Good Night
The Plaguebearer finally sensed something was wrong and raised its head.
Without any warning, a figure silently floated in the sky.
A scarlet cloak, tanned from the hide of Bloodthirster, hung down behind him like a congealed sea of blood, occasionally fluttering in the air currents above.
He lowered his head, his azure eyes showing no anger, no fervor, only an absolute indifference, like that of a god looking down upon ants.
He saw two demons, one large and one small, one crippled and one whole, at the edge of the crack below.
Robert Guilliman's lips slowly curled upwards, revealing a calm smile that froze the souls of all who witnessed it.
He spoke softly, his voice low, yet it pierced the air clearly, reaching the ears of the two demons like a final judgment:
Good night...
Before he finished speaking, he casually swung his right hand, which was holding the Emperor's Sword burning with golden flames, downwards.
There was no earth-shattering burst of light.
Only an invisible yet indescribably vast force, as if a corner of the entire sky had collapsed, precisely struck the small area where the Slaanesh Keeper of Secrets and the Plaguebearer were located.
Boom!!!!
It wasn't the roar of an explosion, but rather a dull thud as if matter was being forcibly compressed and annihilated by absolute violence.
In an instant, a hemispherical crater appeared on the ground, tens of meters in diameter with smooth, mirror-like edges. It was bottomless, and the rocks, soil, and even the air inside were reduced to the most basic particles by that single impact.
Deep within the crater, a few faint fragments of blasphemous light belonging to Slaanesh and Nurgle rose like candles in the wind. Before they could completely dissipate, they were naturally absorbed by the figure high above and vanished without a trace.
Guilliman slowly raised his head, no longer looking at the small crater that had become history.
He was currently located at the site of an important orbital landing platform in Terra.
The massive guiding lighthouse and spacious berths silently testify to the bustling activity that once characterized this place.
He gazed beyond the heavens, among the stars.
"It's almost time," he muttered to himself.
Nine hours, precise as a clock.
On the ravaged land of Terra, countless survivors, soldiers still fighting, and civilians hiding in the ruins all instinctively raised their heads.
Because a deep, majestic, and ever-approaching roar was coming from beyond the atmosphere.
It wasn't thunder, nor an explosion; it sounded more like the simultaneous breathing of countless giant beasts, or the friction of the Milky Way itself as it slowly rotated.
The sound pierced through the thin clouds and the pervasive smoke, shaking everyone's hearts.
People looked up at it.
At first, the sky was just that familiar dark red and purple, tainted by fire and fel energy.
Then, it was torn open.
A colossal "crack," gleaming with pure blue-gold light, seemed to suddenly burst open in the sky!
Immediately following, instead of flames or meteorites, a surging, boundless blue ocean burst forth from the crack!
No, that's not seawater.
That's armor.
They were countless giants clad in blue-gold power armor, with the emblem of Ultramar and the Imperial Aquila on their shoulders!
They were arranged in perfectly orderly squares and columns, like a celestial river cascading down from the heavens in mythology.
It was like a moving, steel dome, gleaming with the light of metal and faith, slowly pressing down on the land of Terra!
"Angel... angel..."
A commoner hiding beneath the broken church dome involuntarily knelt down, tears streaming down his face, murmuring to himself:
"Your Emperor... is that your legion of angels?"
He could not comprehend what he was seeing.
The sheer number of troops, their imposing presence, their perfectly synchronized, silent yet overwhelming manner of arrival—all of this far exceeded his understanding of what an "army" truly was.
This can only be described as a miracle.
Closer, even closer.
As the leading "wave" broke through the lowest layer of clouds, sunlight shone through the gaps in the clouds, pouring down on the descending legion without reservation.
Only then did everyone see the source of the "crack"—
A colossal warship, so massive it blotted out half the sky, the Macragge's Honour, hovered silently in its orbit, like a reigning king.
Beneath the ship's hull, tens of thousands of giant landing module launch ports and light arrays were all activated, projecting countless brilliant golden beams of light.
Like an inverted forest of light, it illuminates the vast landing platform area below, making it appear like a sacred place from mythology.
Every detail was clearly visible, dispelling all gloom and filth.
Two hundred and fifty thousand Ultramarines, bathed in sacred light and the glory of their father ship, remained suspended in mid-air.
They did not use Drop Pod or Thunderhawk Gunship; they simply hovered beneath the sky, relying on their modified and enhanced bodies and willpower.
The next moment, a scene that all those who witnessed it on Terra would never forget unfolded.
At the same instant, 250,000 blue-armored giants adjusted their posture in mid-air, facing the only figure standing on the ground at the edge of the orbital platform, his cloak as red as blood, and knelt down in unison!
The clanging sound of armor rubbing together created a deep and awe-inspiring metallic storm.
Two hundred and fifty thousand voices, amplified by the Power Armour's loudspeakers, converged into a unified, sky-ripping, soul-piercing roar that echoed across Terra:
"With this my loyalty, Father!!!"
The sound waves caused the burning flames to flicker, the billowing smoke to dissipate, and even the distant roars of demons to fall silent instantly!
Guilliman looked up at his legions, his sons.
He slowly opened his arms, as if to embrace the entire sky.
"Go do what you must do, my children!"
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried immense authority and power, clearly reaching the ears of every Ultramarines:
"Go and kill all the demons! Purify them!"
May they forever remember what the Emperor's Wrath truly means!
With his words, a pure and brilliant golden Psionic Energy of unimaginable scale emerged.
Like an awakened star, it erupted from his body, but instead of attacking, it transformed into countless fine streams of light, precisely connecting to each of the Ultramarines suspended in the air!
Psionic Energy flowed through their armor, infused their weapons, and illuminated sacred runes at the edges of their eyepieces.
This is a blessing, but also an armament.
After Guilliman devoured a massive amount of demonic essence, his Psionic Energy power has risen to an unbelievable level.
At this moment, he generously shared this power with his offspring, granting them the ability to harm and even obliterate the Warp Essence!
Calgar felt the power surging within him, a power shared with his father.
He gazed at the new radiance emanating from the "Loyalist's Glory" longsword and the "Imperial Fists" Power Fist in his hands, a blend of blue-gold Smart Atoms flames and his father's golden Psionic Energy.