Emperor's Bane

Chapter 624: Empathy

"I heard that your Dark Angels Legion completed the last stage of the combat mission with less than 500 casualties. Not only did it destroy the orcs' control tower, but it also completely paralyzed the entire Ullanor Palace, killing the greenskins' last chance of a counterattack."

"What a fierce attack, brother. I don't think I can reach your level."

As the victor of the war, the Wolf Shepherd God had a deep voice, slow steps, and a calm demeanor in every gesture: it was hard to imagine that just a few hours ago, this Primarch had just experienced a life-and-death crisis and returned from the gates of hell in Ullanor.

However, among the 100,000 Luna Wolves who followed him into the battlefield, at least 30,000 lacked such good luck: the Human Empire lost nearly 150,000 Astartes warriors in the entire Ullanor Crusade, which was a huge sacrifice unprecedented in the past fifty years. Among all the heroic souls sleeping in Ullanor, the Luna Wolves accounted for the highest proportion.

A cliff-like lead: for every three warriors of the other Astartes Legion fell, two Sons of Horus died heroically. Even the total blood shed by the Imperial Fists and the Ultramarines Legions was far less than the sacrifices made by the 100,000 warriors under the command of the Wolf God on the battlefield of Ullanor.

As for those chaotic cases in the void that could never be counted in detail, there were so many of them that it was jaw-dropping: in order to meet the earnest expectations of their Gene Father before the war, the Sixteenth Legion brought out all the cards that enabled them to compete for the title of [Strongest Legion], especially the Cthunian-style, fearless charge and bloodiness.

Perhaps it's because most of the members of the legion come from gangster backgrounds, and compared to their brother units, the warriors of the Luna Wolves rarely think: it's not that they are not good at using their brains, but rather that instead of thinking, the Luna Wolves prefer to blindly obey the orders of their primarch and superiors and go with the flow. Of course, there are people with independent thinking, but they are at an absolute disadvantage in the legion.

Weaknesses like these are not only widely distributed among the grassroots warriors of the Legion, but also extend to the core circle of the Primarch: the most famous "Council of Four Kings" in the Empire, which is relied upon by the Wolf God as a trusted think tank, is also similarly "action-oriented" in most of its members.

Abaddon, needless to say, was notorious for his reckless behavior; although Torgathon seemed humorous and quick-witted, he had no opinions on real big things and seemed less reliable; as for Archimandre, known as "Little Horus", he was a typical figure who embodied this problem. The most commendable thing about him was his absolute obedience and worship of Horus.

These three people occupy three seats in the Council of Four Kings: don't forget that the most important responsibility of the Council of Four Kings is to provide rational advice to the Primarchs at critical moments, even if it means disobeying their Gene-Father and upholding the truth that is beneficial to the Legion. Such an organization is matched with such members, which sounds like a sad joke.

Since this is the case with the head, one can easily imagine the rest of the legion.

But precisely because of this, at the command of Horus and with the full approval of the Council of Four Kings, the Luna Wolves made an almost seamless switch and displayed a refreshing style in the Battle of Ullanor: they broke away from their past habit of "picking peaches" that was criticized by others, and from the moment they set foot on the land of the Orc Empire, the Sixteenth Legion followed the pace of the Primarch and unhesitatingly became the vanguard of the entire expedition.

Ride your horse and whip it, forever.

This brought huge sacrifices, and the Moon Wolves' heavy losses were inevitable, but their blood did bring about some new changes for themselves: at the very least, the soldiers of other legions finally looked at them with more real admiration and recognition, and no one would deny a genuine vanguard army.

And this kind of gaze is exactly what Horus wants. With it, the Wolf God can proudly face any responsibility or any blood relative in the galaxy: even if the person standing in front of him is Jonson, the hero who actually ended the entire Ullanor War, the Primarch of the Moon Wolves can get along with him on an equal footing.

But on the other hand, behind the straight spine were the Wolf God’s clenched fists and beads of sweat as sticky as blood: Horus had never been a ruthless father, nor would he use his beloved offspring as bargaining chips. When the casualties of the Ullanor Expedition passed away in his mind, even the Wolf God’s iron heart would be hurt by this string of ruthless characters.

But he has no regrets.

Because he knew that these pains were what the Moon Wolves needed most right now.

It is also what he needs most now.

------

He must force himself, force himself to learn to sacrifice, to learn to face sacrifice.

It can't be the same as before.

------

The roar in his heart was fleeting, and when Horus came to his senses, he found that his smile was a little stiff, but fortunately the Caliban people opposite him didn't care about these things: in fact, when Jonson faced the sudden visit of the Cthunian brothers, the lion seemed to have always maintained a certain distance.

If Morgan were here, she would be able to tell at a glance that this was the Caliban people pretending to be indifferent when they were undecided in their hearts. It was just that because the lion looked like this on a daily basis, it was basically impossible for outsiders to recognize it.

Moreover, with Zhuang Sen's willpower, he rarely falls into such confusion: this often means that the lion's values ​​have been greatly challenged, or he has really encountered a "century problem" that he cannot figure out or is in a dilemma.

Almost fifty years had passed since the last time the Calibans showed this state. The reason for that time was the betrayal of the Erased One. When the news that the bastard had really betrayed the Emperor and the Empire was confirmed by their Gene-Father, even Jonson was in a trance for many days.

Even for a lion, it is difficult to accept the reality that someone would actually betray the Emperor.

Compared to that time, Jonson is now at least a lot calmer: it may also be that Horus has never put too much pressure on him.

"It's just that practice makes perfect."

After taking in all of Horus's flattery, Jonson was silent for a moment before responding in a stiff tone. His expression vividly showed that his mind was wandering, and his thoughts were not on the Wolf God in front of him, nor on the Dark Angels who were carefully cleaning up the battlefield around him.

Horus didn't care about it at all.

He waited patiently, waiting for Jonson to end his wandering. They passed under the burning tower and walked all the way to the palace of Ullanor that stretched for dozens of kilometers. From time to time, the mechanical priests' exclamations with flashing electronic noises flashed in his ears: Even though it has collapsed, the various legacies left by the Orc Empire to this world are so magnificent and huge that they are enough to exceed the imagination of the great sages of the Mechanicum.

Not to mention their performance and the fact that there are so many of them that they are almost impossible to count.

In front of such a unique treasure house in the entire galaxy, the Wolf God even witnessed an incredible scene with his own eyes. He saw the Mechanical Priests from Mars and Ryza advancing side by side, picking at will from the relics that were everywhere in the Ullanor Empire, and even helping each other: in the face of huge interests that could not be divided up at all, even the two giants of the Mechanicus who were incompatible with each other were in a good mood to coexist peacefully for a while.

It was a pity that he and Jonson could not do that.

Horus sighed quietly: No matter what outsiders thought, the Wolf God really came to his Caliban brother with great goodwill. Although theoretically, they were still rivals for the position of Warmaster, he did want to check on the Dark Angels and other brother units in the Eastern Front Legion and see if he could be of any help.

"After all, this is the responsibility given to me by our genetic father."

Horus's face was serious, and he looked at Jonson fearlessly. The Calibanite looked at his wolf brother indifferently, and the sensitive instincts of the beast boiled in his heart: they stared at each other for almost a minute, and then Jonson silently shifted his gaze.

He was sure that Horus meant it.

"The Emperor has left?"

The Lion King asked, and Horus nodded with some concern.

"Two hours ago, before setting off, he entrusted the matter of Ullanor to me and asked me to look after your situation. I'm sorry, brother. There are still some greenskins who need to be strangled on my front line. These stragglers delayed me for several hours."

"Understandable."

Jonson tilted his head and listened to the sound of explosive bombs firing over the horizon.

"Although most of the greenskins have died in the previous explosion, even the remaining stragglers are counted in the millions or even tens of millions: it will take at least a few weeks to completely clean up these dangerous substances from the land of Ullanor, and then we can think about the future of this world."

"Leave it to my legion."

Horus patted his chest.

"My warriors didn't have a good time."

"Alright."

Jonson was silent for a moment.

"Then the purification of other Ullanor worlds will be left to my legion."

"As to this matter, we had better await the Emperor's will."

The Wolf Shepherd God shook his head.

"After all, this is about whether to expand the expedition further: and it won't take long."

"The Emperor should be able to recover soon."

The extra meaning in this statement made the Caliban frown uncomfortably.

"You mean: the Emperor is really injured?"

"Yes."

Horus lowered his eyebrows, and the guilt on his face was carefully examined by Zhuangsen, looking for something unusual inch by inch: But even though the lion looked at it three times without giving up, he could only shake his head to confirm that Horus' guilt and sadness at this time were sincere.

"The orc emperor may have some hidden cards. Our father was indeed injured in the confrontation with him. Although he said it was not life-threatening, he will have to rest for at least a few days or even weeks. I am thinking now, Zhuang Sen, if I had arrived earlier, maybe I wouldn't have..."

"It's not your problem."

The lion lowered his voice.

"Who would have thought that it would actually be..."

He pursed his lips.

"Horus, I think you should remember what happened at Randan?"

"This is different, Jonson."

The Wolf Shepherd God shook his head.

"We shouldn't doubt Father."

The lion did not answer, still accumulating his own thoughts in his gloomy eyes.

After a long time, he finally spoke, but it was already another topic.

"Morgan told me that when you learned that the Emperor's life was in danger, you immediately abandoned everything on hand, left behind your legion and the ongoing war, and rushed to the Emperor's side without stopping?"

"...That's right."

Horus hesitated. He could hear the disapproval in Jonson's words.

"Do you think this is right, Horus?"

"I'm not sure." The Wolf God took a deep breath.

"But if time goes back, I will definitely make the same choice: no matter how many times I am given the choice, I will rush to the Emperor's side at all costs, even if it means I have to pay an unimaginable price, but the Emperor's dying is better than them."

Jonson did not reply immediately, as he tried to judge whether Horus was sincere at this moment.

"You should know that it is impossible for the Emperor to face a life-and-death crisis with his abilities."

"How to say?"

Horus frowned.

"You think we should put the Emperor's life above all else?"

"No, Jonson. It is wrong to gamble with the Emperor's life."

"What if the other side of the scale is about the life and death of countless people: like the scene just now, if the choice we have to make is the victory of the Emperor and the victory that the Emperor is willing to sacrifice everything and even his life for, how do you know that your hesitation will be the right one?"

"I'm sorry I don't agree with that."

Horus shook his head, not even taking the time to think about the question.

"Listen, Jonson. I know that when you learned that the Emperor was in danger, you wanted to save him at all costs. You instinctively made the same choice as I did. I have no doubt about your loyalty and devotion, because my father told me all this himself. His psychic ability can see beyond the visual field."

"At the same time, I also know that you finally chose to stop and use your sword to win the entire war. I can't say that your idea is wrong. After all, this is a difficult choice: the life of the Emperor or the victory of the war. No matter which one you choose, it is understandable."

"This should not be a reason for us to attack each other here."

Horus smiled at him, and Jonson was noncommittal: but he did not deny it either.

"It's just that you chose victory in the war after weighing the two options."

"And I chose the Emperor's life."

"That's not wrong, Jonson."

The Wolf Shepherd God shook his head.

"Just as I cannot convince you to give up victory for the possible danger of the Emperor, you cannot convince me to take desperate steps when I know that the Emperor is in danger of life: Brother, for me, I am willing to put the Emperor's life above all the victories in the galaxy."

"I don't think he would agree with that view."

"Don't try to convince me."

Horus blinked.

"Because I believe that as long as we can save the Emperor's life, even if we temporarily lose the victory in front of us, we can eventually win it back in the future: as long as the Emperor's orders can be implemented, even temporary failures can be tolerated."

"Is this what you think, Horus?"

"Yes."

Jonson was silent, his emerald eyes flickering with thought.

"tell me."

The Primarch's voice was stiff.

"If you were the Warmaster, would you share this view?"

The question made Horus pause, but he did not dwell on it.

"I don't think the position of Warmaster is worth changing my values."

"That is to say..."

The Lion took a deep breath.

"Even if one day the Emperor asks you to deliberately swallow a failure..."

"of course can."

The wolf god did not hesitate, and the burning adoration in his eyes moved Jonson.

It also scared him.

"If the Emperor so orders, I will accept defeat with equanimity, brother."

“Even though I’m about to win.”

"..."

Johnson was silent.

He was silent for a long time.

The voice was decisive.

"But I will not, Horus."

"what?"

"I will never accept a defeat that was deliberately planned, and I will not let victory slip away."

"No matter what: even the Emperor."

"Do you know what this means?"

For the first time ever, the lion actually smiled at his wolf brother.

"This……"

Horus was stuck. He had never expected the topic to extend to this point.

He just came to help.

"What does it mean?"

"It means that you remind me of the guy I trust the most so far."

"His name is Luther."

"Ah, I know him."

The wolf-shepherd god laughed.

"I am glad that you would compare me with such an outstanding person, Brother Jonson: Aside from the inherent advantages of being the Primarch, I do not have the confidence to be as good as Lord Luther in many issues..."

"Do not."

Jonson shook his head.

"That's not what I meant."

"I'm talking about something else: the identity and expectations that I gave him."

"And the reasons why I did it, why I chose him."

"I chose him, and now you remind me of the reason why I made this choice: when I put myself in the Emperor's shoes, some of his choices seem natural to me."

“Because I would do the same.”

Zhuangsen's smile made Horus feel a little confused. He could feel an obvious bitterness in the lion's smile, but it was also followed by a certain calmness, like the relief in the sigh after the clouds finally cleared and the letting go of obsession.

Although it is very light, and although it seems that it has not been completely let go, the idea is already there.

"what do you want to say in the end?"

“I want to say: This means…”

The lion pursed his lips.

He didn't say the next sentence, he didn't say that sentence...

"..."

"You win, Horus."

(End of this chapter)