In a galaxy an unknown number of light-years from the Taiwei System, the bloody battle had only just ended.
At that moment, hundreds or even thousands of Imperial warships of various classes stretched across the planet's orbit. They silently formed a encirclement formation, completely surrounding the planet, whose explosions and burning flames could be seen even from orbit. Only the indicator lights aboard the warships continued to blink, while various transport ships and fighter craft, like a swarm of bees, constantly recovered troops and launched sorties.
Among them, a Gloriana-class Battleship bearing a massive Imperial Aquila—the top-tier warship of the Imperium during the Great Crusade—served as the flagship of this enormous fleet!
As the flagship of an Imperial Legion and its Primarch, the exterior of this Gloriana-class Battleship had undergone extensive modifications. Besides the Imperial Aquila, it was covered in countless steel wolf totems. Its armor plates, fighter bays, elevators, windows, and other parts all bore various wolf designs and symbols. It seemed the soldiers of this fleet had an especial fondness for wolves.
Regardless, this top-tier Imperial Gloriana-class Battleship shared many traits with the others of its class: it was huge and terrifying, capable of destroying an entire fleet on its own. Ordinary battleships were as small and fragile before it as frigates.
At that moment, inside the bridge, a burly man in heavy armor sat motionless in the captain's seat. A wolf-pelt mantle hung over his shoulders as he stared through the viewport at the burning planet, no one knowing what he was thinking.
That was right!
He was the commander of this fleet, the first Primarch recovered by the Emperor, and the commander of the XVI Legion of Space Marines—the Shadowmoon Wolves—Horus Lupercal!
At the same time, he was also the leader of one of the three