"Can this news be guaranteed to be true?"
Alex knew that Lion El'Jonson's return was inevitable.
Unlike Guilliman, who was wounded by Fulgrim with a Chaos sword,
Lion El'Jonson's battle with his adoptive father Luther, while intense, did not wound his essence.
It was only due to his inner torment and the shock caused by the shattering of the world of Caliban that Lion El'Jonson fell into a coma and was swept into the temporal anomaly, drifting.
For ten thousand years, the little robed men of Caliban had been protecting Lion El'Jonson and knew his whereabouts,
but they simply wouldn't tell the Dark Angels.
Under the guidance and help of the Emperor, Lion El'Jonson's return to the Imperium was only a matter of time,
but he still asked a follow-up question.
In the current galaxy, all sorts of monsters have emerged.
The situation is complex, and a slight oversight could lead to falling into someone else's trap; one must be vigilant.
"This is an Astropathic message from the Camas Star System; after multiple verifications, its purity has been confirmed, but I cannot vouch for the truthfulness of the information content."
Dante's first reaction upon receiving this Astropathic message was shock.
After Guilliman, another Primarch had returned.
He immediately chose to inform the Holy One, leaving the decision to him.
"Your approach is correct; timely communication is an excellent way to dispel doubts."
Alex affirmed Dante's actions.
In the Warhammer Universe, the most taboo thing is to harbor hidden thoughts.
Once someone tries to keep a small secret, the Chaos Gods will come sniffing it out.
After a series of chaotic maneuvers, what was originally a trivial matter would escalate into rivers of blood and mountains of corpses.
"This news needs to be verified as soon as possible. Currently, the situation in the galaxy is extremely urgent…."
Alex informed Dante of the latest news regarding the Orks.
"Someone intends to use the Orks to balance the forces in the galaxy?" Dante also frowned upon hearing this.
As a veteran who had fought for the Imperium for many years,
Dante had also experienced numerous major campaigns against the Orks and knew how troublesome this species was.
They could be described as an absolute cancerous growth in the galaxy.
Any slight negligence would allow them to grow to a formidable extent.
If these Orks were to recover to the physique and technology of the War in Heaven era,
it would be an unimaginable disaster for the Imperium of Man.
"Yes, we must be prepared to deal with all crises," Alex said. "Therefore, we must verify the truth of this news as soon as possible."
"If it is true, be sure to have Lion El'Jonson establish contact with us. If it is false, investigate the conspiracy behind it to prevent it from causing greater harm."
"Once the Rongtian Star System campaign is resolved, I will immediately head to the Camas Star System to verify the authenticity of this news," Dante said.
"Good." Alex nodded. "I'll trouble you to worry more about matters concerning the Imperium's hidden side."
"This is all my duty," Dante said.
"Oh, and before this news is confirmed, do not widely publicize it to avoid an overreaction from the First Legion, which could cause unnecessary casualties."
Considering the fanatical extent to which the First Legion pursued the Fallen Angels, Alex gave a few instructions.
Those Dark Angels had gone mad in their efforts to keep their so-called secrets.
Not to mention laying hands on the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Inquisition,
they even dared to break into the Custodes' dungeons just to kill Fallen Angels.
If they were to know that there was a group of Fallen Angels in the Camas Star System, wouldn't they drive their Rock fortresses to execute an extermination order?
By then, if Lion El'Jonson were to shout, "Your father is here, do not fire,"
the Dark Angels would simply turn their heads, sneer, and say,
"A bunch of damned Fallen Angels trying to deceive me. Prepare the extermination order."
Dante nodded.
Having lived so long, he also knew more or less that the Dark Angels were concealing some things.
"I understand. Until this news is officially confirmed, I will have people blockade relevant information."
"..."
After discussing Lion El'Jonson's return,
Dante then reported to Alex on the development of the Imperium's hidden side.
With the deployment of the Lighthouse System, Warp travel in the Imperium's hidden side was gradually recovering.
Imperial vessels no longer traveled blindly as before, only daring to make short-distance jumps.
The Blood Angels and numerous successor chapters launched successive attacks, rescuing many worlds.
Officials and Adeptus Mechanicus priests dispatched from the Calixis Sector were also assisting various worlds in reconstruction and promoting reforms and the popularization of new technologies.
There were many powerful individuals who opposed reforms, but they did not form any significant opposition.
"You have done very well, Dante. Entrusting the Imperium's hidden side to you was a correct choice."
Alex nodded, acknowledging Dante's contributions.
These words made Dante very happy.
To gain the approval of one's father is the wish of every offspring.
After talking for over an hour, both parties finally ended the communication.
As the hum of the quantum engine gradually subsided, the projection screen also dimmed,
and the communication room was once again enveloped in darkness.
Alex stood in the darkness, contemplating whether to tell Guilliman about Lion El'Jonson's return.
After weighing it, he decided to postpone it for a while; it wouldn't be too late to tell him after Dante verified its authenticity.
The battle of the Eternal Dusk space hulk concluded.
Logan fulfilled his promise and rewarded the Players.
However, before everyone could catch their breath, they received an overwhelming flood of distress signals.
Xenos invasions, Chaos corruption, Genestealer uprisings, and so on, were endless.
The Imperium of Man was like a large cake, and everyone wanted a slice.
After Alex and Logan discussed it,
they decided to split the God Chosen, Space Wolves, and Imperial army into various task forces, sending them to support different worlds.
Logan, as the Head Wolf, also led a task force to support a planet being harassed by Orks.
Alex, on the other hand, took a group of Players to help an industrial world that was being invaded by the Night Lords.
...
Rongtian Star System,
After ending the communication with the Holy One,
Dante immediately issued orders to launch the final general offensive against the rebels.
After an intense battle,
the Imperial forces led by the Blood Angels successfully suppressed the rebels corrupted by the Genestealer.
Bringing several worlds in the Rongtian Star System back under Imperial rule.
As soon as the war ended, reconstruction efforts in the Rongtian Star System rapidly began.
Adeptus Mechanicus Tech-Priests from the Calixis Sector deployed a large amount of industrial equipment to help the local populace rebuild cities, construct orbital stations and lighthouses.
Officials dispatched by the Calixis Sector government supervised the relevant matters of promoting reforms locally.
The Players also began conducting commercial activities in the Rongtian Star System, assisting the authorities in resettling refugees and rebuilding the local industrial system.
Once the reconstruction work was on track, Dante met again with the boy who had once gone to Baal for help—Geminid Sigarii.
"This star system once again belongs to the Sigarii family, Governor Geminid."
As the last descendant of the Sigarii family,
Geminid naturally inherited the rule of the entire star system.
"Thank you for your help." Geminid bowed to Dante, very happy that his homeland could be free from those twisted xenos.
"Thank the Emperor, the Holy One, and the Primarchs. I am merely someone acting on orders."
Dante's tone was calm; he did not wish to take credit.
"Remember your promise to bring happiness to the Imperial citizens of this star system and let them live good lives."
"I do not wish that one day, when we return here, it is to settle accounts with the Sigarii family."
Geminid clenched his fist and placed it over his heart,
"I swear on my life, Lord Dante. The Sigarii family will firmly promote the Holy One's reform policies."
"The Sigarii family will burn themselves to illuminate the path forward for the Imperial citizens."
"..."
Declining Governor Geminid's dinner invitation,
and waving goodbye to the enthusiastic populace they had saved,
Dante and the Blood Angels under his command set off back to the Imperial Glory.
Except for those who were to remain in the Rongtian Star System, everyone else also returned to the warships in orbit, preparing for departure.
Once everything was ready, Dante led the Sanguinary Guard into the Bridge.
"Lord Dante."
Admiral Xia·Atat, the captain, stood up and saluted Dante.
Having gone through so many campaigns, Xia had been promoted from Commodore to Admiral; one more step would be Marshal, capable of commanding large-scale fleets.
"Set sail," Dante said.
"Where are we going?"
Xia sat back in the captain's chair.
"The Camas Star System. We need to verify whether the news of the First Primarch's return is true," Dante said.
"Your will be done, my Lord." Xia nodded, then issued the order to set sail.
The Imperial Glory's engines suddenly spewed bright light, illuminating the ground and making the populace mistakenly believe a new sun had been born.
The thrust released by the massive engines was astonishing, propelling the huge hull away from low-Earth orbit and towards the Mandeville Point.
Other warships also started their engines, following closely behind, forming a massive fleet around the Imperial Glory.
The fleet passed through the cold void, eventually reaching the Mandeville Point.
The Imperial Glory, like a sharp scalpel, cut through the veil between Reality and the Warp, leading the fleet into the Warp.
...
In orbit around the planet Camas, inside a warship whose prow was adorned with the Imperial Aquila.
The white-haired Lion El'Jonson paced back and forth on the Bridge platform, his face clouded with worry.
"Still no news?"
Lion El'Jonson stopped, turning to ask a mortal supervisor not far away.
"My Lord, we have not received any useful Astropathic messages." The mortal supervisor shook his head, looking dejected.
"Keep monitoring, and inform me immediately of any new developments."
"Understood."
Lion El'Jonson continued to pace, the worry on his face growing heavier.
It had been some time since he sent the psychic message, but there had been no reply.
"Father, has the Imperium of Man been destroyed?"
"Father, what is the meaning of you bringing me back?"
"Why me? Why not someone else?"
A jumble of thoughts surfaced in Lion El'Jonson's mind.
He didn't understand the current state of the Imperium of Man.
He even couldn't figure out how he appeared on the world of Camas.
He only remembered passing through a misty forest and seeing a strange-speaking fisherman.
After talking with the other party, he wanted to leave, and then inexplicably arrived on the planet Camas.
In this world, he found some of his Fallen Angels descendants.
Initially, these descendants did not trust him; their first reaction upon seeing him was to pull out their guns and try to shoot him, mocking him as an old man and showing no respect for him as a Primarch.
After all, the War in Heaven was a muddled affair.
Lion El'Jonson thought the descendants left on the homeworld had been corrupted by Chaos, and directly ordered the bombardment of Caliban.
The descendants left on the homeworld, however, were completely unaware of Luther's betrayal.
They only knew that as soon as Lion El'Jonson returned, he launched an orbital bombardment against them.
And at that time, there were many Reality-born Dark Angels on Caliban.
This part of the population was very loyal to the Emperor.
They thought Lion El'Jonson had betrayed the Emperor and was trying to kill them.
After much effort, Lion El'Jonson finally regained the trust of these descendants, making them swear allegiance to him once more.
During this time, Lion El'Jonson also eliminated a Chaos warband formed by his fallen descendants.
After resolving all the troubles and gaining control of the planet Camas,
Lion El'Jonson immediately ordered the Astropaths to receive and send messages, summoning the Imperial armies.
However, the situation was too dire.
The entire galaxy was torn apart, Warp Storms raged, and cries for help echoed everywhere.
The desperate screams of the Imperium of Man's citizens resounded throughout the Warp.
"My Lord, perhaps you should rest."
Zabriel, wearing tattered armor, spoke, advising him.
He was one of the Fallen Angels who had returned to Lion El'Jonson's command.
His armor was dilapidated from years of neglect.
"It's fine, I'm not tired."
Lion El'Jonson tried to calm himself.
"My Lord, anomaly detected." The divination supervisor in charge of the augur exclaimed.
"Multiple Warp signatures; a fleet is heading towards the Camas Star System."
"Are they Xenos? Or another Chaos force?"
Lion El'Jonson grabbed his weapon, his expression grave.
Zabriel and the other warriors also quickly entered combat readiness, preparing to engage the enemy.
"It's an Imperial fleet! My goodness, why is their flagship so enormous?" The divination supervisor's face showed surprise.
"Show me the visual image."
Lion El'Jonson said, walking towards the control panel.
The projection device activated, forming a screen in front of him.
It displayed a massive fleet.
Every warship in the fleet had the Imperial Aquila decoration.
Lion El'Jonson fixed his gaze on the colossal ship at the forefront of the fleet.
This ship was smaller than the Phalanx but far more exaggerated than a Gloriana-class, reaching over forty kilometers in length.
"To whom does such a colossal vessel belong?" Lion El'Jonson frowned, raising his voice, "Does this ship have an identification code?"
"It reads Imperial Glory, My Lord." The divination supervisor reported, "They sent us a message, claiming to be the Sons of Baal, and request biological information verification."
"Blood Angels?" Lion El'Jonson's pupils slightly dilated; these were the descendants of his most beloved brother.
"Tell them I am the Lord of the First Legion, Primarch of the Dark Angels, Lion El'Jonson."
Lion El'Jonson felt a little uneasy.
If the Sons of Baal didn't accept his statement, they might open fire on him.
Given the size of their fleet, they would have no chance of victory.
The worst thing, after all, did not happen.
The massive fleet did not open fire.
Instead, they shut down their weapon systems.
"They want to talk to us, and they specifically asked to see you, My Lord." The divination supervisor looked at Lion El'Jonson.
"Agree to it." Lion El'Jonson said.
...
Several transport shuttles passed through the vacuum ion field that prevented air leakage and entered the warship's hangar.
With the hiss of high-pressure gas,
The heavy hatch slowly opened.
Warriors in blood-red armor with metallic wings on their backs stepped out, causing the Fallen Angels to look surprised.
These Blood Angels' armor seemed a bit off, not at all in line with the Imperium of Man's style.
Several Fallen Angels exchanged glances, secretly giving the order to prepare for engagement.
They worried that these Blood Angels had issues.
After the Blood Angels emerged and formed a ceremonial formation,
A warrior in magnificent golden armor stepped out of the transport shuttle.
That warrior wore a golden mask mimicking Sanguinius's angry and sorrowful expression, and also had a pair of freely extending metal wings on his back.
Lion El'Jonson was stunned for a moment, then angrily questioned.
"Who are you? How dare you defile my brother's face."
The wings, the familiar weeping mask—
The appearance of these things reminded Lion El'Jonson of Sanguinius, causing an indescribable pain to surge within him.
Why, why wasn't it him who died, but Sanguinius?
Of course, if Guilliman had died, that would also be acceptable.
After Lion El'Jonson awoke, he learned from Zabriel that Guilliman had shattered his Dark Angels into fragments.
The Dark Angels, who once boasted hundreds of thousands of warriors, now had only a thousand remaining, guarding the Fortress-Monastery carved from the fragments of Caliban.
This made Lion El'Jonson somewhat regretful; he should have given that fellow a good beating back on Macragge to teach him a lesson.
Lion El'Jonson's anger put the Blood Angels on alert.
They all raised their weapons.
Zabriel and the other Fallen Angels also aimed their bolters, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.
"Do not show hostility towards a Primarch."
Dante ordered his warriors to stand down, reached up to remove his mask, and bowed to Lion El'Jonson.
"Greetings to you, Lion El'Jonson, Lord of the Dark Angels, Son of the Emperor."
"I am Dante, Commander of the Blood Angels."
Lion El'Jonson gazed at Dante's face, seeing the shadow of Sanguinius.
"Put down your weapons, Zabriel."
At this moment, several more transport shuttles entered the hangar.
After the hatches opened, a group of armored warriors poured out.
Upon seeing the Dark Angels led by Lion El'Jonson, they immediately started shouting.
"Is that Lion El'Jonson?"
"So old, Lion El'Jonson is old after all!!"
"I wonder what mission he'll give us!!"
"Awoo, hurry up and get Leman Russ over here, I can't wait to see the cat and dog fight."
...
Lion El'Jonson frowned, feeling somewhat annoyed by these impolite fellows.
Zabriel and the other Fallen Angels scrutinized this group of warriors,
Frowning at their motley armor, painted with various strange runes.
Dante's heart sank, and his eyes widened.
Darn it, he left in such a hurry that he forgot to give these God Chosen a mission and tell them to behave themselves!!