Under the personal leadership of the Lion, the first assault by the Sons of the Forest Chapter achieved an overwhelming victory, almost completely one-sided, as expected.
Following Emrys' requirements, they completely annihilated the Chaos Space Marines onboard while ensuring the preservation of the warships as much as possible.
However, even so, a small number of warships were caught in the Warp fluctuations caused by the destruction of their daemon engines due to the intense combat, resulting in the loss of over a dozen Chaos warships.
But the Imperial Navy's commander, Cedric Hamilton, strode purposefully, his face contorted in anger, directly into the governor's mansion.
"I want to see the Lion, the Primarch!"
His tone could be described as very impolite, even omitting the most basic honorific, which showed just how furious this Imperial Navy commander was.
He didn't understand. Since the Imperium had already won the war, the first thing to do should be to thoroughly destroy these Chaos warships that had been completely corrupted.
Yet, why was he still going to great lengths, even issuing a special order for the Tech-Priests to wear sacred censers and expend already scarce resources, to repair these Chaos warships, all of which were more or less damaged?
This was simply outrageous!
The wise and mighty Primarch certainly wouldn't be Chaos, so there was only one possibility: the Primarch had been deceived, and the person who proposed this idea was a complete Chaos scum who deserved to be dragged out and executed by white Phosphorus!
But the Sons of the Forest guarding the door remained silent, only telling him through their actions that without an order for an audience, he was not allowed to take a single step inside.
"Get out of the way!!!"
Cedric was a Navy Commander, his status no less than that of a Chapter Master, so he naturally had the right to speak disrespectfully to a Space Marine.
With that, he moved to force his way in.
However, the Son of the Forest did not indulge him. He took half a step forward, his massive body blocking the path, and lowered his head slightly. Through the blood-red optical sensors of his helmet, emblazoned with the Imperial Aquila, a hint of indifference shone.
And his finger was already reaching for his waist.
"You dare to kill me?!"
Cedric had also fought his way up from the battlefield, so he naturally saw the other party's movement towards his bolter at a glance. But he showed no fear, his gaze like a sword.
"I am an Imperial Navy Admiral, the supreme commander of the Iron Judicators fleet. Are you sure you want to lay a hand on me?!"
Just as the two sides were in a standoff, a voice suddenly came.
"Let him in."
Cedric was somewhat surprised. He looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young man, none other than the Rogue Trader who had steered the course of this war, ambushing and destroying the Chaos fleet, and then Carnageing a large number of nobles within the hive city.
"Merlin Emrys." The young man extended his right hand skillfully, a gentle smile on his face.
"A pleasure to meet you, Admiral Hamilton. Thank you for your fleet's precise strikes, which sent those damned scum back to the hell where they belong."
"You're welcome."
Seeing the other party's gentle demeanor, Cedric also put away his bad temper. He shook hands with him and nodded, saying, "This is not my credit; I should thank you. If it weren't for your plan, I'm afraid—"
He shook his head as he spoke the latter part.
If it weren't for this Rogue Trader, who swiftly purged the greedy parasites in the hive city and devised this plan, Avakalorn would probably have fallen into the hands of Chaos by now.
He was a very pure general and naturally couldn't stand those nobles, nor did he think there was anything wrong with what Emrys did.
"General Hamilton is joking," Emrys smoothly delivered a compliment. "If it weren't for your fleet's tenacious and resilient defense against the fierce Chaos offensive in the early stages, the hive city would have fallen long ago. It's thanks to your command and coordination that we had the opportunity to act."
Evidently, Cedric also appreciated this compliment. Of course, he didn't believe that defeating the Chaos fleet this time was his own doing, and he shook his head.
"No, we merely held back the Chaos fleet. If it weren't for you and the Lion, I'm afraid we would all have failed the Emperor's trust."
If Cedric knew that the person who proposed the idea of using precious resources to repair Chaos warships was standing right in front of him, he would probably be so enraged that he would pull out his sidearm and shoot this Chaos individual!
After enough flattery, Emrys got straight to the point.
"You've arrived at a good time. The Lion is convening a council regarding the Chaos fleet and the Rock fortress. Please come in with me."
"Alright."
Cedric nodded and followed Emrys inside.
This was originally the planetary governor's mansion, but because of the Lion, it had been converted into a temporary palace for meeting with various factions within the hive city.
Due to the fact that most of the nobles had been assassinated by the damned 'Chaos,' and the Cardinal-Archbishop of the Ecclesiarchy stationed here had secretly colluded with Chaos and been executed, the remaining factions were only the Fabricator-General of the Mechanicus, the highest-ranking general of the Astra Militarum, and him, the fleet commander.
Ornate crystal chandeliers hung down, and on the dome was a depiction of the Emperor's divine image. In the front, an ancient long table sat, and at its head, a tall figure sat, clad in magnificent armor, with white hair and beard, an aged face, yet unable to conceal his majestic presence.
Although Cedric had learned of the Lion's coming home a long time ago, he had remained with the space fleet and this was his first time confronting a Primarch directly.
He quickly stepped forward and knelt on one knee.
"By the God-Emperor, Cedric Hamilton, Imperial Navy, Supreme Commander of the Iron Judicators fleet, Admiral, salutes the great Primarch!"
"Rise, Hamilton."
The Lion's deep voice, even without an amplifier, easily filled the entire council chamber.
"As a high-ranking Imperial general, a hero who defended the hive city, you need not kneel before me."
"Yes."
Cedric took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotion within him. To be called a hero by a Primarch was an unparalleled honor!
After he took his seat, he surveyed the council members.
The local Fabricator-General of the Mechanicus, the Sector Marshal of the 19th Expeditionary Group Army of the Astra Militarum, and the Rogue Trader sitting at the Lion's left hand, in the first position.
"Since everyone has arrived, let this council officially begin."
The Lion tapped the table, his steady voice slowly beginning as the three representatives watched.
"I know you all have great confusion regarding my orders to repair the Chaos warships and to keep the news sealed. I have gathered you here today to resolve this matter."
Just as the three men's faces were solemn, waiting for the Lion to explain the reason for doing so, they saw the Primarch suddenly cast his gaze to the side.
"Emrys, this was your plan, so you explain it to them."
"???"
Emrys looked utterly bewildered.
Wait a minute, that's not what you said when you came! Didn't we already agree that you're the Primarch, so you should explain it to them?!
The Lion ignored the resentful Emrys, casually shifting his gaze away.
Emrys twitched his lips. He could already feel the angry stares from the three, as if they were saying.
"Aha, the treacherous minister has revealed himself! So it was you, young man, who deceived the wise and mighty Primarch?!"
"So it was you—!"
Cedric gritted his teeth, glaring at Emrys, several veins popping out on his forehead. If he weren't still mindful of the Lion, he might have rolled up his sleeves and charged at him for a brawl!
The Arch-Magos of the Mechanicus and the Sector Marshal of the Astra Militarum's 19th Expeditionary Legion didn't look much better. Their expressions conveyed: if you don't give us a convincing reason, you won't leave this door to live today!
old man, you're truly disingenuous!
Emrys, knowing he had been 'tricked' again, gave the composed Lion a resentful look, sighed helplessly, and generously admitted to the three that this was his idea.
"That's right, I suggested to the Lion that we repair the Chaos warships and temporarily keep the news of the Chaos fleet's annihilation a secret."
"I can understand keeping the annihilation of the Chaos fleet a secret; once this news leaks, it's very likely to attract more Chaos Legions." Cedric took a deep breath, his gaze, stern yet questioning, fell on Emrys like a sharp sword.
"But what I don't understand is, why waste our already scarce resources repairing these Chaos warships?!"
He spoke like pouring beans from a bamboo tube, giving Emrys no time to speak, and continued in one breath.
"If you're planning to have the Tech-Priests and Ecclesiarchy Priests purify these warships, I advise you to abandon that naive idea as soon as possible!"
At this moment, the Magos of the Mechanicus also nodded in agreement, chiming in with a hoarse voice.
"The possibility of purifying a Chaos warship, in terms of logic and calculation, is infinitely close to zero."
At this point, the Mechanicus Magos paused, looked at Emrys, and said with a sarcastic tone.
"Even if there is theoretical feasibility, the resources, manpower, and time consumed in that process would be better spent having my shipyards build another one with those resources, and the cost would also be lower than purifying a Chaos warship."
After they had all finished speaking, Emrys, unhurried and deliberate, finally said.
"I can understand your thoughts, but the purpose of repairing these Chaos warships is not purification."
"If it's not for purification, then what's the meaning of what you're doing?!"
The hot-tempered Cedric slammed his hand on the table and angrily said.
"Do you know? What needs these resources most right now are not those wretched warships, but the Imperial Navy, the Steel Arbitrators fleet."
This was the real reason for his anger.
The resources produced by the Avarcalon hive city in a short period were extremely limited; they might barely be enough to repair the Imperial fleet, let alone use these precious resources on Chaos warships?
The Mechanicus was in the same situation.
The number of Tech-Priests, Servitors, and forge factories was also limited. If this portion of manpower and resources was not used where it was truly needed, but instead on Chaos warships, setting aside the issue of waste, what good would come of repairing them?
The pervasive Chaos influence on the Chaos warships made repair work extremely risky; people could fall at any minute. Wasn't this just adding insult to injury?
Even if they were repaired, they couldn't pilot Chaos warships!
"Ahem—"
Looking at the three angry gazes, Emrys lightly coughed twice.
"I can understand your thoughts, but to understand why I want to repair the Chaos warships, you need to hear me out on the second plan; only then will you understand my purpose in doing this."
"The second plan?"
They frowned and looked at the Lion.
The latter remained as steady as a mountain, as if everything was under his control. This also made them suppress their doubts and decide to listen to the second plan.
"Before officially announcing the second plan, I have a question for you all." Emrys' gaze turned to Cedric.
"Commander Hamilton, why do you think I kept the news of the Chaos fleet's annihilation a secret?"
Cedric, as an experienced general, immediately stated the reason.
"This time, our annihilation of the Chaos fleet was largely due to luck. If another Chaos fleet arrives, Avarcalon's current defensive strength would struggle to repel their attack. So, keeping this news a secret is also for the hive city's safety, to conceal it for as long as possible until Imperial reinforcements arrive. Otherwise—if the black Legion finds out and dispatches a second fleet, Avarcalon will not escape its doom!"
"Your analysis is correct; I did consider that aspect." Emrys nodded and said.
"But that's not the whole picture. This involves the second plan. I need your fleet, the Astra Militarum groups, including the Mechanicus, to all withdraw from Avarcalon's defensive zone."
What?!
Hearing this, including Cedric, they were all shocked by his words.
"Don't rush, gentlemen, let me finish."
Seeing Cedric about to speak again, Emrys unceremoniously interrupted him and continued.
"Not only that, I will also have the hive city's population evacuate, and create the illusion here that it has been completely occupied by Chaos. Of course, doing this won't be easy; it will require the three of you, in your respective capacities, to send a Warp communication to Lord Commander Dante on the Dark Side."
"This communication, if nothing goes wrong, will inevitably be intercepted by Abaddon, and I will still impersonate the former Chaos senior general 'Zane,' applying in his name to go to the front lines to support the black Legion currently besieging the Rock Fortress."
"This is the key to the second plan."
Emrys took a deep breath at this point, a hint of coldness in his eyes.
"When this Chaos fleet appears behind the black Legion, then—it will be our turn to give him a surprise!"
His plan, overall, was not very complex, and the three of them understood it, immediately gasping in surprise.
Could anyone be so audacious?
But it had to be said, if this plan could truly work, it would not only severely cripple Abaddon's black Legion in one fell swoop but also relieve the Dark Angels, truly killing two birds with one stone!
But Cedric immediately raised a question.
"How can you be sure your disguise won't be seen through by Abaddon?!"
"Listen—"
Emrys was speechless.
He couldn't exactly say that, from a certain perspective, he was already a 'Chaos' element, could he?
So, he could only cast a pleading look at the Lion, hoping he could vouch for him.
"Don't worry about that."
The Lion nodded slightly, speaking to vouch for Emrys.
"He possesses an ancient artifact; even Abaddon wouldn't be able to detect his disguise."
"Mr. Emrys, there's another very important question." The Mechanicus Magos said.
"Even if your disguise is perfect and can deceive Abaddon, how will you pilot hundreds of Chaos warships? How will you control them? How many can one person control? Most importantly, how will you deal with the Daemon Machine Spirits?"
"I've already considered that point."
Emrys revealed a mysterious smile.
"These Chaos warships are all products of Abaddon's cooperation with the Dark Mechanicum. Coincidentally—I know a high-ranking Dark Mechanicum Magos who has already re-modified the Daemon Machine Spirits of these warships. Only a small number of Tech-Priests will be needed to achieve simple control."
Dark Mechanicum?!
The Arch-Magos of the Mechanicus' android eye flashed red light frantically as he stared intently at Emrys.
"Ahem."
The Lion lightly coughed and cast a fleeting glance.
The Arch-Magos of the Mechanicus twitched his lips, and in the end, could only let out a cold snort, swallowing back the words he had been about to say.