"How's it going? How much longer until it's repaired?" Leman Russ sat in the conference room, his fingers tapping incessantly on the table.
"I'm afraid it will take quite some time. The Machine Spirit is in great disorder and needs more soothing," the Adeptus Mechanicus priest said coolly, dressed in a dark red robe.
"Can't you work faster? The Emperor's mission can't be delayed." Leman Russ's expression darkened. This was hardly good news.
"We need more priests to soothe the Machine Spirit, as well as more Servitors."
The Adeptus Mechanicus priest stood up, revealing a body made entirely of mechanical components, including multiple mechanical legs and mechanical tendrils.
A faint scent of machine oil, unique to them, even hung in the air.
"Where did Francis go? Has he found any locals?" Leman Russ asked the Adeptus Custodes standing nearby.
The usually stern-looking Custodian now had a faint flush on his face. "He... he... he... he's uniting this planet."
Adeptus Mechanicus priest: "???"
Leman Russ: "???"
"This is an Ork planet. He disguised himself as an Ork and started out as the leader of the Orks in a small camp, then kept fighting and taking over the other camps."
"Now he's already ruling half the Orks on the planet!"
The Custodian could barely hold back his embarrassment. The words themselves were perfectly normal, but put together, they were utterly heretical!
A mighty Primarch had actually dared to infiltrate a band of Xenos.
If they hadn't been ordered to protect Francis at all costs, they would have charged in and purged the heretic already.
The room fell deathly silent, broken only by the faint mechanical whirring from the Adeptus Mechanicus priest.
The priest had noticed the crucial detail. His voice crackled with static as he asked, "May I ask, can Lord Francis really disguise himself that convincingly? Does that mean he can use Ork technology?"
The priest darted over to the Custodian, his spider-like mechanical eyes fixed on him, not missing the slightest change in his expression.
Though the Custodian deliberately tried to hide it, the priest still caught on.
"Great Omnissiah! Look what I've discovered!"
"A human has mastered Ork technology! Lord Francis must come back to the Adeptus Mechanicus with me!"
"He must belong to the Adeptus Mechanicus!"
Having received confirmation, the priest flew into a frenzy, as if he'd been infected with a cyber-virus.
Just as the priest was about to rush out, Leman Russ grabbed him and shouted,
"He belongs to the Emperor!"
"Even if you go looking for him now, you won't be able to return to the Adeptus Mechanicus."
"But if you hurry up and repair the machines, once we've completed the Emperor's mission, perhaps we can ask the Emperor to let Francis accompany you."
After hearing Leman Russ's reasoning, the priest lowered the energy weapons in his dozen or so mechanical hands.
"You make a good point." The priest rushed out in a flurry, presumably to soothe the Machine Spirit with renewed fervor.
"Ugh... What a bunch of lunatics!"
Leman Russ sighed and silently repented. Francis, don't blame me. This... is all for the Emperor.
On the plain, two colossal machines slowly came into view. They towered over the center of the battlefield like ancient beasts, each representing the glory and might of an Ork tribe.
"Achoo!"
Francis rubbed his nose and muttered, "That's odd. I haven't run into any women, have I?"
He was sitting in the cockpit of a mechanical giant.
The mechanical giant had a pair of enormous iron fists, their surfaces covered in thick steel scales. Its body was made of sturdy alloy and gleamed with a cold metallic sheen.
Facing it was another mechanical giant, its arms ending in huge chainsaws. Their teeth glinted coldly, and every slight tremor seemed to leave a howl in the air.
This mechanical giant belonged to the rival tribe. Its pilot was also an Ork—Adol. The bright orange mohawk on his head made Francis want to laugh.
By the time Francis had united the eastern hemisphere, another Ork who had launched a "Waaagh" had emerged in the western hemisphere.
Now, all he had to do was defeat his opponent, and he would unite the planet.
"What's your Waaagh?" Francis asked, his eyes gleaming with fervor as he waved for his men to stop shouting.
Adol waved as well and bellowed, "I'm going to conquer this planet, then keep killing and killing and killing! Hahaha!"
The Orks under Adol heard their leader's "Waaagh" and roared excitedly.
"Waaagh~"
"Waaagh~"
"..."
"Tch. I thought you'd be a worthy opponent, but now I see you're not." Francis pursed his lips at his opponent's ambition.
The Orks under Adol immediately grew furious and shouted,
"Then what's your Waaagh? The boss is the best!"
"Exactly! Your Waaagh isn't just hot air, is it?"
"Hahaha~"
Adol clearly looked pleased with himself as he let his men insult his opponent.
"Hah! What's so special about killing and killing? Once I've united the planet, I'm going to build a super-giant mech. Then I'll go challenge the entire human race's planet all by myself."
As soon as Francis finished speaking, all the Orks across from him lowered their heads in shame.
The Orks belonging to Francis immediately cheered.
"Waaagh~"
"Waaagh~"
"..."
Adol roared in fury. The two mechanical giants started up at the same time, and the ground seemed unable to bear their weight, rumbling deeply beneath them.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Francis gripped the controls. His mechanical giant took heavy steps forward, each one shaking the ground as if even the earth trembled.
The mechanical giant across from him refused to back down. Its chainsaws began to turn slowly, making a chilling hum like a beast about to pounce.
"For the tribe!" Francis roared. His mechanical giant suddenly accelerated, charging at the enemy like a moving mountain.
The opposing mechanical giant didn't yield either. Its chainsaws swung, tracing silver arcs through the air as the shrill scrape of metal rang out, sounding the battle cry.
The two mechanical giants collided. Iron fists and chainsaws crashed together with a deafening boom, sparks flying as if two stars had violently collided in the cosmos.
Every blow landed with tremendous force, as if tearing the air apart. Dust and broken stone billowed skyward, forming sandstorms that blotted out the sun.
Though Francis's mechanical giant was enormous, it moved with surprising agility. It relied on the strength of its iron fists, constantly looking for an opening.
His opponent's mechanical giant, meanwhile, relied on its chainsaws' sharpness and rapid rotation, trying to cut through Francis's machine's defenses.
The two mechanical giants traded blows, neither giving an inch.
Francis's mechanical giant sometimes leapt up and crashed down on its enemy with the force of a mountain, then swiftly retreated to dodge the opponent's deadly chainsaws.
Every clash was accompanied by tearing metal and flying sparks. The air filled with the pungent smell of scorched metal.
The two mechanical giants were covered in more and more wounds, but they still stood firm, as though held upright by boundless fury and a will of steel.
At last.
Francis found an opening in his opponent's defenses.
He suddenly put all his strength into a thunderous punch, slamming his iron fist into the opposing mechanical giant's chest. With a deafening crash, it staggered back several steps, and its chainsaws briefly went out of control.
Francis seized the opportunity and attacked again. His iron fists struck like lightning, each blow landing precisely on a vulnerable spot.
The opposing mechanical giant finally buckled under the strain. With a muffled crash, it toppled to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust and shattered rock.
The battle was over.
Francis's mechanical giant stood tall on the battlefield, like an invincible god of war.
The Ork warriors around them had all stopped fighting. They raised their weapons and let out deafening cheers.
"Waaagh~"
"Waaagh~"
"..."
On Prospero.
Magnus suddenly opened his eyes. His hands trembled, and he muttered,
"Have I gotten stronger again? Why are these prophecies in my dreams coming free of charge?"
It had been barely half a month since he'd last dreamed of being enthroned, and now he'd dreamed of Horus turning traitor!
What's more, Horus had even swiped at him with his claws, looking absolutely furious!
"No wonder Father chose me. So that's why!"
"No, why did he turn traitor?"
"Could it be that my prophecy was wrong?"
"Maybe I should wait a little longer?"
Magnus wavered between belief and disbelief until he suddenly slapped his thigh, as if he'd figured it out.
"So that's it! It must be because Father called me back to inherit the Emperor's position. That's why he rebelled!"
"If I refuse Father's proposal when the time comes, I'm sure Horus won't turn traitor!"
"So that's how it is!"
Before you continue