"Don't worry. With Angron and two Legions backing me up, even if things go south, we can still get out in one piece." Francis tried hard to persuade Leman Russ.
"Isn't that too dangerous? We still don't know who's involved in the rebellion."
"If they all rebel, won't you be in danger?"
Leman Russ didn't trust anyone much these days. Other than the Emperor, Francis was the only one he trusted.
"..." Francis fell silent, then said, "If they all rebel, I'll try to talk you into surrendering. No matter who wins, we'll be set."
!!!
Leman Russ turned deathly pale as he stared at Francis, his fingers trembling. "You... You really are planning to rebel!"
Leman Russ was already considering killing him. His hand reached for his great axe.
"How could I? My heart belongs to the Emperor. I was just messing with you. Look how worked up you got."
Francis patted him on the shoulder. That was pure scaremongering. How could they all possibly turn traitor?
"That joke could get the Inquisition to come arrest you!" Leman Russ finally breathed a sigh of relief. Francis might be a bit of a loose cannon.
But his genetic engineering really did make one's scalp tingle.
"Heh heh. The Inquisition? That's just a snack delivered right to my door." Shadows fell across Francis's face as he smiled excitedly.
Leman Russ: ...
The door hissed open, and the Space Wolves warriors saw Francis's smile. A chill ran through them.
"Do you need something?" Leman Russ asked.
"Yes, Wolf King. We've received orders from the Warmaster."
"He knows the Soul Drinkers Legion is with us and has ordered the Soul Drinkers and their Primarch to head to the area near the moon of Isstvan III and rendezvous with them."
"It's been three days since the orders were issued, and we still haven't replied. We await the Wolf King's command."
The Space Wolves recited the Warmaster's orders word for word, like a broken record.
Leman Russ glanced at Francis. Francis nodded, and Leman Russ thought it over.
Then he said, "Reply to the Warmaster. We'll head to the area near the moon of Isstvan III and rendezvous with them."
"Yes!"
The Space Wolves warrior answered at once.
But they didn't leave. They just stood there, motionless.
Leman Russ frowned in confusion. "Why are you still standing here? Go get ready to depart."
The Space Wolves awkwardly stepped aside, making way for Bjorn, the captain of the Space Wolves' Third Company.
He still had both arms. It seemed that, since the Thousand Sons hadn't rebelled, he hadn't lost his precious left arm!
He paid Francis the highest respect and offered him a collection of bottles and jars.
Francis: ???
Leman Russ: ???
"We're extremely grateful that you rescued our Primarch during the battle."
"These are some spoils we seized in the past. We heard from the Soul Drinkers that you're interested in things like these."
Francis glanced at Leman Russ in surprise. Russ looked just as bewildered.
He took the items. Their labels were still on them. He murmured, "Xenos: Normans. Warp-parasite Xenos: Enslavers."
"Not bad, not bad! Tch—these are real treasures."
Who gives someone bits of Xenos as a gift?
Leman Russ reached out to take them, but Francis stopped him and said haughtily, "These are the children's heartfelt gifts. I have to accept them. If you want some, go get your own."
With that, Francis hugged the items and ran off.
Bjorn looked puzzled. "Primarch, what was that about?"
"Don't ask. Someone's probably going to suffer again. Stay away from him in the future. He eats people." Leman Russ covered his face in anguish. Thank goodness no one else had seen that.
Once he'd finished giving his orders, the Space Wolves warriors left too.
Just as Leman Russ was preparing to sit around and stare into space—
Suddenly—
A head poked through the doorway. Francis said, "Remember to prepare plenty of gas masks. You'll be picking up the Astartes on Isstvan III."
Leman Russ nodded. "All right! But why not just summon the others and stop Horus on Isstvan III?"
"Sixth brother, you're not acting very sixth at all!"
"If you tell the other Primarchs Horus has rebelled, do you think they'll believe you? Do you think they'll follow the Warmaster's orders or yours?"
"Or do you think you have a great relationship with your brothers? If I remember right, you first had a falling-out with..."
At that, Leman Russ rushed over and clapped a hand over Francis's mouth. In a low voice, he said, "Damn, how do you know everything? Fine, I believe you, all right?"
"Heh heh. That's all I need. That's the power of prophecy." With that, Francis ran off again.
Leman Russ went back inside, ready to stare into space once more.
Francis poked his head in again. "Oh, right. After that, go straight to Isstvan V and rendezvous with them. Then tell Ferrus Manus—"
"Tell him what?" Francis always stopped halfway through. Leman Russ was getting annoyed.
"Tell him, if he can't win, he should run. There's no shame in it!" With that, Francis fled again.
Leman Russ: ??!
Meanwhile—
In the star system near the moon of Isstvan III, aboard the Vengeful Spirit—
The dark room was strewn with wreckage. Broken objects littered the floor, and now and then, the grating sound of teeth gnashing rang out.
"By my calculations, you can't win this battle. Join me, and you can win~"
"Tss~ Come and play~ There's no pain here~"
"Skulls for the Skull Throne will grant you power~"
"Oh, come closer, my child. I'll grant you eternal life~"
Whispers from the Warp gnawed endlessly at Horus's sanity.
Horus lay curled up on his bed, resisting the strange murmurs in his mind.
"Get out! All of you, get out!"
"I'll never join you! Hah, hah, hah~"
"The power is mine! My soul is mine!"
"The Imperium is mine too!"
"Hah, hah, hah~"
"I'll kill the False Emperor!"
"Then I'll invade the Warp and take all your power!"
"Hah, hah, hah~"
Horus clutched his head in agony, hurling everything he could grab at his side and roaring.
He kept seeing things, too. He saw Magnus sitting in the Emperor's place, smiling at him.
He saw the Emperor gazing kindly at all his brothers except him.
"No! No!!"
"That's mine! It's mine!"
"Magnus doesn't deserve it!"
Horus roared in fury, even ripping apart the metal bed frame. He tore everything to pieces in the dark room, and the entire battleship shook.
Outside, the Sons of Horus trembled. They had no idea why this was happening.
Why had Horus started having these fits more and more frequently ever since leaving the Serpent Lodge?
They couldn't understand.
Two hours later—
Hiss~
The battered, twisted door opened, and Horus emerged calmly.
His demeanor bore no resemblance to the turmoil from moments earlier.
"How are things? When will the World Eaters arrive?" Horus walked ahead of them, making his way slowly to the conference room.
"We've just received word. It seems their Primarch is having some problems, so they haven't decided when they'll come."
At that reply, Horus clenched his fist, then slammed it against the table and roared, "Useless! They're completely useless! He should have been erased, just like those two Primarchs!"
Suddenly—
Horus paused, then sat back down and asked, "What about the eleventh Primarch?"
"The eleventh Primarch is with the Space Wolves. They've accepted the order and are about to head here to rendezvous with us."
The Sons of Horus had also gathered information about what Francis had been doing lately.
When Horus saw how obsessed Francis was with genetic engineering, his eyes narrowed as he pondered.
All the Sons of Horus stood motionless, watching their Primarch and waiting for his next command.
"Perhaps Francis will agree to join us. He'll understand how rotten the Imperium is!"
"The False Emperor purged his offspring. He'll understand what I mean."
"Once he knows the False Emperor's deceitful motives, he'll definitely join us."
The more Horus thought about it, the more excited he became. He was certain Francis was dissatisfied with the Imperium too.
The Sons of Horus below him shouted in unison, "For the Warmaster!"
"For the Warmaster!"
"For the Warmaster!"
On Malkoya—
"Achoo!"
"Achoo! Who's thinking about me again? Are you cursing me in your head?" Francis pointed at Angron, who was still sitting there sobbing.
"I'm not! I'm just sad. Just sad~" Angron sat in a corner, holding a little flower he'd picked from somewhere and plucking its petals one by one.
"Hold on a second. I have something important to tell you."
"What is it?" Angron gazed at him with watery eyes.
"Twelfth brother, do you want to be the Warmaster?"
Before you continue