Deep within the Warp, a formation of over a hundred individuals moved swiftly through a silent and mysterious forest. Their dark power armor and specialized stealth and assault gear made them seem like a non-existent unit, transforming them into terrifying ghosts on the battlefield.
Leading this warband was Emrys, the grandmaster of the Sons of the Forest and the First Watch Knight!
As for how things came to this?
That story begins a few days prior.
According to the initial strategic concept, the Imperial Navy, the Adeptus Mechanicus, and the Astra Militarum all withdrew. They broadcast Warp communications, destroyed the hive cities on the world's surface, and relocated the entire population, deliberately creating the illusion that Avalon had been occupied by Chaos.
The subsequent events unfolded just as Emrys had predicted. He disguised himself as 'Zane,' gained the trust of the Chaos black Legion, and was assigned a new mission: leave a small contingent on Avalon and then rally the fleet to proceed to Draconys . Everything went smoothly.
However, once this Chaos fleet had assembled and set course for the Idolator System, Emrys found himself in a predicament.
The reason was simple.
The true battle situation was far worse than he had imagined; in fact, the Dark Angels Legion was already at a complete disadvantage!
Two-thirds of their forces were trapped on Draconys!
The remaining one-third of the defending fleet was completely cut off and surrounded by a sudden, massive assault of the black Legion and Chaos Renegade warbands from a rear star, forcing them into a continuous retreat!
The 'Rock Fortress,' protected in the center by numerous frigates, cruisers, and sub-chapter capital ships, had its external energy shields disabled by the Chaos Creator's Ark of Omen. Large numbers of Chaos Daemons and Chaos warbands were teleported by Vashtorr, and launched a direct boarding assault on the Dark Angels' Rock Fortress.
Due to the strategic misjudgment of Azrael, the Supreme grandmaster of the Dark Angels main chapter, who underestimated the strength of Chaos,
both the sub-chapter fleets in space and the main forces on the ground of Draconys were now deeply encircled.
If Emrys' original strategic plan were to be executed—where this fake Chaos fleet would launch a surprise attack on the Chaos forces from the rear—while there was a high probability of preventing the Chaos Creator's plot from succeeding and saving the 'Rock Fortress,'
the consequence of doing so would be that Chaos might go utterly berserk, annihilating the Dark Angels' main force on Draconys, including many Grand Masters and sub-chapter Chapter Masters, without regard for anything else.
Even if the 'Rock Fortress' were saved and the Chaos Creator's plot thwarted, losing so many Chapter Masters, Grand Masters, and the Supreme grandmaster at once would essentially cripple the Dark Angels Legion.
How long would it take to recover? At least several centuries?
No, perhaps even longer. Many of the warriors Azrael brought to Draconys were veterans of the Long War. These individuals were invaluable living fossils of the Dark Angels!
If all these people died on Draconys, the First Legion Dark Angels would effectively cease to exist!
This was a price that the Lion, Emrys, and indeed the entire Imperium, could not afford.
Moreover, considering the Indomitus Crusade and the increasingly frequent and severe Chaos incursions in the future, the Dark Angels Legion absolutely could not afford to lose these individuals.
After much deliberation, Emrys and the Lion reached a consensus: the Dark Angels on Draconys must be rescued, and the Rock Fortress must be preserved!
Thus, they split up.
The Rock Fortress had an extremely complex terrain, with its interior resembling a labyrinth, and most of the defending Dark Angels were single-minded zealots, making it most suitable for the Lion to go personally.
Furthermore, only the Lion could confront the Chaos Creator Vashtorr without falling behind.
Although the situation on Draconys was complex and dire, with the Lion's 'Forest' protection, the Sons of the Forest could appear and disappear like ghosts, making the danger level actually lower. This task was entrusted to Emrys.
Meanwhile, the Tech-Priests formed by the Transformers temporarily controlled the outer Chaos warships, 'biding their time' and awaiting orders.
Back to the present.
Their group moved at an extremely high speed, maintaining complete silence throughout, with only the faint friction sounds of their power armor and the dense forest leaves.
At this moment, Emrys, leading the way, suddenly stopped. The Sons of the Forest warband following him also halted at the same time.
Emrys lowered his head and glanced at his wrist-mounted device.
It showed the Warp readings in the material universe at their current location. Several red bar graphs peaking indicated that their current position, in the external real universe, contained a large number of Chaos creations.
Then, Emrys' eyes were tinged with a deep gold, and the surrounding psychic energy fluctuated violently, as if illusory scenes were peeling away before him like layers of scrolls.
He 'saw' visions of the future.
This included how they should jump from this Warp forest into the real universe, where they would appear, and what enemies they would encounter—all laid bare before his eyes.
Such a situation was no longer surprising to Avkar. It was precisely because of the Lion's 'Forest' protection and Emrys' 'Precognition' that they, like ghosts, repeatedly appeared at the weakest points of the Chaos forces with pinpoint accuracy.
"Rest in place for five minutes."
Afterward, Emrys pinched his brow. 'Precognition' was a massive drain on his mental and willpower, but this was the perilous Draconys, teeming with Chaos, so he had to do it now.
"Lord, we don't need to rest." Avkar's voice was muffled through his helmet, hinting at anxiety and impatience.
"Are you worried about them?
1
Emrys detected a hint of worry in his tone and couldn't help but tease, "Then why did you specifically challenge them with a Caliban knight's salute when we left earlier?"
"—" Avkar was silent for a few seconds. Under Emrys' gaze, he finally sighed bitterly, "Yes, I am indeed worried about them. Although they see us as Fallen Angels, no matter what, we were once members of the Dark Angels. The grievances between the Fallen Angels and them are our own affair; it's not for Chaos to bully them!"
Emrys could largely understand their complex feelings. Although being slandered as Fallen Angels and hunted for over ten millennia had left them with little affection for Azrael and his ilk.
But... they were also Dark Angels!
It was fine for their own people to squabble, but it was not for Chaos to vent their anger on them!
In some respects, both the Dark Angels and the Fallen Angels shared a common hatred for Chaos.
"It's me who needs to rest."
Emrys smiled and patted his shoulder, "Continuous 'Precognition' is very draining on my mind. Let me rest for five minutes, then we can continue, okay?"
"My apologies, Lord—"
Avkar showed a hint of remorse. He had been so concerned about the Dark Angels that he had overlooked the 'grandmaster's' exhaustion from repeatedly using 'Precognition' to prevent them from being surrounded by Chaos.
Soon, five minutes later.
Emrys recovered, his gaze resolute.
"Get ready. All personnel initiate the jump. Our target is directly behind the Chaos Daemon forces: two remote Chaos Dreadnoughts."
3!
2!
1!
The next instant, the hundred-plus individuals vanished in the forest.