Emperor's Bane

Chapter 948: Support

Chapter 948: Support
"so."

"Do you really have thirteen Titan legions?"

In the shade of the trees where only the wind rustles through the trees, the voices of the Caliban inevitably stirred.

Like a wisp of flame dancing in the darkness.

Look at what you're saying, Zhuang Sen.

Have I ever lied to you about this?

How many troops should there be? How many troops are available? Haven't I always made it very clear?

Seated opposite the lion, the Lord of Avalon was not at all surprised by the first question he faced.

You could even say that this was her purpose in deliberately saying those words earlier.

If you want to gain Zhuang Sen's trust, there is indeed a quicker way than listing out all thirteen Titan legions and transferring full command to him: This is not to mock the Lion's haphazard military tactics, but there is actually a very logical and systematic reasoning behind it.

For any power in the galaxy, the thirteen Titan legions are not a force to be reckoned with. Very few people can come up with such a number: to be more specific, within the entire Imperium of Man, there are fewer than five people who dare to make such an extravagant promise, and even Rogdorn does not have such qualifications.

It's not that Dorn, as the nominal Terran Guardian and the actual military commander of Terra, would be so strapped for cash that he couldn't even muster a mere thirteen Titan legions: rather, given Dorn's power and personality, he simply couldn't bring himself to privately promise such high-level command authority to someone else, even if that person was a military hero with outstanding achievements and impeccable loyalty like the Lion of Caliban.

Rogdorn has no right to do that.

Rogdorn would never do that.

Johnson knew this all too well: it was precisely this aspect of the Invites that he admired most.

However, the same situation would be completely different if it were applied to Morgan, the Lord of Avalon.

The Spider Queen was one of fewer than five people capable of commanding thirteen Titan legions: as close relatives who had been inseparable for over a hundred years, the Caliban knew Morgan's management skills all too well.

Therefore, even though Morgan had always claimed that she only had three Titan Legions under her command before, she was now able to produce ten more: in any case, Johnson wouldn't be too surprised by this.

Only a true idiot would think that Avalon, with its current size, would be so humble as to only retain the share of three Titan legions in the long term.

Moreover, Johnson was well aware that his sister had a secret hobby: she probably learned it from her ally, Riza. However, this hobby did not prevent Morgan from lavishly using his power in those truly crucial moments.

At least in Johnson's memory, Morgan never tried to preserve her military strength in any situation where they had to fight with all their might.

Even the Dawnbreakers, who are usually treasured like the apple of their eye, were still sent to the meat grinder in whole platoons during the Third Randan War, or that forgotten war: and the Spider Queen who commanded them wouldn't even blink an eye.

Honestly, Morgan in that state even inspired a rare sense of awe in Johnson.

Unless there was something truly urgent, Johnson would never approach Morgan at that time: just as a wild beast would not approach a monster more ferocious than itself.

Normally, he would have the commander who performed the worst in the previous battle relay the message: this was considered a very deterrent and effective form of punishment within the First Legion's command structure. Many of those who were not psychologically strong developed varying degrees of psychological trauma or illness after facing the Spider Queen, who was surrounded by a low-pressure atmosphere.

But it was precisely this genuine impression that allowed the Caliban to be certain of their ideas.

The mere promise of thirteen Titan legions is enough to confirm Morgan's identity.

Who else could it be?
Horus?
Guilliman?
Malcador?
Even an emperor?
Of course, an emperor is also an option.

But wouldn't it be better if the emperor were standing in front of Zhuang Sen?
Moreover, none of the aforementioned individuals would relinquish command to Zhuang Sen.

This is also the most important point: Morgan is the only one in the entire galaxy who would do this.

that's why.

Rogdorn was the brother Johnson respected most.

Morgan, however, was Johnson's most trusted brother.

These two titles seem equally prestigious, but the implications they carry are far less: When Johnsen chose not to side with the Terra Guardians, but instead chose to believe the Lord of Avalon, who had not yet expressed his stance, the entire First Legion did not object to this. Whether they were newcomers or veterans, they were all more united in supporting the Primarch's viewpoint on this issue than ever before.

But it's also relative: Johnson also has to be sure that the Morgan in front of him is real.

As for the method?

Of course, we continued to delve deeper into the question of the thirteen Titan legions.

cough……

It's not that the Primarch was particularly greedy for this power.

He primarily determined the authenticity of the dream conversation by examining whether there were logical flaws in Morgan's account and entrustment: the Primarch was confident that even the most cunning and shrewd conman in the galaxy could not perfectly replicate every aspect of his conversation with Morgan.

Although they haven't officially met in a long time.

But if there is even the slightest flaw, the Caliban will definitely be able to spot it.

No one can fake Morgan in front of him.

Just as no one can pretend to be the Emperor, Luther, or Cosway in front of him.

Therefore, interrogation is necessary.

It's definitely not because of any other reason.

On the other hand, even if Morgan told him that the Far East frontier was completely unprepared for war, would Johnson then abandon Avalon?
Even if he had such a thought, the dark angels under his command would not agree.

The Terrans have their pride, and the Caliban knights naturally have their beliefs. No matter how many issues they have with each other, they will never abandon their promises and allies: those who betray their comrades do not deserve the name of the First Army.

A dark angel who likes to turn against his own people will only become a laughing stock.

Zhuang Sen understood this simple principle, of course.

Morgan couldn't possibly be unaware of this.

So, in response to Zhuang Sen's question, the Spider Queen simply took out her documents at a leisurely pace.

She would naturally record the names and strength of the thirteen Titan legions in as much detail as possible.

But it's just a general concept.

Even the Spider Queen couldn't possibly know everything about the Far East frontier: the Titan Legion was precisely in the gray area she was referring to.

Strictly speaking, after all.

They were merely allies: they could never be as close as offspring or subordinates.

But this did not prevent Morgan from standing tall in front of Johnson and listing out names one by one.

Each one symbolizes a power capable of changing the course of a battle.

[The Sharpened Legion, the King's Champion Legion, the Victory Legion, the Abyss Legion, the Horn Legion, the Nightmare Legion, the sister legions of the Sun and Rose, the Phoenix Legion, the Claw Legion, the Sentinel Legion, the Steel-Breaking Legion, and the Levadin Legion.]

Thirteen names, symbolizing power, shone brightly on the thin sheet of paper in front of Zhuang Sen.

The Caliban stared at it, their faces serious.

“Impressive, Morgan.”

"But I remember, shouldn't your most powerful forces be the Warbringer Legion and the Queen's Hand Legion?"

[He's in there too.]

The Lord of Avalon pointed out two names.

The Sharpened Legion is the Legion of Warbringers, and the Champion Legion is the Legion of the Queen's Hand.

The Titan Legion's naming conventions are rather peculiar. They typically have an official name and an alias: just as the Flame Legion of Mars is nicknamed the Firebees, the Death Legion the Dead Skull, and the World Eater's Brute Legion has the more famous moniker of Ember Wolves.

"I know that."

Zhuang Sen nodded.

Strictly speaking, the Dark Angels are quite out of place in this respect. Other legions have closely cooperating Foundry Worlds and Titan Legions, but the Dark Angels' duties are too special: thanks to the Emperor's personal decree of Icarus, they are capable of taking action against any Foundry World at any time, which naturally makes it inconvenient for them to have their own Mechanicus allies.

After all, the vast majority of Titan legions in the galaxy exist in dependence on various Forging Worlds.

At this point, the Caliban naturally thought of the most crucial question.

Morgan's thirteen Titan legions don't seem to be fake, so...

"And what is the size of these legions?"

Without a doubt, this is the most important question.

The Titan Legions are also divided into levels, and the formula for classifying these levels is extremely complicated. However, the most straightforward and important factor is how many God Machines a legion can mobilize: top-tier legions like the Trident of Mars can mobilize up to two to three hundred Titans, while the smallest legions may only be able to pull out a dozen or so Titans, or even less than a small squad on the edge of the Trident.

Johnson had no doubt about the potential of the three old Titans that Morgan had started with: but the other ten were another matter.

Are you asking about the quantity?

After all these years together, even without the lion uttering a sound, the Spider Queen knows everything about him.

She looked at the clear water in her palm and slowly shook it to create ripples.

Indeed, quantity is the most important factor.

More important than elite troops is a vast quantity of usable weapons; that's the key to victory.

Of course, a large number of elite troops would be even better.

However, there is one thing I need to clarify, Zhuang Sen.

The Spider Queen raised a finger.

Even I can't say for sure how many Titans I command, just as I can't say how many Knights my banner can summon, nor how many Guardians the Forged Worlds will provide for me: they are, after all, my allies, not my subordinates, and like me, they often have a habit of keeping things to themselves; no one knows what they will pull out at crucial moments.

But one thing is undeniable.

It will only be more than what's on the books, never less.

"That's enough."

The lion nodded.

He was, after all, someone who had commanded several major wars and was already very familiar with these matters. Getting a forging world to explain exactly how many trump cards he had up his sleeve was an almost impossible task: even if the archbishops and mechanical priests were willing to tell the truth, it would be difficult for them to accurately count the truth about the furnaces and pipelines.

Not to mention that under Morgan's control, there are at least twenty named casting worlds.

"Just tell me a rough number."

Zhuang Sen leaned forward slightly.

He no longer cared whether the Morgan in front of him was real or not: this was definitely his blood relative.

What he is more concerned about now is how much troops and assistance he can get on the lands of the Far Eastern border.

This is of great importance to him.

After all, he was destined not to bring too much military power to the land of Avalon, and the wealth left by Morgan would be the main force for Johnson for a long time to come, and even in the entire Galactic War.

Don't rush, we need to look at it separately.

Morgan extended a finger, dipped it in water, and quickly wrote a series of numbers on the stone tabletop.

If we only consider the data on paper, then let's take the most optimistic scenario.

[Through full and thorough mobilization, the Far Eastern frontier can provide more than four thousand Titans: at least.]

"……How many?"

Even Zhuang Sen, who had seen his share of ups and downs, began to doubt his ears when faced with this number.

Four thousand Titans?
Even back when he fought Ran Dan...

……

Hey, wait...

The numerous wars fought against the Randan Empire in those years did indeed consume roughly the same number of lives...

Good heavens: Was he ever this well-off?

Why can't it work now?

"..."

So, it turns out that Luther's abilities are still insufficient?

Without any hesitation or thought, the Lord of Caliban came to this answer almost instinctively.

Then he thought about it carefully again.

Yes, no problem: that should make sense.

Just as Zhuang Sen was deep in thought, Morgan had already drawn a second number on the stone table with his finger.

Of course, four thousand is the ideal number.

It represents the total number of Titans that could be deployed to the battlefield across the entire Far Eastern frontier in a full-scale war.

[And if you want to know what you truly possess.]

Let's just say that.

[Excluding all losses and unforeseen circumstances: the number of Titans that can actually be fully mobilized is approximately three thousand.]

(If you think the number three or four thousand is too exaggerated, then please enjoy the official statement: In the ten millennia since the founding of the Empire, millions of powerful Warlord-class or warlord-class Titans have been produced alone.)
"How many?"

Zhuang Sen frowned and pressed for more information.

Three to four thousand? That's a huge range.

【I don't know either. 】

Morgan simply shook his head.

I can only give you a baseline; the specifics depend on how the battle unfolds... and even luck.

But three thousand is a stable number.

[In addition, I conducted a partial mobilization before leaving Avalon: one thousand Titans are already on the front lines in a state of combat readiness, ready to be deployed at any time.]

Also, there are a few legions you should pay attention to.

Morgan dipped his brush in water again and began to write.

Most importantly, the Warlike Legion.

Since I secured sovereignty over the Maelstrom for my Forgeworld ally, Riza, and oversight of all Forgeworlds east of it, they have been strengthening their own Warbringer Legion to the standard of being able to simultaneously contend with the Trident of Mars: the Warbringer Legion now comprises over six hundred Titans, a figure based on the premise that they can destroy the Trident of Mars.

"I don't think it will work."

The lion shook its head.

“I have accurate intelligence: the number of Titans in the Martian Trident has exceeded 1,200.”

"The main force among them is the Deadskull: its military strength is comparable to the combined strength of the other two Titan legions."

Is that so? That's not surprising.

Morgan raised an eyebrow.

[After all, there were fifty years of peace; but wise people have no reason to limit military spending.]

[In addition, there are the Sunfire and Queen's Hand, both of which are large armies with over four hundred units each.]

As for the remaining legions, since they were generally not long established, their numbers and combat strength are roughly the same. I left you a more detailed reference document in Avalon; you should pay attention to the differences between each legion when you are commanding them.

[The Phoenix Legion is known for its use of large Titans, the Sentinel Legion prioritizes mobility, the Horn Legion has an unwavering commitment to protecting the weak, the Victory Legion's background isn't entirely clean and requires careful consideration, the Levadin Legion might cooperate well with you, as they are never hesitant to use underhanded tactics. Also, it's best not to separate the Rose Legion from the Hunter's Rose; their connection is far deeper than you imagine.]

"..."

Zhuang Sen simply nodded silently at these words: he had already gotten all the answers he wanted to know about the Titan Legion, and now his mind had already drifted to other questions.

"You just said that you conducted a partial mobilization before leaving Avalon?"

【Yes. 】

Morgan nodded.

[Besides the thousand Titans, there were elites from over fifty knightly families, three hundred Grand Sages from different forging worlds and their Guardians, and approximately one billion mortal auxiliary troops, all of whom had participated in at least five sector-scale wars during the Great Crusade; in addition, there were eight thousand warships of various sizes, including four Queens of Glory.]

"Four Glory Queens?"

There's one ship that's not strictly finished yet; you'd better not send it into battle.

"..." Faced with these tempting numbers, Zhuang Sen's face remained calm and composed.

However, the bulging muscles behind the eyes, the slowly rising flame in the center of the pupils, and the way the mustache beside the lips tilted due to the heavy breathing all betrayed the true thoughts in the original body.

Morgan, of course, saw all of this clearly.

She had no worries. Since she had already decided to mobilize so much power and entrust the fate of the entire Far East frontier to Zhuang Sen, she had already made the necessary preparations.

However, there are only two problems.

【Jonson. 】

Morgan extended his hand.

When the fingers, already cold to the point of being almost devoid of warmth, were moistened by the water and chilled by the stone surface, and gently touched his brow, even the usually hard-as-steel Caliban Lion couldn't help but frown slightly. However, in front of the Spider Queen's smiling, azure eyes so close to him, this slight displeasure was quickly smoothed out.

Morgan's voice was very close.

Blowing the hair on his forehead.

Zhuang Sen became more composed: he could sense that his blood relatives wanted to tell him something important.

There are two things I must emphasize.

Morgan held up two fingers.

【First.】

[While this partial mobilization did indeed bring together Avalon's most elite forces, I subsequently withdrew a significant portion of them: a full 120,000 Dawnbreaker warriors will follow me on my expedition to the Webpath. This has greatly diminished the effectiveness of the partial mobilization. If you want the Far Eastern frontier to participate in a full-scale galactic war, you'd better conduct a general mobilization.]

Zhuang Sen nodded.

"By the standards of the galaxy, a billion auxiliary troops is indeed not a stable number."

"How are their morale and fighting strength?"

In short, they do not lack the confidence and means to oppose the Astartes warriors.

The Far East may lack many things, but it has no shortage of production capacity to equip each of these elite warriors with a weapon capable of penetrating power armor: look at those warehouse worlds, they can last until the end of the world.

[Especially the Triple System, which, with the Emperor's permission, has become my private factory. The weapons and ammunition produced here are so numerous that you could fight a century-long apocalyptic war against the strongest adversary in the galaxy and still not run out.]

"That's it..."

Zhuang Sen stroked his chin.

He had heard of the Triple Star System, a once-powerful forging world that had disappeared from the Empire's list and caused quite a stir on Mars: but the Lord of Humanity ultimately chose to stand with his daughter.

At the same time, Zhuang Sen also understood the meaning of the statement that the Victory Legion was not entirely reliable: this legion was the Titan Legion that once belonged to the Triple System.

"And what's the second point?"

The Caliban pressed on with further questions.

Well...

This time, it was Morgan who hesitated.

This might sound a little complicated.

【Jonson. 】

The main reason I invited you to the Far East was that I hoped you could lead the mobilization of Avalon.

"A general mobilization?"

Upon hearing this word, the Lion King hesitated for a moment.

The Primarch pondered this word.

But soon, the Primarch sensed something from the depths of the Caliban Forest.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, and a hint of coldness flashed in his pupils, making Morgan's spine tremble.

The Lord of Avalon had to admit that the solemnity of that moment gave him a unique kind of pleasure.

“Tell me, Morgan.”

Zhuang Sen's voice became much lower.

It was obvious that the Caliban lion's beastly killer instinct had been triggered again. From Morgan's words about mobilization, the Primarch deduced something deeper and more deadly.

"You're asking me to initiate a general mobilization, which means you're already prepared to involve Avalon in the war."

At first, I hesitated.

But soon, as the logic became clear, the Kaliban's voice became quick and firm.

"And given your personality."

"You know who the real traitor is, right?"

【…】

Morgan didn't speak, he just nodded.

Zhuang Sen continued.

"You didn't just guess it yourself, right?"

Nod again.

"So, the Emperor is still alive?"

"At least you know where he is."

"You and the Dawnbreaker left at this time because it was an order given by our father himself."

"He also told you who the real traitor was between Holy Terra and Warmaster Horus?"

"..."

"I'm sure I'm right, aren't I?"

The Spider Queen laughed.

She gave a soft hum, her ample chest brimming with pride for her brother.

I will never doubt your intuition, Johnson.

Yes, I can tell you.

Strictly speaking, I, my legion, the Emperor, and his Imperial Guard are engaged in another war.

There is a war more important than the flames burning in the galaxy.

"A more important war..."

Zhuang Sen paused for a moment, then nodded.

It took him a few seconds to fully process all the meaning of that sentence.

"I see."

In those few seconds, the Spider Queen was intently staring into the lion's pupils: Morgan gained a great deal during this brief period.

Despite having suspected it beforehand, when the Spider Queen told him in person that the Emperor was currently engaged in a truly important war, a war he had never even heard of, even a man like the Lion couldn't help but show a hint of bewilderment and dejection on his face.

Indeed, for Johnson, perhaps he wouldn't care about so-called glory and fame, but being isolated from such the most crucial things, this sense of distrust, this feeling of being a sharp blade but not being pulled out, undoubtedly made the lion of Caliban feel the closest emotion to "sadness": although this sadness was not enough to defeat a lion, it was enough to briefly disturb his mind.

Fortunately, the sadness came quickly and went quickly.

In the blink of an eye, the Lord of Caliban effortlessly erased something that could have created a mental demon in the hearts of many Primarchs.

Instead, curiosity and a sense of responsibility took their place.

The former is naturally human nature.

Even the most indifferent person would be curious about the emperor's actions at this moment: what could be more important than the survival of the empire itself?

The latter was what Morgan truly admired.

Even amidst his emotional turmoil, the Caliban Lion's mind remained sharp. He quickly grasped the underlying logic: since Morgan dared to speak frankly with him here, it meant that he had a new position and mission within the Emperor's Plan, and the burning sense of responsibility he felt was precisely for this moment.

This burning is worthy of the Spider Queen's smile.

Seriously, bro.

Morgan couldn't help but quip.

I thought you'd become somewhat insecure because of this differential treatment, like...

"Like Horus?"

Zhuang Sen added to her words.

A hint of disdain flashed across the lion's lips.

“I am not Horus, Morgan.”

"I'm not as persistent as him."

"He wasn't as worried as I was."

"But most importantly."

“I will never be like him: limiting myself to the past.”

Horus cannot imagine a world without an emperor.

"..."

Zhuang Sen paused.

"But I can."

【…】

Morgan fell silent at those words.

"So, what is my mission?"

Having figured all this out, the Primarch of the Dark Angels naturally had no intention of feigning compliance.

His blood relatives are equally straightforward.

The task is very simple.

What kind of important war are we, the Emperor and I, experiencing in the online world?

Ultimately, this online war is fought for everything that exists in the real world.

Terra, humanity, the Empire, and the galaxy.

[Although at present, the war on the internet seems to be more important than the four mentioned above.]

But its purpose is precisely to protect them.

【Do you get me?】

Zhuang Sen nodded.

"You mean."

"Even if the emperor wins his war, it is meaningless if everything in reality is destroyed."

【That's it. 】

The Spider Queen nodded in satisfaction.

She was particularly pleased with Johnson's attitude: the Caliban didn't even bother to ask what the Netway was.

Or he already knew.

Either he has already figured it out, or he realizes that the internet is irrelevant to his position and responsibilities.

It's best to know nature.

However, being completely ignorant does not preclude fulfilling one's responsibilities.

"So, who do I need to eliminate?"

Zhuang Sen looked down and saw that the last trace of moisture on the stone table evaporated along with the scorching sun.

This is the problem.

Morgan shook his second finger.

Remember what I said, Johnson?

I want you to be in charge of initiating a general mobilization in Avalon; but I don't want an immediate one.

I hope you can... seize the right opportunity.

"opportunity?"

The Caliban frowned.

Clearly, he couldn't understand it.

In Johnsen's simple view, since the Emperor and Morgan had already identified the traitor, they should simply hand over the list of those to be eliminated to him. Johnsen would then naturally mobilize all of Avalon's military forces and use his fury and Morgan's blade to incinerate all the Empire's enemies: this method had proven effective time and again over the previous two hundred years.

Timing has no place in this.

You see, this is a very complex problem.

Morgan paused for a moment.

In short, this contains the Emperor's final view on war in the real universe.

In other words...

[Before he resolves the troubles in the online world and eliminates the internal threats, allowing him to return to the real universe.]

He didn't want the war to spiral out of control.

He did not want either Horus or Holy Terra to cross that red line.

He didn't care how much blood he would bleed.

"out of control?"

Zhuang Sen chewed over the word.

What constitutes "out of control"?