Warhammer [425-427] (Patreon)

Chapter 425:

Lion El'Jonson looked at his father with undisguised disappointment—there was even a hint of sadness in his eyes as he gazed at the Emperor.

"What's with that look, Lion? Are you questioning your father? Are you doubting the Master of Mankind?" the Emperor asked.

"I do want to question you, Father. If you had allowed me to lead a fleet to hunt down that traitor—to bring you his head—

then I would have no suspicions. But now… I'm starting to believe what Sanguinius once said to me," Lion replied.

The Emperor was startled. What had Sanguinius told Lion? Had they shared secrets?

"What did Sanguinius say to you?" the Emperor asked.

"Sanguinius told me he'd give his life for you, that he'd do anything to save humanity!

But your favorite is still Horus! You brought him back," Lion said.

If he'd only discovered traces of Horus, he wouldn't have barged into the Imperial Palace, let alone violently pushed open the doors.

He'd have happily found the Emperor and reported: "Father, I found the traitor! Let me destroy him!"

But today, his forceful entry—his confrontational tone—stemmed from things he'd discussed recently with Sanguinius.

He'd even promised Sanguinius that something like this would never happen, that their father would never resurrect Horus.

He'd planned to bring this news to the Emperor and then lead the army to execute the traitor. But the Emperor's ambiguous response had left Lion deeply disappointed.

His answer was vague, with no clear intent to act against Horus, even though the core of the Legion, the Dark Angels, was still loyal to the Imperium's dark side, and several of their successor chapters' home worlds were located there.

In this situation, eliminating Horus and his Chaos Space Marines was the best choice for the Imperium, and with its current strength, it was possible.

Rhodes commanded over 700,000 Space Marines; Guilliman's forces numbered over 500,000;

including the newly formed legions, the Imperium could field over 1.5 million Astartes, with the number still growing—New Age Astartes were being produced at a frenzied pace.

Not only that, Rhodes had brought the Imperium a new enhancement serum, made from the Emperor's avatar's blood, which could elevate ordinary humans' physical abilities to the level of a Primarch-era Space Marine.

While lacking the Primarchs' special organs, the recipients' physical might directly matched the originals, and these serums were being used on mortal regiments—whose numbers were beyond the Imperium's ability to tally.

The Imperium was in a period of wild expansion and rearmament, poised for a grand war—and once that was resolved, Horus could be dealt with, easily, by one or several Primarchs.

Yet the Emperor had refused Lion's request, raising his suspicions.

After all, it was the Emperor who killed Horus, and the Chaos gods would never resurrect someone who opposed them.

"Since you've already found out, I won't hide it. I was going to tell you and Vulkan after some time," the Emperor said.

Since his eldest son already knew, there was no point keeping secrets—especially since the truth would eventually come out.

"You were going to tell me and Vulkan? Father, do you mean Guilliman, Rhodes, even Magnus and Sister Elena… they all already knew?" Lion asked incredulously.

He hadn't expected to be the only one kept in the dark!

The sense of disparity was immense—it made Lion sway on his feet, and even the White Tiger, who had only recently fused with him, sensed his distress.

The White Tiger immediately used its power to stabilize Lion and notified Rhodes.

"Stay strong, my friend. Whatever happens, hold onto your heart," the White Tiger said.

"Father! You actually resurrected Horus? How could you—how could you do this? What about Sanguinius?" Lion cried.

"I can explain to you and Sanguinius. Back then, whoever sat on the Warmaster's throne would inevitably be corrupted by Chaos. It was unavoidable.

And in the final battle, Horus went to his death willingly—he was even afraid I wouldn't be able to do it, after he killed Sanguinius," the Emperor explained.

If Sanguinius hadn't died before him, he might not have had the heart to slay his most beloved son.

"But is that fair to Sanguinius? He was your Archangel—your most proud son," Lion said.

Sanguinius had defended Holy Terra, held back the Chaos rebels, and died heroically before the Emperor faced Horus.

Yet the hero was not resurrected—the traitor was, and by Sanguinius's observations in the Warp, Horus was likely revived even before Guilliman.

"This was a tragedy—one that could have been avoided, but the Warmaster's curse made it unavoidable," the Emperor said.

For the Warmaster, corruption was inescapable.

"Yes, none of this was Horus's intention, but he still betrayed you, betrayed the Imperium, and caused the deaths of Ferrus Manus and Sanguinius.

He led other Primarchs to rebel! You taught me not to act impulsively, and I punished Luther, but you brought Horus back," Lion said.

"That's why I gave you the right to punish Luther. Whatever you decide, I will not interfere.

And Horus paid a price—his body was destroyed by me, and at least half his soul as well.

If not for Rhodes's help, he couldn't have come back. Rhodes gave him this chance—so I gave half his soul to Rhodes for revival," the Emperor explained.

Horus's case was unique; unlike other Primarchs, his soul was mostly destroyed by the Emperor, and only a being like the Dark Giant could revive him.

Even fusing with a cosmic beast wouldn't have sufficed.

"I want to know the whole truth, Father. Stop deceiving me," Lion demanded.

"Alright, I promise. It started when Rhodes came to Holy Terra to repair the Golden Throne.

I learned about the Dark Giant's life, and Rhodes suggested reviving Sanguinius. In the end, we decided to revive Horus first. That's how it happened," the Emperor explained everything.

"So, Horus's soul is now light, free, but still able to use Chaos and dark powers?" Lion asked.

"Yes! That's why I didn't revive Sanguinius—this darkness isn't suitable for him. If it were possible, I'd have brought Sanguinius back long ago.

During the last great battle on Terra, I was trying everything. If I could, he's the one I'd most want to save. Can you tell me what happened to Sanguinius?" the Emperor said.

If possible, he'd never let his Archangel son fall to Chaos. He wanted to make amends.

He knew Sanguinius must be deeply hurt, but everything was for the Imperium; at that time, Horus was the only choice.

"He'll tell you himself, Father!" Lion said. He sat cross-legged, summoned his Warp power,

and with his Tiger Soul Blade, sliced open the air, creating a Warp rift in the Throne Room.

This was a power Lion gained after fusing with the White Tiger—using his weapon and Warp might to create a temporary rift.

A handsome man with huge blood-red wings and long crimson hair appeared as a phantom in the palace.

"Sanguinius! My proud Archangel."

"Father! It's been so long.

If you'd said that before, I'd have been happy. But look at me now—I'm no longer your Archangel, I'm a Blood Angel.

After all, your favorite son is Horus. No matter what he did, you'd save him, wouldn't you?" Sanguinius's tone was icy.

Since the battle for Holy Terra, he'd hidden in the Warp, evading the Chaos gods' hunt.

One day, he saw a figure—so familiar, so hated—the man who killed him: Horus.

At first, he thought Horus was just a clone, like those Abaddon had destroyed. But the power Horus displayed proved otherwise.

He could transform into a giant nearly 80 meters tall, with terrifying strength—stronger than any other Primarch.

Sanguinius realized this was the true Horus, and wondered how he'd returned from death.

Watching him, Sanguinius saw Horus collecting Chaos Space Marines, subduing Chaos forces, even fighting Abaddon, and sometimes protecting Imperial worlds from Chaos.

Such odd behavior made Sanguinius suspect Horus was acting for the Imperium.

So he deduced: the Emperor and Rhodes had revived Horus, assigning their once-rebellious son a special mission.

How did he know Rhodes was involved? Because only Rhodes's arrival had triggered the era of giant warriors—now, if you couldn't become gigantic, you weren't top-tier.

Old Chaos Champions, Daemon Princes, Greater Daemons—all were weak compared to these new giants.

The Dark Giant was obviously the same type as the cosmic beasts—so Sanguinius told Lion everything.

He didn't tell Guilliman or Magnus—because he suspected they already knew.

Sanguinius explained everything, clearing the Emperor's doubts.

"If killing Horus would make you and Sanguinius feel better, then go ahead. I won't stop you. Horus won't resist," the Emperor said quietly.

"That's the answer I wanted, Father. This is unfair to Sanguinius.

Sanguinius, come with me! I will avenged you—let's kill Horus. Nothing he says matters," Lion said.

He knew he'd acted terribly in all this.

Just then, the doors of the palace opened again; Rhodes walked in with a smile, flanked by Elena, Guilliman, and Vulkan.

"Seems like you're having a discussion?" Rhodes said, smiling at the Emperor on the Golden Throne and the Primarchs confronting him.

"Calm down, Lion and Sanguinius. Things aren't as you think," Guilliman said.

"You know the truth, so don't stop me, Guilliman, Rhodes," Lion said.

"I'm not here to stop you. I've come with good news.

I've found a way to resurrect Sanguinius, you'll soon be back. Isn't that worth celebrating?" Rhodes said with a grin.

Chapter 426: The Archangel of Light and Darkness, Humanity's Beacon of Hope

"Rhodes, what did you say? You can resurrect Sanguinius?" the Emperor asked excitedly.

Unlike the other sons, resurrecting Sanguinius was extraordinarily difficult—

primarily because his soul was the strongest of all the Primarchs.

Each Primarch's soul originated from a secondary god in human myth:

Guilliman's from the Roman gods, Russ's from the Norse gods.

But Sanguinius's soul was a fusion of all the legendary Archangels—not just one, but fragments of all, combined.

Thus, his soul was incredibly powerful, reaching the level of an ordinary order god—making resurrection extremely hard.

First, you'd need to create a suitable body, one that wouldn't mutate under such a soul's power.

Otherwise, Sanguinius would never return, not even as a Blood Angel.

Third, and most crucial, Sanguinius remained trapped in the nightmare of being killed by Horus—his greatest psychological barrier.

If he couldn't overcome it, he'd never become the legendary Archangel again, never spread his pure white wings for the Imperium; his wings would always be stained blood-red.

"I'm not like the other Primarchs. Thank you, Rhodes—you truly wanted to bring me back.

But I hate that you revived Horus," Sanguinius said.

"Come on, I was going to revive you—that's what the Emperor should've told you," Rhodes rolled his eyes. "Don't blame me!"

"That's why I thank you. But I died because of Horus. My sons suffered my rage for ten thousand years. I can never forgive him," Sanguinius said.

Only death could calm his anger.

"Rhodes, tell us your plan to revive Sanguinius!" the Emperor said.

Rhodes understood Sanguinius's situation—he wouldn't come unless he was sure.

The other Primarchs also looked to Rhodes for an answer.

"No problem. Remember my Death Slayer? He's my Ace Killer.

After merging with the god-power of Death, he evolved with true death energy.

Now, by paying a price, I can use the laws of resurrection to bring Sanguinius back in his original form—ignoring all conditions," Rhodes explained.

This resurrection ability was extremely overpowered—it cost 10 million system credits and required many prerequisites, totaling at least 20 million.

Rhodes didn't plan to use it often, since it was enough to summon many powerful monsters.

Reviving a Primarch required at least 10 cosmic beasts' worth of power—just one was enough to make a Primarch.

"So use it on Malcador or Ferrus Manus instead. For the Imperium's current needs, Malcador's return would help more," Sanguinius said, shaking his head.

The opportunity for perfect resurrection was precious, but Sanguinius thought it should go to Malcador, not himself.

The Emperor needed his old Chancellor more than anything!

"Rhodes, can't you do this more than once?" Lion asked.

"I told you, it's incredibly costly!" Rhodes replied.

 "It requires over ten cosmic beasts—really closer to twenty, counting all the upgrades. But even ten is a lot!"

He'd originally planned to save up 10 million credits for a hundred draws at the advanced shop, but now he'd have to help the Emperor with family matters instead.

Everyone fell silent.

Reviving a Primarch at such a cost—ten cosmic monsters—was a steep price.

"So revive Malcador instead. My hatred for Horus won't fade, but Lion, you don't have to kill him for me.

No one's truly at fault—the world itself is," Sanguinius sighed.

Rhodes sighed as well—what a mess this family was!

"Master! If you want to revive the Archangel, or purify his hatred, there is a way," Tartarus said in the system channel.

Tartarus was an ultimate lifeform—his psychic power covered the whole Solar System. On Holy Terra, only the Emperor could possibly block his perception.

"What method?" Rhodes asked.

"The Archangel's main problem is his hatred. If you can resolve it,

the dark power—the blood—will be purified, returning to light," Tartarus said.

Sanguinius's corruption was incomplete; deep down, he still had light.

"I know that, but the problem is, to do that we'd have to kill Horus. And Horus is now merged with my Dark Giant," Rhodes replied.

The Dark Giant was a rare prize, only in the advanced shop—costing 10 million credits.

Besides, Daram had been with Rhodes for a long time, and was well developed.

"Master, think about it. This transition from light to darkness is a lot like a certain giant in our universe," Tartarus said.

"You mean…"

"Belial?"

"Master, I meant Tiga. Tiga was once a Dark Giant, then transformed to light. His human host, in a later battle, used his inner light to absorb three Dark Giant's powers and returned to light," Tartarus explained.

"Oh. But I don't have a Dark Tiga," Rhodes muttered.

Frankly, the Emperor's own situation was similar—he was once the Dark King, now dominated by his light side.

"Master! Daram, like Tiga, was a Dark Giant. Now, Horus's heart yearns for light. Humanity's light is the purest of all.

The Emperor absorbed ten thousand years of human hope-light—that's why he's so powerful," Tartarus said.

"So you mean… let the Emperor turn Horus and Daram into Giants of Light!" Rhodes said.

"Exactly! The Emperor has the power to turn Daram's darkness into pure light," Tartarus said.

"And Sanguinius?"

"If Daram transforms, he can leave Horus and pick a new human host—Sanguinius!

A Giant can change hosts! The ultimate light can purify Sanguinius!" Tartarus said.

Chapter 427: Tiga and the Emperor—Light from Darkness

Rhodes's eyes lit up.

Tartarus made sense—Tiga used the hope of humanity to become Shining Tiga.

Against Gatanothor, the effects were obvious—besides human light, even the light of ancient giants could make Tiga shine.

In the Ultra universe, it's established: after constructing the Plasma Spark Tower, the people of the Land of Light became Giants of Light. Before that, they were humanoid beings.

The Emperor, after absorbing ten thousand years of hope-light from the galaxy, changed from a Dark King into a golden Emperor, suppressing his darkness completely.

That's how powerful human hope is!

"You're right, Tartarus. That's a perfect solution—I didn't expect you to know so much about the Land of Light," Rhodes said.

"Master! My people, the Absolutians, were once similar to humans. We faced a fate like the Land of Light, developed our own King's Tower, and evolved into super lifeforms, wielding our own form of light.

So we tried to seize the Plasma Spark Tower. In some ways, we Absolutians are light historians—we can sense things even the Emperor misses," Tartarus explained.

If there were a Dark Tiga statue now, the best candidate would be the Emperor!

He and Tiga are too similar. With the statue, the Emperor could always activate Shining Form, and if he accepted his darkness, could even achieve a fusion of light and dark—the ultimate form.

That kind of power is far beyond a simple sum.

After finishing his conversation with Tartarus, Rhodes turned to the Emperor and the bickering Primarchs.

Guilliman and Magnus were defending the Emperor, trying to sway their brothers, while Vulkan stood aside in silence.

He was disappointed in the Imperium—otherwise, he wouldn't have hide for two thousand years, only returning during the War of the Beast when the enemy attacked Terra itself.

This time, he didn't support either side—he didn't agree with the Emperor, but wouldn't openly oppose him either.

Elena tried to mediate, but with little effect.

"Everyone, can we stop arguing?" Rhodes sighed.

"This fight is pointless! What matters now is leading humanity to strength. The Imperium is just beginning to recover—are you two going to ruin it?" Guilliman said.

Honestly, every awakened Primarch wanted to kill Horus. He'd wanted to, too, when he first woke up.

But Horus's actions in recent years had genuinely helped the Imperium—he even took on dirty work willingly.

"Don't accuse me, Guilliman. I never wanted to betray the Imperium—I just want justice for my brother Sanguinius," Lion said.

"Enough. The real issue with reviving Sanguinius is the darkness in his heart. If we can purify that, it's solved," Rhodes said.

"Rhodes, I appreciate your help, but the darkness I carry is a thousand years of bitterness, my hatred for Horus. Even I can't control it.

Now that I know Horus is alive—never mind. This argument is pointless, big brother. Let me stay in the Warp.

Don't blame Horus. He's on Father's side now," Sanguinius said, giving in.

He couldn't resolve his anger. As the brightest Archangel, the stain of darkness had pushed him to extremes.

This wasn't something that could be fixed by simply thinking it through.

"Wait for Rhodes's solution. If you won't accept perfect resurrection, maybe purifying your soul, removing the darkness, and restoring you as an Archangel—wouldn't you want that?" the Emperor asked.

"I just don't want to owe Rhodes even more!" Sanguinius said.

Unlike the other Primarchs, Sanguinius couldn't hate Rhodes—he'd helped him unconditionally at Baal, fighting off the Tyranids and saving his sons.

He owed Rhodes too much already.

"If you're worried about owing favors, you should blame Horus and the Emperor—purifying your darkness will need both of them to help!" Rhodes laughed.

This time, Rhodes planned to play a trick—according to Tartarus, the Emperor could 100% purify Horus and the Dark Giant, turning Daram into a Giant of Light.

To do so, he'd need Horus's light and the Emperor's hope-light—but both were unaware of this.

Rhodes decided to embellish the story.

"Horus yearns for the light. His corruption was Chaos's work; only the Emperor could resist.

Ten thousand years ago, his dark side died. Now, only his light remains.

He's merged with the Dark Giant, absorbing some of the Emperor's dark power.

If the Emperor is willing, he can use his light to purify Daram, and with Horus's heart, turn Daram into a Giant of Light.

With that power, Sanguinius's darkness can be purified—Daram can leave Horus and take Sanguinius as his host," Rhodes said.

"How can darkness become light?" the Emperor asked.

"Why not? You're the best example. In another universe, a Dark Giant called Tiga became a Giant of Light, even achieving ultimate brilliance.

The only risk is Horus: if his heart isn't pure, the Emperor's light will destroy him completely.

If he can accept it, he'll become a Giant of Light. If not, he'll be annihilated," Rhodes said.

Everyone fell silent.