"Why?"
Perturabo asked in confusion, "Is my sincerity still not enough? I've already—"
"This has nothing to do with your so-called sincerity, Perturabo."
The Mage answered calmly, so calmly it was almost indifference. His coldness left Sanguinius somewhat perplexed. The Archangel did not understand why he could be so cold.
"I know you genuinely wish to surrender, but I do not accept. Do you understand? I do not accept your surrender. There is only one road laid out between you and us, and that road is called war."
"I cannot understand why you insist on this, why you insist on demanding war."
The Lord of Iron no longer used honorifics. In a low, slow voice, he repeated his demand: "This entire matter is very simple. You need only hand Honsou's corpse over to me, and then none of you will bleed, much less die."
"Ha! You don't blush at all when you boast, do you? Do you really think you can win?"
Russ gave a derisive laugh and nearly broke free of Fulgrim's restraint. The Phoenix immediately held him down again, bitterness on his face. "Russ, calm down, please."
"I do not need to defeat you," Perturabo said slowly.
"I only need to ensure that you cannot win either—the seventeen warbands among the Iron Warriors that still answer my call have already set out through Segmentum Obscurus toward Ultima Segmentum. They will stop at the edge of Ultima Segmentum for fifteen days. If I return safely and send them a message, they will not launch an attack on Ultima Segmentum."
As he spoke, he kept looking at Roboute Guilliman. The latter's expression did not change in the slightest. He could even be called unmoved.
"Threatening me is useless, Perturabo."
Roboute Guilliman sealed off his emotions with a rationality even colder