Warhammer [419-421] (Patreon)

Chapter 419: Lion, Welcome to the New World Ten Thousand Years Later

The Lion King, Lion El'Johnson, was wildly swinging his fists, furiously pummeling the sinner before him. Right now, he didn't care why Magnus was appearing in the Imperial Palace on Terra, nor why, after his own resurrection, this guy was the first thing he saw.

All he wanted was to beat this guy to death—nothing more!

At that moment, two strong arms pulled the Lion back from behind, forcibly dragging him off. The ones restraining him were Guilliman and Vulkan.

Magnus wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and shook his head helplessly as he stood up.

"Let me go! How can you be with him? Let me kill him, let me bash his head in!" Lion El'Johnson struggled wildly.

He even leapt up, using both feet to kick Magnus back down again. Now Magnus's face not only bore fist marks but also two big boot prints.

"Is this your way of greeting me, brother? At least hear my side of the story first!" Magnus spat out the blood in his mouth and tried to explain.

"Save your breath! Guilliman, Vulkan, let me go right now! Let's take him down together!" the Lion roared.

Nearby, Stark hid fearfully behind his mother, peeking at this wild blond stranger.

The Lion paused and looked at the Emperor, disbelief written all over his face.

"Enough, Lion! Don't you see I'm still here? I won't allow any more of this nonsense. If you have any grievances, at least let us finish speaking first," the Emperor shouted, psychic might pressing down on the Lion.

"Father, I…you!!" Feeling his father's psychic presence, the Lion looked at the Emperor's avatar nearby, eyes widening in shock.

What was going on? Why were there two fathers?

The one in golden armor, built like an Emperor-class Titan, was his father, but what was with the corpse sitting on the Golden Throne?

When the Lion fell asleep, the Emperor had only just taken the throne—his body was not yet decayed. The Lion didn't know his father had become a mummified corpse after ten thousand years.

In his memory, he'd only fought with his closest friend, got knocked out by a sneak attack, and when he awoke…here he was!

The golden-armored giant looked just like his father in his memory, even stronger, but the corpse on the throne radiated his father's psychic might!

The psychic power and soul energy of the golden-armored giant was much weaker than the corpse on the throne—but the contrast was striking!

"Lion! There are things I need to explain. Magnus never betrayed the Imperium or me. In fact, he was the first to discover Horus's rebellion.

He wanted to warn me, but we were all deceived by the Chaos Gods.

You know my original order—I only wanted Magnus to return and take my place on the Golden Throne.

But Horus falsified my orders, leading to tragedy on the Planet of Sorcerers. Magnus's body and soul were shattered by Leman Russ.

I managed to save a part of his pure soul and gave him a special mission—to infiltrate the Changer of Ways as a spy.

For ten thousand years, Magnus endured humiliation, gathering intelligence on Chaos.

He returned to the Imperium two years ago and has contributed greatly—helping us banish many Chaos Daemons and Daemon Princes, and exposing countless Tzeentch cultists.

He also developed the Warlock profession, allowing powerful psykers to control or suppress Warp entities and use them in battle.

So, Magnus is still your brother—not your enemy," the Emperor explained.

Magnus had been redeemed by special means arranged by Rhodes; only the Emperor, Guilliman, and Horus knew this.

The Emperor had already told Guilliman and Rhodes—no one else was to know the truth about Magnus. From now on, whoever asked, the answer was always that Magnus was sent undercover by the Emperor.

This was to protect Magnus, so even primarchs who awoke or returned later would not be told, not even Vulkan, who had already been back for months.

"What? Father, you mean I wronged him? Magnus was undercover? Wait—ten thousand years? How long have I been unconscious?" the Lion blurted out.

When he first awoke, he thought he'd only been out a short while and been rescued by his father's forces. But hearing "ten thousand years" left Lion El'Johnson bewildered!

"It's been ten thousand years, my brother. You've been asleep the whole time.

I was struck down too, right after you—ambushed by Fulgrim. I just woke up a bit earlier than you," Guilliman explained.

"Is that so? How about you, Vulkan? What about your ten thousand years—did you stay in the Imperium?" the Lion asked.

"I was trapped for over eight thousand years, spent two thousand on Imperial worlds. Much has happened, my brother," Vulkan replied.

The two primarchs began to explain to Lion El'Johnson the major events of the past ten millennia.

They told him the corpse on the Golden Throne was indeed their father, the Emperor.

"How is this possible? Father, someone as powerful as you…has become this?" The Lion couldn't believe his invincible father was now a withered corpse.

In his heart, his father was the very symbol of invincibility—not even Horus, empowered by all four Chaos Gods, could beat him.

"As you see, my child, this is how I am now! But even so, I still fight for humanity!" the Emperor said.

"And this giant? Who is he?" the Lion asked, pointing at the 60-meter-tall Emperor's avatar.

"That is the Emperor's Avatar—a special bioweapon created by our new brother. It can perfectly channel Father's power and even resemble how Father looked in his prime—just much larger," Guilliman explained.

Guilliman then introduced Rhodes and Elena, and Stark, who stood behind his parents, staring at the Lion in fear.

To Stark, this golden-haired uncle was terrifying! He'd just beaten Uncle Magnus so badly!

But why didn't Uncle Magnus use the power of the Cosmic Beast to protect himself? If he had, he wouldn't be hurt like this!

Little did he know, Magnus bore a great burden and could not defend himself against his brother's fists and kicks—for the sake of his conscience!

"A new brother and a sister! Haha, this is great, I've always wanted a sister!" the Lion said happily.

Finally, some good news!

"Brother! I am Elena, Daughter of the Emperor!" Elena bowed to the Lion.

She deeply respected the primarchs from history, and now, as the Emperor's adopted daughter, she was Imperial Princess.

She'd never dared to dream, as a child, that she'd one day be recognized as the Emperor's daughter and be a primarch's sister.

"Hello, Lion! I am Elena's husband and the new primarch, Rhodes," Rhodes introduced himself.

"Welcome to the family, you should call me big brother—why are you not calling me brother?" the Lion asked.

All primarchs were created by the Emperor, so they were siblings in every sense.

"It's complicated. Rhodes is not my son—he gained his current strength through an extraordinary encounter.

He also commands a powerful Cosmic Beast, which can elevate an ordinary being to the level of a primarch.

Elena is my daughter, and after receiving the beast's power, she became a female primarch," the Emperor explained.

"Cosmic Beast? What kind of being can turn a regular human into a primarch?" the Lion asked in shock.

"A supremely powerful entity—akin to a C'tan, but even purer, a force for good," the Emperor said.

Such a being was truly miraculous; if he'd known about it ten thousand years ago, he'd have tried to get one for every primarch—even for himself and Malcador!

"A fascinating lifeform! Welcome to the Imperium—you're my brother as well," the Lion told Rhodes.

Chapter 420: Rhodes: Emperor, Shouldn't We Arrange the Primarchs' Marriages?

At least, since his wife was the Emperor's daughter, he was effectively a half-son to the Emperor.

Rhodes smiled and hugged the Lion, wondering how the Lion would react if he knew Rhodes had taken the Warmaster's role he'd always coveted.

At that moment, the Lion's eyes narrowed again as he noticed the Goddess of Life, Isha, behind Rhodes—a member of the Eldar!

"Why is there a Xenos in the sacred Imperial Palace?" the Lion asked, staring at the Life Goddess.

Before he could finish, a golden beast dropped from above and flattened him, leaving him seeing stars.

"Did I not teach you basic manners? My guests in this palace are here by my invitation!" the Emperor chided.

The Life Goddess now played a special role—he was even hoping Rhodes might, like the Eldar God of War, make her part of humanity.

"Father! Didn't you always teach me to show no mercy to xenos, to wipe them out?" the Lion protested, climbing up, speechless.

That's the attitude you instilled in all the primarchs!

"This is the mighty Goddess of Life. She's helped humanity countless times over ten millennia, breaking Nurgle's plagues and protecting life across the galaxy.

Even your resurrection owes much to her help—so show some respect," the Emperor said.

"Brother! The Goddess has helped humanity a lot—she's now on our side, and we're allied with the Eldar. Your quick return to Terra was thanks to the Eldar webway," Guilliman added.

With the birth of Rhodes's divine child, a half-human, half-Eldar primarch, the alliance had grown even stronger.

As long as neither side betrays the other, this alliance could last forever!

"I see. Thank you, Lady Isha, for saving me—I was indeed rude," the Lion said.

"It's alright. I helped revive you not for the Emperor, but because Rhodes is my beloved, that's all," Isha said.

The Lion's eyes narrowed again—he usually narrowed them when he meant business.

She'd just said Rhodes was her beloved! But his brother had said Rhodes married the Emperor's daughter.

What a tangled mess! He'd just hugged Rhodes in greeting, but now his opinion dropped a notch.

This guy is involved with a xenos! Even if she's a goddess, she's still xenos!

But maybe it was understandable—Guilliman had said the alliance with the Eldar was real.

Maybe this new brother had no choice, a political marriage, perhaps.

From what he knew, the Life Goddess was over 60 million years old!

In seconds, the Lion's mind concocted a wild backstory. Primarchs' brains were fast, but that didn't always mean they were smart..

"I'll leave you to it, then," Isha smiled, bowed, and left. Humans were proud, but the Eldar were no better. For both races to coexist, she'd have to keep working.

May her divine child truly become a bridge between the races, not a source of division.

Once she'd gone, the palace atmosphere relaxed.

"Lion, let me introduce the youngest primarch of the Imperium—our first naturally born primarch, with even stronger genes than you or me. This little guy," Guilliman said, pointing to Stark.

Despite being just over a year old, Stark's combat power was already on par with early Astartes—but being so young, he couldn't yet use his full strength.

The Emperor and Guilliman both saw great promise in him and anticipated the potent gene-seed he might provide.

As for another new primarch—the Eldar God of War Khaine—he was still in the incubation tank, and Guilliman didn't quite trust him yet.

The Lion looked at the boy—unnaturally strong for his age. So primarchs could have children now?

Perhaps he could one day become a father too—a long-held wish.

"Stark, come greet your uncle, Lion El'Johnson, the first primarch and big brother to all," Elena said, smiling.

"Nice to meet you, Uncle Lion. I am Stark, son of Rhodes," Stark said.

"Hello, child! The first naturally born primarch—I can already see your glorious future! When you're older, I'll teach you swordsmanship myself, raise you into a powerful primarch," Lion said, crouching to Stark's level.

"Thank you, Uncle Lion. It's my honor to learn swordsmanship from the first primarch," Stark replied.

"Haha, it's settled!" Lion patted Stark's head, satisfied.

Finally, he'd get to help raise a young primarch—even if he wasn't the boy's father, he'd cherish the chance.

"You clearly like children. If you find a partner, I could elevate her to your level—you might have a child of your own, a natural-born primarch," Rhodes said.

The quota for Cosmic Beasts was limited, but super-beast transformation was no problem.

Super-lifeforms could definitely have primarch offspring, as long as the primarchs chose human partners.

"This is indeed something to consider. Guilliman, Vulkan, Lion, Magnus—you should all have children for the Imperium. New primarchs are needed for humanity's future," the Emperor said.

Naturally born primarchs were superior to artificially made ones—just like the wonders of the Golden Age, with a race of primarchs ruling over mortals.

"Ahem! Father, let's deal with the Imperium's enemies before worrying about that!" Guilliman said.

"The sooner you have children, the better for the Imperium. Humans reach adulthood in just 20 years—even primarchs," the Emperor said.

Finding a wife wasn't hard—surely, there were plenty of beautiful women in humanity. If not, immortals would do.

Rhodes, having grown up human, understood being attracted to human or even non-human women—but the other primarchs, raised apart from humanity, found it unnatural.

But with Rhodes's help, compatibility was no longer an issue.

"I think we could arrange marriages with prominent Imperial families—rogue trader dynasties or high-ranking inquisitors. Those who achieve great merit could have their daughters marry primarchs—a huge incentive for mortals," Rhodes suggested.

At this, four pairs of eyes glared at Rhodes.

"Haha, that's a good idea. I'll consider it," the Emperor said.

"Now's not the time for this talk. Rhodes, shouldn't you prepare a Cosmic Beast for Lion?" Guilliman quickly changed the subject.

He didn't want an arranged marriage—he preferred to choose from among the five hundred worlds of Ultramar.

But for now, they had more important things to do. Lion had been revived now because the Imperium faced two tough battles—one requiring top warriors to face the Void Dragon sealed on Mars, and afterward, a massive war with the Necron Overlord to establish Imperial might.

Lion was a formidable force, and with a Cosmic Beast, he'd be even stronger.

"My strength is already great—I don't need to merge with a Cosmic Beast," the Lion replied.

Chapter 421: One Punch Shatters the Lion's Warmaster Dream!

In terms of single combat, the Lion was absolutely confident—among all the primarchs, whether Leman Russ, Rogal Dorn, or Sanguinius, none were his match.

Even Horus, without the blessing of the four gods, was someone he believed he could beat in a duel.

"I'm absolutely confident in my combat ability—other than the Emperor, none of you can beat me! The Cosmic Beast would be better given to a worthy mortal to create a new primarch," the Lion said.

At this, Rhodes chuckled.

Guilliman, Magnus, Vulkan, and Elena exchanged helpless glances.

The past was the past—now things had changed!

After fusing with a Cosmic Beast, Elena could easily send Abaddon flying with the beast alone.

Guilliman's strength multiplied dozens of times, his soul reaching demigod levels.

Even Magnus and Vulkan, after fusing with beasts, saw their power soar—plus, the beasts could keep growing with them!

For an ordinary person, merging with a Cosmic Beast meant reaching primarch level; for a primarch, it was a massive boost.

"Big brother, you underestimate the Cosmic Beast's power. After merging, we can use our full strength—there's much you don't understand," Vulkan explained.

Since merging, he could manipulate fire with far greater ease, change his size at will, survive in space, and fully unbind his divine soul. The Emperor, when creating primarchs, used special methods.

All primarchs originated from the Warp as demigods. Even the strongest human body couldn't hold a god's soul—but with a Cosmic Beast, it could.

Awakened, Vulkan could now enter the Warp at will and chat with Sanguinius across time and space.

Rhodes sighed. The Lion had reason for his confidence—he was strong, perhaps only Sanguinius or Horus could match him, and even then, not without cheats.

He'd been revived in his prime, not as an old man, and, even then, could defeat Daemon Angron.

But today's daemon primarchs were no match for those who'd fused with a beast—the difference was astronomical!

"Lion, since you're so confident, why not spar with a brother who's fused with a Cosmic Beast? If you can easily win, you don't need one," the Emperor suggested.

For his stubborn, proud eldest son, there was no better way to convince him than a defeat.

"Fine, who will spar with me? After sleeping for ten thousand years, I'm rusty," Lion said, flexing as he drew his sword.

"Not me—you know why," Magnus said.

He didn't want to deal his brother another blow. Even if he'd accepted Magnus as a spy, the Lion still held a grudge. Losing to Magnus would be too much.

"I'll go easy on you," Vulkan said.

"Let me, my abilities are all defensive," Guilliman said.

Vulkan's beast, Golza, was strong and ferocious at close combat, but Guilliman's turtle could just stand there and take hits.

Their discussion was via psychic connection, so the Lion didn't hear. As they debated, he walked over.

"I'm not interested in fighting any of you three—I only want a real challenge," the Lion said proudly.

Only Sanguinius and Horus could match him.

"Let him choose for himself," the Emperor said, stopping any argument.

Ignoring his three brothers, the Lion looked at Rhodes and Elena.

No need to fight his sister—she couldn't be stronger than him. The best choice was this new brother, Rhodes!

"You then, Rhodes! Come spar with me—don't worry, I'll go easy," the Lion said.

At this, Guilliman, Vulkan, and Magnus all looked shocked.

Did he just pick the strongest one?

Rhodes's power was such that he could beat all three of them at once. With his psychic powers, telekinesis, instant movement, force fields, and monstrous body, he could trounce them all!

"Are you sure you want to fight me?" Rhodes asked, exasperated. Did he look like an easy target? If anything, Elena looked easier!

But the Lion wasn't one to pick on a woman, so he chose Rhodes.

"If that's what you want, Rhodes, go spar with him," the Emperor said.

My son, you asked for it!

Rhodes sighed and walked to the center of the hall. The palace was vast—plenty of room for a duel, as long as he didn't grow huge.

"Go easy!" Guilliman sent a psychic message.

He couldn't say this out loud—it would hurt the Lion's pride.

"Oh, by the way, Lion, I've already given the Warmaster position to Rhodes—so your opponent is the current Warmaster," the Emperor announced.

The primarchs all looked at the Emperor—was he trying to stir up trouble? The Lion wasn't a match for Rhodes!

Even Rhodes was speechless. Thanks for painting a target on my back, old man!

"What! The new Warmaster is Rhodes?" the Lion's face darkened, glaring at Rhodes.

Ten thousand years ago, it was Horus—he'd endured it. But now, after all this time, another stranger was Warmaster!

"If you win, I'll give you the Warmaster post. This time, you can fight for it," the Emperor said.

"Is that a promise, Father?" the Lion asked, delighted.

"I never break my word. Defeat Rhodes, and you're Warmaster."

The Lion nodded, stood before Rhodes, and raised his sword.

"Sorry, new brother, you're too young. The Warmaster's post is too heavy for you—don't worry, I'll take care of it," Lion said.

"If you can beat me, the post is yours—forever," Rhodes replied.

My growth is something you can't hope to match!

"Alright! Here I come!" The Lion charged, sword flashing, appearing before Rhodes in an instant.

Rhodes stood calmly, arms crossed, shielded by his ultimate defense—a blend of Zetton's shield, his own psychic force, and telekinetic barriers.

The Lion swung at Rhodes's chest, but just before contact, he leaped back, frowning.

"Why don't you fight back? I want the Warmaster post, but I don't want to kill you. That's not how a warrior should behave," the Lion said.

This was supposed to be a spar—if he hadn't pulled back, Rhodes would have been bisected!

"I didn't dodge because I'm confident you can't hurt me. Attack with all you've got, no need to hold back," Rhodes said.

"You—!" The Lion, now angry, swung for Rhodes's head.

Since Father and the others weren't stopping him, this must be fair—let's see what tricks he has.

Clang!

The sword struck a blue barrier, unable to advance.

No wonder he's so confident—some kind of shield? Not just psychic, something else, but with psychic energy mixed in.

The Lion quickly analyzed the situation—so that's why Rhodes was so sure. Time to get serious.

He hadn't been swinging full strength before, but now his muscles bulged, and he attacked ferociously.

Rhodes heard the Lion's roar, and his sword flashed gold.

But even with all his might, the Lion couldn't break through Rhodes's shield.

The scene grew comical—the Lion, a golden blur, slashing wildly, while Rhodes stood still, arms crossed, unmoving.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

No matter how fierce the blows, the blue shield held. The Lion tried every angle, but the barrier had no weaknesses.

He'd swung hundreds of times, all out, but the shield was unbroken—meanwhile, his arms were numb, and Rhodes still looked smug. The Lion grew furious.

"Hiding in your turtle shell? I admit, your defense is among the best of all primarchs," the Lion said, stepping back.

No wonder he dared face me—he's invincible with that shield!

"With your shield, it's true—no one could hurt you."

"I think you misunderstand—I only wanted you to go all out. If I strike, you'll lose instantly."

"Then do it! Face me like a man!" the Lion shouted.

"As you wish!" Rhodes dropped his shield.

The Lion rushed in, excited, as Rhodes's body glowed crimson.

A huge red shockwave blasted the Lion, sending him flying.

He didn't even get a chance to react—he spun through the air and crashed to the ground!

Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?

The Lion, flat on the floor, had three existential questions. Just one punch—defeated in a single strike!

When did I become cannon fodder who gets one-shotted?