Warhammer: Start with a dog.

Chapter 799 The Hammer Terminator is a Professional -
"Communications manager, have you picked up a signal?"

The Primarch's towering figure stood on the bridge of the Vengeance Souls, issuing a call to action.

Clad in his Primarch armor, he exuded an imposing aura, surrounded by his Warmaster's squire and the elite warriors of the Council of Four Kings, while the Primarch Guard stood like pillars of steel around the command deck—a scene that should have been reassuring and filled with exhilarating pride.

—That's how it should have been.

Horus Lupecal, inside his Euphrates shell, thought to himself that it was no wonder the technical officers and supervisors looked so grief-stricken while doing their work.

After all, anyone who saw that the person standing in that position was not the Warmaster, but the Warmaster's infamous brother, and that the Primarch Guard had been replaced by the Iron Warrior Tyrant Terminator instead of Gastalin, would have the same feeling.

The presence of the members of the Council of Four Kings and the Warlord's attendants exacerbated the sense of confusion.

Now, even the most obtuse or stupid person can see that the war general's critical condition and coma, which was previously considered a rumor, is probably true.

The Iron Lord is rapidly attempting to seize control of the Warmaster, but clearly, no one has heard of any confirmation documents or messages from the Emperor or the Terran Council regarding this matter.

This fact had just been confirmed as a certainty within Expeditionary Fleet No. 63 when the fleet's collapse began immediately from within.

The news of the death of the War Commander-in-Chief, the Divine Child, triggered a tsunami-like effect throughout the entire fleet, like a severe plague.

Although the Admiral's aide immediately broadcast a statement to the entire fleet in the name of the Admiral's office to refute the rumors, claiming that the Admiral was recovering and resting, it was to no avail.

Over the past week, the panic and the inability to leave the island-like floating ship in the void have caused many fleet members to fall into an irrational state of frenzy in a very short time.

Some short-sighted or overly greedy individuals, or those with inherently madness, seized this opportunity to erupt and commit all sorts of incomprehensible acts of rebellion.

Some immediately proclaimed that their doomsday was imminent and used this as an excuse to amass wealth and create chaos.
Some people take advantage of this opportunity to sell so-called indulgences and amulets to make money.
Some have suddenly emerged claiming that they or a child under their control is the new God Child and have immediately started charging money for blessings;
Even more extreme, those who were originally the most devout and fervent believers that the War General was the Son of God and who prayed for him now prayed even more fervently for the War General to die on the spot—because "God sent his Son of God to us to redeem our sins! As long as he dies, our sins will be atoned and we will be saved!"

As a result, all sorts of outrageous acts of rebellion and their justifications emerged in a variety of bizarre ways within a few days.

Horus, who was inhabiting Euphrates' body, witnessed all sorts of strange and inexplicable phenomena as a mortal, and was even nearly involved in several vicious events that she thought had nothing to do with her.

Although most members of the Sixteenth Legion, under the subtle influence of Targost and the Warriors' Society at the behest of Erebas, did not choose to directly confront the Lord of Steel or to engage in an unseemly mutiny that would destabilize the fleet.

However, apart from Loken's 10th Company, which could still be commanded by the Iron Lord, resentment, anger, conspiracy theories, and talk of revenge still circulated openly in other companies, especially Abaddon's 1st Company and Targoust's 7th Company, regarding the dying Warmaster and the Iron Lord's usurpation of power.

Under such circumstances, she wasn't sure if her request to go and record the situation in various places would be approved (actually, to make herself seem useful and active so as not to be kicked out of her position guarding the body of "Horus")—at least she felt that he would never let any reporter leave their residential area to cause trouble at this time.

Fortunately, the Lord of Steel only pondered for a moment after she brought it up, and then agreed with a rather amusing smile (?). He even remembered to assign her a bodyguard who, although he seemed a bit unreliable, was really strong and dedicated to protecting her, to accompany her to various places and ensure that she could complete her mission of recording history alive.

The bodyguard's name is Lucius.

Yes, the emperor's son's swordsman's previous arrogant words and outrageous remarks were not just for show or boasting; he truly had no intention of returning to the Third Legion, and had now completely settled down in the Vengeful Spirits.

Therefore, he became a very suitable candidate to serve as a private bodyguard.

In his words, "I'm afraid that if I go back, I won't be able to resist killing all my brothers who are either stupid or too weak, especially that 'Spider'."

In contrast, the extremely talkative Lucius rarely mentioned to her, apart from the above statement, why he suddenly chose to leave the Third Army and join the completely unrelated Fourth Army.

However, he also told Euphrates that his current social security and salary were paid by the "Carlossian Dynasty," so he didn't need to care what the Third Legion thought; he only needed to report to the Lord of Steel.

She understood the salary, but what was social security? And what was the Carlosini dynasty, a noble family she'd never heard of? Was this a newly risen trading power, and Peturabo their protector?
Moreover, Lucius was clearly very familiar with the person inside Peturabo's body, so how did that happen?

However, Lucius is indeed very strong, and he remembers to protect her, which is enough for now.

Euphrates lowered her gaze and turned to her hands: they were hands calloused from recent weapons practice, yet still slender, pale, and tender.

She had already tried very hard to pick up her martial arts skills and make time to train, but only now did she realize how much physical capital and terrifying power the original Genetic Primarch's body had given him.

Humans must eat, drink, and sleep, otherwise they will not be able to sustain themselves, and will be even weaker than his original frail body in Krzonia—that body at least had some kind of rapid recovery ability.

Even training couldn't be continued every day—she remembered that after three days of training, she experienced rhabdomyolysis, and she didn't know what had happened—because the Primarch never experienced rhabdomyolysis during exercise—but Lucius noticed that something was wrong with her, and after asking what happened, he picked her up and ran to find the apothecary Walton.

—And the intensity of those three days was not even as much as the total intensity of her previous training in her original body!

As for the fact that she was carried through the ship's passageway by Lucius like a sack, wearing a vest and shorts and with her hair disheveled, she had already learned to skillfully forget it—that's one of the advantages of mortals: poor memory.

"Yes, sir, we have captured it, but..."

The bridge communications officer's reply brought Euphrates back to reality. At least for now, thanks to her efforts, she could stand on the bridge, an honor that even Carell Hindman had never had.

Although the situation has been getting increasingly out of control lately, it's still nice to have a slight grasp on the latest developments. She needs to keep trying to stay by "Peturabo's" side.

"If you have any questions, just say so, communications manager. I'm not going to eat you."

This joke only made the communications manager sweat profusely, with large beads of sweat streaming down his still-unmechanized face, making him seem even more stressed.

"However... this signal is very strange. Its power is extremely strong, sir. Theoretically, all fleets in orbit should be able to receive it. But in reality, we need to probe downwards to detect it. If you hadn't specifically instructed us to pay attention to it, I suspect we wouldn't have received it before entering the ionosphere. And if we had passed Devon's Moon as planned and headed straight for Devon, we wouldn't have heard it either."

"Hmm..." A look that seemed to be both contemplative and reminiscent appeared on the Iron Lord's face, and then he spoke again, "As expected. So, what is the content of these messages sent from Devon Moon?"

The communications officer's face turned even paler. "Um...I...Sir...this is really..." "Ah, I understand," the Steel Lord said understandingly. "Raise the soundproof barrier in the command room. Communications officer, transmit the intercepted message to the bridge command room."

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"Connected to the command center channel. Channel 7 is available and can be used."

As the communications director announced his findings, accompanied by a sharp, disordered FM ionization noise, the people in the command room initially heard nothing but a very faint sound, like dripping water or a bubble bursting.

"Is he playing us...?"

"Shh!" Euphrates frowned at Abaddon, silencing him. Back when she was the Legion Commander and Primarch, she always thought the Chief Company Commander was brave, loyal, and endearingly simple. Charging alongside him was like having a sharp weapon, an arm, and a source of joy. But lately, she felt he might be a bit…reckless and prone to losing control? He really lacked discipline; look at the Tyrant Terminator! At least Lucius remembered to prioritize duty!
"You damned mortal..."

"Alright. Listen carefully, I heard you, didn't you?" The Lord of Steel interrupted their standoff.

The crowd fell silent again. This time, the faint sound of water or viscous liquid flowing became more pronounced. Gradually, the sound of someone muttering to themselves emerged from the wet, thick movement.

They are speaking.

However, what he said caused many people present to turn pale with fright.

"...Foolish...humanity...all things...humanity...death...rebirth...only then can one reach eternity..."

Having experienced the events before and after the Whispering Mountains incident, Loken suddenly raised his head, his gaze meeting that of Abaddon, who had dealt with the matter afterward. Abaddon immediately looked away.

Then, the Iron Lord's gaze reassured Loken: there was a sense of "I knew it" in those icy blue eyes.

And that voice, seemingly choked by a swollen tongue blocking its trachea, or like a lung filled with liquid, continued: "...Praise...He...merciful...Therefore I willingly forsake that cursed emperor and his lackeys...If the leader of those lackeys dares to come here...he will perish here...he will...death brings eternal life...so...merciful...Praise the corrupt lord...Praise...Praise..."

A low growl of annoyance rolled through the Shadowmoon Wolves, and even Malorhorst, who was always considered to be cunning, showed obvious emotion.

Upon hearing this, Euphrates couldn't help but purse his lips: No wonder the communications director looked troubled; these words were indeed not suitable for more people to hear.

If it were him here today, and any other Shadowmoon Wolves who heard such blatant insults and provocations with him, then no matter if Devon's Moon was a mountain of knives and a sea of ​​fire or a tiger's den and a dragon's pool, he would have to take people down there and personally lead the people to punish the culprit!

Otherwise, where is the dignity of the commander-in-chief of the entire war council? Where is the honor of the war marshal? If he cannot even do this—to be the first to land in Devon Moon and personally behead this arrogant and rebellious traitor—how will he lead the wolves of the Sixteenth Legion in the future? How will he boost morale?

But this is the person inside "Peturabo's" body. How will he deal with this? She curiously raised her head, only to see a look of utter...mockery on her brother's face?
"Oh dear—haha!"

The Lord of Steel bent his knuckles and tapped the armrest of his throne. The Shadowmoon Wolves glared at him angrily—the Lord of Steel had previously erected another throne here, claiming, "My legs get tired from standing for too long"—don't believe me! The Primal Genes get tired from standing for too long?!
He chuckled again.

At this point, no one was willing to play along. Even Loken was frowning, seemingly lost in thought, while the other members of the Council of Four Kings clearly had no intention of supporting the Primarch.

Euphrates Horus Lupecal, feeling itchy all over, finally couldn't help but speak up despite the murderous glares from the company commanders.

"...My lord, what is making you laugh?"

“I laugh at the hunter’s elaborate trap, every step designed to lure the prey to the ground, and I also laugh at someone who has trained a war general for thirty years, yet still managed to make him blinded by empty fame and burdened by lies, to the point that such a straightforward and crude trap has become a calculated scheme for him.”

Abaddon strode forward, the Terminator armor's iron boots making a huge noise on the deck floor.

"Apologize!" he roared angrily at the Fourth Primarch, "Apologize to the War Marshal! You arrogant and rebellious scoundrel! How dare you mock him after murdering him!"

The Tyrant Terminators had silently gathered around, standing outside the barrier, their weapons clearly ready to be unleashed.

The Lord of Steel was only slightly surprised, then he bent over backward and burst into even louder laughter, completely losing all composure.

"Cough cough! I can't take it anymore, I'm going to die laughing! I have to record it, I really have to record it! Euphrates! Euphrates?"

"Wh-what..." The narrator was equally dumbfounded.

"Did you just record that?!"

"Uh, I guess... you didn't want me to keep the camera on..."

"That's fine then, hehe."

Abaddon roared, the Terminator armor's servo motors hummed, and at such close range, even the Primarch's superhuman strength and innate combat instincts were overwhelming—

The Steel Lord grabbed the Worldbreaker at her side—wait, wait, wasn't that warhammer just there?! The thought had barely crossed her mind when—with a casual swing of the warhammer, the hundreds-of-kilograms Terminator, along with its chief platoon leader, was knocked to the ground like paper without a sound.

Such terrifying combat power immediately stunned everyone who had never witnessed the Lord of Steel in action.

"Ah." The person who had taken over Perturabo's body curled his lip. "As expected, using a warhammer to fight Terminators is invincible."

"Oh right. He didn't die. I didn't knock him away either, because logically, if someone is knocked into the wall by the Lord of Steel, they should use Dreadnought, hmm."

The Lord of Steel nodded to the other members of the Council of Four who rushed over to check on Abaddon's condition. "You can take him to the apothecary now."

Behind him, the blonde female narrator stood stiffly, clenching her teeth to avoid making any noise that might attract attention.

(End of this chapter)