I'm a magnetic field madman

"Although I really don't want to, Leon, please go to the Eldar's Webpath in my place. I will return to Terra and I will resolve the problems there."

"The plan remains the same," Leon said expressionlessly.

"Go to the alien city and do your diplomacy, High Lord, I'll take care of things myself."

118. The Age of the Primarchs...

"I won't even breathe a drop of air in those alien, stinking cities, and don't expect me to talk to them. Guilliman, I know what you care about, but what you care about, I don't care about!"

Knowing Leon's decisive and efficient nature, and understanding what he intended to do, Guilliman's breathing quickened, and he growled in a low voice...

"You'll plunge the Empire into a civil war! We don't have time for that..."

"Politics is a foolish game, Guilliman, and you've become foolish too, deeply involved in it," Leon interrupted Guilliman coldly.

“We are Primarchs, the offspring of our Father. Even if he is not pleased, we are still the most legitimate heirs and rulers of this empire besides himself. I know that those bureaucrats, those high lords and the complex forces behind them will not be willing to relinquish power.”

"But by what right? We have no power? We have no right or legitimacy? Are we wrong? Are we traitors?"

"Our father is on our side, and the empire needs us, so why should we bother to sniff the farts of those bureaucrats and politicians!"

Those who obey will be spared, those who disobey will be killed, and those who outwardly comply but inwardly defy will also be killed. Only those who obey will remain so that we can control and dictate to them!

Leon's direct and blunt questions echoed in Guilliman's ears...

Primarch Thirteen wanted to use his extensive experience in political struggle to refute Leon's reckless actions, but when he opened his mouth, he couldn't utter a single word.

Because Leon wouldn't listen to his advice, and besides, what Leon said wasn't wrong.

Guilliman typically considered issues from the perspective of a politician and governor, hoping to gain sufficient power with minimal losses.

He was not just a theorist or inefficient; he had already prepared a complete plan!

With Guilliman's skills, it wouldn't be long before he could easily seize all power upon returning to Terra, and he would lose almost no Imperial strength.

Does Leon possess such an ability? Of course he does, but he's too lazy and disgusted to use it! Like the other Primarchs, he harbors a deep-seated aversion to politics!

The magnetic field further fueled Leon's thinking; whenever his Primarch's superintelligence pondered how to solve a problem, his superintelligence offered only one answer.

Use your incredible power!

Guilliman could understand, because even a brief moment of possessing that omnipotent feeling of magnetic power fascinated him.

If he is like this, what choice will Leon make?

Leon will surely unleash a reign of terror upon returning to Terra. Guilliman has no doubt that his elder brother will seize supreme power on Terra and accomplish what even Horus could not. But what happens after that…

A massive cleanup sounds appealing, but the damage caused by mishandling the aftermath is unimaginable.

"But, Macurag..."

Guilliman knew he couldn't persuade Leon, and in fact, he was so tormented by the poison that he was almost too lazy to care anymore, but no matter what, he had to keep Macurag going!

“Let Fugen stay,” Leon said wisely and calmly.

“He is a fragment of the soul left behind by the fallen Fuggen. His existence can attract Fuggen, and since he keeps asking for a chance to prove himself and wash away his humiliation, then let’s give him that opportunity.”

Fugen would certainly not refuse such a possibility; he would be more than happy to wait for Fugen to come knocking on his door.

And Forgrim had no choice but to take the bait; he couldn't possibly let such a large fragment of his soul fall into Nurgle's hands!

It was a simple, overt scheme, but Leon couldn't be said to have broken the deadlock; he simply didn't care about the consequences at all.

Guilliman muttered to himself for a while, but all his words ultimately turned into a helpless, soft sigh.

And so, it all came to an end.

The day after the celebrations ended, Guilliman, along with the Ultramarines and ten Space Marines, plus White Scar and Chagatai Khan, and the Inquisition, set off on the Eldar's Webway towards their present-day Imperial City, Ulthuan.

Not long after, Leon also set off for Terra, where he reportedly encountered an unexpected attack while escaping into the Webpath...

But after the attack caused heavy losses to the fleet, Leon, who had eliminated all the invading enemies, went to Terra with another mysterious fleet that suddenly emerged from a non-hyperspace passage.

In any case, in the ever-changing galaxy, the first massive war to destroy the world is about to begin.

The Court of Lupeca, the Vengeful Spirit

In this place where the former defeated warlord of the empire once gathered his henchmen and lackeys, Warlord Abaddon took his place, using it to rally his brothers and sisters.

Those imperial conquests, rendered meaningless by betrayal, still fly high above...

This magnificent hall, where the galactic civil war was planned, is a quiet council chamber within a complex web of warfare.

Horus once received cheers here, and half the empire sang his name, but now this place has become a den of plots for destruction.

Kayan walked through the corridor of the Vengeance Souls, the familiar warship carrying so much of his past and present, and... the souls of his kin.

Through his power armor, his fingers lightly traced the crystal before him. For other members of the Black Legion, what they often saw here were figures of great stature, like Saint Gillespie—

They are composed of psionic resonant crystals, just like those beings slain on the Vengeful Spirits throughout history.

Such substances are found throughout the passageways and halls of warships, often formed after battles or turbulent voyages.

Kayan had already witnessed them when he first boarded the Vengeful Spirits while searching for Abaddon.

They are soulless statues made of hazy crystals, and are quite easy to exorcise—provided no one is foolish enough to touch them.

When these statues are touched, they begin to "sing," sending out a wealth of images and feelings from their dying moments through psychic energy.

The useless gasps of the soul's power.

Saint Gilles perished on the Soul of Vengeance, and his ghost haunts this place.

The steel on the warship's hull, infused with the power of the warp, resurrected the Primarch and the other fallen.

As Kayan passed the kneeling angel, he gave a slight nod, paying homage to the pain etched into the perfect face made of dyed diamonds.

"You shouldn't be here, Broken King."

A deep but unsettling voice rang out, and Kayan looked up to see Fakus Kabo standing before him.

He died during the Great Rebellion, but was resurrected afterward... but at the cost of becoming a fully-fledged enchanted warrior.

The demon's jet-black horns grew from his eye sockets, and his jet-black head seemed to have flesh tightly clenched onto his skull.

The Terminator armor was covered in blasphemous marks, its abdomen was split open with a gaping maw, and hanging from its waist was the head of a man who had once been human.

This appearance is clearly not what a normal being in the physical universe should look like, and that is indeed the case...

As an enchanted warrior, Fakus will feel unspeakable pain over time after leaving the Eye of Terror.

Well, that is, he is still the same "Fakus".

“I am going to Terra as ordered by the Warmaster,” Kayan said, trying to keep a straight face.

“But the Crimson Path has been breached, and Azaik Ahriman has thwarted the Warmaster’s plans… and I have something more important to report to him now.”

"Report? Like, what about your allegiance to the Corpse King's lackeys, and those aliens?" Fakus sneered sarcastically, blocking Kayan's path...

"Get out of the way, I'll only say it once," Kayan said calmly.

"Broken King, this is Vengeful Spirit! Your psionic powers are useless here. You should kneel before me... because you are a loser, Abaddon no longer needs you—ribbit!!"

Before Fakus could even finish speaking, Kayan raised his hand and grabbed him with an invisible force.

That was not the psionic energy that would provoke a vengeful spirit to retaliate, but a powerful force that Fakus's shallow mind could not comprehend!

He screamed, but he couldn't stop the force from compressing every cell of the body.

The demon residing in this body had developed a desire to escape, and thus it fled completely.

But a voice stopped Kayan from acting.

"Kayan, come in."

The familiar voice made Kayan release Fakus and step into the depths of the Court of Lupeca. There, at the top of the high throne, Kayan saw him.

His jet-black, spiky braid remained strikingly conspicuous, and Abaddon's body was confined within the heavy black Terminator armor...

But both the demonic sword Draconion that he placed to the side and the dark Claw of Horus clearly demonstrated his identity.

Kayan could smell a scent, a kind of holy oil-like fragrance emanating from Abaddon, which was spreading in the air.

But Kayan was certain Abaddon wouldn't be that bored, so he must have been meeting someone just now—

"Commander, my mission has failed."

Kayan saluted Abaddon and reported in a deep voice...

“But I have not returned to beg for forgiveness and pardon, Warlord. We must lead the Black Legion out of the Thirteenth Black Crusade.”

“Why? Kayan, why would I do this?” Abaddon said calmly.

"Typhons has died suddenly, Lucius is missing and his whereabouts are unknown, Eribus and Colfalen perished in Macrag, and Kahn and his World Eaters also died in the territory of the Blood God."

All of these things Abaddon described were once enemies of the Black Legion in the Eye of Fear—for the Chaos Warband, there are no allies, even if Abaddon is the so-called "Warmaster".

Life in the Eye of Fear is not pleasant. Sometimes, even fighting over a little clean water can cause two warring factions to fight each other. In Abaddon's Black Expeditions, apart from his own Black Legion, the other rebel legions, especially the old ones, must be summoned by the Four Gods.

To put it bluntly, without the help of the Four Gods, he would be nothing but a war commander!

But now, three of the four chosen gods have died suddenly, and the actual power holders of the Word Bearers are all dead...

Faced with Abaddon's recruitment and attacks, those leaderless warbands had no choice but to unite under his command!

This is why Abaddon postponed the thirteenth Black Crusade; he needed to digest these forces before launching a stronger attack on Cardia.

“They are insignificant!” Kayan gripped his executioner's axe and said in a low voice…

"Commander, they are insignificant..."

“I know what you want to say, Cayan.” Abaddon gripped Draconian’s hand tightly and said in a deep voice…

“I will never side with Chaos, I will not repeat my father’s mistakes! I will conquer the Empire with power beyond Chaos, and rule it with power beyond psychic energy!”

"Not ruled by the false Corpse King, nor by the Primarchs he created, but by us, the pure Astartes!"

Kayan didn't know how to begin. Undoubtedly, what Abaddon was talking about was what he had been doing all along.

Even though he was a Chaos Warmaster, Abaddon was far purer than his Astartes.

His body was not altered by the chaos, and even his thoughts were no different from Abaddon's ten thousand years ago.

His goal remained constant: to unify the empire not so that chaos would destroy everything, but to replace the emperor and make humanity better.

It may sound like a pipe dream, and even seem ridiculous... but if Abaddon didn't have such a dream, Kayan wouldn't have willingly followed him.

“But Commander, that’s not what I meant…” Kayan tried to explain, but Abaddon interrupted him…

He spoke with an arrogant, resolute, and disdainful tone...

"The era of the Primarchs is over!"

119. Abaddon's Secret Weapon

Chagatai, Guilliman, Leon...

The Empire's sudden return to three Primarchies had a profound impact on the Black Legion and the Traitors.

Some warbands that were not corrupted by the Chaos but simply betrayed the Empire have begun to plan to defect back. Even those who are not planning to defect back are devising ways to avoid direct conflict with the Empire.

But for the rebels, the Black Legion has always been the most affected.

In the first twelve Black Crusades, although the Black Legion was driven back to the Eye of Terror each time, only Abaddon knew that he succeeded every time and achieved his goal each time.

He knew that the rebel legion's strength was like a child facing an adult compared to the Empire, seemingly with no chance of winning.

But if he were facing a terminally ill adult, he could use his keen senses to slowly wear down the giant!

Yes, Abaddon was never able to truly turn the expeditions into a war.

Because if the Empire concentrates its forces, the traitors united by Abaddon are simply not enough to oppose it.

But can an empire concentrate its power? Of course not.

They are the current leaders of the Milky Way, and their massive size and territory have led to a sluggish response. Compared to Abaddon, they have many more things to worry about.

So the twelve Black Crusades allowed Abaddon to remove the nodes that stabilized the physical universe one by one and destroy those Black Stones. As long as the Thirteenth Black Crusade succeeds... Abaddon can drag half of the Empire into the darkness of the Eye of Terror, which is not shrouded by the Star Torch!

That marked the beginning of the Empire's collapse, and also the start of the Black Legion breaking free from the Eye of Terror's shackles and embarking on the Abaddon Plan as a free entity.

After all, for the Black Legion, the Eye of Fear is both a place of refuge and a prison that restricts their movement and forces them to stay there.

But Abaddon was also well aware of what the Primarch's return meant to him.