Queen_sin
June 3
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Guilliman is my brother. He is unquestionably loyal.
Those were the sort of lines everyone would say in public. But when given a chance to punch Guilliman a few times, who would refuse?
In other words, when the Primarchs learned that the fleet attacking them was Guilliman's, they were not angry or upset. On the contrary, they were fired up.
So it really was you, Thirteen! I knew you'd rebel one day! Got you by the tail now, haven't we?
Aside from Corvus Corax, Primarch of the Raven Guard, the rest of them were already cracking their knuckles, preparing to give Guilliman a proper beating. If they did not punch his teeth across the floor, this matter would not be settled.
Bruce, who had long known that Corax and Guilliman were close, immediately rushed over to explain the situation to him and conduct some psychological intervention while he was at it.
It was a commonly accepted fact that Guilliman was not particularly popular. There was no helping it. He was too outstanding, his emotional intelligence was strangely inhuman, and on top of that, all the Primarch brothers were twisted, stubborn people. If Guilliman could build good relationships with them, that would be the real miracle.
Yet Corax happened to be one of the few Primarch brothers who could truly connect with Guilliman. The two brothers were even close enough to stay up all night playing games together, then collapse into the same bed and sleep.
Therefore, when Corax learned that they had to campaign against the now-rebellious Guilliman, his melancholy and discomfort were naturally understandable to Bruce.
To prevent Corax from making a mistake at the crucial moment, Bruce had to step forward.
And so, as quickly as possible, he visited the Raven Guard encampment.
Alone.
"?!"
When the Raven Guard saw Bruce walking toward their camp, for a moment, they thought they had seen another Primarch.
But when they looked more closely, they discovered that he was an Astartes.
Of course, there were also rumors that the Night Lords' Primarch was unusually small.
Could it be...
Were the rumors true?
"I am Bruce Wayne, acting commander of the Eighth Legion. I have business with your Primarch. Please report my arrival."
Bruce informed the guards of the encampment in a low voice.
Although Bruce could have simply entered directly—after all, he possessed allied identification and was also among the very highest levels in the command sequence. If all the Primarchs went down, he would be the boss.
But necessary procedures still had to be followed.
This was not merely a matter of manners and upbringing. It was also to give Corax time to prepare.
"Yes! Please wait a moment!"
After hearing the name Bruce Wayne, the Raven Guard immediately became serious. They had heard their Primarch and the Warmaster mention this man.
As one of the planners of the Isstvan plan, his reputation was no less than Abaddon, Raldoron, or Sigismund, those three mighty Astartes.
It might even be higher!
After all, those men did not have the ability to kill a gene-Primarch.
Bruce had done it.
"Lord Bruce! Please come in! I will take you to our Primarch."
The Raven Guard responsible for the notification came forward to welcome him and deliver the message.
"Mm."
Bruce nodded and followed this Raven Guard into the camp.
Since most of the Raven Guard had been sent out for guerrilla operations, scouting the positions of the Omegon Legion's landing forces, there were not many Astartes left in the encampment.
Those who remained were either wounded soldiers lying on medical beds awaiting treatment, or technical officers repairing weapons, equipment, and vehicles.
In other words, even after learning that his close friend had betrayed them, Corax had still put in twelve parts effort to command his troops. He had not held back merely because the enemy this time was Guilliman.
Judging matters, not people, was Corax's strength.
At the same time, it was also a fatal flaw.
Very soon, Bruce arrived at an underground command post. The lighting here was dim, like a mine tunnel. But as a Night Lord, Bruce rather liked this environment.
Dark enough and enclosed enough.
It felt great, like coming home.
"Good day, Lord Corax."
Bruce greeted Corax, who was looking gloomily at the star map.
It was strange, now that he thought about it. Corax had black hair similar to Curze's, and even his expression and physique were extremely similar. The only difference was that Corax looked very introverted, while Curze always wore that mad smile on her face.
"Bruce Wayne."
Corax raised his eyes to look at this visitor and asked:
"Why have you come? Does Ferrus have orders? Or?"
Compared to the pride that the other Primarchs radiated constantly, Corax seemed much more reserved.
This had much to do with the environment in which he had grown up. Raised collectively by miners, he had never treated himself as a ruler.
He knew that the current Imperium of Man had been built by countless ordinary people. It did not belong to some ruler, and beings like them were not necessarily much nobler than ordinary people.
But precisely because of that laughable way of thinking, many Primarchs always felt that this second-to-last brother to return might have something wrong with his head.
"I came to answer your questions, my lord."
Bruce did not hide his true purpose. He got straight to the point.
As a transmigrator, Bruce knew the personality and temperament of every Primarch. Although Corax had no shortage of flaws—hesitant, indecisive, and somewhat petty—these things also showed, from another angle, that he was a good person with a fairly high moral value.
Among all the Primarchs, aside from the great Buddha and saint Vulkan, the only one who was comparatively easy to get along with was Corax.
"My questions? I do not have any questions."
Corax shook his head and said in confusion:
"I obey all instructions and orders from command. If necessary, I can even depart for a decapitation strike at any moment."
"That is precisely your problem, my lord."
Bruce pointed it out directly.
"You said you would act only if ordered, rather than taking the initiative to propose it yourself."
"..."
Corax remained silent for a long while.
"To be honest, I know of the bond and relationship between you and Lord Guilliman. Just like the friendship between Lord Ferrus and Lord Fulgrim, it is deep and important."
"That is a private matter between him and me, Bruce."
Corax shook his head.
Having his close relationship with Guilliman pointed out stirred a trace of killing intent in Corax. But once he realized that Bruce had not come to accuse him, he wanted to know what exactly this man was trying to do.
"Precisely because of that, what I want to tell you, my lord, is that you need not worry that your relationship with Lord Guilliman will crack."
"Our opponent, the traitor calling himself Roboute Guilliman, is not the real Guilliman."
"What do you mean?"
Corax asked in confusion.
"The real Lord Guilliman is still in Ultramar. If you want proof, it is very simple. Our Eighth Legion has been monitoring the Ultramarines' movements all along. We even have agents hidden in Ultramar."
"According to the information we have obtained, it is clearly unrealistic for him to suddenly mobilize so many troops in such a short time. Furthermore... how could Lord Guilliman suddenly appear in the Isstvan system?"
"We know his every movement clearly. Therefore, the conclusion is not difficult to reach: the traitor we face is an absolute illusion. This is a conspiracy from the Warp."
"You are monitoring my brother?"
Corax seized the key words and loudly questioned him.
Damn it!
You are an Astartes. How dare you disrespect my Primarch brother?
"Do not rush to condemn him, my brother, Corax."
A voice sounded quietly.
"?!"
Before Corax could react, a bat flew into the underground chamber. Then, beside Bruce, a petite, elegant, and dignified figure appeared.
In the darkness, her eyes shone red.
"Curze...?"
Corax looked at the Primarch brother who had suddenly appeared before him, feeling both confused and tense.
What ability was this?
He had never seen it before.
No—rather, ever since he learned that this brother had turned into a woman, he had not looked into what exactly had happened to her, nor what changes she had undergone.
People always said that the unknown was the greatest source of fear.
In the past, Corax had thought Curze was a complete lunatic, not worth forming a deep relationship with. But looking at the current Curze, Corax discovered that he could not see through this brother at all.
She was no longer deranged, nor did she carry that feeling of hating everything.
Instead...
She had become confident and rational.
"My apologies, brother. My son rushed over to find you and said some strange things. If he has troubled you, I apologize to you on his behalf."
Curze lightly grasped the hem of her skirt and dipped down in apology.
"...?"
Corax looked at Curze's lowered posture and her words, and for a moment he could not make sense of it.
Am I not awake yet?
Or is this scene before me some kind of Warp illusion?
"Father... why are you here?"
Bruce asked Curze awkwardly, feeling rather uneasy.
"Nothing much. If I had not come, Corax would only have treated you as an idiot."
Curze looked at her useless foolish son and sighed helplessly.
Even if Corax was relatively easy to talk to, you suddenly told him that the Guilliman appearing on Isstvan V right now is fake. If he believed you, that would be the miracle.
"All right, Corax. We should set aside our prejudices against each other."
Curze looked back at Corax and said seriously:
"I can guarantee that everything my recruit said is true. The traitor Guilliman we see now is not Guilliman himself."
"The real one is indeed still in Ultramar. My subordinates told me that not long ago, he was still receiving a visit from Lorgar, Primarch of the Word Bearers."
"Although Lorgar is no good person either, I can guarantee that Guilliman could not possibly have been corrupted in such a short time, then command his Legion to fight against the Imperial Warmaster."
"A Primarch falling does not mean the warriors loyal to the Emperor under him fall as well. Whether in terms of time or planning, neither would be enough."
"..."
Corax listened to Curze in silence.
Even an utter fool would understand one thing: any operation required planning and preparation.
Even Horus, the Imperial Warmaster with immense prestige, vast resources, and countless supporters, had still spent several months executing the Isstvan plan.
Yet Guilliman had supposedly joined the fight almost instantly?
No matter how one looked at it, that was not very likely.
"So? What do you want me to do?"
Once Corax understood and reacted, he asked again.
"Of course, I want you to slaughter that damned impostor without any burden on your conscience, my brother."
Curze answered with a smile.
"And?"
Corax could sense that there was another layer of meaning hidden beneath these words.
Even without these explanations, when it was time to act, Corax would never hesitate, because he knew that everything Guilliman had done this time was wrong.
Since it was wrong, even if you were my brother, I would still make you pay the price!
"In fact, I have a bold and valuable proposal. I wonder whether you are interested."
Curze continued.
"?"
Bruce lowered his head and looked at the father leaning against him.
Wait...
Wasn't our goal just to make sure Corax would not show mercy when attacking Guilliman because of their relationship?
Why is there something else now?
"Speak."
Corax nodded, ready to listen.
"Since the enemy is only one person, and a laughable impostor at that."
"In that case, why don't we go solve that trouble together?"
Curze issued the invitation.
Her tone seemed calm and her expression cold, but in truth, that itself showed one thing:
She was serious.
"Would it be useful?"
Corax did not rush to refuse or accept. Instead, he was curious why Curze dared to issue such an invitation.
"Of course. Since that fellow's power comes from the Warp, and since he is Chaos's representative, this is the only way to end this war quickly."
"Leave the frontal battlefield to Ferrus and Vulkan. Leave the void war to Mortarion. As for us, we go decapitate that impostor."
"Trust me. That fellow will only grow more and more frustrated. The enemy's decline has already begun to show. It is time for us to act."
"What do you think? Interested, my brother?"
After saying this, Curze extended a hand toward Corax and added one final sentence.
"You would not want your brother's innocence ruined by an impostor, would you?"
That final sentence completely shattered Corax's reason and calm.
He knew this was an invitation he had no reason to refuse.
Kill that impostor, and everything would end.
Aside from that, it would also prove that the real Guilliman was innocent.
The only risk to bear was that he and Curze might die inside the enemy's warship.
But...
Who could catch us?
"I have no reason to refuse, Curze."
Corax carefully extended a finger and touched Curze's palm.
"Then there is no time to lose. Let us set out at once. That impostor must already be pacing in circles because his battle line cannot advance. When he increases his troop movements, that will be when we act."
Curze nodded with satisfaction.
That was more like it.
If you were still hesitating at a time like this, I really would have slapped you a few times.
"Then... what about me?"
Seeing the two Primarchs reach an agreement, Bruce suddenly felt somewhat unnecessary.
"You?"
Curze raised her head and glanced at Bruce, then sighed.
"You just behave and watch. This is a matter between adults. Why is a child trying to get involved?"
Damn it!
I was looked down on!
Bruce clenched his fist, angry but not daring to speak. Curze, however, simply thought this silly child was throwing a tantrum because the decapitation operation would not include him. She helplessly patted his hand.
"If you really feel bored, I'll have Sevatar give you a few Contekar squads to play with. Going to the front line to build some prestige would be nice too~"
What do you mean, give me a few squads to play with?!
"While Curze and I carry out the operation, I will have the Legion forces I left on the planet's surface cooperate with your actions, Bruce."
Corax gave his approval.
Corax knew how Bruce had stabilized the morale of the troops, as well as the fact that he could transform into Father. Therefore, temporarily handing Legion command authority to this acting commander was no problem in his view.
Or rather, precisely because someone could help watch over his Legion, Corax could execute the dangerous decapitation strike more calmly and without worry.
The same went for Curze.
Someone had to watch the Eighth Legion, right?
Bruce, you'll do.
"Ah...?"
Bruce looked at the Raven Guard inside the command post, who were equally full of question marks.
No, bro.
I came here to give you a psychological booster shot.
I did not come here to talk my way into military command. If others hear about this, what are they going to think of me?
"Of course, if the plan goes wrong, there is one more thing you must do, recruit."
Curze then spoke seriously.
"What is it?"
Bruce hurriedly asked.
"Go to Ultramar immediately and find Guilliman. This matter is far too bizarre. Someone must investigate the truth."
"Whether Guilliman has truly fallen or not."
Curze made the request with a serious expression.
"Can you complete this mission, recruit?"
"Of course, Father."
Bruce agreed without hesitation.
When she had said it to this extent, what reason did he have to refuse?
join here to read ahead.
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