Blazkowicz anticipated Rangndan's approximate invasion date and was preparing his army in the Nur Stars.
The Imperium of Man was doing the same; outwardly, there was no grand fanfare, but secretly, preparations were tense.
The Adeptus Mechanicus had received a death order, with forging world production lines running at full capacity, and under the binary prayers of the Tech-Priests, their main productivity soared to its peak.
Voidships, Titans, Knights, armored vehicles, all equipment related to war, emerged from molten metal and praise, leaving the production lines surrounded by words of blessing.
The Emperor brought Sanguinius back, and with a brief return parade, he announced the return of his Son of the Emperor to the people of the Imperium.
The Emperor considered for a long time; although he disliked those pure white wings, the accomplished fact was undeniable.
Rather than hiding him, it was better to openly display Sanguinius.
The result was as he expected: when the angel spread his wings and soared in the holy light, mortals were completely captivated.
They knelt, praising the Emperor's greatness and the angel's holiness.
The mortals' faith became even stronger—the Emperor was a true god. If the Emperor was not a god, how could his Son be so holy and perfect?
Those pure white wings were definitely not a symbol of mutation!
He was so dazzling, without a trace of defilement or mutation, every feather shimmering with pure, flawless light.
The Emperor saw the fervent faith converging on the angel; beneath the golden light, his face was cold as frost, and he vanished in a golden flash from the return ceremony.
As the angel flew in the sky, a series of messages, commands for the next step of action, came to his mind.
When Sanguinius looked back, the Emperor was gone. His magnificent face dimmed slightly, and his blue eyes grew dark; he knew he was not favored in his Father's heart.
The angel folded his wings and slowly descended from the sky into the crowd. mortals, tears in their eyes, reached out, wanting to touch Sanguinius's radiance.
Sanguinius did not disdain their dirtiness; a warm smile was on his face, and he likewise reached out to brush the mortals' palms, offering the warmth unique to a Primarch.
The spectators were so excited they couldn't control themselves; the crowd surged forward, impacting the golden wall formed by the Custodes.
Seeing the fanaticism spreading, the Custodes looked back at Sanguinius, their helmets conveying a gaze urging him to leave.
Knowing he had caused trouble, the angel offered an apologetic smile to the Custodes, spread his wings, and departed amidst the cries of the crowd—
The pure white angel went directly to Lion's Gate, took a spaceship to the Spaceport, and accepted the gift from his Father.
A Gloriana-class Battleship hung silently in the Lion's Gate Spaceport, awaiting the arrival of the Master it served.
Sanguinius, radiating a hazy glow, his tall, Primarch-unique figure, moved through the battleship's steel-forest-like corridors.
He was like a beacon; darkness receded wherever he went, and the ship's thralls felt immense warmth, spontaneously developing reverence in their hearts.
As the battleship's Master, the angel traversed the entire battleship; any accessible area, he made sure to inspect and visit.
He had once glimpsed the Imperium's grandeur through prophecy, and now he was personally present, exploring the minuscule beneath the magnificent.
Thralls crawled through cramped pipes, using their bodies to power the massive battleship.
The Emperor's light could not penetrate the steel jungle; within the glory of the Great Crusade, there were also intricate, shadowy corners.
Sanguinius pitied these thralls, secretly vowing in his heart to change all of this.
The most urgent task was to leave Terra.
By his Father's command, he would journey into the vast Warp to rendezvous with his brother—Horus Lupercal—to learn the art of war.
The Emperor's attitude towards Sanguinius was a conflicted mix of love and hate.
He detested the distorted, angel-like appearance but loved his fervent heart, so he ordered him to follow Horus and learn.
Horus Lupercal, the First Son, whom the Emperor called his "Sagittarian."
They lived together for thirty years, both teacher and friend, fighting side-by-side, conquering most of the Sol System, and expelling the ignorance of the Old Night.
To express his affection, the Emperor personally crafted a pure gold ring and presented it to Horus as a testament to their bond.
By having Sanguinius accompany Horus, the Emperor hoped they would learn from each other.
Horus possessed both martial prowess and strategic wisdom, yet his disdain for mortals caused the Emperor hidden concern.
But no one is perfect; he inherited the Emperor's ambition and desire for conquest, never hiding himself, and viewing mortals as mere grass.
In the Warmaster's eyes, the Emperor was a revered Father, his brothers were blood relatives, and the Legion was his responsibility.
Mortals were meant to be ruled!
This view ran contrary to the Emperor's great love.
When they were together, Horus, suppressed by the Emperor, dared not be too reckless, and his attitude towards mortals was still somewhat balanced.
After the Emperor left, busy with other matters, his long-suppressed disdain and arrogance gradually began to manifest.
Numerous reports from the front lines indicated that Horus's attitude towards mortals was becoming increasingly extreme, reaching a point that could not be ignored.
After comprehensive consideration, the Emperor sent Sanguinius.
He hoped the angel's inner fervor could infect Horus, making his most beloved son understand that mortals were the foundation of the Imperium.
Under various factors, Sanguinius set off for the Ultima Orientis Segmentum with anticipation in his heart.
His Gene-sons—the IX Legion—would withdraw from various fleets to reunite with their Gene-Father.
The IX Legion was not a consolidated Legion; they were dispersed throughout the Imperium, assisting other Legions or fighting alongside the Auxiliary Army.
With the return of the Legion's Primarch, the War Council immediately ordered the "Ghoul" Legion to abandon their missions and swiftly rendezvous with their Primarch.
Sanguinius, wearing a white, diagonally collared robe that exposed his right chest and arm, sat at a desk. His wings were folded behind him, and he rapidly absorbed knowledge of the Imperium through holographic projections.
Data streams reflected in his azure eyes. While learning, his thoughts drifted far, and he felt a slight unease.
"The IX Legion will surprise you; their souls are ravaged."
During their parting embrace, his brother's warning still echoed in his ears, preventing the angel's heart from finding peace.
Among the various armies of the Imperium, whether mortal or Astartes, the IX Legion was referred to as the "Ghoul Legion."
This appellation carried malice; his own Gene-sons were disliked by their brother Legions and the Imperium's armies.
On the armrest of the stone throne, Sanguinius's long fingers curled slightly, his broad chest rose and fell a little faster, and a wave of warm anger ignited within him.
He had returned to the Imperium of Man, shouldering the responsibility of being a Son of the Emperor.
Within this heavy duty, a portion belonged exclusively to his Gene-sons, non-negotiable and not to be defiled.
How could he not be angry!
Regardless of the reason, his Gene-sons fought for the Imperium; perhaps they had erred, but they should not be shamed in such a way!
Taking several deep breaths, the unique oily scent from the battleship's filters passed over his tongue and filled his abdomen. Sanguinius dispelled the anger in his chest.
As a transcendent being, he knew that wrath would cloud judgment.
Before reuniting with his Gene-sons and understanding them, the rights and wrongs were elusive; he could only temporarily set aside his anger and investigate thoroughly later.
Exhaling a turbid breath, Sanguinius calmed his fluctuating emotions and closed the data related to the IX Legion.
He had studied the documents multiple times, but mere text could not fully reveal the complete picture.
He casually swiped the data-slate, beginning to check other public information, with the focus naturally on his destination for this journey—the Luna Wolves Legion.
As the first brother to return, Horus Lupercal was deeply loved by his Father and possessed many special honors.
Sanguinius smiled gently; in the cold chamber, it was as if a warm sun had risen. He quickly flipped through the data, learning about his glorious brother during the tedious Warp journey.
When the battleship exited the Warp, the proud form of the Glory Queen-class Battleship returned to the Real Universe.
This was a dim starfield, where small, low-mass stars emitted faint light, having exhausted all their energy, granting the planets within the system a meager glow.
Due to the stars' weakness, the worlds orbiting them were covered in ice and snow; hard ice and biting cold winds were the uniform scenery across the system's worlds.
But at this moment, the starlight was somewhat overshadowed; the plasma glow emitted by the Imperium's warships made the system much brighter.
Sanguinius sat on the bridge, his handsome, subtly glowing Primarch face radiating immense dignity, yet the smile in his eyes made one feel as if bathed in a spring breeze.
"My Lord, I convey the sincere greetings from the Gene-Father to you."
A holographic image lit up, showing two Astartes kneeling on one knee. They paused slightly upon seeing the angel's face, then bowed their heads respectfully.
"Ezekiel Abaddon." Sanguinius's voice was gentle, and he cast his gaze upon them.
The Primarch's meticulous observational skills noted the helmet with the full moon insignia embedded under the armpit of the warrior with the topknot.
He softly said, "I thought it would be Cerberus welcoming my arrival."
Abaddon lowered his head and respectfully replied, "My glorious brother has gone to the surface with the Gene-Father to negotiate with the lost humans; he is very skilled in political activities."