When Azrael gave the order to attack, communications hadn't been cut off, and his words clearly reached the Imperial Glory's Bridge, entering the ears of Dante, Zabriel, and others.
Zabriel and the other Fallen Angels' expressions subtly changed, yet they also felt it was normal.
During their time active in Reality, whenever news leaked, these guys would come sniffing.
Now, seeing them and ordering an attack was normal; if there was no movement, that would be abnormal!
Dante's eyes widened, looking at the Dark Angels Grand Master with incredible shock!
He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Azrael, are you mad! You're actually going to fire on us?"
"Why are you with these Imperial traitors?" Azrael looked at Dante, his gaze sharp.
"You mean them?" Dante pointed at Zabriel and the other Fallen Angels.
"What else?" Azrael's tone was cold, "You shouldn't be involved in this, Dante."
"Leave here immediately, and bury this matter in your heart. It will be good for both Battle Groups."
Azrael gave Dante a choice, after all, he was from a newly formed Battle Group, and Dante was a legendary Imperial hero.
If he died here today, the Blood Angels' successor Battle Groups would surely seek mad revenge on the Dark Angels.
A war between the two sides would undoubtedly tear the entire Imperium apart.
Dante leaving with the Blood Angels and swearing to forever keep this secret was the best option.
"The Dark Angels' Primarch has returned," Dante explained, "They are acting with Lion El'Jonson. Are you sure you want to attack them? And also—"
"Lies!" Azrael shouted, interrupting Dante, "Absolute lies! If the Primarch returned, why wouldn't he come to us? Why would he consort with these damned traitors?"
The Primarch returned, didn't go to Citadel, didn't contact the Dark Angels, but instead colluded with those damned Fallen Angels.
What did all their previous efforts count for?
They had hunted these damned Fallen Angels across the galaxy for Lion El'Jonson!
But when Lion El'Jonson returned, he was consorting with the Fallen Angels!
Wouldn't that negate all their years of effort?
Therefore, the Lion El'Jonson these people spoke of was definitely not real, but fake.
These damned Fallen Angels had used some unknown means to deceive the Blood Angels led by Dante, or perhaps, the Blood Angels were attempting to subvert the Blood Angels, merely to seize power in the galaxy.
"Traitors?" Zabriel walked to the projection screen and met Azrael's gaze, "What right do you have to accuse us of being traitors? When we were fighting for the Emperor across the galaxy, your father hadn't even been born yet."
"You plotted betrayal on Caliban, colluded with the forces of Chaos, and attacked Lion El'Jonson when he had just returned to Caliban," Azrael shouted.
"Lies, we had no idea what was happening. When the alarm was raised, we only saw Lion El'Jonson with airborne troops slaughtering indiscriminately on Caliban," Zabriel said.
Nobody knew how the Caliban civil war started back then.
After all, only Lord Cypher and Luther and other high-ranking officials wanted to be traitors at the time.
The Terran-born Dark Angels were loyal to the Emperor, while the new recruits naturally leaned towards the Primarch.
Cypher and Luther and the others never openly declared their intentions, fearing resistance from the lower-ranking soldiers.
Because of this, Zabriel and the other Dark Angels had no idea about the betrayal.
When the Battle of Caliban began, they were confused and bewildered, completely unable to understand what was going on!
They only saw the returning Lion El'Jonson slaughtering indiscriminately.
The Primarch's gaze was filled with hatred, as if the soldiers on Caliban were not his sons, but his enemies.
Only by completely killing off the Dark Angels remaining on Caliban could he vent the hatred in his heart.
Zabriel's first reaction was that Lion had betrayed the Emperor, and he was purging those who might stand with the Emperor against him.
Both sides believed it was the other's fault.
"Every traitor is like this; they never believe they are wrong."
Asmodai, the Interrogator-Chaplain, spoke up.
"Grand Master, there's no need to waste words with them. Once we defeat them and capture these guys, we'll have ways to make them confess and accept punishment."
"At that time, be sure to hand over that fake Primarch to me. I will make him regret bearing the name of Lion El'Jonson."
"Mad, you're all a bunch of madmen," Dante stared intently at Azrael, "Order your fleet to cease hostile actions. Lion El'Jonson is really here, this is no joke."
"Lion El'Jonson has acknowledged our identity and promised to stop your continued hunt for us," Zabriel said, "If you continue to act, then you are the true traitors."
Azrael stared intently at Zabriel.
"A pack of lies. Do you think by using clumsy sorcery to deceive the Blood Angels, you can solidify the lie of Lion El'Jonson's return?"
"Stubborn. Go tell your genetic father, Azrael. I hope you can maintain your current stubbornness when you see him," Dante shook his head and ordered someone to contact Lion El'Jonson, asking the Primarch to come to the Bridge.
Since he couldn't persuade these demonic Dark Angels, he would let Lion El'Jonson personally teach his sons a lesson.
At this time, Lion El'Jonson, with the help of several Adeptus Mechanicus and Imperial officials, was learning about the current state of the Imperium.
Before Guilliman and the Saint returned, the Imperium's situation could be described as a mess.
The bureaucracy was bloated and inefficient, the tithe was heavy, and the Imperium was practically in dire straits for its people.
Technologically, it had stagnated, and often, it had even slowly fallen behind.
Only after Guilliman and the Saint returned to Reality and took power did they launch a series of reforms and purges that improved the Imperium's situation.
After reading the data, Lion El'Jonson's face also showed approval.
With Guilliman and the Saint stationed on Reality, responsible for the Imperium's development and the procurement of war materials, he only needed to focus on campaigning.
The three of them united would be the strongest combination.
"My lord."
A servant rushed over and fully explained the arrival of the Dark Angels and the tense standoff between the two sides.
Lion El'Jonson's face showed a look of exasperation.
The Fallen Angels, those Zabriel brats, firing at him the moment they saw him was one thing.
Now, the Dark Angels' sons, who claimed to be loyalists, also wanted to attack him and even called him a fake.
What is filial piety? This is filial piety.
"To the Bridge."
Lion El'Jonson wasted no words.
The Sons of Caliban couldn't fight with the Sons of Baal, or the situation would become very tricky.
At that time, whether to punish or not punish would be a dilemma.
Lion El'Jonson strode towards the Bridge, his pace swift.
At this moment, the Players were also enjoying the drama.
Sea Turtle, the captain of Exemplar Saint Fist, even activated visual enhancement devices to live stream the standoff between the Blood Angels and the Dark Angels to other Players.
Warmaster: "I feel like Azrael has gone mad, he's even going to attack his own father!"
Tenjiro: "An Astartes who doesn't attack his father is not a good Astartes."
Twisted person: "Zabriel's first reaction upon seeing Lion El'Jonson was to draw his gun."
Little Alpaca: "Hahaha, who's on the Imperial Glory's Bridge? Start a live stream! I want to see Lion El'Jonson's expression."
Colonel Datch started a live stream.
Warmaster: "..."
A Bowl of Lobster Soup: "..."
Sea Turtle: "Awesome, that speed, @Colonel Datch, truly a master of online content."
Zhuge: "Hahaha, seeing the Caliban big cats all here, Azrael, Ezekiel, all big shots of the Dark Angels."
Krieg: "I want to see Interrogator-Chaplain Asmodai force Lion El'Jonson to admit his mistake."
Colonel Datch: "The Interrogator-Chaplain has already made a harsh statement, saying he will personally interrogate the Primarch and force Lion El'Jonson to admit he is a fake."
Warmaster: "Hahaha, this is great fun, good to watch, love to watch."
Lion El'Jonson arrived at the Bridge at the fastest possible speed.
The moment he appeared, Azrael and the other Dark Angels were stunned.
They had expected to see a Lion El'Jonson identical to the 30K era, but the Lion El'Jonson who walked out was white-haired and looked aged.
However, they could vaguely make out that the person was indeed Lion El'Jonson.
With Lion El'Jonson's appearance, the genetic bloodline that had been dormant in their bodies for ten millennia also stirred.
Any true Dark Angel could 100% confirm that this aged giant before them was the Lion El'Jonson that the Sons of Caliban had been desperately searching for.
"No! You can't be the real Lion El'Jonson!" Azrael looked at the Primarch who appeared before him, finding it hard to accept.
For ten thousand years, they had been searching for Lion El'Jonson and hunting the Fallen Angels.
There was even a saying that as long as they captured all the Fallen Angels, Lion El'Jonson would return.
And now, the returning Lion El'Jonson was with the Fallen Angels, undoubtedly telling them that their ten millennia of persistence had been a mistake.
"I'm very sorry," Lion El'Jonson looked at his sons, "The Battle of Caliban was a huge mistake. I regretted not being able to make it to the final battle of Reality, and when I learned of Luther's betrayal, anger burned away my reason."
"Zabriel and the others were unaware of Luther and the others' plans; they were merely innocent victims of that battle."
Azrael and the other Dark Angels stared intently at Lion El'Jonson.
They found such a statement hard to accept, but they also couldn't truly shout that the Primarch was fake and then order Citadel to open fire.
A moment later, Azrael ordered the De-mobilization to be lifted.
Lion El'Jonson took Dante and others on a transport shuttle to Citadel.
The Players also followed, calling it 'opening a new map'.
In reality, they just wanted to see if they could 'borrow' some Dark Angels' treasures and relics.
Who doesn't know that the Dark Angels have as many good things as they have little secrets?
While Lion El'Jonson and his sons were reaching a reconciliation, on the other side of the galaxy, the Blood Angels squad led by Mefiston and several Players also successfully arrived at Signus.
This location held special significance.
It was here that Sanguinius learned of Horus's betrayal, and his sons first succumbed to the Black Rage.
It was also the birthplace of the Red Angel.
After Horus was corrupted in the Davin Temple, he began planning the Great Heresy.
He realized that the loyalist military strength was too powerful, and they had to be defeated one by one.
Only then would he have a chance to defeat the Emperor.
Loyalist Legions were dispatched to distant galactic rim areas, far from Reality, preventing them from cooperating.
Traps were set for different Legions.
The Ultramarines were ordered to operate with the Word Bearers to annihilate Orks in the eastern galaxy.
Guilliman was completely unprepared for this.
Lorgar seized this opportunity to launch the Battle of Calth, crippling the Ultramarines and extensively devastating Ultramar, unleashing a storm of destruction.
As for the Blood Angels, Horus used a different method.
He colluded with the Slaanesh Greater Daemon Kyriss and the Khorne Greater Daemon Kharbanda, as well as Erebus, who was a Dark Apostles.
He had these individuals set a trap for Sanguinius on Signus.
Erebus created a psychic construct called 'Fire of Wrath,' intending to make Sanguinius fall into Chaos.
This device used a deceased Blood Angel to draw out the entire Legion's rage, forming it into a physical entity: the Red Angel.
Under the Red Angel's influence, the Blood Angels were deeply tormented by the Blood Thirst, and Sanguinius's heart was torn seeing this.
The Slaanesh Greater Daemon Kyriss proposed to Sanguinius that if he willingly accepted the Red Angel, his Legion would no longer be tormented by the Blood Thirst.
After consideration, Sanguinius intended to accept this deal to completely free the Blood Angels from the torment of the Blood Thirst.
But Apothecary Meros intervened at the crucial moment, jumping into the 'Fire of Wrath' device in place of his father.
This allowed the Red Angel to gain a physical form, preventing it from continuing to influence the Blood Angels.
Before he died, Meros left a dying wish for Sanguinius to never trust Chaos.
The reason Mefiston and the other Blood Angels came here was to retrieve Sanguinius's soul fragments.
After repelling the daemons, Sanguinius ordered the cleansing of the entire Signus, turning it into a desolate, lifeless world.
But life always finds a way to take root and sprout anew in the cracks.
When Mefiston and the others arrived on the surface, they were surprised to find that the place had already regained life, with lush trees and grasslands.
There were some abandoned camps left by adventurers, but no families had come here to develop and rule this planet.
The terrifying legends about Signus kept even the most power-hungry nobles from touching it.
Rumor had it that a terrifying monster, entirely engulfed in flames, still resided there. Those who had tried to rule Signus eventually died at the hands of that monster.
No legend comes from nowhere. As the Blood Angels stepped into the desolate and ruined Hive City, they encountered some Cultists.
They worshipped and believed in a very evil entity.
From time to time, they would hold bloody and cruel sacrifices.
Within the ruined Hive City, tortured and unrecognizable corpses could be seen everywhere.
The Blood Angels easily defeated these Cultists wandering in the ruins.
When they toppled the blasphemous temples, the monster worshipped by those Cultists emerged from the dark depths.
Its body was engulfed in flames, its face like a hollow mask, with fire spewing from its eye sockets and mouth, and its face filled with indescribable pain.
Its armor was black and hideous, steam rose from its joints, and it possessed a pair of ghostly, blood-stained wings.
"After ten millennia, the sons of the Angel have once again set foot on this land."
Mefiston frowned. He examined the monster.
Memories of Legion history he had seen surfaced, mentioning a daemon that closely resembled this creature.
"Red Angel?" Mefiston asked tentatively.
"I didn't expect anyone to still remember me; that's truly rare," the monster did not deny it but frankly admitted its identity: it was indeed the daemon born from the Blood Angels' rage—the Red Angel.