The Living Saint Wanted by the Ecclesiarchy

According to the original plan, capturing Skullcrusher, the bridgehead world leading into the Ghoul Stars, was only the first step of the war.

After that, Lox, Guilliman, and Vulkan would advance from the Nostramo defensive line into the heart of the Ork Empire, shifting into a phase where offense and defense changed places.

The strategic stalemate of this period had primarily been intended to determine the Ork Empire's current general situation.

Its war aims, military potential, internal organizational structure, technological level—even the smallest details were of paramount importance.

This also reflected Lox's cautious style of warfare. Until he understood the situation, he would never allow the Imperial Expeditionary Force to venture deep into the Ghoul Stars.

Once the fighting at the front temporarily came to an end and Guilliman and Lox turned their attention to the rear once more, the two were again left scratching their heads over the turmoil within the Ecclesiarchy.

Both Guilliman and Lox loathed human infighting. Simply thinking about the matter consumed even more of their precious brainpower.

In Lox's experience, if one encountered strange and incomprehensible circumstances—conspiracies, unlikely events, and the like—one could never go wrong by pinning them directly on Tzeentch.

That most perversely amusing Chaos God had always been immensely fond of pushing events toward greater "change," regardless of whether those changes were good or bad.

If the change succeeded, then it was Tzeentch's plan. If it failed, then it was Tzeentch's even greater plan.

But now, Lox and Guilliman suddenly realized that this matter really did not seem to have much to do with Tzeentch. That made things serious.

The unknown was the most terrifying thing of all, and Holy Terra seemed to have already been swept into such a storm of uncertainty.

"If Terra's chaos is not the result of outside