After Hogg used his overwhelming power to completely kill the Daemon Primarch, the entire World Eaters fleet vanished from Realspace like a video feed that had lost power.
The Blackwatch forces, who had been fighting a three-way battle, found only a bunch of black Knife-ears left on the battlefield. Excitedly, they pulled out their Meltaguns to serve them some barbecue. As expected, the human forces, which held air superiority, emerged victorious.
The next task was to clean up the battlefield and prepare to leave. Angron's comrades were being held aboard a barge, and members of the Blacklight Cult would soon arrive to assess whether they had been tainted by Chaos Corruption.
The defeated black Knife-ears had suffered heavy casualties. All the survivors had been captured and taken aboard the ships for rehabilitation. However, the three Primarchs disagreed over what to do with the planet Nuceria.
Hogg wanted to issue an Exterminatus outright. He'd been fighting for so long and had never gotten to try one. As far as Hogg was concerned, if they lined up everyone on Nuceria and shot them, they might kill some innocents—but if they killed every other person, they'd definitely let some slip through.
Chaos Corruption was no joke, especially when Khorne himself, the source of the corruption, had entered the fray. Besides, the people on this planet were completely deranged. But Guilliman still wanted to reclaim the planet.
"Guilliman, stop thinking about salvaging those few resources. Just issue an Exterminatus. Do you remember what happened to your Ultramarines back then? The corruption here is even worse."
As he spoke, Hogg brought up footage from the surface. Even though the Daemon Primarch had been destroyed, the surviving humans were still running around raving like lunatics.
Remembering the bloodthirsty thoughts that had once surfaced in his mind, Guilliman watched the footage and was convinced. But since this was Angron's homeworld, they still had to let him decide.
Two enormous faces turned toward Angron, who had never enjoyed a good meal in his life and was now stuffing himself with food.
"Angron, you make the call!" Guilliman said. After all, it was his brother's homeworld; surely he still had some attachment to it.
He remembered how, the moment he'd opened his eyes, Xenos had hunted him down. Later, he'd been made a slave and abused whenever there was nothing else to do. Sometimes, he hadn't even had enough to eat.
Angron, sweating with rage, hurriedly said, "D-do it! (╬▔皿▔)凸 Do two more while you're at it! I want to see this filthy place disappear from the universe!"
Just as Hogg had expected, Angron chose Exterminatus. Now that he'd found him, Hogg had decided to be the one to educate him. First, he'd help him overcome his trauma.
The three of them went to the bridge, where the Blacklight's elegant, minimalist decor came into view.
"Father, it's ready." Lynn unlocked the control panel, revealing a giant red button in front of Angron.
"Angron, it's time to embrace your new destiny!" Hogg encouraged the miserable-looking kid with a kick, sending him toward the button.
Angron reached out a scarred hand and touched the Exterminatus switch. He pressed down hard, as if cutting off his own miserable past.
"Hey, you bastard, let go, you idiot! Exterminatus is expensive, you know!"
Hogg kicked him aside. This particular type of Exterminatus used nuclear missiles—and fired them in salvos. Angron had kept pressing the button without letting go, and had already launched a third of their nuclear arsenal.
A dozen Meteors streaked across Nuceria's sky and slammed into the ground. Violent explosions, fire, and shock waves destroyed everything in their path. Frantic creatures melted away, Hive Cities were flattened, and every last sin was reduced to ash. The raging energy even shattered the continental plates and hurled them into space.
After settling Angron in and leaving him a pile of books, Hogg left the room. Now he wanted to check on the captured black Knife-ears and see whether they could be put to some use.
Some people might have misconceptions about black Knife-ears, thinking they were just dark-skinned Eldar. They couldn't be more wrong.
Unlike other Eldar, black Knife-ears weren't all dark-skinned. They were simply all completely mad, resisting Slaanesh's grasp by torturing other living beings and feeding on the psychic sensations that suffering produced.
The Dark Eldar were entrenched in the city of Commorragh, deep within the Webway. It might have been the most notorious place in the entire Galaxy. Countless acts of depravity played out there, and the Dark Eldar were formidable besides. Even a veteran Space Marine who was captured and taken there would face the miserable prospect of having his kidneys harvested.
The black Knife-ears imprisoned in cages had been gathered together. Yack, their chief high priest, was performing a ritual before his cruel cousins.
A life-sized statue of the towering Hogg had been set up in the square. Several Blacklight Cultists began to dance to the upbeat music, while Yack, as high priest, recited the Blacklight Scripture onstage and occasionally went over to lead the dancing.
Watching their cousins' strange movements, the Dark Eldar thought they were insane and loudly cursed the traitors.
But when phantom tentacles were summoned, the naturally perceptive Dark Eldar sensed a terrifying presence watching them. Amid their overwhelming fear, chaotic thoughts invaded their minds. Some began to sway along with the tentacles, drool running from the corners of their mouths.
When it seemed they'd had enough, Yack switched off the speakers. Like he himself had once been, these lost lambs had felt the power of the great Holy Father. Once they came to their senses, the black Knife-ears began to vomit violently. The cultists, who had long been prepared, used water guns to clean the ground.
Some of the more strong-willed black Knife-ears kept cursing, but they were dragged out anyway. A group of Eldar cultists took off their robes, silently recited the Scripture, and physically persuaded the stubborn wretches with a series of hard-hitting blows.
After three rounds, the black Knife-ears were completely sprawled out and dazed. Seizing the moment, Yack began preaching, telling them they could avoid Slaanesh's attention by joining the Blacklight Cult.
Watching Yack, who was every bit the seasoned preacher, carry out the conversion so perfectly, Hogg smiled with satisfaction. Before long, these misguided children would surely join the Blackwatch.
By then, the Blacklight Sect had become the main faith across the territories controlled by the Blackwatch. Hogg's faith really did produce visible results. Combined with the Blackwatch's people-friendly policies and its acceptance of Abhumans, it drew many Eldar to join them.
Having received tangible benefits, the Eldar became even more devout than the humans. Some even formed fleets of their own and traveled to other planets to spread the faith.
The Alicia Sector had now become a true haven for the Eldar, and the Blackwatch's ranks of enhanced Eldar soldiers had begun to grow.
However, Hogg's research had revealed that humans and Eldar couldn't interbreed. And although Eldar looked slender, their bodies were made entirely of high-density muscle; mating required several consecutive days. So after the first human hero in the territory got his little brother crushed, local schools began teaching lessons on the differences between the species.
This skirmish had caught the Blackwatch completely off guard. Its already small number of soldiers had suffered heavy casualties. Fortunately, thanks to the installation of Flesh Reshaping Chambers, wounded soldiers could recover quickly and return to their posts, continuing to serve the legion.
As they prepared to open the Webway and head home, the Astropath picked up a message from Terra. The Emperor wanted Hogg to take Angron back to Holy Terra for an examination and, while he was at it, return Angron to his legion.
Hogg, who had never seen Holy Terra, was incredibly excited. Ever since the Emperor had discovered him, he'd never been allowed to go back. This time, he'd have to take a good look at what Earth had become 30,000 years later.
Before you continue