Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [266]

Rhodes' fleet quickly returned to the main planet of the Baal system. At this time, the entire star system was filled with cheers. Countless mortal soldiers threw their weapons high into the air, celebrating this victory.

Many Astra Militarum soldiers wept tears of joy. They had thought they were doomed in this war. When they faced the overwhelming Tyranid horde, they felt nothing but despair.

Even the mighty Space Marines could be drowned by these endless monsters.

All they could do was fight to the death and then return their souls to the Golden Throne, with no hope of victory.

Even Commander Dante himself had been ready to make the ultimate sacrifice, but at that moment, the dawn of victory arrived—the Imperium's reinforcements came.

They brought with them the news of revived Primarch Roboute Guilliman, and not only that—two Primarchs personally took command of the battle.

None of that mattered compared to the most important thing: the tide of war had finally turned. The mighty Custodes Ultraman, the terrifying Avatar of the Emperor, and the massive Imperial Titans.

There was also that gigantic veteran Dreadnought, and the female Primarch who wielded the power of ice, all of whom brought unimaginable confidence to the defenders.

The massive battleship in the sky tore apart the Tyranid hive fleet with its fierce bombardment. The powerful Space Marines launched boarding actions to decapitate the enemy and destroy the hive ships from behind.

A once hopeless battle had now been won. This was the strongest impression left on the local Astra Militarum. This time, support had arrived both promptly and powerfully.

"Did you see that Custodes? They haven't left the Imperial Palace on Terra for ten thousand years. I never thought I'd see one fighting on the battlefield," someone exclaimed.

"The Custodes can even become a giant to slay the enemy—that's a miracle of the Emperor. When the Emperor's avatar descended, I almost felt as though we had returned to ten thousand years ago when the Emperor still walked among us," another said.

All the mortal armies discussed among themselves, and the biggest topics were the gigantic Emperor's avatar, the Custodes Ultraman, the female Primarch Elena, and the Primarch Lord Rhodes, who led them to victory.

To these mortal soldiers, Rhodes was extremely mysterious. The Custodes Ultraman, the Emperor's avatar, and the female Primarch Elena had all appeared in public, but only Rhodes had not shown himself.

Most of the discussion centered on the topic of gigantification—this time, there were simply too many giant forms on the battlefield.

These were not ordinary Titans, but warriors who directly transformed into giants to fight.

However, this discussion was swiftly banned. Commander Dante ordered all mortal units not to discuss anything about gigantification. Anyone who dared to talk about it would be executed by the commissar's bolt pistol.

Rhodes' side also landed on the main planet of Baal using a landing craft—the massive space fortress could not land.

Rhodes' arrival was met with a warm welcome from the Blood Angels. Commander Dante personally led the welcoming party, along with the other company captains and Chief Librarian Mephiston.

"Lord Rhodes! Please accept the kneeling of all the sons of Sanguinius, and my most sincere bow! If not for your support, the homeworld of Sanguinius would have been destroyed, and his sons slaughtered," Dante said, leading all surviving company captains to kneel before Rhodes.

The proud sons of Sanguinius rarely bowed, but when facing the one who saved them and the Primarch who had rescued the homeworld of their gene-father, they set aside all pride and knelt sincerely, for they could think of no other way to express their gratitude.

"No need for such courtesy, Commander Dante, and all company commanders—please, stand up!" Rhodes smiled and stepped forward to help Dante up.

They exchanged greetings. Rhodes was very friendly with all the Blood Angels' captains.

This time, Dante had assembled all Blood Angels successor chapters—over 29,000 in total—but now, just over 10,000 survived. More than half had died; many chapters were reduced to just a few hundred marines, and some had been wiped out entirely.

If Rhodes hadn't arrived in time, they likely would have all been annihilated. The Battle of Baal was truly brutal.

Afterward, Dante held a grand banquet for Rhodes. All the remaining human factions near Baal sent representatives to attend.

After the banquet, Rhodes stayed in the most luxurious room in the Blood Angels' monastery—reportedly once occupied by Sanguinius himself, reserved for the most honored guests.

Late that night, Commander Dante and Chief Librarian Mephiston knocked on Rhodes' door.

"Lord Rhodes! Forgive us for disturbing you," Dante said with a bow.

"Commander Dante, I imagine there are things you wish to discuss in private. It's fine, come in," Rhodes smiled, opening the door for them. Elena sat beside Rhodes, smiling at the two.

Though Elena outwardly appeared calm and dignified, she was nervous inside. It was strange to be so respectfully treated by these high-ranking figures—people she could once only dream of meeting.

But now, she was a Primarch, with her genetic descendants, and even the heroic Battle Sisters called her gene-mother.

"Lady Elena, forgive us for disturbing you," the two bowed again. They deeply respected this formidable female Primarch.

"No problem, we had no plans to sleep early anyway. Please, have a seat," Elena smiled.

"No need! You two are great Primarchs, far nobler than us. We'll stand," Dante and Mephiston refused to sit, saying that they were unworthy to sit before Primarchs.

"Fine, ask your questions directly," Rhodes said.

"Lord Rhodes, I have many questions. Communications within Baal were completely cut off—how did you know our distress signal and come to help?" Dante asked.

A few days after the battle began, a psychic storm swept the battlefield, even briefly severing the Tyranids' connection to the Hive Mind. After the storm, all the psykers on Baal were unable to send messages, so even calling for help was impossible.

"You're wondering who sent the distress signal to me and Guilliman. I can tell you: It was none other than your great gene-father, Sanguinius. Not long ago, he communicated psychically with the newly awakened Guilliman and informed him of your emergency. He even slowed time around you so we could arrive in time," Rhodes explained.

It was time to tell these sons of Sanguinius the truth. In fact, he, Guilliman, and even the Emperor had another plan: the resurrection of Sanguinius.

"What! Lord Rhodes, you are our gene-father, and we deeply respect you. But, please don't joke about our gene-father—he is gone," Dante said gravely.

This was no joke. If Rhodes hadn't just saved Baal, Dante might have drawn his bolt pistol already.

But Mephiston placed a hand on Dante's shoulder and nodded excitedly.

"Commander Dante, Lord Rhodes has no reason to deceive us! I wasn't sure before, but now I am. The great gene-father is still alive—Sanguinius lives, though only in the soul, within the Warp," Mephiston said.

Hundreds of years ago, during a war with the Orks, Mephiston had been gravely injured and trapped under rubble for seven days and nights. He always sensed a gentle consciousness, almost fatherly, modifying his body, making him stronger than a normal Space Marine.

After that, he was transformed, becoming one of the Imperium's most powerful psykers.

In his dreams, Sanguinius visited him, sealing the Black Rage—the source of the Blood Angels' curse—within Mephiston, greatly reducing the chance of others succumbing to it.

He had never told anyone, but now that Rhodes confirmed Sanguinius was alive, he revealed his experience.

Rhodes nodded thoughtfully. It seemed that with the modified Primaris augmentations, Sanguinius had sealed his Black Rage within Mephiston. This power might make Mephiston even stronger, but it was also a heavy curse.

"Are you serious, Mephiston? Do you know what it means if our gene-father's soul is in the Warp?" Dante's face darkened.

The Imperium recognized only one true god—the Emperor. All others were heresy, even Primarchs.

If Sanguinius's soul existed in the Warp, what was he now? A daemon? A minor god? If this got out, the Blood Angels could be declared traitors by the Inquisition.

"Don't worry, Commander Dante. Soon, the Imperium will undergo great changes. The Inquisition will reform, and the Codex Astartes will be abolished. The Blood Angels will become a Legion again, not just a Chapter," Rhodes said.

Rhodes knew what Dante was worried about. Anything related to the Warp was taboo in the Imperium, even for Primarchs.

But many had already guessed the truth—how else could they explain the sudden appearance of Sanguinor, a living saint? Belonging to Sanguinius.

"I understand, Lord Rhodes! This is a great change. You, Lord Guilliman, and Lady Elena can form your Legions. We Blood Angels will stand with you—we support you," Dante said.

The Tyranid war had made him realize that single Chapters were not enough. To save the Imperium, the Legion system must be restored. If the three Primarchs had decided, he would support them, even at the cost of being declared traitors.

"You made a wise choice, Commander Dante—or should I say, future Deputy Legion Commander of the Blood Angels. Here's more good news! Soon, your gene-father will return as the next Primarch to rejoin the Imperium," Rhodes dropped a bombshell.

Dante was so shocked he could barely stand, and Mephiston was overcome with excitement.

"Lord Rhodes! Sanguinius is not like Guilliman—he was truly killed by Horus. His body is dead, not in stasis like Guilliman," Dante protested.

Their gene-father was truly dead!