The sparks from the lunar class detonation overhead had not yet dissipated, and below, the recruits—who hadn't even been issued uniforms and were using a motley assortment of weapons—continued their training.
Sith looked at Guilliman, who was connected directly from trillions of miles away, not expecting their first meeting to be so costly.
In the extremely inefficient Imperium, being able to project oneself in real-time across the endless sea of stars to the other side of the galaxy implied an exaggeratedly massive expenditure.
And despite such a terrifying cost, Guilliman did not turn around immediately upon hearing Sith exit the hatch.
Instead, he carefully observed everything on Alert Star before maintaining a calm expression and facing Sith.
The two dark circles under his eyes hadn't completely faded, but Sith was in no mood to pay much attention.
Sith simply watched as Guilliman spent such a huge cost to find him, waiting for the other to state his intention.
Guilliman, however, looked at Sith, his lips twitching several times, but the words he had prepared for so long simply wouldn't come out.
He could only hesitate for a long time before finally letting out a weary sigh.
"I just came to see you and apologize on behalf of Terra for what happened before."
Guilliman was polite, even somewhat respectful; as an outstanding politician, he was very 'man of the people.'
He once even knelt on one knee in public before a Chapter Master just to foist the Primaris onto the Space Wolves.
So, addressing Sith with 'you' (formal) and apologizing publicly was quite normal for Guilliman.
Sith looked at him, knowing full well that Guilliman wouldn't have spent such a massive cost for real-time communication just for that reason.
He was here to urge Sith to dispatch troops to Terra, but the reality before him made him unable to speak.
Perhaps because the communication cost was too high, after speaking, Guilliman gave Sith a deep look filled with an obvious 'apology.' He said nothing more about Terra, gave a slight nod, and then, dragging a body nearly as weary as Sith's, turned off the projection.
At the same time, Daviello, who had stayed behind, brought another small projection to Sith.
"This is the latest situation regarding Terra and the Segmentum Solar brought by the Lord Regent."
Daviello looked at Sith inquiringly. Recalling Guilliman's equally exhausted figure, Sith took a deep breath, steadied his mind slightly, and spoke casually:
"Play it here."
Daviello opened it immediately. Then, at the heart of the Imperium of Man, which was being invaded by two terrifying Tyranid tendrils from above and below, a circular gray band representing death was rapidly covering the entire outer rim of the Segmentum Solar before the Tyranids could arrive.
Daviello's voice also carried an undeniable heaviness as he spoke slowly:
"To delay the Tyranid Swarm and to guide them toward other regions, Terra has officially issued an order for the total extermination of all outer worlds in the Segmentum Solar."
"At this very moment, tens of thousands of Imperial worlds are being exterminated by the Imperial armies themselves."
"The death toll is increasing by trillions every second."
Daviello tried to speak as calmly as possible, but even the high-ranking officials who cared the least about Mortals stiffened their bodies upon hearing this decree and its consequences.
Then, countless eyes turned toward Sith in unison.
Sith stood there, still silent. Those around him watched him, their breathing involuntarily slowing down.
Although Lord Sith hadn't spoken much before, he seemed to be speaking even less lately.
It wasn't until Sith suddenly took another step that everyone dared to breathe a bit more freely and tried to follow.
"You don't need to follow."
With a wave of his hand to stop them, the dense crowd of officials, Commanders, Astartes, and even legends like Bayer on the Spire all immediately stopped in their tracks.
The breathing that had just quickened slowed down again.
They could only watch as Sith walked alone to the edge of the Spire, standing by the side far from the crowd, gazing silently into the depths above.
The cold wind remained bleak, making everyone feel as if their souls were turning cold.
The detonation of the lunar class overhead continued. Preceding the sight of the warship's mighty hull were the billowing smoke and the desperate crew members ejected by small explosions.
And below, the 'recruits' who didn't even have full uniforms, let alone heavy weapons or artillery vehicles, were even simulating shooting with scrap metal.
Silently watching his 'army,' Sith looked up slightly toward Terra under everyone's gaze.
Because even this moment of Sith's silence was bought with countless lives.
He didn't sigh again, nor did he consider what was still unprepared.
Facing the increasingly urgent calls from the God-Emperor in his heart and Guilliman's 'plea' to see him from across the galaxy.
Facing the cold wind of the Spire, Sith finally straightened his body and turned back to face the large group of waiting attendants.
His calm words pierced through the bleakness...
"Pass my order."
"Dispatch the troops!"
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