Emperor's Bane

Chapter 610 Nothing Happened on Ge Rong Star

"You know, everyone is curious about what happened on Goron?"

"You and the Emperor changed the fate of the galaxy here, Horus, but you remain silent about the details. Even Dorn could not suppress his curiosity, but I am the only one who has the courage to ask you and pry into the secrets of the Wolf God's heart."

"So, are you willing to tolerate my unwarranted offense, Brother Horus?"

The long war did not obscure the inviolable source of nobility deep in Sanguinius' soul. Instead, blood and glory made it shine even more: when the pair of white wings that had won glory on a hundred green worlds appeared on the deck of the Vengeful Spirit, even the most arrogant and narrow-minded warriors would begin to spit on the sad rumors about the Archangel of Baal.

Sanguinius was the brightest star of the Great Crusade. Bright, noble and unshakable, anyone who witnessed the Archangel take to the battlefield would be convinced of this: it is no wonder that to this day, Hope Sanguinius is still the voice of authority in the Great Crusade after the Emperor's departure.

Although the Archangel never responded directly to this praise, he was not afraid of meeting his brother and [rival] the Wolf God: in fact, Sanguinius was one of the few guests who could enter any room on the Spirit of Vengeance without any application or prior notification. Even the throne room of Horus himself was always open to this noble brother.

But the Archangel never abuses this power of trust. Every visit of his must have a purpose. Sometimes it is to cheer up the Wolf God and help him get out of some inexplicable setbacks (such setbacks are actually unexpectedly many).
But at other times, he just hoped that the Wolf God could give him an answer: this visit was like that.

And Horus would never refuse this.

"After all, I've never been able to resist your offense, have I?"

The Wolf Shepherd Altar was leaning on a chair made of bronze and iron ore, playing with the wine jar in his hand boredly. The fatigue of the war was all over his face. Even the huge wolfskin cape on his shoulders had become tattered and was casually thrown to the ground. His own servants went to clean it up.

"It's flattering, bro."

The Archangel's smile did not show any sign of being flattered. The Wolf God sighed, waved to the mechanical servants in the distance, prepared another wine glass for Sanguinius, and took the opportunity to slowly pour himself a drink.

"I could withstand the bitter battle against the greenskin fleet over Ghoron, but I could not defend against any of your attacks, Sanguinius: in battle and on the battlefield, you are always unstoppable, and only fools would question your power and majesty."

“It’s just about playing to one’s strengths and avoiding one’s weaknesses.”

The angel smiled, and waited until the Moon Wolves in charge of guarding the room said goodbye and left, then he slowly walked to Horus's table and politely took his wine glass from the servitor's hand: Horus did not understand the meaning of this behavior, which was obviously just some independent thinking.

Are they worthy of pity?

No.

The fact that they can be made into mechanical servants shows that they are not worthy of sympathy.

The Wolf God took a sip of wine, suppressed the wild thoughts in his mind, and turned to look at his brothers who came from afar: Sanguinius's fleet had its own mission, and they arrived here after Horus and the Emperor ended the war on Goron. At this time, the Emperor had already led his expedition fleet away, and only the Luna Wolves were still resting in the ruins of Goron.

So, just by turning their heads, the two Primarchs could see through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows this battlefield that had determined the fate of the entire galaxy hundreds of hours ago: the raging fire here announced the end of the Greenskin Empire and the triumph of the Human Empire.

Before this, Goron was just a broken world located deep in the Draco region, which was filled with meteorites and asteroids. There was not even a need to install an outpost here to declare sovereignty: the invasion of the Ullanor Empire changed all that.

A powerful greenskin leader, the southward vanguard of the Ullanor Orc Emperor, used this place as his base, threatening the Empire's territory in most of the Hazy Star Region, and the entire Draco region was snatched away from the control of Holy Terra in one piece.

This is of course unbearable.

So, when he started the conquest of the Ullanor Orc Empire in the Nebulous Star Region, Horus set Gorron as the most important target and the toughest bone to chew. Naturally, his Luna Wolves took on the war here, and the other participating legions also had their own tasks to prevent the full-scale invasion of the greenskin frenzy.

Under the command of Horus, the Empire's armies came from all directions, and within the first month of the war, they curbed the expansion of the Ullanor Orcs: the war no longer burned on the land under the rule of Terra, but began to push back towards the territory of the Orcs. Each participating legion fulfilled its part of the task diligently and with their help, the Luna Wolves soon succeeded in breaking into the broken galaxy where Goron was located.

Conquering this place would mean the complete collapse of the Ullanor Empire's southward invasion, and the next thing to do would be to counterattack: the battle situation on Goron would determine whether the Wolf God could offer his father the most perfect victory and put a perfect end to the Emperor's Great Crusade.

"Is that really the case?"

Sanguinius folded his wings and had no interest in the wine in the glass. Instead, his eyes were focused on a table in the distance: there was a fruit plate there that was purely for decoration. This was true for Horus, but not necessarily for his distinguished guest.

"It is, and worse."

The wolf-god smiled and waved to the servitor again, satisfying Sanguinius's desire: with the archangel's somewhat embarrassed smile, Horus' fingers brushed over those ruby-like unknown fruits.

“You should try this, bro.”

"I have not seen it, Horus."

"of course."

Horus caught one and slowly skinned and fleshed it.

"This is a special food imported from the Far Eastern Frontier. It is a variant unique to the Avalon region. You can't taste it anywhere else in the galaxy. The fruit farmers in Avalon will accurately calculate its growth cycle and pick it before it's ripe. When it arrives here, it's at its sweetest."

"Yeah... indeed."

Sanguinius tasted one and nodded thoughtfully.

"I think my Baal will never be able to grow this kind of fruit."

"Don't be discouraged."

The wolf-herder glanced at his brother.

"Fruits like this don't come from Morgan's home planet Avalon, but from an unknown advanced agricultural world. It is said that when Morgan founded the Far East Frontier, it was still a terrifying death world. When the Dawnbreaker Legion conquered this land, Morgan discovered its unique value at first sight and revised a whole set of development plans specifically for it."

"Growing fruit?"

"Part-time Garden World: Even Morgan himself has a summer palace there."

"Today, the fruits of this advanced agricultural world are sold throughout the galaxy. It has only been 30 or 40 years. Even the Emperor's Dream will specially purchase them. It can only be said that there is a reason why our Avalon bloodline can own the only two huge countries among the Primarchs."

"You have never praised Guilliman in this way?"

"Let's wait until Macragge's products can be sold throughout the galaxy."

Horus sneered, but Sanguinius knew that his wolf-herder brother was masking his inner fear.

"So far, what Guilliman has sold most to the entire Imperium of Man is nothing more than the fear caused by him: the people of Holy Terra and the Great Crusade are always worried about the slightest disturbance from the Five Hundred Worlds, and after he mobilized so many troops to participate in the war on Ullanor, this fear has reached its peak."

"I can understand the concern."

Sanguinius nodded. He had already eaten three fruits.

"One hundred and fifty thousand, maybe more: what a shocking number."

"Especially when some new intelligence came from the Eastern Front."

The angel returned to the subject, remembering the original purpose of his visit to the Vengeful Spirit.

"You know, Horus: during your conquest of Ghoron."

"Of course I know."

The Wolf-God chuckled, his attitude even more nonchalant than Sanguinius had imagined.

"Indeed, Sanguinius."

"It was on the battlefield of Gorong Star that I received the intelligence about the Eastern Front Legion."

"The same goes for the Emperor."

"...Would you like to hear more details?"

The Archangel leaned forward.

The wolf-shepherd god waved his hand.

"I know what you and the others in Dorn want to know, Sanguinius: you want to know what happened on Ghoron, why the war was so fierce and so short, and why a great mobilization was ordered but then so quickly called off."

"Yes."

The angel frowned.

"We all have doubts about this. After all, every primarch fleet on the entire Obscure Segmentum front received the Emperor's order at the same time asking us to support Goron. In that highly authentic order, the combat power of the greenskins on Goron was unbelievable."

"They said that the hit rate of these greenskins in fleet battles reached 70%. From warlords to goblins, they have all undergone mechanical transformation. Even after death in battle, they can continue to fight under remote control. Moreover, the armor on these greenskins can break the power swords commonly used in the Astartes Legion. But the most important point is that the combat power of the King of Gorron is enough to pose a threat to the Emperor?"

"Is that so, Horus?"

"In general, it is correct."

The wolf god nodded, but the archangel remained unyielding.

"If that's true, then why was the assembly order suddenly withdrawn? We were told that your combined fleet with the Emperor encountered a tough battle in the Goron system, but just when we got rid of the current war and planned to provide support, the war suddenly ended, and Goron had already replanted the Empire's double-headed eagle flag."

"In only a few hours: how did you do it, Horus?"

"We? No."

The Wolf Shepherd God's smile was bitter.

"It's father."

“He changed everything.”

Horus stopped, trying to calm down the turmoil that had arisen in his heart because of the name of the Emperor. Sanguinius on the opposite side did not force his brother, but quietly munched on the fruits imported from Avalon, waiting for Horus to adjust his mentality, while muttering to himself in his heart.

Why didn’t his Blood and Tears import this kind of Avalon fruit?

Those little bastards highly praise every issue of Holy Psychic Codex and its derivative works, and are afraid of missing out on the order. But have they never paid attention to other flagship products produced by the Far East Frontier?
Or, as the primarch of the Ninth Legion, he should set an example as a gene father in this matter: for example, accidentally revealing his recent extensive interest in the field of fruit and vegetable cultivation? The angel was thinking wildly, while Horus had already sorted out his thoughts.

"Listen to me, brother."

The wolf god snatched the last fruit from the angel who was concentrating on eating, causing the white wings behind Sanguinius to flap in dissatisfaction.

"In the Emperor's Orders, the descriptions of the greenskins of Goron are all true."

Horus' voice was a little unclear, and the juice of the fruit flowed from the corners of his mouth.

"Seventy percent hit rate, widespread body modification, and armor that is obviously made of scrap metal but is extremely strong are all situations we actually encounter on the battlefield. I originally planned to use a standard rapid assault tactic to eliminate the resistance forces on Goron, but I got into a difficult battle, even if my father came to help in person."

The wolf shepherd god lowered his brows.

"I also suggested that my father and I lead a crack army to directly launch a decapitation operation against the greenskin leader. But even my father could not find enough loopholes in the greenskin defense system of Goron Star, and our troops were not strong enough to take down this world. The order to assemble was issued at that time."

"Then how do you know that the leader of the Goron Greenskins can pose a threat to the Emperor?"

"That's why I said that."

Horus frowned.

"That's why I said that the assembly order you received was [generally] correct. When the order was issued, we hadn't yet carried out the decapitation operation, so we naturally didn't know how powerful the green-skinned leader of Goron was. How could we have added unnecessary details to the order?"

"Moreover, the order to assemble was spoken by my father himself. I was a witness. It was delivered by his trusted guards. I don't know how this rumor got in. It may be the garbled code caused by the warp."

"……may be."

Sanguinius narrowed his eyes, which did a good job of hiding his insincerity.

"But a few hours later, you suddenly cancelled the order to assemble."

"Yes."

Memories of the beginning of the Wolf Shepherd God.

"I remember it very clearly: at that time, Fulgrim told me about the battle plan of the Eastern Front Legion to launch a long-distance raid on the capital of Ullanor, and then I passed it on to my father. After that, about two hours later, when we were helpless against Goron's situation, my father suddenly found a fleeting and fatal loophole in the greenskins' defense position."

At this point, the wolf god's eyes were filled with an adoring smile.

"Not me, Sanguinius."

"Until now, I still find it hard to imagine how my father found that loophole."

"It's hard to imagine why we never noticed it before."

"..."

Sanguinius said nothing. Horus was the only one talking in the room.

"Everything that happened next happened naturally. My father and I used that loophole to launch a successful decapitation operation. The green-skinned leader was indeed quite powerful and caused some trouble to our father, but it was far from posing a threat to him. With his fall, the battle situation on Goron Star naturally did not require the support of other fleets."

"That's it..."

Sanguinius nodded, and after savoring it carefully, he suddenly laughed.

"Perhaps only Dorn will be satisfied with this story. Others will inevitably complain that it lacks drama: it is not as exciting as they imagined, except for the intelligence from the Eastern Front Legion, which is a bit intriguing."

"yes……"

These words made the Wolf God pause in chewing the fruit. He narrowed his eyes and quickly looked at Sanguinius: the archangel's smiling face was not concealed at all, and Horus soon showed the same smile.

"What do you want to say, brother?"

"I'm just... curious."

The Archangel of Baal deliberately prolonged his soft tone to make his words sound particularly intriguing: Sanguinius did not need more words to express his attitude. When he mentioned the letter from the Eastern Front Legion, he only needed to sit there and give the Wolf God an irresistible cunning smile, which was enough to show his inner thoughts.

"You know what I mean, my dear Horus: you and I are of one mind."

"Humph……"

Horus snorted lightly and did not respond to the archangel's words.

The angel had to speak again.

"Didn't the Khan tell you?"

"A few hours ago, ten thousand times more detailed than Fulgrim's message."

"Yeah……"

The archangel raised his voice, his tone long and ambiguous.

"So, it's confirmed?"

"decide what?"

"Has the Eastern Front Corps already taken action?"

"..."

"And there are 350,000 of them: enough to overthrow the enemy?"

"..."

"The target is Ullanor?"

"..."

"and……"

The angel leaned forward, his smile was so close to Horus that the wolf god could not ignore him no matter what.

"The one who leads them... is Jonson?"

"..."

"Right?"

"That's right..."

Every clink of the wolf god's teeth made Sanguinius smile even more.

"Any ideas, bro?"

He continued to ask questions, genuinely curious about the wolf god's answer.

"idea?"

Horus asked back, and he threw the last piece of fruit into his mouth. The bright red juice flowed down the corners of his mouth, just like real blood. Then, the wolf god slowly picked up his wine glass.

Horus' pupils were submerged in blood-red shadows.

"Do you want to know what I think about all this, Sanguinius?"

"A considered thought: You should have stabilized by now, right?"

"of course."

Horus smiled.

"In fact, I have to tell you that I have had a lot of thoughts: after I learned the news, I had all kinds of emotions you can imagine."

"what about now?"

"There's only one left."

The Wolf Shepherd God smiled, his pupils filled with ambitions that were enough to burn the galaxy.

------

"This war."

"This war in Ullanor."