Warhammer 40: My Fiancée Fulgrim.

Chapter 192 The Beginning of the War

Chapter 192 The Beginning of the War
A few days ago.

"But why did you tell me this?"

Gabriel asked the emperor's son before him with a puzzled look.

As the second company commander of the Sons of the Emperor's Legion, Aqua shouldn't be providing such crucial information to the Iron Hand Legion at such a critical moment.

The Azure Crystal Alliance members are currently hiding on the planet Carlos, in orbit around a planet that everyone thought was safe from search. The fleet is quietly completing its recharge.

Their commander and leader are on this ship. Whoever can capture this ship first will win this battle.

Whoever can keep Casca in their own legion.

“I need you to inform Philus of this, even though it sounds alarming, but I need you to do it.”

"Why? Aqua, you are clearly the second company commander of the Emperor's son, why did you do this?"

"Because this is my last chance."

In response to Gabriel Santo's question, Aqua's voice grew even lower: "Whether it's repaying Fugrim or Kasgar, this will be my last chance."

The Azure Crystal Alliance's flagship is currently undefended in the planet's near-Earth orbit. Only under these circumstances can Aqua have the opportunity to break through its defenses and successfully board the ship solo.

"Once the flagship returns to space, the outcome between the Primarchs will be entirely a matter of luck. I cannot guarantee that I can defeat the enemy faster than Philus when she boards the ship."

Luck might be on her side, but Aqua had no room to gamble anymore.

Kasgar is as important to the Sons of the Emperor as the Primarch; he plays a crucial role in the Legion's cohesion and future.

He must return to the Legion intact, or else, in his frenzy, Fugrim will only slide into an even deeper abyss.

She had to do it.

“Gabriel, I must complete the final push. As for the Azure Crystal Alliance’s ships lurking on Carolis, I need you to report to Philus now and request her to send troops immediately.”

"If possible, I would be even more grateful if you could find a way to hold off Philus while I charge toward the enemy flagship."

"If you can hold off Phyllis for a short while, she will know my determination when she sees me heading towards the energy zone, and then she will be unable to stop me."

Aqua is determined to accomplish what she failed to do last time—to cleave the energy core with a giant blade.

This could trigger a larger-scale explosion.

"But in that case, you would only perish together with the enemy's flagship in the explosion."

"Yes."

Aqua spoke casually, as if they weren't talking about her at all.

“I should have died in Gardinal; it was Casca who kept me alive until now.”

“It’s time for me to repay him again.”

Battle of Gardiner.

The same situation happened back then, just like it is now.

Phyllis clearly remembered that when their main force was tied down and unable to advance quickly, it was the same Emperor's Son, Second Company Commander Aqua Duna, who streaked across the sky like a shooting star, who charged into the enemy lines alone and almost sacrificed his own life to destroy the core of the enemy's defensive facilities.

But this time, no Casca was able to follow her into the enemy lines and rescue her.

The image of the emperor's son in the airdrop pod now seemed to transport her back to the past, when she was just like that—

and many more.

Now is not the time to be nostalgic; she is disrupting her own plans!

The voice in her head still told her that this was nothing more than a longing for the past, and the crucial point was the bet she was making with Fugrim—

Only the winner of this contest can possess the Casca wager, and Aqua, as the second company commander of the Emperor's son, is not on her side at this moment!
"No! Quick! Steel Hands! Prepare to board!"

She is the one who should be on high alert!
Dwelling too much on past camaraderie is meaningless sentimentality that will only hinder her progress.

As the Primarch of the Iron Hand Legion, she must discard these pathetic, weak emotions and become the embodiment of true rationality.

Fugrim's experience taught her how foolish a sentimental human could be—in desperation, she was eager to launch a surprise attack on the Azure Crystal Alliance, completely forgetting to consider where their main fleet might be hiding.

You've become so impatient just because you lost Kasgar, Fugrim. You really need a real lesson.

Such pathetic composure is utterly insufficient to make one an Imperial War General.

We must strike the enemy flagship before Aqua does!
"The Steel Hand!"

Aqua may indeed be a good warrior, her swordsmanship is unparalleled in the Astartes Legion, but she is still too inexperienced in front of Primarch Filus.

The chasm between the Primarch and Astartes cannot be bridged by swordsmanship alone.

As long as she can ride the Stormbird, land on the flagship before Aqua, and seize control of the command center, victory in this battle will still be in her hands.

[Sir, all the Stormbirds in our vicinity have been taken!]

[Company Commander, it was Company Commander Santo who moved these equipment to the front lines!]

"what?!"

The sudden change of events directly disrupted Philus's planned route.

As the backbone of the Iron Hand, she usually commands the combat resources of each war zone from a macro perspective during battles—whether it's ammunition, manpower, firepower configuration, or even morale, all can be precisely controlled and coordinated through her brain, thus ultimately achieving victory in the battle.

This is both the strength and the weakness of the Iron Hand—while the Primarch can maximize the effectiveness of the war by commanding the entire operation alone, allowing the Legion to crush any enemy who dares to resist like an indestructible steel torrent.

However, this also weakened the combat capabilities of these junior officers and soldiers, putting them in a state of complacency where they could win battles simply by following the Primarch's orders. As a result, once the Primarch himself lost his guidance, the entire legion, lacking individual combat capabilities, would be like a disorganized mess.

Normally, without the Primarch's order, it is impossible to move Stormbird to another location.

Only the First Company, the elite of the Primarch's personal guard, and the Avignon clan to which Gabriel Santo belonged, could barely manage to do so.

"Damn it! I've never given such an order before!"

"Hurry! Have Gabriel recall the Stormbirds, and notify the nearest Second War Zone to immediately send ten Stormbirds to the First War Zone! Now!"

"No need, Lady Phyllis, I can handle this myself."

Amidst the cacophony of shouts and sounds of fighting on the communication channel, Aqua spoke.

Aqua did not explain the specific reason.

But the movement of the signal seems to have already proven her point—

Everything seemed to be a replica of the last battle of Gadinar. In Philus's eyes, her signal was now firmly advancing towards the energy core area!

Just like last time, Aqua never expected to come back alive.

"Stop! Aqua! We don't need to resort to such extreme measures!"

"You stop approaching their energy compartment! I'll board the ship with you, and we'll take down their command center together, okay?"

Phyllis's tone was also filled with urgency.

Doing so would not only grant the Emperor's son ultimate victory, but would also cost her Aqua, her close friend and longtime right-hand woman.

While the Iron Hand Legion possesses strong heavy firepower, its ability to break through single points is very weak.

Many of the enemies with formidable defensive capabilities, whose Iron Hands could not break through after a long period of attack, only secured their victory by having Aqua and her Imperial Sons launch a double assault and decapitate the enemy commander.

No. I refuse.

Aqua paused for a moment, as if she was thinking, or perhaps she was dealing with the enemy in front of her and didn't have time to answer.

“Philus, if you insist on forcibly boarding the ship, then the only option between us is to perish together.”

"you!"

This was the most blatant threat to the Primarch of the Steel Hand, and also her farewell to herself.

Without hesitation, the point of light where Aqua was located, as detected by the instrument, headed straight for the energy compartment of the Azure Crystal Alliance flagship.

There is no turning back.

Inside the flagship of the Azure Crystal Alliance.

This interstellar empire, formed by humans and aliens, is not as weak as it is said. Their physics engine technology is far superior to the most advanced human empire flagships, which is commendable.

Although the subspace storm caused them to forget their former subspace engine technology and long-range warp capabilities, limiting their activity to a few nearby star systems, this did not mean that their technology had stopped advancing.

In this world where the older the better, the more powerful they become. The Azure Crystal Alliance, which has survived part of the ancient human dark technology era, is a testament to their formidable strength, having managed to withstand the Iron Hand Legion until now.

But when faced with Aqua, with the heavy artillery fire protecting their flagship gone, leaving only swords and blades fighting in this confined space of just a few meters, the battle was over.
All resistance was futile against the eternal swordswoman, Aqua, the Imperial Princess.

Amidst the flashing blades, anything that dared to block her path on her way to the energy chamber, whether human, alien, or android, was sliced to pieces by her dazzling dual-blade swordsmanship.

No one could stop her from moving forward.

Until that final energy chamber, Aqua felt her swordsmanship with both hands continuously sublimating in her final moments.

A mysterious realm seemed to be unfolding from her.

She has already honed her swordsmanship to its peak; now, the only thing that can limit her is her lack of physical strength.

Without a doubt, if Aqua possessed Primarch-level power, she would truly be an invincible being in the galaxy, defeating all her opponents.

Unfortunately, she couldn't wait until then.

She easily broke through that last door, exposing the fragile core of the Azure Crystal Alliance, which was charging up, to her.

Not only did Philus find this moment familiar, but Aqua, who had experienced it twice, naturally thought of the Battle of Gadinar.

Unfortunately, this time, there was no one like Casgar, the commander of the Sons of the Emperor's Legion, to descend from the sky and save her just as the reactor was about to explode.

No one could stop Aqua, but just as no one could save her again.

But she still went ahead without hesitation.

"We absolutely must rescue Casca!"

Looking at the reactor with its various colored lights flashing on the dashboard, Aqua moved.

She strained to draw back the longsword in her right hand, using the last and strongest force of her life to plunge it towards the spaceship's reactor—

"For Vorgrim, for the phoenix rising from the ashes!!!"

The dazzling light first covered her eyes, and before the actual explosion could reach her ears, the terrifying impact seemed to be right next to her.

In her final moments, Aqua closed her eyes—

Just as the white light was about to engulf everything, a dark green crack appeared before her eyes, as if the reactor was about to explode.

Is it an illusion?

Aqua was unaware that, at this moment, she had no room to consider the existence of such a question.

"It wouldn't be in line with my usual style for a legend to end so easily."

As time seemed to freeze at the moment of impending explosion, the space necromancer who had awakened prematurely—or rather, hadn't slept at all—was quite satisfied with the "spoils" he had amassed on this trip.

Although he failed to obtain the rarest Kaska this time, the thief never leaves empty-handed, and the Endless Tarasim never returns empty-handed.

As the eerie green light from the rift flickered again in the next second, Tarasin and Aqua, the Second Company Commander of the Emperor's Son, vanished at the other end of the rift the instant the reactor exploded.

Click.

The pause in time ended, and an endless explosion of energy engulfed everything.

Amidst the violent explosion of the reactor, powerful enough to instantly disintegrate the entire spaceship, and with Philus hearing the completely lost communication signals, Aqua and her Imperial Sons Second Company ultimately won the gamble.

But the price was devastating.

The once unparalleled swordsman, the undefeated Super Astartes War God who had never been defeated since his debut except for his Primarch, the invincible Second Company Commander Aqua Duna, the son of the Emperor, perished together with the Azure Crystal Alliance's flagship in the battle against them.

Although her body wasn't found after the battle, finding it on a flagship that had already disintegrated in near-Earth orbit was practically impossible. Especially given the close-range explosion, it's highly likely that Aqua was already completely obliterated.

On the second day after the war was completely over, the Fugrim fleet, with the Primarch's attempt, successfully used the Ska Punch, which imitated Horus's attack, and with the support of countless musicians and theatrical performances, to help the Navigator complete its repositioning after dispelling the warp and return to the real world.

But Fugrim never expected that, although she was indeed a step too late, the battle was already completely over.

Fortunately, thanks to Aqua's sacrifice, the Emperor's son, Niren, lived up to his mission, launching an attack on the Azure Crystal Alliance's flagship at the most critical moment, perishing together with it.

Ultimately, victory still belonged to their emperor's son, though no one had anticipated it.

Although Phyllis didn't want to admit it, the ultimate victor was still Fugrim, and she had to return Kasgar to him as agreed.

Although she wanted to use the Steel Hand Legion's strength to renege on her debt, she dared not attempt a two-on-one fight against Mortalian, who was equally enraged by Aqua's death.

"Why!"

"Why did you do something so foolish! The Azure Crystal Alliance's flagship was completely surrounded; all we had to do was break into the cockpit and take control!!!"

"You! You killed Aqua! You killed her!!!"

Mortalian, the Lord of Death, was overcome with grief.

He had never experienced such a strong mental fluctuation before.

But just as the battle was about to end, he formally requested the Second Company Commander, the son of the Emperor, to join the Death Guard Legion as a cook!
Although cooking is just a tiny side job compared to her sword saint abilities, it is an unparalleled trial for the Death Guard's overall resilience!

(That's why you shouldn't make promises you can't keep.)
Fortunately, he ultimately failed to invite her.

Otherwise, by the end, probably no human would be able to stand up in the entire Death Guard.

But Mortalian's resentment still lingered.

Before the funeral for Aqua Duna and other fallen soldiers, Mortalian had a heated argument with another Primarch, Filus.

In his view, Aqua's death was entirely Philus's responsibility.

If she hadn't engaged in that pointless contest with Fugrim, Aqua wouldn't have sacrificed herself at the last moment to achieve a so-called victory.

Although he didn't know the stakes were Kaska, it was clear that Mortalian had every reason to resent Philus, who had killed Aqua.

It's all because of her!

"Casualties in war are always inevitable. Mortalian, as the Lord of Death, you should understand the meaning of death better than anyone else. Stop making trouble for me. I don't have time to deal with children who have lost their toys."

"Child, toys? Ha, is this how you see us, how you see those Astartes under your command?"

"No, you're wrong, Phyllis, this is evidence of your guilt!"

"How many people have your steely head killed? How many soldiers have been forced to abandon their posts and face death because of your calculations? When have you ever considered this?"

“I don’t sense any respect for humanity from you, Phyllos. Compared to a Primarch, you seem more like a pathetic abomination right now.”

"That's why the Emperor wouldn't choose someone like you to be a War Commander."

Mortalian's words were piercing to the heart.

The last sentence, in particular, ignited Philus's anger.

It's more effective than "call your real legion commander."

"Motalian!!!" Philus's fists were almost touching the Pale King's body.

"What? You want to fight me? I've already heard that you've set up an arena in your flagship, just waiting for us to show you just how incompetent you are!"

Mortalian was equally unwilling to be outdone, raising his power scythe high, ready to fight.

After Aqua's death, he really needed a fierce battle to vent his anger and also to get revenge on the fool who deliberately killed Aqua.

"Come!"

As Mortalian stepped forward, the silent Death Shroud Space Marines behind him also stepped forward, forming an arc around the Primarch to protect him.

"come!!!"

Seeing this, Iron Hand was equally unwilling to back down—Iron Hand and his elite Terminator warriors met the silent shroud of death head-on, and the two sides formed a stalemate.

After a long argument, the two sides not only failed to ease the situation, but the two legions were so tense that it was almost as if not only the Primarchs were about to fight, but their legions were also eager to fight.

Ultimately, it was Forgrim, as the Imperial Warmaster, who, by virtue of his command over the Primarchs, forcibly separated the two legions that were about to go to war.

Although Forgrim could tell from the expressions of the two Primarchs that they were not convinced, there was no better option than to pull them apart urgently at this moment.

Watching the two Primarchs leave angrily with their respective personal guards, Vograim sighed deeply.

The good news is that, perhaps fearing being caught in the crossfire, Casca was finally released back to the Imperial Pride by Philosopher the day after the standoff ended.

Under normal circumstances, Phyllis is unlikely to let go, but it is clear that continuing to provoke Fugrim after offending Mortalian is an unwise choice.

And so, with the help of numerous anti-psychic restraint packages and automatons, Kasgar was finally able to board the shuttle back to the Emperor's Pride.

—With her face covered in lipstick.

Casca didn't understand why Philus was doing this.

After all, in her view, these outward embellishments were nothing more than a ridiculous act of emotionally trying to cover up one's own flaws, and were something to be discarded.

But perhaps to vent her anger, or perhaps to deliberately provoke Forgrim's jealousy, she did it anyway.

They even deliberately covered it with another layer when they sent it back.

Casca was also complaining bitterly.

If I go back like this, won't Fugrim just cleave him into a bloody mist with one sword?

And so, with Kasgar filled with trepidation, he was finally transported to Fugrim by the automatons, his entire body bound by anti-psychic energy, like a silkworm in its cocoon.

I'm back from fooling around outside.jpg
"Casgar!!!"

Before she could even remove the anti-psychic restraints from him, Fugrim used her Primarch speed to push the automatons back dozens of meters and hugged Kasgar.

Kasgar felt a burning liquid flowing down beside him; it was Fugrim's tears.

"Forgrim, I'm sorry it's because of me—"

Promise me you won't leave without permission from now on.

"Please untie this for me first; there are so many imperial princes watching—"

Promise me you won't leave without permission again!

"Okay, I promise you."

"!"

And so, helplessly watching the Phoenix Guards and numerous Imperial Commanders standing behind him, who seemed to be digging their toes into the ground, Kasgar was being held by Fugrim, who was unreasonably wrapped up in an anti-psychic restraint device like a dumpling.

And he was greeted by the gazes of everyone, whether of blessings, silence, or pity, as he walked across the decks and various cabins until he entered the door of the original body's bedroom.

Bang!

"Don't follow us! Phoenix Guards, disband!"

As he spoke, Fugrim impatiently hooked the door shut with his heel, making a dull thud.

The Phoenix Guards standing outside the door looked at each other in bewilderment.

At that moment, they began to pray silently in their hearts.

Fugrim has been very angry lately.

Casca is in a tough spot.

After completing the cleanup of the Azure Crystal Alliance and paying tribute to Aqua and the many fallen soldiers, the Emperor's Son's fleet immediately left the area amidst the increasingly turbulent warp storm.

Fugrim simply couldn't believe that her Primarch sister, Filus, would betray her and her husband, Kasgar.

We'll still ask for help.

If Kasgar hadn't said it was due to the influence of the Medusa Blade in his hand, Fugrim would have rushed up and fought the opponent to the death right now.

It was Casca who stopped her.

“We cannot act rashly now,” Kasgar said. “The best course of action is to return to Holy Terra immediately, report the situation to the Emperor, and let him handle it himself.”

In addition, try not to provoke any further disputes.

"Should we contact Mortalian and take this opportunity to capture her together?"

It's best not to.

Phyllis is now on the verge of being affected by the Demon Sword. If we continue to push her too far, she might just receive the true Blessing of Chaos in a moment of desperation.

Kasgar feared that when the Blessing of Chaos truly descended, their two small Primarch Legions would face more than just the blessing of a wicked god.

It was a true selection by the four gods.

—In fact, Slaanesh's blessing alone is enough to cause a lot of trouble. The record of Iron's 10,000 defeating Emperor's 50,000 seems to be right before our eyes. Kasgar really doesn't have the confidence to gamble his own resources here.

"Let's go! Let the Emperor handle this!!!"

Shortly thereafter, the funeral was held aboard the Imperial Pride.

All three Primarchs arrived at the flagship. Although the atmosphere was tense, a conflict was temporarily averted for the sake of Aqua.

Kaska looked at Philus, who had come to visit, and seemed unusually downcast.

He wanted to go over and offer some words of comfort, but given his current status—his sensitive identity that had sparked a fight between the two Primarchs—it was not appropriate to say anything to Phyllis at this moment.

And so, the funeral ended in silence, with even the once close friends, Fugrim and Phyllis, unable to exchange a single word.

The hatred of having one's husband stolen is irreconcilable.

Shortly after that, after seeing his guests off, Fugrim immediately ordered the Emperor's Sons' fleet to leave.

Mortalian left angrily, having nothing more to say to Phyllis.

Phyllis was left alone, not knowing what to do.

what to do.
What should I do?
Why did I end up in this situation?

Those who try to prove they don't need emotions will ultimately be consumed by the backlash of their emotions.

The more you try to prove your strength, the more it reveals that you are actually a ridiculously weak person.

You have never been a rational being; this is all just a self-righteous pretense.

"camouflage.?"

That's right, it's a disguise.

You will never become—