Horus's pain

Only the Emperor and Horus remained in the Throne Room, but the situation was far from optimistic.

Normally, Horus would be very happy to be alone with his father.

But now, sitting with his father at this moment, Horus was filled with questions.

Horus, would you like to hear a story from me?

"Good."

The Emperor slowly began to speak, recounting his journey from birth to the Old Night, then to unifying Terra, establishing the Imperium of Man, and embarking on the Great Crusade.

"The whole plan was wonderful, but before your Uncle came, I thought it was just a plan, or even a dream."

"After your Uncle arrived, I clearly saw that future, a future in which I can proudly say that humanity's goal is the Sea of Stars."

"And then, Father?"

"But this is fate, Horus."

"From the moment I embarked on this Great Crusade until I found your brothers along the way, fate has constantly reminded me that darkness and tragedy are inevitable."

"I now know the truth about this part, Father. Mortarion told us the truth. It's not your fault; it was all for humanity."

But fate doesn't care about such things, Horus.

"And then, for that so-called destiny, you betrayed your Uncle?"

When Horus asked this question, the Emperor did not answer, or rather, his silence was his answer.

"For humanity to rise, experiencing necessary darkness is an inevitable fate."

"So, Father, so you've allowed Uncle to remain missing to this day, his fate unknown."

"You're just going to stand by and watch me and my brothers turn against each other, are you?"

"It is fate, child."

"This is a lie, Father." Horus looked the Emperor in the eye for the first time, and spoke to his father in such a stern tone for the first time.

"Everything was fine when Uncle was around, everything seemed to have a bright future, and we didn't have to go through all this."

"But you chose a different path, Father. This is not fate, but a choice you made."

Tell me, what exactly is happening to Uncle?

The Emperor simply shook his head in silence.

"I don't know either, child. He disappeared after the Perpetual surgery was performed on him."

"So you've been deceiving us from the very beginning?"

Horus looked at his father, knowing that his father could not give him an answer now.

His hands were clenched tightly, and in his right hand was the gold ring.

After a long silence, Horus left the Throne Room.

He was going to see Malcador.

Upon arriving at the Chancellor's Residence, Horus was not greeted by tense guards or hurried government officials, but by pots and pots of flowers.

"Malcador, what are you doing?"

Malcador was not surprised at all to hear Horus's voice.

"It's Horus. I'm tending to my Flower cultivation right now. Look, these are new varieties I airlifted from Barbarus. Aren't they growing well?" Malcador said with a smile.

Compared to before, Malcador more energetic now.

"You are the Imperium Chancellor, and the Imperium is currently going through a turbulent period, yet you are Flower cultivation?"

"After all, I'm almost ten thousand years old, so it's inevitable that I have some hobbies. If a person doesn't have any hobbies to anchor their life, they'll live a very empty life."

"Is this the time to talk about this?! With the Imperium in its current state, how can you still have the mind to Flower cultivation?"

Upon hearing this, Malcador stopped what he was doing and his smile vanished.

"Then what do you expect me to do? My respected Wolf of Fenris, you don't know what the scene was like, you don't know what your father did."

"Do you understand? He personally squandered the hope that was almost within his grasp, and now it's gone forever."

"He wants that destiny, so give him that destiny. This is merely the price of destiny, nothing more."

Horus only realized what was happening when he saw Malcador at that moment.

The Chancellor wasn't neglecting his duties; he genuinely had no other choice.

"I..."

"Alright, Horus, this is the Evernight Secret Edict your Uncle left you a long time ago. After reading it, you'll know what to do."

"Left by your Uncle?"

"Yes, Old Han foresaw this situation a long time ago. I was senile back then and didn't listen to him. It's too late to regret it now."

Han Mingxuan had specifically asked him to form the Grey Knights, and he had refused without a second thought. But looking at the current situation, he deeply regretted his decision.

Horus immediately opened the Evernight Secret Edict, which contained only one sentence, without saying much else.

[You have done well, Horus; remain loyal.]

Upon seeing this simple sentence, Horus felt a tightness in his chest; he felt as if someone was gripping his heart.

I'm conflicted, upset, and in pain.

"Imperium of Man, how can I possibly save you?"

Horus eventually left the Chancellor's Residence in a daze. When he saw Dorn again, Dorne was in no better shape than Horus, and both of them were in poor mental condition.

Horus, you've seen them.

"Yes, Dorn, I'm starting to regret it now. I regret not listening to you. Maybe I shouldn't have come back."

"Now that things have come to this, let's prepare for joint defense."

"Good."

The Eighth Legion Coalition.

"Report: We have entered the Segmentum Solar's sphere of influence."

Upon hearing the report from Flagship Officer Sannamael, all the Primarch came to the bridge.

"The journey has been unexpectedly smooth," Perturabo said.

Because they issued an accountability statement, and apart from them, the other Primarch that did not make a statement did not directly express their willingness to send troops.

In addition, due to Han Mingxuan's enormous influence in the Imperium, they did not encounter any battles along the way, and some people even helped them pass through.

Therefore, the entire Eighth Legion Coalition took less than half a month from departure to arrival in Terra.

"Those who act justly will find many supporters, while those who act unjustly will find few." The Khan said.

"Let's go. Next, we'll face the Seventh and XVI Legions, as well as the Adeptus Custodes."

The Primarch present were well aware that, in reality, their only obstacle was the Adeptus Custodes.

Those die-hard loyalists of the Emperor are the real trouble.

"Defensio, Impetus."

"Exist."

"You two should negotiate with the other side first. If negotiations fail, then we will resort to force."

"Clear!"

Upon arriving in the Segmentum Solar, the Eighth Legion Coalition deployed all their forces, completely surrounding the entire Segmentum Solar.

Meanwhile, Defensio and Impetus formally began their first negotiations with the Terra Defense Forces.

"My two Primarch, it's been a long time."

"Yes, Impetus, it's been a long time since we last met. I never expected to see you again in this kind of setting."

"You know, Primarch, all we want is an answer."

"I'd love to give you an answer too, my brother, but I must remain loyal."

"So there's nothing to talk about?" Defensio asked.