Emperor's Bane

Chapter 819 Phoenix: Join the gang!

Chapter 819 Phoenix: Join the gang!
After several brief long-distance communications and big data reasoning, the Imperial Army finally decided to restart the war on Murder Star four months after the sacrifice of Torgadon and others.

Although it was only a verbal promise between several primarchs on paper, the Second Battle of the Murder Star was destined to be recorded in the history of the galaxy, because the military force that the Empire would invest in it was luxurious and ranked among the best in the history of the entire Great Crusade.

Naturally, all the Luna Wolves were mobilized. Horus called back every son who could arrive at the battlefield within the specified date, and specially transferred two Titan legions loyal to him: before the Emperor divided his sons, this was an honor that only the Wolf God himself had.

Before the great battle of Ullanor, for the first one hundred and fifty years of the Great Crusade, the mighty God Machines vented their wrath on the battlefield in the name of the Emperor, the Imperium, and the Forge Worlds to which they belonged.

Apart from this, there is no individual or force worthy of their loyalty. Even as powerful as the Primarchs and their legions, they drag these invincible giants onto the battlefield as allies rather than masters: at least that is the case on the surface.

Even Guilliman and Morgan are not the "Masters" of a certain Legion, but only their collaborators: it's just that their words are particularly important in the hearts of the Titan Legions they cooperate with.

The only exception was Horus: long before he became Warmaster, more than one Titan Legion had publicly declared that they would pledge allegiance to the name Horus and regard Horus as their only master, and this honor of being able to stand on equal footing with the Emperor was tacitly accepted by everyone when it first appeared.

The Wolf God thus became the only one among all the Primarchs who could command rather than summon the Titan Legion. This monopoly was not broken until the enfeoffment ceremony of Ullanor: after the Primarchs arrived at their fiefdoms, they naturally gained more power and resources from the Forge Worlds that would cooperate with them for a long time, and the Titan Legion was one of them.

Of course, not all Forge Worlds were willing to do this, and some had already reached a stronger alliance with another Primarch before this, but even with so much chaos, the Emperor's children quickly took over the leadership and at least controlled one or two legions.

The reason is simple: Terra openly favors all the Primarchs in this matter: one of the main reasons why the Emperor divided his sons was that he hoped that the Primarchs would be able to establish effective rule in the remote areas that Terra could not reach through their iron fists. As local tyrants, the various Forge Worlds would naturally not play a glorious role in this plan.

However, even though people like Morgan and Guilliman didn't even bother to pretend and immediately declared the unbreakable subordinate relationship between several Titan Legions and themselves, the Warmaster still had a huge advantage: at least at this time, the number of Titan Legions willing to obey the orders of the Wolf Shepherd God was more than the total number of Titan Legions in the hands of Morgan and Guilliman.

Horus just uttered a light command, and three hundred divine machines came to support him. This decisive force inspired the children of the Wolf God, and the Warmaster himself had decided to use a hearty and bloody victory to write a perfect, vengeful end to the Old Mourning Society, which was destined to become history.

Therefore, the destruction of the Murder Star would not be a simple salvo from the fleet, but a large-scale landing with visible bloodshed, massacre and extermination. This was not only the idea of Horus and the Luna Wolves, but also the attitude conveyed back by the two brother legions of the Emperor's Children and the Blood Angels at the time.

None of them wanted to let an enemy who brought shame upon them disappear so easily.

In fact, to be fair, Horus did not think that continuing to bleed on the Murder Star was a good idea. This practice, which would only increase casualties, made the deep-rooted rationalism in his heart scream. But now he was not only the Primarch, he was also the Warmaster. He should consider the thoughts and voices of more people.

Having left his father, the Wolf Shepherd God is trying hard to become the one who can shoulder all the burdens with a difficult attitude.

He is making rapid progress.

After confirming that Fulgrim and Sanguinius would arrive at the battlefield in person, Horus controlled the time and contacted a certain Spider Queen who was leading her fleet slowly towards here: Although the Dawnbreakers had nothing to do with what happened on the Murder Star from beginning to end, this was not a reason for him to exclude Morgan.

Of course, before that, the Warmaster would have to come up with some proper ways to place the Dawnbreakers in an important and participatory position without any real bloodshed: if Morgan's descendants really died in this battle that had nothing to do with them, his sisters would probably not look favorably upon him.

This was bad: he wanted to develop a further friendship with Morgan.

Even if he's not as good as Jonson, he should at least be better than Leman Russ, right?

Even Ruth?
However, before considering anything about Morgan, the Wolf God had to ensure that another thing that had already happened could be smoothly implemented: two months after Torgaddon's sacrifice, Fulgrim's 28th Expeditionary Fleet finally arrived over the Murder Star after a long journey.

Due to Horus's information blockade, even though Torgaddon's experience was still spread by some big mouths in the Legion, the situation was generally controllable: Although Eidolon was not welcomed by the Luna Wolves, the warriors of the Emperor's Children, led by his subordinates Tarvitz and Lucius, were still treated with courtesy by Loken, Sejanus and others, and the two sides formally established a friendship.

Horus was pleased with this, and he would not tell Loken that it was no accident that the latter met Tarvitz in the corridor, and through these sparks of friendship, after this group of Emperor's Children returned to their legion, Fulgrim also received an invitation from them to a private tea party with the Warmaster.

All of this was to allow Phoenix to maintain a more relaxed state of mind when he boarded the deck of the Vengeful Spirit: Horus knew that his brother would always appear calm and composed, but he did not want it to be a disguise in front of him.

His wish came true.

When the Wolf God finally greeted the Phoenix he had not seen for many years on the cabin deck, he knew that his efforts were not in vain: in the Wolf God's sea-green pupils, Fulgrim's armor was polished to a shine, and the huge golden eagle wings and the bright purple inlaid with gems were far inferior to the charming corners of the Lord of Chemos' mouth.

They hugged and laughed, as if nothing had happened, and just welcomed each other warmly like brothers. Fulgrim waved to Abaddon and the warriors behind him. In front of his charming smile, although these people were grieving for the death of Torgaddon, they had to respect the arrival of the Phoenix and ease the tension between the legions.

Everything happened as the Warmaster wished, and when the two Primarchs' endless reminiscences spread all the way to the archway covered with white silk in Horus's reception room, the Wolf Shepherd God took the opportunity to dismiss the Mourning Society, invited Fulgrim to his room, closed the door, and allowed his children to move freely.

Standing beside him, Fulgrim had already noticed something more.

------

"I noticed that Sanguinius's Blood and Tears was parked on the other side of the Murder Star?"

Fulgrim took the full bronze goblet from Horus's hand. The goblet was engraved with a pack of wolves running under the moon, which fascinated the Lord of Chemos: even if judged by the pickyness of a phoenix, this set of wine vessels was a work of art worthy of cherishing.

"He came earlier."

Horus poured himself a glass as well.

"Sanguinius was lucky: he had thought the warp journey would take him almost a month, but when he emerged from Mandeville Point he discovered that it had only taken him thirteen days."

"That's the charm of the subspace."

Fulgrim smiled back.

"Before, I thought only Morgan and Magnus could encounter such a situation."

"They are two different people."

The Wolf Shepherd God shook his head.

"In front of Morgan, any disorder in the subspace is intentional: even the area that corresponds to the real universe cannot escape the god-like power of our sister. Her fleet will not arrive early or late unless she wants to make time a little chaotic."

When Horus spoke, he deliberately avoided mentioning Magnus' name, but Fulgrim did not dwell on the matter.

"You have high regard for Morgan's abilities?"

"At least in terms of psionics, her strength is as great as her coordination."

The wolf-shepherd god looked out the window.

"For example, Morgan and her fleet will be here soon. Although the distance between the Dawnbreaker Legion and the Murder Star is actually farther than the three of us, our sisters have a way to eliminate this disadvantage. The Aurora may appear in Mandeville Point at the other end of the galaxy within ten minutes."

"ten minutes?"

Phoenix raised his brow.

"Then you're not going to prepare a welcoming ceremony?"

"She doesn't like it."

Horus smiled.

"The last time we talked, Morgan asked for the coordinates of the Vengeful Spirit as a gift for her. According to her, if she wants to visit me, we just need to be in the same galaxy. She can use these coordinates to come to the Vengeful Spirit and knock on my door directly."

"Well, that's great: I couldn't even imagine psionics being used like that."

"Who says it isn't?"

The Warmaster seemed to be trying to appear more open-minded, but his smile did not reach Fulgrim's eyes.

"To be honest, Phoenix, I am sometimes glad that Morgan's return time is not the earliest among all people: she unveiled her veil after the Great Crusade was on track. There were at least fifteen brothers ahead of her. When she was fighting in the name of the Dawnbreaker, we, especially I, had made enough contributions."

"Otherwise, I don't have much confidence that I can keep my warmaster crown in front of the Lord of Avalon."

The Wolf God jokingly tapped the circle of golden leaves on his head, and Phoenix laughed in the same relaxed manner.

"To be honest, I thought you would never confess such a thing in your life."

"Indeed: but now I am perhaps a new person?"

Horus glanced at Fulgrim absentmindedly: the implication of the Phoenix's words certainly did not escape him.

"But, from what you say: do you really think I will keep dwelling on this?"

"Just a guess."

Fulgrim did not acknowledge it.

"After all, what happened on Ullanor is indeed impressive. Although we all know that the so-called supporters of Jonson are just a big tent with a mixed bag, being able to connect these people shows great ability: it is not easy to balance Guilliman's ambition and Perturabo's vanity."

"indeed so."

Horus put the wine back on the table, without drinking a drop.

"But Morgan is lucky. She only needs to make a balance like this once. Jonson has given up all thoughts of glory, and the duties of Warmaster have fallen to another. Now, it is my turn to weigh Guilliman's ambitions against Perturabo's vanity."

"I guess you're prepared."

Phoenix also put down his wine glass. He leaned his body forward, and slightly bent his center of gravity downward. It seemed that he was facing the Wolf Shepherd God with a lower posture. However, his smile was still neither humble nor arrogant, but with a hint of playfulness.

"But this preparation should not include the trouble I caused you, right?"

Horus glanced at him.

"Don't worry, anyone can cause trouble: no one is exempt."

"Do you think that people like Sanguinius and Dorn have never caused me trouble?"

"At least their offspring won't."

Fulgrim shook his head. "After all, I come here to apologize, brother."

“There’s no need to dwell on it.”

Horus looked at his brother, and when Fulgrim met his gaze, the wolf-god blinked just at the right moment.

“Let the past be the past: regret will bring you the motivation to strive for the future.”

"Those are two different things."

Phoenix shook his head, his face serious.

"Listen, Horus."

“I do pursue perfection, but this does not mean that I will deliberately turn a blind eye to the mistakes I have made for the sake of perfection: ignoring the appearance of cracks will only make them grow bigger, but as long as we have the courage to face them and change them, even cracks can become new art, and even broken aesthetics are included in perfection.”

"I understand that."

The Shepherd God nodded.

“The ancient Greeks believed that imperfect beauty could better reflect the ideal of beauty.”

“But I prefer the complete one.”

Fulgrim smiled.

"So, please accept my apology."

Horus said nothing, knowing that speaking at this moment would be mistaken for greed.

"First, I want to say Eidolon: He has always been one of my favorite children. His ability and loyalty are unquestionable, but even I am troubled by his attitude and arrogance. It's just that the friendship between father and son makes me always miss the best opportunity to teach him."

"But not this time, bro."

Phoenix's voice was firm.

"I have issued an order. Eidolon's position as Chief Lord Commander will be revoked. He will no longer be the person second only to me. His duties and honors will be reduced accordingly, but they will not be completely erased, because he still needs to continue to prove that he is worthy of his position in the legion as a Lord Commander."

"And before that, he will not be given the power to speak within the core of the Legion."

"I am going to demote him: the border of the Maelstrom lacks a person to take charge."

"I thought the Maelstrom was the area that Akudona was responsible for."

"Akudona is indeed his superior: no one else can suppress him."

Phoenix chuckled.

"There is no need to question this punishment, brother. The Emperor's Children are different from your Legion."

"For my sons, being demoted and losing my trust due to military failure is unprecedented: you do not understand the worship of the Emperor's Children for their superiors, and what Eidolon is losing is worship, which is more terrible to him than death."

"And I will no longer favor him: at least until he can atone for this sin."

"You announced this publicly?"

"It wasn't public, but most of the people in the Third Legion already knew about it."

"..."

Horus remained silent. He was aware of the special circumstances within the Emperor's Children Legion. For these descendants of Fulgrim, losing the positions they had worked so hard for and being publicly sentenced to lose the favor of the Primarch was indeed a punishment more terrible than death.

With such severe punishment, what right does the Wolf God have to feel dissatisfied?

After all, the Third Legion's system was built on layers of worship. Ordinary soldiers worshipped their superiors, superiors worshipped higher-ranking officers, and everyone worshipped the Primarch and the Emperor like the ancients worshipped the sun: falling from such a pyramid would mean losing more than just power and glory.

Among other things: after Eidolon was no longer the chief lord commander of the legion, he no longer had the power to command Tarvitz and Lucius, and the other lord commanders and senior officers who could participate in core meetings would even be implicitly ranked above him.

In other words: Eidolon will fall from the second or third position in the legion to outside the top 20.

"But that's not all, bro."

Fulgrim paused.

"This can only express my sincerity, but it cannot express my apology."

"You know, Horus, I have always believed in fair trade, and in mutual trust and reliance between brothers and friends. In the cruel land of Chemos, if the prospect of cooperation is destroyed due to momentary greed and misunderstanding, both sides will only be destroyed. I have witnessed these things with my own eyes, so I will not let the betrayal of brothers happen to me."

"Nor will I be unjust to anyone: least of all to you, my beloved brother Horus."

Phoenix raised his glass of wine and saluted the Wolf God.

"Since the Luna Wolves have shed blood for the mistakes of my children, my legion has the responsibility to return the same blood: you can get a promise from me, brother, from this moment on, you will have a chance to summon the entire Emperor's Children Legion."

"One chance: We will not delve into why you did this, nor will we be afraid of any enemy you face. I will mobilize all the forces at hand and stand firmly with you, even if the Third Legion has to shed blood for this."

"Of course, only once."

Phoenix blinked.

"At other times. I will respond to you only out of friendship, not duty."

"me too."

Horus picked up the wine glass. The sound of bronze colliding sounded so pleasant.

"But let me be clear, Phoenix: I don't think I'll ever use this opportunity."

The Wolf Shepherd God used a half-joking tone and carefully considered his next words.

"After all, in the current galaxy, is there any powerful opponent worthy of our two legions' full efforts? I can't drag you to fight against the High Lord of Terra, right?"

"If you have a legitimate reason, then why not?"

Fulgrim smiled and waved his hand dismissively: Horus honestly doubted that he was even listening to what he was saying.

"Anyway, Horus: I have never really liked Malcador and his High Lords Council. They are too snobbish and inefficient. They are far from perfect and even far from passing the standard."

Phoenix snorted.

"To be honest, brother, although I have long understood that we cannot rely too much on mortals, I am still disappointed by those Terrans: given their greed and short-sightedness, the foundation we have worked so hard to build may collapse in just a few generations. The fruits planted by the Emperor should not be picked by these people. They are not qualified and capable of doing so."

"Who doesn't know that?"

The wolf-shepherd god filled the glass of wine again.

"But now it is Malcador and his minions who sit in that position."

"..."

Phoenix glanced at him.

"You don't like them either?"

"You should go find out how many of the Primarchs like them."

The Warmaster laughed unexpectedly deeply, and he and Fulgrim clinked their glasses for the second time in silence.

"It's better to say: When I want to argue with those Terrans, can I count your promise as my confidence?"

"Why not?"

Fulgrim chuckled.

"But I think: this would stop our blood from flowing, wouldn't it?"