Terra Is Very Beautiful
Terra is wonderful.
Terra is wonderful.
Terra's delicious food, fine wine, and the overly enthusiastic Chapter made the Dark Angels feel what it meant to be home.
The problem is, they're not quite used to it.
I really can't get used to it.
For ten thousand years, what kind of life have they led on those the Rock?
Patrol every day, train every day, guard those unspeakable secrets every day, and be on guard against potential traitors every day.
Have a meal?
There should be enough nutritional paste.
drink wine?
That's something that gets in the way of important matters.
entertainment?
What kind of entertainment?
Keeping secrets is the greatest entertainment!
Upon arriving in Terra—
"Come on, brother, let's play a game of chess!"
An Ultramarines pulled a Dark Angels Deathwing veteran along and enthusiastically pressed him onto the chessboard.
The Dark Angels Deathwing veteran stared blankly at the chessboard.
"What's this?"
Chess!
The Ultramarines grinned broadly, "The rules, personally improved by Lord Guilliman, are so much fun!"
The Dark Angels remained silent for three seconds:
"I won't."
"It's alright, it's alright, I'll teach you!"
So for the next three hours, the Deathwing veteran sat there, listening blankly as the Ultramarines went on and on about various opening strategies, mid-game tactics, and endgame techniques.
He had only one thought in his mind:
So... the Imperium... has so much free time?
On the other side, several Dark Angels were dragged away by the Blood Angels to enjoy a feast.
"Try this!"
A Blood Angels presented a plate of fragrant roasted meat to a Dark Angels:
"Cadia -style roasted meat! Made with real Cadia wild boar!"
The Dark Angels hesitated as he looked at the plate of meat:
"We... don't usually eat like this..."
That's why you have to try it!
The Blood Angels's eyes sparkled. "Don't worry, there's no poison! It's all legitimate ingredients!"
The Dark Angels took a deep breath, carefully cut off a small piece, and put it in his mouth.
At that moment, his expression froze.
The Blood Angels watched him nervously:
"How is it? How is it?"
The Dark Angels remained silent for three seconds.
Then, a tear slid down his cheek.
The Blood Angels was startled:
"What's wrong?! Is it not tasty?!"
The Dark Angels shook his head, his voice choked with emotion:
"No... it's just too delicious..."
He wiped away his tears:
"I've lived for three hundred years, and this is the first time I've realized... that food... can have flavor..."
The Blood Angels paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, patting him on the shoulder:
"Brother, what kind of hard life did you live in the past!"
The Dark Angels silently brought over the whole plate of meat and buried his head in it, devouring it.
He had only one thought in his mind:
Damn it, what the hell were those nutritional pastes from before?
As for the Grey Knights and the Adeptus Custodes—
The Dark Angels discovered that the two Chapter had no time to deal with them.
The Grey Knights have been incredibly busy lately.
Guilliman has captured countless demons from the Imperium Nihilus; over three thousand Grey Knights are now busy interrogating, purifying, and suppressing them.
They went in and out of the fortress every day, their faces more rigid than stone, muttering lines like "Emperor bless us" and "Chaos be banished."
A Dark Angels tried to strike up a conversation with a Grey Knights:
"Hey bro, busy?"
The Grey Knights turned his head and looked at him with empty eyes:
"The devil will disguise himself as your family, friends, or comrades, just to tear your soul apart the moment you let your guard down."
Dark Angels paused for a moment:
"Ah?"
The Grey Knights continued:
"The barbecue you ate today might have been a Tzeentch in Greater Daemon."
The Dark Angels stared blankly at the half-eaten roast meat in his hand.
The Grey Knights patted him on the shoulder:
Be careful.
Then, he floated away.
The Dark Angels looked down at the plate of roasted meat, lost in deep thought.
As for the Adeptus Custodes—
They never even showed up.
The Dark Angels occasionally caught glimpses of golden figures flashing by deep within the palace, but before they could even exchange greetings, the figures vanished.
Someone quietly asked the Ultramarines:
"Where have all the Adeptus Custodes gone?"
The Ultramarines sighed:
"At the training ground."
"Training ground?"
The Ultramarines nodded, his expression complex.
"Since Lord Guilliman implemented the new modification surgery, the Space Marines ' strength has increased rapidly."
"Now, any seasoned veteran could easily hold his own against the Adeptus Custodes."
He paused, then lowered his voice:
The Adeptus Custodes were in a panic.
They would never allow themselves to be weaker than the Space Marines.
So now they're all immersed in training, practicing day and night."
The Dark Angels nodded thoughtfully:
"No wonder I haven't seen anyone."
Ultramarines shrugs:
"Moreover, it is said that the Belisarius Cawl is also researching super-modification surgery on the Adeptus Custodes, hoping to give them Smart Atoms as well."
Once that research is complete, the Adeptus Custodes will probably go even crazier.
The Dark Angels asked curiously:
When will the research be completed?
Ultramarines shook his head:
"Have no idea.
"Cawl has been busy with other things lately."
"What's up?"
The Ultramarines looked around and lowered his voice:
"I heard that the Emperor brought back the Divinity of Vashtorr."
Cawl is currently researching how to merge himself with that Divinity.
The Dark Angels's pupils contracted slightly:
"What?!"
The Ultramarines quickly covered his mouth:
"Shh—keep your voice down! This hasn't been made public yet!"
Dark Angels lowered his voice:
"Then... is it possible to succeed?"
Ultramarines shook his head:
Who knows?
Cawl said that if he could successfully merge with the Divinity, the true Machine God would descend upon the world.
The real Omnissiah.
Lord of all Machine Spirit.
The technological pillar of the Imperium.
The most elite Lesser God the Warp.
He paused, his expression complex.
"It's even possible that it will move in the direction of the Chaos Gods's ' Malefic Artifice '."
The Dark Angels was silent for a moment:
"So... is it good or bad?"
The Ultramarines laughed:
"Of course it's good."
Cawl assured Lord Guilliman that if he possessed the Divinity of Machine God, he would be far more powerful than Vashtorr.
He will replicate all the Vitruum technology artifacts that Lord Guilliman gave him, and they will all be used by the Imperium."
His eyes gleamed:
"Just how powerful will the Imperium be by then? It's exciting to even think about it."
The Dark Angels nodded, a hint of anticipation rising in his heart.
But then he remembered the plate of roast meat in his hand.
A demon in disguise?
Impossible, right?
That shouldn't be possible, right?