Guilliman's gaze carried a hint of scrutiny. He hadn't expected this kid to give him such a big 'surprise' the moment they met, actually telling him not to focus on annihilation, but on routing!
"Reason."
But as a seasoned statesman, Guilliman decided to hear his reasoning first.
"I believe—"
Emrys took a deep breath and, bracing himself, said, "We should not continue to escalate the war. On the contrary, the greatest role of the Indomitus Crusade Fleet you lead is deterrence—to prevent the war from escalating further. If possible, it would be best to let them go—"
Thump!
Suddenly, a sound of metal shattering came.
Piercing and extremely loud!
This sound forcibly interrupted what Emrys was about to say next.
Roboute Guilliman's expression was impassive. In the depths of his cerulean eyes, which held the stars, there seemed to be an invisible pressure. The 'Hand of Dominion', covered in blue-gold armor, tightened its five thick fingers slightly, and the servo system immediately let out a whine. He said in a low voice, "Merlin Emrys, are you suggesting that I stop the fleet's attack and let Chaos leave?"
Even across tens of thousands of miles, the 'Regent' in the holographic projection still displayed the terrifying prestige of a Regent who commanded the vast majority of the Milky Way Galaxy. It made one feel as if they were plunging into an endless deep sea, with pressure surging from all directions, almost suffocating.
"No, lord Regent, my meaning is—" Emrys forcefully resisted the pressure, gritted his teeth, and insisted, "For the future of the Imperium, for humanity, we absolutely must not at this moment—"
"Stop."
There was already a hint of anger in the Regent's tone, and the Primarch's eyes carried a terrifying, chilling aura.
"Emrys, do you know what you are saying?!"
Guilliman's political acumen was extremely sharp. Not only was he skilled at commanding wars, but he had already sensed how shocking Emrys' next words would be, so he had to stop him from speaking further!
"I—I know."
Bearing the Regent's pressure, Emrys nodded bitterly.
"But, it's the truth. We cannot ignore the potentially severe consequences for the sake of immediate victory!"
Achieve everything in one go?
No, Emrys had never thought that way.
Even in the Battle of Draconis, where Khorne and the Imperium had committed most of their forces, causing the intensity of the war to escalate repeatedly to a rare 'Apocalyptic' level, Emrys still did not believe that now was the time to completely overthrow Khorne.
Rather, Khorne could not fall yet.
This was also the conclusion Emrys reached after discussing with the Lion. Although the Four Chaos Gods were enemies of the Imperium, they also checked each other, forming a delicate balance.
If Khorne's power suffered too great a loss on Draconis, then this delicate balance could very likely be completely shattered. At that time, the situation would only be more unfavorable for the Imperium!
Based on this consideration, Khorne could lose, but absolutely could not lose too badly. At least for now—the Warp must not fall into chaos, and the balance of the Four Chaos Gods must not be broken!
The Regent's Indomitus Crusade, the reconquest of the Imperium's dark side, the resolution of complex Imperial internal affairs, the Necrons' Pariah Nexus, the Orks, and the Tyranids—all of these required time to resolve!
The more chaos it was, the more advantageous it would be for Chaos.
This was not the situation the Lion, nor Emrys, hoped to see. The Imperium needed balance, it needed time.
Roboute Guilliman was silent for a moment, then his gaze shifted to the side.
"Transfer the communication line to my personal frequency."
He did this to protect Emrys.
Because, to some extent, Emrys' words and actions at this moment were already enough to constitute 'treason'. If recorded by the Inquisition, it would likely cause no small amount of trouble.
"The content of the upcoming communication is classified as top secret, no recording allowed." The Regent's gaze intentionally or unintentionally fell on the Inquisitor accompanying him.
"No problem, Inquisitor Beckett?"
Beckett, who was called by name, could only force a smile and put down his data-slate under the gaze of Kalgar and a host of Ultramarines high-ranking officers, guards, and the famous Regent, then chuckled, "Of course, lord Regent. In the name of the God-Emperor, the content of this meeting will absolutely not be recorded in any form."
With such a display, dared he refuse?
He was a noble Inquisitor of the Imperium, true, but 'he' was the Regent of the Imperium. To silently dispose of a few Inquisitors would be incredibly easy!
Let alone no evidence, even if there was evidence, the Inquisition would not possibly demand an explanation from a Regent who held the highest political and military power of the Imperium for his sake!
Why was Guilliman, upon his coming home, able to quickly become Regent, commanding and reforming the Imperium's internal affairs, and even mobilizing resources to launch the Indomitus Crusade?
His identity as a Primarch was only one factor.
More importantly, behind Guilliman were the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar, the genetic father of more than half of the Space Marine Chapters in the Imperium!
Ultramarines were spread throughout the Imperium's territory, who dared provoke them?!
Seeing Beckett obediently delete the recorded data, the Regent then turned his gaze back to Emrys in the holographic projection.
"Alright, you may continue."
"This is what I believe, lord Regent."
Emrys took a deep breath and then began to elaborate on his views.
"Currently, the Imperium needs to reclaim its dark side, and the Indomitus Crusade you lead is for this purpose. But if—at this time—Khorne's power significantly declines, while it would be beneficial for us to reclaim the dark side, it would correspondingly lead to the other Chaos Gods exploiting the weakened power to infiltrate."
"So?"
The Regent's eyes flickered slightly, and he continued to ask, "Isn't this the greatest opportunity for us?"
"Indeed, this is certainly the greatest opportunity, but the question is—what we truly desire, is it Chaos?" Emrys asked the most crucial question.
"Once Khorne's power weakens, the other three gods will inevitably ignite even greater wars, solely to devour and occupy more interests in the Warp." Emrys continued, "Khorne, to protect his own interests, or rather, his authority, will also resist as much as possible. Once the fragile balance is broken, it is highly likely to escalate into an unprecedented war across the entire Milky Way Galaxy, including the Warp. And other xenos will not sit idly by; once they join in, it might re-enact the 'War in Heaven' of the past!"
This was not Emrys being alarmist.
The Four Gods of the Warp were not of one mind; they each had their own schemes, always ready to kick someone when they were down rather than offer help.
If the Warp falls into chaos, the real universe will also suffer!
More importantly, according to existing intelligence, the Necrons have established Pariah Nexus in several locations, and the Silent King is also suspected of having returned to the Milky Way Galaxy.
More and more evidence indicated that the situation in the Milky Way Galaxy was becoming increasingly tense!
Under such circumstances, once a balance somewhere was broken, it was highly likely to trigger a chain reaction, leading to the entire Milky Way Galaxy being drawn into it!
"Enemies and friends are sometimes not absolute," Emrys' tone was extremely sincere, his gaze unwavering as he looked directly at the Regent.
"Lord Regent, please seriously consider my proposal."
Roboute Guilliman's eyes narrowed slightly, seemingly containing some profound meaning. After a moment of contemplation, he said slowly in his deeply charismatic voice:
"This matter need not be mentioned again for now; I have my own considerations."
"Orders."
"All fleets advance in attack formation. Cruiser strike ships on the left and right flanks, prepare for assault."
"Receive ground unit guidance, implement artillery bombardment coverage on Draconis. Fleets 7, 12, and 15, revise Warp coordinates, reinforce 'The Rock'."
After deploying a series of orders, Roboute Guilliman's gaze fell on the blasphemous Draconis in the holographic projection. His Hand of Dominion clenched, making the metal groan, seemingly indicating that the Primarch's inner self was not as calm as it appeared.
The Angel of War whispered the name of his former 'brother', but alas—in this reunion ten millennia later, he was destined to rectify past mistakes!
"Angron—are you ready?"
Within the Imperium, a saying goes: no matter how great the despair you face, even a catastrophe terrifying enough to overturn the Imperium, all you need to do is persevere.
Because, no matter how dire the situation, as long as you can hold on and wait for the Ultramarines to arrive, then all the despair, disaster, and misfortune you face will completely vanish with the Ultramarines' assault!
Of course, the premise is... you must be able to "Hold on."
Due to their "Special nature," the Ultramarines often become targets of the Chaos Gods, such as during the defense of Terra.
The reason for this lies in the Ultramarines' gene-seed, their extremely high stability, and their inheritance of the "Father of Gene-Seed's" special political talent, which has led to their "numbers" almost dominating half of the Imperium.
Some have rumored that among the more than a million Astartes currently in service in the Imperium, the Ultramarines account for the majority.
Although there is an element of exaggeration in this, it is undeniable that... the number of Ultramarines is truly vast!
Regarding this point, one can glimpse the terrifying mobilization capabilities of the Ultramarines from the Great Heresy initiated by Horus.
First, in the "Battle of Calth" during the early stages of the Heresy, it is clearly recorded that fifty thousand Ultramarines died.
Then, in the Siege of Macragge, nearly ten thousand more Ultramarines perished.
But then what?
The The rebels thought,The Ultramarines will never recover,Withdraw from the Defense of Terra.
After all, since the beginning of the Great Heresy, the Ultramarines had suffered a cumulative loss of over a hundred thousand, which would undoubtedly be a devastating blow to any Legion.
For example, the Raven Guard, which forced the "Raven Lord" to seek out the Emperor for "Super Astartes" technology just to barely restore the Legion's organization and scale.
Yet, despite such massive losses in just a few short months, Guilliman managed to replenish nearly two hundred thousand troops!
Two hundred thousand!
These were not two hundred thousand Astra Militarum, nor two hundred thousand auxiliary personnel.
These were two hundred thousand genuine Astartes, fully equipped with weapons, power armor, and a completely mature combat system!
Coupled with this astonishing mobilization capability, it is clear how terrifying the industrial capacity of the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar and the Ultramarines' "Mass production" capability truly are.
It is precisely for this reason that some believe the saying that the Ultramarines bear half the weight of the Imperium is by no means an exaggeration!
One could even say that if Guilliman's fleet had not been intercepted by the Word Bearers' Warp trap, and had he been able to reach Terra, then Horus, Angron, Lorgar... all would have been annihilated. In front of hundreds of thousands of Ultramarines, all conspiracies would have been nothing but a show!
And now, almost the same scenario as the "Great Heresy" is replaying before Guilliman.
Regarding this situation, lord Regent, who had long prepared for such an eventuality, immediately sneered and ordered the fleet composed of Silent sisters to clear the way.Daemons? Warp traps?
Sorry, go tell that to his Silent sisters fleet!
Since the Terra War, Guilliman had been extremely far-sighted in rebuilding the "Silent sisterhood" and recalling a large number of Silent sisters to join the Indomitus Crusade.
The Silent sisterhood's pitch-black vessel, the "Silent Bulwark," silently sailed at the forefront of the fleet, like the sharpest arrow, "carving" an absolutely quiet and safe passage for the Indomitus Crusade fleet through the Iconoclast System, which was filled with Warp tides, foul whispers, and psychic traps.
The trap pocket meticulously set by Abaddon for Guilliman, along with a large number of Chaos Daemons, instantly ceased their activities upon encountering the "Silent sisterhood."
It was as if they had suddenly "frozen," directly rammed back into the Warp by the Silent sisterhood's ships.
Following them were dozens of Battle sisterhood's Fury-class cruisers, the "Martyr."
Their turrets were engraved with blazing holy seals, their hulls constructed entirely from blessed Imperial Ecclesiarchy metal, and macro-cannons filled with the ashes of psykers were individually loaded into the firing ports of their macro-cannon arrays.
Behind the Battle sisters' fleet was the Adeptus Mechanicus' "Forge Ark"!
The colossal Ark, the "Arm of Machine God," was a proud creation of the Adeptus Mechanicus. On its layered decks, countless mechanical arms writhed like living things, and its massive plasma furnaces emitted a dull, rhythmic hum, providing surging energy for the entire fleet.
And at the very center of this massive fleet was the core of the entire fleet—the "Pride of Macragge"!
It was the heart and soul of the Ultramarines Legion, and also the core of the Indomitus Crusade fleet. Its immensely vast prow was like a giant hammer wielded by a god, engraved with the double-headed Aquila and "U" symbol representing the honor of the Ultramarines Legion. Even in the chaotic Warp, it still emitted a cold, star-like radiance.
On either side of the "Pride of Macragge" were two unusual golden battle barges.
These two battle barges were not large in size, yet no one dared to underestimate them, simply because... they symbolized the will of the Emperor!
The "Emperor's Gaze" battle barge, with its adamantium armor gleaming like the Sun, and its impeccably majestic form, was the most core symbol guarding the Imperium!
Custodes!
This unfamiliar term, after ten millennia of silence, finally stepped out of the Imperial Palace on Terra with Guilliman's stern words!
They were the embodiment of the Emperor's will, an absolute display of military might, and undeniably, loyal executors!
And behind the "Custodes" battle barges, spread out like "Dark clouds" that seemed to fill the entire star system, was a vast and boundless torrent of fleets forged from steel!
Iron Hands, Imperial Fists, Salamanders... Dozens of loyal Chapters' cruiser strike ships and battleships, with their distinctive Chapter symbols, were united under the banner of the "Regent"!
The sheer number and scale of this colossal fleet were enough to dim the stars!
As they appeared, cold energy readings swept and overwhelmed Abaddon's scout ships like a data tsunami.
Piercing buzzes, accompanied by blood-red alarms, blared in Abaddon's flagship command center.
Soon, in Abaddon's view, his Warp trap in the Iconoclast System was filled with dense red dots!
Ten thousand? A hundred thousand? A million?
Even Abaddon, who was crowned Warmaster of Chaos, began to sweat on his forehead as he watched the red dots continuously appearing on the holographic star map.
It's no exaggeration to say that the number of fleets Guilliman led this time completely overwhelmed his black Legion and Khorne's Daemon Legions. Even if Vashtorr were included, the combined forces of the three could barely contend with the sheer size of this "fleet."
"How many people are there?!" Abaddon's pupils were shaking.
"Preliminary estimate" The Dark Mechanicum Priest looked at the data, completely stunned.
"One Gloriana-class flagship, 48 battleships, 214 cruisers, and over 500 frigates and destroyers."
"Two Mechanicum Ark fleets, and over 100 strike cruisers dedicated to Primaris Astartes."
"Estimated... eight full Imperial Guard Army Groups, seven Adeptus Mechanicus Skitarii Legions, three Orders of the Adepta Sororitas, and one Company of Silent sisters."
"Additionally, there might be three Titan Legions and six Knight Houses."
"And... a combined force of two hundred thousand Astartes and Primaris Astartes...?"
Abaddon's brain nearly smoked after hearing this.
"Wait, didn't he already split his forces? How can there still be so many people? Where did Guilliman conjure up so many fleets and troops?!"
You are right, but this is the Ultramarines.
Stable, prolific, numerous, and skilled in logistics, they embody the beauty of being overwhelmed by sheer numbers!
And now, Abaddon was about to face such a massive Imperial fleet, like a ten-thousand-ton pickup truck bearing down on him.
At this moment, Abaddon understood.
He finally understood why Horus had been so wary of Guilliman during the Great Heresy.
Even the Word Bearers, in conjunction with the Thousand Sons, set a trap in the Sun system, sparing no expense to halt the advance of the Ultramarines Legion.
Because the Ultramarines Legion truly had the potential to defy fate and change destiny!
Putting everything else aside, Guilliman's current 'Indomitus Crusade' fleet was not even the complete Indomitus Crusade fleet in the true sense.
Because worlds recovered along the way, and xenos that the Imperium's dark side needed to deal with, had each siphoned off a portion of the Indomitus Crusade fleet, as these places either needed suppression or rebuilding.
Yet, even under such circumstances, Guilliman was still able to field such a terrifying fleet!
Abaddon's cold sweat trickled down; he no longer dared to imagine how much power this shameless bastard could amass if given enough time!
No wonder, whether it was Horus, Angron, Lorgar, Fulgrim... all those former traitor Primarchs had targeted the Ultramarines.
Who wouldn't be afraid when he could conjure up hundreds of thousands of Space Marines at the drop of a hat?
But alas, Abaddon's fear was too late; the Warp trap he had set in the Iconoclast System could not stop Guilliman's fleet.
Once bitten, twice shy.
He, Robert Guilliman, was no fool; how could he not be prepared?
On the flagship, the Macragge's Honor, in the command throne room.
The Imperial Regent, the Primarch of the Ultramarines, Robert Guilliman, sat upon the colossal throne symbolizing power and duty, his body encased in the ice-blue 'Armor of Fate'.
His eyes, as deep as sapphires and brimming with endless wisdom, gazed at the holographic images of the battle situation from the front, relayed by the Tech-Priests and probe barges within the domed hall.
His brain, like a precise instrument, calculated the entire fleet's attack vector at an incredibly high speed, sifting through the cold data streams and real-time images for usable information, then, through that brain comparable to a supercomputer, weaving and constructing the entire battlefield situation.
Not long ago, he had made contact with 'Emrys' and received a crucial piece of information from him.
Emrys had reached some kind of agreement with 'Vashtorr'; as an advance payment, this cunning Chaos Daemon would temporarily paralyze Khorne's War Machine for one day.
This single day would only grant the Dark Angels and Blood Angels a brief moment to catch their breath.
But, it was enough!
Because his fleet had finally arrived in the Iconoclast System.
Just as Guilliman had promised, he was not late, and the outcome this time would not be like the defense of Terra.
"Lord Regent, Chaos forces detected ahead."
The Tech-Priest immediately reported.
"Estimated distance to our position is 40 million kilometers, primarily cruisers and frigates, fleet deployed in an arc formation."
"Do they intend to block and delay?"
Guilliman instantly saw through the black Legion's deployment strategy.
"Ridiculous, merely a dying struggle." Towards 'Abaddon', Guilliman held no regard for the Chaos Warmaster, a cold sneer playing on his lips.
"Front-line fleet, fall back, change fleet formation."
"All battle group frigates, deploy in 'Breaching Ram' formation immediately!"
"Target: black Legion, Astropaths establish coordinates, macro-cannon arrays, saturation bombardment!"
"Lance fleet, spotlight their central area, cover void shield nodes!"
"Naval fleet, torpedo salvos, immediately cover the forward frigate fleet!"
His will, like an invisible storm, instantly permeated the entire Indomitus Crusade fleet, a vast and complex command network.
Clear, cold, and efficient orders, like the most precise gears, were embedded into the entire Indomitus Crusade fleet, and the colossal machine named 'War' immediately began to roar!
"Adeptus Mechanicus fleet, maximize energy projection, provide shield support for the assault fleet clusters!"
"Battle sister fleet, clear any daemon corpses attempting to approach, cover the landing clusters."
"sisters of Silence, 'Silent Bulwark' move forward, suppress Warp fluctuations in the coordinate area, do not give them a chance to prepare to summon daemons or rituals."
A series of complex commands were issued by Guilliman in just a few dozen meters.
This was a million-strong legion-scale campaign; the sheer torrent of aggregated data from all sides alone would be enough to overwhelm a supercomputer, yet Guilliman analyzed this complex information and found the black Legion's weak points in mere seconds, even mobilizing the entire fleet's strength to complete the deployment!
Angel of War, truly worthy of his name!
And not long after Guilliman's orders were given, the Imperial fleet's long-accumulated fury erupted!
The macro-cannon arrays let out a deafening roar; even in the vacuum of the universe, the immense energy seemed to shake space itself.
Countless thick, destructive energy torrents, like the thunder spears hurled by the god-king Zeus, tore through the black universe, falling upon the black Legion's blocking fleet with terrifying might.
Immediately following was a dense, rain-like volley of lances, precisely bombarding the black Legion's blocking vanguard.
Even with void shields as protection, the destructive power of Guilliman's fleet's single volley was simply too terrifying; many warships were instantly engulfed in the gunfire as their void shields overloaded!
At the same time, tens of thousands of torpedoes, trailing their exhausts, like swarms of comets streaking across the universe, plunged into the black Legion fleet amidst the macro-cannon and lance fire.
Destructive flashes, like Sun flares, exploded in succession!
The blocking fleet sent by the black Legion was caught off guard by Guilliman; their organized formation was thrown into disarray under the fierce bombardment, like headless chickens.
A dozen smaller cruisers were instantly blasted into metallic wreckage in the universe by the destructive torrent of macro-cannons, lances, and torpedoes.
"Charge!"
"If we just get in, they won't be able to do anything to us!"
This was the thought of many Chaos Space Marines.
However, when their ships dispatched landing craft, desperately travel the barrage of torpedoes, macro-cannons, and lances...
What awaited them next was the long-waiting: sisters of Silence, Battle sisters, a full eight Imperial Guard army groups, and frigates sent by dozens of battle groups!
Holy fire and dense projectiles, like a scorching storm of death, swept away and purified all Chaos Space Marines and daemons attempting to approach.
A very, very, very small number of Chaos Space Marines, having luckily broken through these obstacles and penetrated deeper, finally saw the Macragge's Honor; just as they thought Chaos had blessed them, two more combat barges, gleaming as if gilded and flowing with the light of the Sun, appeared in their sight.
Then... two warriors in golden armor directly slaughtered their way onto their combat barges.
The entire battle lasted only half an hour, and the black Legion's blocking fleet was dealt a devastating blow, with no survivors.
Gazing at the overwhelming Imperial fleet, rolling in like dark clouds, Abaddon's eyes flashed with golden stars in anger, and he cursed.
"I'll fuck you!!!"