Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [199]

Abaddon's head was full of question marks. He had been in a great mood—after ten thousand years, today was his happiest day.

After achieving such a glorious victory, you're now telling me that new Primarchs have appeared, and even more are about to be resurrected? Ever since his own gene-father Horus died, for ten thousand years he had painstakingly developed the Black Legion, rekindling the strength of the Sons of Horus.

He had developed the planets within the Eye of Terror, established munitions factories, supported the Dark Mechanicum, gathered other Chaos Space Marines who betrayed the Imperium and used every means to win them over to his side.

Through ten thousand years of effort, he launched the Black Crusades. The first twelve crusades had yielded phased victories, and now, in this thirteenth Black Crusade, he had finally dealt a heavy blow to the Imperium—perhaps even a fatal one. He had torn open the Great Rift in the Eye of Terror; at least half of the Imperial worlds would lose contact with Holy Terra. The chance he had waited for all these millennia had finally arrived!

Some might say, "Are you serious, Abaddon? Are these little accomplishments worth bragging about? Your father seized half the human empire in just a few years, even threatening Holy Terra itself!"

But what kind of forces did his gene-father command back then? The Warmaster of the Imperium led all Imperial forces, alongside the remaining eight Primarchs who joined the rebellion.

He had men, armies, generals, and logistics at their absolute peak. His forces were overwhelming.

If only his gene-father had heeded his advice—taken things step by step, not rushed to attack Holy Terra, just let the False Emperor sit on that Golden Throne.

Then, they could have picked off the loyalist Primarchs one by one: first destroy Macragge, wipe out the five hundred worlds of Ultramar, and kill Roboute Guilliman, the thirteenth Primarch.

Then crush the Blood Angels' homeworld, Baal, capture the great angel Sanguinius and persuade Luther of Caliban to betray the Lion with a knife in the back.

After that, eliminate Fenris, home of the Space Wolves, and uproot every loyalist force around Holy Terra.

The False Emperor, trapped on the Golden Throne by the Chaos Gods, could never leave; no one could stop Warmaster Horus. Even if Malcador replaced the False Emperor, he wouldn't last a day.

They could have slowly devoured the entire Imperium, leaving not a shred of loyalist power.

Once only Holy Terra remained, all they'd have to do was besiege it, and the False Emperor would be finished.

It would have been perfect—huge swathes of territory conquered in just a few years. But if you can't consolidate those lands, what's the point? Rebellion isn't a game of quick attacks.

Even if you kill the Emperor himself, you still have to clean up the shattered galaxy—so why not do that first?

But his gene-father Horus chose the most foolish way to fight, attacking Terra directly, even though he had every advantage.

He landed his flagship right in Terra's skies, giving the False Emperor a chance to use boarding tactics and attempt a desperate beheading strike.

And as for himself? He had to start from scratch, hiding in the Eye of Terror with a few battered remnants, carefully building up over ten thousand years.

Scraping and saving, he finally mustered a Chaos army strong enough to threaten the Imperium and dealt a devastating blow to the False Emperor.

If he wants to attack Holy Terra, he must first conquer ninety or even one hundred percent of the Imperium, leaving Terra isolated—then launch the final, steady assault.

Ten thousand years have given Abaddon a lot to think about, and he's come to a terrifying conclusion in his heart.

His gene-father was indeed corrupted by Chaos, but deep down, he still remained loyal to the Emperor; he was the First Son.

Even corrupted by Chaos, he tried to minimize the harm he did to the Imperium, which is why he went to Terra and let the False Emperor kill him.

Did his gene-father not see the strategy Abaddon devised? Horus had a far greater strategic vision than he did!

Otherwise, the False Emperor would never have made him Warmaster. It's laughable—he purged all the loyalist brothers, and led the rest in the Great Rebellion!

But in the end, he abandoned all his gene-sons, choosing to surrender to that rotten meat sitting on the Golden Throne.

Ten thousand years ago, Abaddon worshipped his gene-father and deeply respected the Imperial Warmaster Horus.

But ten thousand years later, his feelings have completely changed.

Last time, Fabius Bile proudly showed him his cloned Warmaster Horus—a gene-father who even had full memories and called him "son."

But Abaddon said nothing, smashing the clone Primarch in a rage. Never mind that he was a fake Primarch—even if he was genuine,

Abaddon would have still swung his daemon sword and slain him. It was you who led us to betray the Imperium, but in the end, you were the first to betray us!

You were loyal to your father; we were loyal to you, our gene-father. We rebelled because of you!

Now, at last, he had accomplished a feat greater even than his father Horus.

Next, he would rule the dark half of the Imperium, standing equal with the Imperium itself.

He would also break free from the control of the four Chaos Gods. He was only a collaborator, not their servant.

Father! This time, I'm not rebelling for you! This time, it's for myself!

"Warmaster! Warmaster! You must depart immediately! Stop them—stop them from reviving another Primarch!" the Chaos Sorcerer anxiously said to the pensive Abaddon.

"Tell me, what did you see? What did the great Four Gods reveal to you?" Abaddon asked.

"A female Primarch has appeared! It's a terrifying sight—the power of the Four Gods let me glimpse a future where female Astartes exist in the galaxy.

All Sisters of Battle will become gene-daughters of this female Primarch, and this female Primarch will resurrect Roboute Guilliman."

(Note: Due to the Emperor's protection and the secrecy of the system, the Chaos Gods can't discover the protagonist, but they can sense Elena and predict some future visions.)

"A female Primarch?

The Corpse Emperor has been on the Golden Throne for ten thousand years—where would he find the time to create a female Primarch?" Abaddon said, somewhat annoyed.

When would the Emperor have time to make a female Primarch?

"This female Primarch was just recently born. She—she came into being due to some accident, some unknown power.

You'd best defeat her before she matures—better yet, offer her to the Four Gods.

Whether it's the Great Father of Compassion, the Lord of Pleasure, or the mighty Blood God,

Or the One who governs all wisdom and magic across the universe,

They would all treasure such a gift. If you present this female Primarch to them, you'll receive unimaginable rewards," said the Chaos Sorcerer Zaraphiston, delivering the command from the Four Gods. (Chaos Sorcerers are usually Tzeentch cultists.)

"Hmph! The Four Gods want this newly born female Primarch, right? Want me to capture her? As for reviving the old Primarchs, that's just nonsense," Abaddon sneered.

"No! If you don't stop them, Belisarius Cawl has already created an item that can revive the Lord of Macragge.

If they get one more key person, the Lord of Macragge will awaken," Zaraphiston said.

"I see! Since she's just been born, I'll bring her to my side and raise her as my daughter," Abaddon said.

Why should I offer a precious female Primarch to the Chaos Gods?

Wouldn't it be better to raise her myself? To have a daughter whose strength one day rivals or surpasses my own.

After all, this Primarch has just been born and is still an infant—I have to hurry and snatch her away.

"Ahem! Warmaster, 'just born' doesn't mean she's a baby. She's already a fully qualified Primarch—an adult, and she's aligned with the Imperium," Zaraphiston said helplessly.

Abaddon never had much respect for the Four Chaos Gods. If not for the few reliable people in the human Chaos forces…

Most are perverted madmen—the Four Gods would have kicked you out long ago if they could.

"Understood. In that case, I'll capture her myself, then corrupt her.

Let her see the wonders of Chaos. Let her see the true face of the False Emperor."

Abaddon stretched, gathered his Terminator guard, and boarded his landing craft, heading for Gleya.

If it was any other Primarch, he might feel some fear.

In ten thousand years, he had obtained the daemon sword, Horus' Claw, his gene-father's weapon, and the blessings of the Chaos Gods—yet he was still a little weaker than a Primarch.

But if the opponent was a newly adult female Primarch, that was a different story.

Female strength simply can't compare to male; a grown man can easily subdue a grown woman.

It's the same for Primarchs—a female Primarch's combat power is far inferior to a male's.