Chapter 157: That's More Like It! |
Arriving at the other side of the Planet, Arthur looked up at the massive Ecclesiarchy complex before him.
The architecture here was breathtakingly magnificent, its decorations designed by the Imperium's finest sculptors. Even during the rainy season on Optus, the buildings gleamed brilliantly under the light refracted through the stained glass prisms of The Dome.
Statues of various saints and epic heroes stood along the pathways of the complex. At the very center was the most spectacular holy statue of The Emperor. Clad in majestic power armor, his Blade pointed toward the sky, while his eyes continuously watched over his subjects below.
The invasion was concentrated around the ruins on the other side of the Planet. Whether it was the Aeldari or the Iron Warriors, their goal was not to conquer this world, leaving the vast majority of Optus's population and infrastructure completely intact.
Many people had not even realized what was happening, assuming it was just an ordinary incursion.
Withdrawing his gaze, Arthur stepped forward, carefully navigating through the crowds dressed in rags. From the corner of his eye, he noticed them swallowing their relatively ample food mixed with medicine. Guided by the increasingly passionate cheers, he moved toward the center of the church at a speed almost impossible to track.
By the time the church staff noticed Arthur, the knight had already arrived at Karna's side.
"This is..."
The Archbishop, noticing the anomaly, cast his gaze over and immediately fell silent on instinct. The congregation, who had been echoing his sermon, naturally quieted down as well.
"By The Emperor..."
The Archbishop realized these were weapons blessed by The Emperor. Simply gazing at such an artifact would inflict agony upon the evil abominations of Chaos who sought decadent beauty and twisted sensations.
"Are you in that much of a hurry?"
Karna asked in a low voice.
He knew exactly what had happened; those eccentric characters in the Imperial Navy had pulled another stunt.
"I am not in a rush, but it is indeed time to leave."
Arthur shook his head, then fiddled with the control console.
"I need to use the Holographic Projection. You pick the people, and I will handle the lighting."
Every time the Expeditionary Fleet passed a Planet, they would leave behind some personnel. This was especially true for the Ecclesiarchy; a Great Sister Dialogus and a Cardinal had to be stationed to ensure a certain level of control over the local area.
In the past, they were solely responsible for spreading the Faith of the Sacred Rose. Now, things had been altered slightly, preparing to synchronize with Baal.
However, recruiting armed forces was a bit troublesome. After all, not a single Sister of Battle was willing to leave the Expeditionary Fleet. Fortunately, there were quite a few Astra Militarum regiments under the Expeditionary Fleet's command, and ample equipment was enough to support the local planetary sects in building their own military strength.
"Here."
Karna handed over a list.
Arthur was an expert at creating a sense of ritual, and he had historical precedents to reference. Back in the day, Vandire used the Rosarius to block bullets and deceive the Sisters of Battle. Since Romulus had approved Rameses's experimental request, they might as well give it a try.
Arthur nodded, gave the Archbishop a look of acknowledgment, and then drew his Blade.
Its runes glowed brightly, like wide, furious eyes upon a pitch-black foundation, conjuring a dazzling, intense light.
The Archbishop stared intently at the Blade, thoroughly convinced that its radiance was enough to drive demons away.
The tip of the sword pressed down gently. Under the fervent gazes of countless believers, innumerable pillars of light reaching to the heavens descended. They fell upon the Progeny of The Angel who had received the notice and finished their sweeping operations, upon the Invincible Iron Guards who had consolidated their data, and upon the Sisters and clerics who had completed distributing supplies.
Like the chosen ones of heaven summoned by the God-Emperor, they stepped onto a brilliant bridge of light and ascended into the boundless starry sky.
The myriad believers who had been confused just moments prior witnessed this miraculous sight, their faces instantly flushing with fanatical zeal.
The solemn knight slowly swung his sword, simultaneously ordering the Dark Angels hidden in the shadows to activate the teleportation beacons.
The summoned warriors slowly faded from the mortal realm, melting away like snow.
"All that has passed, shall return."
"All that is destroyed, shall rise anew."
"All that has fallen, shall stand again."
The Archbishop gazed at the scene unfolding before him, and for no apparent reason, a voice welled up from the bottom of his heart.
"I see a host of triumphant warriors, an eternal flame burning within their Souls. They pass along the sparks from their fingertips, purely to bring salvation to the subjects of The Emperor. They symbolize Faith, they symbolize victory! Those flames will spread with every step they advance, and they shall never be extinguished!"
The Archbishop's voice grew feverish as he chanted his blessings toward the departing warriors.
Answering him was the landslide roar of countless believers echoing his devotion.
——
"How about you take over this job from now on!"
Karna looked at the spike in his Psychic Energy and spoke to Arthur beside him.
He no longer wanted to play the role of an idol.
"I am hardly qualified to be a blood relative of Sanguinius."
Arthur replied, his face completely devoid of expression.
"We are never going to get past this hurdle, are we?"
Karna gritted his teeth in frustration. What kind of strange elements did they bring with them when they transmigrated? Why did he have to get tangled up with Sanguinius?
"Lord Karna!"
Sepatus, who had stayed aboard the ship to assist Drakus in apprehending the Dark Angels, was walking down the corridor. Spotting Arthur and Karna walking side by side, he immediately offered a respectful salute.
"Greetings, Sepatus. What happened to you..."
Karna replied with a smile, his curiosity piqued upon noticing the fresh scratch marks on the other's armor.
"Some uninvited guests boarded the warship."
Sepatus shifted his gaze back and forth between the two of them before bowing his head in deep shame to beg for forgiveness.
"Forgive me, my lord. I have brought shame to the Legion."
'What is this even about?'
Gathering the clues and quickly deducing the whole story, Karna instantly did not know whether to laugh or cry.
Sounds like they were trying to catch a stray cat.
"It is fine. Just carry on."
Karna waved his hand dismissively, and Sepatus immediately saluted and took his leave.
Watching his retreating figure, Karna sensed a conflicting mix of joy and humiliation emanating from the Crimson Paladin Lord.
The two then arrived at the bridge of the Eternal Crusader, only to see Rann standing solemnly by the doorway.
"Hello, Rann."
Karna offered a greeting.
He had been doing the exact same thing with everyone they encountered along the way.
"My respects to you, Lord Karna... Lord Arthur."
Rann responded swiftly—though his reaction seemed half a beat too slow—and then saluted Arthur.
Karna studied his expression carefully.
The First Chapter Master of the Executioners showed virtually no joy of victory. They had just defeated their bitter rivals; by all logic, they should have been celebrating.
Karna turned his head and spoke to Arthur.
"Have you noticed that they seem a bit different now?"
"Because they genuinely treat you as a Primarch."
Arthur led Karna over to their seats and replied as they sat down.
The encounter with Perturabo had been an accident, yet the moment that guy opened his mouth, he definitively locked in the identities of the four of them.
Although the modern-day Adeptus Astartes and the imprisoned members had been dismissed at the time, the Thunderforged Warriors and the Dark Angels were still present.
While they would not go around blabbing about it, they all secretly had a pretty good idea of the truth.
And that was the exact reason why the Sons of Dorn were so disheartened.
With the Imperium currently facing dire crises, only these four Primarchs had returned—including one from a traitor legion. Did that not mean these four were utterly indispensable to the Imperium?
Then what about their own Primarch, Rogal Dorn?
"..."
Karna swept his gaze over the massive frames of the Huscarls one by one, able to sense a trace of melancholy clinging to each of them.
He instantly felt a wave of helpless amusement.
'We should focus on official business.'
Karna shook his head in resignation and looked at the crowd gathered around the conference table.
He had also heard about the situation over at Macragge. It seemed the defense line centered around Tyran had collapsed, and the Tyranid swarm was driving straight into the heart of the sector. The specific details would have to wait for a centralized analysis of the intelligence channels.
But what was going on here?
Karna scanned the room: Romulus with his furrowed brows, Arthur with his eyes closed in deep thought, and Rameses sporting a massive headache as he pondered over something. His gaze then drifted across the commanders of the various factions.
Compared to the tension of the four of them and the solemnity of the Thunderforged Warriors, the commanders born in this era did not display the slightest hint of panic.
Of course, this was not to say they lacked concern. They were merely executing their duties with single-minded devotion.
His eyes landed on High Marshal Ledodes. The battle-hardened warrior had his brows tightly knitted together, but as he read over the battle reports, that frown melted away into a look of absolute relief.
What was with that expression? That look of 'I knew something was wrong, and now that the terrible thing has actually happened, I finally feel relieved'?
He had only gone down to play idol for a little bit. Why had the atmosphere of the entire Expeditionary Fleet turned so bizarre while he was away?