After more than ten days of travel through the Warp, the Word Bearers' Battle Barge glided like a silver whale into the innermost anchorage of the Solar System, finally coming to rest in synchronous orbit above Holy Terra, the absolute center of power and faith in the Imperium of Man.
Not a trace of natural terrain remained visible on the vast planet below. In its place stood endless ranks of colossal buildings that pierced the clouds, and at their very heart, bathed in eternal light, the Emperor's Palace sprawled on a scale beyond mortal imagination.
A small transport detached from the barge's belly and, like a worker bee returning to its hive, passed through layer upon layer of void defenses before landing smoothly on the enormous designated landing platform in the Imperial Palace's outer precincts.
The hatch slid open, and Lorgar Aurelian stepped out first, his towering frame casting a long shadow beneath the light of Terra's sun.
Close behind came Hercules, his massive figure like a mobile fortress, Seras, commander of the Third Chapter, and Anastasia, whose expression was so calm it bordered on indifference.
They stepped into a magnificent corridor that led toward the Imperial Palace's inner precincts, stretching farther than the eye could see.
Along either side of the corridor, colossal stone statues hundreds of meters tall stood at intervals of several hundred meters.
These statues depicted neither the Emperor nor the Primarchs, but heroes from the myths and legends of human history, legendary warriors who had laid the foundations of the Imperium, and even embodiments of human virtues.
They had stood in silence for countless millennia, their weathered stone faces looking down upon every visitor who came for an audience. Their intangible presence felt almost solid, enough to shake even the bravest mortal soldier to his