Forest Walk!
He couldn't catch it.
He can't reach it.
He could only watch helplessly as the path flickered on the edge of his consciousness, unable to actually reach it.
until--
Four beams of light traversed from the distant beyond!
The first one, golden, like an eternally burning sun—that is the inextinguishable Astronomican atop the Golden Throne of the Emperor, the Master of Mankind.
The second beam, pure white, like tranquil moonlight—that was Malcador, the Sigillite, the Emperor's eternal friend and prime minister.
The third one, blue-gold, like the deep ocean—that was Guilliman, the Son of War, the god of the Material Universe.
The fourth one, red and gold, like burning wings—that was Sanguinius, the archangel, the father of the Blood Angels.
Four beams of light, four different wills, simultaneously traversed the endless void and poured directly into Lion Johnson's body!
A voice exploded deep within Lion's consciousness—not the voice of one person, but the resonant voice of four people speaking simultaneously, yet perfectly overlapping:
"Don't underestimate our bond!!!"
As the sound faded, the light began to transform.
The golden rays transformed into sunlight, penetrating the forest canopy and casting dappled shadows.
The pure white light transformed into mist, swirling through the forest like a mysterious veil.
The blue-gold light transformed into a stream, winding its way through the jungle, its waters gurgling softly.
The crimson-gold light transformed into birds that chirped on the branches, their wings burning like flames.
Sunlight, mist, streams, birds...
They intertwine, merge, and reshape, ultimately—
It transformed into a forest.
They transformed into trees.
It turned into grass.
It turned into the earth.
That vast, boundless, deep, mysterious, and Caliban- essential green forest was fully revealed in Lion's consciousness!
The valiant knight mounted his warhorse and rode through the forest.
He passed by not to admire the scenery, but because it was the road leading to the battlefield.
His glory is crowned by the road, and his direction is shown by the road.
This is the hunt of the God of Knights!!
Belial was stunned.
He stood behind Lion and witnessed it all.
He saw four-colored rays of light descend from the sky and wrap around his father's originally withered and thin body.
He saw his father's body expand, swell, and reshape itself at a speed visible to the naked eye!
The muscles bulged again, the skin regained its luster, and the old, crisscrossing wounds began to heal under the light!
Lion's face remained aged—ten thousand years of slumber could not be completely erased.
But deep within those grey-green eyes, an astonishing light, like that of a newly born star, was bursting forth!
The four-colored light did not dissipate after it had fulfilled its mission.
They began to coalesce, contract, and intertwine, eventually—
It turned into a dark green hue.
That color was like the deepest forest in Caliban, like the most verdant branches of an ancient tree, like the unfading hunting gleam in the deepest part of a lion's eyes.
The dark green light flowed slowly, wrapped around Lion's body, and began to solidify.
First came the breastplate.
The dark green Ceramite is covered with ancient Caliban runes, each line seemingly telling a legend from thousands of years ago.
Then came the shoulder armor.
The heavy shoulder guards, with gold patterns inlaid along the edges, are a blessing from the Emperor, a gift from Guilliman, an endorsement from Sanguinius, and the wisdom of Malcador.
Next came the arm armor, leg armor, battle skirt...
Each piece of armor fit his body perfectly, as if it were custom-made for him.
No, this was tailor-made for him.
This is a Primarch Armor woven together by the will and power of four supreme beings.
Finally, the helmet.
The dark green helmet, shaped like the head of a lion, is majestic and fierce.
A gray-green gemstone was embedded in his forehead, and within that gemstone, it seemed as if the entire forest of Caliban was swirling.
The light gradually faded.
Lion Johnson slowly stood up.
He looked down at his armor, at his hands that had regained their strength, and at the blurry yet familiar face reflected on his breastplate.
He looked up at Belial.
Those grey-green eyes were calm as an ancient well, yet deep as an abyss.
When that gaze fell upon Belial, Belial felt as if his very soul had been seen through—not judged, but understood.
He was understood by a Gene-Father was finally complete, finally returned, and finally embarked on his own path.
"We should go," Lion said.
His voice was no longer hoarse or weak, but steady as a mountain and majestic as a lion.
Belial took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions within him, and respectfully asked:
"Where are you going, Father?"
Lion turned and looked toward the forest path that had finally revealed its true nature, leading to Caliban's essence.
"Perform one..."
He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips:
"Forest Walk"
That night, Terra in darkness and storm.
The palace had never been so quiet, nor so noisy.
The human heart is silent; the storm rages.
Guilliman sat alone beneath the statue of the Emperor, the spot that should have belonged to his father hanging vacantly on the high platform.
He sat in the shadow of the statue, like a son watching over his father.
Thunder rumbled across the sky outside the palace, causing the thousand-year-old crystal window frames to tremble slightly.
Rainwater slid down the window frame, meandering into a river on the ancient stone surface.
The sound of the rain was like the weeping of millions, and like the shouts of millions.
"It's finally here, the Indomitus Crusade..."
Guilliman knew that the time had come, or rather, he had to launch this expedition!
Chaos has bullied my old and powerless Imperium!
They're suppressing me, insulting me, and trying to drag me down with them!
That's not all, the Tyranids also have to join in the fun!
Then let's fight!!!
But upon thinking of this, Guilliman surprisingly displayed a rare indecisiveness.
He was not afraid to launch the expedition to reclaim Ultramar, for it was merely a fleeting fragment of the Imperium.
But this expedition is now going to encompass the entire Imperium.
Failure is not an option, and failure is absolutely unacceptable!
Because the price of failure could very well be the complete annihilation of humanity!