Divergence

The hum of the Webway Gate's permanent closure seemed to still echo through the void. Before the exhaustion of surviving disaster and the joy of brief victory could spread across the scarred decks of Macragge's Honour, a new, colder chill descended without warning.

The Adeptus Custodes stood rigid as precision machines, their bodies clad in ornate golden armor showing not the slightest sign of relaxation.

The Guardian Spears in their hands glimmered with daemon-banishing runes. The instant Magnus's threat was confirmed eliminated, they turned in perfect unison, with unquestionable authority and hostility. Their spearheads did not point toward the void, but locked precisely onto Evelyn, who stood in a corner with faint starlight still flowing around her.

"Xenos!" The leading Adeptus Custodes' voice rang like clashing gold and iron, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, containing only cold killing intent born of the Emperor's will and ten thousand years of duty. "Holy Terra is no place for xenos to tread! Disarm at once and submit to detention!"

At the same time, the Imperial Fists Space Marines who had just joined the battle and were still clearing away scattered remnants of Chaos also noticed the "anomaly" at the heart of the expedition fleet.

The Imperial Aquilas upon their yellow-and-black power armor gleamed beneath the moon's cold light.

When they saw a living Aeldari standing beside the Regent, every face beneath those helmets showed shock and undisguised revulsion.

Their Bolters remained lowered, but their guarded stances and the increased stream of encrypted communications across their channels revealed their vigilance.

The atmosphere dropped to freezing point.

One moment, they had been comrades fighting a Daemon Prince side by side. The next, they stood in a tense standoff.

The Harlequin Troupe that had guided the fleet here and sealed the Webway at the crucial moment had long vanished without a trace, like colors blending into the background.

Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Valkyries of the Hilling Empire felt that hostility as well.

Though the power system they used was equally unfamiliar, they at least possessed human forms, and they had displayed unquestionable coordination and strength in the battle against Magnus.

The Adeptus Custodes' hostility was chiefly focused on that xenos ally.

"Stand down!" Guilliman's voice crashed out like thunder, carrying absolute authority.

His towering form stood between Evelyn and the Adeptus Custodes' spears. Though the Emperor's Sword had already been sheathed, an unquestionable aura erupted from him.

"Lower your weapons! This is Advisor Evelyn, of the Aeldari Reaper Host! She and her companions are the allies who enabled the expeditionary force to cross countless perils and reach this place! They are also steadfast forces against Chaos! I, Roboute Guilliman, guarantee her conduct and allegiance!"

The golden mask of the Adeptus Custodes commander remained utterly still, his spear still fixed firmly on Evelyn. "The Emperor's will stands above all. A xenos setting foot upon Holy Terra is an unforgivable taboo. Your guarantee cannot override ancient law and duty."

His voice was cold and resolute, allowing no room for compromise.

The Emperor's guardians served the Emperor alone.

At that moment, Glory's elegant voice broke the deadlock.

With an understanding, peaceful smile, she gave Guilliman a slight nod. "Lord Regent, there is no need to trouble yourself over this. The Hilling Empire respects your traditions and laws. We have no intention of setting foot upon Terra's sacred soil. As for the diplomatic mission, Master Obi-Wan will handle it."

She turned toward the slightly wary Valkyries and sent calming thoughts through the mental network.

Prince of Wales's icy gaze swept over the Adeptus Custodes. The ship rigging behind her silently folded away and disappeared, though her posture remained upright.

Prinz Eugen shrugged lazily, unconcerned. Nimi was more curious about these golden corn cobs, while Joan of Arc stood quietly behind Glory.

Their power was restrained, but their positioning showed that they had not lowered their guard.

"We will rest here and await further orders. And," Glory said, turning to Evelyn with a kind invitation in her eyes, "if Lady Evelyn is willing, she may accompany us. Far from all this turmoil, we would very much like to hear the stories of the Eldar."

A trace of understanding and gratitude flashed through Evelyn's star-like eyes.

She had never wanted to set foot on Terra, much less face that human Emperor. Had the Hilling Empire not appeared as an unforeseen variable, she would have departed after reviving Guilliman and continued her mission.

Guilliman was the future upon which she and the Reaper Host had placed their wager.

She gave Glory an elegant bow. "Thank you for the invitation, Lady Glory. It would be my honor to speak with the Valkyries of the Hilling Empire." She chose, for the moment, to stand with the Valkyries and avoid the most direct conflict.

Guilliman silently breathed a sigh of relief, deeply approving of Glory's tact and Evelyn's wise choice.

He turned to the Adeptus Custodes commander. "Is this arrangement acceptable?"

The commander fell silent for a moment. His statue-like body finally made the slightest movement.

He slowly withdrew the spear aimed at Evelyn, though his sharp gaze remained fixed on her. "I will need to assign people to watch them." This was already his greatest concession.

Guilliman nodded and agreed to the commander's demand. Then he thought of someone else.

His eagle-like gaze swept toward the edge of the battlefield—Cypher and the few equally battered Fallen Angels beside him stood there in silence.

Behind Cypher's back, the strangely shaped longsword wrapped tightly in heavy cloth had never left its sheath, not even during the most critical moment of the battle against Magnus.

A powerful sense of unease gripped Guilliman.

This Dark Angel's purpose was far from simple. The secrets he carried and that sword both radiated danger.

Let him approach the Emperor with an unknown weapon?

Absolutely not!

Guilliman's decision formed in an instant.

Reputation mattered, but the Emperor's safety outweighed everything!

Even if he had to bear infamy, he would crush this hidden danger in its cradle!

"Arrest them!" Guilliman's voice abruptly turned incomparably cold, carrying an unquestionable command as he pointed toward the Fallen Angels.

Several silent figures clad in silver-gray Terminator armor, their plate engraved with countless anti-daemon runes, emerged around Cypher and his Fallen Angel squad like ghosts rising from the shadows.

The massive power weapons and Nemesis force halberds in their hands had already activated, radiating powerful suppression fields aimed at Warp entities.

Guilliman had clearly prepared this in advance.

At the same time, the surrounding Adeptus Custodes moved in tacit coordination, subtly sealing off every route of escape.

"Cypher," Guilliman said in a voice like ice, clearly echoing across the now-silent deck, "you claim to be a Fallen Angel carrying secrets tied to the foundation of the Imperium, and you demand an audience with the Emperor. Yet your movements are secretive, your motives unclear, and you carry an unknown weapon never recorded within the Imperium!"

Guilliman's gaze was sharp as a blade as it stabbed into Cypher. "The Emperor's safety permits no chance-taking! I cannot grant your request. To ensure the security of Holy Terra, I order in the name of the Regent of the Imperium—disarm immediately and submit to joint detention by the Adeptus Custodes and Grey Knights! Once your identity, intentions, and the nature of the weapon you carry have been determined, a decision will be made! Resist, and you will be killed without mercy!"

The order was ruthless and absolute! The "allies" who had just fought the Red Daemon alongside them had become prisoners in an instant!

Cypher's expression beneath his helmet instantly turned extremely ugly. The Fallen Angels behind him instinctively tightened their grips on their weapons, and the atmosphere once more stretched to the breaking point!

"Guilliman...!" Cypher's voice was filled with incredulous rage and the humiliation of betrayal.

"Execute the order!" Guilliman cut him off sharply, leaving no room for explanation.

The Grey Knights' psychic suppression field rapidly intensified. The Adeptus Custodes raised their Guardian Spears once more, and the glowing runes upon their tips locked onto Cypher and the sword on his back!

Surrounded by overwhelming force and Guilliman's unquestionable will, Cypher ultimately yielded.

He knew that resistance at this moment meant only death.

He stared fixedly at Guilliman, his eyes filled with unwillingness, before it finally became a low growl suppressed to the utmost limit.

The Adeptus Custodes and Grey Knights quickly stepped forward, fastening Cypher and his Fallen Angel force in specially made anti-psychic shackles.

The tightly wrapped sword was bound beneath layers of powerful psychic seals and physical restraints, then personally taken into custody by an Adeptus Custodes.

A potential crisis had been forcibly strangled by Guilliman's almost ruthless resolve.