"That is an extremely dangerous trap. It could deal the Imperium a catastrophic blow!"
Guilliman's expression was grave.
He could imagine the kind of threat he and Brother Eden would face.
If the blasphemous images of himself and Brother Eden inside the illusion spread across the entire Imperium, it would be a devastating blow to humanity's faith and morale.
"Losing my own dignity and honor doesn't matter.
"But Brother Eden is the Emperor of the Imperium, humanity's hope. He must never be brought to such a state."
Guilliman understood the importance of image and authority.
His own ultimate humiliation would not affect the Imperium that much, but the Savior was different. He had to remain holy and unblemished, so he could be revered, so he could unify mankind.
The existence of the psychic network connected humanity, yes, but it also exposed new dangers.
Once its data defenses were breached, vast amounts of blasphemous content would spread at the fastest possible speed.
"I should have become stronger, not become a burden to my brother…"
Guilliman felt even more guilty. If he could have dealt with Fulgrim, that fallen traitor, on his own, then Brother Eden would not have to take such a risk.
After sensing the terrifying trap of indulgence, Guilliman even wished that his brother would never set foot in this dueling arena.
But such negative thoughts were meaningless.
Guilliman murmured, "Eden will not abandon a single brother. All I can do is trust him, trust his unyielding will!"
He recalled the long record of that brother resisting Slaanesh.
He believed that with Eden's will, he could withstand the lure of the pleasure-illusion, preventing the spread of blasphemous imagery.
After that, the Avenging Son silently resisted the corrosion and continued to endure.
He had to hold on until the Savior arrived, so they could fight side by side.
"Lord of Pleasure… I can't inflict any more torment…"
Inside the dueling arena, the punishment and torment of the Avenging Son continued. Another executioner collapsed to the ground from exhaustion.
This primarch could take an absurd amount of pain. Even daemons praised him in awe.
They could not imagine what kind of body could withstand so much torture.
And on top of that, this primarch had previously endured wave after wave of beatings.
The sheer toughness of his flesh had reached an astonishing level.
"Again, again. More torture!"
The Chaos audience roared, more excited than ever. They wanted to see how long the Avenging Son could hold out!
On the throne upon the terrace, Fulgrim, the fallen Phoenician, sipped blood-wine and enjoyed the primarch's suffering.
But his mind was not on that primarch. He was thinking about another existence.
"O faithless one… the stage is built. All that remains is for you to arrive and open the show."
The Mog'ta Stone Array and the pleasure-illusion had already been completed. Kairos Fateweaver's data-corruption ritual array had been completed as well, ready to launch an intrusion against the psychic network at any moment.
The instant the Savior reached this dueling arena, Fulgrim would personally strike, forcing the faithless one to embrace the most agonizing defeat of all!
—
Kalisted.
Inside the Living Chaos Factory-Fortress, within the Iron Throne Hall.
"Brother, I've thought it through."
Perturabo could not wait to formally hand over command authority of the Iron Warriors Legion and the Chaos mechanical host, as if it were a nuisance.
He was afraid the Savior would change his mind.
"I will return to the Imperium as a scholar, participating in technological exploration and research.
"In the future, I will develop more civilian technologies for the Imperium, and I will also help other great Mechanicus savants build even more powerful engines of war."
Perturabo agreed to build war engines for the Savior.
That good brother had given him the chance to realize his ideals. He could not fail to repay it.
"Brother, from now on you'll serve as the Iron Warriors' honorary advisor. That way you can also select more of your sons to participate in your research."
Eden accepted all of Perturabo's command authority with obvious satisfaction.
He knew that if he refused, it would only make Perturabo uncomfortable.
This way, Eden would gain greater practical control over the Iron Warriors, without having to force them into line through blunt coercion.
Still, having Perturabo completely detach from the Iron Warriors did not feel right.
With the gene-father present, Eden could command the Iron Warriors more smoothly and avoid trouble.
The moment Eden finished speaking, he saw Perturabo hesitate, and he realized the man wanted to manage nothing at all.
So he added.
"Of course, it's only a ceremonial title. You won't carry any command responsibility. You won't have to handle anything."
Perturabo nodded and agreed.
"Fine. I will remain with the Iron Warriors until they fully become your legion."
With his intellect, he naturally understood why the Savior did this, and he was willing to help.
To ensure he could pursue research without shackles, to realize the ideal of building a prosperous world through technology, the Lord of Iron was willing to do anything.
Because in this galaxy, only the Savior shared that same philosophy, and only the Savior was willing to support him.
"This is the sector and forge worlds assigned to you. You can freely research whatever technologies you wish there."
As Eden spoke, he sent Perturabo the relevant documents and permissions.
His brother had shown sincerity, nearly handing over his entire fortune as a primarch.
Eden had to be equally forthright. Trust was the key.
"The Charadon Sector?!" Perturabo's eyes brightened the instant he received the files, and an actual smile appeared on his face.
He felt the Savior's trust, warm enough to reach the marrow.
Charadon was a superlative mining region, a famed iron-rich sector, with minerals and rare elements in quantities beyond imagination.
He had coveted that sector for a long time.
But ever since the Savior killed the demigod daemon Be'lakor and reclaimed Charadon, the region's defenses had been reinforced to a terrifying degree.
It was nearly impossible to take by force.
And now, Brother Eden had directly assigned that region to him. That alone proved how deeply Eden trusted him.
"I will use those resources well. Your investment will not suffer any loss.
"If I cannot produce results, I will return everything to you!"
Perturabo's eyes stung with tears. His "twist" flared up again, and he spoke as if swearing an oath.
He also felt pressure.
He had to prove himself to the Savior, prove that he deserved such dedication and treatment.
A primarch long denied recognition by the Emperor and his brothers could not help but lack confidence.
He always wanted to prove his worth.
"Sigh. Was this brother crushed by the Emperor back then? Why is he so insecure?"
Eden thought to himself as he listened.
By Eden's standards, it was a classic case of "low sense of deserving," always feeling unworthy.
So when he acted, he often went against his own heart, making opposite, even extreme choices.
But it was understandable.
Primarchs almost universally had psychological issues, and the Emperor had been a strict, sharp-tongued patriarch with harsh expectations, which only worsened those conditions.
If there was a chance later, Eden would have to solve their psychological problems properly.
"Research doesn't produce results overnight. You don't need to put that much pressure on yourself."
Eden patted Perturabo's shoulder, speaking with easy generosity.
"In short, do things the way you like. Don't worry about resource consumption.
"Once you develop usable technologies, I'll promote them across the entire Imperium.
"My current recommendation is energy and fuel technology. If you're interested, you can also research blackstone.
"That is the key for humanity to advance into the Warp."
With the Savior's reassurance, Perturabo's mood lightened. He had never felt this relaxed, this safe.
"This is what a true brother is…"
He watched Eden's back as he walked toward the Iron Throne, and silently added energy, fuel, and blackstone projects to his research plan.
Whatever Brother Eden said, he would do.
Perturabo happily continued browsing Charadon's documents, learning the scope of his authority.
He could freely plan the sector's forge worlds and request the redeployment of personnel and resources.
After they took revenge on Fulgrim and ended this war, he would be able to take possession of Charadon.
Of course, he did not need to manage Charadon personally. That would be a waste of time.
He only needed to provide ideas and planning. The sector's governors would implement them on his behalf.
"Charadon will build humanity's greatest scientific city, where all knowledge and technology will gather and exchange.
"It will become the heart of human science and craft, endlessly producing new technological achievements…"
Perturabo's thoughts raced. With the help of cognitive support devices, he built plan after plan after plan.
Then he thought of something and felt a trace of worry.
"Perhaps I should go see the Emperor as well… see how he is now…"
Once his emotions settled, he still did not want to call the Emperor "Father."
But he would develop more technology, and together with Brother Eden, bring humanity back to prosperity and revival.
He would make that Emperor understand how wrong his choices had been.
Upon the Iron Throne.
"Now that I've taken the Iron Warriors, the Terror Legion's strength will surge again, and we'll be able to advance into even more Chaos domains!"
Eden was just as delighted as he counted his gains, a broad grin on his face.
The Iron Warriors were a massive legion with more than eighty thousand Chaos Space Marines, all masters of siege-breaking.
More importantly, they also possessed large numbers of Warpsmiths and Chaos engines, along with several fortress worlds.
Among them, the Chaos fortress-world Medrengard lay at the core of the Eye of Terror.
After ten thousand years of construction, it was as close to unbreakable as anything could be.
That meant Eden's forces could thrust directly into the heart of Chaos' presence within the galaxy.
And with support from the Imperium and the Terror Legion, Medrengard could continuously manufacture even more Chaos engines.
He had gained such a rich reward without shedding a drop of blood. It was a major victory.
With the Lord of Iron's support secured, Eden struck while the iron was hot, issuing order after order.
They were orders for logistics, redeployment, and assembly, including a command to gather all Iron Warriors together.
The Savior, the Emperor of the Imperium, was going to conduct a temporary parade-ground inspection.
"The Emperor has found Fulgrim's location, but it will still take time to carve out a route to reach it.
"I need to use this gap to reorganize the Iron Warriors, so I can lead them into the Chaos realms for joint operations."
Eden thought.
According to the intel, that dueling arena was located on a Chaos world, packed with vast numbers of Chaos warriors and daemons.
He had to marshal an army to have a real chance of extracting Brother Guilliman and trapping the fallen Phoenician.
Right now, every major force had its own operational tasking. What Eden could mobilize was only his personal guard and the Iron Warriors.
If he did not organize them, if he did not make them fight as a unified force, it would become a problem.
Moreover, the Iron Warriors' supreme command had changed hands, and most of the legion did not yet know what had happened.
Eden had to appear in person, with Perturabo's cooperation, to inspect the army and truly seize command authority.
"Go. Assemble the legion at maximum speed."
Eden gave the order to the Iron Warriors commanders in the hall.
"Yes, my lord!"
Aharin and the others bowed slightly, accepted the Savior's command, and filed out of the hall one after another.
They would head to the front, organize the formations, and prepare to receive the Savior's inspection.
"This is probably the best possible outcome…"
After turning away, Aharin looked back toward the Lord of Iron, his expression complicated.
The gene-father had obtained the freedom he had always sought, yet never received.
The Iron Warriors had found a better home, no longer forced to bear the name of traitor forever.
Many of these warriors still retained a great deal of reason, and they still held conflicted feelings toward the Imperium.
It was not only the Iron Warriors. Many unaligned Chaos warriors were the same, especially those Space Marine Chapters cast into the Eye of Terror during so-called "penitent crusades."
They were often loyalists, yet under false accusation, they were forced into Chaos, turned into "traitors" the Imperium had to exterminate.
Perturabo noticed Aharin's gaze. He lifted his head, his expression shifting, then softening again.
He nodded, offering the pale scion an apologetic look.
Everything was said without words.
"Father…"
As Aharin turned to leave, he whispered that word, barely audible.
He knew his gene-father was apologizing. That had never happened before.
Perhaps everything had changed. That was a good thing, something that had never existed before.
Little by little, he could not help but smile.
These unaligned Chaos warriors had only ever been given blood, cruelty, and slaughter, using it to mask the confusion of losing identity and honor.
Because they were neither servants of the Dark Gods nor soldiers of the Imperium, but stranded between the two.
At times, they were attacked by both.
Now, the Iron Warriors had found a sliver of hope, something new to fight for.
…
Outside the daemon-palace.
Upon the Chaos battlefield, Iron Warriors formations assembled, awaiting the coming inspection.
They had received staggering news.
The Lord of Iron had handed the mantle of command to a stronger brother, and from now on, that brother would lead the Iron Warriors.
Such an enormous change left the legion uneasy.
"Damn it. What the hell happened?"
Baran, an Iron Warriors Terminator, spoke up. He and his battle-brothers were lost.
Their gene-father had abruptly announced his resignation, and a new commander had arrived.
After that came orders to assemble for equipment distribution, to enhance the legion's combat power.
This was one of Eden's calming measures. Calling troops to the parade ground and paying them in "rations" was a classic method of consolidating hearts and minds.
Since Eden already held command authority, the Iron Warriors were still allowed to muster under arms.
Besides, due to the assembly, the Iron Warriors could not bring large vehicles and heavy weapons, nor could they form a defensive line.
Eden needed only the Living Chaos fortress, the Chaos mechanical host, and the Iron Warriors commanders.
That alone would be enough to suppress any unrest with ease.
Without a command core to organize them, the larger the army, the more herd-mentality it displayed.
It was even less likely to riot.
Soon, new "comfort" arrived, stirring the warriors into a wave of commotion.
"Lord of Iron… these are Terror Legion weapons. No, they're our weapons now!"
Baran stared at the flaming weapon crates before him, eyes shining with naked desire.
Everyone knew how rare Terror Legion weapons were.
Not only were they powerful, they were far more intimidating, loaded with effects and spectacle.
Even mid-tier gear came with the pomp and presence of master-crafted weapons. Which Astartes would not love that?
With such strong weapons, their combat power would surge, and they would surely win this war!
Chaos engines hauled in batch after batch of armaments: weapons of all kinds, armor, ammunition, and heavy Centurion suits.
The piles of wargear were so tempting, drawing every eye.
They all understood. These were gifts bestowed by the new commander.
"Form ranks!"
"Hurry, hurry, hurry. Form ranks immediately, to welcome the new commander!"
Not only the Iron Warriors, but Chaos warriors from other warbands were also dragged into formation, confused and half-dazed.
Because the Savior's order was to inspect all Chaos warriors in this region, including the warbands that had come to join the war.
But for them, obeying a powerful Chaos warlord in war was normal.
Many of them had once followed Abaddon the Despoiler.
But ever since that existence lost vast stores of wargear and assets, he had sunk into decline.
Countless warbands broke away, seeking new banners, or joining new invasions and expeditions.
Those smaller Chaos warbands formed ranks under shouted orders and rough shoves. Under the threat of Iron Warriors and masses of heavy artillery, they had no choice but to comply.
The Fire Angels were a special case among them. They were new to Chaos.
During the defensive war in the Scourge Stars, this Chapter had been surrounded by Chaos and cruelly abandoned by the Imperium.
In despair, they turned to Chaos.
"This is the Fire Angels' first war since embracing Chaos. We will take revenge on the Imperium through slaughter!"
Chapter Master Yadis thought.
They were not many, only several hundred strong.
So following the Iron Warriors into this raid against the Imperium was the best choice.
They had crossed a vast distance to get here, hoping to reap more spoils of war.
Under the barked orders of an Iron Warriors senior commander, the Fire Angels began forming ranks as well.
Waiting for inspection.
They did not want to offend the new Chaos commander, only to be purged in brutal fashion and used as pathetic examples to establish authority.
Of course, there was also an eager, voluntary element.
Because they, too, could receive powerful weapons forged by the Terror Legion.
"How wonderful.
"That Chaos commander must be a mighty existence, one who can lead us to inflict even greater harm upon the Imperium…"
Yadis sighed with admiration.
He imagined the combat power the Fire Angels would unleash once they received those weapons.
Then, like the other Chaos warriors, he watched with anticipation, waiting for the new commander's inspection.
Gradually, a hideous mechanical disc drifted over from the Living Chaos Factory's platform.
The new commander was standing upon it.
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