After the questioning ended, Leman Russ and the priests left the branch temple. He pointed the priests toward the Imperium of Man's positions so they could seek protection.
"They won't attack you if they see this." Leman Russ tore a tuft of fur from his cloak and handed it to one of the priests. Then he solemnly reminded them once more, "When you get there, keep all that mystical nonsense shut behind your teeth. I can't guarantee those soldiers won't teach you a lesson over it."
Standing atop the ruined city wall and looking into the distance, Leman Russ asked how the Space Wolves' magic practice had been going.
A Space Wolf formed a fireball and hurled it down beneath the wall. "My lord, this seems fairly easy, but it doesn't have much killing power. The magic the enemy used during the Battle of the Gate was of a much higher order."
"Sixth-tier magic and above—the domain of gods. That truly is worrying."
Leman Russ watched a Thunderhawk fly toward them. He planned to load the collected spellbooks aboard and hand them over to The Emperor for study.
What a... wondrous world.
Gazing up at the stars, Leman Russ felt this deeply.
Over the following days, Leman Russ led the Space Wolves through the Slane Theocracy's territory in search of survivors. At the same time, he did not forget to have the Imperium troops reinforcing them through the gate prepare for battle.
He did not intend to use weapons that would permanently alter the environment to ravage this land, but he had never said he would conquer this world with light weapons alone.
Shell craters and the marks left by tank treads were not irreparable damage. In as little as half a year or as much as two, the scars