The doors were slowly pulled open by the ceremonial officials on either side—
The first to walk toward us was the cold-blooded monarch, lord of the Imperium, king of villains, Roboute Guilliman!
With a flick of his fingers, he toyed with the court; with a golden crown upon his head, he laughed at Demigods. What lay between his brows was not merely the bearing of an emperor, but the unhurried composure of one strolling through the galaxy. How many heroes of old had vanished in the blink of an eye? The eternal sun rose once more, yet only that expanse of blue remained upon the mountaintop, smiling as it reclined across the universe.
[Good day.]
Roboute Guilliman smiled calmly.
Guilliman, lord of oxen and horses, hurried forward to greet him, while the Primarchs behind him all hurriedly swept their gazes toward Roboute's back.
Following Roboute Guilliman came the Minister of the Department of Faith and Truth, the fallen believer, the misguided Lorgar Aurelian!
How much of that humble smile had once been sincere? Filled with loyalty, yet he had stumbled into an illusory mirage. A sparrow trying to swallow the sun, calling itself a golden crow, forcefully breaking another's will. The attendant of the parasol tree was blind and could not distinguish truth from falsehood, merely sewing a wedding dress for another!
Lorgar Aurelian gave everyone in the room a slight bow. His plain clothing perfectly highlighted Guilliman's brilliance.
Sanguinius's pupils contracted imperceptibly for a moment.
Beside Lorgar, the enthusiast of shoddy gene collection, the Ghoul, the moon-eater Sanguinius's blood-red eyes reflected those extraordinary wings.
When had mortals ever grown white feathers? It was merely Satan's jest upon fools. The high winds had yet to strike, but corpses already covered the ground, wounded soldiers wailed, and pain was born with