After resolving the issue with Lorgar Aurelian, another troubling report was soon placed before the Emperor.
"Primarch Angron of Nuceria, during the conquest of Takamo, ignored the enemy's surrender and led the World Eaters in an indiscriminate massacre. Half the planet's population was killed, and vast sections of its infrastructure were burned."
This was far from an isolated incident.
Throughout the long Great Crusade, at least several hundred worlds had been subjected to the same brutality at the hands of the World Eaters Legion.
Their savagery was so extreme that even many within the Crusade's armies held deep resentment toward Angron and his Legion.
If not for the fact that no sign of Chaos corruption had been found — and that the World Eaters were undeniably efficient at conquest — petitioners seeking Angron's removal would have filled the Emperor's palace many times over.
This time, however, the Emperor showed little reaction.
No anger.
No disappointment.
Compared to his wrath over Lorgar's attempt to build a grand religious city, this news stirred almost nothing in him.
Angron, whose mind had long been enslaved by the Butcher's Nails — a device fused so deeply it could never be removed — had long been classified by the Emperor as a defective and unstable creation.
The Emperor therefore regarded him with a simple philosophy: use the tool until it breaks.
As long as Angron functioned well enough to conquer, that was sufficient. Expecting more was meaningless.
Back when he created the Primarchs, the Emperor had gifted each with specific abilities:
Some could foresee good fortune,
Some could foresee calamity,
Some could resurrect through the Warp…
Angron's assigned trait had been intellect.
The Emperor originally envisioned him as a strategist, a minister, or a logistical commander — a brilliant mind guiding armies, not a berserker drenched in gore.
Yet with the Nails embedded in his skull, driving him into perpetual rage, Angron could never fulfil that role. His trait — a product of great effort — was wasted from the very beginning.
Moreover, the Emperor had additional, less obvious reasons for tolerating Angron's brutality.
He wanted tension among the Primarchs and their Legions.
Because the Primarchs' very existence relied partly on Warp-born gifts, they and their Space Marines were inherently vulnerable to Warp influence. For the stability of the future Imperium, the Emperor needed them divided, not united.
A unified Primarch brotherhood would be too dangerous — able to challenge him if they ever rebelled.
Thus, by allowing extreme outliers like Angron to exist, the Emperor created natural fractures between factions. When the Great Crusade was complete and the Imperium stabilized, the Emperor planned to "cleanse" those who had aligned with such unstable figures.
In essence, the Primarchs and Legions — at least in the Emperor's ruthless calculus — were not much different from the Thunder Warriors of ancient Terra.
Temporary tools.
Destined to be discarded.
Only the Adeptus Custodes, perfect and controllable, were considered the true long-term military backbone of humanity. If they could have been mass-produced, the Space Marine Legions would never have been necessary at all.
---
Six Months Later — The War with the Xenos Empire
The campaign against the Rangdan Empire was punishing.
Multiple Legions suffered heavy losses. Quiet voices of doubt began circulating throughout the Imperium:
Was the Great Crusade faltering? Had the Emperor finally met his match?
The Emperor responded by unveiling one of his hidden trump cards.
He personally shattered the Rangdans' most crucial fortress, slew several of their highest-ranking commanders, and brutally shifted the momentum of the war in humanity's favor.
He then led a relentless counteroffensive, smashing through several Rangdan defensive lines and plunging deep into their core territories.
Every Rangda lifeform encountered was exterminated without exception.
Even resource-rich worlds that the Imperium could have captured were deliberately destroyed to ensure no possibility of the enemy's resurgence.
Though costly, the decisive reversal calmed civilian fears. Confidence surged across the Imperium.
To many, it appeared inevitable:
Humanity would rule the galaxy. No force could stop them.
---
Ten Years Later — The City of Perfection
Despite the Emperor's explicit prohibition—and emboldened by Erebus' subtle manipulation—Lorgar and the Word Bearers poured immense resources into constructing a magnificent city.
A flawless city.
A sacred city.
It covered nearly the entire planetary surface, filled with monuments from every compliant human world and countless statues carved by the Legion itself — all glorifying the Emperor.
Every inhabitant of the city was a carefully vetted believer, each carrying a copy of the Lectitio Divinitatus, painstakingly written by Lorgar himself.
Flaws they may have had in many aspects, but in terms of devotion, no group in the Imperium surpassed them.
If the Emperor commanded them to die for Him, most would obey without hesitation.
Thus, when the city was finally completed, Lorgar and the Word Bearers named it:
The Perfect City.
They proclaimed it the holy sanctuary reserved for the most faithful servants of the Emperor.
Human zealots across the Imperium flooded toward it in adoration, further inflating Lorgar's pride.
Erebus, watching this with a smile only he understood, seized the opportunity. His eyes flashing with fanatic fervor, he whispered:
"We should present this Perfect City to the Emperor Himself. Only He is worthy to rule it."
The senior Word Bearers froze — then erupted in praise:
"Indeed!"
"Well said!"
"Only the Emperor deserves such a gift!"
Lorgar nodded fervently, completely convinced.
To him, the logic was flawless:
Only if the Emperor Himself accepted the city… would it truly be perfect.
Thus, trembling with excitement, Lorgar activated his psychic link and attempted to contact the Emperor to deliver the joyous news…
....
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