A Sea of People

The fleet slowly entered Terra's atmosphere.

As the white sea of clouds swept past the porthole, as the earth finally came into clear view—

Lion was stunned.

What did he see?

He saw a sea of people.

Countless people.

A dense crowd, an overwhelming mass of people, like a surging tide.

People poured in from every corner of Terra, towards the Triumph Avenue that stretched across the entire continent, towards the long route that led from the spaceport to the palace.

They stood on both sides of the road, on top of tall buildings, and anywhere else that could be used as a stand.

They waved countless flags in their hands.

The banners bore golden Aquila, blue Ultramarines, green Dark Angels totems, and red wings of the Blood Angels —symbols of all Imperium of Man, all fluttering in the wind at that moment.

They shouted the same thing:

Welcome, Lion!

Welcome, First Primarch!

Welcome home!

The sound was so loud that the entire Terra trembled; so passionate that the clouds in the sky churned; so sincere that even Lion, the lion who had slept for millennia, felt his eyes well up with tears.

"This..."

His voice trembled slightly:

"These are all... here to welcome me?"

Guilliman nodded:

"Right.

Everyone in Terra has come.

Lion remained silent for a moment.

Then he asked that question:

How did you do that?

Guilliman laughed:

"I told them that the First Primarch was coming back."

They came.

Lion looked at him, his gaze filled with complex emotions.

He knew things weren't that simple.

The fact that people from all over Terra spontaneously came, that so many people willingly stood here cheering, that this planet was in such a frenzy—

Guilliman must have done something over the years.

I've done a lot.

"Thank you, brother."

He said softly.

Guilliman shook his head:

Don't thank me.

This is what you deserve.

He pointed out the porthole, towards the approaching palace:

Let's go.

It's time to go down.

The float carrying Lion slowly drove along the Triumph Avenue.

The float was designed by Guilliman himself—golden body, green decorations, a lion statue at the front, and the words "Eternal Glory of the Dark Angels" engraved on the body.

It was pulled by eight enormous Leman Russ Battle Tank, moving slowly through the crowd.

Lion stood on the float, looking at the crowds on both sides.

Some of those people were cheering, some were weeping, and some were raising their hands, trying to touch his figure.

Old people, children, men, women, nobles, commoners—all classes, all races, all identities—all gathered together at this moment, creating a sea of revelry.

He smiled and waved to the crowd.

Each wave of the hand triggered an even more frenzied cheer.

Amidst the crowd, various murmurs and discussions arose one after another.

"This is the First Primarch? The Lion?"

A young man stood on tiptoe, trying hard to see the figures on the float:

"It seems... our Lord Regent."

A middle-aged man next to him nodded:

"Yes, the Lord Regent's aura and presence are so imposing; he stands there like a mountain."

this..."

He shook his head, not finishing his sentence.

Another person joined in:

"Don't even mention the Lord Regent, our Lord Regent is almost stronger than the great Master of Mankind now."

Do you remember the scene from a few days ago where 250,000 Ultramarines descended from the sky?

Several people around nodded in agreement.

They certainly remembered that scene.

That happened a few months ago.

Guilliman descended from space, followed by 250,000 Ultramarines.

Those blue figures poured down from the sky like an inverted Milky Way, blotting out the sun and dominating the mountains and rivers.

At that moment, the entirety of Terra trembled; at that moment, everyone gasped in astonishment; at that moment, they finally understood what the power of the Primarch meant.

"I will never forget that scene for the rest of my life."

The young man exclaimed, "That's amazing!"

"Twenty-five hundred thousand people flew down from the sky, like rain."

"It's like a meteor shower."

The middle-aged man corrected him.

Just as the young man was about to nod, he was suddenly slapped on the back of the head.

He turned around abruptly, glaring angrily at the old man behind him:

Why did you hit me?!

The old man glared at him:

"We're here to applaud!"

Do your job well!

The young man rubbed the back of his head, looking aggrieved.

"I was just saying..."

"Even talking about it won't work!"

The old man's voice was louder, "How dare you criticize the First Primarch?"

The lion has returned to its rightful place—this is a joyous occasion!

Just keep clapping!

The young man opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but seeing the old man's fierce eyes, he ultimately chickened out.

He turned his head and clapped his hands vigorously.

"Good!

Good!

Long live the lion!

The middle-aged man and others quickly joined in the applause.

"Long live!

Long live!"

The old man nodded in satisfaction and joined in the applause.

Thunderous applause erupted from the crowd.

The floats finally entered the palace grounds.

Lion looked up at the approaching buildings, a complex emotion in his eyes.

Imperial Palace —he knew it all too well.

Ten thousand years ago, he entered this place countless times, entered that golden hall, entered his father's residence, and entered the heart of the Imperium of Man.

But the scene before him was not entirely the same as what he remembered.

The most eye-catching building is the newly built Ultramarines Temple.

It was a colossal building, a thousand meters tall, constructed entirely of blue stone, with the history of the Ultramarines engraved on its surface for ten thousand years.

From the years of Unification Wars to the glory of the Great Crusade, to the tragedy of the Horus Heresy, and finally to the revival today—every relief is lifelike, and every period of history is clearly visible.

At the top of the temple stands a colossal statue of Guilliman, holding the Emperor's Sword and gazing at the distant starry sky.

Next to the temple is another equally magnificent building— the Dark Angels Temple.

That was prepared by Guilliman specifically for Lion.

Although construction has just begun, the outline of the lion totem can already be seen.

The totem raises its head to the sky, roaring as if announcing to the entire universe—the lion has returned.

Further away lies the Tower of Eternity.

That was a building personally constructed by the Emperor to house the most precious artifacts and historical materials of the Imperium of Man.

The tower is 800 meters tall and is made entirely of golden metal, shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight.

It is said that the tower houses all the important documents from the Unification Wars to the present day, as well as countless precious artifacts from various parts of the world.