Emperor's Bane

Chapter 874 Terra Crisis - Super Battleship
When Malohurst arrived, General Forge had already guessed his intention.

But Kalbohar decided to wait.

He wanted to see what price Horus was willing to pay to win him over.

And through the sincerity shown by the Warmaster, the Forging General can also measure what kind of status Mars holds in the Warmaster's mind.

The Twister naturally understood such a simple truth: he had been on missions to countless worlds for the Warmaster, and there was no shortage of people in the mortal courts who were as smart as the Forge General. Malohurst had rich experience.

But most importantly: he believed that the Warmaster's promise was rich enough to impress the person before him.

"First, please allow me to present the gift that the Wolf Shepherd God prepared specially for you."

The Twister clapped his hands, and his servants and guards brought up the gift he mentioned, presenting it all the way in front of the Forge General. When Kalbohar opened it with his tentacles and three green eyes carefully examined the treasure inside, Malohurst explained it attentively.

"Please allow me to introduce: out of respect for you and Mars, the Wolf God is willing to give you this gift for free: eight STC fragments."

"Three of them were taken as spoils of war after our 63-19 campaign, where we, along with Master Morgan's Dawnbreakers, destroyed a lunatic who claimed to be the Emperor. But for that reason, there is also a copy of the same material in Avalon."

"That means Riza knows it, too."

The Forge General's voice was low: It has long been an open secret how partial the Lord of Avalon is to her Ryza allies.

"Perhaps: but the remaining six STC fragments are the most valuable."

"They are gifts that the Warmaster received from the Aurelia Technological Nation when they established peaceful diplomatic relations. Now they are given to you. The two you see now, one is a new type of power armor, and the other is a lightweight stellar generator. I don't need to explain their value in detail."

"..."

“Indeed: impressive.”

Kalbohar nodded. He could see the value of these STC fragments.

No matter how many political factors have led to the current Casting General's coming to power, his ability is absolutely unquestionable. He is not only the holder of the longest period of rising production quota on Mars, but also possesses technological secrets far beyond his predecessors: including how to build super battleships more magnificent than the Queen of Glory and secretly transport them out of the solar system.

"But you know, Twister, this gift is not worth the entire Mars."

The Forge-General released the metal tendrils and looked back at the Warmaster's envoy.

He wanted more: greed is the original sin of every Omnissiah.

This is especially true of Casting Generals.

Otherwise, how do you think he managed to hoard technological secrets that far exceeded those of his predecessors?

Malohurst knew that if this was all he could offer, he would only get empty promises from the Forge-General: Kalbohar might become the Warmaster's ally, but he would never be the kind of ally that the Wolf-God expected.

"not to mention."

Kalbohar slowed down his tone.

"I can't even hold the entire Mars in my hands right now, let alone how to help him."

"The Warmaster certainly understands your difficulties."

The twister's tone was calm.

"So, he decided to help you first and then get help from you."

"So what can I expect?"

Kalbohar became interested.

"first."

The Twister paused.

"I can tell you responsibly that the Warmaster has mastered the method of opening the Moravec Vault on Mars. However, for some reason, we cannot reveal this secret now. But I believe this news is enough for those more greedy neutrals to choose you in the war."

"Um……"

The Fabricator-General nodded. He was not worried that Horus might be lying about this matter: the Warmaster was not foolish enough to violate his credibility in this way.

Horus' generosity and heroism are based on his commitment to keeping his word.

"In addition, if Lord Horus can successfully take power on Terra, then when the situation stabilizes, he will negotiate with other primarchs and try to gradually lift the technology ban: Although the historical lessons of the Iron Rebellion cannot be underestimated, we can try it first within a controllable range."

"And this, of course, depends on the strength of you and your followers."

"Will the ban be lifted?"

Kalbohar thought for a moment.

"Both slogans are nice: but they have no real impact on the war."

"I need... more practical help."

"The Warmaster has already thought of this."

Marlowhurst laughed. He could tell that Kalbohar was wavering, and he had deliberately placed the biggest card in Horus's hand at the last step of this conversation: a card that the Forge General could not resist no matter what.

He deliberately dragged out the tone.

"If you need it."

"In the near future, the Warmaster will order the Death Skull Corps stationed in the Wolf Kingdom to return to Mars in batches. Although not all members can return, the Wolf Shepherd God can guarantee that the Death Skull Corps has become stronger than when they set out from Mars, and the help you will receive will only increase."

"..."

The body of the Casting General trembled.

“Can you promise?”

Yes, this is what he needs most.

In the upcoming civil war on Mars, Kalbohar and his followers had all the advantages in every aspect, but they encountered a big setback in the Titan Legion: although there were more divine machines willing to follow the Casting General, the three most important legions on Mars were not under Kalbohar's control at this time.

Firebee, Deathskull, and Storm: If the Trident, the armed forces of Mars, are unwilling to side with the Forge-General, how can Kalbohar convince the people to fight for him?
Among these three, the Firebee Legion can no longer be counted on, as they are the staunch followers of Terra.

As for the Storm Legion, due to some changes in the Great Crusade, they have now actually split into two parts: although the Karaniya tribe fighting outside has an ambiguous attitude towards the Casting General, the Cavalerio tribe that stayed on Mars has now moved its base to Lava City.

In this situation, the only one Kalbohar could count on was the Death's Skulls: the most powerful of the Trident, which had made great achievements in the process of following the Warmaster, and could even be said to be the strongest Titan Legion in the entire galaxy.

If Deathskull is willing to fight for him, the Forge General will have enough confidence to break through the Lava City.

And everyone knows that although the Death's Skull Legion is nominally a subordinate force of Mars, after fighting alongside Horus for two hundred years in the Great Crusade, the vast majority of the Legion's pilots and allies will actually only obey the orders of the Wolf-God.

So, when Horus played this card symbolizing the Legion of Death's Skulls, Kalbohar had no reason to refuse.

The Casting General was silent for a while, then nodded slowly. "So, how long will it take?"

It became.

Malohurst suppressed a smile.

"If you need it, the Death Skull Corps can return to Mars for maintenance and complete the transfer within a year."

"One year?"

Carl Bohar smiled: Of course he knew that this speed was abnormally fast.

"It seems that our Lord Warmaster has been prepared for the current situation."

The Twister did not respond to this statement, he continued to speak Horus' thoughts.

"Of course, this is only the worst-case scenario. If the Warmaster wins the current Terra crisis and is able to take power on Holy Terra, then you don't have to worry about the problems on Mars at all. As your ally, the Wolf God will help you solve them, and Lava City will lose its legitimacy to fight against you."

The Casting General said nothing: he certainly wasn't stupid enough to believe this promise.

Once Horus came to power, would he really have any need for the Forged Generals?
Kalbohar knew very well that what he longed for was the complete independence of Mars, or at least to become the legitimate head of the Imperial Sky Eagle. No matter who finally took control of the empire, it would be impossible for him to fully agree with his demands.

The Mechanicus is too important to the current human empire. Their power and authority are unshakable. If the entire Mechanicus rebels together, the harm caused will be more terrible than the rebellion of half of the Astartes Legion: it may even completely destroy the empire.

Because of this, the Adeptus Mechanicus could never become the other head of the Imperium.

The Casting General is well aware of this.

He and Horus would not be staunch allies.

But if things don't go so smoothly, and the Terra crisis ends in a way that is not favorable to Horus, and turns into more humanitarian disasters...

Kalbohar had to admit that if things really developed to that point, he did have reason to help Horus win: if Terra won, the only one who would benefit would be the Lava City, and if the Warmaster won, he would at least be able to control Mars, and would have the energy to achieve more goals afterwards.

and so……

"Since your Warmaster has made such a generous promise and such an attractive gift, if I don't give anything in return, it will only make the Mars people look like a group of stingy guys."

"Of course we wouldn't do that..."

"okay."

The metal tentacles of the Forge General waved.

"I grew up next to a melting pot, and equal exchange is the principle I have always practiced."

"Go back and tell your Warmaster that the deal he offers is indeed very tempting."

"I think I have no reason to refuse."

"In the meantime: I have a gift here too, which I will give to him in due time."

"..."

Marlowhurst was silent for a moment.

"Can I ask on behalf of the Primarch what kind of gift this is?"

"No problem at all."

Before he finished speaking, a huge blueprint was placed in front of Malohurst, making people wonder if it was prepared in advance.

The twister spread it out bit by bit.

"Is this... a battleship?"

He was confused at first, but soon, only shock remained in the twister's mind.

This huge volume.

This heavy armor.

This brutal muzzle.

Oh my god...oh my god!
Malloryhurst knew nothing about warships, but even from his layman's perspective, the monster depicted on the blueprint was still a behemoth far beyond his understanding: in terms of size, armor, and number of guns, it far exceeded the Spirit of Vengeance in the Twister's memory.

He even doubted whether the pride of the Sixteenth Legion could survive the face of this behemoth.

"This...this is..."

"This is the pride of Mars."

Malohurst's shocked expression undoubtedly made the Casting General feel very proud.

"It is an unprecedented super battleship."

"It will also be the largest ship ever built by humans."

(The Phalanx should be a star fortress, or a special fortress.)
"What is depicted on the blueprint is the real data it will have, without any falsehood: its guns are powerful enough to tear the Queen of Glory apart, its armor is enough to easily withstand the anti-aircraft firepower of the entire world, and it can single-handedly destroy an entire fleet, or even an entire legion. In every aspect, this battleship is uniquely powerful."

"Go back and tell your Warmaster that this is a gift from Mars in gratitude for his generosity."

"This is a super void killer that is comparable to the Mountain Town. I believe it will become the new flagship of the Luna Wolves. Abandon your old Vengeful Spirit. That ship is older than the entire Great Crusade and it is no match for the Mountain."

"But this battleship can. It is enough to threaten the life of the Phalanx. If your Gene Father wants to gain an advantage in the dispute with Terra, then this great battleship is his only choice: unless he has absolute confidence and pulls the stubborn Terra Guard into his camp."

"We will build it in Jupiter's orbital shipyard. Don't worry, I have enough means and ability to avoid the eyes of Holy Terra. If your Warmaster is willing to provide us with enough resources, he will even get more than one such giant ship: we can build at least three at the same time."

"That...that couldn't be better."

The Twister took a deep breath.

Faced with this absolute windfall, he almost lost his sanity, which he was so proud of.

Although it was only a blueprint, the Twister could bet his life on it: if more than one such great vessel served in the Wolf Lord's legions, then even Holy Terra would no longer be a formidable opponent, and in the war, control of the galaxy would belong to the Warmaster.

"May I ask: Does such a great warship have a name?"

"of course."

The Casting General raised his head arrogantly, his three mechanical eyes emitting an ominous green light.

"You can call it: the rage of the abyss."

(End of this chapter)