A commotion erupted from within the Memory Battlefield.
After all, Calgar was known as one of the three pillars of the Imperium, alongside Dante of the Blood Angels and Logan Grimnar of the Space Wolves.
Before the return of the Primarchs, these three were essentially the strongest warriors in the Imperium. As for the Custodes and their Captain-General, Trajann Valoris…
A bunch of shut-ins. Best not to pay them too much mind.
In any case, if an ordinary Custodian were to fight Calgar, they would absolutely be beaten to a pulp.
And another demonstration of his power was happening right now…
Opponent, Death Guard Squad: 45,125.
Opponent, Greater Daemon of Slaanesh: 44,512.
Opponent, Lucius the Eternal: 42,821.
Opponent, Typhus the Traveller: 42,174.
It should be noted that the simulated strength of these chosen champions had some discrepancies with their real counterparts, as it was based on Zhou Ye's memories.
And how did he fight these things? He basically just steamrolled them. He couldn't draw out their true level of skill, so the simulations weren't one hundred percent accurate.
For example, the Typhus of today was certainly more terrifying than the one he had fought. With the opening of the Great Rift, he could receive even greater blessings from Nurgle.
"This is just too much. Can anyone break his record?"
Seeing Calgar instantly crush opponents that would give the Trailblaze forces trouble, a group of its Space Marines couldn't stand it any longer. To them, this was a matter of honor. The nearby Ultramarines, on the other hand, started whistling proudly.
Their performance in the previous battle had been a disgrace, achieving only half the score of their opponents. While Zhou Ye and Guilliman didn't care, the Astartes bullying continued.
As one of the oldest and most powerful Space Marine Legions, the Ultramarines felt quite aggrieved. But they knew they couldn't hope to surpass the Trailblaze grand legions in the short term, especially since the strongest Honor Guard hadn't even participated.
So, Calgar chose this moment to teach everyone a lesson with his overwhelming strength. He had even defeated Lucius and Typhus, champions of their gods, though there was surely a significant gap between these simulations and the real thing.
A simulation was a simulation, after all. They could never possess the same powerful spirit.
For instance, the swordsmanship of the simulated Lucius was certainly inferior to the real one. This was mainly because Zhou Ye was also a klutz with a sword. He didn't use any fancy moves when fighting Lucius; he just borrowed Ashira's body and crushed him. Therefore, he could never perfectly replicate his skill. The same was true for the daemons.
Even so, the simulations were incredibly valuable. Despite some distortions, the general scope of their abilities was correct. It was akin to the difference between PvP and PVE—completely different situations.
So, even though Ashira had defeated the simulated Lucius, he knew he would only truly wash away his shame by defeating the real Lucius.
This simulated Lucius was definitely not the real thing. After defeating it, he mostly stopped fighting this particular simulation. He was afraid of developing muscle memory that would end up getting him killed when facing the real Lucius.
It wasn't just him; basically, everyone was the same. They would fight various complex and diverse combinations of enemies rather than repeatedly fighting a single opponent.
Even so, there were not many in the entire Trailblaze force who could defeat this simulated Lucius.
Seeing Calgar defeat the two champions, whom only a select few in Trailblaze could overcome, the crowd grew excited.
"Ashira's here."
As the simulated Typhus was defeated, the Trailblaze side of the room buzzed with activity. Everyone then saw a black-and-gold-armored figure, standing over three meters tall and towering even over Primaris Space Marines, appear.
Seeing this person, Calgar took a deep breath.
Adeptus Custodes.
Calgar recalled a conversation between Zhou Ye and Guilliman. Guilliman had curiously asked how Zhou Ye had managed to get the Custodes to follow him. Those golden warriors were notoriously arrogant; nearly every Primarch wanted to turn the "golden corn" into popcorn, but making them bow their heads was almost impossible. Yet Zhou Ye had succeeded.
"They are not Custodes, just Astartes."
Guilliman had scoffed at Zhou Ye's explanation.
"Have them take off their armor and look at the接口for the Black Carapace."
"…"
Zhou Ye's response was silence. Guilliman had then said with a hint of envy:
"He actually gave you the method for creating Custodes."
So, Calgar was very curious about Zhou Ye's four guards, especially this First Captain.
However, Ashira was also under immense pressure. As before, Guilliman hadn't said much, and Zhou Ye wouldn't make a big deal out of it, but they still felt a sense of shame.
While they had a distinguished combat record, anyone who looked into it would know that the man before them had an even more illustrious one. In their battles, Zhou Ye had always held the line, personally descending to annihilate the most terrifying enemy units. But the man before them, Calgar, had no one behind him. He was the biggest pillar of support before their gene-father, the "rookie" Guilliman, had awakened.
So, Ashira decided to compete against Calgar, the Chapter Master of the Ultramarines.
Select enemy. Select room.
Simulated Opponents: Lucius and Typhus.
Notice: This simulation is not the true enemy. Please engage appropriately. Do not form muscle memory, as it will get you killed on the battlefield.
As the simulation projected, two twisted, blasphemous figures appeared. Under the watchful eyes of both the Ultramarines and Trailblaze factions, Calgar and Ashira stepped inside.
"The Chapter Master of the Ultramarines is a man of extreme strength. So, my Lord… I will step into that state once more. Artificial Honkai Collapse!!!"
BOOM.
Massive wings unfurled once more as light flared from Ashira's body. At the same time, Zhou Ye, who had just left the chapel, paused. He projected his vision over and couldn't help but let the corner of his mouth twitch.
They're really getting carried away with this Memory Battlefield, even activating the Artificial Collapse. Of course, Zhou Ye didn't stop him. He was also a bit curious to see what Ashira's skill level was without his direct intervention.
"By the Emperor!!!"
Seeing the golden phoenix, a large crowd of people fell to their knees. But Calgar pressed on, his power fist beginning to charge.
The two champions rushed forward. Although they were a bit sluggish due to being machines, and the blessings of the Chaos Gods couldn't be one hundred percent simulated—often having to be replaced by partial Authorities deconstructed by Zhou Ye—it was still more than enough.
The three figures in the two rooms collided. Everyone, including Cato Sicarius, held their breath.
In the end…
Calgar (Ultramarines Chapter Master), Score: 28,541.
Ashira (First Captain of the Trailblaze Honor Guard), Score: 28,523.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk…"
Seeing the final scores, Zhou Ye clicked his tongue in amazement. Ashira was still too young. As for Calgar, his body hadn't fully recovered. He had just undergone the Primaris surgery, and without Zhou Ye personally activating the Abyss Flower, its effects were limited. Calgar had just completed the procedure and his body still needed time to adjust. It was safe to say both of them had plenty of room for improvement.
However, this came at a cost. As the room's doors opened, two stretcher teams immediately rushed in and carried the two heavily battered warriors off to the ICU for treatment. While they weren't the complete, real champions, they were the two strongest individual units in the simulation chamber, specially enhanced by Zhou Ye.
That these two had managed this much was already impressive. Zhou Ye was very satisfied.
This time, neither the Ultramarines nor the Trailblaze forces said anything more. The gap between them was truly not that large.
---o---
Just then, a person walked in. It was the legendary Grandpa Smurf himself, Roboute Guilliman. But his expression was incredibly strange. He had taken a Thunderhawk for a long tour around Zhou Ye's city.
He felt as though the world had gone mad, but he was truly envious.
World Eaters as doctors, Death Guard diligently farming, Emperor's Children as chefs in various academy cafeterias. Imperial Fists and Iron Warriors, though they fought amongst themselves, working together as architects. Night Lords in the courthouses, Word Bearers managing the chapels, and Ultramarines busy in the various administrative offices…
Seeing all this, Guilliman felt a sense of dislocation, as if he had traveled through time. The Great Crusade had ended. Humanity was victorious. There was no Horus Heresy. The sons of his brothers had all laid down their arms and returned to civilian life.
They all had their own lives, their own pursuits. They were no longer the sacred Angels of the Imperium, not weapons of war, but people. Seeing the Ultramarines bustling in the administrative court, Guilliman was especially dazed.
According to his original plan, after the Great Crusade ended and the Imperium of Man was unified, his sons would also have left the battlefield to serve as administrators managing the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar. But alas, it was all an ephemeral dream.
With Horus's betrayal, everything had shattered. From that moment on, the Imperium of Man had inevitably begun its decline, rotting away for ten thousand years.
But now, that past, ephemeral dream was materializing right before his eyes. Guilliman felt his eyes grow moist.
Father, perhaps he is truly more suited for that position than you. He has truly brought about the world you dreamed of. Perhaps…
Just as Guilliman was lost in these profound feelings, he saw his current First Captain, Calgar, and Zhou Ye's First Captain, Ashira, being carried into the ICU together.
"…"
The sight left Guilliman with a head full of question marks, but he soon found himself at a loss for whether to laugh or cry. His appreciation for Zhou Ye's simulation chamber grew even stronger. It could actually simulate something capable of severely wounding Calgar, even after his Primaris upgrade.
Guilliman didn't get involved. Instead, he went directly to find Zhou Ye.
"I will prepare to return to Holy Terra. The Astronomican has been extinguished. Without the protection of its light, the Sol System is likely to be invaded by Chaos. More importantly, the entire galaxy is now plunged into despair. I will assemble a new fleet to reclaim those important lost territories."
Although Guilliman could have stayed on Macragge, comfortably rebuilding his strength with Zhou Ye, to do so would not be Guilliman.
The Thirteenth Son. The child representing the Emperor's sacred number.
And the only sane man among all the Primarchs. Guilliman chose to return to Terra to shoulder his responsibility. He had to save the Imperium of Man, or at the very least, buy time for Zhou Ye.
"I plan to head to Imperium Nihilus. I discovered traces of the Tyranids before the Great Rift opened. I am needed there more."
Zhou Ye did not object. He had his own things to do. If Guilliman really did stay here and let the entire Imperium fall to Chaos, setting aside how many people would die, the resulting Chaos corruption alone would be a massive headache for Zhou Ye.
Ordinary Chaos taint was one thing, but long-term corruption could taint an entire sector. That level of corruption was not so easily dealt with. If he ran headfirst into a mess like that while expanding, Zhou Ye would be disgusted.
In that situation, he would have to prepare for a war spanning multiple planets.
When a conflict truly spread across a battlefield measured in light-years, even Zhou Ye couldn't just casually jump in and smash things himself.
Therefore, Zhou Ye was in absolute agreement with Guilliman returning to Holy Terra.
"After I leave, I will leave Macragge in your hands. I will order my sons who remain behind to obey your commands. And given your performance, they will absolutely not refuse you in my absence."
Guilliman said with a smile. As for the reason…
One only needed to look at the head of Fulgrim and the wings of Angron, preserved from decay and cleansed of all Chaos, fixed in reality and displayed in Zhou Ye's palace museum.
Honestly, Guilliman felt that even if he hadn't awakened, this mysterious brother of his—or rather, this elder brother who was even older than the Lion—could have successfully integrated the Trailblaze Sector and his Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar.
"Leave it to me. But before that, let's have a victory parade."
Zhou Ye did not deny it. Although he wasn't a Primarch, he felt that he now possessed a rallying power no less than one.
As for Zhou Ye's main focus going forward, it would be the Dark Imperium. Besides, looking around, the homeworlds of the Space Wolves and the Dark Angels were both in Imperium Nihilus. If they wanted to go back, they would need his help.