Magnus's Folly

"Typhon was once a comrade, I never thought we'd be facing each other with swords drawn so soon," Korax said with a sigh.

Although Korax wasn't close with Typhon, the two Legions had fought together for over twenty years, so there was some camaraderie between them.

"Everyone chooses their own path. If you seek death, you have no one to blame but yourself," Sandman stated, believing Typhon deserved its fate.

Once individuals reach a certain level, they are no longer satisfied with the power they've attained. Typhon was a prime example of this; they were willing to sell many things to gain greater power.

Their souls, their comrades, their companions... nothing was off-limits for sale. What these fools didn't realize was that the power they gained by selling these things didn't truly belong to them.

As long as the Chaos Gods willed it, they could withdraw that power at any time. In the end, they were merely puppets of the Chaos Gods.

"Speaking of which, where have all the Imperium's War Moons gone?" Korax was very confused. In the thirty years following the end of the Rak'Gol and Ullanor campaigns, all of the Imperium's War Moons had been recalled by order of the War Council.

Similarly, the Primarch of the Iron Hands Legion, Ferrus, had vanished for the past century. Korax only knew that in the last hundred years, Ferrus had only appeared on his homeworld twice.

Logically, while the Imperium's War Moons were significantly inferior to the Rak'Gol's overall, they were still better than nothing.

After dealing with these two major enemies, the Imperium had become invincible throughout the galaxy. There were still many powerful Xenos that a single Legion couldn't handle, meaning it would take two or even three Legions working together to defeat them.

Otherwise, the Great Crusade wouldn't have stated that it was only truly reaching its peak after the defeat of the Rak'Gol and Ullanor.

"You should all know where the Imperium's War Moons are. Ferrus is overseeing their upgrade and modification. Those deployed to the battlefield previously were temporary, test models.

After integrating Rak'Gol and Ork technology, the Imperium's new War Moons will likely require some time.

The decades after Ullanor concluded were actually spent gathering more combat data," Sandman explained to Korax.

The Primarchs should have known the whereabouts of these War Moons, but after Sandman's explanation, Korax finally understood that the War Moons would soon be integrated into the Legions' combat roster.

"Will all the Legions be equipped with them?" Korax asked.

He was well aware of the value of the Rak'Gol War Moons. If a Legion equipped with them were to rebel, the damage caused would be far greater.

"Not in the short term," Sandman said, his meaning clear. It was unlikely the Imperium would deploy such terrifying weapons into the military before the Great Heresy ended.

"That's for the best. That way, there's no issue of fairness," Korax remarked.

It wouldn't do to have the rebellious Legions suddenly find that the Imperium's War Moons were concentrated among the loyalists, leaving the rebels with nothing. That would clearly indicate that the Imperium's high command had known all along, and how would that make the other loyalists feel?

Did the Emperor and Sandman know from the beginning and choose to abandon those brothers?

"Keep my return a secret. Let the Styx Fleet engage in normal operations. I have many other matters to attend to," Sandman said.

He couldn't be like he was before, leading fleets to battle various Xenos. The Chaos Gods were the enemies he should be facing.

After finishing his instructions to Korax, Sandman departed the Raven Guard and began to enact his plan.

Prospero's capital, Tizca.

As the homeworld of the Thousand Sons Legion, the overall architectural style of the City of Light was vastly different from many worlds in the Imperium.

Unlike the Imperium's worlds, which were filled with towering buildings with various spires, Prospero's architecture primarily featured triangular pyramids and libraries.

The biggest difference compared to other Imperial worlds was the strong academic atmosphere. Anyone you met on the street could be a highly knowledgeable scholar.

Here, you wouldn't see fortresses built with immense sums of money, nor would you see battlements with menacing muzzles exposed on the surface.

Occasionally, warriors of the Thousand Sons Legion, clad in red Power Armor, would be seen, with lively and adorable Daemons floating on their shoulders or in the air nearby.

Tizca exuded an aura completely unlike that of an Astartes Legion primarily focused on killing. Rather than calling it the homeworld of an Astartes Legion, the Thousand Sons preferred to call it the City of Light, or the City of Knowledge.

Tizca City, Legion Headquarters.

Magnus sat quietly at his desk, reading a book with his left eye. His powerful physique and crimson skin made him appear like a formidable general at first glance. However, upon closer inspection, one would notice that this tall Primarch exuded more of a scholarly aura.

"Ahriman, issue a decree: equip all Legion warriors with a Daemon," Magnus said, setting down an ancient tome he had collected from some forgotten world, addressing his Chief Librarian.

"Father, should we not consult the War Council before promoting the use of Daemons throughout the Legion? His Majesty has already reprimanded you regarding these Daemons," Ahriman said with concern.

After all, the Imperium was currently promoting the Imperial Truth, and these Daemons from the Warp clearly contradicted the Imperium's core tenets.

Daemons were a unique characteristic of the Thousand Sons Legion. These little cuties from the Warp would assist the Thousand Sons warriors and Librarians in dealing with troublesome enemies.

Especially some rare Daemons, which could greatly amplify the psychic spells of the Thousand Sons Librarians when they used their psionic abilities.

It could be said that Daemons had become indispensable and reliable companions for the Thousand Sons Legion. In countless past campaigns, these spirits from the Warp had helped the Thousand Sons solve many difficult problems, which was why Magnus had issued this order.

"It's fine. I will explain this matter to my father," Magnus said, not taking Ahriman's advice to heart.

Magnus was undoubtedly powerful in his mastery of psychic abilities. He had personally inspected these benevolent little creatures from the Warp, confirming they were not evil Warp entities in disguise.

Deceiving Magnus, whose psychic prowess was second only to the Emperor's, in this regard would be extremely difficult, even Tzeentch couldn't manage it.

Therefore, the Daemons on Prospero were rare, benevolent Warp creatures. Tzeentch himself had personally collected these little guys from various parts of the Warp. It could be said that Tzeentch had spared no effort and invested considerable effort in securing this matter for the Thousand Sons.

However, these naturally kind little creatures weren't given to Tzeentch for free. Whenever Tzeentch needed them, these seemingly cute little guys would instantly be corrupted and turn on their masters. Tzeentch himself went to catch these little guys, so it was impossible that Tzeentch wouldn't play any tricks, right? Did they really think the Lord of Change was a great philanthropist?

"If you insist," Ahriman said, seeing Magnus's indifferent attitude, and tried to persuade him again.

"Go, Ahriman. Do not disappoint me," Magnus said, waving his hand. It was time for him to chat with his Warp's Blue Friend. Magnus did not want anyone to disturb his conversation with his good friend.

Yes, Magnus had friends in the Warp.

Magnus's powerful psychic talent had allowed him to "surf" the Warp from a very early age. Besides the Emperor and Chancellor Malcador, the first person he met was this Blue Friend. Furthermore, the Daemons of the Thousand Sons Legion were provided by this friend. According to him, as long as Magnus needed it, he could also help Magnus fight.

Magnus merely smiled at the suggestion of this warm-hearted friend. However, he did not refuse the offer of kindness, merely saying nonchalantly that he would invite his friend to fight alongside him if the need arose.

Magnus didn't believe his mastery of psionic energy required the power of daemons to defeat his enemies. In fact, as Magnus thought, there were virtually no enemies in the material universe that his psionic abilities couldn't handle. Even Ullanor's Ork empire had only required him to use about eighty percent of his strength, and that was with him getting serious.

Magnus's trust in his "blue friend" was absolute. This was because the individual had helped him resolve the flesh-mutation issues plaguing the Thousand Sons Legion, saving them from a situation where they faced extinction and even the possibility of being disbanded by the Imperium. It could be said without hesitation that Magnus's trust in this Warp friend exceeded even that of the Emperor.

After all, the Emperor himself had been helpless regarding the Thousand Sons' problems. Although Magnus had paid the price of his right eye, this cost seemed insignificant compared to the issue of his gene-sons' flesh mutations.

Magnus gently stroked the empty socket of his right eye, covered by an eyepatch, with his right hand. Good, his blue friend had handled it perfectly. He felt no discomfort whatsoever. It was purely for aesthetic reasons that Magnus had fashioned an eyepatch to cover the hollow eye socket.

Following this, Magnus began to initiate contact with his Warp friend. He intended to ask this good friend when they would be home, as he planned to visit their residence.

Naturally, one couldn't visit a friend empty-handed. He also needed to inquire if the other party was home; he couldn't just show up and knock on their door unannounced. Magnus was quite serious about matters of etiquette.