When Magnus rushed into Room 1, he saw Francis eating a piece of mutated flesh from a Thousand Sons warrior like it was a mouthful of tomato-and-egg noodles.
Magnus: "??!"
"Ahem, well... I'm examining the details of these lesions so I can optimize the treatment plan. You believe me, right?" Francis lied without batting an eye.
A flood of information came from the flesh.
"Thousand Sons Legion Astartes gene, Shelby"
"Likes Magnus."
"Born in a small border town on Prospero"
"Flesh Change: 31%"
"Specializes in psychic lightning attacks and brain-bursting"
"Honored Primarch Francis, could you stitch me up first?" Young Shelby had never dreamed that even after becoming an Astartes, he'd one day become someone's all-you-can-eat buffet.
For once, Francis blushed. He hurriedly finished stitching Shelby up, then applied growth serum, a new gene supplement, and a gene stabilizer.
"Come on. Let's talk outside."
Francis led Magnus out. His once snow-white medical uniform had turned completely red with blood.
"Through our previous deal, you gained a lot of knowledge about the Warp. But I'll say it again: you don't have to honor your deal with them."
"After all, they haven't fully upheld their end of the bargain. Otherwise, your connection to Chaos will only grow stronger."
"You can never know whether the psychic powers you use will be influenced by them."
Francis had dropped his usual joking manner. His tone was grave.
"Understood." Magnus was startled by the sudden change in Francis's attitude. It was clear that this was a very serious matter.
"Then use your psychic powers. Take me with you." Francis patted Magnus on the shoulder.
Magnus nodded. The two explained the situation and told the warriors of both Legions to guard the room. Then they devoted themselves entirely to establishing a connection with the Warp.
It felt like falling into the sea, sinking ever deeper while remaining conscious.
"I am Sejanus!"
"Are you afraid to recognize me, or afraid to admit the truth—that the Emperor will eventually abandon the Astartes?"
Sejanus kept approaching Horus, madness gleaming in his eyes. With a wave of his right hand, the world before Horus vanished. "Look! This is the truth."
Horus suddenly found himself back in the dungeons of the Imperial Palace.
"What are you doing? Why have you brought me here?" Horus shouted into the empty air.
"I'm only showing you the truth. It's in there. Why not go and see for yourself?"
Confused, Horus walked deeper into the dungeon.
At last, he reached a room he hadn't entered before. Wolves, snakes, lions, and the symbols of the twenty Primarchs were painted on the door. The symbols for Two and Eleven had been clearly erased.
He pushed the door open.
Horus saw twenty Primarch incubation pods arranged in neat rows, each holding a Primarch. They radiated a mysterious light.
"This is the truth about you Primarchs."
Horus ignored the voice in his mind and walked past the pods one by one until he reached the spot for Number Eleven.
Horus wiped the pod's surface and looked at Francis inside.
"You shouldn't exist. If you didn't exist, so many terrible things wouldn't have happened." Whatever came to mind, Horus suddenly punched Francis's incubation pod.
Crack!
The entire scene shattered like a mirror under Horus's fist.
Behind it stood a vast palace.
A statue of the Emperor stood in the middle of the palace. All of humanity knelt before him, while only a handful of Primarch statues stood at his side.
There was the Primarch who resembled an angel, and the man who looked like a lion. Even the Adeptus Custodes stood at the Emperor's feet.
Horus searched everywhere, but couldn't find a statue of himself.
"Impossible! This is impossible!"
"I'm the Warmaster! I'm Father's favorite son!"
"You're lying to me! Come out!"
Horus's eyes darted about. He rudely shoved aside the kneeling people and stood before the Emperor's statue, shouting into the empty air.
"Have you not noticed? The False Emperor is sacrificing all of humanity as the price of becoming a god."
"Think of the Thunder Warriors. Think of the Second Legion. Think of the Eleventh Legion. What happened to them?"
Sejanus's voice sank into Horus's mind like a demonic chant.
Images of countless warriors being slaughtered by the Space Wolves Legion under Leman Russ, their blood staining the world red, were branded into Horus's mind.
Horus clutched his head, shaking it wildly as he shouted. "No! No! I'm the Warmaster! I won't let him do this!"
"I won't let him do this!"
"It's all fake! It's all fake!"
Horus slammed himself into the walls and statues, trying to drive Sejanus's words from his mind.
"The False Emperor will destroy you."
"Otherwise, why isn't there a single Primarch at the Imperial Council?"
"Why, after acquiring you, did the False Emperor keep searching for the other Primarchs?"
"You're nothing but tools for the False Emperor to rule humanity."
"..."
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"No! Everything you've said is fake!"
"Father wouldn't do this! He never would!"
Horus desperately slammed into the Emperor's statue until the golden figure began to crack. Fragments of it struck his head.
Horus raised his head in anguish and stared at the sight in disbelief.
As the statue cracked further, countless fragments began to fall.
The Emperor's statue began to melt. Beneath its golden exterior, a black sun slowly rose.
Countless threads connected it to humanity, whose people worshipped the Emperor blindly.
The black sun greedily devoured the souls of humanity.
"This isn't real!"
"This isn't real!"
Horus recognized the aura of the black sun. He knew it too well.
It was the Emperor's aura!
At last, Horus could take no more. He let out a heart-wrenching cry. "How could this happen? How could this happen?"
He collapsed helplessly to the ground, unaware of the countless shadows creeping toward him.
"Horus... Horus... Don't let Chaos corrupt you! It's all fake!"
"I'm Magnus! I've brought Francis to save you!"
"Don't fall asleep, or you're done for."
Magnus's voice gradually reached Horus's ears, growing louder and clearer.
"Magnus? Where are you?"
With tears in his eyes, Horus looked around desperately, trying to find them, but saw nothing.
"Francis, what do we do? We can't get in."
"We've been playing it too safe. Watch this! Horus, you're not the Emperor's favorite son! Magnus is!"
At Francis's shout, Horus's eyes flew open. He sprang to his feet and yelled, "Magnus!!!"
With a crash, the palace scene shattered again. Beyond it was a void.
Four figures stood in the empty space.
Sejanus stood to Horus's right with his arms folded. To his left stood Magnus and... a blood-soaked half-orc.
That's right—the kind of creature with a human lower body and an orc's upper body.
Horus: "..."
Sejanus: "..."
"Ahem. I'm actually Francis, the Eleventh Primarch."
"Because of a certain ability, I'm temporarily in a half-orc state. But don't worry, I'll turn back soon."
"Little Horus, do you understand now? I'm your Eleventh Brother."
Francis's explanation didn't seem to help much.
Even Sejanus looked increasingly grim. This hadn't been part of the plan!
Magnus looked just as awkward. Francis had been an orc a moment ago.
How had he become a half-orc in such a short time? This was way too heretical!
"It's true, Horus! He really is Francis, the Eleventh Primarch."
"He's just a little unusual. Father knows all about it!"
Magnus could only grit his teeth and try to explain.
But—
His explanation only made things worse. Horus's already confused mind completely broke down.
"Fake! He's a Xenos! He's deceiving you!"
"Magnus, he's tricking you! He still has Astartes blood on him. He's a heretic!"
"He's fake! Sejanus is fake too!"
"This whole world is fake!!"
"Hahaha!"
Horus frantically grabbed at his head, then tore the flesh from his face.
Before you continue