Emperor's Bane

Chapter 575 Shrike Star

"Listen to me, Brother Leman Russ."

"I have heard about the unfortunate events that your envoys encountered. I am here to feel sad for their heroic sacrifice, but please also think carefully: Is your final judgment on Heliosa too harsh? We don't need to go to this extent yet."

Three days after Leman Russ buried his thirteen subordinates one by one in the traditional Fenris funeral, the Great Wizard of Prospero and his 28th Expeditionary Fleet finally arrived and appeared at Mandeville Point, carrying nine thousand warriors of Magnus and hundreds of thousands of elite Solar Auxiliary Forces named "Spire Guards".

These mortal legions occupy an important position in the tactical system of the Thousand Sons. They can help the Sons of Magnus to fill trenches, advance the front lines, sweep the enemy, or perform any matters related to war: even in the Solar Auxiliary Army, they are ace troops that can bravely fight in the front.

In the first few years after Magnus and the Thousand Sons returned to the Far Far Away, Terra sent professionals to conduct a thorough military assessment of the Fifteenth Legion, which ultimately led to two very glaring conclusions: Malcador's confidants believed that Magnus's warriors relied too much on their psychic powers and mortal auxiliaries, and that this reliance had become their weakness.

In the report, this habit was even described as "over-dependence."

The Terra Council had issued a blunt warning to Magnus about this. The performance of the Thousand Sons on many battlefields had shown that without psychic powers, most of their tactics would be invalid, and they might not even be able to maintain their front lines. Without a large auxiliary army, they would not even be able to launch a real battle on their own. The Thousand Sons should find a way to solve these two problems.

Naturally, the One-Eyed King did not give any response to Holy Terra. Perhaps he himself was powerless to do anything about it, or perhaps he thought Terra was just making a fuss: it was obviously a similar problem, so why didn't Terra blame the Dawnbreaker Legion?

Magnus did not reply, and Terra did not pursue the matter, allowing the Thousand Sons to do as they pleased in the Great Crusade, indulging in their own hobbies or supporting other friendly forces: the One-Eyed King was not too concerned about the latter, but he still brought the main force of his legion here before Leman Russ's deadline.

Of course, this was not because he wanted to support Rus so much, but during a routine correspondence, a Spider Queen who was next to Rus accidentally revealed a piece of news to Magnus: because of the anger over the massacre of the envoys, Leman Russ had decided to issue an extermination order against Heliosa, which had a large number of precious books and ancient knowledge.

This bad news directly made the entire Thousand Sons Legion operate efficiently. After arriving at the Confluence System, Magnus was even too lazy to exchange greetings through the holographic projector, but went straight to the Wolf King's flagship: Fortunately, he did not forget to notify Morgan and Angron.

This is a very important point, because the Wolf King has been waiting for him for a long time, and Leman Russ's attitude is definitely not very good: he did not even greet his brother on the deck, but waited for Magnus's plea in a freezing stone chamber.

"Did you come here in such a hurry just to say these words?"

Both Primarchs dismissed their subordinates, because they both knew that the scene that followed might become a little ugly. The two sat down around a rough round table. The Wolf King listened to every word of Magnus with surprising patience, and then he bared his fangs and launched a counterattack without mercy.

"Your brothers and their sons shed blood and sweat here, but you turned a deaf ear to them, and you rushed over here when a library you didn't even know was about to burn: you make me angry every time, Magnus."

The Wolf King's voice was hoarse, and there was no trace of intimacy in his words: although Leman Russ and Magnus were of the same blood, there was no brotherhood between them. In the absence of outsiders, the two Primarchs were not even willing to hide their differences.

"You're changing the subject, Brother Ruth."

The Great Wizard of Prospero still wore his famous golden armor, with two horns on his chest: every time Leman Russ's eyes inevitably swept over this place, he tried his best to make sure he didn't laugh out loud.

But compared to the Wolf King, Magnus' voice was indeed calmer, and he did not get angry because of Leman Russ's ridicule. Instead, he gently put forward his own point of view in an almost pleading tone.

"I repeat, I mourn the death of your envoys, and none can deny their courage in serving the Imperium: but such noble spirit is no cause for your anger, my brother Fenris."

"It was the kings of Heliosa who made the mistake of ordering the killing of these envoys, but your extermination order is to unreasonably destroy everyone in this world. What do those ignorant civilians and children have to do with this tragedy? Even if we take a step back, these people should be given a chance to surrender to the Empire."

"It's that big library of yours, it deserves a chance, right?"

The Wolf King snorted coldly, his face looked cold and ruthless.

"Yes, I admit that my initial motivation was to preserve the library."

Magnus nodded calmly.

"But this does not mean that I do not want to fight for an opportunity for the people above. This is a truth you cannot understand, Leman Russ: the truly great truth can involve the interests of many parties at the same time. After all, the core of truth is to satisfy the interests of the majority."

"Yes, yes, you always speak profound truths that others cannot understand."

The Wolf King raised his neck and simply looked at the ceiling, ignoring Magnus's long speech. He asked the great wizard a question with just one sentence.

"Tell me, Magnus, how could you have so calmly abandoned a company of my men to their deaths on Drogon, if you are now arguing with me over the lives of these mortals? You were not ignorant of their fate!"

Magnus was silent for a moment, a hint of fatigue showing on his face.

"You always confuse us. What happened on Drogon is another matter. I consulted my Black Crow School at that time. I transferred my power to other places only after I ensured victory in the war. You can't blame me for the sacrifice of those warriors."

"Why didn't you let your sons die in the trenches? Why didn't you let them fight on those fronts! Let them ensure victory in that war, instead of throwing my warriors into the greenskin tide?"

"They have more important tasks..."

"Digging those scraps with you?"

"They are not scrap metal. They are extremely valuable relics! The technology contained in them is of great use to the empire and can even greatly improve the current situation of the empire. By then, countless people will be able to..."

"Well."

The Wolf King sneered and interrupted Magnus again.

"It's been decades since we fought side by side on Drogon, and decades since you dug up that scrap metal: now tell me, in what way have they improved the state of the Empire? Where is the extraordinary technology within them?"

"Why don't you take one out and show it to us so we can open our eyes!"

"You can't be so impatient, Russ, skills and knowledge are serious matters..."

"Isn't the life of my warriors serious!!!"

"How many years have passed since you paid the price? Where are the results you keep talking about?"

"How much more do you want us to pay to fill your unrepentant stupid head!"

"you……"

Leman Russ slammed his fists and roars heavily on the table. He interrupted Magnus' words again and again. It was obvious that he had no interest in his brother's defense. He just accused him unilaterally. The great wizard held his forehead. He felt extremely helpless about the current situation where a scholar met a soldier.

"I'm afraid you are not worthy of even the simplest truth, brother."

After a long silence, Magnus could only mutter and shake his head: he was even amazed at his own magnanimity and self-restraint. He had actually reached this point and did not fight directly with Leman Russ. This man was much more barbaric than Magnus had imagined at the beginning.

At this moment, even the original false friendship was difficult to maintain. A dangerous atmosphere lingered between the two Primarchs. None of them spoke, patiently waiting for the arrival of the common mediator in their hearts.

They didn't have to wait long.

Because a few minutes later, three sets of footsteps echoed in the corridor outside the door: the steady and heavy sound undoubtedly belonged to Angron, the tapping sound of high-heeled boots was exclusive to the Queen of Avalon among the Primarchs, and the other lighter step made Magnus, who was frowning, instantly happy.

The great wizard turned his head and couldn't help but let out a long sigh. But he didn't notice that when his gaze shifted, Leman Russ, who had originally had a domineering look on his face, instantly lost his savage aura and sighed silently. These two guys who were incompatible with each other were actually in step with each other at this moment.

Then, the two Primarchs stood up almost at the same time, ready to open the door to welcome their brother: this soon led to a dispute, because Russ took a few quick steps, trying to overtake Magnus to open the door first, but the Prospero obviously did not want his brother to succeed, so the two of them were squeezed together in the wide space, fighting for the fragile door handle.

The two intergalactic demigods elbowed each other and fought like children, gritting their teeth until they noticed that Angron had opened the door and was looking at the two different brothers with a confused look on his face.

"What...are you doing?"

Angron's tone was a little dazed.

"……cough……"

After a moment's silence, the Wolf King put his arm around Magnus' shoulders.

"Isn't this a welcome for you?"

"Yes... to welcome you."

Having to squat was very uncomfortable for the Prosperos, and Leman Russ's triumphant look made them even more infuriated.

(Magnus is the second tallest among the Primarchs, second only to Vulcan. Although there is no exact comparison between Leman Russ and the other Primarchs, he is not considered tall. I remember that he is shorter than Jonson.)
"Especially you, Brother Angron: Russ was telling me of your exploits."

"...That's it."

Angron nodded, wisely not asking further questions, but turning sideways to reveal Morgan and Ahriman behind him: Angron's presence completely blocked Morgan, and Morgan was able to completely block Ahriman, the combination was like three Russian dolls.

"Ahriman!"

Seeing his child whom he had not seen for a long time, Magnus greeted him with a smile, his face full of a father's kindness. He looked Ahriman carefully from head to toe, touched his armor carefully, feeling the presence of his own blood, then pursed his lips, as if he had thousands of words in his heart, but in the end, he could only utter a sigh.

"Has it been fifty years since we last saw each other?"

"Sixty years, father."

Ahriman bowed and saluted, but was helped up by Magnus.

"It has been a long time indeed: it seems you are doing well here at Morgan."

After saying this, the Prospero smiled gratefully at his Avalonian relatives, but Leman Russ, who was standing next to him, did not give them more opportunities to reminisce. He rudely interrupted the conversation between father and son, and pulled everyone back to the stone table to continue the conversation.

Magnus and Morgan sat next to each other, with Ahriman standing between them, not to one side or the other.

Almost as soon as everyone sat down, the Wolf King put the topic he and Magnus had discussed before on the table. His eyes wandered between Angron and Morgan, waiting for their answers.

"Any order of extermination should be handled with extreme caution, brother."

Angron was the first to speak, and his words made the great wizard's brows relax.

"I understand your desire to order the extermination of this world, Russ, but that should be the last resort: the military decree of the empire has been clearly written. For any capable military commander, an extermination order would only be a shame."

(Let me dispel a rumor here. The Empire is not a prodigal son of a bitch who issues extermination orders for no reason. In fact, in the Empire's concept, extermination orders are a last resort. All commanders who issue extermination orders not only have to bear the huge shame of having no way to deal with the war situation, but most of them will be liquidated afterwards: even people like Jonson are just whirlwind torpedo negotiations most of the time)

"So you also support our ground operations, Angron?"

Angron smiled at Russ.

"We can divide the palace areas of those kings into the wolf pack's battle zone. The best way to take revenge is to chop off their heads with your own hands. My brother, the shame brought by blood must be washed away with blood, otherwise it will become an abscess in your heart that cannot be erased."

The wolf king nodded, and he turned to look at Morgan on the other side. Morgan only had one sentence.

[You know, Russ, the Empire needs the wealth and population here, so our four legions are stationed here: otherwise, a destroyer equipped with Modaris atmospheric missiles (the most powerful scaly weapon of the Empire) can do this little thing, why should all of us go to such trouble? ]

"..."

Both publicly and privately, Morgan and Angron had already given their answers, and Leman Russ did not continue to pester them. He ignored Magnus' smug face and remained silent in the subsequent military talks, except for fighting for his own revenge zone.

In addition, Magnus got the library of his dreams, while Morgan was very interested in those special breeding areas: this is the biggest feature of Heliotha, it not only has a complete human civilization left over from the Age of Strife, but also a large group of flying animals that have learned to coexist with the locals.

From tiny flying insects to pterosaurs large enough to destroy Imperial fighter planes, and giant birds of prey with sharp beaks that can carry locals in mid-air fights: in the eyes of the Spider Queen, these things can become new wealth on the Far Eastern Frontier.

But this time, Morgan frowned when she thought of her kingdom.

"Shrike."

Angron drummed his thick fingers on the tabletop as he uttered the Imperial Army's new name for Heliotha, a name derived from those ferocious giant birds, which was quickly accepted by several Primarchs.

"There is no doubt that the resistance will gather most of their forces in the giant mountain fortress called Phoenix Cliff. We can use it as our final meeting point. We will first knock down the crow nests on the periphery, and then destroy Phoenix Cliff in one fell swoop."

"can."

The Wolf King nodded.

"I just hope that some people's troops won't leave without saying goodbye again this time."

"..."

Magnus glanced at his brother, but his good upbringing prevented him from getting angry.

The Primarchs discussed some more details until the end of the meeting, and the fanatical war machine began to operate the power. Angron took his leave first. He and his legion would enjoy the honor of being the first to land on Shrike Star because of his concession in the allocation of war zones.

Magnus followed closely behind, he didn't want to stay on this Wild Wolf's ship any longer, and the great wizard did not forget to take his offspring Ahriman with him, intending to have a good chat with his son: Morgan was stopped by Leman Russ, and it seemed that the Fenrisian wanted to talk to his blood relative about something.

"That Ahriman."

Leman Russ had something in mind.

"Is he safe?"

Morgan thought for a moment.

[He has friendship with some of your Space Wolves, Russ: The Rune Priest Hedemaker of the Fifth Company, I think you should remember this name, go ask him, he will admit that he has a friend named Ahriman.]

"Ah, I know him."

The wolf king nodded, and only then did he reveal a rude smile.

"Hedemaker is trustworthy, and I trust his judgment: that puts me at ease."

【In that case, I also have a question for you. 】

Morgan turned around.

[You actually wanted to launch an extermination order against Shrike? And you even had a conflict with Magnus because of it? This is not right, brother, you are not such a reckless person.]

"I'm not."

The wolf king smiled cunningly.

"But I wasn't the only one who saw those thirteen corpses, and I wasn't the only one who was irritated. I had to find a suitable reason, a poor guy who knew nothing and didn't care, to appease the resentment of those cubs under my command."

"At least let them feel that it's not that I don't want revenge, but that some annoying guys obstructed my revenge and turned the extermination order into a massacre. Anyway, my wolf pack can accept a revenge massacre."

【It’s really interesting.】

Morgan raised the corner of his mouth and looked at his brother with mockery in his eyes.

[You have been in charge of your own army for more than a hundred years, but you still can't enforce your will within the army? ]

"You can do it?"

【certainly. 】

The Spider Queen puffed out her chest.

[I don't even need to explain, because my descendants don't have the habit of disobeying orders, although this is not a good thing in many cases. I have to encourage them to think independently from time to time, instead of blindly executing even the most ridiculous orders I give.]

"It sounds like showing off."

The wolf king grinned.

"Well, actually I can be trusted by my wolf pack, but if my cubs go crazy, their weight will be much more than just nine tripods. I don't think you can understand this kind of uncontrollability, Morgan."

【…】

[No, I understand.]

After a moment of silence, the Spider Queen apparently thought of something bad.

"Want to tell me about it?"

This time, it was Leman Russ' turn to approach his blood relative with interest.

"You looked a little unhappy from the beginning, but Magnus couldn't see it at all, and Angron didn't care about these things. But you still have me. I can be a friend to women... girls."

Morgan's gaze made the Wolf King change his words at the last moment.

[It’s not a big deal. ]

The Spider Queen rubbed her brow.

[When Magnus arrived, I was reviewing the reports from the Far East Frontier, but most of the reports this time were not good, and it was annoying to read them: You don’t think my great Avalon is always smooth sailing, do you? ]

"You just don't say it, right?"

【Yes. 】

Morgan sighed.

【Bad news always exists.】

[In the southern border, I failed in the healthy competition with Guilliman. Twelve worlds announced their joining Ultramar. One of them was even promised to my allies in Tigrus Forge World in advance. I still have to find a way to appease them.]

[In the Maelstrom, several worlds have just fallen to Terra. The agents of the Sigillite played a major role in this, but another contributor was my other ally, Riza. Their oppression of those worlds was the direct cause, but I can't directly blame them.]

[In the northwest, a large group of greenskin pirates just looted several of my worlds on the front line. Although the local garrison arrived in time and drove the greenskin bandits back, the local construction achievements of several decades were burned. The original resource outflow area has now reversed its momentum, and I need to mobilize more resources to support them. ]

[But those greenskins were just driven out and could come back at any time.]

[In the northeast, of the fifty-five colonies and outposts that were deployed over the past three years, forty-seven were swallowed up by the Ghoul Stars. Even three expeditionary fleets and two Ronin families that had signed a long-term alliance with me disappeared without a trace: the military expenditure in the East is a bottomless pit, and the huge amount of supplies that are filled in every year is just a drop in the bucket.]

[There are all sorts of problems and war situations, and the ever-changing borders and territories. There are almost as many good news as bad news, but often ten good news can offset one bad news.]

"You're troubled by this."

[No, that’s not the point.]

Morgan smiled weakly.

[What really gives me a headache is the latest anti-corruption report: Every year, my descendants join hands with the Midnight Lords to carry out large-scale purges within the Far Eastern Frontier. In the early years, it was still a large-scale purge, and later it was just an inspection of key star regions. This year's results are even more different.]

[It is no longer a purge, nor is it a cleansing of key star regions, but...]

Morgan didn't say anything, and Leman Russ took the report she handed over.

"Well, they said that even if they have used all means, they can only curb the spread of corruption and interest groups and ensure that the main worlds are not affected: the 350 core worlds you mentioned?"

【...That's right. 】

"What about the rest?"

【Is this...】

Morgan sighed.

【I am not able to do it.】

【There is nothing I can do.】

【They are endless to kill.】

【……Why……】

【Let him be. 】

(End of this chapter)