Inside the shattered Eldar temple,
Guilliman watched the Astartes in robes standing alongside the Eldar Farseer, his expression grave.
The Primarch was certain he did not know these Astartes who consorted with Eldar,
but their armor markings were familiar: unique to the Sons of the Lion.
Moreover, the sword on the man's back was reminiscent of his proud brother Lion El'Jonson's Lion Sword.
The Lion Sword was a gift from the Emperor, imbued with his power—
anyone touched by its blade would instantly be consumed by searing flames.
During the Great Crusade, Lion lost his sword briefly in a fight with the Wolf King Russ after slaying the Tyrant of Dulan.
Afterward, the Lord of Caliban swore never to lose his weapon again.
Yet now, the Lion Sword was in a stranger's hands.
This made Guilliman worry that his brother had met with disaster.
"Respected Lord Regent of the Imperium, Roboute Guilliman, my name is Cypher. It is an honor to meet you here."
"Cypher?" Guilliman frowned.
He had studied the structure of the Fallen Angels Legion in depth.
The title "Cypher" was established by the knights of Caliban.
The leaders would select a knight capable of great responsibility, who would abandon his original name, inherit the title of Cypher, and dedicate himself to maintaining the knightly tradition.
"Why are you here? That device from the 30K era—did you place it here?" Guilliman questioned Cypher closely.
"You have deviated from your destined path, forcing me to change tactics and meet you this way," Cypher replied calmly.
"So you have been planning to meet me. Speak—what do you want?"
Guilliman weighed his words, extracting intelligence.
"I ask for nothing—only to help you reach Terra," Cypher replied. "I know a shortcut that lets you return to Terra and see the Emperor as quickly as possible."
"I don't believe this place has any goodwill. Let's be frank—what do you want?"
"I want you to take me to Terra, all the way to the throne room."
Cypher's request filled Greyfax with rage.
Amalrich and Garrien, among the Astartes, reached for their weapons.
The atmosphere instantly became tense and hostile.
Even the Primarch glared at Cypher, his terrifying presence enough to break the will of even the strongest warriors.
Cypher, however, did not flinch under their gazes. He stood firm, like a granite statue.
Harlequin Shadowseer—Sylandri Veilwalker—stood quietly to the side, silent, awaiting the outcome.
Her presence could not be ignored, for she had intervened and aided the Imperium several times.
She had convinced Belisarius Cawl to leave Mars and set out,
facilitated cooperation between Celestine and the Ynnari,
and recruited Cypher for this very mission.
When the pilgrimage fleet was first swept into the Maelstrom, Veilwalker had wanted to act.
But that mysterious fleet's strength was too incredible—
even Cegorach, the Laughing God, warned her that they had the aura of "Godslayers," and rash action could bring unpredictable consequences.
So Veilwalker did not dare act openly, fearing her secrets would be uncovered.
Only after the mysterious fleet disappeared did she and Cypher set up the transmitter to lure the Pilgrims over.
"Fallen Angel," Guilliman said, "even without your help, I have a way to leave this place—don't try to threaten me."
The Pilgrims had the star charts left by the Custodian fleet—
as long as they followed the chart, they could escape the Maelstrom, although it would take time.
Of course, they would still have to fight daemons and xenos lurking in the Maelstrom.
"How long would that take? What humanity lacks most now is time. Do you know why Navigators cannot see the Astronomican's light here?"
"What are you saying?"
"The Astronomican has gone out again. When the Great Rift opened, the Astronomican was extinguished by the warp's shockwaves, then relit. For unknown reasons, it went out a second time and has not been rekindled since."
Cypher's tone was calm as he met Guilliman's gaze without fear.
"You and I both know what the Astronomican means. The warp storms are now rampant, tearing the galaxy apart.
Without the Astronomican's guidance, the Imperium will collapse. Every second wasted means millions of Imperial citizens die for lack of the Emperor's light."
"Even Terra itself is at risk. Without the Emperor's power to hold them back, the daemons—empowered by the Rift—could set foot on Terra."
Guilliman looked at Celestine and Voldus; from their grave expressions, it was likely true.
Since being drawn into the Maelstrom, no matter how hard the Navigators tried, they could not detect the Astronomican.
They had thought it was a local phenomenon, but it turned out the problem was on Terra itself.
After weighing the options, Guilliman compromised.
The sooner they reached Terra, the sooner they could stabilize the situation and save innocent lives.
"It's clear you've done your homework to secure this cooperation. I can take you to Terra, all the way to the throne room—but be warned: if you try to trick or toy with me, nothing in the galaxy will save you."
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Cypher's mouth. "As you say."
After some negotiation, Guilliman, Cypher, and Veilwalker reached an agreement.
Both sides returned to the Macragge's Honour to plan the journey to Terra.
During the discussion, Harlequin Shadowseer Veilwalker revealed the secret of the Blackstone Fortress.
Celestine, Cawl, and other Imperial heroes who fought in the Battle of Cadia were well-acquainted with Blackstone Fortresses.
Back then, Cawl activated the Blackstone obelisk matrix, routing the Chaos army and forcing them to flee in disarray.
But Abaddon, that madman, hurled a shattered Blackstone Fortress at the planet, shattering the matrix.
The Eye of Terror went out of control, turning a sure Imperial victory into a bloody defeat.
The builders of the Blackstone Fortresses were none other than the Eldar.
In ancient times, to fight the C'tan, the Eldar built massive starships of Blackstone, with webway gates inside.
Within the Maelstrom, there was a Blackstone Fortress occupied by traitors.
If they could use the webway gate inside, they could cross the galaxy and reach Terra swiftly.
But only small craft could enter; warships could not.
The fleet would have to take another webway gate to exit the Maelstrom, but with the paths damaged, they were no longer connected—making a direct jump to the Sol System impossible.
Therefore, Guilliman and his team would have to split from the fleet and travel separately.
Weighing the state of the Imperium and the risks of the Maelstrom,
they chose to take the risk, leaving the fleet behind to reach Terra as quickly as possible.
The fleet, following Cypher and Veilwalker's plan, would leave the Maelstrom via another webway path and arrive at Terra later.
With the plan set, the Primarch sprang into action.
Guided by the Shadowseer, he led the Pilgrim Fleet in an assault on the Blackstone Fortress controlled by the Red Corsairs.
…
Bonus chapter at 300 PS