Unification and Betrayal

Several hours later, all the Primarch returned to Terra individually.

They brought only their closest guards and Scions; now, they needed to know where their Uncle was and what he had been through.

As if the fate of this world knew their intentions, the first act of destiny slowly unfolded after all the Primarch gathered.

After the Warp that suddenly erupted in the warp subsided, the previously chaotic Warp returned to calm.

What's going on?

"It seems this is around the time Slaanesh was born," said the Grandfather who had arrived.

"What? Why would Dad go to such a faraway place?"

"I don't know, let's keep watching."

The scene then shifts, pausing briefly on a figure dressed in a black robe.

"Dad!"

"Father!"

Curze and the Night Haunter recognized the figure at a glance.

But they soon discovered that something was wrong.

Curze knew very well that his Dad should be a little hunched over due to age and declining physical function.

But now, she doesn't look old at all.

"It seems that the Emperor's Perpetual transformation surgery was indeed a success," Malcador said leisurely.

"Perpetual modification?"

"Yes, Curze, the Imperium needs the Father of Night, and we need Old Han too."

Curze nodded. Curze was very happy that his Dad had become Perpetual; it was best that they wouldn't have to face separation by death.

"But what time is this? We were just in the Warp, and now where are we?" Horus asked.

The image shows Terra.

Terra?

Horus looked at Malcador, never expecting that the desolate land in the picture would be Terra.

"It does look quite similar. After all, from the perspective of outer space, Terra is indeed a desolate Living Hell," Curze said.

When he first came to Terra, he felt that Terra was the kind of Planet that was not far from death.

My later life in Terra proved this point.

Even the most basic necessities like water and air have to be sourced from other Planets.

But Terra is very prosperous now.

"And then you can't see even a tiny bit of greenery, not even the size of a fingernail," the Night Haunter said with a laugh.

Hearing this, Horus was a little unconvinced. "You can't compare everything to Nostramo, especially since the New Nostramo is also a modified version."

"Ha, only my father had such courage."

You...

Horus wanted to refute it, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that the Night Haunter was absolutely right.

"Alright, Primarch, it seems that the one most familiar with that period of history is this old fellow."

Malcador looked at everything on the screen, he began to recount that little-known history.

From humanity's Dark Age of Technology, to Dark Age of Technology decline and destruction, and then to the rise of Emperors.

"So, the scene shown now is from the Terra Unification Wars?"

"Yes, Vulkan, it was a difficult time. Many enemies were more powerful than we could have imagined. If we hadn't been careful, Terra would have vanished from the universe."

In that scene, they saw just how powerful humanity had become in the previous era.

"So what about the first generation of Gene Modification soldiers on this?" Horus asked.

Upon hearing this question, Malcador remained silent for a moment, unsure how to answer.

"Horus, you know these truths."

"But I'd rather hear you say it yourself, that it was a shameless betrayal back then, right?"

Although they had already heard from Mortarion about the betrayal of the Thunder Warriors in that era.

But when such a scene was actually presented to them, no one could accept it for a moment, because they looked too much like the Thunder Warriors.

"This is a necessary sacrifice, Horus."

It was not the Chancellor Malcador who spoke, but Old Kamon.

"Old Kamon?"

"Yes, Horus," said Old Kamon. "Betrayal is shameful, but this is the price of progress—cruel and bloody."

"The Thunder Warriors' genetic flaws are too glaring; their elimination is inevitable."

"I have no right to advise you to ignore such betrayal, but it's a fact."

I think you should be ready.

Horus looked at Old Kamon, but he said nothing.

I just felt a tightness in my chest and a bit uneasy.

Old Kamon was right.

If his father needs him to sacrifice himself, then he will definitely sacrifice himself without complaint or hesitation.

But now, faced with this outcome, all he could do was let out a long sigh.

Looking at the content on the screen, Malcador continued, "After the Terra Unification Wars, the Emperor used new genetic warriors to purge the genetically corrupted portion of the Thunder Warriors."

"Then, he prepared to begin the Great Crusade."

As soon as Malcador's voice stopped, his Grandfather's voice followed.

"He obtained the Warp Essence of twenty Lesser Gods through deception in the Warp."

"Using Psychic Power and Dark Age of Technology, combined with his and Erda's genes, twenty Primarch were created."

This is the origin of all Primarch.

"This is the rest of the truth, which your Uncle has already told you, so I won't repeat it."

"From the Primarch Project onward, the Emperor's Great Crusade truly began to take off, and you were witnesses to everything that happened during the Great Crusade era."

Sanguinius looked at Malcador and asked a question.

Why was the Great Crusade so rushed?

Indeed, judging from recorded history and the current scene, the Emperor made many preparations.

Reclaim the Luna, sign a treaty with Mars, create the Primarch, and prepare Legion.

The preparations were indeed very thorough, but as witnesses to this era, all the Primarch could feel the urgency of time.

"Sanguinius, the unification of Terra cannot be rushed, because it's full of technology left over from the Dark Age of Technology, and nobody knows what will happen if a button is pressed."

But the Great Crusade cannot be delayed.

"This universe has given humanity one last chance for revival, but the time is too short, and the territory of humanity in the Dark Age of Technology is too vast, so we must act quickly."

"I think it's related to the first scene we just saw, right?" Lion El'Jonson said.

"Yes."

It wasn't Malcador who answered, but rather Slaanesh.

"I will be born at that time. Although I do not wish to be born at that time, the Warp Storm that my birth will bring will sweep away the original chaos of the Warp, making Warp travel possible."

"In this way, a window of opportunity for human revival was created, but time is still limited, which is why the Great Crusade was so rushed."

"Your birth?" Lorgar asked.

"Yes, I was originally a member of the Aeldari Pantheon. My birth should not have occurred at that time, but due to the Aeldari's excessive indulgence, I was still born."