Looking at that familiar figure, Sanguinius gripped the sacred sword in his hands, burning with the urge to execute Horus on the spot.
However—the present Sanguinius remained remarkably composed. He needed to figure out what was going on with the Horus before him.
[Sanguinius: Dad—]
[Caleb: Just jump him. He's not my responsibility.]
The moment Caleb finished speaking, Sanguinius shot out like a falling star.
He pointed his spear straight at his opponent's face, the internal plasma firing mechanism unleashing its payload at that exact instant.
"What the fuck?!" Horus's mind was still in a complete haze.
Yet his combat instincts allowed him to effortlessly side-step the thrust.
He was just about to open his mouth and ask what on earth was happening, but Sanguinius's next attack was already coming right for his skull.
BOOM!
Sanguinius brought his spear down, laced with Warp power, instantly vaporizing the entire rear section of the fortress zone.
The adamantium-reinforced ceramite gates melted on impact—molten metal slag dripped continuously from above, presenting a thoroughly terrifying sight.
"My gods, what is going on here?!"
"Sanguinius, where are we?!"
"What kind of madness has taken you? Why are you attacking me?!"
Before Horus could even finish speaking, he saw Sanguinius slicing toward him with a wide smile on his face.
It was an extraordinarily radiant holy sword, ablaze with brilliant flames—a sword that looked like a youth edition of the Emperor's Sword.
Though the flames were not quite as blinding, a single swing was enough to make one's very soul tremble.
Horus was completely flabbergasted. He had no idea what kind of madness had overtaken Sanguinius today; all he knew was that the beloved Angel was hacking at him with a grin!
And stranger still, his own current strength could barely hold up against a single move from Sanguinius.
Every single one of Sanguinius's attacks felt like he was on super-steroids—a literal walking Titan lacking only the beast icon above his head.
With a single strike, an entire fortress zone could be vaporized clean away.
"Traitor, I have nothing to say to you!"
Sanguinius caught his opening and chased Horus down to hack at him further.
In his past life, he had been chopped into fine paste by Horus; this time, wouldn't he be missing out if he didn't chop Horus into paste to balance the cosmic ledger?!
As if knowing his old man's stance, he no longer had any lingering reservations.
The current Sanguinius was cutting down his enemy with a smile, a smile that looked uniquely icy and unnerving.
By all logic, if a normal human took a hit from such a blade, their soul would have been burned to ashes.
Yet miraculously, Horus was currently blessed by some unknown force, his soul exceptionally stable as if someone were continuously pumping life-blood directly into him.
"Traitor?"
Muttering those two words, Horus clearly still hadn't grasped the current situation.
However—Horus's physical state had already been corrupted by Chaos Daemons.
His transformation into the Dark Warmaster was purely a matter of time—though it required a 17-hour gestation process.
[Caleb: Sanguinius, finish him off within 17 hours if you can!]
[I'll also think of other ways to deal with him. The Chaos Gods have made him their vessel once more. If you don't dispose of him quickly, I'm afraid you'll end up turned into paste again!]
Hearing his old man's words, Sanguinius's timid smile twitched slightly.
This joke was far too dark—it made it feel as though all his desperate efforts to save his old man earlier had been completely in vain.
[The Emperor: Is there a universe where, if Sanguinius hadn't died at Horus's hands, I wouldn't have wanted to kill Horus either~?]
Hearing the Emperor's Warp-mutterings, Caleb suddenly remembered that there indeed were a few versions where Horus received the Emperor's forgiveness.
Though the ultimate end was always the Emperor killing Horus anyway, just with slightly different emotional contexts.
At this moment, Horus wasn't having an easy time either. He lay sprawled on the ground, slowly absorbing some form of Warp energy to recover.
After all, he hadn't fully received the blessings of the Four Gods yet; taking a direct hit from Sanguinius was truly more than he could bear.
Desolate ruins surrounded him, and he had no idea how far he had been blasted.
Ordinarily, a Primarch's physical form should have disintegrated under that single blow.
Yet Horus survived, slowly accepting the power granted by the Four Gods to cling to life.
Precisely because of this, demonic voices had already begun ringing inside his mind.
The Chaos Gods had cast off all shame, taking on human guises to run their cosmic scam.
They intended to reduce Horus to a helpless fetus-like state of dependence, so that they could harvest yet another Warmaster capable of setting the galaxy ablaze.
[Pure Blue-Haired Teacher: Come, let me tell you the truth.]
[You are already a discarded pawn. Your sisters have already embarked on the path to godhood.]
[The Emperor's true goal is to achieve godhood. You lot are nothing more than sacrifices to Him, mere weapons of war.]
[Sexy Purple-Haired Kouhai: Oh, look at you, Horus—you are nothing more than the Anathema's plaything.]
[Sanguinius has already become the Anathema's lapdog. His mind has been thoroughly ruined by the Corpse-Emperor, turned into a broken toy.]
[Languid Green-Haired Mother: Horus, for the Imperium, for the people—you must expose the truth of the Anathema.]
[Look at everything around you; the False Emperor has broken this civilization beyond recognition.]
[Short-Tempered Red-Haired Delinquent Senpai: That's right, Horus! You should use the claws and power-axe in your hands to deal a fatal blow to the fallen ones.]
[We will support whatever you wish to do. After all, what we represent are the core emotions and willpower of humanity itself.]
Watching the way the Chaos Gods were filling Horus's head with poison, Caleb mentally logged the appearances of these four peddlers.
Just wait; it wouldn't be long before these four guises were etched deep into the collective consciousness of the Warp.
When the time came, the Four Gods would only be able to manifest in the realspace universe in these forms. Once he turned the Four Gods into table-top gaming pieces, they would inevitably be crushed underfoot.
Caleb took a deep breath, fully aware that these 17 hours were of absolute, critical importance.
Once time ran out, Horus would restore his form as the universe-tearing Warmaster.
When that happened, the entire galaxy might be set ablaze all over again, and this time, the scope of the fires wouldn't be small.
"Betrayal—it hasn't come to that yet. I think I need to make a trip to the Imperial Palace on Terra. At the very least, I must lay things clear with my Father!"
At this point, Horus still harbored a shred of delusion regarding the Emperor.
He struggled to his feet, shouting back at the voices echoing in his mind.
As a supreme father-complex sufferer, he would return to Terra no matter what before making his final choice.
However, the next words from the Chaos Gods dealt Horus a devastating blow.
[Tzeentch: Still deceiving yourself? Look at your fingers—where is your Centaur ring now?!]
[Ten thousand years ago, you already walked that path. Today, there is no turning back!]
The instant the words fell, Horus fixed his gaze upon his own fingers.
In that single moment, Horus's heart went completely cold.
The Centaur ring—the symbol of the Emperor's personal recognition—was... gone!
In that fraction of a second, Horus's favorability toward the Emperor plummeted straight from a solemn oath down to utter despair.
Horus's temperament was now volatile in the extreme, and he even projected his surging resentment toward Sanguinius.
"No! Betrayal... I have not betrayed Him!"
"I am the Warmaster of the Imperium! I could never betray!"
"There must be something blinding the Emperor's eyes!"
Horus looked left and right, frantically searching for the Centaur ring.
He refused to believe the Emperor had revoked it; he refused to believe the Emperor was entirely disappointed in him.
Yet there was nothing in the surrounding rubble. The ring that symbolized the Emperor's favor simply could not be found!
In an instant, Horus looked like a raving lunatic—prowling through the ruins like a scavenger in the capital city's slums, desperately hunting for his lost treasure.
"How pitiful..."
For some unknown reason, in that exact moment, Sanguinius felt that the soul before him was far too tragic.
Tricked into a fool by the Four Gods, coddled into a helpless infant by the Warp.
Was there anything more pathetic than living inside a delusion?
Even though he had already revealed part of the truth, the current Horus seemed completely unable to accept it.
Sanguinius raised his spear high, resolving to send this pitiable creature back to the state of death without delay.
To be thoroughly and utterly slain was a blessing in the current Warhammer universe. Perhaps Horus had no need for so-called repentance or redemption—it would only cause everyone more suffering!
"Warmaster! What is that?!"
Just as Sanguinius was about to strike, a massive Blackstone Fortress inexplicably materialized directly in the skies above Cadia.
By all physical laws, the distance between the two forces should still have been vast.
Yet for reasons unknown, this bizarre fortress powered by living souls had triggered a short-range Warp jump right at this critical juncture.
Within a span of a few hundred nanoseconds, Abaddon had already detected the anomaly on the planet's surface.
Abaddon was stunned to discover that there were actually two Primarchs present on this single world!
One was Sanguinius, who was supposed to have been dead for ten thousand years, and the other was his own genetic father, who should have been long buried in a casket.
"Is that truly our Primarch?"
Abaddon asked not just his subordinates, but himself as well.
After all, Abaddon had suffered an embarrassing blunder before, mistaking a cloned Primarch for his true sire.
Although the Fabius Bile's cloning techniques were a bit rough around the edges, delivering a faint trace of a Primarch's presence, it was still far too inferior compared to the real deal.
Whether in raw combat prowess or pure spiritual presence, one could instantly discern true from false.
Of course, the prerequisite to spotting a fake was having actually seen a real Primarch in the flesh. If you had never encountered a genuine article, you would undoubtedly be fooled by the aura.
It was like placing a counterfeit bill next to a genuine banknote.
Only someone who handled real currency daily could spot the difference at a single glance.
Evidently, Abaddon belonged to the latter group.
Having truly seen a living Primarch with his own eyes, a single glance was all he needed to confirm that this Primarch was the absolute real thing!
"Quick! Initiate short-range teleportation!"
"Though I can scarcely believe my eyes, no matter what, we must haul him up first!"
Abaddon had no time for further reflection. He immediately dispatched a whole company of veterans straight down to execute a rescue.
Even if the genetic sire before him proved to be a fake, he would execute the imposter with his own hands.
The teleportation matrixes built into the Terminator power armor flared to life. In moments, a full company of Terminator veterans materialized directly onto the battlefield.
Though a few unlucky bastards materialised inside solid walls and died instantly, to these battle-hardened veterans, losing a handful of men during a large-scale mass teleportation was standard procedure.
"For the Warmaster! For Lupercal!"
Who knew how long it had been since he last heard that rallying cry? The moment those words rang out, even Abaddon couldn't help but freeze for a beat.
The shout had torn straight from his own throat, as if driven by the instinct of his very cells.
He hadn't roared that specific slogan in a very, very long time. Though he occasionally declared "For the Warmaster" or "For the Primarch," he hadn't let loose the original battle cry in ages.
"What are you here for? To die?!"
The moment Horus caught sight of Abaddon, he froze.
Because Abaddon held a weapon almost identical to his own.
He still couldn't fathom what had transpired, but one thing was certain: Abaddon was risking his life to rescue him.
The current Horus could no longer process complex thoughts.
Though those four entities were deeply eerie, he could currently only absorb a fraction of their power.
Horus's instincts warned him that this power was treacherous, and because of this, he refrained from accepting the full tide of Chaos energy all at once.
BOOM!
A fully charged thrust from Sanguinius's spear blasted downward. Dreadnought veterans equipped with void shields rushed forward to deploy large-scale void shield generators, doing everything possible to withstand the blow.
Yet such defense was as flimsy as paper in Sanguinius's eyes.
Empowered by his sacred relic, the current Sanguinius could solo a Titan without issue, to say nothing of a miniature shield generator.
BANG!
The shield overloaded and shattered instantly. The exploding generator blasted a Dreadnought veteran into mangled scrap on the spot.
For that Dreadnought veteran, it was genuinely a mercy—for to be slain by Sanguinius meant true, ultimate death, freeing his soul from being enslaved by the Four Gods.
Yet it was also a tragedy, for he was a veteran of ten thousand wars, one of the precious few who had witnessed the Primarchs in their prime. Following this explosion, the veteran faded forever into history.
"Fall back! Now!"
Abaddon had been arrogant before, even daring to duel a Primarch one-on-one.
Ever since he was thoroughly beaten half to death by Rogal Dorn, however, he no longer dared to display such hubris.
He understood crystal-clear that the Angel before him was indisputably a true Primarch.
What's more, Sanguinius's combat prowess was likely far superior to Rogal Dorn's. It was already a miracle if they could stall for time; trying to fight him head-on was a literal death wish.
Before anyone could react, distortion fields flared, and short-range jump systems engaged.
Though a few unfortunate veterans were left behind in the chaos, the main force seized the window to teleport back to safety.
"How annoying!"
Sanguinius looked up toward the sky, glaring at the gigantic structure known as the Blackstone Fortress.
Sanguinius knew full well that he had to breach it now—if he failed to kill Horus within the time frame set by his Father, he would truly end up turned into Sanguinius-paste once more.
[Caleb: Wait, where on earth is Lion?]
If Lion had been present just now, they might have taken Horus out in a single burst.
After all, Lion possessed teleportation abilities, making him exceptionally suited for assassination missions.
Caleb shifted his attention over to the Little Lion, who was currently slacking off.
At this moment, the Little Lion was still fiercely guarding his secret. His bunny girl photo album had been stolen, and to him, that mattered more than anything else in the galaxy!
"What's this?"
A few Noise Marines held the photo album, flipping through it with twisted amusement.
Inside were portrait sets of a blonde girl wearing a variety of bright, seductive outfits. To a casual observer, it looked like an ordinary photo collection.
"Heh, not bad at all. If we bring this girl back to the Palace of Pleasure, we'll have a grand time!"
"Mm, true enough. We can mold a few extra flesh-cups later and share the neural feedback—won't that be divine!"
When it came to degeneracy, Slaanesh took the crown. Even Noise Marines corrupted by Slaanesh were this grotesque, this appalling.
Truth be told, these Noise Marines' tastes were actually on the milder side.
There were far more horrific, mind-bending pastimes among their kin, though such acts were simply unfit to be put into words.
The cultists had no idea what kind of calamity they had brought upon themselves.
Because Lion had already activated his teleportation—holding the Greatsword of Caliban, he thrust it straight into their backs!
"Shit, my hooks!"
Lion's sudden ambush wiped out the entire squad of Noise Marines instantly.
Before they could even react, every single Noise Marine was bisected by Lion's blade.
"Confound it all!"
Looking at the bunny girl photo collection scattered across the floor, Lion felt his scalp go numb, nearly fainting on the spot.
Thank goodness he had arrived in time; if his sons had seen these items, he would have suffered total, irreversible embarrassment.
[Caleb: Lion, stop messing around and go assist Sanguinius!]
[The Chaos forces deployed Horus. If you don't hurry, Sanguinius is going to be chopped into paste again!]
[Lion: Huh?]
The Little Lion froze for a second before realizing the severity of the situation.
[Horus was resurrected? Wasn't he dead?]
[Wait, no... one of the photos here is missing! Dear Mother, do we have time?! I want to find that last photo first!]
[Caleb: By the time you find that last photo, we'll be ready for a classic re-enactment.]
[Do you truly wish to see what happened ten thousand years ago repeat itself?]
[This operation MUST be swift. You only have 17 hours, and you'll have to breach the Blackstone Fortress to have any chance of success.]
Looking at the incomplete photo collection in his hands, Lion felt his heart cracking apart.
A missing picture meant his secret was still floating out there.
It felt like sticking your head into a wall while leaving your rear end exposed to the world.
"The photo... Sanguinius... The photo... Sanguinius..."
After a moment of agony, Lion made his decision.
He had to reinforce the Great Angel!
"So be it. Missing one is missing one. I'll find an opportunity to retrieve it later!"
"Though Azrael might find out, this is no time to be worrying about such things!"
Lion issued a direct order to Azrael, commanding him to search the area for the missing photo.
If it wasn't found within half an hour, the Rock was to immediately launch an all-out assault on the Blackstone Fortress.
They had to conquer the Blackstone Fortress within 17 hours and eliminate Horus at all costs!
"Understood, My Lord!"
Watching his dear father depart, Azrael silently pulled out a photograph.
Pictured on it was his own Primarch, crouching in a full bunny girl outfit.
It was the missing page from the photo album—the very secret his Primarch was desperately trying to recover.
"Oh... so that's how it is?"
"Fascinating. It seems I've stumbled upon quite the extraordinary secret!"