This is our Warhammer journey

Chapter 443 Ryan: I believe I am loyal (5.8k)

After conquering Angel Castle, Caliban's internal problems were largely resolved.

Aerospace forces patrolled the city's outskirts, while reconnaissance aircraft ventured deep into the sprawling forests to investigate the spread of chaotic pollution.

The outcome is not optimistic.

Vast forests were shrouded in thick fog, and much of the land beneath Caliban was already severely polluted as towns were yet to return to order.

Arthur immediately organized the concentration and evacuation of the population from various cities.

Caliban's population is not large, with about twenty eco-cities on the surface. According to Imperial standards, each city can accommodate about two million people, and preliminary estimates suggest that the total population requiring resettlement is close to one hundred million.

It was this mere 100 million people who almost sustained the entire Dark Angels Legion's recruitment of new soldiers and regular supplies. By the early stages of the Great Rebellion, the Dark Angels had amassed as many as 50,000 Astartes on Caliban, which explains why the people of the entire planet lived in profound suffering for so long.

From this perspective, the best balance—well, Guilliman's approach is honestly a bit too extreme. Take Roger Dorn, for example.

Similarly, the Imperial Fist's homeworld, Invic, was the most standard Primarch homeworld template, having devoted almost all its energy to the Great Crusade. It did not have too many privileges, unlike Jogris who simply did not develop his homeworld, but it was not so exploited that it led to a nationwide rebellion.

Dorn protected its homeworld extremely well. Even ten thousand years later, only a very few navigator families that cooperated deeply with Invic knew the coordinates of this icy planet. The Invic people were also unusually active in various departments of Terra.

The lion has a very clear understanding of its own role: it is the emperor's executioner, the emperor's sharpest blade, and therefore it has given up many things.

Actually, both sides are quite amazing.

Luther was jealous of the Lion King, so during the Sarosh Expedition, he deliberately didn't warn the Lion King that there was a nuclear bomb hidden on the ship. Later, he regretted it and went to defuse the bomb, only to be exposed by the Lion King.

When Horus launched his expedition, Luther assumed that the Lion King would not agree to his sending troops to support him, so he took it upon himself to mobilize the fleet and army to assist Horus in the battle, but was caught on the spot by the Lion King.

From then on, the Lion King's trust in Luther plummeted, and faced with the deteriorating situation on Caliban's home planet, Luther dared not report to the Lion King anymore, leaving him caught in the middle, torn between two opposing forces and constantly embroiled in internal strife.

Both sides held preconceived notions about each other, and as a result, they actually became the people the other imagined.

"If this is your sarcasm, then you have indeed succeeded."

Watching the staff bustling about in the control room, and listening to the lingering echo of Ramses's voice, Ryan couldn't help but grit his teeth, momentarily forgetting that he was discussing military affairs with Coswayne.

Even emperors have never praised me like this!
He said I was his eldest son, a model for the Primarchs, and his best son.

"You believe everything the Emperor says. The Emperor even said that the First Legion is the best legion. Look at what you did during the Great Rebellion."

To be fair, the Primarch's thoughts are too easy to guess. Even Ryan, who is known for being elusive, becomes the easiest to understand once you grasp his true nature.

Of course, the premise is that you have to be able to beat him, otherwise the current male lion still believes in the physical way of shutting up.

Tsk, how come it looks like a giant version of a dark angel?

Ramses kept talking, but he was actually maintaining the stability of psionic communications and assisting the transport troops in evacuating civilians.

The images mostly show the ruins after the bombing, with families holding their loved ones and boarding transport planes sent by the Wings of Dawn with trepidation.

The evacuation regulations were broadcast over the loudspeaker. The soldiers, fully armed but with professional smiles, and the food and clothing that were distributed to each person after passing through the checkpoints—enough to sustain their lives and maintain their dignity—suppressed their panic to some extent and kept order.

The engineering corps also entered through the crevice.

The main tasks of these units are to repair ground infrastructure damaged during air-to-ground strikes and to expand airports to accommodate large transport aircraft.

At the same time, a large number of imperial troops did not stop their deployment. A steady stream of land combat machines were airdropped into the earth through the rails on the other side of the rift. The operational system, as smooth as mercury, was constantly repairing and strengthening the war-torn city.

"The action that caused the most casualties to the Dark Angels during the entire Great Rebellion was actually the civil war after the rebellion ended. Is this what the First Legion is like? They are indeed very powerful."

Ramses couldn't help but marvel at the intensity of the battle that had shattered the surface of the Caliban territory in just a few hours.

If these troops were placed on Terra, on Istvan V, on the Sun Bridge, or on Phar, Horus would have gone mad long ago.

Moreover, given the equally matched fighting prowess of the Lion King and the Wolf King, coupled with their unwavering resolve to kill their own brothers, it's hard to say whether Horus would have survived if he had charged into the fray to assassinate Horus.

"lie!"

Ryan couldn't hold back again.

Are Primarchs this ruthless even after ten thousand years?

The resentment rising in his heart made the lion's face contort with anger. Ryan, who had always been indulged since he came into contact with human society, could not stand such words.

Even when traveling to Macurag, Guilliman, no matter how much he disliked him, could only greet him with a smile and communicate with him in an extremely tactful manner, let alone with others.

He used to be the one giving others attitude, unlike now, where he's getting beaten up and talked down.

At this moment, Guilliman's level of dislike in Lane's eyes had soared to the second tier.

"Then let me ask you, where did Peturabo's siege cannons come from during the siege of Terra?"

"."

"Have you arrived at the Siege of Terra?"

"."

Did you participate in the Second Empire?

"."

"Who sent Koz to Macurag?"

"."

Do you consider yourself loyal?

"."

Why didn't Arthur kill me?
Ryan truly felt that from now on, unless everyone in the First Legion had their brains cleared, he would never be able to lead the First Legion.

Especially those veterans from ten thousand years later, who used to disobey him and always wanted to shoot him in the back, but at least they respected his strength and obeyed his management.

What now? !

What does it mean to have this "that's just how the lion is" attitude, "those outrageous actions in the past can be understood", and an expression of complete understanding and obedience?
I could tell from the preparation stage when I was discussing deployment issues with Aka that most of those veterans who had undergone that so-called "original casting surgery" were like this.

Ryan, leaning on his sword, squatted on the edge of the control panel, observing the screen.

The veterans around him wanted to laugh but dared not.

Seeing that the lion was not behaving, these people relaxed their guard slightly and, for the first time, surprisingly agreed with Lord Ramses's joke.

Ryan's terrifying gaze swept over the dark angels with just a glance.

As the Primarch who defeated him head-on, he was convinced of Arthur's superiority, but that didn't stop him from expressing his opinions on military deployments.

Since he was bored anyway, talking to Akao wouldn't hurt.

And indeed, Arthur lacks focus in his deployment, resulting in low combat efficiency.

Ryan's judgment was certainly correct.

"Indeed, from an efficiency standpoint, many of our measures are too redundant."

Arthur returned to the command room and agreed with Ryan's assessment.

"Are you calmer now?"

He walked to Ryan's side and asked.

His tone remained calm, yet one could sense the goodwill within it.

"Humph."

Ryan snorted, and a blush crept up his cheeks as he thought of Ramses's words.

“With another brother here, how could I possibly stay calm?”

"That's good."

Arthur nodded.

No?

Ryan was stunned.

The dark angels around them finally couldn't help but smile, their tense faces breaking into slight smiles. Their breathing became more relaxed, and their originally serious steps became lighter.

Even though His Highness is usually very serious, he does not lack the opportunity to show his sense of humor at appropriate times.

Arthur activated the planetary projection.

The war has entered the next phase, and the War Council will once again discuss the future course of the war and the enemies they will face next.

The data flowed by, and some of it involved adjustments based on Ryan's opinions.

To be honest, Ryan is a true genius in combat. He can consider almost any detail that can influence the battlefield, and his own qualities are also quite outstanding. Many people in the First Legion are loyal to Ryan because Ryan's military abilities are already beyond the standard even among the Primarchs. Many Astartes who are passionate about the battlefield are almost captivated by him at first glance.

However, it is clear that Ryan's self-perception has influenced many of his decisions and caused him to overlook many things that he should have paid attention to.

For the First Legion, what they needed was a commander who could compete for the title of War General and, like Horus, coordinate multiple legions to achieve merit together.

What the Caliban needed was a king who would look after their home planet, work for the well-being of the Caliban, and spread Caliban glory among the stars.

As a result, because of the Emperor's expectations, Ryan positioned himself as an executioner. No matter how much he wanted to be a warlord, he would not do things like forming cliques during the Great Expedition. Instead, he would endure hardship and suffering, which might be even more arduous than what Perturabo experienced, until he realized that he seemed to have a chance in the early stages of the Great Rebellion before taking action.

Then there is no more.

This is a fundamental conflict; their demands are completely different, to the point that Ryan is unable to unite the majority, thus exacerbating internal contradictions.

The fact that he actually considered bombing Macragge shows that Ryan does not see himself as the leader of a political entity that rules over humanity. He has never thought about fighting a political war, so when making decisions, he is naturally not very concerned about the difficulties Luther faces or the ideological problems within the First Legion.

"."

When Arthur came to his side, directing the troops while explaining his problem to Ryan, the "warlord" fell silent.

Few original creators would be so patient. Even now, after the Great Rebellion, Dorn and Guilliman would still argue fiercely about policy differences on Terra, yet neither would bother to explain why they were doing what they were doing.

Ryan took a deep breath. The most direct analogy in his mind was that Arthur viewed the lion as an easily frightened beast, and Arthur did not want to frighten him lest he make an irrational choice.

Are you always so good at lecturing?

This was no laughing matter, Ryan tried to forget the thought.

"If I'm not going to preach, you can take Luther as an example."

Arthur swiped the screen with his hand.

"Hmph, you might not be able to deal with me the way you dealt with Luther."

When Luther was mentioned, Ryan's eyes visibly flickered slightly.

He truly did not want to fight Luther, or even kill him. Now that things had come to this point, after hearing Arthur's explanation, he understood. This comrade-in-arms who had accompanied him all the way to welcoming the Emperor actually held a very high place in his heart, although Luther himself might not know it.

Perhaps leaving it to Arthur to handle is indeed the best decision.

Even through the screen, Ryan could feel Arthur's unique ruthlessness.

He would feel saddened by the tragedy before him, but would show no mercy whatsoever.

“The Dark Angels still have many loyal offspring. I am confident that I can lead them back to the sky and reclaim my flagship.”

A jumble of thoughts raced through Ryan's mind, but he said defiantly, then turned to Kouswayne and said, "Right, Kouswayne?"

Coswayne was not intimidated; his respect for the lion remained unchanged. However, reality forced him to make the most rational choice.

Once they've made up their minds, it's almost impossible to change them.

In this respect, the Dark Angel, His Highness, and the Lion are almost identical.

"casual."

Coswayne shrugged.

Fortunately, reality was kind to him, and he did not witness the two princes killing each other.

That would inevitably cause the legion to split, and Your Highness's restraint seems to be the best outcome now.

Coswayne continued, "But I won't go back. You can try taking me with you and see what potential I have now. I would suggest you stay and benefit from it."

"Anyway, you no longer have battlefield command authority, Lion."

Ryan was highly skeptical of how much of a threat his followers posed to him.

He was confident that he could easily kill them all before Arthur returned, or knock everyone in the fortress unconscious, and with Coswayne tucked under his arm like the soldier on screen with his child, he could send them onto the warship, fill the remaining cells of the Unyielding Truth, and put everything back on track under his rule.

But what's the point?
What kind of victory is this?
It was just another instance of using force to suppress threats, another instance of crushing spontaneous resistance with an iron fist, and yet another instance of him drifting further and further away from the warriors under his command.

And that's what he, Lane Aljonsen, has always excelled at.

So why didn't he do that this time?
This is the strangest thing.

Ryan frowned, staring at Arthur with a gaze that every Primarch would describe as dangerous.

The lion is not incapable of considering other people's thoughts and feelings, but it does require him to put in some effort.

When he talked to these brothers, shedding his biases and speaking like brothers, his tense mindset, which had been strained by the great rebellion, strangely relaxed.

For a long time, all he had been thinking about was the killing that lingered at his fingertips. But now, a friendly sparring match between brothers was followed by the kind of merciless ridicule that had been thrown at him from the very beginning.

This made him feel both ashamed and relieved.

The brothers from ten thousand years in the future did not assume he had rebelled because of his actions, but simply thought he had played poorly.

Although this is not good news either.

However, given how physics has defeated us today, we can't ignore the facts, and Ryan really can't refute them. At the same time, he inexplicably feels that this way of getting along isn't so bad.

Without realizing it, they had forgotten how lonely they had been, without anyone, without gods, and not even their own father could perceive the universe as they did.

They are unique, original entities, custom-made with unparalleled raw materials and techniques, a perfect combination of matter and divinity, irreplaceable works in the galaxy's dull mass production.

Fundamentally, the Primarchs understood Llane's true nature better than most Dark Angels, and Llane knew his brothers better than most Legion warriors.

“We are simply unhappy with what you have done, if you knew what the empire would look like ten thousand years from now.”

Arthur looked at Ryan, who seemed to be thinking, and thought that all these dark angels were the same.

They need a beating to behave.

What would that be like?

"No original, no hope, no future."

Ryan took a deep breath.

He could hardly imagine what the empire would become if his brothers all disappeared.

“You will see it with your own eyes, and we hope you will be more mature by then.”

Noticing another rustling and giggling sound around him, Ryan suddenly began to question whether his question was rational.

Arthur replied, “Humanity needs you, not to struggle in the galaxy, but to live better. We need you to point out your mistakes, to satirize your actions, because we believe you are far more than this, that you can do better.”

"."

Ryan discovered that Arthur was indeed quite difficult to deal with.

Unlike most Primarchs, he doesn't choose to confront everything, which often leads to unpleasant endings in their interactions. Nor is he like Sangeles, who seems indifferent to everything and often acts as a dumping ground for one-sided emotional outbursts.

He's the kind of person—

A very special kind of thing—

If you feel comfortable around someone, it means you've been backwards-compatible in your interactions.

Ryan fell into deep thought. The anger that had been building up in his heart inexplicably dissipated with these words, while at the same time he felt inexplicably annoyed.

Arthur didn't say anything more. After making the arrangements, he planned to go to his post.

Before leaving, he spoke to Ryan again.

"If you want to do something right now, come with me, in the way you're best at."

The lion watched Arthur leave, gripping the lion sword tightly in its hand.

It wasn't that he couldn't understand Arthur's meaning; responsibility was something he was very familiar with, and he believed he understood his responsibilities much better than people like Do-Ki-Petulabo.

But accepting all of this will definitely take him some effort.

His meeting with Arthur was abrupt and unexpected. Just hours before, he couldn't believe it—these Proto-Forged Space Marines, these Dark Angels who had traveled back ten thousand years in the future.

Since then, he has been thinking about how to reach out to the other members of his legion, but that doesn't mean he has figured out the specifics of how to do it.

With his claws proving ineffective, Ryan felt lost for the first time.

'Father, why did you leave us with so many flaws?'

Maintaining a cold and serious expression, he muttered to himself, finally realizing his own shortcomings.

'I am a weapon, a weapon that can only be wielded within the framework you created. Now your illusions have shattered, and the First Legion has left me with very little power, while others expect far more from me.'

"Hey~"

The lion sighed deeply, then finally drew his sword and strode forward, with Coswayne following behind.

There was no time for him to process these emotions.

He did indeed want to regain control of the battlefield, and had an impulse to prove that he was not as useless as the Great Rebellion, and that letting Arthur wait would not make him like him more.
-
beep - beep -

The alarm suddenly blared, and a hoarse howl burst from the silence, resonating with the other alarms and echoing throughout the entire planet.

"Enemy attack."

Standing beside Arthur, Azrael immediately reported:

"Your Highness, the signal indicates that a large fleet has appeared from Mandeville Point; it is the main force."

Then he stood up, and a heavy transport plane carrying troops for anti-bungee jumps was taking off on the road ahead. As the air changed after the shelling ended, a light rain began to fall, and the compressed air kicked up clumps of mud.

"All units, commence operations."

Arthur gave the order, allowing the lion on the other side to wade through the mud and join a transport plane: "The exploration team's mission remains unchanged; continue to maintain the transfer of the surface population."

He switched the display screen beside his eyes to a tactical map drawn on the surface of Caliban. With the continuous appearance of demons, exploration would become extremely difficult. The original roads leading to the interior of the planet had been deformed, or were impassable, or were blocked by enemy forces numbering in the hundreds of millions.

The endless green tide has been observed on the surface.

Meanwhile, the Ouroboros, an artifact that had already been thoroughly corrupted by Nurgle through Dragon Forest Star, seemed to be constantly changing its location through the corrupted areas.

"Let the Caliban's elevator shaft remain in place."

Arthur glanced at the sky and then gave the order.

"Our priority is to find the ouroboros."

　P.S.: Character status

　　Ramses: Providing information security and finding Ryan for fun.
　　Ryan: First, I was red-hot, then I couldn't beat them, then I could only use my brain to think, and then I realized that I really had a problem with how I played.

　　Coswayne: I'm relieved it's a good ending; I don't have to kill Ryan.

　　Arthur: My daily role is to act as a mentor, at least to keep Ryan calm. This is just a side hustle. I should get back to work.

　　The Dark Angels felt that the interaction between the two sides was very entertaining and greatly increased their work enthusiasm.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)