Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 88 The Great Expedition Begins
The giant stood high above, his armor radiating a golden light—a light that represented reason, and like a beacon, it brought humanity together.

The emperor stood on a high place, wearing a golden laurel crown, with the Emperor's Claw in his left hand and the Emperor's Sword in his right.

Everyone was dressed to the nines today; not a single important figure was absent from this newly established empire.

The emperor stood on a high platform, wearing a golden laurel crown, his left hand wielding the Emperor's Claw with a chilling gleam, and his right hand holding a long sword as red as blood.

Macardo, holding a staff, stood on the left; Valdo, holding a spear, guarded the right; the shadows of the three men were cast upon the army awaiting inspection.

They overlooked the vast plaza, at the heart of which were twenty legions, twenty superhuman forces created from the genetic seeds of the Primarch.

The legion was fully armed, wearing MK-type power armor. The shoulders were broad and simple, the chest and abdomen were very compact, and the armor plates on the limbs were made of stacked circular plates.

Holding a grenades pistol, he stood tall and proud, accepting the emperor's inspection.

The Emperor looked at the twenty legions and hundreds of thousands of superhuman warriors in the square, who were full of vigor and high spirits.

Millions of ordinary people are ready to go, equipped with elite weapons created using ancient technology.

Giant Titans stand in the ranks of the army, heavy tanks are lined up in neat rows, and anti-gravity vehicles fly slowly in the sky.

Further into the low Earth orbit, space warships hovered, their shadows obscuring the sun's radiance. They drifted slowly, like steel fortresses suspended in the sky.

Faced with such a situation, no one could remain calm, not even the founder of the empire.

Everything we see now is the result of the Emperor gathering all of Terra's resources to build the expeditionary force after the end of the unification war.

"They were full of vigor and high spirits."

"They're itching to get started."

Macardo and Waldo offered their assessments of the scene before them.

Today, everyone knows that they are about to embark on a new goal, a goal so grand it's almost unreal—an expedition to conquer the stars!

The Emperor finally ended the arduous war of unification, uniting the will of all Terra. During the lull in the Slaanesh's wailing to calm the warp storms, he launched an even grander expedition.

Humanity has only one chance to revive; once that window of opportunity is missed, subspace travel will become even more dangerous.

The emperor's gaze swept across the square, and the soldiers who felt his gaze straightened their chests.

The radiant figure before me has ended the chaos on Terra and brought humanity greatness once more!
“These people have given themselves to me; they are my best warriors, and they know no fear.”

Looking at the superhuman warriors in the plaza below, the Emperor whispered to his friends and servants, "They will be Space Marines."

No more words were needed at this moment; the soldiers awaited his command!
The emperor raised his sword, a long, crimson blade as bright as the sun, which shone with a dazzling light, like a burning sun.

"The stars await our conquest! Humanity awaits our unity!"

In such a solemn occasion, the Emperor's voice, amplified by his powerful spiritual energy, was both magnificent and detailed, resounding across the square with a majestic aura and remaining clear and distinct in the ears.

"You are angels of death! You bring destruction to the enemies of humanity, and salvation to humanity scattered among the stars."

"You are Space Marines, your footprints destined to traverse the stars, you are Astartes—representing every mortal who has contributed to this expedition!"

He held his longsword high, and in this sacred and solemn moment, it burst forth with dazzling brilliance.

With a whoosh, accompanied by the scraping sound of armor, twenty legions knelt on one knee and accepted their new names.

They are the Angels of Death, the Space Marines, and the Astartes.

"For the Emperor!"

The Space Marines responded to the Emperor with a battle cry, these superhuman warriors utterly loyal to the Emperor, to the human lord who had given them their superhuman bodies.

They knelt on one knee, willing to dedicate everything, including their lives, to the emperor's great cause.

"The Great Expedition!"

The emperor's magnificent image, the great man they most longed for, revealed the goal of the expedition.

A great expedition that begins on Terra and aims for the entire galaxy, an expedition for the revival of humanity.

In the name of the Emperor—the Great Expedition begins!

The Emperor's Death Angels, the absolute main force in the expedition, brought the salvation and destruction of the Lord of Man throughout the galaxy.

The Sixteenth Legion Space Marines began boarding their ships, their target being Luna, Terra's natural satellite.

The "Gene Cult" is based there. Taking Luna's genetic engineering equipment would help with the subsequent production of Space Marines.

The Emperor, accompanied by his personal advisors, walked through the steel corridors toward a secret chamber to plan the course for the upcoming Great Expedition.

But at a corner, they encountered a giant wearing power armor and with a blood-red cloak behind him.

He stood against the wall, holding a long spear in his arms, as if waiting for something.

"You're in trouble."

Makado chuckled, even nodding to the giant, before leaving with his advisors, abandoning his friend.

The Emperor and Waldo were left behind, leaving the master and servant to deal with their troubles.

The giant wore a suit of jet-black power armor, the style and material of which were similar to, but not exactly the same as, those of the Imperial Guard.

The Imperial Guard's armor is golden, representing their status as servants of the emperor and symbolizing their unwavering will and glorious spirit. The jet-black power armor, on the other hand, is outlined with blood-red lines, giving it a more aggressive appearance.

Unlike the ancient and ornate armor of the Imperial Guards, the black armor has a more technological feel and a touch of mystery.

The spear in his arms was also unique, of the same lineage as the spears of the Imperial Guards, but without any physical weapon attached.

The jet-black spear was wrapped with blood-red metal mesh lines, and the blood-red spear blade was wider than the guard's spear, as if it were flowing with blood.

The giant's left shoulder armor bears a red rune marking, indicating it is a Space Marine from the 21st Legion. Its right shoulder armor features a lightning eagle head relief, proving that the power armor's owner participated in the unification war.

The giant blocking the road removed his helmet, and instead of kneeling before the emperor, he expressed his respect verbally: "My lord."

The person blocking the way was Li Tang. Although his resolute face was expressionless, he exuded an aura of displeasure.

“Doom Soldier,” a command flashed through Waldo’s mind. He stepped forward, blocking the Emperor’s path. “You should be at your post. You shouldn’t be here.”

"Don't try to evade the issue! I don't want to play any tricks with anyone." Li Tang's gaze swept past the Imperial Guard Commander and landed on the Emperor: "My lord."

"Why aren't we on the deployment list?"

Waldo, having been seen through, shrugged and stepped aside, indicating that he was powerless to help.

Compared to the original design, the Doom Slayer has several additional organs, giving them unique and magical abilities.

"I..." The emperor hesitated for a moment, then looked at Li Tang and slowly said, "I have other plans for you."

Li Tang glanced at the emperor for a second, but saw no deception in the gaunt middle-aged man's face beneath the psychic glow: "You'd better arrange where we go as soon as possible."

He raised his left hand, his fist stained with dark green paint: "Hector Thrann of the First Legion, if he can't control his mouth again, I'll kill him."

After saying this, Li Tang put on his helmet, picked up his spear, and left, with the same rune markings on the back of his cloak as on his shoulders.

Watching Li Tang's departing figure, the Emperor said to Waldo, "Hector Thrann is becoming increasingly arrogant; it's good to teach him a lesson."

Hector Thrann was one of the earliest Legionnaires to serve the Emperor and the de facto leader of the First Legion.

Because he was often by the Emperor's side and even frequently offered advice, Hector Thrann gradually became arrogant due to his long-term relationship with the Emperor.

The Emperor and Waldo understood that the Twenty-First Legion was out of place in the eyes of the Brother Legions.

Perhaps it was the glory of the Great Expedition that led Hector Thrann to say something strange in front of the Tang Dynasty, and he was subsequently reprimanded.

"My lord, the Twenty-first Legion has too few men."

Waldo recalled that since the birth of Li Tang, there have only been ten Doom Warriors, a legion in name only.

That's why I cherish them.

The Emperor rarely showed a smile. He always felt much more relaxed whenever he saw the Doomsday Warrior: "All that the Empire possesses is a consumable asset, but they are a precious gift."

"Let's go. Luna's battle is about to begin."

Li Tang carried his spear back to the legion's camp. The soldiers dressed the same as him stood at the gate of the camp, weapons in hand, talking about something.

A black-armored warrior immediately stepped forward and asked eagerly, "Eldest son, how did it go? Did he allow us to join the expedition?"

Li Tang instinctively wanted to avoid the question, but he didn't, shaking his head and saying, "He has other plans for us."

In fact, Li Tang disliked the person in front of him very much. He was not of the bloodline of the Doom Warrior, and he didn't know what his purpose was in sneaking in.

"He's always jumping around, he's very energetic."

The voice rang directly in my mind; only a true Child of Destruction possesses this skill.

You can have direct conversations with your blood brothers in your mind, and you can clearly feel each other's thoughts.

"Don't worry about him. His father also said not to worry about him."

Alpharis has been infiltrating the Twenty-First Legion for a long time, investigating this sparsely populated legion.

They are incredibly powerful, but also extremely taciturn and reluctant to communicate.

However, during the battle, they displayed an extremely strange level of coordination, which puzzled him greatly.

(Author's Note)

　Well, only two chapters today. That damn excavator is really too distracting.

　　The home planet arc has ended, but the feud with the four gods has only just begun, and the protagonist is about to embark on a grand expedition.

　　Then I reviewed it myself and felt that the content output was indeed just average.

　　At the start of this new volume, I will overcome this flaw and produce more valuable content.

　　With more characters appearing, the plot moves faster.

　　Also, regarding the eldest and second eldest brothers, many of their scenes were actually cut. If I have time, I'll write a little about it and add it here (without affecting the quality of the main text).
　　And also: "The first son of the returning family, Sagittarius, thirty years, gold ring."

　　I forgot the beginning, and I forgot the end. Anyway, let's just burn it!

　　Let's leave a comment and discuss when the protagonist should return. It should be after Horus, but the exact timeframe is thirty years.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)