Warhammer: Expedition to the Multiverse from 30k

"The Alpha Legion created a time lag with us. The real visitors from Ventanus and Calth have indeed arrived in Macragge. They have also completed the registration in our records. This is also one of our oversights."

"Let him come to see me." Guilliman did not ask any more questions, but ordered Grod to bring Ventanus.

The leader of the Primarch's guards was embarrassed. He said:

"My lord, Captain Ventanus is not alone. He has brought a Word Bearer with him."

He formulated his tone and suppressed the doubt and disbelief in his heart.

"A Word Bearer who remains loyal to the Emperor, who requests to see you."

The calmness on Guilliman's face was finally broken. So far, the legionnaires who had come to Macragge included almost the vast majority of the legions, and among them there were even loyalists who had betrayed the mother legion.

Such as the former trident of the Iron Warriors Legion: Barabas Dantioch, and Captain Skraal of the World Eaters who died in the battle of boarding the Fury of the Abyss.

Between loyalty to the Legion and their Primarch and loyalty to the Emperor and the Imperium, they chose the latter.

But he had not yet seen any loyal Word Bearers, and he expected that his traitorous brother Lorgar Aurelion must have purged them all long ago, and all the Word Bearers loyal to the Empire had returned to the Emperor's arms long ago.

"Bring him here. I would like to meet a Word Bearer who still chooses loyalty. Perhaps we can gain a lot of surprises from him."

Chapter 152 My Name is Hermit

The meeting place this time was chosen to be in the ward. Although it was a bit strange, desperate times call for desperate measures. Ventanus and a Word Bearers warrior came before the Primarch.

Roche saw that the Word Bearer's hands and legs were bound with adamantium chains. He had been stripped of his power armor and was only wearing a gunmetal grey robe.

This Word Bearer seems to be a psychic. He wears a headband on his forehead that is specifically designed to suppress psychic energy. This equipment is made from the bones of some Untouchables. Ordinary Librarians will completely lose their perception of psychic energy when wearing it.

Having learned from their mistakes, all those who met the Primarch were stripped of their weapons and came to the audience completely unarmed.

The Word Bearers warrior's body was covered with scars, and the exposed black shell was glowing faintly.

"I'm sorry, my lord."

Ventanus came before the Primarch. He looked no different from the one he had seen on the battlefield of Calth, except that his temperament was more mature and stable.

Apparently, this hero who came all the way from Calth had learned about the assassination attempt by the Alpha Legion, especially since these assassins had used his identity, which made Ventanus feel extremely guilty.

Although he understood that this had nothing to do with him and that he was even a victim, Ventanus still regretted his mistakes out of love for his genetic father.

Why hadn't he come faster? Let those damn Alphas take advantage.

"No need to apologize, my proud son." Guilliman's eyes were full of love. He called Ventanus to his side and caressed the heart of the hero of Calth with the tenderness of a Primarch.

The love and attention from the Primarch softened Ventanus's heart, which had been hardened in the war. He lowered his head, enjoying this warm scene.

After a moment, Ventanus stood up and introduced the Word Bearer behind him to the Gene-Father lying on the hospital bed.

From the moment he entered the room, the Word Bearers warrior said nothing, just stood there and watched the reunion of Ventanus and his son.

Although he was wearing heavy shackles, Luo Xi felt that he didn't seem to care about it at all.

Those heavy shackles were more like decorations on the statue; they did not bind him, but instead highlighted his divinity.

“My name is the Hermit,” the Word Bearer spoke as the Ultramarines’ Lord looked on.

Ventanus then added: "Father, the Hermit is a Word Bearer who surrendered to us during the Underground War on Calth. He claimed to have participated in the massacre at Isstvan V."

"Another Word Bearer surrenderer?" Roxie asked.

He would never forget that in the Universal Museum in Calth, the Word Bearers commander named K'sir surrendered voluntarily and sacrificed himself after being killed, summoning the Chaos Daemon named Samus.

With his preconceived impression, he was deeply suspicious of the Word Bearers' character.

"Nice to see you again, Roxi." Ventanus first greeted Roxi and then explained.

"The Hermit is indeed a true surrenderer, but he claims that he is not surrendering to the Ultramarines, but wants to turn back from the wrong path."

There was a gleam of curiosity in Guilliman's eyes. He knew the temperament of the Seventeenth Legion very well. These warriors with fanatical beliefs could be killed, but it was almost impossible to make them change their beliefs.

"At the beginning, the Emperor ordered the Thirteenth Legion to burn down the Perfect City in an attempt to dispel the Word Bearers' erroneous prejudice against their beliefs. But unfortunately, the facts proved that we were all wrong."

"The people he should have sent were Russ and Leon. They would have completely wiped out the Word Bearers. If he had known this earlier, there wouldn't have been so many tragedies happening now."

The Primarch's voice echoed in the room, but the expression of the Word Bearer named the Hermit did not change at all.

The burning of the Perfect City is the Achilles' heel of every soldier of the Seventeenth Legion. When fighting against the Word Bearers, just a few sarcastic words about the Perfect City will most likely anger these fanatics.

The Primarch spoke the most insulting words to the Word Bearers, but all his senses were observing the hermit's reaction.

His breathing, heartbeat, blood circulation, facial expressions...

Even the most sophisticated interrogation machines could not match the Primarch's insight into the subtlest changes in emotions.

But it turns out that the Word Bearer really doesn't care about the insults.

"Lord Guilliman, I did hate your actions. When your legion brought destruction to the City of Perfection, the Emperor forced us to kneel and trampled our faith and dignity into the mud."

"That's because we think you are an enemy of the Word Bearers and a ruthless trampler of faith."

Roboute recalled the day when the Perfect City was destroyed. He really didn't know why the Emperor ordered the Ultramarines to destroy the Perfect City. This was not within the mission scope of the Thirteenth Legion.

If the Emperor wanted to punish a Primarch and a Legion, he would send Leman Russ and the Space Wolves.

And if the Emperor wanted a Primarch and a Legion to disappear, it would be the mysterious First Legion, and the Lion El'Jonson, who would come forward.

Guilliman once believed that the Emperor wanted to use the rationality of the Thirteenth Legion to change the fanatical beliefs of the Seventeenth Legion, and to get them back on the right track from their wrong behavior of spreading the Emperor's beliefs everywhere and spending a lot of time converting heretics.

But now, he somewhat understood the Emperor's will.

The Word Bearers and the Ultramarines are the two legions with the largest number of people. Even for the sake of balance, the relationship between the Ultramarines and the Word Bearers cannot be too good.

"If you hate us, why do you surrender to us?" said Guilliman.

Luo Xi looked at the hermit. He closed his eyes and seemed to be recalling the past.

After a long time, the solemn and dignified person spoke.

"Because during the war, I realized everything. The Word Bearers' actions were in vain. We really went astray under the leadership of the Primarch."

The gene seed of the Word Bearers has a characteristic, which is an almost natural and blind obedience to the Primarch.

They are naturally more dependent on the Primarch than warriors in other legions. They believe in the will of the Primarch and implement this fanatical dependence from the inside out.

To refute and disobey the Primarch was simply unthinkable for a Word Bearer.

"I understand. Since we worship the Emperor as the God-Emperor, when he brings down divine punishment on the Perfect City, we should shed tears of gratitude."

"The gods saw our piety, and the punishment they brought down was a test for us, just like in the ancient Terra mythology, in order to test Abraham, God asked him to kill his only son Isaac as a burnt offering to God. The perfect city is a test."

"The power of God is like a prison, and the grace of God is unfathomable. If the Emperor of God wants us to sacrifice for him, as believers we should obey and be willing to do so."

The hermit's words made everyone present feel a little creepy. Indeed, this was the faith that a true believer should have: fanatical and without regrets.

"If the Emperor wants the Perfect City as a sacrifice, then it should be our duty to burn down this holy city. However, Lorgar is angry and hates this. His beliefs are ridiculous."

"I learned during the Battle of Calth that my Primarch did not believe in the God-Emperor. He simply worshipped the power of the God-Emperor. He worshipped the God in his heart. He was a hypocrite and not one of my kind."

Guilliman looked deeply at the hermit. He knew that this enlightened Word Bearer had a deeper and more unbreakable faith than the other warriors of the Seventeenth Legion.

Unlike others who blindly follow others, he truly has his own thoughts and has formed a complete and self-consistent religious logic.

As a representative of rationality and Imperial truth, Guilliman instinctively hated such fanatical beliefs, but he could not refute the hermit's loyalty to the Emperor.

"After the incident at Perfect City, the Seventeenth Legion did not fall apart. Instead, it became more united and powerful under a common hatred goal." The Hermit said, "So when we launched a betrayal against the Ultramarines on Calth, I knew that this would not destroy you, but would make the Ultramarines stronger."

Chapter 153: The Hermit's Wish

"Because of the stupidity of my Gene-Father, the Emperor's hope for the revival of mankind will be shattered, and the Imperium and Horus's rebels will be like the Ouroboros in mythology, trapped in an endless war."

"Lorgar, why don't you understand that everything is a test from the God-Emperor? The Perfect City is a test to prove the sincerity of his faith."

"However, his empty faith and his own ignorance prevented him from understanding the will of the God-Emperor. Instead, he developed resentment in his heart and embarked on a path that went against the God-Emperor."

Luo Xi looked at the hermit's sad face and felt a sense of loss and helplessness.

He had read about the events of the Perfect City and knew of the Emperor's extreme aversion to religion and faith.

The Lord of Mankind had a hatred and hostility towards the gods far beyond that of ordinary people, and the act of the Word Bearers and Lorgar worshipping him as a god was dancing on his reverse scale.

But in the eyes of true fanatics like the Hermit, everything the Emperor does is a test.

God is everything to believers.

His approval and anger are both grace; thunder, lightning and rain are both divine favor.

He interpreted the emperor's behavior entirely from a religious perspective, but everything could be made self-consistent from a religious perspective.

"If all Word Bearers are really like this, then there would be less trouble." Luo Xi sighed. He had seen horrific disasters caused by the backlash of faith, and true believers would not betray their faith.

Guilliman looked at the hermit in front of him with a complicated expression, and there was even a trace of fear in his heart. Faith in such an illusory thing could turn a weapon of war like the Space Marine into an ignorant fanatic.

"Fortunately, my legion does not have this situation. My descendants are rational and objective and will not blindly believe in anyone." The Primarch rejoiced in his heart.

"Then why did you surrender to us, Hermit?"

Guilliman's tone softened a lot. No matter what, the Word Bearers before him at least proved that he and Lorgar were not birds of a feather.

The hermit's expression became painful, as if he was suffering from inner torment.

"We were wrong, completely wrong. The Seventeenth Legion was unable to understand the Divine Emperor's profound meaning. We were unable to cleanse the original sin we carried. We even went against the Divine Emperor's path."

"We have defied the will of the God-Emperor and aided the false gods of Chaos in destroying the future of humanity. I learned this lesson beneath Calth, and I refuse to take part in it any longer. I cannot stop my brothers from going astray, nor can I end the war, but I can surrender to the Ultramarines."

The physical pain could not make the hermit suffer at all, but the distortion of his faith by his own behavior made him extremely painful.

Luo Xi could see that this hermit had a strong tendency towards self-destruction.

He believed that he was guilty of an unforgivable sin and had abandoned the duties bestowed upon him by the God-Emperor. Their evil deeds had incurred the wrath of the gods and they were spurned by them.

It is predictable that if not stopped, this Word Bearer will kill himself in order to cleanse himself of the original sin he carries and the sins he has committed.

He and Guilliman looked at each other, both realizing this.

No, we can’t let the hermit die like this. He still has great value waiting to be discovered.

The two of them thought of the same thing almost telepathically.

The Word Bearers are undoubtedly the authority in the field of religious belief, and when the Ultramarines face the Word Bearers who have fallen into Chaos, they are often trapped by the chaos sorcery they cast.

It has to be admitted that the Word Bearers have extremely deep knowledge of the Warp and Chaos forces, which is something the Ultramarines cannot catch up with.