Emperor's Bane

Chapter 611: The Wolf God's Worry
"Honestly, Horus, your response is far more generous than I thought."

"I guess that's not surprising, is it?"

Hearing the angel's sigh behind him, Horus, who was well prepared, turned around and quickly added a rhetorical question: But despite his confident voice, the wolf god's frown that had not yet dissipated still betrayed his heart, making his smile seem less sincere.

Sanguinius naturally saw everything, but he said nothing. Instead, he focused all his attention on the more interesting thing in front of him: concentration is the most proud advantage of the angels, and he has completely different values ​​from Guilliman.

"That's not surprising. Nothing good about you surprises me."

The angel smiled, which made his words sound extremely sincere: even if you know that he is about to tell a lie, the angel's smile is enough to make you believe that this will be a white lie that is completely for your own good.

"Really?"

Even Horus could not escape this simple means of temptation: after a brief silence, the wolf god could not suppress his inner expectations.

"of course."

The Archangel continued to smile as he quickly caught up with his blood brother: the two were no longer in the lounge as before, but in the passage leading to the secret command room, and the surrounding scene changed from the original deliberately magnificent to the original appearance behind the Spirit of Vengeance.

Quaint, old and decayed.

But it cannot be taken lightly.

Sanguinius was not surprised by this. As a frequent visitor of the Spirit of Vengeance, he knew the truth about this fighter better than anyone else: this Glorious Queen-class battleship belonging to the Luna Wolves had an extremely ancient history and was one of the first warships built by Mars for the Empire. Its achievements were recorded in history, needless to say, but its dilapidated and decayed state was also an indisputable fact.

Due to the wars in the past, and the long-term neglect of the lower decks where the mortal servants lived by the Luna Wolves, many corners of the Vengeful Spirit have been reduced to a maze full of corruption, stench and vermin, but with only a few people walking around: of course, this is a common problem for almost every large warship in the human empire, and only a few warships in the entire galaxy can escape this predicament.

For example, the Emperor's Vision, which is commanded by the Lord of Mankind himself, or the Aurora, which belongs to Morgan, and the Queen of Glory of Sanguinius and Fulgrim respectively: it's not that angels and phoenixes love cleaning so much, they both simply can't bear to live on a dusty and decayed warship, even if it is the Queen of Glory.

As for the question about the Spirit of Vengeance, the angel wisely chose to remain silent.

He continued to focus on the topic that brought him amusement.

Sanguinius blinked, calculating the time it would take him to reach his destination, then thought about Horus's previous words.

Frankly speaking, Horus's answer was somewhat beyond Sanguinius's expectations, but it did not surprise the angel too much, because he knew that the Wolf God was this kind of person: although his answer was unexpected, it was reasonable when he thought about it carefully.

What a complicated person...

Thinking of this, the angel's chuckle even reached Horus' ears.

"what happened?"

The wolf shepherd god turned his head and the angel's whisper blew across the back of his smooth head.

"Nothing, Horus."

“I just wonder: What kind of person are you?”

"what?"

The Wolf Shepherd God raised a brow.

"We have known each other for a hundred years, and our friendship has lasted for the same period of time. Dear Brother Sanguinius, isn't it a little too late for you to think about this problem now? It takes time for a prodigal son to return."

"It's ok."

The angel blinked.

"You'll forgive me, won't you?"

"..."

damn it.

Horus cursed inwardly.

After all these years, Sanguinius still only knows this one trick, there is nothing new about it.

"Of course."

After a few seconds, Horus finally heard his own sigh of willingness.

"But you have to tell me first, why did you suddenly think of this topic?"

The Wolf God stopped and they stood in a dark corner of the passage. There were no descendants or eavesdroppers in front, behind, or around them, which allowed some private topics to be talked about casually. Even Sanguinius, who was always cautious, let down the high walls in his heart here.

"I'm just lamenting about one thing."

The Archangel sighed long and hard, and Horus had to resist the urge to draw his sword and run through fire and water for his angelic brother: Sanguinius' sigh had such power, and his frown only aided and abetted the evil.

"related to me?"

"yes……"

The angel's smile was very sad.

"I wonder, Horus: how confused you are in the eyes of the world?"

"…What do you mean?"

The Wolf God's brows were deeply furrowed the moment he heard the angel's voice, but he still suppressed his temper: Horus instinctively realized that Sanguinius's sigh was directly related to his response to the Eastern Front Legion's march to Ullanor a few minutes ago.

After his heroic declaration of competition, Sanguinius remained silent until he suddenly began to sigh at Horus's magnanimity.

"Think about it, Horus."

The archangel stopped smiling.

"It won't be long before the entire Ullanor front, and even the entire galaxy, will know the news that the Eastern Front Legion is ready to launch a decapitation strike on Ullanor. Anyone with a brain knows the information behind this and will naturally associate it with you."

"I?"

"When someone steals the show, everyone will instinctively look at the original protagonist, right?"

The angel just shrugged.

"Think about it, brother: 350,000 Space Marines, countless mortal auxiliaries and skitarii, several fully equipped Titan legions and supporting knight families, a fleet as vast as the galaxy, and supplies."

“We have these, too.”

"That's right: but now they have it, too."

"Not to mention, there is also Zhuang Sen, the experienced military commander who is in charge. Others may not know his abilities, but you and I are definitely aware of it: although Ran Dan's affairs are no longer allowed to be mentioned, Zhuang Sen's achievements should not be erased."

"I know."

Horus interrupted him. When the story of Jonson and Randan was mentioned, a strange color flickered in the pupils of the wolf god: it was a rather complicated emotion, but the main component of it was immense envy, which was the envy of a soldier for a man with outstanding merit.

"Tell the truth, Sanguinius."

Horus sighed.

"I have always thought that if Jonson had mentioned it to me, I would be willing to use all my power on Holy Terra to help him recover most of the honor that had to be erased after the Randan War: I know the possibility of such a thing is not high, but this is what we should do as his blood brothers."

"Jonson is not good at taking credit for himself: unless someone helps him."

"Why don't you take the initiative to do this?"

"Jonson won't appreciate it."

Horus' smile was bitter.

"I...I have some issues with him."

"Even if I did it on my own initiative, he would just fly into a rage."

"But please believe me, I am willing to be a good brother to Zhuangsen. There are things in him that are worth learning and respecting. The contribution that the lion has made to the empire cannot be erased. When I heard that he would lead the Eastern Front Legion, I was actually more nervous than you think, brother."

“I think other people would think so too.”

The angel nodded. Horus' words did not go beyond his expectations.

"In fact, everyone can see that you are a little afraid of Jonson on weekdays, especially this time, there is a big man standing next to Jonson who can change the situation of the war: as long as our sister Avalon makes a little effort, the decapitation fleet of the Eastern Front Legion can go all the way to Ullanor unimpeded. After all, as long as it is not a catastrophic-level warp storm, it is not an unsolvable problem for Morgan."

"indeed."

Horus nodded.

"She's much better than Magnus."

At this point, the greed in Horus' eyes made Sanguinius frown. He rarely saw Horus show such straightforward emotions.

"Although theoretically, the battle line we are responsible for is closer to Ullanor, there are definitely more enemies in front of us. Moreover, Zhuang Sen has a lot of experience in this kind of solitary battle. If we only reach Ullanor, then it is really a question whether he or I will be first."

"Yes."

The angel sighed again.

"That's why we are curious about your attitude towards this matter, Horus."

"My? attitude?"

The Wolf God was stunned for a moment, but he quickly understood the hidden meaning of Sanguinius' words.

So he laughed.

The laughter sounded very sharp.

"Why, brother, do you think I'll be in such a state of panic over this?"

Horus turned, his eyes burning like torches at Sanguinius.

"Do you think I will panic? Will I be furious? Or curse in the shadows that Jonson has destroyed the honor given to me by the Emperor? Will I still want to compete with me for the position of Warmaster? Or do you think I will be afraid of a head-on battle with Jonson? Or, do you think I will think that I am not as good as Jonson?"

“There are a lot of people who think that.”

Sanguinius simply smiled. Horus's rage and barrage of questions did not affect him at all.

"And your endless chatter proves that their ideas are not groundless."

"…Sorry, brother."

The Wolf Shepherd God felt a little guilty.

"I'm a little excited."

"It's okay, you're always like this."

Sanguinius again: wink.

"And, Horus: you must have had this phase in yourself, didn't you?"

The angel looked at the suddenly depressed look on the wolf god's face with satisfaction.

He admired it for a while before continuing.

"I am actually very happy that you finally showed such a heroic attitude. I know you will not hide it in front of me, Horus. Since you have told me about your heroism, what is burning in your heart now must be the ambition to fight with Zhuangsen, not the timidity of being afraid that Zhuangsen will come to snatch your honor in the eyes of the world."

"timid?"

The Wolf Shepherd God snorted disdainfully.

"I admit that Jonson is excellent."

"Why do they think that Jonson can defeat me?"

"He is indeed my last rival in the competition for Warmaster: but only a rival."

"Why should I be afraid of him?"

"Perfect idea, bro."

The angel clapped his hands excitedly.

"I believe that this was not your original idea, Horus. You must have been struggling in your heart, but in the end you came up with this heroic attitude: courage after careful consideration is more valuable than courage that comes spontaneously, brother."

"Stop flattering me."

Horus smiled, and his original anger began to disappear. He turned around and continued to walk towards their destination. The iron boots of the two Primarchs stepped on the ground without making the slightest sound. Only the echo of their communication remained in the air.

"You are right, Sanguinius."

When they reached the door, the Wolf Shepherd God, who had his palm pressed against the door, sighed.

"In fact, when I first learned about the changes in the Eastern Front Legion, I was even more panicked than you described, Sanguinius: For a moment, I was indeed worried that Zhuangsen would take away the honor of Ullanor given to me by my father, but I soon realized how narrow-minded and stupid my thinking was." "It's simply unreasonable."

Horus laughed at himself.

"I must have been crazy."

Then he shook his head helplessly again.

"Whether or not this crown of Ullanor was intentionally given to me by my father, as the outside world has said, it is first of all an honor, an honor of war. If I don't have the ability to win it in competition, but need to rely on my father's grace to wear the crown of Ullanor on my head, then I would be ridiculous, wouldn't I?"

"By then, I'm afraid even Lorgar or Guilliman will come and make fun of me."

After saying this, the Wolf Shepherd God slowly pushed open the heavy door in front of him.

"You're right. Jonson is indeed a challenge I didn't expect."

"But if it's an honor, isn't it natural to face challenges for it?"

"Let Jonson come."

"This time, I will convince him."

"I never doubted it."

The archangel responded and did not dwell on this topic any more: The Wolf God's attitude Sanguinius would not be able to continue to find the fun he wanted on this issue for a while, but it was worth the trip to witness his blood relative's sudden enlightenment.

After all, his friendship with Horus was more important than happiness... a little bit.

Sanguinius was briefly ashamed of his thoughts, and began to look around Horus's private strategy room: the magnificent star map and strategic command panel occupied every inch of his vision. On the holocron, the details of thousands of battles in hundreds of star systems were constantly turned over and analyzed. The interweaving of intelligence and tactical data announced the tremendous power that the Human Empire had deployed on the battlefield of Ullanor.

But these numbers and good news were not enough to attract the Archangel's interest. What really made him raise his eyebrows was the slight throbbing in the air. Sanguinius caught it very carefully and quickly recognized what it was. He also realized that it came from the instruments in front of them.

"Have you installed psionic plug-ins in all of these command instruments of yours?"

"Yes."

Horus nodded.

"It's an imported product from Avalon. It can be considered as a subsidiary product of their Psychic Academy."

“It’s such a rich place.”

The angel smiled.

"Our sister has the potential to become a business tycoon among the Primarchs."

"How to say?"

"Your legion seems to be accepting unilateral product dumping from the Far Eastern Frontier."

“Because it’s really useful.”

The Wolf Shepherd God argued.

"As long as I bind my consciousness to the psychic plug-in in the instrument, I can adjust any star map I have seen in my memory at any time. As long as I have the most basic soul power, I can do this. It is really convenient to use."

"That's it."

The angel did not continue speaking.

"It seems that you are now accustomed to psychic powers."

"They are indeed...very distinctive."

Horus smiled. He did not directly answer Sanguinius' question, but his eyes told it all. The archangel had already noticed it during their conversation just now: when they mentioned psychic abilities, the greed in the wolf god's eyes was almost impossible to conceal.

Logically speaking, Horus rarely shows such strong greed for anything, but if it is psychic energy that represents a powerful force in itself, it seems understandable, especially when the current Wolf God can indeed access and even master this power.

His greed seems justified?

The angel thought about it, but didn't think about it.

He once again noticed the melancholy look in Horus' eyes as he looked at the star map.

"what happened?"

Sanguinius took a step forward.

"Haven't you figured out how to plan your route to Ullanor?"

"No, I've already thought about it."

Horus shook his head.

"There is more than one way: the Ullanor greenskins are indeed powerful, but they are not smart. With just a little trickery, I can lure away most of their fleet forces, so that the main force can go straight to Ullanor. In any case, I will arrive before Jonson."

"Then what are you worried about?"

"I just……"

Horus was silent for a moment.

"Ah... Sanguinius..."

"what happened?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"explain."

"You feel……"

Horus stared at the star map, his five fingers slowly clenched into fists. The creaking sound made Sanguinius frown.

"After the end of Ullanor, when the Emperor returns to Holy Terra, can our Great Crusade continue? Or, will the Great Crusade still be a Great Crusade at that time: without the Emperor fighting alongside us on the front lines, without more enemies and territories worth conquering, and even opponents like the Ullanor Orc Empire will no longer exist."

"What do you think the Milky Way will look like by that time?"

"An era of peace."

The archangel didn't even think about it.

“Everyone is looking forward to it.”

"……yes."

Horus smiled. He did not refute the angel's words, but looked a little melancholy.

Sanguinius noticed this.

"Don't you like it?"

"Of course I do, I just..."

“I have some doubts.”

"Doubts? What doubts?"

Horus remained silent, but Sanguinius was a little confused about him.

What could the wolf-shepherd god have any doubts about?
What is there to doubt about peace?
"Sanguinius."

After a long time, Horus lowered his head and his voice became much hoarser.

"When peace comes, have you ever thought about what you will do when you return?"

"Have?"

The archangel considered this.

"Perhaps I will return to my home planet Baal with my descendants. I have a plan to gradually improve the ecological environment and human race on Baal. I hope to see my home planet become a normal world again, where people can grow grapevines and make sweet wine that can be drunk."

"Hmm...you already had this plan?"

"of course."

The excited archangel did not hear the gloom in Horus' words.

"From the time I was very young: this was my childhood wish."

"Yes, you spent your childhood on Baal, another life."

"..."

Having said that, the archangel finally understood Horus's thoughts.

"Horus...you are..."

"No, it's nothing."

The wolf-shepherd god was still smiling.

"I just...feel a little emotional."

He licked his lips.

"When the Great Crusade ended, when precious peace came, each of us seemed to have our own destination: you had your own grand plan on Baal, Jaghatai and Mortarion also told me about their plans, even Dorn and Vulkan seemed to have people waiting for their return, not to mention Morgan and Guilliman. When there is no need for war, they will be the second most noble people in the Empire."

"You all have your own world, your own childhood, your own home planet, and another life of your own, a life before joining the Great Crusade: the Great Crusade is just an episode in your life, but when it finally ends, you still have a place to go, and you can still return to where you started."

"but me……"

Horus hesitated.

"Do you know where I'm from?"

"of course."

Sanguinius nodded.

"Lucenia: The Emperor picked you up almost as soon as you landed."

"Yes."

The Wolf Shepherd God nodded, and the worries in his heart were finally completely revealed.

"That is not my home, not my childhood and country."

"The Emperor's ships are my home, the Great Crusade was my childhood, and the Galaxy is my kingdom."

“I have nowhere else to go except here.”

"Luo Jia can be his missionary."

"Jonson can be his knight."

"Leman Russ continues to be a wild man."

"As for Morgan and Guilliman, it goes without saying: they were born with their own crowns."

"When the Great Crusade is over, you will still be kings, saints, and leaders on your respective home planets, with people waiting for you and loving you: you will still have a proud and firm place in the galaxy."

"But when the Great Crusade was over..."

……

"Horus, where should we go?"

------

"I don't think the Emperor will leave you, Brother Horus."

------

"..."

"Sanguinius."

"Isn't our father about to leave me now?"

(End of this chapter)