It was night.
Thick dark clouds hung over the Avacalon hive city, and the engagement in orbit had temporarily drawn to a close, with both sides in a strange stalemate.
Meanwhile, the Lion was in the planetary governor's mansion, handling the administrative duties he most disliked.
As Primarchs, they were created by the Emperor as nearly perfect individuals, not just unthinking brutes skilled only in warfare. They were, one might say, well-rounded in all aspects of development—morality, intelligence, physical prowess, aesthetics, and labor.
Politics was also a mandatory course for Primarchs.
Although the Lion himself detested staying in his office to deal with these miscellaneous administrative tasks, he currently had nothing else to do.
While Emrys infiltrated Chaos, the Lion also secretly met with the highest-ranking Commander of the Imperial Navy and the Astra Militarum over the past two days. Using a Primarch's wisdom and charisma, he easily won over both, securing command of the Imperial forces.
However, to cooperate with Emrys' plan, the news of the Lion's coming home was still under strict lockdown, known only to a few individuals.
This included the Battle sisters who had followed the Archdeacon to surround the banquet hall that day, who were also under strict surveillance by the Dark Angels.
The Lion, of course, would not place all his hope on Emrys. If his infiltration plan failed, the Lion would also be prepared for the aftermath.
All the factories in the hive city, including its military forces, were secretly working day and night for the Lion. Large quantities of supplies, military goods, weapons, and so on, were also quietly sent to the front lines.
Having finished his administrative duties, the Lion's energy was still abundant. In fact, the affairs of a mere hive city were far less than one ten-thousandth of what they were during the Great Crusade. This amount of work was merely a leisure activity for a Primarch.
Just then, Zabriel pushed the door open and entered.
The Lion immediately looked up at Zabriel, a hint of surprise in his eyes, but his tone remained steady.
"He has news?"
"Lion—"
Zabriel hesitated, clutching the battle report.
Mainly, he really didn't know how to tell the Lion about this. What if the old warlord got angry and took it out on him?!
Seeing Zabriel hesitate, the Lion's keen Primarch intuition immediately sensed something was wrong, and his voice instantly became more severe.
"What happened? Did that kid get into trouble?!"
His words were filled with concern for Emrys.
Zabriel felt a pang of bitterness for a few seconds, but he still steeled himself and said in a stiff voice.
"No, it's not that he got into trouble.
It's Krast. He used the Dark Angels' cipher to send an urgent encrypted battle report, requiring you to make a decision."
"You mean Krast used the Dark Angels' cipher, specifically avoiding Emrys, to send you a battle report, right?" Hearing this, the Lion was suddenly taken aback, then a hint of suspicion appeared in his eyes. As astute as he was, how could he not hear the implied meaning in Zabriel's words?
The overall Commander of the infiltration mission was Emrys, but his subordinate Krast deliberately used the Dark Angels' cipher. Wasn't this intentionally bypassing the supreme Commander, Emrys, to 'report' to him?
The Lion certainly wouldn't blame such behavior, but what he found even stranger was what situation the Sons of the Forest, who infiltrated the Chaos fleet, had encountered that would make his adjutant, Krast, act this way?
In less than a second, the Primarch considered many possibilities, but ultimately could not reach a conclusion. However, he also guessed that something big had happened, otherwise Krast would never have bypassed Emrys and used a cipher to send a communication.
Unless... Emrys had a problem?!
Thinking of this possibility, the Lion's pupils suddenly constricted, and a bad thought surfaced in his mind.
"Give it to me!"
The Lion walked around the desk, strode over, snatched the intelligence report from Zabriel's hand, and read it carefully.
On the blessed parchment were a few simple lines.
"The grandmaster of the Sons of the Forest Chapter, First Watch Knight, Merlin Emrys, is currently suspected of being corrupted by Chaos. Please, Lion, make a decision as soon as possible!"
"???"
At first glance, the Lion thought he had misread it.
His mind was a bit muddled. Even with a Primarch's brain comparable to a supercomputer, he was almost overwhelmed.
But at the second glance, after he had confirmed it several times, he realized it was correct. Even the signature at the bottom was Krast himself, and there was also the Seal of Purity, proving that it had absolutely not been affected or distorted by Chaos.
In other words, this was the message Krast sent using the Dark Angels' cipher!
The Lion stared intently at the blessed parchment, his fingers turning white from the force, his pupils seeming to hold tangible fire, and the air pressure around him was so low that even Zabriel couldn't help but shrink his neck.
Emrys... defected?!
The air pressure suddenly dropped, and frost seemed to condense.
An suffocating pressure surged like a tsunami. The Lion's gaze fell on the parchment, his disheveled hair standing on end like steel needles, rage igniting his entire pupils. The terrifying, almost palpable air pressure instantly filled the entire hall!
Creak, groan!
The hard stone floor was violently churned by the air current wrapped in that furious aura, leaving several dense, crisscrossing ravines like a spiderweb!
The enraged Primarch, solely by his own prestige and aura, made the entire banquet hall groan under the immense pressure.
"Lion," Zabriel felt there was some misunderstanding, so he bravely spoke, "Is it possible that Krast has some misunderstanding about Emrys?"
The Lion's cold eyes, expressionless, turned to stare at Zabriel.
Buzz!!!
Zabriel's hair instantly stood on end. Meeting the Lion's gaze, he felt as if he had been hit by artillery, his chest tight, unable to breathe.
"Reason?"
The Lion, clutching the parchment, narrowed his eyes slightly.
"I believe Emrys is not that kind of person."
Zabriel said, gritting his teeth, "There must be some misunderstanding. Besides, Krast's secret report only states the conclusion, but not the process. So, I don't think we can fully trust his one-sided account."
"You trust him that much, that he won't betray?"
The Lion's voice was very low, much like the threatening growl of a beast during a hunt.
"Yes, Lion."
Facing the Lion's extremely oppressive gaze, Zabriel took a deep breath.
"I believe Merlin Emrys will never betray the Emperor and Lord!"
"Evidence?"
The Lion continued to stare at him, the rage in his eyes like a volcano about to erupt.
What he hated most was betrayal!
From his former foster father Luther to the current Emrys, it was precisely because of this that he reacted with such fury upon seeing this secret report.
For a few seconds, the Lion even wondered if his judgment was truly flawed.
Otherwise, how could he explain Luther's betrayal, followed by the news of Emrys' corruption?!
Zabriel gazed at the Lion, meeting his eyes without fear, and said softly, "Lion, I hope you can give Prince Emrys a little more trust. Do not let the tragedy of Caliban repeat itself."
"Grrr"
The Lion, who had been uncontrollable in his rage, suddenly faltered, the fire in his eyes turning into a flicker, then a deep sense of guilt.
It must be said that Zabriel was a professional at hitting where it hurt. He knew exactly how to calm this suspicious tyrant from his fury.
One sentence made the Lion sober.
"Send an open message directly to Emrys. Tell him to explain clearly what exactly is going on!"
The Lion snorted coldly, tore the parchment to shreds, and turned to walk toward his desk.
Watching the Lion's desolate, almost sorrowful, back, Zabriel's taut nerves finally relaxed a little.
The old warlord's ten-thousand-year slumber wasn't entirely a bad thing; at least his temper had improved!