Inconsequential

Just hours earlier, the Eighth Legion's Allied Forces had arrived in the Segmentum Solar.

At this time, Horus had just met the Emperor, and he was in pain and conflicted.

"Dorn, how are we supposed to face our brothers?"

Dorn looked at Horus in silence for a long time. He did not immediately offer a solution, because he was also thinking and weighing the options.

"Just as you said, Horus, we have always been brothers, no matter which side they are on."

"And what's your opinion?"

Dorn just stared at Horus for a long time.

Just as Horus was starting to feel uneasy, Dorn asked a question that truly made Horus uneasy.

"Now is the time to make a choice, my brother."

To whom are you loyal?

When Horus heard Dorn ask this, he instinctively thought it was a test of loyalty at a crucial moment.

"Is that even a question? Dorn, I, and we, are always loyal to our Father, the great Emperor of Mankind, aren't we?"

Dorn shook his head upon hearing this.

Under normal circumstances, Dorn uttering these words would immediately make Horus believe that he had betrayed the Emperor.

But the fact that Dorn is still willing to stand with him proves his loyalty, Dorn's denial makes Horus think deeply.

"Loyalty to the Imperium of Man."

Dorn shook his head.

Could it be loyalty to his Uncle?

Although Horus was reluctant to admit it, his Uncle was indeed better than his father at handling some matters. In this situation, for example, if his Uncle were present, he would definitely step in to resolve the issue instead of hiding away.

However, Horus could not be sure of this answer, nor could he say it aloud, because he knew that his Uncle had never been an ambitious man, nor did he have any intention of ruling the Imperium of Man.

And so, the two brothers stared at each other for a long time.

In the end, Horus gave an answer.

"Humans?"

Upon hearing Horus's answer, Dorn nodded.

Your answer is correct.

"But is there a difference between being loyal to one's father and being loyal to humanity?"

"Horus, whether it was the Emperor or my Uncle, their teachings to us have always emphasized one concept: humanity."

"From the perspective of Humanity's Fate, Imperium of Man are insignificant, and so are the Emperors of Imperium of Man."

Similarly, our Uncle is irrelevant.

"Dorn, are you insane?!"

Horus now has every reason to believe that Dorn's thinking has been completely destroyed by this immense pressure.

He actually said such a thing.

This is utterly absurd.

"This is reality, Horus," Dorn continued. "If we are loyal to humanity, we will inevitably defend humanity, and therefore, none of us matter."

"You want to let them in?" Horus frowned, looking at his brother.

"From the perspective of the Imperium of Man and the Humanity's Fate, Uncle is more important than the Emperor now. We must minimize the intensity of the war, and we must know where Uncle has gone."

"Otherwise, the Allied Forces outside will blow the entire Terra to smithereens."

"But that's our father!"

"But first and foremost, it is a tool for humankind."

"Dorn, you're insane!"

Horus gripped Dorn with one hand, trying to see even the slightest hint of panic or betrayal in his brother's eyes.

He hoped to see such emotions to confirm his suspicion that his brother had indeed gone mad, because only then would he feel any better.

But the thing he least wanted to see happened. In his brother's eyes, he saw rationality and calmness, without any madness or scheming.

Terrifying rationality.

"My Uncle told Mortarion about our origins and the truth of our past, and Mortarion then told us these truths word for word."

"Now, Horus, the moment to decide the Humanity's Fate has arrived, and the one who will decide the Humanity's Fate is not the Emperor, not Malcador, but you, me, and our brothers outside."

"Facing the truth of history and making the choices that are most beneficial to the Humanity's Fate is the most responsible thing we, as Demigods, can do for the Humanity's Fate."

If Horus could come to terms with this, if he could understand his own position, if he could see clearly where the Emperor is now, then he should cooperate with his actions to minimize the intensity of the war.

In this way, the Imperium of Man can retain the greatest number of living forces, and in this way, even in the face of Despair, the Imperium of Man will go very far.

However, if Horus doesn't think things through, then the first thing the Imperium of Man will face is a civil war that could tear the entire Imperium apart.

Seeing his brother's unwavering expression, Horus knew that Dorn had thought about this for a long time before telling him these things.

"Dorn, I will hand over command of the 16th Legion to you."

Where do you plan to go next?

Horus looked at Dorn, his eyes devoid of light; his heart was empty at that moment.

"You're right, brother. I shouldn't have gone back to Terra in the first place. After I came back, I found there was nothing I could do."

"I'll go with you to the city wall to see my brothers, and then I'd like to visit my father, or perhaps go to Uncle Ma's place to tend to the Flower cultivation."

"You are running away, Horus."

"I am loyal to humanity, but I still cannot let go of my father. Forgive my cowardice, brother."

Please allow me this moment of weakness.

Watching Horus leave, Dorn didn't know what to say.

Was Horus's choice cowardly?

That would indeed be cowardly.

But his choice was also made out of necessity; on one side was the future of the Imperium of Man, and on the other was his father. He had to make a choice.

Sigismund.

"I'm here, sir."

"Come with me to see them."

Back in the present, Dorn led all the members of the Seventh Legion and XVI Legions to form the Terra Defence Force.

To confront the Eighth Legion Coalition.

The disparity in strength between the two sides is enormous.

"Dorn, you know I have no intention of fighting you; I just want the truth."

"Curze, it's your duty. Let's get started."

Curze didn't say much; he simply put Dorn's Scions on the front lines.

These were the Nostramo-descended Imperial Fists Space Marines that Dorn had assigned to him.

"This... Father, should we take action?"

"Do it!"

Dorn's orders were cold and resolute, devoid of any emotion. Now they faced war, and they could not be swayed by emotions.

In the end, Sigismund had no choice but to reluctantly fight his own brother.

But the scene was strange.

The Imperial Fists Space Marines of the Eighth Legion Coalition were overwhelmingly superior to the original Seventh Legion Space Marines.

The opponent had absolutely no chance to fight back.

The entire battle lasted less than three hours before it ended.

"Dorn, what other tricks do you have up your sleeve? Or do you have anything else to say?"

"Curze, it's my duty. I have nothing more to say."