On this day, everyone felt as if they had woken up in a fever dream. Countless people witnessed a Living Saint dressed like a magical girl obliterating the forces of Chaos using nothing but her wand and fists.
The magical girl outfit clearly carried a delicate, fragile beauty on her frame, yet every little punch she delivered was capable of caving in the chest of any traitorous Astartes.
Whether Noise Marines or Death Guard, taking one of those "cute little punches" to the chest meant instant death and the end of their mortal coil.
Even when Chaos managed to pool their attacks together, she would effortlessly dodge them using her Forest Walk.
"You two!"
Panting slightly, Lion wiped the blood from her hands with a huff and walked over with an unfriendly scowl.
"My dear sister!"
"You've really put me through the wringer!"
"So I'm the only one down here doing close-quarters combat, huh?"
"From the moment the battle started, you threw a single spear—and then just left me on the front line to fight for my life?!"
Sanguinius chuckled heartily, "Well, you won, didn't you?"
"Besides, if you couldn't handle it, I would have definitely helped!"
"I have wings—how could I possibly fail to reinforce you in time?"
"In my visions, this scum poses no real threat to you. Unless... you lack confidence in your own strength?"
While uttering words that subtly guilt-tripped Lion, Sanguinius simultaneously applied a bit of psychic stimulation to tease her.
Right now, Lion was half-furious and half-ready to cry.
The tsundere Lion had no idea what to do with her younger sister. Sure, it was true that she had failed to reinforce her in time during the Siege of Terra... but bringing that up right now was a total buzzkill!
"Well, it's not that!"
Lion truly couldn't stay mad at Sanguinius.
What Sanguinius said was entirely reasonable and deeply comforting to her heart. Even when teasing her, it was always done in a playful tone. And if Lion actually got genuinely upset, Sanguinius would immediately apologize.
What else could be said? The beloved Great Angel was the same no matter where she went. Even on a bloody battlefield, no one could bring themselves to feel resentment toward her.
Smoke billowed across the warzone; just moments ago, Lion alone had slain hundreds of traitorous Astartes.
These turned warriors were simply no match for Lion, especially now that she had awakened her Warp essence and was drawing closer to her true Warp form.
"Alright, let's go interface with the defenders here!"
"I can reveal my identity, but as for you~"
"How about you hide in the shadows?"
"I'll handle the social side with those people—you just stay hidden and protect me!"
As if reading her elder sibling's mind, Sanguinius offered a proposal that satisfied Lion completely.
In truth, Lion was just wondering how to deal with the local mortals. After all, the Dark Angels' style was to operate in secrecy, eschewing contact with baseline humans.
"Fine by me!"
Lion nodded, agreeing to Sanguinius's plan.
As for Celestine nearby, Lion remained indifferent. To her, Celestine was merely a substitute created by the Emperor after the Primarchs were gone—a stepdaughter of sorts, certainly not on par with a blood daughter.
"Who are you...?"
Celestine wanted to ask, hoping to learn their identities from Lion's mouth.
However, Sanguinius took over the conversation, being far better suited for dealing with ordinary people. Lion was only good at beating people up.
"Hehe~"
"Sister, I hear you're from the Ecclesiarchy?"
"I can see the radiant faith in the Emperor shining within you!"
"You even carry a tiny fragment of me. It's not much, but it's certainly enough to protect you from Chaos corruption!"
"Huh?"
Celestine couldn't understand what the Great Angel was talking about. Yet on some level, Sanguinius's faith was far more resolute, her radiance vastly more overwhelming.
Celestine could feel that this Great Angel was countless times stronger than herself. While she had to wield her power sword to hack enemies down one by one, a single spear throw from this Angel could probably pin a Chaos Titan to the dirt.
She had thought Living Saints would struggle to play a decisive role in a battle of this scale, but that single spear throw proved just how terrifying a Living Saint could be.
By now, nearby units of Battle Sisters had rushed over. Seeing such a magnificent Angel, an intense wave of faith coalesced among them.
"Praise the Emperor! Is that... another Living Saint?!"
"To possess such vast power, such breathtaking beauty..."
"Could it be that the Emperor has sent an even mightier messenger to save us?"
Overcome with devotion, the pious Sisters prepared to fall to their knees before Sanguinius.
Sanguinius could feel their utter sincerity—these women were truly devout believers of the Imperial Creed.
At that moment, in the distance, stood a grand statue of Sanguinius.
Its massive wings and majestic posture seemed to recount past deeds and glory. Perhaps it was because this image of Sanguinius was so deeply ingrained in human hearts that Living Saints like Celestine were accepted by the Ecclesiarchy in the first place. A golden, glowing angel fit the persona of the Emperor's messenger perfectly—or even that of His daughter.
Sanguinius remained silent until everyone raised their heads, then raised her spear to declare her presence.
"Rise, everyone. As citizens of the Imperium, there is no need to remain kneeling!"
"You have proven your loyalty with the weapons in your hands. Such unnecessary formalities are unneeded!"
Celestine was surprised; the figure didn't seem inclined to reject their faith. Moreover, she radiated a holy brilliance far purer than her own, causing even the most cynical Inquisitors present to freeze in soul-deep awe.
"Tch, what a bunch of demagogues!"
"These Ecclesiarchy fools are getting more out of hand by the day!"
A Grand Inquisitor lit a cigarette, her eyes narrowing unpleasantly as she watched the scene unfold.
Though she was a female Inquisitor, no one who reached the rank of Grand Inquisitor was simple.
What few knew was that her ability to spot traitors stemmed from a unique psychic trait called the Eye of True Spirit. Furthermore, her deputy was a powerful psyker capable of reading minds—including those of so-called Living Saints!
The reason she accepted Celestine—or rather, why she hadn't put her on trial—was because she sensed her unshakeable faith. Someone who fought for the God-Emperor in every waking thought could never be a traitor. At the very least, as a Grand Inquisitor, she had to validate Celestine's loyalty, and she refused to wrongfully accuse a loyal subject.
"Katarina!" Celestine spotted Katarina observing from afar and quickly grabbed Sanguinius, flying over in a hurry.
Celestine didn't even know Sanguinius's true identity yet, making her rushed behavior quite wild. In truth, even Celestine didn't know why she felt such an unexplainable affinity for this Great Angel. Her subconscious told her this person was completely trustworthy, someone with whom no guards needed to be kept. She could even follow her orders blindly in the coming fight, for her loyalty was absolute.
The sharp-looking woman wearing a witch hat and Inquisitorial uniform was indeed Katarina. Even amid the chaos of war, she used her abilities to scan everyone's inner thoughts, ordering summary executions at the slightest hint of corruption.
"Celestine always feels like a little girl who never grew up. She's a Perpetual who has lived for ages, so why is she still so rash?" Katarina, acting the big sister, couldn't understand her flightiness. Word was this Living Saint had appeared many times in Imperial history, yet did her actual mental age even exceed twenty?
Without overthinking, Katarina activated her True Vision.
This ability allowed her to see demons lurking within human bodies. Recently, she found Lord General Quick Jarvis suspicious and wanted to get close to test his loyalty. However, countless people were trying to see the Lord General lately, and not just anyone got an audience. Even a Grand Inquisitor needed proper justification during wartime, as everything was under strict military command. In peacetime, the Inquisition could leverage its authority to conduct loyalty reviews at will, but in active war zones, that power was curtailed.
"Sigh, fine. Let me see what this newcomer really is!"
Katarina activated her psychic power. Since Celestine had pulled the figure within five meters of her, her ability could finally trigger.
She expected to see a ball of golden light similar to Celestine's—a light that shone like a lighthouse in the dark, a miniature sun.
Instead... she saw an angel snuggling with a grey-skinned loli named Loli Emperor!
"AAAAHHH!"
"What did I just see?! Sob...!"
"The Emperor isn't like this! The Emperor CANNOT be like this!"
Suffering immense mental shock, the miserable Grand Inquisitor writhed on the ground in agony.
Blinding light scorched her eyes, as if in that single instant, she had glimpsed the Emperor's most profound, terrifying secret.
"Huh?"
Celestine quickly helped Katarina up off the ground. Golden blood was actually streaming from the Inquisitor's eyes.
"Katarina! What's wrong with you?! What happened?!"
"Did you see something absurd? What's going on?!"
"It's fine," Sanguinius said, already knowing what had occurred. This small fry was simply too weak; she couldn't possibly accept the truth calmly like Malcador did.
Besides, what kind of existence was Sanguinius right now? Gazing upon her true form snuggling with the Emperor was enough to blind normal eyes! If she had looked directly at the Emperor's true body on the Golden Throne, she would have been turned to ash on the spot. It was a mercy she had only glimpsed Sanguinius.
Clutching her eyes, Katarina tried to speak, but the divine voice of the Emperor soon echoed in her ears—thundering through her mind, leaving no room for resistance.
[Emperor: What are you looking at? That's my daughter!]
Those few words nearly sent the Grand Inquisitor straight to the grave.
If she had harbored even a shred of doubt in her heart just now, not even her ashes would remain. It was fortunate she hadn't questioned the figure's identity, or she would be dead beyond dead.
"You're... the Emperor's daughter... Wait, no! You're not a Living Saint, could you be...!"
Before her words finished, Sanguinius's spear-wielding figure overlapped with the distant statue.
That handsome face, that magnetic charisma—they were far too identical! Though this figure was a grand lady, that aura and universally beloved charm were the exact likeness of Sanguinius.
"Could Sanguinius have left behind an illegitimate daughter?! Looking so identical... how is that possible?!"
"Eh?" Sanguinius realized she had met her match.
Wait, this person would rather believe I'm Sanguinius's illegitimate daughter than believe I AM Sanguinius?!
Well, resurrection was indeed absurd on its own, exceeding the bounds of common sense. Who could have guessed that the handsome, beloved Sanguinius would turn into such a cute Primarch mama?
"Can't you just trust your heart? I really am Sanguinius. I'm not hiding it anymore—I'm laying my cards on the table!"
"Wait, what?"
"Aren't you a Living Saint? Besides, if you claim to be Sanguinius, shouldn't you be accompanied by other Imperial Angels?"
Celestine's follow-up question silenced Sanguinius completely.
Oh no, female logic works differently. I've really met my match!
"Pfft!"
Hiding in the shadows, Lion was chuckling to herself.
Ah, this is too good! Watching my dear sister struggle to handle other women is hilarious!
As expected, dealing with Sanguinius requires unconventional methods. Maybe I should learn their way of thinking—it really seems to counter her...
"Lord Primarch, are we just going to hide here?"
"I just received news about the secret photo album. Should we take this opportunity to retrieve it first?"
Azrael's sudden arrival surprised Lion. She thought he had discovered some Fallen Angels, but this matter seemed even more critical!
"What?! You found the thief who stole my photos?!"
"Hurry, where are they? Take me there!"
"I think Sanguinius can hold things down here. We must take the time to retrieve those photos. If the secrets inside leak out, we're ruined!"
Seeing Lion's frantic state, Azrael became even more curious about the secret, his desire to uncover it growing by the second. Meanwhile, the loyal space marines were prepared to give their lives for their Lioness.
"It's in the hands of a band of sacrilegious Noise Marines!"
"I've already sent men to retrieve it. It will be brought to you shortly!"
Lion grew anxious, wanting to rush over and reclaim her property immediately. However, the moment the thought crossed her mind, Azrael stopped her.
The Grand Master of the Dark Angels had already prepared his reasoning.
"My Lord, if you appear there in person, wouldn't it arouse the suspicions of the Emperor's Children?"
"Though those traitors are nothing special, surely you wouldn't want this secret falling into the hands of that damned traitor Primarch, Fulgrim?"
"Huh?!"
Lion suddenly felt something was off. Though the words made sense, why did it feel like this damned kid was trying to pry into her affairs?
Damn it! Those pictures are genuine secrets and treasures!
If that bunny girl photobook gets leaked, my career as a Primarch is completely over!
"I don't care! Even if Fulgrim himself shows up, I'll cut her down!"
"This secret CANNOT be known by that person! Absolutely not, under any circumstances!"
Seeing the Primarch's unyielding determination, Azrael had no choice. He could only pray that his men moved fast enough to resolve the matter before the Primarch arrived.