The Warmaster's Brilliant Insight

"Ah, never mind..." Horus clapped his hands and turned back to smile at his sons. "Let's continue our discussion. We can't let something like this ruin our good mood. Maloghurst, bring up the battle situation."

Horus pointed at Agnes. The generals attending this meeting all knew Maloghurst had died long ago; it had been nearly five years since his seventh-day memorial.

But what else could Agnes do? He softly muttered that he was Agnes, then brought up the battle reports.

"My lord," one commander said, "there are some issues we need to address..."

"Let me see the battle situation first."

"My lord! The situation is critical. We must—"

"Is that so? Sejanus!" Horus barked, startling the commanders. "But I wasn't blaming you, Hastur. I need to understand the situation before discussing the details."

The Wolf King had named two more dead men. Some commanders squeezed their eyes shut, while others sighed helplessly. Yet there were still some who wanted to struggle on behalf of what little sanity Horus had left.

"Of course, my lord. But we—"

"Are you talking back to me, Captain Sejanus? I'd like to know what the Council of Four Kings would think of your behavior."

"The Council of Four Kings? My lord, they..."

"Can't they speak for themselves?"

The meeting room fell utterly silent. Everyone understood that the Council of Four Kings had long since fallen apart, that those revered warriors had died long ago. Only Horus remained immersed in his own fantasy.

"They aren't here..." a commander answered timidly.

Horus did not dwell on the matter. He watched the war unfolding on the display with great interest.

Some units had charged too deeply, appearing overly impatient. That was not good. Horus criticized them.

Some units had pushed too far forward, but their bold assault had