerged from the depths of the forest, singing the ballad aloud.

[My child, on the day you were born, the entire forest of Caliban whispered your name— Lion El'Jonson.]

You grow stronger every day, becoming the pride of the empire, and one day, you will become the embodiment of Fealty!

The illusions even staged a play where a lion unexpectedly met a knight commander, leaving Zhuang Sen feeling quite embarrassed, while flower petals rained down from the sky.

It's obvious that this wasn't something Zhuang Sen did intentionally; it was a cutscene set up by Old Man Huang. If it were just Zhuang Sen alone, it might have been Moved, but with Mordred, an outsider, present, it just seemed ridiculous.

Especially the scene where the Emperor descends from the sky to welcome the lion back to the empire, and all the people of Caliban wholeheartedly welcome him, shedding tears and shouting "Long live the Emperor!", is hard to break.

Why does he always like to create such a mystery?

"Perhaps it's because my father has Alzheimer's!"

"..."

Their eyes met, and the two brothers remained silent. After the long and tedious cutscene ended, neither of them lingered and they vanished from the illusion.

As consciousness returned, the Lion King slowly awoke. The heavy feel of the longsword and shield in his hands brought him immense peace, and then he heard a strange laugh in his ear:

"You're awake! You're a girl now!"

"What?"

These words nearly scared Zhuang Sen to death. Then he saw a group of Dark Angels kneeling on one knee, and Mordred reaching out to him from the side.

After realizing he was still a male lion and not a lioness, Zhuang Sen couldn't help but laugh out loud and grabbed Mordred's hand:

Welcome back.

You too, brother!

Just as the two Primarchs, brother and sister, walked toward the banquet hall amidst the cheers of the Dark Angels, a greedy predator from beyond the realms extended its tentacles toward the Tartaros Terminator Armour.

The Great Devourer has arrived.