"How is the situation?"
Seeing that Sanguinius was fine, Lion, who had been anxiously fraught with concern, finally let out a sigh of relief.
Yet, for the very first time, he saw a look of deep worry on Sanguinius's face.
Clearly, the situation this time had completely spiraled out of their control. Lion himself had only realized that the traitor Warmaster had actually been resurrected through the real-time map synchronized to him by their Father!
"It's alright, no big deal—though it's a pity we let them slip away!"
"With the power of Chaos aiding them, those guys won't be easy to catch!"
"Still, if we attack the Blackstone Fortress directly and force our way inside, I wonder if we can pull it off!"
Both of them turned their gazes toward the Blackstone Fortress in the sky. By now, the massive fortress had reached a point where it was visible to the naked eye.
At this moment, the vast majority of the mortal forces were still fighting valiantly, but it was clear from their expressions that a tinge of panic lingered beneath the surface.
[Caleb: You two stop standing around over there. That thing actually has the power to shatter planets.]
[Maybe the local planetary-grade void shields can barely hold up for a bit.]
[But it's only a temporary hold to buy you guys some time.]
Caleb knew full well how tough this mission was. As things stood, taking down the Blackstone Fortress was an absolute imperative.
Whether it meant destroying it or capturing it—
Either way, the Blackstone Fortress had to be dealt with. Otherwise, he might end up personally conscripted by Warhammer 40k itself.
A hellhole like Warhammer 40k was a place Caleb wouldn't go to even if it killed him. Even if he had to settle for second best and completely obliterate the Blackstone Fortress, he couldn't allow himself to suffer such a fate.
At this moment, Caleb took a glance at the pieces available on his board. Besides the two Primarchs, there was also Living Saint Celestine.
In terms of high-end combat power, they possessed an absolute, crushing advantage over Chaos—yet in terms of actual force deployment, they were being brutally outmatched by Chaos.
Right now, when it came to troop deployment alone, Chaos had already gathered Space Marines numbering in the tens of thousands.
Most of them belonged to various Chaos warbands, with only a small portion being the Sons of Horus led by Abaddon.
That specific contingent was now known as the Black Legion, serving as the core of this Black Crusade. However, Abaddon wouldn't lightly commit these forces into the field of battle.
In truth, Abaddon was no longer the main issue. The real problem was the return of Horus—which gave Chaos a truly epic-level buff.
"Lion, tell me the truth."
"Roughly when will your flagship arrive?"
Sanguinius was calculating the current board state, pondering how to concentrate their forces for a swift raid on the Blackstone Fortress.
Lion understood Sanguinius's line of thought as well, though he still asked, knowing full well what he meant.
"You mean my Rock?"
"What else?" Sanguinius pouted slightly, offering a thoroughly reasonable justification right after.
"I inherently possess the gift of foresight. Naturally, as an Angel, there are certain things I'm bound to know!"
Sanguinius clasped her hands together, resting her head gently against the backs of her hands.
This picture of refined elegance rendered Lion completely speechless.
All Lion could do at this moment was let out a strange, muffled grunt.
Lion didn't buy Sanguinius's explanation for a single second.
The Little Lion even suspected that the Emperor must have leaked the information, deliberately letting Sanguinius in on certain little secrets.
After all, Sanguinius was loved by everyone—and the Emperor's favoritism toward Sanguinius was painfully obvious!
He and Guilliman both had the body types of young girls or lolis.
Sanguinius alone was a tall, regal mature woman with stunningly drop-dead gorgeous looks.
Didn't that prove that in the Emperor's heart, among all the Primarchs, only Sanguinius was the mature one?
Meanwhile, he was an impulsive girl, and Guilliman was categorized straight as an underage child who hadn't grown up yet.
Mm—well, that was how Lion rationalized it, at least. Yet he didn't have the slightest objection to this hierarchy of status.
As long as Sanguinius was the only mature woman from here on out, everyone else had to be younger than him!
"It'll probably take about a day to get here!"
"Even though we have Doraemon's Anywhere Door, which lets us bring in infinite reinforcements—"
"Doraemon doesn't have anything in his stash to assist in fleet combat."
"Of course, there is a way to solve the problem in one go, but that might end up solving us along with the entire galaxy!"
Hearing this, Sanguinius felt a jolt in his heart, turning a suspicious glare toward the robotic cat.
Sanguinius realized that his foresight had zero effect on this lump of machinery; his foresight only worked on psychic organisms, rendering it entirely useless against non-psychic entities like this.
"Is this guy really that miraculous?"
Sanguinius rubbed the robotic cat's head, beginning to examine it carefully.
The robotic cat just stood there letting him rub its head, offering no objection whatsoever.
"Hey—" Lion felt a bit displeased. When he had petted the robotic cat before, it always voiced plenty of complaints.
Was Sanguinius really that formidable? Even a robot couldn't resist him?
"Doraemon, why aren't you resisting a bit? You weren't like this before!"
"Was I?"
Doraemon scratched his head with his round, ball-like hand, looking somewhat embarrassed—in truth, it was simply because Sanguinius had such a pleasant personality that he didn't mind it at all.
Sanguinius asked, "Do you have any awesome gadgets to resolve a galactic crisis? For instance, something that wipes out all the Chaos traitors in the galaxy so we can have world peace?"
"No way, no way!"
Hearing this request, Doraemon refused outright. As a childcare robot, he would never fulfill such a bizarre request.
Of course, it wasn't that Doraemon lacked such gadgets, but giving causal-reality gadgets to someone harboring dark thoughts was genuinely dangerous for the universe.
"Sigh, sister Sanguinius, don't make such weird wishes!"
"If Doraemon thinks you're too violent, he won't fulfill your wish!"
Lion stood with his hands on his hips, having long grown accustomed to Doraemon's temperament.
He was a childcare robot; if you asked Doraemon for a weapon capable of ruling all mankind, he would definitely turn you down.
In fact, even if you just hinted at such an intent, he would reject you.
However, as long as you made a wish in a way filled with innocent, childlike wonder, he would certainly hand over a corresponding gadget.
He might even give out game-breaking items like the Multiplication Dropper.
"Doraemon, do you have a gadget that can get us into that fortress? We really need to get inside—we have to save someone!"
"Before long, our good brother inside the fortress might end up completely filled with the evil power of Chaos. We have to rescue him, so please help us out, okay?"
Sanguinius froze, looking at his dear elder sister Lion with a bizarre expression.
Lion's way of wishing was so strange; why did it feel so... childish?
"Mm, well, if you guys want to get inside, then take this!"
"The Passage Ring!"
"With this thing, no matter what's blocking your way, you just slip this ring onto the surface and you can go straight through!"
"Doesn't matter how thick the walls are or how heavy the shields are!"
"This ring can phase right through physical space in front of you. It's super useful!"
"Oh!"
Holding the ring, Sanguinius even demonstrated a hula-hoop routine on the spot.
This thing wouldn't activate until it came into contact with a physical object, so Sanguinius using it as a hula hoop didn't pose any problem at all.
"Hey!"
Watching Sanguinius treat the gadget like a hula hoop, Lion was momentarily rendered speechless.
Sanguinius definitely hadn't seen the infinitely multiplying corn—if Sanguinius had seen that thing, he would surely hold Doraemon's gadgets in deep reverence.
It couldn't be helped; whatever Doraemon casually pulled out could easily be a heavy-duty world-shaker.
Right now, Guilliman's "Trillion-Time-Stop Subsidy Plan" was only possible because they had Doraemon.
There was no alternative—the yield from the Infinite Agricultural World was simply far too massive.
According to the Mechanicus, as long as there were no transport issues, the food production from that single world alone could probably eradicate famine across all worlds.
However, while the ideal was beautiful, reality was harsh.
Even if the subsidy fleet were sent out, it would likely get lost in the Warp.
The policy Guilliman currently adopted was to have the transport fleets of each sector pick up the cargo themselves.
As for whether they could actually make it to Ultramar, that was a matter of pure luck and metaphysics.
[Caleb: Alright, stop playing around and hurry up and deal with Horus!]
[With this gadget, you should be able to smoothly breach the Blackstone Fortress.]
[With your current strength, beating Horus shouldn't be a problem at all. There's no way two of you can't beat one, right?]
Of course, that last line was just Caleb poking fun at them, yet this playful jab instantly ignited the competitive drive of both the Warmaster and the Sovereign of the Second Imperium.
"How could that be!"
Both Primarchs answered in unison. The Little Lion was the most anxious of the two; it was clear that the Little Lion was eager to prove himself right now.
[Caleb: Then you two get going already. If you actually finish the mission—Mom will give you a big hug with her new body!]
[Ahaha, of course—who knows, when that time comes, you might even get to sit beside the Golden Throne and chat with me.]
[While I'm at it, I can tell you the old story about the Roman She-Wolf!]
After speaking, Caleb chuckled. It wasn't him footing the bill anyway, so what did he care?
Besides, telling a bit of that little story might actually deepen the bond between the Emperor and his children.
After all, letting the kids in on a few of the Emperor's little secrets would definitely bring both sides closer together.
"Oho!"
Lion perked up considerably. As the Primarch who had interacted with Caleb the most, he naturally knew a few minor details about the Roman She-Wolf story.
"Does that mean, Father, you're going to tell the sequel? Great, great! Once we finish this battle, I'll head to Terra in person to listen!"
Sanguinius stole a glance at Lion, his heart already filled with intense curiosity.
He tried to use his foresight to peek at some of the details, only to find himself unable to do so.
[The Emperor: You bastard! Who writes my name down after handing out a check?!]
[Misappropriating my assets is one thing, but how dare you turn my private business into currency, you bastard!]
The Emperor was somewhat pissed off, yet also caught between tears and laughter.
Ever since this weird thing started causing trouble, he hadn't had a single day of peace.
First came Malcador's return, turning from his trusted right hand into a massive headache.
Then came these daughters, each one more outrageous than the last, barely acting human at all.
Usually, when these girls played around with dress-up games and the like, he could watch along as a bit of entertainment.
But sometimes, the boomerang would genuinely loop back and hit him directly—especially in a situation like this.
The two Primarchs hit it off immediately. Without much prep time, they mapped out their next assault plan.
Since this raid had to be fast, precise, and ruthless—without room for any mishaps—even Lion got equipped with a Take-copter, preparing to fly straight up and start the fight.
"Um, are you guys going to execute some mission loyal to the Emperor? Count me in!"
Celestine, drenched in blood, arrived beside the two Primarchs at this moment.
She had gotten to know Sanguinius and understood his identity, but as for the Little Lion beside him, she was clueless.
However, Celestine didn't care about the other's identity. Anyone capable of standing alongside Sanguinius had to be a loyal, living daughter as well.
Besides, even if she died, she could just respawn in the Warp. Whether going up there was dangerous wasn't within Celestine's scope of consideration at all.
"You?" Lion voiced skepticism regarding Celestine's combat capability.
Granted, Celestine was quite impressive, perhaps even stronger than a Custodes.
However, Lion felt she still wasn't qualified to take part in a battle of this caliber.
After all, what they were going up against this time was his former brother, not some small fry.
"Don't worry, elder sister, I'm actually quite capable in battle!"
"Just now, I led the defenders to repel a traitorous Knight household."
"I even personally dismantled the cannon barrel off that Chaos Knight. Look!"
Saying so, Celestine dumped a thick cannon barrel onto the ground.
The barrel indeed belonged to a Knight mecha, though judging by its caliber, it likely belonged to an Armiger.
"Sigh, fine then. It's not like I haven't fought alongside Battle Sisters before!"
"As long as you're loyal, that's all that matters. Since you're not afraid to die, follow me."
Lion took flight using the Take-copter—a sight that left Katarina on the side completely dumbfounded.
"Wait, you can just fly up like that?! That fighting style is way too heretical—this won't do, this won't do at all!"
"Hey hey hey, you can't fight with that kind of discipline!"
"Combat must follow the Scriptures! At the very least, you have to fight according to the Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer, hey!"
At this moment, this Grand Inquisitor was perhaps the most helpless Inquisitor alive.
Because she knew full well that everyone standing before her was an absolute big shot: one was a Living Saint, and another was suspected to be Sanguinius reincarnated.
As for this blonde girl who mysteriously took flight, she likely possessed a mind-blowing identity as well.
Although she didn't know the girl's true identity yet, a few faint guesses were forming in her mind.
"Why does this outfit feel like it has a bit of a Dark Angels vibe to it?"
"Could it be—"
Just as Katarina thought of that possibility, a broad palm slapped down onto her shoulder at that very instant.
Unbeknownst to her, a group of Space Marines clad in greyish-white robes had suddenly appeared behind her.
They wore deep green power armor, featuring the symbol of angel wings on their chests.
"Girl, you know too much!"
"Come have a cup of tea at our Rock. There are some matters you might not be able to participate in anymore!"
"Eh?"
And just like that, merely because a certain poor Inquisitor had a passing thought, she was invited to drink tea at the Dark Angels' home base.
As for whether she could ever leave, that was purely a matter of metaphysics.
Meanwhile, Celestine and Sanguinius had already taken to the air.
At extreme speeds, they caught up with Lion's flight pace, extending their hands to pull her along.
"Doraemon, why is your gadget flying so slowly?!"
"I walk grandmas across the street faster than this flight speed! Can't you make this thing fly a little faster?!"
At this moment, Doraemon felt quite helpless as well. He was originally supposed to exit the stage, but because he had to place down the Anywhere Door, he ended up staying a bit longer.
"There's no helping it! This is a toy meant for little kids, so it can't go too fast!"
"Pfft!"
Both Angels couldn't help but burst into a snicker at that moment.
Ah, looks like someone was being treated like a little kid. Although Celestine was occasionally criticized by her good friends for being childish, she had never truly been treated like a child before.
Yet, the blonde girl before them was an entirely different story.
Despite having participated in countless battles, she was still being treated like a little girl who hadn't grown up.
"Doraemon, I sentence you to never eating dorayaki for the rest of your life."
"AAAAHHH, NOOO!"
"I'll just overclock it for you, sheesh, so pushy!"
Driven into a corner with no way out, Doraemon raised his little hand and instantly switched the Take-copter into overclock mode.
It was a good thing many of Doraemon's gadgets were bought on the future black market—which explained why certain items possessed such immense destructive potential. That was entirely normal.
"Woohoo!"
Lion shot out like a tiny shooting star, while the remaining two Angels hurriedly gave chase, terrified that this reckless girl might fly in the wrong direction.
Fortunately, the direction Lion flew in was generally heading toward the Blackstone Fortress.
Even though his flight path involved a chaotic Brownian motion the entire way, it happened to perfectly evade the defensive fire coming from the Blackstone Fortress.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
A massive volume of beams and plasma streams grazed past them.
Yet the weapons systems of the Blackstone Fortress couldn't touch the three before them at all.
The volume of these three humanoid flying units was simply far too small, making it completely impossible for the Imperial fire control systems to lock onto them.
Perhaps a Necron fire control system could lock onto them with ease, but the problem was—neither the Chaos ships nor the Imperial ships possessed anything like that.
At that moment, a brand-new void shield suddenly flared up along one side of the Blackstone Fortress.
Compared to ordinary ship shields that could only intercept high-speed objects, the Blackstone Fortress's advanced shield was capable of blocking low-speed objects as well.
In the eyes of outsiders, this was an impenetrable rampart composed of Warp energy.
However, to Caleb, this seemingly impregnable fortress became an entry point instead.
Sanguinius moved at extreme speed, throwing the ring straight onto the shield.
Immediately after, the group stepped right through the shield, landing directly inside the hull of the Blackstone Fortress.
Sure enough, the moment they set foot on the metallic surface of the Blackstone Fortress, even Celestine, a Living Saint, couldn't help but feel a sudden chill run down her spine.