"The Red King's target may be the hidden webway gate deep within the Imperial Palace of Terra."
Grand Master Voldus walked to stand beside the Primarch, offering his insight.
He had spent decades poring over the forbidden texts left from the Empire's founding, word by word, in the ancient libraries of Titan. He knew many secrets unknown to most.
"According to those fragmented records," Voldus continued, "the Emperor, throughout the Horus Heresy, remained seated upon the Golden Throne, using His power to seal that gate."
"After the Emperor was wounded, the Custodians took up the duty of guarding the gate. It is the Empire's ultimate secret, a Damocles' sword suspended over Terra's head."
Guilliman heard these words like a sudden revelation.
Countless fragments of information pieced together in his mind, assembling the whole story.
When Magnus embraced the Chaos Gods during the Heresy, he had tried to warn his father with sorcery.
At that time, Magnus recklessly forced his way through the gate, causing irreversible damage.
After the Siege of Terra, the memories of Vulkan—Lord of the Salamanders—also mentioned that during the great battle, the corrupted Magnus hid within the webway, using sorcery to restrain and weaken the Emperor. This paved the way for daemonic entities to ascend to Holy Terra.
To solve the trouble Magnus had caused, Regent Malcador and the enthroned Emperor guided Vulkan into the webway to deal with the traitor Primarch.
The two sides clashed in an Aeldari ruin. Magnus unleashed all his power, tormenting Vulkan with all manner of cruelty.
However, Vulkan's immortality allowed him to revive repeatedly, eventually breaking Magnus' will and banishing him to the depths of the Warp.
"With my father's protection and seal, Magnus could not locate that gate, much less force his way through."
Guilliman spoke slowly, voicing his deductions.
"If we choose to use that secret gate as our path to Terra, the Custodians would have to unseal it to let us through."
"Then Magnus, along with his Thousand Sons and the daemonic horde, could seize the opportunity to invade Terra and launch a fatal assault on humanity's homeworld."
"So in other words," Guilliman's voice was calm, but the pilgrims felt a heavy weight,
"Magnus's true target has never been us, but the Master of Mankind upon the Golden Throne."
"What should we do, then?" Amalrich asked.
"We absolutely cannot go straight to Terra," Guilliman declared firmly. "We cannot allow Magnus to bring war to humanity's homeworld."
If Magnus were allowed to perform sorcery on Terra, the consequences would be unimaginable—possibly leading to the collapse of the Throne itself.
"You worry too much, Son of the Emperor." The Shadowseer Sylandri Veilwalker spoke, her voice ethereal.
"The route we provide does not lead directly to Terra, but to Luna."
"Luna?" Voldus frowned. "I've never heard of a webway gate on Luna!"
Sylandri Veilwalker smiled slightly, explaining patiently:
"The webway's structure is exceedingly complex. Apart from my own race at its height, no one knows its full extent."
"Even your Emperor's understanding is but a drop in the ocean. We'll be taking a relatively obscure path whose exit is on Luna, Terra's natural satellite."
"It is one of the core nodes in the Solar defense network. Its orbital defense platforms and underground fortress complexes are still operational—enough to deal with the threat of the Red King."
"Luna…" Guilliman mused. Facing Magnus on the Moon's surface was certainly preferable to letting him into Terra itself.
"If we go to Luna, the risk should be acceptable. Sicarius, send the order—we must depart at once and give Magnus as little reaction time as possible."
With the orders given, the pilgrims sprang into action.
The first to move were Leman Russ's armored vanguard. Engines roaring, their broad treads ground along the webway with a thunderous rumble.
Rhino transports, Land Raiders, and other vehicles followed closely, sensor arrays at maximum, scanning for hidden threats and enemies.
Behind them came the knight houses loyal to Macragge. As the order to advance was issued, the mechs' hydraulic systems hissed, propelling their massive bodies forward.
Datch climbed atop a tank and set off with the convoy.
The pilgrims' movement stirred the mists of the webway, causing them to swirl into whirling vortices.
The fog seeped everywhere, entering tank barrels and hulls like icy, clinging ghostly arms, trying to restrain and drag back these intruders.
Time itself was chaotic within the webway—clocks at different points in the convoy gave different times, minutes, and seconds.
A few war servitors even displayed that it was now the 20th millennium.
Time had lost all meaning in the webway.
Sensor feedback was equally jumbled.
There was no actual life detected, yet signs of activity abounded.
It was as if invisible ghosts crowded around the convoy, or the webway itself shifted in ways unseen and unfelt.
Sometimes, people heard their own names called from within the mist.
Some even felt something lean close to their ears, whispering unintelligible words—a deeply unsettling experience.
The pilgrims pressed on, ignoring the strange sights and sounds, their loyalty to the Emperor granting them resolve.
The Harlequins, familiar with the webway, led the pilgrims swiftly through the ancient domains of the Aeldari empire.
They traversed ancient ruins, dreamlike corridors, dark and empty tunnels, past resplendent crystal halls, and even witnessed bizarre, living staircases.
The routes were so convoluted that, without a guide, the pilgrims would be utterly lost.
Of course, this did not include Datch.
Datch's minimap showed the webway's structure and routes.
Once he set a target, the minimap would clearly mark the way.
After several days' travel, the Harlequins led the pilgrims to the edge of an abandoned city, letting them rest there.
Archmagos Cawl, as usual, scanned the city and was surprised to find metal conductor plates and mechanical devices embedded in the building walls.
Many places still held crates and equipment marked with the double-headed eagle—belonging to the Imperium.
This discovery astonished the group. When had the Imperium explored the webway, and why had they left so much equipment and material here?
"These are remnants from when your Imperium first attempted to rebuild the webway. After failing, the explorers left in a hurry, leaving these things behind."
"Because time flows so chaotically in the webway, these things haven't fully decayed."
Sylandri Veilwalker explained their origins.
Datch noticed a green exclamation mark hovering over a broken, rusty device.
Curious, he took out the golden hammer and gave it a whack.
With a clang, the nearly rusted-through device was instantly restored, indicator lights blinking and humming as it came online, playing its stored message.
["I am Tribune Ra Endymion. Magnus's folly is spreading. The outermost defensive line is about to collapse. All units are to withdraw in order to the City of Calastar. Repeat, all units, fall back to the City of Calastar."]
….
Bonus chapter at 100 PS
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