Emperor's Bane

Chapter 951 News from Mars

Horus would not want the Ruby King to be his flagship if he could.

He didn't like the ship.

No, it's not that I hate it.

From a military perspective, however, the Ruby King is not worth much more expectation.

Shepherd Wolf knew this all too well.

Back when he first glimpsed the keel of this behemoth in the Martian shipyard, the forging general accompanying him had already warned him.

The Ruby King will not be the second Vengeance.

It lacks that ancient and ruthless quality.

Although it has cutting-edge weaponry and a complete system, these do not necessarily indicate true combat capability.

Since its launch from the dock, the Ruby King has never participated in a real bloodbath: although the Shadowmoon Wolves fought bloody battles in the north of the galaxy during the last fifty years of the Great Crusade, the toughest opponents were the Vengeful Spirit and the Tyrant, and the Ruby King was never truly considered a vanguard.

It will appear when the battle is going smoothly, tearing apart opponents who pose no threat at all: although its hall of honor is not lacking in golden inscriptions, although its officers and sailors are all experienced veterans, and although this warship, which symbolizes friendship with the Ninth Legion, is often home to hundreds of noble Holy Blood Angels in addition to the warriors stationed with Shadowmoon Wolves.

Even so, no one has ever considered it an indispensable part of the battlefield.

This ship is far too prestigious: it is simply not suited for breathing the smoke-filled air of a battlefield.

Compared to bloodshed on the battlefield, the Ruby King truly excels in another kind of battlefield.

Rather than engaging in battle, the Wolf God preferred to send this ornately decorated, streamlined warship to the world under his command or to the ports of his various allies, using its elegance to open the door to diplomatic visits, or to instill high confidence in the people of the Wolf Kingdom, making them proud of the strength and prosperity of their homeland.

A magnificent and perfect warship: what could better symbolize the empire's golden age?
Therefore, a very interesting truth is that although the Ruby Queen never achieved any unshakeable merit on any key battlefield, this glorious queen with an unremarkable record has extremely high popularity and fame in various worlds under the rule of the Wolf Kingdom, as well as in Holy Terra and throughout the entire galaxy. It was even once regarded as the symbol of the Shadowmoon Wolf, overshadowing Horus's true love for the spirit of vengeance.

Countless people regard this warship as a powerful force.

But only truly intelligent people know that this ship is completely unsuitable for war.

Just like those blood angels.

They are also not suited to participate in war: at least not in the war at hand.

This was one of the few points of consensus he shared with Saint-Gilles.

"Ugh……"

Thinking of his best brother, Horus lowered his proud but weary head and sighed deeply.

He didn't know when it started, but it seemed that he and Saint Gilles had gradually drifted apart.

No, they did not become enemies.

In fact, in the War General's memory, he and the Archangel had not argued for at least fifty years.

Even on the matter of deciding to break with Holy Terra and go to war, the more passive Saint Gilles was unwilling to argue further. The nominal addition of the Holy Blood Angels was a tipping point acceptable to both sides: even the High Lords could accept this outcome.

A typical example is that, although news of Sanguielles and his Ninth Legion's decision to side with the Warmaster had reached the Terran Palace, the High Lords who received the news still allowed the last transport teams to provide humanitarian aid to the Bal Universe to set sail: these fleets were subsequently treated with courtesy by the Warmaster.

They will stay in Baal for a while and be treated like honored guests by the Blood Angels: this galactic war will have nothing to do with them.

In the eyes of Terra and Warmaster, this seemingly insignificant matter had become a tacit understanding.

Both sides tacitly understood that although they were fighting each other for power and the future of the empire, neither of them was willing to cross certain lines. Both the high lords of Terra and the warlords of Konya hoped to shed blood within the sphere of "civilized people" to avoid causing more trouble and tragedy.

After all, whoever the final victor is, humanity and the empire will continue, won't they?
If they can maintain this consensus, then conditional surrender and peace negotiations are not impossible.

At least Horus believed that.

He never intended to bleed to death with Terra.

I never imagined that I would drift further and further away from angels.

He didn't know why Saint Gilles had chosen to distance himself from him: when they went to confront Terra, the Archangel was the Warmaster's most steadfast supporter, and Saint Gilles had been the Wolf God's most trusted ally since he was crowned Warmaster on Ulanor. There had never been any real conflict or disagreement between them, but their sincere friendship had unknowingly disappeared.

They weren't complete strangers, but they had lost the ability to talk about anything they used to have.

No, it should be said that Saint Gilles was no longer willing to open his heart to Horus.

He still supported the Wolf God, and was willing to stand with the Warlord on the life-or-death issue of rebellion. However, Horus was keenly aware that Saint Gilles no longer shared all his secrets with him; the archangel had his own little secrets.

Since the Emperor, another direction that could give him complete peace of mind has also disappeared.

When did it all start?

"..."

perhaps……

It's when the archangels start to become mystical and keep whispering their prophecies, right?

I wonder what role Horus will play in Sanguis' prophecy?
Once again, the Wolf God sighed.

He never thought of alienating the archangel, nor did he harbor any resentment towards Saint Gilles. He could also understand the Ninth Legion's predicament and troubles: it was just that, in the most difficult battle of his life, the lack of the company of his closest friend was ultimately unpleasant.

It's like losing Little Horus and Tyrant.

And like his vengeful spirit.

The losses of the former are even more heartbreaking than those of the latter.

The Vengeful Spirit is a powerful warship, but Horus Jr. is his indispensable confidant.

After losing the Soul of Vengeance, Horus gained even greater power through various channels and alliances: he forged two new Glory Queens, while the Mars Forging General provided him with three powerful Abyssal Furies. The already vast fleet of the Shadowmoon Wolves Legion was more than enough to make up for the loss of the Soul of Vengeance, allowing Horus to never worry about his [sea control] in this war.

But Horus the Younger was different.

Horus had already lost his most cheerful Togadon in the Great Crusade, and Cyranus and Loken had to guard the center for him in the rear. Malohrist and Agnes were also inseparable right and left arms. In the end, only Abaddon was impeccable in ability and loyalty at the front, able to expand Horus' territory and swing his warhammer to carve a crimson path to Terra.

This is a truly dire situation: even after completely defeating the Space Wolves, the situation has not improved.

On the contrary, after he decisively defeated Lemanrus's forces, the Wolf God fell into a brief state of confusion: his victory was too glorious and easier than he had imagined, which made the War Master somewhat unsure of where his legion should go next.

Is it pointing directly at Terra?
However, without the help of allies, directly challenging Rogdorn's defenses is by no means a wise move.

However, if they were to venture in other directions, the open doors of Holy Terra would indeed be hard to relinquish.

More importantly, would Rogdorn really just stand by and watch him advance to other fronts?
It's not in the Invites' habit to cower in their defensive lines and remain indifferent.

Moreover, his ally on Mars is also waging his own war with remarkable success: perhaps they can cooperate and create even more surprises.
With so many paths to choose from, each with its own allure and risks, the Wolf God hesitated for a moment.

During the two or three hours he locked himself in his private lounge, Horus kept thinking about this.

But he never achieved a better result.

The Primarch's thoughts were interrupted by an impatient and somewhat rude knock on the door.

The Wolf God raised his head, but was not angry.

At this moment, only one person dared to disturb him.

Abaddon is still on the front lines.

"Come in, Malochist."

The Primarch's voice wasn't loud and was quickly drowned out by the Twisted One's hurried footsteps.

Horus looked over with some curiosity.

Marlohurst is rarely this...lively?
Unless there are special circumstances.

"My lord, good news."

As expected, the Twisted One, beaming with joy, even forgot to bow to the Primarch. As soon as he closed the door, he raised his arm and loudly informed his Gene Father of the accurate news of his arrival.

"Lava City has fallen!"

"Our allies on Mars have achieved a complete victory: Karlbohal has taken control of the entire Mars!"

"……Is it?"

The Wolf God's voice was more subdued than expected.

"Sounds good: Is the news credible?"

“Our legion’s envoys sent to Mars sent back via special coded messages.”

The Twisted One strode forward and placed the thin piece of intelligence in the Primarch's palm.

Horus read it in three lines at a glance.

"Um……"

"Lava City has fallen, and the Imperial Fist is covering the escape of the Terra faction led by Lady Corell from Mars."

"They also took away a large amount of supplies and destroyed all the equipment they couldn't take with them."

"And by the way, sealed off the Moravik cellar?"

Zhan Shuai's brow twitched.

He silently applauded Rogdorn's thoroughness in his heart.

As expected of his brother, the War General didn't want his forging general ally to control that damned place.

That would not benefit the empire.

Shepherd Wolf shook his head.

"It's a pity that the mistress of Lava City refuses to stand with us; however, I suppose our Forging General allies will not tolerate such people either."

As he spoke, Horus continued browsing.

"Hmm...interesting?"

"Was it the Emperor-class Titans of the Dead Skull Legion that shattered Lava City's last line of defense?" "That's right."

The Twisted One nodded.

"The Dead Skull Legion decisively defeated the combined forces of the Firebee and Storm Legions in the wilderness outside Lava City."

"General Karpohar is very grateful that you specially dispatched this powerful Titan Legion back to Mars to help him win this crucial war."

He doesn't need to thank me.

Shepherd Wolf shook his head.

"The Death Skull Legion's strength is the sum of the Firebee and Storm Legions, totaling as many as six hundred Titans. I only sent less than half of them back to Mars. However, speaking of the Storm Legion, I remember that a considerable portion of the Storm Legion's forces are not on Mars, but in the northern frontier war zone of the galaxy under our control, right?"

“That’s right, General Carania’s troops.”

The Twisted One nodded.

"He is very satisfied with the price you offered."

"So, the Storm Legion is mine too?"

"Indeed, sir."

At this point, Malochist hesitated.

"However, according to General Forging, the Firebee Legion did not use their full strength."

"The Firebee Legion deployed far fewer Titans than their theoretical number in the Battle of Lava City."

"There may be hidden dangers in this."

"Whatever you have doesn't matter."

Shepherd Wolf casually waved his hand.

"Even if Karpohar wins the civil war, he can't help us much in the short term. The Martian fleet can't defeat the Holy Terran fleet, and Rogdorn can surround the entire Mars like an iron barrel. The biggest gain for me from this civil war is that it can effectively delay the power of the Imperial Fist and fundamentally cripple Holy Terran's productivity in this war."

"It also has a public opinion effect."

The Twisted One added at the opportune moment.

“One of the two heads of the eagle is now clearly on your side, sir.”

"Ah."

Shepherd God nodded, but he wasn't very happy.

"I would rather he were more cautious."

"But Karpojal wouldn't do that."

“After the war, the conditions he might demand would be unbearable for me.”

"Now they're all one head."

"And then what? What should we reward them with?"

Even Malohrist couldn't answer that question.

Or to put it another way: the answer cannot be revealed publicly.

"That's all."

After pondering for a moment, Horus waved his hand.

"Instead of worrying about these things, think about this war first."

"How is the situation at the front?"

"Everything is going well at Abaddon, sir."

The Twisters knew all about these things.

"They have just swept through the last two fortress worlds in the Fenris universe that are still putting up a stubborn resistance."

"It can be said that the Space Wolf Legion's power has been completely crushed by us: except for those pirate hideouts that are still active on the supply lines."

"The trouble my wolf brothers left me with."

The Wolf God smiled.

"Pirates?"

"This is a really good idea for the Space Wolf's personality."

"But I really don't have time to deal with them right now."

Zhan Shuai lowered his head and pondered for a while.

"How about this, let Loken bring more men."

"By the way, how's Locken doing?"

"He just sent me a report."

The Twisted One retrieved his file package.

"The new round of conscription has yielded results: more than 200,000 new recruits will be ready soon."

"Although they are not enough to fight on the front lines, they are sufficient to guard key points and supply lines in the rear."

"These new recruits will gradually replace the veteran units that are still stuck in the rear, allowing more experienced soldiers to reach the front lines in Terra."

"That's not enough."

Horus shook his head.

"A troop advantage of three to one or four to one is not enough to completely shake Dorne's defenses."

"We need more..."

"correct."

"Any news about Lemanrus?"

"Intelligence indicates that Lord Lemanrus is leading the remaining forces of the Space Wolf Legion, the exact number of which is unknown, and is currently retreating towards Betangamon."

“Betangamon…”

Horus whispered the all-too-familiar name.

"Russ really knows how to cause me trouble."

"So, have Chagatai and Fugrim's legions arrived in Betangamon?"

"The two Primarchs' legions have completely wiped out all Terran strongholds east of Betangamon. Their vanguard fleet will enter the Betangamon space region in three days and is expected to launch a full-scale siege in fourteen days. However, it is worth noting that both Primarchs have accused each other's legions of inaction in their respective reports."

"The Chagatai Khan declared that many companies in the Son of the Emperor's army were not up to standard in terms of military skills."

"Lord Fugrim, on the other hand, accused the White Scars of being disorganized, undisciplined, and completely incapable of cooperating in battle."

"I should have thought of that sooner..."

Horus pinched his brow in annoyance.

"Your Majesty, if there were no other way, I really wouldn't want the two of them to work together."

"Now, we can only hope that they can take Betangamon with their overwhelming numerical superiority."

"What about Mortarion?"

"Lord Mortalian says his legions are marching north at top speed, with no obstacles in their path."

"He claimed that he had utterly crushed the Imperial Fist fleet led by Sigismund in battle, and although Sigismund himself escaped in the face of the enemy, he had already captured hundreds of worlds and strongholds in the subsequent advance: he would be able to join forces with us within four months at most."

"hope so."

Horus's expression was somewhat gloomy.

He didn't entirely trust Death Guard.

"Tell Mortarian to hurry up."

"Also, tell him that."

"I don't care what he's really thinking."

"But please tell him not to underestimate Sigismund."

"..."

“I don’t think he’ll listen, sir.”

"Yes."

"So I think he's definitely going to suffer a big loss."

"..."