This is our Warhammer journey

Why wasn't it Romulus who died in Chapter 312?
"."

Silence spread through the command room.

"That's the relationship."

After handing the last paper document to the Invincible Iron Guard and asking him to accompany the Imperial Guard to the Vigilant Star, Romulus pulled the star map to the front.

The above information regarding the enemy forces was provided by Eldrad Uslan, a representative of the Usvi Ark.

It was much more detailed than what the Empire had.

This Chaos invasion is quite large in scale. According to the prophecy of the Prophet Council of the Usvi Ark World, almost all the forces that have a voice within Chaos have received invitations from Peturabo.

Legion-level forces entrenched in the warp: the Rotting Fleet under the Death Guard and the Dark Apostles under the Word Bearers.
Barely qualified minor warbands: the traitorous Astartes Chapter, and a cult that worships a lesser Chaos God.
This Primarch, known for his unpredictability, is now in a rare state of mind, even when facing the Phoenix Lord, whom he despises most, he is able to calmly communicate with him about various tactical issues.

Romulus couldn't guarantee exactly how many of them would accept Peturabo's call to come, but even if only half or a third of the forces agreed to attend, it would be a tremendous test for them.

More than a thousand Chaos Warbands.

This is only the number currently ravaging the hazy star field.

This doesn't even include the Dark Mechanicus, the rebellion of the Imperial Navy, and the main fleet led by the Iron Warrior and the Conqueror.

It also doesn't account for the many members who might be hiding deep within the warp, waiting for the Primarchs to decide on the war leader.

"How can the Chaos faction still have such a large military force after ten thousand years?"

Karna frowned as he glanced at the data, the red dots on the star map forming a continuous line.

Those numbers were so large they seemed almost absurd, clearly mocking the empire of the material universe.

Arthur's expression had become unusually solemn as these more detailed developments and member affiliations became apparent.

"Don't worry about things in the subspace."

Romulus shrugged, looking quite helpless.

The Chaos faction's Void replenishment isn't a one-off occurrence. You could rack your brains and still not understand why the Iron Warriors still had 100,000 members at the 40k mark.

If it weren't for the message from Usvi, he would have been deceived by appearances.

The reality is very cruel.

A comprehensive defense is simply impossible.

Then the problem is coming.

Which lines of defense must be held at all costs?

First is Cardia.

Romulus marked the planet that had always stood at the center of the hazy star field.

The gateway to the Eye of Fear, the gate to the real universe.

Once the gates are breached, the chaotic torrent will no longer seep slowly through the valve gaps, but will instead burst through the pipes and pour into the real universe.

No one was foolish enough to think that the Four Gods or their enemies would actually wait until 999 years. If given the chance, they certainly wouldn't wait, so Cardia was of paramount importance.

Second
It was Romulus himself.

This is not egotistical.

This is a statement.

Before Romulus could make a move, Arthur, under Delacroix's exceptionally grateful gaze, placed the Dawn after the Cardia.

Romulus's fingertips tapped the table unconsciously, each tap emphasizing this undeniable fact.

The original cannot fall.

We cannot back down.

They must not die.

At this moment, he was the most dazzling bullseye in the entire war.

This wasn't because the four Chaos Gods favored him so much—

As the most moderate of the four Primarchs, the Four Gods treat him as a backup option to be considered only after a disastrous gacha pull.

The real reason is that everyone wants him dead.

Why wasn't it Romulus who died?
Once Romulus dies, the support system continuously flowing into the Misty Sector, directly intervened by him, gradually transforming from a passive regulator into an active intervener, and the wartime government system, with its expanded power and responsibilities, will completely collapse. The remaining three Primarchs will be forced to retreat to a corner, using limited resources for localized firefighting. Rebuilding such an efficient system? That would take enough time for Chaos to devour half the sector to the bone.

Once Romulus dies, Chaos will lose its biggest obstacle to interfering in reality, and the Empire will fall back to its rightful place, once again fighting Chaos like the Crouching Dragon and the Phoenix Chick in the quagmire, sinking deeper and deeper.

Iron Warrior, Son of the Emperor, World Eater—each is currently deduce the same conclusion in their own way:
That Primarch, comparable to the Ultra Warrior, was indeed the perfect breakthrough point in the entire war.

Historical issues have instilled the same perception in everyone.

The importance of the Primarch of the Ultramarines is irreplaceable.

The Primarch of the Ultramarines possesses combat power just enough to make him the ideal prey.

He was just strong enough to be killed, yet just "weak" enough to be killed.

Thus, the Chaos faction has reached a rather bizarre consensus.

Eliminate this Primarch.

The Iron Warriors are searching for his coordinates, firmly believing that defeating this "true mastermind of the battlefield" as soon as possible will allow them to seize the initiative in the war.

The Emperor's son, while taking drugs, searches for him, obsessively believing that he is the shackle binding the other three Primarchs and that he must liberate them from his bondage.

Even the World Eaters are hunting this "easy target," eager to gain the honor of being stained with the blood of the Primarch.

Combining his own intelligence with the prophecy of the Usvi Ark, Romulus came to this unpleasant conclusion.

The question now is: can he prevent decapitation strikes against the Primarchs?

Before shedding the political burdens that had suffocated him, Romulus was well aware of a harsh truth.

He could not possibly defeat any Primarch focused on killing in a one-on-one battle.

At least in this respect, he felt he was more composed than Guilliman.

After all, he wasn't forced by the current situation to the point that he had to board the "Imperial Pride" and engage in a one-on-one duel with Forgrim in order to find a breakthrough in the war, but instead he ended up in a predicament.

He has reliable companions and may not need to face the pressure of a duel on his own.

He won't be as isolated and helpless as Guilliman.

Romulus stood up, his tall, imposing figure blocking out much of the light.

He gazed at the star map.

In this game, he was the "vitality point" that brought the whole game to life.

The holographic projection cast his shadow onto the star map, and the shadow happened to cover Kadia's position, as if it were some kind of premonition of destiny.

Romulus did not like to sacrifice other people's lives to save himself, especially after discovering a danger that might lead to victory.

Therefore, his final conclusion was that abandoning his orthodox tactics and adopting a step-by-step approach, with both sides constantly optimizing and confronting each other in detail, might be able to catch the Chaos side off guard.

The player reveals their position, aligning themselves with Cardia.

They might be wiped out by Chaos in one fell swoop, thus achieving their two tactical objectives simultaneously, or they might force Chaos's power to concentrate in one region, thereby relieving the defensive pressure on other areas of the Hazy Starfield.

Before making this decision, Romulus had actually hesitated, worried, and pondered.

Is the time right? Can the Wings of Dawn and the Empire currently bear the pressure of this decision?
Should we wait a little longer, until their plans develop further, until more troops gather, until the situation in the Misty Starfield stabilizes further, and until everything reaches the perfect state envisioned by Romulus?

But after much thought, he gave up on this somewhat extravagant idea.

"Since the fist of chaos is bound to strike a target—"

Romulus suddenly laughed and finally made his decision.

"Why can't it be me?"

He raised his hand and swept it across the star map, and countless enemy markers lit up with a scarlet glow.

"After all, everyone recognized my importance, and at the same time, they also recognized..."

Unburdened by the power armor, his fingers clenched into fists, crushing the red arrows projecting towards Kadia.

"I need to be protected."

　P.S.: Regarding the number of Iron Warriors, after the Great Rift opened, Pryde sent more than a thousand armies to the Misty Starfield. To be conservative, if each warband has a hundred members, that's a hundred thousand men. Not to mention that there are warbands like Charagh among the Iron Warriors, whose numbers are unknown, but who can control the Ominous Ark. I don't understand how they can spawn troops in the void.

　　There's more tonight, I'm writing now.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)